Not all of South has racing stripes
NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson just won the Nextel Cup. But if you live in Arkansas you probably won't hear much about it. Surprising, huh?
It shouldn't be. There is a perception around the country that the South is mad about stock car racing. The sport, however, is only a cultural phenomenon in certain areas — the Carolinas, the Redneck Riviera and perhaps parts of Tennessee. Usually wherever there is a track and big race there are fans who live in that area that regularly spend their Sunday afternoons watching 43 cars make hundreds of left turns.
But in Arkansas and Mississippi, no NASCAR races are held and the interest level in the sport is tepid at best. Somehow these two states have been left out of the fun while cities in California and New York have been included on the stock-car racing circuit.
It should be noted that NASCAR did throw Arkansas a bone last year when it opened one of its licensing offices. However, its decision to take this step had a lot to do with the fact that Wal-Mart is based in in Bentonville, Ark. Like all major vendors, NASCAR is trying to curry favor with the world's largest retailer, not the people living in this state. And unsurprisingly Arkansans have responded by not paying much attention to a sport that has no base here.
Even as Arkansas native Mark Martin made his last attempt to win a points championship, nobody in the state gave it much thought. It certainly wasn't a hot topic of conversation. People here like football and that is what they talk about in the fall, winter, spring and summer.
Perhaps if NASCAR decided to hold a race in Arkansas, it would attract a new fan base in a region many thought was already obsessed with the auto racing. But not everybody in the South knows Jeff Gordon's sponsor or drives around with a Dale Earnhardt sticker on their car. Here in Arkansas if you ask somebody who Jimmie (or Jimmy) Johnson is, they will likely tell you that he is a football coach who once played for the Razorbacks.
And that likely won't change no matter how many Nextel Cup titles Johnson wins in the future.
It shouldn't be. There is a perception around the country that the South is mad about stock car racing. The sport, however, is only a cultural phenomenon in certain areas — the Carolinas, the Redneck Riviera and perhaps parts of Tennessee. Usually wherever there is a track and big race there are fans who live in that area that regularly spend their Sunday afternoons watching 43 cars make hundreds of left turns.
But in Arkansas and Mississippi, no NASCAR races are held and the interest level in the sport is tepid at best. Somehow these two states have been left out of the fun while cities in California and New York have been included on the stock-car racing circuit.
It should be noted that NASCAR did throw Arkansas a bone last year when it opened one of its licensing offices. However, its decision to take this step had a lot to do with the fact that Wal-Mart is based in in Bentonville, Ark. Like all major vendors, NASCAR is trying to curry favor with the world's largest retailer, not the people living in this state. And unsurprisingly Arkansans have responded by not paying much attention to a sport that has no base here.
Even as Arkansas native Mark Martin made his last attempt to win a points championship, nobody in the state gave it much thought. It certainly wasn't a hot topic of conversation. People here like football and that is what they talk about in the fall, winter, spring and summer.
Perhaps if NASCAR decided to hold a race in Arkansas, it would attract a new fan base in a region many thought was already obsessed with the auto racing. But not everybody in the South knows Jeff Gordon's sponsor or drives around with a Dale Earnhardt sticker on their car. Here in Arkansas if you ask somebody who Jimmie (or Jimmy) Johnson is, they will likely tell you that he is a football coach who once played for the Razorbacks.
And that likely won't change no matter how many Nextel Cup titles Johnson wins in the future.
posted by Rainer Sabin @ 11:59 PM
1 Comments:
At 2:35 PM EST,
Anonymous said…
nascar sucks... driving in cars is not a sport. It is a contest. kinda like poker isn't a sport even though it's on espn every freakin day! it's a game of skill but it's not a sport. nascar sucks!
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