This thread got me thinking...

I drive my V6, EFI, FWD, equipped Ford Fusion around town. NASCAR drives a V8, carbed, RWD car (of tomorrow).

What has Ford learned from the NASCAR Fusion that can be applied to the production Fusion? Same with GM, same with Toyota.

Is there ANY manufacturer benefit besides building brand loyalty? Maybe aerodynamics? Is there any technology trickle down?

 

Duct tape that we now know works at 200mph....

 

Basically, the answer is "no". It was a different story twenty years ago, when the profiles of the car had to closely match the production sheetmetal. Even a decade ago, it could be argued that the design of production OHV engines were still being influenced by NASCAR engine development. But today? NASCAR is a joke from the standpoint of technology development.

It's far past time to remake the series, and if that sort of innovation doesn't happen quickly, then NASCAR is going to turn into a spec series for whatever manufacturer has the money to throw at it as a simple marketing exercise.

 

Is there something to be said for the cars being as equal as possible (at least all operating under the same rules) which should mean that it then becomes more of a driver contest?

I other words, whether the cars bear any significant resemblance to a current production model/engine or not; the series can still be meaningful?

 

Nascar was at least how I percieved was always just as much about the cars as the driver.

Now it's only about the driver and takes all the fun out of it.

 

I agree as far as what it "was".

As to what is should be/what is "better"...I don't know...I enjoy "driver" centric contests too.

I would suspect, however, that NASCAR's fans would probably be more interested in a race where the "cars" are the focus.

 

If this is the goal, then we can all tune into the spec class that runs at my local 3/8-mile track and everyone can save a hell of a lot of money.

I personally have enjoyed the outcome of the NASCAR effort - the Vortec heads on my truck and LT4 heads on my Impala benefited greatly from GM's circle-track efforts, and newer engines (such as the LS7) owe an even larger debt to the work done 10-15 years ago. But with the stagnation in the series being what it is, I don't think we're getting that sort of value now, and haven't been for quite some time.

 

I dont watch NASCAR races any more because there is nothing stock about the car or that anything on the race car looks like anything from the factory. Only thing I'm interested in is that I hope that the Chevy driver wins the race. Sounds like there isnt going to be any American cars if the big 3 fail.

 

I would have figured more of that tech came out of the Corvette Challenges and American Le Mans series myself. I know zip about that end of the business, though.

Other than making the France clan mad loot, I don't see a point to NASCAR.

 

+1, I couldn't agree more. Car manufacturers should just bail and let NASCRAP go to a spec engine so Tide, Viagra, and Burger King can battle it out.

I'd find NASCRAP more engaging if they did in fact use factory components. Why not use an LSx, a MOD, or a Hemi capped at 5 liters and 7k RPM coupled to a tremec and whatever live axle rearend is currently used in production under the shell or something stamped out by thier repsective nameplates.

 

High-perf Chevy OHV heads tend to look a whole lot like older Winston Cup heads.

I seriously doubt that the various Corvette teams have the engine development budget that Chevy had for NASCAR. Hell, I suspect that the budget for Cup head cylinder development in certain years would be enough to fund a healthy effort in any given production road-racing series.

There was a time when that effort paid off (the Vortec, LTx, and LSx being prime examples), but I don't think we're getting the same return on investment, and haven't been for quite some time.

 

Because then it would actually be fun again??

 

I admit; I very much the “old days” of NASCAR when it truly was a “stock car” series.

Unfortunately, the family seems to have done everything possible to divorce itself from those days and I suspect we’ll never see their like again; at least not from NASCAR unless there is a massive financial reason for it.

I don’t know what they most recent seasons have been like (in terms of financial success) but it’s difficult to argue with their success overall; they’ve taken it from an almost obscure series (at least obscure to most of the country) and turned it into one of the most if not the most financially successful and well know series out there.

Who knows; maybe someone with a bit of money and a love of racing will start a “new” stock car racing series…wouldn’t that be fun!

 

How about we all form a new NASCAR.

National
Association
of
Showroom
Car
Racing.

lol.

Lets all go out and buy a new whatever, and take it all to a track together and race against each other for 500 laps.
lol

I think we could market it.. and get sponsors...