Attention NASCAR Broadcasters!

Earlier this month, Jayski.com (my favorite website for NASCAR news), reported the top drivers of the year, as respects to their advertising time. In other words, this is how much these drivers were talked about.

2008 Top Television Exposure Producing Drivers:

Driver, Total Brands, Exposure Time, Verbal Mentions, Exposure Value, % of Value From Chase
1) J. Johnson, 62, 59:28:39, 316 -- $510,161,750; 39.5%
2) C. Edwards, 76, 58:50:51, 311 -- 495,908,515; 45.4%
3) D. Earnhardt Jr., 53, 44:40:48, 99 -- 416,960,760; 25.8%
4) J. Gordon, 84, 36:57:53, 125 -- 352,832,880; 28.5%

Here's what bugs me about the high number for Jimmie Johnson, who admittedly I'm not a fan of. Broadcasters spend a great deal of time telling viewers that they talk about the leaders of a race. When viewers complain that in the chase (the last 10 races of the year where the ultimate winner is crowned), their drivers don't get the time of day, the broadcasters counter that those drivers aren't doing well. They've said it over and over again. Yet, I can recall numerous times when JJ was stuck back in the pack, a non-factor, and still was being talked about, ad nauseum. It wasn't even anything new -- they repeated the same thing, over and over and over again. With all due respect, Broadcasters of NASCAR, you do not honor your words. You focus on who *you* want to focus on, and not the leaders. In numerous races, some of the top 10 finishers didn't even get a mention during the very long races. How about practicing what you preach for a change?