Are plate races harmful to Nascar?

Tennessee Racing

Tennessee Racing

Formerly Stewart Fan
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We all have our opinions on whether or not Plate racing is good or bad. Dale Jr basically admitted that he didn't wanna risk getting involved in an accident. These races are usually crash fests and put the drivers in more danger than other types of tracks. So my question is, if Daytona and Dega were replaced by other tracks, would it help, hurt or not make any difference? Would the series survive without the Daytona 500?
 
I think they're still too dangerous and it's difficult to even call it racing when you know going into the event that barely half of the field will come through unscathed and that outside of the wrecks, nothing occurring in the first 490 miles will really matter.

I wouldn't mind seeing some real racetracks replace them; I wouldn't have minded if they used that $400 million at Daytona to tear down the banking.

Unfortunately, they've been around forever and are pretty much synonymous with NASCAR and they bring in the best TV ratings so that is nothing more than a mere pipe dream for me.
 
Daytona is not as bad as Talladega.

I wouldn't mind if they lost a date. 3 plate races would suffice. Keep the 500 and the July race and one Talladega race......not in the chase.
 
Stewart Fan said:
We all have our opinions on whether or not Plate racing is good or bad. Dale Jr basically admitted that he didn't wanna risk getting involved in an accident. These races are usually crash fests and put the drivers in more danger than other types of tracks. So my question is, if Daytona and Dega were replaced by other tracks, would it help, hurt or not make any difference? Would the series survive without the Daytona 500?
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I don't think that the 2014 Daytona 500 hurt Nascar and if the stands last Sunday are any indicator, neither does Talladega.

People cry every day that they want more short tracks yet chastise others for not attending more local races. If they want more short track racing - go to a local track!
 
When I started following Nascar , super speedways were the big draw . (for both fans and drivers ) .They grew up racing short tracks , so they weren't anything special and road courses were an oddity nobody understood .
I agree with Mopardh9 , the ever increasing speed , both on superspeed ways and midsized tracks has got to be brought under control . You just can't race at those speeds . (200mph into a tight corner , you're just holding your breath) . The other big thing that has radically changed the sport is the number of competitive teams . Today , almost every car is on the lead lap and just about all of them are in contention for a top ten finish . There just isn't enough room for all those cars to race at those speeds.
 
reck said:
Daytona is not as bad as Talladega.

I wouldn't mind if they lost a date. 3 plate races would suffice. Keep the 500 and the July race and one Talladega race......not in the chase.
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I'd keep the Daytona 500 and one Talladega Date and that's about it for me. One race date for each plate track and none of them are in The Chase.

As for the danger themselves. Honestly, plate tracks are boring as ****, and this season had some of the best racing in it, except at Dega. There's also the danger that's involved in the plate tracks that aren't really seen at other tracks, or at least not at the same level. I wouldn't mind seeing more short tracks on the schedule, tracks like Richmond or Martinsville. I would recommend bringing Rockingham back, but we all know that'd be a colossal failure.
 
ted@economy said:
When I started following Nascar , super speedways were the big draw . (for both fans and drivers ) .They grew up racing short tracks , so they weren't anything special and road courses were an oddity nobody understood .
I agree with Mopardh9 , the ever increasing speed , both on superspeed ways and midsized tracks has got to be brought under control . You just can't race at those speeds . (200mph into a tight corner , you're just holding your breath) . The other big thing that has radically changed the sport is the number of competitive teams . Today , almost every car is on the lead lap and just about all of them are in contention for a top ten finish . There just isn't enough room for all those cars to race at those speeds.
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Ok...What would racing without plates look like at Dega? I know speeds would be crazy, but what would the draft look like? single file? all in a pack? would you be able to pass? Would the other drivers trust each other to do the right thing at those speeds? Could you modify a car to be safe at those speeds?

Interesting questions
 
Remember a few years ago when everyone hated Fontana and loved Talladega? Times have changed.
 
Many fans like plate racing, but I can never sit thru the whole race. I typically watch the first run or 2, then skim the recording and watch the end. I really thought the tandem added a lot to those races, but not many others felt that way.
 
