by Darrell Waltrip

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Why would Toyota take on the challenge of being in NASCAR? Why would the other car manufacturers — that maybe aren't making a lot of money — want to continue to be in NASCAR and display their products? Why do sponsors continue to heavily invest in our sport? Why would a major tire company want to build tires for our cars and take heat every week for what happens? Why do XM and Sirius Satellite Radio want a piece of NASCAR? Why do drivers in other series want to be in NASCAR?

Here's a good one. Why do tracks and sponsors sue NASCAR? And why are there dozens of TV and radio shows, newspapers and magazines, all covering our sport every day of the week? If our sport is losing fans and the ratings are down, then why do all of these people invest and want to be a part of NASCAR? Because of the success of NASCAR. It's not because of the things they're doing wrong, but because of the things they're doing right. And they're doing a lot of things right so these companies and individuals want to be part of it.

I can be and have been critical of anything. But it's important to look at the good things and balance out both sides. I'm not opposed to being negative. I can be critical, but I also try to be constructive in my criticisms. If I say "I don't like this," I'll also say, "Here's what I'd do about it." I'm not a whiner and never have been. I've always given my opinion as well as what I would do differently. It may not be the way you would do it, but it's the way I've always thought about it.

As I was watching Saturday's Busch race, I couldn't help but think about the focus on TV ratings. Every Monday, it seems like there's a headline about overnight ratings being down. When FOX started its coverage of NASCAR, the ratings were through the roof, and we were averaged over a 6 for the first two or three years during our half of the season. Then things simmered down a little bit. That's OK because our benchmark has been a 5 rating or higher. If we hit that number, then we felt like we had a great telecast. On average, we're still able to do that.

But on any given weekend, it's not so much what the number is but how NASCAR ranks compared with other sports. On a number of occasions, our Nextel Cup telecasts have been the highest-rated sporting events for the weekend. They've outperformed the other sports — whether it's basketball, baseball, hockey, etc. — while sharing TV time with all of those other sports. When a rating is around a 5, you have to be excited and pretty pleased.

We wish every race was a 10 and above, but the television audience is diverse. To capture them for 3 1/2 hours and get a great rating for the whole race is pretty hard to do. I don't think it's fair to compare this year's Martinsville race against last year's race or the race the year before. The product changes. Rules change. Events change. Weather changes. So many things can affect a telecast that it's hard to compare one year to the next.

With confidence, I can tell you that FOX does an incredible job of bringing you a first-class product, every weekend. Everybody complains about the commercials, but if you look at any network that's covering any sport — particularly NASCAR — you're going to see a fair amount of commercials. There's just no way around it. The important thing is what you get to see. We try to bring you the stories, sights, sounds and action when you are watching the race. We want you to enjoy what you see and not focus on the negatives.

Right now, you're thinking, "You're on that NASCAR-Brian France bandwagon." I'm really not. I'm just being honest with you. Being critical and talking negatively about our sport is bad news, and nobody wants to hear bad news. If they do, they'll turn it off. Be a fan of our sport. Be someone that loves our sport and promotes it, not someone that is critical of everything that happens.

Oh by the way

Every day I run into people here in Franklin, Tenn. who ask, "What do you call that new car that they ran at Bristol and Martinsville anyway? It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before. They said it's an Impala or a Fusion, but it doesn't look like an Impala or a Fusion. Why do they call them something when that's not what they really are?"

I don't really have a good answer, but fans are a little bit put out by the fact that the cars are called something that they really don't look like. I think a more generic name would be better so they should be called Fords, Chevrolets, Toyotas and Dodges. They shouldn't be given a brand name because they don't look like that brand. If you can't buy one, why do you want to call it one?

Maybe I'm putting on my marketing hat now, but I kiddingly call it the "box car." People ask, "Why? Because it's square like a box?" No, because everybody you talk to says NASCAR has teams in a tight box with brake ducts, bumpstops and tailclips. If you're in a box, then it must be a "box car." It's not a very attractive name, and some folks wouldn't think it's necessarily a great name. We have the current car, which is the car the Nextel Cup Series will run at Texas, and we can only call the Car of Tomorrow by that name for so long. It's a generic car, and it should have a generic name so it is what it is. It's a Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge or Toyota.

Some people won't agree with "box car," but some marketing guy ought to be able to take that name and do something with it. Maybe I'll call my brother.

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MWR turns the corner

I got to watch a little bit of the Busch race at Nashville Superspeedway. I'm just about 25 miles down State Route 840, the bypass that goes by the speedway over in Lebanon. I was just about ready to get in my car and run to the racetrack because I thought my buddy, David Reutimann, was going to pull it out for Michael Waltrip Racing. He had a great run, finishing second to Carl Edwards. With the weekend off, Cup teams were able to continue to work on and improve the Cup cars, and David's Nashville run should be a real momentum boost for all of Michael's teams.

When you're involved with a team, and it runs well, that success spreads goes all through the shop. Back in the day when I had my Cup team, our Craftsman Truck team's win or strong run would just energize the whole team. That's what's going to happen with Michael's guys as they head to Texas. The run David and crew chief Jerry Baxter had in Nashville will pay great dividends for Michael's entire operation. When you build a Busch car that's capable of winning, it encourages you to know that you can build a Cup car that can win eventually.

I was so pleased for all 250 people at Michael Waltrip Racing who have been working their guts out and trying to get their cars competitive. It's going to be a big plus as they head down the road to Texas next week. Of course, David loves Nashville, and I told Michael that he would run well because he won two Craftsman Truck races at the track. He's tested there a number of times as well, and he didn't disappoint us. David Reutimann is a great guy and a great driver. I'm just pleased when he does well because he deserves it.