NASCAR At the Shore: The NFL Lockout

  This week, I want to explore an issue that may really help NASCAR's popularity.  The National Football League and the Players Union have yet to reach a deal for next season.

This means that the NFL may not have a season in the fall . As a result, what will you be watching instead? I hope that if you're not a NASCAR fan, you'll chose NASCAR.

After all, I think this is the perfect season to become a fan. 

The young drivers are full of polarizing stories. There's a young  RyanTruex in the field. Trevor Bayne was barely 18 when he won the Daytona 500. 

The older drivers are red hot. Bobby Labonte has been a factor in multiple races.  Jeff Gordon won his first race in several years. The racing action has also been great. Last week's race at California came down to the final lap. 

 NASCAR President Mike Helton has said that he isn't hoping for a NFL lockout, but you have to know that he is. NASCAR ratings drop significantly in the fall season because of football games. If NASCAR could convince just 5-10 percent of NFL fans to start watching the sport, there could be drastic changes.

Race tracks may really sell out (it was pitiful to see Bristol not sold out two weeks ago).  This year, the point system is slightly different as well. There would be a chance for a lot of feedback from casual fans. NASCAR may finally get it right. The timing of the new point system will allow them to capitalize on the casual fan.

 Going forward, NASCAR needs to a few things to make sure the NFL fans come to watch every weekend:  They need to really push the racing action that is happening on the track already this season.

Promote it. Promote it Promote it.

If the NFL fans think they're missing something exciting, they'll check it out sooner.   They need to make sure they "have their act together." The sport cannot be putting out poor decisions like those phantom yellow flags that fans out.   Race times are going to be a factor.

I know they have tried to give the races as consistent of a start time as possible, but it will help drastically if they could make sure that races start as close to 1pm as possible. The casual fans aren't going to want to spend their Sunday afternoon and night locked in by a race.

Sure, they'll miss football, but not that much.  What should NASCAR do to keep the NFL fans watching? Will there really be a lock out? Let me know in the comments. After all, keeping the NFL fans interested after football returns could be the most difficult part.

My race prediction this weekend at Martinsville:  

You cannot bet against Denny Hamlin. He's won three in a row here. If he wins on Sunday, he'll be just the second driver have won four in a row at Martinsville. Fred Lorenzen won four races between 1963-1965. 

Who is your prediction for this weekend? Let me know!