Nascar has big money problems?

[mpvue]

Originally Posted By: bretfraz
Originally Posted By: UncleRunkle
I honestly would LOVE to see an actual "stock car" race. Let 43 teams go to the dealership they choose, pick out a 4 door sedan with a wheelbase between xxx and xxx inches; strip out the interior, have all the pro-safety stuff installed, put some race rubber on it and let those boys hit the track! Although, I imagine that 100% of the field would experience catastrophic engine or trans failure before the race was halfway over...


They have that. It's called the Speed World Challenge. Everything from Volvo S40's to Aston Martin DB9's to Viper's and Corvette's.

The run at places like Sebring and Laguna Seca, so the cars have to go right and left, which should make the NASCAR haters real happy.

Eventhough the races are shown on Speed Channel (hence the series name), I think TV ratings are lower than Unique Whips and Livin The Low Life.

I can watch Vida Guerra all day, don't care what the show is about.

 

[Challenger71]

Originally Posted By: mpvue
I can watch Vida Guerra all day, don't care what the show is about.


That makes two of us.

 

[Steve S]

I always wondered what a Buick 3.8 turbo motor would do in a Fiero?

 

[UncleRunkle]

Originally Posted By: bretfraz
Originally Posted By: UncleRunkle
I honestly would LOVE to see an actual "stock car" race. Let 43 teams go to the dealership they choose, pick out a 4 door sedan with a wheelbase between xxx and xxx inches; strip out the interior, have all the pro-safety stuff installed, put some race rubber on it and let those boys hit the track! Although, I imagine that 100% of the field would experience catastrophic engine or trans failure before the race was halfway over...


They have that. It's called the Speed World Challenge. Everything from Volvo S40's to Aston Martin DB9's to Viper's and Corvette's.

The run at places like Sebring and Laguna Seca, so the cars have to go right and left, which should make the NASCAR haters real happy.

Eventhough the races are shown on Speed Channel (hence the series name), I think TV ratings are lower than Unique Whips and Livin The Low Life.


Uhh, no, those motors are faaar from stock, they have all been rebuilt balanced, blueprinted, and tuned to within a hair's breadth of the ragged edge of reliablity. The tire/wheel combo they sport is not even close to stock sizes and the suspensions are usually extremely worked over, not to mention the brake packages they sport (some are not even offered anywhere in the factory lineup on larger vehicles).

I'm talking about a race series where "win on sunday sell on monday" is flipped to "sell on monday race/win on sunday".

And to the comment about the mustangs and corvetes making it through the rigors of an endurance race off the dealer's lot...they may have a better chance, but I still think many of them wouldn't make it through a nascar style 500 mile race right off of the dealer's showroom.

 

[bretfraz]

Originally Posted By: UncleRunkle
Originally Posted By: bretfraz
Originally Posted By: UncleRunkle
I honestly would LOVE to see an actual "stock car" race. Let 43 teams go to the dealership they choose, pick out a 4 door sedan with a wheelbase between xxx and xxx inches; strip out the interior, have all the pro-safety stuff installed, put some race rubber on it and let those boys hit the track! Although, I imagine that 100% of the field would experience catastrophic engine or trans failure before the race was halfway over...


They have that. It's called the Speed World Challenge. Everything from Volvo S40's to Aston Martin DB9's to Viper's and Corvette's.

The run at places like Sebring and Laguna Seca, so the cars have to go right and left, which should make the NASCAR haters real happy.

Eventhough the races are shown on Speed Channel (hence the series name), I think TV ratings are lower than Unique Whips and Livin The Low Life.


Uhh, no, those motors are faaar from stock, they have all been rebuilt balanced, blueprinted, and tuned to within a hair's breadth of the ragged edge of reliablity. The tire/wheel combo they sport is not even close to stock sizes and the suspensions are usually extremely worked over, not to mention the brake packages they sport (some are not even offered anywhere in the factory lineup on larger vehicles).

I'm talking about a race series where "win on sunday sell on monday" is flipped to "sell on monday race/win on sunday".

And to the comment about the mustangs and corvetes making it through the rigors of an endurance race off the dealer's lot...they may have a better chance, but I still think many of them wouldn't make it through a nascar style 500 mile race right off of the dealer's showroom.


