DW to NASCAR: Fix schedule, leave the cars alone, use 'common sense'

dpkimmel2001

dpkimmel2001

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Excerpt from a pretty good article by Ol' DW.....

If NASCAR puts out a bulletin they are changing the engines, well, that's really expensive. If they put out a bulletin they are changing the way the bodies are to be designed, that costs money. Employees, health insurance, cars, haulers, tire bills, hotel bills, travel bills -- folks, it all adds up and adds up big. Whatever NASCAR says needs to be changed, the owners have to pay for it. Again, like I mentioned earlier this week, the owners even have to pay to have their cars inspected by NASCAR.

So they pay, pay, pay and then pay some more. Somewhere even the Rick Hendricks and Roger Penskes of the world have accountants saying to them, "Do you realize how much this is costing us?" I just think there are a lot of things that need to be considered right now. At the same time there are things, at least in my book, that don't need to be considered.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup series is enjoying the best competition and the fastest cars in the entire history of our sport. So will someone please explain to me why there is talk of changing it? There is talk of changing the motor and changing the car. Why? That's not the part that needs fixed.

It's back to that common sense thing to me. Change the things, like the schedule that is screaming to be changed, and don't change the things that don't need to be changed. I'm just sitting here on this off-weekend kicking these thoughts around about what can we do to go forward. To a person, everyone from NASCAR, to everyone in the garage, to everyone on the television and radio side wants to see this sport grow.

We all want to see this sport go to the next level and be the best it's ever been. I just think we are sitting at crossroads right now where there is a chance to truly make it happen. I just hope and pray we seize this opportunity and run with it.

Read it in its entirety here.
 
NASCAR%20Gordon%20France_vresize_489_275_high_89.jpg


Saw where somebody captioned this picture "Jeff Gordon talks to mentally handicapped person".
 
Excellent read. DW nails it. I've been clamoring for an overhaul to the schedule for a few years now.
 
DW said it a while back....One thing that is costing teams a lot of money is going to Phoenix,Las Vegas......then going back east to Bristol....Then going back out west to Fontana....
 
Harvick4TheWin said:
DW said it a while back....One thing that is costing teams a lot of money is going to Phoenix,Las Vegas......then going back east to Bristol....Then going back out west to Fontana....
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The Spring Bristol and Texas races need to swap dates. It would make more sense both logistics-wise and weather-wise.
 
Would the teams really go from track to track, even during a "Western swing"?
Since they build different cars for so many tracks wouldn't they have to go back to the shop and swap out equipment in the trailer anyway?
 
gone said:
Would the teams really go from track to track, even during a "Western swing"?
Since they build different cars for so many tracks wouldn't they have to go back to the shop and swap out equipment in the trailer anyway?
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Most likely, but the pit crew and other team members wouldn't have to travel as much.
 
You could be right. Although anybody who also worked in the shop would probably still go back every week. I suppose the pit crew could go track-to-track if they could do their practices on the road somehow.
 
A couple of years ago, the teams were staying out west for the Phoenix/Vegas swing unless they tore up 2 cars. I don't know if they were still doing that this year or not. Still, even if they stay out there, they're coming back for Bristol, going west for California, coming back for Martinsville, and then going to Texas. It's plain stupid.
 
Seems to me that back in his heyday Bill Elliot's team partnered with a Winston West team to house and work on his west coast cars out there. Don't know if any other teams did that, or still do.
 
Zerkfitting said:
A west coast swing might be convenient for the teams it might hurt the tracks with NASCAR races saturating the area over a few weeks vs. spreading them out over the season. Fans might skip a race.
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EXACTLY!!!!! I went to the vegas race this year, Through some connections I had the chance to go to the california race for free actually with hot passes to boot. the problem was I couldn't be gone again because it was only 2 weeks after the vegas race.
 
Harvick4TheWin said:
DW said it a while back....One thing that is costing teams a lot of money is going to Phoenix,Las Vegas......then going back east to Bristol....Then going back out west to Fontana....
Click to expand...
A lot of the teams don't head back to the shops between the Phoenix/Vegas dates, they do car swaps in between somewhere. Same with towards the end of the season with the Texas/Phoenix race, they do a swap before leaving Texas .
 
