falling out of love with nascar

jasn88cubs

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I've been a fan for 27 years. This is the first year I just don't care

I watched daytona but skipped last two races

these are some things I miss about the sport I loved

1)Season long sponsors. I miss the fact that companies would sponsor a guy for a whole year. Nowyou got 4-5 companies sponsoring. yes i understand because its expensive, but i just miss the fact that when you thought of your driver you instantly thought of the sponsor to

examples--gordon- dupont/ bobby labonte-interstate, rusty wallace-mille,r earnhardt-goodwrench, mark martin-valvoline, harry gant-skoal, kenny schrader-kodak, ernie irvan-kodiak, davey allison-havoline

2)i miss alcohol and tobacco being a huge part of nascar. i know the government and their tobacco regulations but it went so well with the sport

like most races had alcohol as a sponsor or something car related that made sense for nascar

heres some races from 1993

gm goodwrench 500, pontiac excitement 400,motorcraft quality parts 500,winston 500,budweiser 500,champion spark plug 500,miller 400, slick 50 300, die hard 300,bud at the glen,goodys 500,ac delco 500, hooters 400

i mean those names just scream nascar and racing and a good time compared to names like this

the profit on cnbc 500,duck commander 500,camping world rv sales 400, go bowling.com 400,oral-b usa 500, bank of america 500

3) i miss the season long points. yea this new playoff is sort of exciting but points no matter anymore. it use to be a huge deal to finish in the top 10 but does anyone care now?

4) i miss bob jenkins, benny parsons, ned jarrett

no one could compare to them. they talked ot the fans like they were actual fans and knew the sport. they weren;t talking down to us like larry mac explaining what loose or tight is for the 500th time. they werent coming up with stupid catchphrases like dw. they didnt have these stupid graphics or pre race shows

5) i miss nascar not caring if they were accepted by mainstream america or if it was considered cool. oh so you think nascar is full of hicks who get drunk every night? thats fine

6) i miss the drivers that looked like a mans man, guys that looked like they would get under the car and help the crew. guys who didnt always wear sunglasses and a hat. guys who would wreck the car and hop out and get right to work. guys that looked like after the race theyd go to the local bar drink some beer and shoot the bull

7) i miss the danger of the sport. i dont want anyone to die, but the great thing about nascar was the danger. the fact that these guys were hitting the wall at 180 plus. guys racing in the summertime in the south getting out of the car looking like they just went through the toughest battle ever. now we get competition cautions, all this fancy in car cooling stuff and all that

8) i miss the nicknames. "the intimidator" "handsome harry" "the ice man" the wonder boy" "swervin irvan (yes thats mean)" "mr. excitement" "the silver fox" "the king"...sure theres still some "smoke" "the outlaw" "wild thing" "rowdy" "the closer"

but then you get ones like "cousin carl" which is blah

i m sure i have more if i could think of it but tahts just some
 
believe me I hear you loud and clear. The problem is everything is under the media spot light and millions of $$ are at stake. That is why we see guys being so neutered. There is still alot to like, carl edward had a don't tread on my flag sticker on his car a while back. Compared to other sports its much easier for me to identify with nascar than say football
 
I've been a fan for 27 years. This is the first year I just don't care

I watched daytona but skipped last two races

these are some things I miss about the sport I loved

1)Season long sponsors. I miss the fact that companies would sponsor a guy for a whole year. Nowyou got 4-5 companies sponsoring. yes i understand because its expensive, but i just miss the fact that when you thought of your driver you instantly thought of the sponsor to

examples--gordon- dupont/ bobby labonte-interstate, rusty wallace-mille,r earnhardt-goodwrench, mark martin-valvoline, harry gant-skoal, kenny schrader-kodak, ernie irvan-kodiak, davey allison-havoline

2)i miss alcohol and tobacco being a huge part of nascar. i know the government and their tobacco regulations but it went so well with the sport

like most races had alcohol as a sponsor or something car related that made sense for nascar

heres some races from 1993

gm goodwrench 500, pontiac excitement 400,motorcraft quality parts 500,winston 500,budweiser 500,champion spark plug 500,miller 400, slick 50 300, die hard 300,bud at the glen,goodys 500,ac delco 500, hooters 400

i mean those names just scream nascar and racing and a good time compared to names like this

the profit on cnbc 500,duck commander 500,camping world rv sales 400, go bowling.com 400,oral-b usa 500, bank of america 500

3) i miss the season long points. yea this new playoff is sort of exciting but points no matter anymore. it use to be a huge deal to finish in the top 10 but does anyone care now?

4) i miss bob jenkins, benny parsons, ned jarrett

no one could compare to them. they talked ot the fans like they were actual fans and knew the sport. they weren;t talking down to us like larry mac explaining what loose or tight is for the 500th time. they werent coming up with stupid catchphrases like dw. they didnt have these stupid graphics or pre race shows

5) i miss nascar not caring if they were accepted by mainstream america or if it was considered cool. oh so you think nascar is full of hicks who get drunk every night? thats fine

6) i miss the drivers that looked like a mans man, guys that looked like they would get under the car and help the crew. guys who didnt always wear sunglasses and a hat. guys who would wreck the car and hop out and get right to work. guys that looked like after the race theyd go to the local bar drink some beer and shoot the bull

7) i miss the danger of the sport. i dont want anyone to die, but the great thing about nascar was the danger. the fact that these guys were hitting the wall at 180 plus. guys racing in the summertime in the south getting out of the car looking like they just went through the toughest battle ever. now we get competition cautions, all this fancy in car cooling stuff and all that

8) i miss the nicknames. "the intimidator" "handsome harry" "the ice man" the wonder boy" "swervin irvan (yes thats mean)" "mr. excitement" "the silver fox" "the king"...sure theres still some "smoke" "the outlaw" "wild thing" "rowdy" "the closer"

but then you get ones like "cousin carl" which is blah

i m sure i have more if i could think of it but tahts just some
See ya. Good luck with your new sport.
 