I think you are missing the point.

NASCAR gets criticized because their racing cars are nowhere near "stock". But Sprint Cup racing is one of the most popular sports in America, most say its #2 professional sport behind the NFL. So, millions of people seem to love a motorsport that does not use a "stock" car.

While the Speed World Challenge cars may not be 100% stock, they are much closer to stock than NASCAR, at least most critics would agree. How many people watch that series? Not millions, that's for sure, and nowhere near as many that watch a NASCAR Cup race.

 

[NovaMan]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
I haven't watched NASCAR since Toyota was allowed to join. The COT thing is ridiculous as well. I find drag racing much more enjoyable.
I quit watching after Earnhardt Sr. died. I tried to keep watching, but it just wasn't the same. With him and alot of other veteran racers either out of the picture or not running competitively, I could see the changes that were being made. It seemed like only the young guns won any more.
I like drag racing alot better, and I actually do it myself from time to time. That, and tickets for the IHRA Northern Nationals are $35, and the track is 20 miles from my house.

Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Like all forms of professional racing, Nascar has become way too commercialized. Nascar has taken it to a whole new level though. I really think that has driven a lot of old school fans away. Now, a race is more of a pro-America, almost political rally with an infomercial twist.

Then, you get the mystery cautions for a pebble on the track when Jr. or the 48 are a lap down. Throw in the nausea of Kyle Bush, and people ain't buying it anymore!

Plus, the COT is just a flat out joke. It looks like someone riced out an Impala or something.

Nascar needs to get back to it's roots. The drivers these days are more like silver spoon fed fighter pilots/sales icons.

I also think they should limit the amount of teams you can have in one operation. It's like there's no individual competition hardly anymore. I want to see more Waltrip/Earnhardt type rubbing lap after lap, coupled with a huge brawl in the pits afterwards.
When NASCAR was growing like bacteria and I was losing interest, I kept saying they were going to lose their old-school fans. It used to be some southern boys having a good time on the track racing cars they and their buddies built. Now it's multimillion dollar contracts, scratch-built cars that don't look like anything but each other, and enormous race teams with huge R&D efforts. I doubt there's any way to put the genie back in the bottle, though: if you did, it'd be a whole different series. Maybe they could call it the Legacy Series? But everybody has their own ideas of what it should be, and you can't get everyone to agree on the same package, so it'll never happen.
Go to your local circle track or drag strip when there isn't a big event, and watch what NASCAR and the NHRA used to be.

 

[Johnny]

"Go to your local circle track or drag strip when there isn't a big event, and watch what NASCAR and the NHRA used to be."

I agree. Some of the best racing takes place on Friday and Saturday nights.

 

[GimpyMR2]

I worked for NASCAR 1997-2000 (IT Related).

People who I still know there basically say when Bill France Jr. got out of it, things started falling apart. Not worth me listing them out, as most of you already have

FWIW, USAC has pretty much killed Sprints & Midgets for me too

 

[Steve S]

Seems that the same management/business principles that cause all the busisness failures we are seeing caused a problem with Nascar as well.

 

[Steve S]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
"Go to your local circle track or drag strip when there isn't a big event, and watch what NASCAR and the NHRA used to be."

I agree. Some of the best racing takes place on Friday and Saturday nights.
The local races are real nice and you can talk to the racers and crews, if they have time they will show you the cars etc.

 

[salesrep]

Unfortunately these small track guys are gonna suffer as well.

 

[Johnny]

Probably so as they get their support from the local merchants, not the national guys.

 

[RacerE7773]

Originally Posted By: Steve S
How long can you watch cars drive around in circles before it becomes boring no matter how many beers you drink.
I don't watch as much racing as I used to because of the greed being shown worse than ever, but I find football to be more boring than racing or baseball.

 

[Drew99GT]

I wonder how Nascar is going to do this year. A lot of teams are going belly up and drivers are looking for ANYTHING!

 

[sunruh]

take a look at Honda to show you what might happen in the racing world.

 

[Mr Nice]

I'm kind of hoping Honda will have a car in NASCAR