The "question over whether the quality of NASCAR racing
has slipped" is now a "full-blown debate," according to Tony
Fabrizio of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS, who wrote that driver
Dale Jarrett "spent the weekend" in Atlanta "ripping the
media for calling" two of the season's first three races
"dull." Jarrett: "I'm sitting out there for 400 or 500
miles every week, working my tail off, and y'all are writing
that these are sorry races, and it hurts. ... A lot of
[fans] might not have thought it was to bad a race until
they picked up the paper Monday morning, and somebody wrote
that it wasn't a very good race" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS,
3/12). In Charlotte, David Poole wrote that NASCAR execs
"also are privately very frustrated at the negative tone
with which some" in the media have "approached the season."
But Poole notes that "it is not" the media's "job ... to
promote the sport" and that for "several years, the media
has been reporting about the remarkable success NASCAR has
enjoyed." More Poole: "If fans thought our tone was overly
negative they would let us know. What I'm hearing from the
fans these days, though, is that the media hasn't been tough
enough on the sport for not paying real attention to those
fans' concerns about high ticket prices, ridiculous hotel
rates, brutal traffic conditions and, yes, less-than
compelling racing" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 3/12). In Augusta,
Don Coble wrote, "It's not the media's decision to play
follow-the-leader every Sunday afternoon." Jarrett said
that while there have been "empty seats" at races this year,
"There are going to be more race fans [in Atlanta this past
weekend] than what they've had in [past] spring races." SMI
Chair Bruton Smith "had to drop ticket prices and offer
5,000 free" pit passes "just to sell tickets" for
yesterday's Cracker Barrel 500 (AUGUSTA CHRONICLE, 3/12).
A RACE WHEN NASCAR NEEDED IT MOST: Today in Atlanta,
Furman Bisher writes that yesterday's race, which featured
30 lead changes, 10 cautions and a "photo" finish between
Dale Earnhardt and Bobby Labonte, "takes care of boring. ...
They gave a show." Earnhardt, after the race: "How's that
for a boring race?" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 3/13)....The AP's
Mike Harris reports that retired Gen. Colin Powell served as
Grand Marshal of yesterday's race. Powell, on the first
NASCAR race he has attended: "It's a heck of a lot faster,
louder and more exciting than watching it on TV" (AP, 3/13).
