Cedric the E: 'NASCAR is race specific..'

[Jim Wilke]

From CC's official website:

Cedric's chilled-out persona should make for a better fit. The actor/ producer believes that in terms of auto racing, Champ Car is definitely the right place for him.

"For me, it has more appeal and more growth potential for exposure than NASCAR," Cedric commented. "It has all the right elements. The thing about Champ Car is although it has primarily a white man appeal, it's not race specific like NASCAR, which really has that southern ******* thing. There is great diversity in the drivers and it has all the right elements I can identify as a black man, as an African American. They say in Hollywood that I have everyman appeal and I think my involvement can attract some additional diversity.

CART.com

[ptistheboss]

He's right. You don't have to like racing to like going to a CC race. I defy you to find someone who doesnt go nuts when a CC flashes 2 feet from your face going 180.

[Cygni]

I wouldnt say NASCAR is race specific (as in racial)... ive never seen any form of descrimination from NASCAR's management in regards to owners, drivers, fans, anything. That doesnt neccisairly represent the fans.

However, if someone asked me "What is more diverse from a fan and participation standpoint? " or "Where would I feel more welcome?" ChampCar/IRL/ALMS? or NASCAR?" My answer would be quick...

[Indyknut]

I think the southern "*******" appeal has been slowly weeded out of the series over the year for no other reason than most of the old guard southern boys have slowly been replace by racers from many areas North of the Mason Dixon line. There just aren't that many guys in the series anymore from places like Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, the Carolina's or Virginia.

[jl]

This Black race fan thinks this is too funny.

[Doc Austin]

Anyone know who Mark Lewis is?

[SportscarBruce]

Anyone know who Mark Lewis is?

Daytona PR guy?

NASCAR isn't 'race specific' but it is still 'culture specific', if that makes sense. The music and dialects found are still by and large South and Southeast US, which isn't a condemnation please don't mistake the observation. Hip-Hop isn't race specific, some whites do listen to and even record Hip-Hop, but it is heavily urban and thus self-limiting across certain age and regional demographics.

If NASCAR totally removed the Southern influence claims of "sellout" would be heard from the core audience, it might come to that if NASCAR believes the losses would be outweighed by the gains. I believe they do and they will try.

[mac miller]

BAHAHA!!! Don't these guys ever learn???? cart/owrs/cc people making disparaging remarks about other series, is a constant problem for them and doesn't help their image or relationships with other organizations......

They need to put a sock in this guy's mouth because he seems quite capable of making stupid remarks about stuff he knows nothing about.

cedric, all you need to do is give cart/owrs/cc your money, sit on your little stool of honor in the pit and keep your mouth shut!!

[OWNUT]

Now if this was a white reporter or coach making a comment in a simular fashion about a popular sport within the Black Community he would have been fired already.

[hdolan]

"Now if this was a white reporter or coach making a comment in a simular fashion about a popular sport within the Black Community he would have been fired already."

Yep...

[jonovision_man]

Now if this was a white reporter or coach making a comment in a simular fashion about a popular sport within the Black Community he would have been fired already.

Name one professional sport that white people wouldn't be comfortable attending.

jono

[indycool]

Ah, Cedric.......always good to hear stupid comments from guys who haven't even been around long enough to have the yellow stripe put on their caboose yet.

"That southern ******* thing" isn't a "racial/cultural" comment? Surrrrrrrrrre. I'm sure most African-Americans are just ecstatic over Fabrizio del Monte and just flat out hate Bobby Labonte.

[Hardscrabble]

Name one professional sport that white people wouldn't be comfortable attending.

jono

Well, if YOU had to sit next to Spike Lee at a Knicks game, you might be uncomfortable.

Seriously, though...what I think drives the people from the two coasts nuts about NASCAR is that it's primarily a sport that is followed by the great unwashed masses that live in fly-over territory.

Just about every professional sport in this country had it's beginnings on the Eastern seaboard or Northeast, where the National media is located.

NASCAR was a product of the Southeast. Even Indycar racing for a very long time was centered mostly in the Midwest. Neither of these locations ranks very highly on either coast.

But NASCAR grew by taking their product to the people in the center of the country. Some people like to talk about how the sport is the domain of "rednecks" from the south. Depending on your definition of "*******", they can be found all across the country...from Wisconsin & Michigan to the North and Arizona to the West. Hell, there are even "rednecks" in Chicago.

Basically, what NASCAR has done it take a good product to "the people" and built that base up into such a large number that there was no way corporate America could ignore them. This is essentially what happened in the late '80s/early '90s. And once corporate America got involved, things got pushed to a critical mass right around the time that Jeff Gordon won at the Brickyard. From then on out, NASCAR was a major league sport that many (most) in the media power centers still can't explain.

If you want to appeal to a "select" audience...you go Indy/Champ car racing. If you want to appeal to the "masses"...you go to NASCAR.

[SportscarBruce]

I'm waiting for commentary on the rich white dudes financing and running everything in CC.

[cheeseczar]

This Black race fan thinks this is too funny.