From: lallo@stsci.edu (Matthew D. Lallo,622,4577)
Subject: Re: Bubba (NASCAR)
Reply-To: lallo@stsci.edu
Organization: Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore MD
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 14:49:08 GMT

In article 9653@pixel.kodak.com, jaslow@bissun.kodak.com (Russell Jaslow) writes:
>In article <1992Sep3.153007.17898@stsci.edu> lallo@stsci.edu writes:
>>
>>Isn't it wonderful the kind of respect racing in the U.S. gets? And this
>>is how we are stereotyped to everyone overseas. But... we burn our own bridges
>>because u.s. racing sponsors cater to this same "bubba" fan. If you folks don't
>>like that idea then don't be proud of the stereotypes, fight them. Fight for
>>a wider scope to the racing, fight to draw sponsors that aim for a broader 
>>audience. All this will help.
>>
>Here I agree with you wholeheartedly.  But, later on you make some really
>strange comments.  Don't want to flame you, but at least I warned you :-)
>
>>     Sponsors need to see auto-racing as a major way to reach a large cross-section of all
>>     the sporting types, as they do in Europe, not just of a narrow socio-cultural group.
>>     This is why sponsorship in NASCAR is so insular and narrow and why sponsorship in
>>     CART is so "lost". 
>
>Interesting points, but its not all that bad.  For instance, the reason
>Kodak sponsor money is in NASCAR is specifically because Kodak's studies have
>shown that the average racing fan is indeed middle class, willing to spend
>money, takes lots of pictures, and is well educated.  Same goes for a lot
>of the P&G products involved.  Just what is your idea of a cross-sectional
>sponsor?

No I agree with you Russell. I consider sponsors like Kodak large cross-sectional
and exactly what I'm saying is that we need more of these types of sponsors.
No problem here.

>
>>    sponsors will shy away. We need captivating series. The days of Bill France's idea of
>>    the average American race fan wanting to see cars that looked like street cars from 
>>    the side is gone! It's dead. We've outgrown Bill France's notion of what we want.
>>
>I am not a big NASCAR fan, but I think you are dead wrong in this respect.
>How else can you explain NASCAR's amazing growth in the past decade?  I think
>this is a very captivating series, and captivating the right people (See
>comment about Kodak's sponsorship).  Meanwhile, IMSA with it's technological
>superiority is dying away.

True IMSA is having a hard time but for reasons other than its technology.
You're comments are well taken. I just think other types of racing could be just
if not more popular than NASCAR.

>>
>>Look through Road and Track from the 50's and 60's. The U.S. racing scene was much more Euro-
>>oriented than it is now. 
>
>There is more road racing in Indy cars and the coming of age of IMSA (not
>including the last 2 years) tells me that the US racing scene is more Euro-
>oriented then ever before.

Well, I wholeheartedly disagree with you here. There is no way that U.S. racing now is more
euro-oriented than in the 50's and 60's. No way. I respect your opinion, and it may just
be a definitional thing but...it just doesn't add up. We had road races in sports cars
all over the place. We had European circuits mimicing Indy, we had American drivers and 
teams in F1 and WSC (if it was called that then). Indy was a WC event. There's just no way 
it's more so now.

>
>>Does it bother anyone here that we U.S. racers and fans get grouped in with the
>>Monster Truck crowd? 
>
>Got to agree with you here.  This does happen sometimes.
>
>>We need also folks and companies like Gurney and Hill and Ford to get 
>>back in the scene and give the world something from the U.S. that they will all be envious of. 
>>Something we can really be *proud* of.
>>
>I don't see how this will help with the stick and ball media's perception
>of the stereotype.  Mario Andretti's world championship didn't make a 
>difference.  Gurney and Hill didn't make a difference in the 60's, otherwise
>we wouldn't be writing this.  It has to start at the grass roots level.
>The fans like us have to, slowly but surely, change the stereotypes of others
>by talking to them about how great our sport is in a non-arrogant way.

I agree here with you too. Unfortunately you included my whole post, but not the
part where I said that i don't have all the answers, and I don't really know but
am just making suggestions.

Anyway Russell, email me when you have time and tell me how your Spec Racing has gone.
I'm interested in that class. Costs? How long doing it? What the typical field is like,
etc. Thanks!
Matt

>-- 
>Russell Jaslow         |Spec Racer #33 Finger Lakes Reg|NY RANGERS|My employer
>Eastman Kodak Company  |In memorium: Andrew Spiller,   |and the   |has nothing
>Rochester, New York    |Cynthia Bishop Halstead.  Keep |Cup!  Why |to do with
>jaslow@bissun.kodak.com|the damn drunks off our roads! |not dream?|my drivel.




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