FanHouse NASCARMediaWatch

NASCAR fans, the point has been taken: April Fool's Day jokes just don't fly.

A day after many fans thought the NASCAR world as a whole was crumbling to the ground, we've learned that NASCAR fans just don't take kindly to false news reports in an attempt to be irreverent and humorous. The violator of the NASCAR people's trust was automobile magazine Car and Driver, and everywhere you looked on April 1, there was a reminder of their egregious error.

Jimmie Johnson won his third-straight NASCAR Sprint Cup championship Sunday night at Florida's Homestead-Miami Speedway, but nothing could have prepared him for a certain question he faced in a post-race interview.

After celebrating his title with a nice burnout and confetti shower in front of the track's main grandstand at the start/finish line, Johnson headed over to SPEED's NASCAR Victory Lane to talk with the program's host John Roberts and two analysts and drivers Jimmy Spencer and Kenny Wallace.

Johnson answered a question or two using his typical politically correct rhetoric with plenty of sponsor plugs and good things to say about his car, team and his main rival Carl Edwards. Then, Johnson faced a question from Spencer that went like this:


Literally, I hit the ground in laughter.

Luckily for you, I was able to get the clip uploaded to YouTube below, but please, forgive me for the shaky hands at the beginning. Go on, watch it!

"Blame for NASCAR going mainstream lies on the fans."

That was the original title of this article on NASCAR.com which is now titled "To some traditionalists, loyalty goes only so far."

Maybe NASCAR.com didn't want to incite the fans by pointing the finger at them. But the title change doesn't really soften the blow of the message, does it?

Fans like to complain that NASCAR has "sold out":

"They rail against big money and cookie-cutter tracks and the fact that California hosts more events than Darlington. They think NASCAR has become too corporate, too vanilla, too neglectful of where it came from. But too many of them aren't doing the one thing that will ensure their voice is heard the loudest. Too many of them aren't buying tickets."

But really, isn't that the goal? To sell out?

"Rockingham died not because of location or corporate greed or some sort of NASCAR manifest destiny, but because fans didn't show up. Even in the track's final days, when it became evident that only big turnstile numbers could save it, there were too many empty seats."

NASCAR isn't making that much money off the ticket sales. NASCAR lines its pockets with money from TV revenue and licensed merchandise.

The tracks are the ones that benefit from the sale of tickets. Fans sure aren't complaining about safety and security, hospitality and facility upgrades. Think this happens magically?

It costs money to host a race. And more money to market the race. Want your city to keep its race? Buy tickets.

Oh ... and act like you're worthy. I'm talking to you, Talladega. One of your races should be the next to go to another city. I love a superspeedway restrictor plate race more than the next person, but you do not deserve two races a year. Not when this is how you show your appreciation: