http://autoextremist.com/page2.shtml

 

awesome. Just awesome. I cant stand NASCAR. I cant belive that the big 3 spend that much on that crap. Thank god Pontiac got out.

 

that "article" just goes in circles. there are 2 main points there which can be stated in two short paragraphs and a conclusion. instead it's a 3 page deal. i hate this sort of writing, which is why i guess i never read that site.

anyway on to the matter o discussion:
SO??

how is NASCAR different in this respect than any other sanctioned racing, or really any other sport? look at F1, the same thing is happening, with the tires and other new equalizing tricks that go into effect in '06 or so. Sche-ye isn't going to keep driving rings around the competition in his Ferrari for ever. Which BTW shells out money to fund the team like it was the best investement, when in fact like any other sponsorship, it's a net loss.

if the guy's trying to suggest that the domestics should leave NASCAR before Toyota enters it full swing and takes over (as a save face manuver, you know...) then i can see a point. otherwise, its all a bunch of hot air, dogs barking at the moon or whatever figure of speach you want to use in this instance.

 

I sure wouldnt expect Toyota to take over full swing! They might do just fine with NASCAR's "New Fan" who sits at home in there plush leather couch or has the $500 a piece box seats. The fans who like Superspeedways and laps GIVEN back, the ones that like to where driver merchandise like it was some kind of fashion trend! When was the last time you went to a race and saw grown men fighting over their drivers, one with a Chevy hat and one with a Ford hat. Drinking beer, eating peanuts, the cheap seats, where I go, where every red blooded american should go. Those are the fans that sell out stadiums and those are the same fans who will not support Toyota and who NASCAR is running out of the sport with their high ticket prices and "New Markets". If you close down all the southern tracks we'll get pissed and we sure as hell cant afford to fly to CALIFORNIA to watch a race with a bunch of queers! In the next couple years fans will start to return to the local short tracks as Toyota enters and NASCAR continues to take away from the racing with "give me rules" and other non-snese. And eventually when Earnhardt Jr. leaves NASCAR the sport will nose dive! If you ask me thats why NASCAR is trying so hard to get Earnhardt a Chamionship this year with those random cautions for debri that you never see picked up anywhere or oil that you never see speedy-dry put down on, all of which fall when Earnhardt is about to go a lap down or is the first one a lap down and gets his lap given back to him. Now NASCAR aint fixed like the "New Fan" likes to say, but I have seen these things at the track with my own eyes and its pathetic. The things NASCAR has done and will do for money! Think about how much merchandise and advertising they can get if Little E wins a championship, not to mention how many new fans and rekindled wavering old time fans!!! When the sport departs from the south and the only "true" fans it has, it will go teh way of baseball and you will find me at Greenville Pickens Speedway Saturday nights under the lights!!!

 

I want to see NASCAR return to its roots...

I want to see people building late 50's and 60's cars and racing them in the dirt tracks of old.

That looks cool to me...

I can't believe the current NASCAR. STOCK CAR racing - HAHAHAHAHA

Lets see:

Turn; straight; turn; straight; turn; straight; turn; straight; turn; straight; turn; straight; turn; straight; turn; straight; turn; straight; turn; straight; turn; straight; turn; straight; turn; straight; turn; straight; turn; straight; turn; straight; turn; straight;..............checker flag!

WOOHOO - Can't you feel the excitement!?!?! LOL

 

How can you want to see the sport return to its roots and then laugh about going fast and turning left? Or was that sarcasm from one of those "New Fans" that my southern **** didnt quite catch?

 

Nice!

 

It was all sarcasm.

Funny thing is; I'm a native east Tennessian - born and raised and I just can't stand NASCAR.



[edit] I just noticed you're from Clemson. My dad, aunt, uncle, and a cousin have Degrees from Clemson.

Are you a student? If so, do you know professor Gary Lickfield?

 

I cant grasp how people love nascar so much? AT least go back to real :"stock" cars and not these all the same templates. Nascar blows.

 

Yes, I am a senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering. I dont know the professor you mentioned, what department does he teach in?

Unfortunately they will never be "stock" cars again with NASCARs new push for safety. Ahh the politically correct, liberal, protect you from yourself era we live in...

I wouldnt be surprised to see NASCAR go fuel injected like ASA in the not too distant future. Penske has been pushing for it for years and I'm sure Toyota will since they are behind the 8-ball when it comes to Carbed V8's seeing as they never had one!

 

I'm not a fan of NASCAR.

I cringe with absolute disgust whenever someone calls it "Stock Car" racing. I don't even bother arguing anymore whenever someone shows that he actually believes that running a car at NASCAR does anything for car sales. Every auto rep or exec that I've ever spoken or listened to off-the-record thinks very very little of NASCAR (if nothing else, that part of the Autoextremeist post is 100% TRUE!). Every single point in that article is exactly my reasons why I feel that way.

1. It isn't a "Stock Car" race anymore. What's stock on the cars?

2. It's a competition between individuals & teams, NOT cars. It didn't matter if Dale Earnhardt drove a Huyndai Tibron at NASCAR, he'd STILL be revered, and the NASCAR Tibron would bear as much resemblence to the production Tibron as anything else out there's resemblence to their production version.

3. It's taking on all the showmanship of professional wrestling (Though wrestling is still more entertaining).

4. Automakers are no longer involved, beyond wet nursing teams with money to wear their headlight stickers. It's probally far cheaper, and just as successful for advertising, if Chevrolet, Dodge, or any other automaker bids on Stadium naming rights that houses a succesful team. "New England Patriots playing at the Dodge Stadium" or "The Detroit Pistons playing at the Chevrolet Coliseum in Detroit".

5. NASCAR is about 2 seconds from standardizing all cars from skin to engine, with the exception of paint and sponsors.

6. It's primarily become an advertizing engine (no pun intended).

It even attracts, as fans, people who aren't even in to cars. Now THAT'S something worth noting.


IMHO Pontiac was 100% correct to pull out of NASCAR. When Taurus dies, it's probally even money Ford will too (Taurus can even race at NASCAR... that's how irrelevent the cars are).

There are plenty of other races that are interesting, relevent to the cars and the automaker as much as the driver and his ability.

24 hours of Daytona reflects on Corvette, Viper, as well as other brands & actually sells the cars. Neon's successes in the SCCA (the venue that also had such cars as the Camaro & Firebird) has enhanced it's reputation. Australia's V8 supercar series, though similar to NASCAR in many ways, actually use modified stock cars (wow, what a concept! ) and each automaker is allowed to put up their newest high performance suspension and powertrain pieces. All of these races make NASCAR a yawn to anyone intrested in competition between car brands.

I know there are some people who are devout NASCAR fans (which is why I'm wrapped nice & snugly in my flame suit right now ), and I know NASCAR is the 2nd most popularly watched sport in the US, and that it has it's place in the sports world. But it's not auto racing as much as it's competition between teams.

With automaker's historic tendancy to pick racing avenues that showcase their car's abilities, or their aftermarket parts, or at least an opportunity to test new parts, it's a small miracle any are still involved in NASCAR at all.

 

textiles... something or other.

 

 

guionM:

No need for a flame suit, I consider myself a huge NASCAR fan and a car guy and you are absolutely correct about NASCAR being a competition between teams and drivers, not car manufacturers. But that doesn make it any less exciting to all us fans! Cutting edge engineering and car manufacturer competition is done in other venues where the Vette has done very well. I dont think anything you said is wrong and thats the problem, F&%$ the France's.

Now if Detroit was gonna pull out of stock car racing I could see NASCAR going to fuel injected engines, non-speced bodies and making it more about the cars to keep the manufacturers on board. Of course the place I see this happening is in my little dream world! NASCAR is too cocky and uncompromising they will do it there way and the sport will crumble and be reborn in the south as the great american sport it used to be. I am only 20, but have been watching races since I can remember. I used to watch Buddy Baker struggle through a commentary while dad slept on the couch and racing was racing! Now I watch people get laps given back to them and cautions that look like they are timed for commercial breaks. Not to mention Waltrip saying the exact wrong thing all race long. I dont know how that man won races, he knows absolutely nothing about race cars. Reminds me of Days of Thunder or something.

I work on Clemson's Late Model Stock Team that runs at Greenville Pickens Speedway in SC. It is the only student run team in NASCAR and we are always looking for charitable donations or Sponsors....

 

I agree with what he is saying in some points, but I'm also looking at NASCAR from another angle. What about the people that build the cars? The popularity of NASCAR has helped the automotive performance industry by a good bit. Auto racing in the States used to be frowned upon by the upper class. Now you see more and more people getting into it. Not just the Cup cars. This trickles down to where there is big money in all kinds of racing programs. You see doctors and lawyers getting interested in racing and starting their own teams. For the people that are building the engines, bodies, transmissions, etc. that is a VERY GOOD thing.