By Staff
There is something to be said about rebounding.
No, I'm not talking about boxing out in the upcoming NCAA men's basketball tournament.
What I'm talking about was the effort put forth Sunday afternoon in Atlanta by the Dale Earnhardt Inc. team which propelled Dale Earnhardt Jr. back into the thick of the NEXTEL Cup chase.
Earnhardt not only put forth a strong showing at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, but he actually won the race much to my surprise.
After watching the first 75 laps or so, Earnhardt looked to be headed for another mediocre finish, although certainly better than the 35th place effort last week in Las Vegas.
I came back to the race around the midway point and saw that Junior had moved up to fourth, but quickly fell back a few spots.
Again, I assumed he was going to finish outside the Top 10 by the end of the race.
Coming back for the final 85 laps, I watched in amazement as Earnhardt's team performed to perfection in the pits, made all the right changes to the Budweiser No. 8 Chevy and propelled him to the front like he was shot out of a rocket.
The crew even made the right call as to when Junior came in for his final pit stop. The team turned a 13.5 second stop and got Earnhardt back onto the race track where he quickly ran down Jerermy Mayfield and then drove off to an easy victory.
It appears that Earnhardt and current points leader Matt Kenseth are going to battle for the championship this year just like they did in the Busch Series where Junior got the best of Matt twice.
NASCAR needs a strong rivalry and it appears that Kenseth and Earnhardt is something it will be able to hang its hat on.
I don't know if anyone has noticed, but the ratings for NASCAR are way up this season, especially in larger markets.
Recently released numbers show that the NEXTEL Cup Series has increased its ratings five percent from last year.
I don't know if it's because NASCAR has announced a new points system or the fact that Earnhardt won the Daytona 500 and he appears ready to challenge for a championship.
NASCAR has felt its biggest jump in major urban markets like Los Angeles where ratings have jumped an amazing 62 percent. Seattle and Orlando have both increased viewership 34 and 32 percent respectively, while Salt Lake City, New Orleans, Baltimore and Miami are all up more than 20 perent.
Those increases have come despite direct competition with the PGA, NBA, NHL and college basketball.
And it's not just the "big boys" who are enjoying success in the television ratings.
It's the Busch Series as well.
An average of two million viewers tuned in to watch the live FOX broadcast of the Sam's Town 300 two weeks ago.
The Busch Series is also drawing more female fans to the sport as recently released numbers show an increase of 167 percent among female viewers ages 18 to 24.
With a bevy of new stars to follow for years to come and competition which seems to get better every year, NASCAR certainly has a bright future.
There are many of us in the media who debate NASCAR's place among the big time professional sports.
Football, basketball and baseball certainly have been the standard bearers in the past, but I believe, like many others, that NASCAR has moved into the No. 2 sport, behind only football, as America's favorite sport to watch and attend.
And the way fans can gain access to their favorite drivers each and every weekend, it certainly is No. 1 when it comes to interaction with its fan base.