The 2001 season was a monumental one for NASCAR, carrying baggage that will affect auto racing for decades. The past 12 months brought:* An unprecedented billion-dollar television package for stock car racing* A record number of eyes, including all the major media outlets, trained upon the sport* The on-track death of a stock car racing icon* The intense focus on issues inside the sport, issues that will continue to be scrutinized in seasons ahead and issues that present hurdles in coming years.
How well NASCAR handles these hurdles and manages its changing world will determine the future strength of the sport. Some are clear-cut, bottom-line issues with decisions to be made in a boardroom. Other issues are less defined, more given to public perception and opinion, but issues, nonetheless, that directly affect the sport's future.
Finding A HeroWhen Dale Earnhardt died at the Daytona 500, NASCAR lost its superstar, its defining symbol. Earnhardt's name, his image, his distinctive No. 3 and his black Chevrolet worked for NASCAR in the same manner that Michael Jordan's jump shots, his shaved head and his flying, tongue-wagging dunks worked for the NBA. They gave the sport ready identification and marketable symbols. These symbols represented not just the man but the essence of the sport itself.
The vacuum created by Earnhardt's death is as much his legacy as his 76 victories and seven Winston Cup championships. But as NASCAR moves forward, who'll be the driver to carry the sport? And is it absolutely necessary for the continued vitality of the sport to find the next Earnhardt, or at least someone from the same mold?
Humpy Wheeler, president of Lowe's Motor Speedway, maintains that NASCAR has traditionally had seven stars every season-five stars and two superstars-who carry the sport.
"It's very important to have two superstars, because if you don't have them it becomes vanilla," Wheeler says. "Obviously, personalities drive the sport and always have. The marquee names are why people buy the tickets. While we've lost (Earnhardt) on the one hand, and he'll never be replaced, there are some pretty exciting young drivers out there who are doing a lot of elbowing and pushing and shoving trying to get into that magic circle, which is pretty hard to get into."
The list of prospects to fill the Earnhardt void includes drivers who have already reached star status and some who appear to be on the way. Jeff Gordon comes to mind, but his style and his fan base are vastly different from those of Earnhardt. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a possibility, but he brings a young, hip audience through the turnstiles or to the television. Kevin Harvick, the driver who took over Earnhardt's Chevrolet, is young and brash. Harvick's aggressive, tap-'em-out-of-the-way driving style is more like Earnhardt's style than even Earnhardt Jr.'s. And by the midpoint of the season, Harvick had two wins and a Top-10 spot in points-in his rookie Winston Cup season, no less.
"To do what he's done as early as he's done it, he didn't read the book," Wheeler says. "That's not what you're supposed to do. We're going to see a lot more of him. He's going to win a lot of races, and he's going to win a lot of championships before it's all over."
Other young drivers-Tony Stewart, Casey Atwood and Ryan Newman, to name a few-may help fill the void, but ultimately the driver who comes closest may be the one who reaches Victory Lane most, regardless of other factors in and around the sport.
"The challenge is not so much up to the industry itself," Wheeler says. "It's up to those individual drivers to come forward. They get in there and do the things necessary to win races, which is a difficult thing to do against experienced people."
Rising CostsWhile the sport searches for a hero, many NASCAR teams search for companies willing to spend millions to sponsor their efforts.