An ode to nostalgia

jaqua19

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My fellow NASCAR fans. I just wanted to share some reflections with you guys. one of the great things about being such a die-hard sports fan, is that we personally get invested. I think we can all say that about NASCAR. There are certain time spans that represent various parts of our lives. With this bias being acknowledged, I just wanted to share some nostalgic feelings I have been having about NASCAR and the 2000-2010 decade.

I believe I am much younger than most of you guys here, I just had my 27th birthday two weeks ago, and living in Massachusetts, I definitely represents a smaller sample of fans.

I grew up a Nascar fan. I don't know why I fell in love with it, but evidently at age 3 I went absolutely mental seeing Ricky Rudds orange tide car circle the track. From that day on, I was hooked. My uncle owns season tickets to the brickyard 400, and has been attending since Dale won. I didn't understand the prestige of certain events in my adolescence, but I can remember the joy I felt when I was told that Ricky Rudd won the brickyard 400.

I grew up and went to high school, and my fandom as a Nascar fan was continuously casual, and I did not necessarily have anything invested in it. It wasn't until 2003 when I went to the brickyard 400 with my uncle and saw Kevin Harvick win. From that day on, I was a die-hard fan. I was a Ricky Rudd fan, then a Carl Edwards fan, then the Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney fan.

Now, I know I am being biased, but I genuinely feel that 2000-2010 was the best decade Nascar has ever had. Yes, Dale Earnhardt jr., Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick Matt Kenseth etc where the stars that I grew up with as I became super interested in the sport. That was also a more naive time in my life, where I simply lacked the maturity and insight 1 tires during adulthood. I suppose I can say that as I finished college and pursued my Master's degree, and started working towards my career, my insight towards the world changed, as did the nature of NASCAR. And to be honest, it's depressing, and it hurts a little bit in the childhood.

And I think this is why I appreciate Jimmie Johnson so much. I could not stand seeing Johnson win five in a row. I hated it. But at the same time I loved watching all those stars from the 2000s race each other. I just didn't know any better, and now that I'm older oh, and now that Johnson is declined, I suppose I'm a fan of his now because he represents the more innocent fandom I had towards NASCAR during that decade. and personal thoughts aside, I felt the racing was better, I felt the talent was higher, and I genuinely look forward to the races every single week.

And I suppose my rants about Johnson's career are essentially me just trying to cope with the fact that the sport I idolize so much growing up does not feel like it did 10 years ago. Some of this is me, and I feel some of this is fairly objective.

I don't remember much from the pre Chase days. But I genuinely missed the 10-race shootout. It essentially is all I knew as a Nascar fan. I miss the 2000s to 2010 decade, I miss wanting to see Ricky Rudd win a race, I miss wanting to see Carl Edwards when a championship, and I miss rolling my eyes at Jimmie Johnson success. I guess I just miss NASCAR as it was and what it meant to me 10 years ago.

this isn't intended to stimulate any kind of discussion, kind of just sharing my thoughts with people who I can hope will empathize with this. There are not a lot of race fans around here and there is no one else here

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
I miss those Gen 4 cars and Harvick's black/silver scheme. It's crazy to me that he and Kurt are the old men now...
 
Ill take about 1985 to 2004 era of NASCAR. Thank god for YouTube, I can que almost any race from that era up....Million Dollar Bill To Dale Earnhardt Wrangler/OneToughCustomer/Top Gun to DW “Jaws” to The King to The Allison’s to Jeff Gordon. Just was a bad ass time to be a fan, I wish was about 10 years older at that time to enjoy it live.
 
Ill take about 1985 to 2004 era of NASCAR. Thank god for YouTube, I can que almost any race from that era up....Million Dollar Bill To Dale Earnhardt Wrangler/OneToughCustomer/Top Gun to DW “Jaws” to The King to The Allison’s to Jeff Gordon. Just was a bad ass time to be a fan, I wish was about 10 years older at that time to enjoy it live.

