Holy s***, that car rocks!

 

Very simple answer: Image.
Another simple answer: NASCAR's become a money pit & it's rules that made every car identical has made it useless to car manufactures (since the same few outside companies make all the parts for NASCAR vehicles).

Setting my own bias against NASCAR aside, NASCAR is more a Chevrolet type of series than it is a division that is moving both upscale and towards "excitement". Chevrolet is more of a generic division (save the Corvette and the upcoming Impala SS) and NASCAR is a generic race.

I'd expect Pontiac to move into competition where it's cars actually compete against other brands and the cars they have on the track are much like their cars in the showrooms (save performance parts available from GM's factory "aftermarket".

Let's be 100% honest here. Though NASCAR has great drivers, and it may be fun to watch the skill these drivers have in cars that are identical, regardless of make, NASCAR simply isn't "stock car" racing, it has nothing to do with actual car brands or the companies that make them, & it has no influence on car sales except to those who know no better.

http://www.detnews.com/2003/autosins...b01-310487.htm

 

Isn't Stewart under Joe Gibbs Racing? Someone mentioned that they were pulling out of Pontiac. Make more sense now?

 

More "Autocross" series pics:

Sunfire, Grand Am, Vibe, GP

 

Yes they one 2 of the past 3 championships, but the drivers that won those championships (Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart), and the car owner (Joe Gibbs) switched to Chevy the beginning of the 2003 season. The highest running pontiac in the standing is in 24th position. Yes it is sad to go, but I think it is necessary to get Pontiac to where they want to be.

 

I want to know your proof on how Nascar racing does not sell Monte Carlo's, Grand Prix's and other Chevy and Pontiac Products.

So why did the owner of this Monte Carlo Buy this car?




Heck, what about the Dale Earnhardt MC, or the Jeff Gordon MC, even the Pace Car replicas offered by the Monte Carlo and the Grand Prix?? You're telling me that everyone that bought those cars bought it because they 1) Wanted a Monte or GP to begin with, and 2) felt satisified with previous GM products that they decided to buy thouse cars??? if that were that case, why did they spend the extra $3000 on a graphics package. And off all the Millions of people that watch Nascar, not ONE bought a car or truck because either their manufacturer was in Nascar, or that their favorite driver drives a Chevy or a Dodge???

 

Or maybe LH6.

 

I would actually get that car, the new GP's as a whole arent bad.

 

If that car came with a manual trans, I know where my CC rebate would be going to. It's one of the first 4-door GM products in a while that I like.

If Pontiac wants to compete against BMW, MB, etc., it makes sence for them to pull out of NASCAR and put that effort into other racing series like Speed WC, ALMS, etc. Speaking as a BMW fan and former owner, die hard Bimmerheads have little to no interest in NASCAR. They do however follow racing series that show the car's ability on road courses. Putting Pontiacs against them would be good publicity.

 

No stick, but the paddle shift option is at least an alternative...

I've been meaning to go test drive a GTP just to see how that works... I've never driven one before.

 

Special extremely limited edition Monte Carlos and the other 99.9% of Monte Carlo sales are 2 entirely different birds.

I'll prove my point on MC sales as soon as you produce someone who rushed out Monday morning after Dale Earnhart won a race on Sunday & bought a Monte Carlo LS simply because of Dale Earnhart's (or any other Monte Carlo NASCAR race driver's) win.