AUTO RACING
NASCAR Seeking Ratings Boost From ESPN
Published: Jul 27, 2007
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Besides being the most prestigious race in the second half of the season, this weekend's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard reunites two old friends.
NASCAR and ESPN.
And the all-sports network's long-promoted return as a broadcast network for NASCAR's top series couldn't come at a better time. NASCAR's Nextel Cup ratings are down 3 percent on broadcast networks and 6 percent on cable from last year.
While NASCAR's vice president of broadcasting and media, Dick Glover, points out that the fall-off is small and says year-to-year fluctuations are normal, the ratings also dropped last year.
If ESPN doesn't help reverse the trend, it won't be for lack of commitment. Besides hyping its coverage for months, the network launched an all-out assault this week that will include 66 hours of NASCAR-related programming and at least one innovation that could permanently enhance racing telecasts.
Draft Track will allow viewers to actually see the air that travels over and around the cars and creates vacuums for drafting. Using computational fluid dynamics, wind tunnel data and global satellite positioning, the special affects package - viewers will see what look like green and yellow flames flowing over and around the cars - illustrates how the air affects the cars in relationship to each other.
ESPN created it with SportVision, the same company it collaborated with on the first-and-10 yellow line in football that is now used by nearly all networks and the K Zone in baseball broadcasts. Initially, Draft Track will be used only in replays, with explanations from analysts Andy Petree and Rusty Wallace.
"We have a fascination about things you can't see," said Jed Drake, ESPN's senior vice president and executive producer. "You can't see the air that flows over the cars and around the cars that are doing 200 mph unless you come up with a system like this."
ESPN has televised more NASCAR Cup-level races than any network, carrying 262 between 1981 and 2000. But in 1999, the sports network was outbid by Fox, NBC and Turner, which paid $2.4 billion for six years of rights through 2006. To the astonishment of many - including itself - the network that did more to fuel NASCAR's growth than any other was out.
ESPN got left out of the broadcast package, and because of exclusivity rights granted the other networks, it had limited access to the racetracks to do any kind of stories. As a result, ESPN eventually canceled its magazine racing program, "RPM Tonight," and mostly showed only a smattering of race highlights on "SportsCenter."
When the broadcast contract came up again in 2005, ESPN made it and NBC didn't. An eight-year, $4.48 billion contract took effect his year, with Fox getting the first 13 races, TNT the next six and the ESPN/ABC Sports Group the last 17. ABC will have the final 11 races, including all 10 Chase for the Championship races.
ESPN has been carrying the Busch Series races all year, so it was prepared for Sunday's first race back as a Nextel Cup network.
"We've put unprecedented resources toward our return to NASCAR," said Norby Williamson, ESPN's executive vice president, studio and remote production. "We have 17 business units that are creating NASCAR-related content, highlighted by the television presentation. The innovations that we've had this year with high-definition coverage, and HD in-car cameras, and all of our businesses have come together to provide what we believe is a different and innovative look at NASCAR coverage."
ESPN's return also brings back Jerry Punch to the forefront of NASCAR telecasts. Punch, a former emergency room physician and backup quarterback for Lou Holtz at North Carolina State, began as a pit reporter on ESPN telecasts in 1988.
Popular with fans and viewers, he is the lead announcer in a booth that also includes Wallace and Petree.
"The years when I was a pit announcer, we were able to take fans inside the huddle on pit road, inside the minds of crew chiefs and drivers," Punch said. "To have the opportunity now to be in the booth, and to be able to maybe steer that coverage and give the fans some different looks, I think we'll have a lot to offer."
Glover, who worked at ESPN before taking a position at NASCAR, insists there is no alarm about the ratings downturn. He says NASCAR's exposure has never been greater, pointing to explosive growth of other mediums, including NASCAR.com, which allows fans to follow races through the real-time programs TrackPass and RaceView.
He repeats NASCAR's longtime claim that it is the No. 2 pro sport on TV behind the NFL, which executives from other leagues dispute, saying their products are spread out with several games. NASCAR's PR machine points out that NASCAR is the only major sport to have higher ratings in 2006 than in 2000, with Nextel Cup and Busch ratings each being up by 10 percent.
What ESPN can do goes beyond what any other network has been able to offer. Besides its flood of ancillary programming, ESPN has the sports-consuming population blanketed with a multi-platform arsenal that includes ESPN.com, ESPN Deportes, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio, ESPN360, ESPN Classic and ESPN The Magazine.
"We're very excited about it," Glover said.
Reporter Tony Fabrizio can be reached at (813) 259-7994 or afabrizio@tampatrib.com.