For me too,
Attended my first race in 1986 and was hooked
I was 25, single and had nothing to do but go to races (Virginia Beach)
Went to 50-60 races,
never missed a Richmond race week, yeah race week, show up Wednesday for practice, Thursday was modifieds, Friday trucks, Saturday Bush, Sunday Cup, camped behind the track.

Another time
On a Saturday 4pm, wasn’t needed at work
What to do huh,
Left for South Boston to watch the late models, got there just in time
Continued on after the race to Wilksboro
Davey won the race
 
I had just bought a house, moved in and was setting up the TV antenna.
First picture to come on the screen was this yellow/blue chevy rim riding
and I was hooked. We didn't get many races here in Canada back then but in 87 I bought a 10 foot satellite and the rest is history. Yes I was a DE fan to his end and still miss his personality on and off the track.
Never thought I would be a Ford fan BUT I go with my driver Brad from Chevy to Dodge (Championship) and look where I am now. I am also a Roger Penske fan ( the man) so this made it easier.
 
This thread is aptly titled... nostalgia.

Been at it since the early 1960's, as a racing fan for *all* those years and as a lower-level participant for some of the years. I'm just feeling nostalgia for Cup racing of 2017-'18... with high horsepower / low downforce... when it was still a stern contest of driving skill, unlike now. Mankind cannot turn back the clock to the 1970's or '80's or '90's. The universe doesn't work that way. But what we had last year... Nascar left that behind voluntarily. That's where the clock should be reset, and sweep this bullsh!t WFO momentum racing entertainment product into the trash bin with other bad ideas that didn't work.
 
This thread is aptly titled... nostalgia.

Been at it since the early 1960's, as a racing fan for *all* those years and as a lower-level participant for some of the years. I'm just feeling nostalgia for Cup racing of 2017-'18... with high horsepower / low downforce... when it was still a stern contest of driving skill, unlike now. Mankind cannot turn back the clock to the 1970's or '80's or '90's. The universe doesn't work that way. But what we had last year... Nascar left that behind voluntarily. That's where the clock should be reset, and sweep this bullsh!t WFO momentum racing entertainment product into the trash bin with other bad ideas that didn't work.
New man at the helm doesn't seem to be much better than the drunk he replaced. I think that is because his support staff are the same people who only listen to themselves.
 
New man at the helm doesn't seem to be much better than the drunk he replaced. I think that is because his support staff are the same people who only listen to themselves.
This 2019 entertainment product is the legacy of Brian France. The die was already cast by the time Jim France stepped in. He might have been able to stop it, but he didn't. But Brian pushed for this entertainment product... it's on him.
 
An ode to nostalgia is right.

It kills me inside that I've grown apart from the sport I once planed my weekends around.

NASCAR was once a huge part of my life.
Even so for my loving wife.
We looked forward to races wondering who may win.
Then we were blessed with a man who liked Gin.
He changed the sport like no others before.
Little did he know he was opening the door.
Through that door many long time fans fled.
Opting for other things instead.

There was a day NASCAR had me on the edge of my seat.
Wondering who my driver would beat.
Many memories of those seasons still abound.
Even though the real #3 is no longer around.
Nostalgia abounds when I think of those seasons.
When the Man in Black would give me a reason.
The reason was to enjoy each and every race.
It wasn't a time only about the Chase.

Too many changes have driven me away.
From a sport that had me planning my day.
I loved the drivers both good and bad.
Having lost my love for this sport makes me sad.
What could bring me back, I truly don't know.
NASCAR lost its way and I simply had to go.
I'd love to see NASCAR's attempt to save face.
Please, please, start by the elimination of the Chase.

And there you have it. That's my Ode.
 
Cool tweet today. “If you could fire up a time machine to be able to watch any one race in NASCAR history without knowing the outcome, what race would you pick & why?”

For me I picked 2001 July Daytona because obviously and 2017 Martinsville Fall. Considering the stakes what happened at Martinsville is probably the best race I ever watched
 
An ode to nostalgia is right.

It kills me inside that I've grown apart from the sport I once planed my weekends around.

