NASCAR Interest at the Sportsbook is Changing. Sportsbook odds are on the board nearly every week for NASCAR races. For many years the interest in NASCAR was up but this year the interest has sagged, partly because the races have been long and drawn out. It also hasn’t helped that the competition has been weak and the sportsbook odds low.
Sportsbook odds normally favor Jimmie Johnson in NASCAR races. Johnson didn’t win this past week but he did finish third behind Ryan Newman who won. The race was not a good one for NASCAR as it was long and poorly covered. Kyle Busch was looking to be the race winner but a late caution cost him the race. Fox didn’t get to interview Busch after the race and they also didn’t get to interview Denny Hamlin who was racing just 10 days after having ACL surgery. It upset a lot of fans who watched a long race in Phoenix.
“We didn’t show exactly what happened: Mr. Kyle Busch didn’t decline, but adamantly refused to be interviewed,” Fox race producer Barry Landis said, “Denny Hamlin’s situation, we followed him all day and certainly would have loved to do a follow up. But the desire to get him out of the car to see the doctors … we were standing by him waiting, we just ran out of time.”
Part of the problem this past Saturday night was the decision to lengthen the Phoenix race by 63 laps. That made the race nearly unwatchable for many people since it didn’t end until almost midnight on the East Coast. A race that lasts almost four hours is simply not going to get great ratings as fans won’t stick around that long. It is also not a great race to bet at the sportsbook since it takes forever to get a result. The bloom is definitely off of NASCAR and the sport needs to do something to change how races are going if they are to regain fan interest.
The race this week on the NASCAR schedule is in Texas and it is on Sunday. Perhaps that will help NASCAR since Saturday night races simply don’t fit into the schedule very well for many people. Having a shorter race would also help as would better coverage by Fox. Jimmie Johnson is the favorite again at the sportsbook this week for the NASCAR race and that is nothing new.
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