I think plate races are great for fans. They're the only races that television really does justice to. You can essentially see the entire field in one camera frame. With the "win and you're in" format, we're going to see a lot more aggressiveness like last weekend. Any one of 35 cars has a real shot at winning Like, really good shot. And the two tracks, Daytona and Talladega, are probably the first two tracks any really casual fan, or even non fan, would likely name if asked to name a NASCAR track. I don't think you'd ever want to lose one if the goal is to grow the sport.

But, drivers hate them. Legitimately wish they didn't have to race them.
 
Allenbaba said:
I think plate races are great for fans. They're the only races that television really does justice to. You can essentially see the entire field in one camera frame. With the "win and you're in" format, we're going to see a lot more aggressiveness like last weekend. Any one of 35 cars has a real shot at winning Like, really good shot. And the two tracks, Daytona and Talladega, are probably the first two tracks any really casual fan, or even non fan, would likely name if asked to name a NASCAR track. I don't think you'd ever want to lose one if the goal is to grow the sport.

But, drivers hate them. Legitimately wish they didn't have to race them.
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I agree about the casual fan aspect - probably reason enough to keep them. I enjoy them but I do feel they are too long at times - especially when drivers are riding in the back for the first 75%. Granted its an aspect of strategy that can be debated but its just not racing too me.
 
reck said:
Daytona is not as bad as Talladega.

I wouldn't mind if they lost a date. 3 plate races would suffice. Keep the 500 and the July race and one Talladega race......not in the chase.
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Daytona has claimed 14 lives, Talladega only 2...

I haven't ever really cared for the super speedways, too much luck enters into the outcome.
 
I think so. Honestly I'd rather watch paint dry than watch a race at Talladega. I'm sure there have been many people who have watched their first race at a plate track and thought it was boring as shat and turned the channel, never to watch NASCAR again.

I can live with the Daytona 500 but that's it.
 
DanicaFreak said:
They ARE dangerous...
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EVERY race is dangerous :owquitit:

Drivers sign up to race & they know the risks.

I look forward to plate racing. The middle can get a little bit boring sometimes watching the train go by but it always draws fans to the tracks & usually a suspenseful finish. They are not hurtful to NASCAR
 
Plate racing 10-20 years ago was fantastic. You had pack racing, but cars could still pass each other when it was single file. It's not the same anymore, but I still enjoy it. The main reason I like to watch them is that anyone can win. It gives the David Ragans and Landon Cassills a shot. That's pretty cool IMO. I thought it was awesome when Trevor Bayne and the Wood Brothers won the 500 a few years back.
 
TooSweet said:
Plate racing 10-20 years ago was fantastic. You had pack racing, but cars could still pass each other when it was single file. It's not the same anymore, but I still enjoy it. The main reason I like to watch them is that anyone can win. It gives the David Ragans and Landon Cassills a shot. That's pretty cool IMO. I thought it was awesome when Trevor Bayne and the Wood Brothers won the 500 a few years back.
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It is kinda funny. Some will complain because the little teams can't compete with the mega teams yet when they are basically placed on a fairly even play field we still complain.
 
I like the any body can win aspect
I dont like the spectre of death...I know that chex will say all tracks carry that,but seems more intense at the super speedways.
It would be cool to race unrestricted if we could keep the drivers and fans safe and have good racing.

Someone said it was unrestricted the drivers would have to lift in the corners...that would be wierd
 
Remember a few years ago when everyone hated Fontana and loved Talladega? Times have changed.
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I used to prefer the big tracks overthe short tracks. Now it's reversed. A variety of tracks is best. Adding so many clones of Charlotte has hurt the sport (and I like the Charlotte track). They could use another 1 mile track.
 
i can't imagine not having the daytona 500 starting the nascar season off, and i enjoy the july race there. but i've lost my love for the dega races. i'ld say 5 or 6 years ago is when i lost my excitement for talladega, maybe making it the last race of the season, the race for the championship, or the race before the last race could bring it back for me. but i really love talladega having free parking.
 
#17D500winner said:
People cry every day that they want more short tracks yet chastise others for not attending more local races. If they want more short track racing - go to a local track!
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Pretty sure we're talking about NASCAR here. There's no reason short tracks should make up only 1/6th of the Cup schedule when half of the Chase schedule alone is made up of 1.5-milers.
 