NASCAR was once a huge part of my life.
Even so for my loving wife.
We looked forward to races wondering who may win.
Then we were blessed with a man who liked Gin.
He changed the sport like no others before.
Little did he know he was opening the door.
Through that door many long time fans fled.
Opting for other things instead.

There was a day NASCAR had me on the edge of my seat.
Wondering who my driver would beat.
Many memories of those seasons still abound.
Even though the real #3 is no longer around.
Nostalgia abounds when I think of those seasons.
When the Man in Black would give me a reason.
The reason was to enjoy each and every race.
It wasn't a time only about the Chase.

Too many changes have driven me away.
From a sport that had me planning my day.
I loved the drivers both good and bad.
Having lost my love for this sport makes me sad.
What could bring me back, I truly don't know.
NASCAR lost its way and I simply had to go.
I'd love to see NASCAR's attempt to save face.
Please, please, start by the elimination of the Chase.

And there you have it. That's my Ode.
Appreciate this very much.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Cool tweet today. “If you could fire up a time machine to be able to watch any one race in NASCAR history without knowing the outcome, what race would you pick & why?”
Anything from North Wilkesboro. The track was gone by the time I started watching, so any race would be new to me.

On the other hand, I don't look back too much. I've only YouTubed one race, the first one I ever saw. A friend took us to the '95 fall Busch race at Rockingham. Johnny Benson, Todd Bodine, and Kenny Wallace came three-wide out of turn 4 on the last lap. I was hooked on my first live race before I ever saw one on TV.
 
An ode to nostalgia is right.

It kills me inside that I've grown apart from the sport I once planed my weekends around.

NASCAR was once a huge part of my life.
Even so for my loving wife.
We looked forward to races wondering who may win.
Then we were blessed with a man who liked Gin.
He changed the sport like no others before.
Little did he know he was opening the door.
Through that door many long time fans fled.
Opting for other things instead.

There was a day NASCAR had me on the edge of my seat.
Wondering who my driver would beat.
Many memories of those seasons still abound.
Even though the real #3 is no longer around.
Nostalgia abounds when I think of those seasons.
When the Man in Black would give me a reason.
The reason was to enjoy each and every race.
It wasn't a time only about the Chase.

Too many changes have driven me away.
From a sport that had me planning my day.
I loved the drivers both good and bad.
Having lost my love for this sport makes me sad.
What could bring me back, I truly don't know.
NASCAR lost its way and I simply had to go.
I'd love to see NASCAR's attempt to save face.
Please, please, start by the elimination of the Chase.

And there you have it. That's my Ode.
This is decent poetry.

Have you written any in Iambic Pentameter? :D
 
Right now, I can honestly say, I don't know who I'll root for when Harvick retires. That's not a knock on the drivers, but the so-called racing. I just can't get emotionally invested in this like I can other sports.

I'll amend this post by saying, when Harvick retires, I'll probably root for Chase Elliott. Bubba and Hailie too.
 
This is decent poetry.

Have you written any in Iambic Pentameter? :D
Now, can you're just trying to get me to use the Google machine. Iambic Pentameter? LMAO I'm just a redneck North of the Mason Dixon Line influenced by the occasional adult beverage. Occasionally I feel like saying my piece and moving along. There's already too many people that complain all the time on here about everything.

The thread title caught my attention. Sadly, not much does these days with this sport. I wish someone could invent that time machine and right this ship. Then again, there seem to be many that are good with the way it is. I've found other things to do anyway. I just like coming on to see where everyone's collective heads are these days.
 
Cool tweet today. “If you could fire up a time machine to be able to watch any one race in NASCAR history without knowing the outcome, what race would you pick & why?”

For me I picked 2001 July Daytona because obviously and 2017 Martinsville Fall. Considering the stakes what happened at Martinsville is probably the best race I ever watched
I would be torn between attending a Cup race at North Wilkesboro (I would be partial to 89...Rudd vs Earnhardt) , Cup race at pre built up Bristol (88-94 would be fine), Dale Earnhardt’s 7th Winston Cup clinch at Rockingham, Jeff Gordon’s 1997 Winston Million Win and any Jeff Gordon win at Martinsville
 
My first race was the 1990 Valleydale Meats 500 in Bristol.....never saw a better race since.
 
Now, can you're just trying to get me to use the Google machine. Iambic Pentameter? LMAO I'm just a redneck North of the Mason Dixon Line influenced by the occasional adult beverage. Occasionally I feel like saying my piece and moving along. There's already too many people that complain all the time on here about everything.

The thread title caught my attention. Sadly, not much does these days with this sport. I wish someone could invent that time machine and right this ship. Then again, there seem to be many that are good with the way it is. I've found other things to do anyway. I just like coming on to see where everyone's collective heads are these days.
I miss your former enthusiasm for the game and your time spent posting here.

I’m not the only one who does. Please stay in touch with the board.
 
Not for nuthin, I love NASCAR and try to tune in every race plus the lower levels.......

......but back in the 60s, 70s and 80s the cars were still recognizable as stock cars and people were getting faster every year. Someone would come up with something new and then everyone would stampede in an effort to match or exceed it (or whine and make it illegal).

Races used to be a few cars having great days and then hoping hey held up plus avoided all the dummies and the debris.

After the race the winner, face covered in grime and sometimes drinkin a beer and maybe even burning a heater, would kiss the race queen and collect a check and head to the trailer to load up and then head to a camper or a local motel.

The only thing that got better was safety.

There will never be anything like it ever again.
 
Right now, I can honestly say, I don't know who I'll root for when Harvick retires. That's not a knock on the drivers, but the so-called racing. I just can't get emotionally invested in this like I can other sports.

I'll amend this post by saying, when Harvick retires, I'll probably root for Chase Elliott. Bubba and Hailie too.
I'm hoping Hailie is in cup by the time Larson flees to the Outlaws or I'll have nobody. I really like Almirola but I think he'll be gone by then too.
 
I've had a hard time being invested in these drivers after Dale Jr & Tony retired.

Some of the young guys are decent, I like guys like Reddick, JHN, Chastain, maybe Hailie can be a top 15-20 Cup driver as well.

I like seeing Bowman, Buescher, and I guess Bubba Wallace has been the bandwagon driver as of late... maybe MTJ of the guys stinking up every race.
 
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I'm hoping Cold Custard takes over for Harvick ASAP. He'll probably be my guy but I'll also pull hard for Suarez.
no way I see Harvick going the iron man route and sticking with it in his 50's. I would be surprised if he quit after this year, the year after that maybe, and three years more would be tops. He has a few irons in the fire with kick boxing and other management deals, podcasts, and I would guess TV would be interested. I don't think Harvick will disappear from motorsports. SHR could affiliate with a cup team for Custer temporarily, or they could boot somebody out of their lineup too. They have a billionaire sponsoring one of their drivers and he could jerk Daniel out in a heartbeat and put him somewhere's else. Smithfield could decide they don't want to race anymore, Clint isn't ass deep in sponsorship.
 
no way I see Harvick going the iron man route and sticking with it in his 50's. I would be surprised if he quit after this year, the year after that maybe, and three years more would be tops. He has a few irons in the fire with kick boxing and other management deals, podcasts, and I would guess TV would be interested. I don't think Harvick will disappear from motorsports. SHR could affiliate with a cup team for Custer temporarily, or they could boot somebody out of their lineup too. They have a billionaire sponsoring one of their drivers and he could jerk Daniel out in a heartbeat and put him somewhere's else. Smithfield could decide they don't want to race anymore, Clint isn't ass deep in sponsorship.

I dunno man, Harvick seems to be implying a different thing about his future every other week. I just hope he keeps driving until he's no longer happy or good.

I really hope Clint gets the boot. I just, something about that guy rubs me the wrong way, man.
 