Zerkfitting said:
A west coast swing might be convenient for the teams it might hurt the tracks with NASCAR races saturating the area over a few weeks vs. spreading them out over the season. Fans might skip a race.
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Yeah, it works out perfectly here since we have the season opener, mid-point race, and season finale.
 
dw is still dw.
talks a good game.

bottom line tho ...his bread is buttered by fox / nascar deal.

maybe he & fox equip trailers / etc .... would like all those races in one western swing ?
cut fox travel costs......plus dw gets ta vacation out west in between races......on fox exp acct ? ha!
 
I can see pros and cons to a scheduled western swing, but on the following comment he nailed it.

"The NASCAR Sprint Cup series is enjoying the best competition and the fastest cars in the entire history of our sport. So will someone please explain to me why there is talk of changing it? There is talk of changing the motor and changing the car. Why? That's not the part that needs fixed".
 
Zerkfitting said:
A west coast swing might be convenient for the teams it might hurt the tracks with NASCAR races saturating the area over a few weeks vs. spreading them out over the season. Fans might skip a race.
Click to expand...

It's better than the current schedule. Like DW said, the travel is enough to make your head spin. On top of that, the Spring race at Bristol and both Martinsville races are the three absolute worst dates on the NASCAR schedule. The Western Swing, which is no different than what NHRA does, would force NASCAR to push Bristol and Martinsville back to dates where the weather won't be bone-chilling cold.
 
Greg said:
I can see pros and cons to a scheduled western swing, but on the following comment he nailed it.

"The NASCAR Sprint Cup series is enjoying the best competition and the fastest cars in the entire history of our sport. So will someone please explain to me why there is talk of changing it? There is talk of changing the motor and changing the car. Why? That's not the part that needs fixed".
Click to expand...

The competition was great in the early part of the season but the series has gotten snoozy since then - mainly because every single track NASCAR runs on in the summer (minus the two road courses) are boring as hell, have always been boring as hell and will always be boring as hell.
 
DW's right about night races. As much as I want the Daytona 500 in primetime because it makes sense, the night races get terrible ratings and have for years.

The summer months need a shakeup.

The summer set looks like this: Kansas, Charlotte (All-Star Snoredown), Charlotte 600, Boring Dover, Pocono, Michigan, Sonoma, Kentucky, Daytona, New Hampshire, Indianapolis, Pocono, Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol, Atlanta.

Sonoma, Daytona (for the crashing is racing Bowman Gray fans) Watkins Glen and Bristol are the only races in that four month stretch that turn anyone on. This stretch is in dire, severe need of a shakeup. This is one of the things that's killing NASCAR. NASCAR is at its peak during the summer because the only other sport going on is baseball, and every baseball game minus the World Series is on cable now.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
The competition was great in the early part of the season but the series has gotten snoozy since then - mainly because every single track NASCAR runs on in the summer (minus the two road courses) are boring as hell, have always been boring as hell and will always be boring as hell.
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I will not argue with that, but still the same I dont think reducing the horsepower will help. Michigan for example will become just another flat out RP race.
 
hidesert cowboy said:
EXACTLY!!!!! I went to the vegas race this year, Through some connections I had the chance to go to the california race for free actually with hot passes to boot. the problem was I couldn't be gone again because it was only 2 weeks after the vegas race.
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Bobbyford and I were there at Vegas....didn't see you
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
It's better than the current schedule. Like DW said, the travel is enough to make your head spin. On top of that, the Spring race at Bristol and both Martinsville races are the three absolute worst dates on the NASCAR schedule. The Western Swing, which is no different than what NHRA does, would force NASCAR to push Bristol and Martinsville back to dates where the weather won't be bone-chilling cold.
Click to expand...
Our Western Swing starts today in Denver...but, i'm not working the Denver race...i'm leaving Tues for Sonoma and Seattle with Worsham Racing.
 
Common sense goes out the window when big money is on the table.
 
hidesert cowboy said:
EXACTLY!!!!! I went to the vegas race this year, Through some connections I had the chance to go to the california race for free actually with hot passes to boot. the problem was I couldn't be gone again because it was only 2 weeks after the vegas race.
Click to expand...
Hmmm.................I guess I musta missed your thread offering the hot passes that you couldn't use to other R-F members in Cali that could get the weekend off. ;)
 
NASCAR should be in action the Wednesday after the MLB All-Star Game. That's about the one day of the year none of the four major professional sports are in action, whether it be games or All-Star contests.
 
