Segments make sense for some marathon NASCAR races

CONCORD, N.C. — As in years past, NASCAR follows its shortest event — the segmented 135-mile Sprint All-Star Race — with its longest, Sunday's super-sized Coca-Cola 600.

One of the races is a revival of Short Attention Span Theater. The other sometimes calls for a mid-race nap.

Do they also represent the past and the future?

On its weekly questionnaire this week, the NASCAR Fan Council asked members if all races should have segments like the All-Star Race.

It's important to note those questionnaires include a variety of topics and ideas, so it doesn't indicate segmented races are inevitable.

It wasn't the first time NASCAR floated the concept of breaking up some of its longer events.

Heat races and a main event — similar to the short-track format at local venues across the country — have also gained support in the NASCAR community.

Will it ever become reality, like in the Camping World Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway? In an e-mail to Paste BN Sports, NASCAR senior vice president of operations Steve O'Donnell said officials "continue to review and look at making all aspects of the sport better."

"Could that mean a few new revisions to how races are run?" he said. "That's difficult to say at this point — but we are always looking to make improvements for our fans."

Heat races or segments would likely upset traditionalists, who are fed up with frequent changes to the NASCAR they grew up with.

The overhaul of the Chase for the Sprint Cup format was a shock to many.

But NASCAR needs to keep tweaking, because the status quo is not satisfactory to anyone. TV ratings have been down for every race this season compared with last year — some significantly — and those were well off the highs from the mid-2000s.

If NASCAR is open to the concept, though, it shouldn't hesitate to experiment. With an $8.2 billion TV contract in hand for the next 10 years, there isn't much risk involved.

Gradually sprinkling the heat race format into the schedule might be more palatable to the hard-core fans and help reduce some of the shock.

Along with a schedule shake-up — different tracks and weeknight races — changing the format of some races would be a worthy attempt at attracting new viewers while keeping the traditional fans entertained.

NASCAR needs to find the next generation of fans — and there aren't as many Millennial fans as there should be.

For teens and twenty-somethings accustomed to digesting content in short bursts, isn't a three-and-a-half-hour race every Sunday asking a lot?

That's why chopping up races would make sense — and why NASCAR isn't being closed-minded about the concept.

An informal (and very unscientific) poll of more than 600 Twitter users Thursday produced a dead heat among the fans who don't want to see any kind of format change and those who would be open to it in some events (48% each). Four percent said they would welcome heat races every week.

In some instances, tradition should not be messed with.

The Daytona 500 should always be a 500-mile race with no breaks.

And here's a vote for never shortening or fragmenting the Coke 600. Though it's often more than four hours long, people watch the Memorial Day weekend event with friends, barbecue and beers.

NASCAR knows it, too.

"It is fair to say that the Coca-Cola 600 has a good amount of historical significance to the sport," O'Donnell said. "It is our longest race; a true endurance test unique to our sport."

For other events, though, the concept is worth exploring.

Follow Jeff Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck.