A few years back, Major League Baseball (Baseball? I thought this was a piece about NASCAR!) went on strike and alienated their fan base. Basically, no matter what the experts say was the rationale, it was because they got greedy and thought fans would be apathetic, sympathetic and then forgive and forget about it. Wrong! Fans revolted against MLB and went elsewhere to fulfill their baseball fix, namely the Minor Leagues. Minor League attendance tripled and quadrupled in some cases and the money started flooding the coffers. Result? MLB still has a black eye, arguably still hasn't gotten over the strike backlash and Minor League basebal is flourishing with beautiful new ball parks, loads of fresh new talent and baseball being played for the enjoyment of everybody. Ever been to a minor league ball game? It is what the majors once had and wish they could get back again, before the ga-jillion dollar salaries, egos and steroids got in the way. For less than fifty bucks, I can take my two kids to a game, buy them hot dogs, popcorn and drinks, buy myself a couple of beers, have an outstanding game at an intimate ball park and leave with a smile on my face and change in my pocket. It can't be beat for real family entertainment value. That's why baseball back up until the early 70's bacame America's past time, because of it's intimate appeal to the masses and its real entertainment value. Then the media, the superstars and the Bob Sugar's of the world, got too big for their britches and destroyed the game. Okay, so why am I writing a paragraph about baseball if this piece is supposed to be about NASCAR? Because NASCAR is heading in the same direction. What was once a close-knit intimate sport, has become a Mega-Circus that even ancient Rome could have never imagined. That's what I compared this era of entertainment to, in the United States. Ever been to a NASCAR event? All you have to do is imagine that each racetrack is the Roman Colliseum and that the race cars are chariots, each replete with its own team of drivers and caretakers. The hawkers and the fans fill the air with sights and sounds associated with a huge carnival, until a hush falls over the crowd as the emperor appears, gives a short speech and chariots begin to roll. It is really beautiful to behold. So, why am I writing this again? My first NASCAR race was the Daytona 500 back in the 60's, when my father drove an ambulance for Beacon Ambulance Company and had work the race in case there was an emergency. I was way too little to remember much, but I do remember the sights, sounds and smells, especially the smell of that high-octane fuel. My dad tells me that the drivers used to be so personable that a couple of them used to buy me bags of Oreo's, Coke's and milkshakes in the time spent hanging around the garage. Years later, I went to Dover and had to pay my way in to the race. The atmosphere was still personable, the drivers accessible and friendly, the prices fairly reasonable and a good time had by all. My last race was Martinsville, VA, last Fall. I paid almost $100 per ticket for two tickets, I bought a T-shirt for $20, a beer cost $6, a Coke was $5, a hotdog was $4, parking was $25, scanner rental was $75 per scanner, the codes for the scanners was $10 and of course I didn't just purchase one of everything because I had a friend with me. By the time that litle entertainment excursion was over, I had paid almost $500. What does Brian France think he is doing? NASCAR used to have several quaint, intimate and exciting tracks they raced on, but Brian France and company think that racing on 1.5 mile cokkie-cutter tracks is more appealing. Why? Because it lines his pockets and the pockets of all of his cronies. And don't forget who your average NASCAR fan still is, the 9-5 blue-collar workers out in the fields, and factories. Brian France is trying to change this dynamic, but part of the problem with alienating the good-old boy club in favor of a more mature and intellectual crowd, is that the intellectuals may cough up $500 once or twice in a blue moon, but not every time the circus comes to town. Especially when you pack 100.00 people in like sardines and make them pay for a seat they don't use. Let's face it, they are more concerned with other social events and their own persoanl lives than they are with swilling beer at a race twice a year and paying $500, or more to do so. And the good-old-boy club? Most have been relegated to one show per year, now. Mostly bacause NASCAR has priced them out of the market. I recently wne tonline to purchase tickets for the Michigan race in June and the cheapest tickets I could get were $115 a piece. Outrageous! Especially when the Busch and Craftsman Truck series tickets are less than half that price and they usually put on a better show. Not to mention that a lot of Nextel Cup drivers, also drive in the Busch and/ or truck league. I met Bobbly Labonte when he won the truck race at Martinsville a little over a year ago, and it was a great race. Darlington last year? The truck and Busch series races were far superior to the Cup race. There is a reason why NASCAR needs to be on the defensive and reconsider some of their decision. They have alienated themselves from a large part of their fan bas already and continue to do so. While it is true that they are still filling the stands at the really big races, I have noticed attendance and some of the other races falling off sharply, namely California, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Richmond didn't seem as full as usual this year. And yet, this was the reason giving for taking the second race date away from Darlington, which is arguable the best racing action on the circuit. NASCAR fans have two choices to plea their case; either boycott going to the races and watch them on TV en masse, thus forcing NASCAR to make concessions, or watch NASCAR keep manipulating themselves into extinction, just like the ancient Romans. Personally, I love racing and going to races, I just can't afford it any more.