NASCAR TV Blackouts
Speedway Owner Wants TV Blackouts
There are a few speedway promoters and race track owners who think it would be a good idea to blackout local TV coverage of NASCAR races in the event that races aren’t sold out.
Think it couldn’t happen? The NFL does it all the time.
Bruton Smith owns about half the tracks on the Sprint Cup schedule including tracks at Charlotte, Bristol and Las Vegas.
When asked if TV coverage should be blacked out in local markets in the event the speedway didn’t sell out a race Smith quickly replied “that’s exactly what should happen.”
So if the Atlanta race on Labor Day Weekend doesn’t sell out then that would mean that race fans there wouldn’t be able to watch the race on TV.
I guess Bruton Smith thinks that if people can’t watch the race on TV then they’ll be more likely to head over to the track and buy a ticket.
David Poole thinks it couldn’t happen in NASCAR, but I think it’s a very real possibility.
It’s also extremely unfair. In this economy many people simply don’t have the money to spend on race tickets. There are also many loyal NASCAR fans that are simply unable – for whatever reason – to go to the racetrack.
If NASCAR starts blacking out TV coverage I believe many fans will simply lose interest in the sport – there will be a lot more people who will leave the sport than there are who will be bullied into buying tickets.
What would you do if NASCAR blacked out TV coverage for the race at your home track? Would you buy a ticket and go to the race?
