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CUP: Humpy Hammers Message Home
Written by: Tom Jensen   
01/23/2008
Concord, N.C.
 
Humpy Wheeler feels that NASCAR needs to get back it's racing roots. (Chris Trotman/Getty Images Photo) » More Photos

The 2008 edition of the annual NASCAR Media Tour presented by Lowe's Motor Speedway ended with a bang on Thursday, as the track's President and General Manager H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler delivered a brief but blistering attack on the state of the sport.

Speaking at Roush-Fenway Racing Thursday afternoon, Wheeler closed the four-day gathering of more than 200 motorsports media members by saying the quality of racing in the Sprint Cup Series must improve if NASCAR hopes to draw fans back into the sport.

"I'm going to tell you something nobody's told you here," said Wheeler. "Ticket sales are flat or they are below and (television) ratings are down and it's not because we have 300 channels. It's because we need to get back to our roots. We need to make this car of today work, and whatever NASCAR's got to do to make it work and get us back to racing and where we're putting black donuts on the sides of cars and not making felony offenses out of 'em. That's what we need to do."

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France opened the media tour on Monday during a stop at the sanctioning body's research center in Concord, N.C., by saying that too much change in recent years had alienated some of NASCAR's hard-core fans.

"I think what I hope you'll take out of today is we're getting back to the basics, we're going to try to minimize the change going forward as best we can
and focus on what we've always focused on, which is the best product in the world," France said Monday.

Wheeler, however, said the problem wasn't just change, it was the new car introduced last year. "NASCAR needs to make the new-generation race car more drivable and better able to race side by side. When we do that, it's all going to change and turnaround," he said. "We can do all the other stuff – we can blow people up, bring Robosaurus in, whatever. But it's racing, and it's racing the way it was. We've got the finest drivers in the world driving these race cars. All they need to be able to do is get the car and be able to make it turn in the corner."

The track president vowed to keep beating the drum to get the message home. "I'm going to stay on top of NASCAR until that's done," he said. "I'm telling you, we've got to do it. We're at a turning point in this sport. And I'm glad that that was admitted and talked about (Monday), and if anything came out of this media tour it was that, getting back to the roots."

Keep track of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on FOX Trax

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