In a story reported by Jayski, it seems that Juan Montoya blew off a scheduled interview with a Sacramento Fox affiliate Saturday. Montoya doesn’t seem to understand that Chase drivers have a responsibility to help to sell this sport to the masses, and they are required to do interviews every week.
On top of that this was an interview with a California TV station, and NASCAR has always had trouble selling itself to that state, not to mention the troubles that the California Speedway has had in selling tickets to both of its race dates. Montoya has a responsibility to help, and to give the interview that was apparently set up by NASCAR well before Saturday.
This is yet another public relation blow to a sport, while still popular, has seen a steady decline in TV ratings, interest, and revenue. Many of the main stream media have been all over NASCAR, it’s drivers, and it’s fans for the waning interest.
Nationally Syndicated radio talk show host JT the Brick, who is known for calling out fan bases for a lack of passion, has all but given up talking NASCAR on his nightly radio show. While it is questionable how many NASCAR fans are listening to JT on the overnights, rather than the daily programming of NASCAR 128 on Sirius Satellite radio. Having no presence on national radio is a problem for this sport.
Incidents with reports like this one do not help the image of NASCAR as a sport with waning popularity. In fact it gives reporters an opportunity to say hey this sport is suffering and this is why.
In the video of this incident we can clearly see that Montoya was uncomfortable in doing all these interviews, and that he was getting upset over being forced into it, but that simply isn’t a good enough excuse. NASCAR needs this press, and Juan should understand that.
Here is some video of the incident:
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