For Jrydberg
NASCAR may suffer Krispy-Kreme's fate
Sunday, January 23, 2005
By BILL BOVENDER
Columnist
What do Krispy-Kreme and NASCAR have in common?
Both originated in the South. Both have headquarters in the South. For years, the "brands" were identified as Southern. You couldn't go to New York City and buy an original Krispy-Kreme, nor could you find a speedway which featured Cup races. Dunkin Doughnuts was as foreign as USAC, CART and the IRL. They belonged to those Yankees and, frankly, they could have em since they could neither compete nor be compared with jelly-filled or the Bristols, Darlingtons, North Wilkesboros and Talladegas of the lower latitudes.
Krispy-Kreme went public and initiated an expansion program which looked like the North American business version of the Allied invasion of Europe in World War II.
Remember those pictures of jaded New Yorkers crowding the doorways of the new doughnut heaven, proclaiming the originals to be even better than sliced bread?
Speedway Motorsports, Inc. went public to be joined in short order by the France family and International Speedway, Inc. Suddenly, new tracks appeared in such places as New Hampshire, Kansas, Chicago, Arizona, Las Vegas and California. There is now an ongoing project to build a track in the home of the Yankees, Mets, Giants and Jets. Denver and Seattle can't be far behind.
Who knows - Boise and Honolulu may be on the drawing boards.
There is a term in football, "out-kicking your coverage." At least with respect to Krispy-Kreme, a similar adverse condition has now afflicted the doughnut king. Over-expansion has resulted in rapidly declining stock prices. The appetite for the holed-wonders appears to be relatively inelastic.
Could the same fate as has befallen Krispy-Kreme cause the NASCAR juggernaut to hit the wall even though television ratings remain high, the "Chase for the Cup" points playoff proved to be a huge success, and things seem as rosy as ever at the France compound in Daytona Beach?
Consider this: Ticket prices for Nextel Cup races have skyrocketed. No longer can that core of loyal fans travel from race to race each weekend because of the new tracks outside the South.
Moreover, in the name of safety, the banging, beating and fighting which once made NASCAR so attractive to fans is being rendered politically incorrect because it doesn't fit the corporate image.
NASCAR recently announced it is considering four locations for the placement of its Hall of Fame - Daytona Beach, the legendary birthplace of stock car racing; Charlotte, in the center of the fan base that made NASCAR; Atlanta, because, I suppose, to get to hell you must go through Atlanta; and, Kansas City, Kansas. Kansas City, Kansas? The home of Sprint, Kansas City, in the "Heartland," may have many endearing qualities, but it is not within the regular NASCAR fan's racing orbit.
I know, NASCAR is big time now. More drivers than ever are from places other than North Carolina and Alabama. The NASCAR banquet is held in Manhattan.
NASCAR is being run by the suits - not the bluejean and T-shirt crowd. The Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend is merely an echo from the past.
Perhaps I'm just a resentful retro-fan who longs for the days when former bootleggers sideswiped each other at venues which were within driving distance of real barbeque joints instead of the uppity bed and breakfasts of the Napa Valley.
With the issuance of a NASCAR press release, a professional publicist, who probably has a degree in marketing from Harvard, has proclaimed that the existing Halls of Fame in Darlington and Talladega have been rendered irrelevant.
NASCAR's relentless march to establish itself as the fourth major professional sport (I don't count the National Hockey League), seems to be "on track," if you will, announcing to those of us who grew up watching Ralph Earnhardt on the dirt at Hickory that while they'll still take our money, we are relatively unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Bright lights and big cities are ripe for picking.
Notwithstanding, to the third generation Mr. France, a note of caution appears appropriate: You disregard the roots of the sport and the fans who made you a millionaire at your peril. Be careful you do not fall through that hole in the doughnut.
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Kelly just looked at him and I think she covered but I'm not sure. DD5 was watching with me and I was too busy making sure she didn't hear him. Luckily she was still concerned about Santa coming to take Kelly's kids toys back. Poor Jeff, you could see on his face when he realized what he said how bad he felt. It was funny but bad at the same time. 
