NASCAR's Time to Shine or Snake Eyes Again

After last week's debacle in California when NASCAR took all day (and half the night), to make a decision about a race in the rain that could have been decided quicker than a two tire change, this week guys drive into Vegas (baby!), and have a chance to redeem themselves.

Most NASCAR fans that I know are disappointed with Brian France's leadership, the way the sponsors and TV networks run the sport and everything that deals with the Car of Tomorrow.

NASCAR can honestly say they have the best drivers in the world in their sport, they have unprecedented TV coverage and packed racetracks to watch the races and seem to be squandering it all away.

But we are smothered with the image of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his new racing team and his new sponsor. It would be fine if he put up A-Rod numbers when coming to Hendrick Motorsports (The New York Yankees of NASCAR), but he isn't, he's an average driver with a legendary last name.

There is greatness on the track right now and those are his teammates at Hendrick, Jeff Gordon, who might be in the top five of all drivers when he parks his ride for the last time and Jimmie Johnson who might be right next to him after his last pit stop.

Yet what do we hear about, who gets along, who fights and what's Dale doing? This isn't Days of Our Lives or All Access Dale, this is the premier domestic racing league and it’s not a bunch of good o’ boys hauling whiskey either.

This is now (behind to the NFL), the most popular sport in America. I live in Chicago and I can tell you it’s big up here, we have a beautiful facility just south of town in Joliet (which I will be at when NASCAR comes for its annual visit in July), and even in JC Penny do you see NASCAR apparel next to NCAA wear.

This wasn't always the case, but NASCAR needs to good use of this popularity, people are fickle and racing is an expensive sport to follow, in merchandise and track tickets.

I know Brian France and NASCAR leadership wish to bring new fans onboard but the original fans are grumbling about the massive changes to their sport.  New fans won't catch on when you have races that take longer to watch then the movie Ben-Hur.

All you have to do is look at the NHL to see a good popular sport become irrelevant real fast, due to greed, mismanagement or over expansion.

This week while the racing season is still young and the guys are in one of America's favorite and most fun cities, maybe we can see what true racing is, with a good exciting race, not too much hype and then we'll remember why we follow a bunch of guys driving around in left hand turns for 500 miles.