ESPN article

[SST55]

Judging from this it appears I'm not the only one who is quickly losing interest.
I found the comment about "IROC" cars and cookie cutter tracks really interesting. I started racing in the early 70's. Back then if you lost you went home, did your homework and improved your car. Then we tried again the following week. We didn't go whining to the sanctioning body " oh, those < name the brand of car> cars are too fast, we can't compete, you have to slow them down." We would have been laughed off the track.

I do realize that it's gone from a guy in his garage building his own car and engines, mostly out of his own pocket to mega operations with hundreds of employees, dozens of cars and sponsors paying 20 million plus. Maybe that's what's wrong, as my Dad would say "Got too big for their britches".

NASCAR is running more and more races Friday and Saturday nights. What nights do you go to your local track? Friday and Saturday nights? Then they wonder why the TV ratings are down?

I could go on about the youth movement, putting 18 yo in the top ranked series but it's only 8 am, I've got the rest of the day,,,





http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/columns/story?columnist=hinton_ed&id=3569733

 

[Digger]

Judging from this it appears I'm not the only one who is quickly losing interest.
I found the comment about "IROC" cars and cookie cutter tracks really interesting. I started racing in the early 70's. Back then if you lost you went home, did your homework and improved your car. Then we tried again the following week. We didn't go whining to the sanctioning body " oh, those < name the brand of car> cars are too fast, we can't compete, you have to slow them down." We would have been laughed off the track.

I do realize that it's gone from a guy in his garage building his own car and engines, mostly out of his own pocket to mega operations with hundreds of employees, dozens of cars and sponsors paying 20 million plus. Maybe that's what's wrong, as my Dad would say "Got too big for their britches".

NASCAR is running more and more races Friday and Saturday nights. What nights do you go to your local track? Friday and Saturday nights? Then they wonder why the TV ratings are down?

I could go on about the youth movement, putting 18 yo in the top ranked series but it's only 8 am, I've got the rest of the day,,,





http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/columns/story?columnist=hinton_ed&id=3569733

Brian France has destroyed the sport. Last week, I went to Hagerstown Speedway. I also watched part of the GrandAm Rolex Sports Car Series race from New Jersey. I DID NOT watch NASCAR from Auto Club Speedway.

California, Indianapolis, Michigan - this seems to be the new way of NASCAR. Quit punishing the teams who are winning for winning. Let the Chads run wild with imagination.

NHRA tried equalizing the field in Pro Stock and it didn't work. Now, Pro Stock races are the best in drag racing. Races coming down to milliseconds at speeds over 200 mph.

I don't hear Jim Yates asking Tom Compton to slow down the cars because he can't compete with Greg Anderson. I don't hear Ashley Force asking Tom Compton to slow down Tony Pedregon and Tim Wilkerson's cars because she can't beat them. I don't hear Doug Kalitta asking Tom Compton to slow down Schumacher's car because he's won 6 straight.

I don't hear Mario Gosselin asking ARCA to slow down Scott Speeds car because he's winning too much.

 

[buckaroo]

Andy, if you were any older, you'd realize that NASCAR's problem wasn't started by Brian France. He only carried on what has been going on for a long time. I agree with SST55's pop. There is a certain time when a project has reached it's best and then where does it go from there? In my opinion, NASCAR reached it's best in the 80's and from there, it's gone down hill for many reasons, but the major reason has been the cost. I see the same thing happening at the local level and if things don't change within a few years, I think the popularity of racing will wane. Owners can afford to field a car without the sponsorship and if you're going to keep those big spenders around, you have to keep them happy. To do that, you have to be sure and make the cars they sponsor on an equal plane as all the other cars and thus we have what many of us have called, IROC NASCAR.

Maybe one of these days, NASCAR will be nothing but U-cars out there with only a number on the side of the car and of course, no television coverage at all.