New Yorkers not buying NASCAR

They're supercharged heroes of NASCAR, a sport watched by more Americans than baseball or pro basketball. Jeff Gordon and fellow titans of stock-car racing rolled into Times Square Wednesday to showcase NASCAR's championship series, but found New York is a place where almost nobody knows their names. "I don't see the appeal in it except crashes," said Victoria Calas, 26, of Long Island. "It's a big left turn over and over." With the Jets, Giants, Mets, Yankees and Knicks, New Yorkers said they simply don't have the energy to focus on racing. "Few people would waste a New York minute watching NASCAR," said Alby Cohen, 29, of Brooklyn. Determined to change that, NASCAR officials say the sport has come a long way. "Every time we come here, we get more and more recognized," driver Jeff Burton said. "We've got to get out of the … stereotype that it's what rednecks do in the South." Champion Jeff Gordon blamed the low popularity on the lack of a stock-car track in New York and bemoaned the failure of a proposal to build one on Staten Island a few years ago. "There are a lot of race fans in the area that would love to see it," Gordon said. Gordon and the other drivers appeared at the Hard Rock Cafe to promote the Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR's premier championship. New York Daily News