Kaplan: NASCAR Responsive to Fans, Horse Racing Isn't

In this month's "The View" Darryl Kaplan looks at a recent episode in NASCAR and its response to fans and customers.

"On Saturday February 12, the first NASCAR race of 2011 was contested at Daytona Motor Speedway. Following the event – the Budweiser Shootout – fans took to Twitter, Facebook and chat boards to complain that the three-wide movement and action they love was missing from the race.

Apparently drivers were taking a new tandem drafting approach and cars were simply going too fast. While drivers and car owners contended they were simply following the rules, all was not well with the product on the track.

Can you guess what happened next? Because it’s auto racing, and not horse racing, you probably can – the fans won a decisive and immediate victory.

Like in horse racing, owners, teams, sponsors and drivers have huge investments in the sport. Unlike in horse racing, the fan was put first in a decisive, no nonsense manner. For NASCAR, meaningful change to improve the flow of a race can be addressed in 18 hours. Sadly, the timeline for a similar change in horse racing is closer to 18 years."

Read more of the column here.