Join us on the fast track

Sporting News, The, Feb 12, 2001 by John Rawlings

Yes, that is Dale Earnhardt on the cover of your copy of THE SPORTING NEWS.

And, yes, that means we are expanding the magazine that has focused on the "Big 6" sports for the last several years to cover the "Super 7"--the first national sports publication to make NASCAR a vital part of its weekly coverage.

Why? NASCAR has burst into mainstream sports consciousness in an undeniable way. Its television ratings on both broadcast and cable networks far outstrip more established sports and are, on average, second only to the NFL.

That's why Fox, NBC and Turner Broadcasting were willing to plunk down $2.4 billion over the next six years to televise NASCAR races. NASCAR merchandise sales were estimated at $1.2 billion last year, again second only to the NFL.

A study sponsored by NASCAR found that 33 percent of U.S. residents consider themselves NASCAR fans, including 14.4 million avid fans who spend 6 1/2 hours per week watching NASCAR on television.

We already have many dedicated NASCAR fans among current readers, and I am certain that number will only grow over the coming months. We are dedicated to bringing you coverage that is every bit as in-depth as it is for our other sports.

We will have a regular "Insider" columnist, Lee Spencer, whose first colunm is on page 22. Lee's name will be familiar to anyone who reads our NASCAR coverage at sportingnews.com. You will now find her work in the magazine and on the website every week of the year, in season and out.

Lee has covered NASCAR for more than a decade and lives in Charlotte, N.C., where many of the drivers live. She'll offer us behind-the-scenes material like no one else through her extensive network of contacts in the NASCAR community.

Our NASCAR preview issue this week begins on page 12, and it focuses on Earnhardt, The Intimidator. Coincidentally, he was the last NASCAR driver to appear on a TSN cover, on March 19, 1990.

Within the first NASCAR Insider package we introduce a new points system (the Power Poll) and explain why we think it is a better way to gauge drivers' success than NASCAR's system.

We will look for other unique ways to cover the sport to provide you with a different viewpoint. Each week we'll have the latest scoop in the Inside Dish, plus an irreverent look at the week through associate editor Roger Kuznia's Six Pack. A preview box on the coming race also will be included.

There'll be at least an extra column every Thursday on our website, where track descriptions, driver profiles and results also will be found.

Our coverage will come under the able direction of managing editor Paul Grant. "I clearly understand my role here," he says magnanimously. "As I told people who complimented our web coverage, `I just drive the No. 1 SPORTING NEWS car; others build and maintain it.'"

E-mail John Rawlings at jrawlings@sportingnews.com