Full Throttle

Never short of opinion, many based on long and successful experience as a track owner, Burton Smith believes NASCAR should follow the NFL’s lead and institute a local TV blackout to aid track attendance.

As my headline suggests I think Smith has done a header in the deep end of the pool sans any arm floatees and is drowning in his own hubris.

But that’s just me.

Bruton claims, (as told by Dustin Long) “a blackout could help ensure more tickets being sold. Smith notes that TV does too good of a job broadcasting the races, so it’s easier for a fan to decide to stay home and watch it on TV.”

Again, via Dustin: Smith says he has not talked to NASCAR about this but admits that the concept “is exactly what should happen because it’s worked in the NFL,” he said. “You have had somebody that is a forerunner there that has done it. They’ve done it successfully, so why not go ahead and match it.”

Yeah, the NFL version “worked,” and in the process pissed off a lot of fans along the way. One needs look no further than this years playoffs to see how it “worked.”

The NFL’s Vikings/Cardinals playoff game the last weekend of December had to be given an extension to sell more tickets and avoid local TV blackouts. It was also extended for the Cardinal/Falcons wildcard game.

Breaking a string of sellouts for the 0-16 Lions is one thing, being 8,000 tickets short as the Vikings were or 3,700 out for the Cardinals is a whole ‘nother matter.

And did I mention the wrath this might create from the “NASCAR is becoming too much like the NFL” crowd?

There’s a very large segment of NASCAR Nation that live and die that mantra.

Dustin brings up a good point, what if there was a blackout and say Fontana fails to sellout, a likely scenario you must admit. How would the advertisers respond to “X number” of millions that won’t be reached in that market?

It might not be in a public way, but I feel relatively certain there would be some long talks across very expensive mahogany boardroom tables as a result.

Bruton Smith, you have had some very productive years as a track owner and innovator in the sport.

This ain’t one of them, hope those arm floatees keep your head above water.