I agree with most of what is said above and that it does make nascar look good on tv to the casual fan with nearly all cars in the frame at once. Personally I preferred the tandem as there was the interest of hooking up and what appeared to be better racing.

However, I would much rather see 1 or 2 more road courses. I doesn't get much better than seeing these guys wrestle these monsters around a road course, braking, acceleration, hopping over kerbs, out braking and setting up for corner passing as well as seeing the attitude of a car change.
 
leroy17 said:
I agree with most of what is said above and that it does make nascar look good on tv to the casual fan with nearly all cars in the frame at once. Personally I preferred the tandem as there was the interest of hooking up and what appeared to be better racing.

However, I would much rather see 1 or 2 more road courses. I doesn't get much better than seeing these guys wrestle these monsters around a road course, braking, acceleration, hopping over kerbs, out braking and setting up for corner passing as well as seeing the attitude of a car change.
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Don't these cars have a Rail chassis instead of a perimeter chassis though?
 
Allenbaba said:
I think plate races are great for fans. They're the only races that television really does justice to. You can essentially see the entire field in one camera frame. With the "win and you're in" format, we're going to see a lot more aggressiveness like last weekend. Any one of 35 cars has a real shot at winning Like, really good shot. And the two tracks, Daytona and Talladega, are probably the first two tracks any really casual fan, or even non fan, would likely name if asked to name a NASCAR track. I don't think you'd ever want to lose one if the goal is to grow the sport.

But, drivers hate them. Legitimately wish they didn't have to race them.
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They hate them because they can't actually race, they cant get away from each other because there is not enough throttle response with the plates on. Maybe if Nascar comes out with this smaller engine package they won't need the plates. My theory about the plate tracks was and still is: smaller engine, less HP, no plate. If the cars get immediate throttle reponse they will be able to draft better, slingshot by each other, and there will be racing like at the 1.5 mile tracks and the 2.0s. You don't see huge pack racing for endless laps at those tracks, the cars get strung out. The plate was mandated because Allison flew up into the stands, we still have cars today getting air borne, granted not as often, but it still happens, even with all the safety features put on them to stop that from happening. Slow them down with a smaller engine that is not restricted and I think the racing would be better. Before that happens though I'd like to see Nascar give them back the full rear spoiler for the next two plate races and the regular cooling system. I don't think we would have tandem racing like before, but I could be wrong.:D
 
TooSweet said:
Plate racing 10-20 years ago was fantastic. You had pack racing, but cars could still pass each other when it was single file. It's not the same anymore, but I still enjoy it. The main reason I like to watch them is that anyone can win. It gives the David Ragans and Landon Cassills a shot. That's pretty cool IMO. I thought it was awesome when Trevor Bayne and the Wood Brothers won the 500 a few years back.
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You only have to go back to the early 2000s. Outside of the big ones, fantastic racing. Certain cars could make passes by themselves. Those days are long gone thanks to NASCAR making changes every year to the plate race package.
 
FLRacingFan said:
Pretty sure we're talking about NASCAR here. There's no reason short tracks should make up only 1/6th of the Cup schedule when half of the Chase schedule alone is made up of 1.5-milers.
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I understand that. What I'm saying is that if a person needs a short track fix so badly, what's wrong with getting it locally?
 
#17D500winner said:
I understand that. What I'm saying is that if a person needs a short track fix so badly, what's wrong with getting it locally?
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Because their favorite driver is not running in the race. I like all racing but, I'm sure I'm not alone, I prefer NASCAR. I wanna watch the drivers I know go for a win.


The chase is a BS playoff format because if a driver has a good 1.5 mile program, they're in contention. There is no variety to make it a balanced competition. Definitely needs more short & intermediate tracks along with a road course.
 
ChexOrWrex said:
Because their favorite driver is not running in the race. I like all racing but, I'm sure I'm not alone, I prefer NASCAR. I wanna watch the drivers I know go for a win.


The chase is a BS playoff format because if a driver has a good 1.5 mile program, they're in contention. There is no variety to make it a balanced competition. Definitely needs more short & intermediate tracks along with a road course.
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Brass tacks.
 
Clearly the problem with Nascar is Daytona and Talladega, the two most popular tracks that make the most money and sell the most tickets.

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