FLRacingFan said:
NASCAR should be in action the Wednesday after the MLB All-Star Game. That's about the one day of the year none of the four major professional sports are in action, whether it be games or All-Star contests.
Click to expand...

Going up against the MLB isn't a big deal. However, NASCAR schedules its absolute worst races during those months - to the point that baseball is more exciting to watch.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Excerpt from a pretty good article by Ol' DW.....

If NASCAR puts out a bulletin they are changing the engines, well, that's really expensive. If they put out a bulletin they are changing the way the bodies are to be designed, that costs money. Employees, health insurance, cars, haulers, tire bills, hotel bills, travel bills -- folks, it all adds up and adds up big. Whatever NASCAR says needs to be changed, the owners have to pay for it. Again, like I mentioned earlier this week, the owners even have to pay to have their cars inspected by NASCAR.

So they pay, pay, pay and then pay some more. Somewhere even the Rick Hendricks and Roger Penskes of the world have accountants saying to them, "Do you realize how much this is costing us?" I just think there are a lot of things that need to be considered right now. At the same time there are things, at least in my book, that don't need to be considered.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup series is enjoying the best competition and the fastest cars in the entire history of our sport. So will someone please explain to me why there is talk of changing it? There is talk of changing the motor and changing the car. Why? That's not the part that needs fixed.

It's back to that common sense thing to me. Change the things, like the schedule that is screaming to be changed, and don't change the things that don't need to be changed. I'm just sitting here on this off-weekend kicking these thoughts around about what can we do to go forward. To a person, everyone from NASCAR, to everyone in the garage, to everyone on the television and radio side wants to see this sport grow.

We all want to see this sport go to the next level and be the best it's ever been. I just think we are sitting at crossroads right now where there is a chance to truly make it happen. I just hope and pray we seize this opportunity and run with it.
Click to expand...

This is one of the main reasons for the " RTA", Racing Team Alliance, the owners have had enough!
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
The competition was great in the early part of the season but the series has gotten snoozy since then - mainly because every single track NASCAR runs on in the summer (minus the two road courses) are boring as hell, have always been boring as hell and will always be boring as hell.
Click to expand...
I think another reason the competition has tailed off is because of the way the new format is set up. The new format worked great at first, as early in the season everyone was scrambling to get a win to qualify for the Chase. But now that pretty much everybody who's anybody either has a win or enough points to not need one, that early season desperation factor has gone away. That factor will return in the Chase, but this coupled with the ho-hum tracks on the summer schedule have contributed to the mid-season lull.
 
IMHO. The way NASCAR is and has always been run from it's beginning is more the essence of a "CLUB" where those who participate have to pay for membership/dues for the right to wear the patch. It has always been played in the France' backyard and if you don't like it, YOU can go home but you ain't getting a penny back.

I really don't see how it can currently be considered a viable sport according to the business structure. There is much that can be done for the good of professional racing and all people involved but wall's have already been built and now must be overcome. One Family shouldn't be the sole possessors with keys to the front door and the till. It just doesn't seem right to me and never has.

I don't know what the answer is and this is only my opinion but for the sake of this sport and all involved including the fans, a fair and equitable solution needs to be first on everyone's mind. Don't blow the whole damn thing up, built it stronger than ever before.
 
ToyYoda said:
I think another reason the competition has tailed off is because of the way the new format is set up. The new format worked great at first, as early in the season everyone was scrambling to get a win to qualify for the Chase. But now that pretty much everybody who's anybody either has a win or enough points to not need one, that early season desperation factor has gone away. That factor will return in the Chase, but this coupled with the ho-hum tracks on the summer schedule have contributed to the mid-season lull.
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I don't think that has been the case so far, the racing is better this year, and if Jimmy would have won a race last week, this place would have been full of black helicopters. Seems to be full of Brian haters this week, some of them need to go to anger management or see a therapist. Many of the same one's were crying about D.W. and calling him names all season are now agreeing with him.
 
StandOnIt said:
I don't think that has been the case so far, the racing is better this year, and if Jimmy would have won a race last week, this place would have been full of black helicopters. Seems to be full of Brian haters this week, some of them need to go to anger management or see a therapist. Many of the same one's were crying about D.W. and calling him names all season are now agreeing with him.
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Just because some people don't like DW's commentating style in the booth doesn't mean that they can't agree with him when he make a valid point in an article.
 
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