I think a lot of us as fans love to look back at the exact time frame that we got hooked on the sport. I know that I do. It was 1995, and I was only ten... but loved loud cars... anything with speed... and flashy paint jobs... when I connected the dots and stumbled onto nascar racing... I was hooked immediately. My buddy gets credit for this. His family were already die hard race fans and had been going to races for awhile... he helped me understand what to look for and when races came on tv...

... hell, even the mid 90s was a different world compared to today. It was still very easy to miss a race, if you weren’t already familiar with everything and knew what to expect for the season.

Honestly when time allows me to outside of my busy schedule, I love to watch old races. Anything from the 80s into the early 2000s. Especially the 95-97 years, since that’s when I was indulging myself and it was very new to me...

I love hearing Ken squier’s voice on those old broadcasts... the sometimes grainy footage mixed with kens voice just gives me chills and makes me still feel the drama of those “ordinary men who climb into race cars and do unordinary things”...

Just the presentation has somewhat changed... a lot has changed. I’ve held strong. There’s been a couple years recently where the constant changes have bothered me too much. Then when I see a race track tearing out seats that I would spend the summer living in during race weekends... it has gotten to me more than it should. But I still try to find the spirit to come back. I do enjoy watching races today. I like Joey Logano a lot. But I find myself not really emotional invested.

I don’t find myself nervous on if a driver out there right now is going to be able to get back to the lead... if he’s going to be able to hold the lead... all those things I experienced pulling for rusty and terry all those years ago... I just cannot force it on another driver.

I guess it speaks to how genuine it was when I did pull for those legends. I would get anxious to see how their cars unloaded on Friday for practice... to get an idea of how their weekend might go. I miss all that.

Hell, if I go to tracks now... I still want to wear my rusty and terry colors. Just a fan of that even if it’s not currently on the track.

I do feel like nascar is really trying to make things correct. They’re constantly getting thrown under the bus for anything. Maybe some is deserved, but I honestly think they have a tough job. Trying to please all of us fans who wish for several different things. There’s no way nascar can win in everyone’s eyes.

I think social media is tough on nascar. You’ll rarely see many compliments for their brand.

I appreciate the OP. Hope it’s ok I vented some of my thoughts or memories here.
 
My fandom is now is in its peak. Jimmie faded, and right as Jimmie was fading, Truex came to life at FRR. I don't think anything will ever top that sensation for me when it comes to NASCAR. Now that Truex is at JGR and has a title under his belt, it's so much different. The question has gone from being "when are the stars going to align for this guy to get a win" to "what race can't this guy go out and win?"

The latest installment of The Chase, as controversial as it can be, has admittedly drawn me in more. I don't care about the chitter-chatter for stage points, playoff points, and all of that, but seeing who gets in and how the regular season progresses as opposed to each individual race in the playoffs creates excitement for me. Right now, NASCAR has finally become my favorite motor racing series on the planet. I used to be more of an F1 guy, more of a touring car guy, but NASCAR has taken the cake for me as of late, especially with F1 seemingly self-destructing in 2019. I hope this sport lives long into the future. I want it to be around when I have grandkids, and I hope they share the same passion as me. I'll do my part to try and spread the excitement and knowledge associated with this sport as best I can. I still have lingering thoughts of wanting to even give it a go sometimes. I used to want to be a race car driver. So, it seems only right that I adore NASCAR.
 
My fellow NASCAR fans. I just wanted to share some reflections with you guys. one of the great things about being such a die-hard sports fan, is that we personally get invested. I think we can all say that about NASCAR. There are certain time spans that represent various parts of our lives. With this bias being acknowledged, I just wanted to share some nostalgic feelings I have been having about NASCAR and the 2000-2010 decade.

I believe I am much younger than most of you guys here, I just had my 27th birthday two weeks ago, and living in Massachusetts, I definitely represents a smaller sample of fans.

I grew up a Nascar fan. I don't know why I fell in love with it, but evidently at age 3 I went absolutely mental seeing Ricky Rudds orange tide car circle the track. From that day on, I was hooked. My uncle owns season tickets to the brickyard 400, and has been attending since Dale won. I didn't understand the prestige of certain events in my adolescence, but I can remember the joy I felt when I was told that Ricky Rudd won the brickyard 400.

