Big Apple bashing
The only thing the blogging posse over at ThatsRacin seems to hate more than Brian France is New York City - or specifically the prospect of putting a Cup race there.
Carol at The Infield, in her report on the Cup guys' trip to NYC this week, moves from evidence (No one watched the Cup cars parade through NYC) to conclusion (NASCAR shouldn't build a track there.)
Sigh.
A few points from someone who lived long ago in the City:
1. It takes an act of God - or a Presidential motorcade or the Columbus Day parade - to get a midtown street closed during a week day. The city isn't going to shut down for a publicity stunt, no matter how much The Today Show begs.
2. At 9:30 a.m., Midtown workers are trying to get to the office on time. (Media and retail get started later than Wall Street.) Those rolling billboards are just in the way.
3. The fact that NASCAR is on "The Today Show," no matter how badly the segment was done, is a good thing. As my wife, who used to work in product PR, says, everyone wants to be on The Today Show, which means they turn away plenty of folks. Worry only if NASCAR gets relegated to the instantly forgettable "Fox and Friends."
4. Just because New Yorkers don't stop and drool like cross-eyed yokels doesn't mean they're not interested in NASCAR. New Yorkers see celebrities pretty darn often, and it's not cool to stare. All New Yorkers have a I'm-pretending-not-to-look-but-I-really-am look.
5. NASCAR's NY fan base is in the Jersey-Long Island-Upstate suburbs, not midtown Manhattan.
I'm not saying a NYC track is a good idea or a bad idea. All I'm saying is that New Yorkers know the difference between a side show and a real show. They'll support the real thing.