Actually, I think to the contrary, there is something to be said for "there's no such thing as bad publicity". If it weren't for the silly season rumors, NHRA would be completely forgotten for several months a year.
The Internet is arguably the best thing that's happened to many "niche" sports. It provides a free and easy way for fans to find each other, and to rekindle their interest in the sport when there is no official news, and when others who share their interest may be far away or hard to find. There have been "hot stove leagues" for every sport, forever. The Internet just makes them bigger.
I'm not sure that even In-and-Out who got "slammed" for moving on from Melanie would be disappointed by the fact that people are still talking about their products, that people are using phrases like "double-double, animal" in a public forum. Can't be bad that a guy from Seattle, hundreds of miles from the nearest In-and-Out knows what that means, and merely typing it here makes him want one...