After Phoenix, NASCAR Finding Ideal Balance Between New And Old

Something old, something new. NASCAR couldn’t have scripted the first two races of this season any better if they’d tried.
Last week’s Daytona 500 win was the ultimate “something for everyone” race. You had a fresh-faced youngster winning the whole thing for an old-school team that resonated with longtime fans.
Then NASCAR showed up at Phoenix, where Jeff Gordon’s win wrapped the new and old together again. Now an old veteran, Gordon chased down and passed the sport’s top young talent – Kyle Busch – in what was a popular victory for fans in attendance.
Gordon has been around long enough now that he appeals to the diehards who still remember the good old days, but his lack of winning lately made Sunday’s victory a very new storyline.
Fans are liking what they’re seeing. After Gordon’s win, people of all ages lined up along the catch fence from Turn 1 all the way down the frontstretch to salute Gordon – which was something he couldn’t remember ever happening before.
That was new for a guy who only used to get booed in the old days.
At the same time, the new Busch handled his defeat with class and grace. And Dale Earnhardt Jr. even got a top-10 finish – that’s new, too.
So all things considered, NASCAR is off to a great start this year. Ratings up? Good storylines? Competitive racing? You bet.
It’s not the same old NASCAR so far in 2011.
It helps that something else in the “new” category is this: The same old guys aren’t winning every week. That’s probably a good thing. Jimmie Johnson has had enough fun, don’t you think?
Though it’s unlikely Johnson will disappear into the middle of the pack, at least he’s given us a reprieve for the first couple races.
The future, though, remains unclear. How will NASCAR handle its newfound momentum?
The old NASCAR would do something to shoot itself in the foot, micro-managing some aspect of the sport or issuing a secret fine or distracting penalty.
The new NASCAR would capitalize on the sport’s suddenly good vibes and propel everyone forward.
Right now, everything seems to be going well. So the old NASCAR must resist the urge to touch anything at this point.
The appeal to both longtime fans and new fans is exactly the balance NASCAR must strike in order to rekindle everyone’s love affair with the sport.
Something old, something new. If officials can figure out how to get something borrowed and something blue, there’s a chance NASCAR and its estranged fans could wind up at the altar again, reunited.