Like a Little Curry With Your NASCAR?
Let’s kill the “NASCAR is a Southern Sport,” meme once and for all. Not that it ever was entirely. The fifties saw early stock car stars run a road race in Mexico (Here’s the Carrera PanAmericana, modern version). The sixties and seventies showcased the NASCAR exploits of Dan Gurney, among many others, at Riverside in Southern California.
But I digress.
Here’s the final and definitive evidence that NASCAR is an International sport. It’s being “outsourced,” to India.
MUMBAI: Zee Sports has launched a new show Nascar Mania.This half hour magazine programme showcases all the elements that make up a Nascar race. Miss India 2003 Nikita Anand will host the half hour show to be telecast on the weekdays at 5:30 pm. The show will have the top stories from Nascar Nextel Series, the history of Nascar and technical tips.
Zee Sports claims “that over 100 million fans follow Nascar races worldwide” which reads as though they have taken a page out of the HWSBO “Hype NASCAR 101″ Handbook.
Anand said,
I guess when addressing things like carburaetors and templates the use of “sacred cow” will no longer be appropriate.
NASCAR will have to start a school of multi-cultural sensitivity training for all of the drivers and pit crews, and not to mention the return of Seven-11 as a big time sponsor. “Would you like a Slurpee with that trophy?”
If it kicked off in the Indian market, Williams test driver Narin Karthikaian (spelt?) could be gracing the ovals. Believe me sponsorship would not be a problem, when he drove in F1 the Indian TV figures were through the roof.In a survey on the sub-continent he was found to be the tenth most recognised identity in India.Ahead of Tiger Woods, Michael Schumacher, Anna Kornakova etc.
Hmmm… “ahead of Anna Kornakova.” Not a bad position to be in Peter, unless you were adminring her from the rear!
But I digress.
I had forgotten about all the hub-bub over Karthikaian, but you’re right. I remember seeing photos of some of the massive train system there and his fans had plastered Karthikaian posters all over the cars.