Exactly what NASCAR needs! Photo Credit: SPYDERMAN360

First off, the views expressed within this blog are solely the views of the blogger, and angryracefan.com is not responsible for them.  OK, after recently watching some of the coverage from recent Indycar, F1, and even motorcycle races, I figured out what NASCAR needs to do to gain in popularity:  Grid Girls, Umbrella Girls.  Whatever you want to call them, NASCAR needs them.  The “aw shucks”, southern boy mentality needs to go.  I mean get over it.  You built your sport runnin’ ‘shine right?  Then you were sponsored by a cigarette company and had a Winston Girl.  You want to catch the younger demographic, back a truck up to the next NOPI nationals and just start running herd.  With today’s MTV culture, as wrong as it is, young people expect this sort of stuff.  The official mouthpiece of NASCAR, SPEED TV, even showcases this sort of thing on their website.  How about “Hooters Girls, The Official Pit Lane Eye Candy of NASCAR?”  I think we’d have a winner.

Who are you going to alienate?  Doubtful it would be the 50-60 year old guy that has been following for years, perhaps that guy’s wife?  They probably have one of these Gen “Y”ers at home.  They’re used to it.  NASCAR is a sport.  Sports have cheerleaders, except for baseball and the Detroit Lions (thank you Mr. Ford).   It is the same sort of thing.  Don’t tell me the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders from “America’s team” are any less offensive to the mainstream than the grid girls at almost all professional racing events outside of NASCAR. 

This may sound like it is coming from a sexist point of view.  Really it isn’t.  Run out some Grid Boys for your feminine participants (like Kyle Busch or Danica if she makes a poor choice and jumps ship).  Be ahead of the curve on that one NASCAR.  So let’s get to it and get with the times.

Another note:

Didn’t Mark Martin retire four or ten years ago?  I’m not sure if I’m impressed or annoyed by his run this year.  Maybe it is a NASCAR conspiracy to bring in the AARP crowd, the antithesis of what I endorsed earlier.  Mark Martin may very well finally get his elusive championship.  Obviously he can still drive.  I’ll just always remember him as the guy that would back down from Dale Earnhardt every time they got close to each other on the track.  I also remember hearing stories of how arrogant he was on his trips to Howe Racing back when he ran ASA in the early 80’s.  Seriously, you’re inside the shop Mark, take the Ray-Bans off.  To be the best, you have to beat the best, and he is doing it this year.  So while some may say he is simply in the best equipment, there are five other guys in the same Hendrick machinery and not one of them is a slouch.  One might be a slouch now, but that will be another topic one day.

So I’ve never been a fan, but I’ll give Mark a tip of the hat if he brings home the hardware at season’s end.  Then will he really retire?