NASCAR Will Race- With No Spectators

G

groveChuck

U-matic Member
NASCAR... will return to Homestead-Miami Speedway the weekend of June 13-14, it was announced Thursday.

Over the course of the two days, NASCAR will run four races across all three of its national series, highlighted by the event-concluding NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400 on Sunday, June 14. The weekend slate will also consist of a pair of NASCAR Xfinity Series Races (Saturday and Sunday), as well as a NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race (Saturday).

Due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, and in accordance with CDC and public health agency standards and protocols, all races will be run without spectators. All four races will be televised nationally, either on FOX or FS1.




If a race is run, and there are no fans holding their ears from the noise, did it really happen?

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports...0200514-tzqcd7d44vbvvm2mjaq3zdzhuu-story.html
 
Seems like a smart move to me. It'll be surreal but I'm sure folks at home will enjoy it. They're lucky there's no physical contact in that sport.

Wouldn't it be cool if they could fill the stands with screens showing fans at home cheering and reacting? Crazy late night idea...
 
ahalpert said:
They're lucky there's no physical contact in that sport.
Wouldn't it be cool if they could fill the stands with screens showing fans at home cheering and reacting? Crazy late night idea...
Click to expand...
Well, no contact other than car-on-car...

Or fill the stands with 50,000 sunburned mannequins?
 
I said something similar about having that at wrestling and having all of the fans audio mixed to provide a similar atmosphere (not sure how that would sound), but then realized you'd need thousands of screens.

I'd like to see someone do it with a few dozen or hundred just to try it out.
 
It actually could be a cool art installation in and of itself. Imagine if you had one massive curved screen spanning the entire track. (I'm thinking of the screen they had around the set of Oblivion in a link Brawley shared recently). And someone at the stadium is collaging all these webcam feeds and putting them at different sizes and enlarging interesting ones.

Of course, the screen would be impossibly expensive. And it would be in danger of getting busted by tires constantly.
 
Joe Buck said that Fox will likely mix in prerecorded audio if there no spectators at their NFL games.
 
ahalpert said:
It actually could be a cool art installation in and of itself. Imagine if you had one massive curved screen spanning the entire track.
Click to expand...
NASC-ART?

What about AR? (puts the burden on the viewer, obviously)

DLD said:
Joe Buck said that Fox will likely mix in prerecorded audio if there no spectators at their NFL games.
Click to expand...
I wonder how closely they would try to match the ebb and flow, oohs and ahhs, groans of the game?
 
ahalpert said:
Seems like a smart move to me. It'll be surreal but I'm sure folks at home will enjoy it. They're lucky there's no physical contact in that sport.

Wouldn't it be cool if they could fill the stands with screens showing fans at home cheering and reacting? Crazy late night idea...
Click to expand...

I thought of the virtual audience idea, but within seconds I figured out that the screens would quickly devolve into ... Inappropriate images. So, yeah, I don't think it's going to be a widespread idea.

And it doesn't really work anyway. They have been doing that with The Masked Singer after-show, they have about 100 fans on Zoom to create a "live" audience, but it doesn't seem to add anything of value to the experience.
 
NorBro said:
I said something similar about having that at wrestling and having all of the fans audio mixed to provide a similar atmosphere (not sure how that would sound), but then realized you'd need thousands of screens.
Click to expand...
I don't think screens are a viable option (for reasons mentioned above); you think they go nuts with their signs in the crowd, just wait until you give them computer-connected webcams...

But having crowd sounds seems so obvious I am surprised they haven't done it yet. I mean, how hard would that be, and it seems like it could bring life back.

I'd like to see someone do it with a few dozen or hundred just to try it out.
Click to expand...
Check out the after-show of The Masked Singer, they are doing it with 100 fans.
 
ahalpert said:
Of course, the screen would be impossibly expensive. And it would be in danger of getting busted by tires constantly.
Click to expand...
If you think Boaty McBoatFace was something, just wait until you get every hacker in the world trying to get "inappropriate images" on that screen...
 
I am surprised they are not letting in some fans to the races. It is an outside event and a large venue. Do a lottery and let 15,000 people in and space them out a bit. Same for any other sport outside.
 
I don't think it will matter all that much for Nascar. It's not a sport where the participants feed on the energy of the crowd during the event (I doubt they can even hear them), and it's probably a better, more comprehensive experience on television for the most part.
 
Since when are fans such an important part of a televised sport? I haven't followed sports since I was a kid and followed football and baseball, but what I recall was there'd be occasional cutaways to fans but 95%+ of the focus was on the game. And I could hardly say that as a sports fan that those 5% of fan cutaways is what kept me interested.
 
DLD said:
SoFla quarantine laws are on the restrictive side.
Click to expand...
Don't forget that things are opening up another level Monday, the Dolphins are trying hard to get the OK for live crowds, and most importantly, that Publix will be open til 9 (and your wrong way walkers will probably come out at night)...

Batutta said:
it's probably a better, more comprehensive experience on television for the most part.
Click to expand...
Aren't most, if not all, sports experiences of the actual competition "better"- in terms of seeing what's going on, what you may have missed and getting the micro/macro level- on TV, with a dozen-plus cameras, slo-mo, reaction shots, etc?

The "fan experience" is probably as much about the psychology of being with 50-80,000 others- all united, or mixed rivalries- and drunk, as much as the event.

Can you think of a sport where the sport is absolutely better in person than on your big screen at home?

Don't say chess, DLD... :grin:
 
Eric Coughlin said:
Since when are fans such an important part of a televised sport? I haven't followed sports since I was a kid and followed football and baseball, but what I recall was there'd be occasional cutaways to fans but 95%+ of the focus was on the game. And I could hardly say that as a sports fan that those 5% of fan cutaways is what kept me interested.
Click to expand...

Try watching any sport played in an empty stadium, and then compare that to the same being played in front of 70,000 fans. If it makes no difference to you, then -- there is no difference.

It's basically the same as a comedy TV show being filmed in front of a live audience, vs. one with no audience and not even a laugh track.
 
groveChuck said:
... Don't say chess, DLD... :grin:
Click to expand...
Back in 1972, my dad often played along to the Fischer-Spassky match ... albeit a day later, in the papers. But, they did have a live audience.

Bobby-Fischer-and-Boris-Spassky.jpg

Though, I don't think you were allowed do the wave.

PS. I went to Publix today. Bought some food, including baked chicken. Left chicken there. It may have coughed.
 
Eric Coughlin said:
Since when are fans such an important part of a televised sport? I haven't followed sports since I was a kid and followed football and baseball, but what I recall was there'd be occasional cutaways to fans but 95%+ of the focus was on the game. And I could hardly say that as a sports fan that those 5% of fan cutaways is what kept me interested.
Click to expand...

It makes it seem like an even more important event.

Kind of think of it like the way most modern restaurants are built, with tiny parking lots. So even when they're not that busy they LOOK busy. They're playing the psychology game. People see the parking lot packed all the time and "busy" all the time, so they'll think that the restaurant it THAT good and want to eat there. So, when you're looking at an event with packed stands, you "know" that you're watching something exciting and important and you want to be part of it, either in-person or watching on TV.
 
Last edited:
Bassman2003 said:
I am surprised they are not letting in some fans to the races. It is an outside event and a large venue. Do a lottery and let 15,000 people in and space them out a bit. Same for any other sport outside.
Click to expand...

I'll be there this Sunday in Darlington. National media and we aren't allowed in. NASCAR, teams and broadcast only. And broadcast is cut way back. There will only be a handful of people/outlets allowed in the press box. All media availability this week has been via video conference calls. Post race will be similar via remote cam/call-in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top