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: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 15:30:07 GMT

In article 8766@cbnewsm.cb.att.com, rlsx@cbnewsm.cb.att.com (russell.l.stauffer) writes:

>
>I don't remember who said it, but the main reason is said to be "the Bubba
>vote".  They're after the huge population of lower-middle-class, blue-collar
>workers, and figure that's what makes up the majority of NASCAR fans. 
>

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.

I am not a USA basher, I just want to see the sport that I love get the respect that
it deserves. There is one thing for sure; auto racing has a generally bad rap here
in the US. And it doesn't in other places. I know, I've seen it. I have to feel 
almost embarrassed when I tell people I'm involved with auto racing. Because here
in the US, there is a real stigma, a real ugly stereotype of a muddy, poor, largely
ignorant roundee-rounder that is hard to shake. Now if those reading this hate this
steotype as much as I do, and feel offended by it, then lets do something.
The plan I feel should be two pronged:

1.) Cultural-rethink the way a lot of auto racing is portrayed in tv coverage and the media
     at large. For instance, why are NASCAR announcers always southern accented? Make it the
     job of anyone involved in the sport to promote it more generally.
     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". 

2.) Technical-I will be flamed but as long as American racing is generally low-tech, many
    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.


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. And Europe was more US racing oriented than it is now. Let's get 
back to that. Does it bother anyone here that we U.S. racers and fans get grouped in with the
Monster Truck crowd? 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.

Well I don't have all the answers and it will take time, but elsewhere motor racing is seen 
as much more of a sport, a sport with a wide base of support. Here much less
so, more of a "spectacle", like pro wrestling. And I think the only ones we have to blame 
are ourselves. Let's sow the seeds now and maybe after a long while things will start 
changing for the better. Each one of us can think of what role we can play in this reform.

Matt
Newsgroups: rec.autos.sport