SOZ on RTR - NASCAR Racing Should Head Down Under by Michelsen

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NASCAR Racing Should Head Down Under

4/3/08: SOZ Studios, MI - By Dennis Michelsen "DMIC" (RaceTalkRadio.com)

When Marcos Ambrose came to the United States to race in NASCAR his success or failure meant a lot to his fellow Aussies. Now that Ambrose is a full timer on the circuit the interest in NASCAR over in Australia is booming! Racing has always been popular down under but NASCAR is uniquely positioned to take advantage of Ambrose's success on this side of the pond. It is time to for NASCAR racing to head down under!

NASCAR as an International Sport

Stockcar racing is still treated as a novelty in many parts of the world. Addition of former CART and Formula One drivers to NASCAR has generated new fans but nothing will build NASCAR interest more in a particular country than having one of their drivers succeed in NASCAR! Australian race fans are more likely to accept NASCAR style racing than fans in many other countries that still think of NASCAR as racing taxicabs. They also feature some racecourses that will provide an excellent racing venue for NASCAR cars. Having Nationwide Series races in Mexico and Canada has been NASCAR's only regular season attempts at International racing. But if NASCAR wants to make big news on the International stage they need to add a race in Australia!

Regular Season Option

Late February is still part of the rainy season in California. But the weather can be quite favorable in many parts of Australia. Imagine the buzz Internationally if NASCAR took a week off after the Daytona 500 to head over to Australia for race number two. The buildup to the race would keep NASCAR in the sports news all week long! The novelty of that first year of racing overseas would generate lots of extra interest in the sport. Sponsors that might have a hard time justifying the ever-increasing costs of a NASCAR sponsorship will see extra value Internationally! Juggling an off week to that slot from later in the season when the weather is more favorable for racing in the United States makes good business sense.

Off Season Option

The other option is to have some sort of off-season racing mini-series in Australia. Just imagine the buzz if four or five drivers from each of the major touring series are offered big money to go racing in Australia over the Winter. You combine those NASCAR stars with another ten or fifteen drivers from Australia and you would have a great racing mini-series to keep the NASCAR buzz going over the off season. Sprint Car stars from the United States have been venturing over to Australia and New Zealand for years. But if NASCAR's stars went over for an off-season mini-series in Australia the media buzz would be amazing! It wouldn't be hard finding 10-15 NASCAR drivers to race in December or January in a 4-6 race series.

Yes I know there are tracks here in the United States that deserves a NASCAR race. But the season can't be lengthened any more and early in the season the weather is horrible for racing except in a choice few locations. Since we won't see a domed track any time soon racing where it IS summertime in late February makes sense! Australia would be a better market for the "NASCAR goes International" experiment than anywhere else. Whether the race is part of the regular NASCAR season or part of a great off-season mini-series to promote the upcoming season it is time for NASCAR to try racing down under!

Editor's Note: Do you think Dennis is off his rocker with this suggestion? Join the club! Click on the "Quick Change" archive to hear Mike Harper and Lori Munro shoot down Dennis' Australian plan!

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