I grew up and went to high school, and my fandom as a Nascar fan was continuously casual, and I did not necessarily have anything invested in it. It wasn't until 2003 when I went to the brickyard 400 with my uncle and saw Kevin Harvick win. From that day on, I was a die-hard fan. I was a Ricky Rudd fan, then a Carl Edwards fan, then the Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney fan.

Now, I know I am being biased, but I genuinely feel that 2000-2010 was the best decade Nascar has ever had. Yes, Dale Earnhardt jr., Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick Matt Kenseth etc where the stars that I grew up with as I became super interested in the sport. That was also a more naive time in my life, where I simply lacked the maturity and insight 1 tires during adulthood. I suppose I can say that as I finished college and pursued my Master's degree, and started working towards my career, my insight towards the world changed, as did the nature of NASCAR. And to be honest, it's depressing, and it hurts a little bit in the childhood.

And I think this is why I appreciate Jimmie Johnson so much. I could not stand seeing Johnson win five in a row. I hated it. But at the same time I loved watching all those stars from the 2000s race each other. I just didn't know any better, and now that I'm older oh, and now that Johnson is declined, I suppose I'm a fan of his now because he represents the more innocent fandom I had towards NASCAR during that decade. and personal thoughts aside, I felt the racing was better, I felt the talent was higher, and I genuinely look forward to the races every single week.

And I suppose my rants about Johnson's career are essentially me just trying to cope with the fact that the sport I idolize so much growing up does not feel like it did 10 years ago. Some of this is me, and I feel some of this is fairly objective.

I don't remember much from the pre Chase days. But I genuinely missed the 10-race shootout. It essentially is all I knew as a Nascar fan. I miss the 2000s to 2010 decade, I miss wanting to see Ricky Rudd win a race, I miss wanting to see Carl Edwards when a championship, and I miss rolling my eyes at Jimmie Johnson success. I guess I just miss NASCAR as it was and what it meant to me 10 years ago.

this isn't intended to stimulate any kind of discussion, kind of just sharing my thoughts with people who I can hope will empathize with this. There are not a lot of race fans around here and there is no one else here

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
25 here, and I couldn't agree more. I'm sure part of it just the novelty of being a kid but I know I'll never look forward to or enjoy NASCAR as much as I did in the 2000's. There was a palpable buzz around each weekend that few events can generate anymore. Few things have been more exciting to me than when the Discover Card Countdown to Green theme started playing. Outside of a select few racing events college football is the only thing that does it for me at that level of anticipation and excitement now.

I'm glad I got to see it at all though, as I didn't get around to watching most other forms of racing I follow until well after they had already cannibalized and self-destructed.
 
Miss the Gen 1 through Gen 3....anything after that just does not do it for me. Now that they are using the Mustangs and Camaro's why not back to using real bodies again?
 
Miss the Gen 1 through Gen 3....anything after that just does not do it for me. Now that they are using the Mustangs and Camaro's why not back to using real bodies again?

What do you mean by "real bodies"?
 
What do you mean by "real bodies"?
Gen 3 and earlier had to use the actual auto manufacturers body parts...like trunk, roof, hood, doors..."A", "B", and "C" pillar had to be stock and fit the manufacturers template.

The Mustangs and Camaros should have to go back to that formula...don't have a clue as to how to accommodate Toyota...but quite sure someone here could.
 
Gen 3 and earlier had to use the actual auto manufacturers body parts...like trunk, roof, hood, doors..."A", "B", and "C" pillar had to be stock and fit the manufacturers template.

The Mustangs and Camaros should have to go back to that formula...don't have a clue as to how to accommodate Toyota...but quite sure someone here could.

I'm not against the concept -- just trying to understand how to get there in a full contact race series with aero concerns.

As a huge fan of manufacturer identity -- I like the idea.
 
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