I've been a fan for 27 years. This is the first year I just don't care

I watched daytona but skipped last two races

these are some things I miss about the sport I loved

1)Season long sponsors. I miss the fact that companies would sponsor a guy for a whole year. Nowyou got 4-5 companies sponsoring. yes i understand because its expensive, but i just miss the fact that when you thought of your driver you instantly thought of the sponsor to

examples--gordon- dupont/ bobby labonte-interstate, rusty wallace-mille,r earnhardt-goodwrench, mark martin-valvoline, harry gant-skoal, kenny schrader-kodak, ernie irvan-kodiak, davey allison-havoline

2)i miss alcohol and tobacco being a huge part of nascar. i know the government and their tobacco regulations but it went so well with the sport

like most races had alcohol as a sponsor or something car related that made sense for nascar

heres some races from 1993

gm goodwrench 500, pontiac excitement 400,motorcraft quality parts 500,winston 500,budweiser 500,champion spark plug 500,miller 400, slick 50 300, die hard 300,bud at the glen,goodys 500,ac delco 500, hooters 400

i mean those names just scream nascar and racing and a good time compared to names like this

the profit on cnbc 500,duck commander 500,camping world rv sales 400, go bowling.com 400,oral-b usa 500, bank of america 500

3) i miss the season long points. yea this new playoff is sort of exciting but points no matter anymore. it use to be a huge deal to finish in the top 10 but does anyone care now?

4) i miss bob jenkins, benny parsons, ned jarrett

no one could compare to them. they talked ot the fans like they were actual fans and knew the sport. they weren;t talking down to us like larry mac explaining what loose or tight is for the 500th time. they werent coming up with stupid catchphrases like dw. they didnt have these stupid graphics or pre race shows

5) i miss nascar not caring if they were accepted by mainstream america or if it was considered cool. oh so you think nascar is full of hicks who get drunk every night? thats fine

6) i miss the drivers that looked like a mans man, guys that looked like they would get under the car and help the crew. guys who didnt always wear sunglasses and a hat. guys who would wreck the car and hop out and get right to work. guys that looked like after the race theyd go to the local bar drink some beer and shoot the bull

7) i miss the danger of the sport. i dont want anyone to die, but the great thing about nascar was the danger. the fact that these guys were hitting the wall at 180 plus. guys racing in the summertime in the south getting out of the car looking like they just went through the toughest battle ever. now we get competition cautions, all this fancy in car cooling stuff and all that

8) i miss the nicknames. "the intimidator" "handsome harry" "the ice man" the wonder boy" "swervin irvan (yes thats mean)" "mr. excitement" "the silver fox" "the king"...sure theres still some "smoke" "the outlaw" "wild thing" "rowdy" "the closer"

but then you get ones like "cousin carl" which is blah

i m sure i have more if i could think of it but tahts just some

I think your post reflects what many long time fans are feeling.

Thanks . . .
 
I've been a fan for 27 years. This is the first year I just don't care

I watched daytona but skipped last two races

these are some things I miss about the sport I loved

1)Season long sponsors. I miss the fact that companies would sponsor a guy for a whole year. Nowyou got 4-5 companies sponsoring. yes i understand because its expensive, but i just miss the fact that when you thought of your driver you instantly thought of the sponsor to

examples--gordon- dupont/ bobby labonte-interstate, rusty wallace-mille,r earnhardt-goodwrench, mark martin-valvoline, harry gant-skoal, kenny schrader-kodak, ernie irvan-kodiak, davey allison-havoline

2)i miss alcohol and tobacco being a huge part of nascar. i know the government and their tobacco regulations but it went so well with the sport

like most races had alcohol as a sponsor or something car related that made sense for nascar

heres some races from 1993

gm goodwrench 500, pontiac excitement 400,motorcraft quality parts 500,winston 500,budweiser 500,champion spark plug 500,miller 400, slick 50 300, die hard 300,bud at the glen,goodys 500,ac delco 500, hooters 400

i mean those names just scream nascar and racing and a good time compared to names like this

the profit on cnbc 500,duck commander 500,camping world rv sales 400, go bowling.com 400,oral-b usa 500, bank of america 500

3) i miss the season long points. yea this new playoff is sort of exciting but points no matter anymore. it use to be a huge deal to finish in the top 10 but does anyone care now?

4) i miss bob jenkins, benny parsons, ned jarrett

no one could compare to them. they talked ot the fans like they were actual fans and knew the sport. they weren;t talking down to us like larry mac explaining what loose or tight is for the 500th time. they werent coming up with stupid catchphrases like dw. they didnt have these stupid graphics or pre race shows

5) i miss nascar not caring if they were accepted by mainstream america or if it was considered cool. oh so you think nascar is full of hicks who get drunk every night? thats fine

6) i miss the drivers that looked like a mans man, guys that looked like they would get under the car and help the crew. guys who didnt always wear sunglasses and a hat. guys who would wreck the car and hop out and get right to work. guys that looked like after the race theyd go to the local bar drink some beer and shoot the bull

7) i miss the danger of the sport. i dont want anyone to die, but the great thing about nascar was the danger. the fact that these guys were hitting the wall at 180 plus. guys racing in the summertime in the south getting out of the car looking like they just went through the toughest battle ever. now we get competition cautions, all this fancy in car cooling stuff and all that

8) i miss the nicknames. "the intimidator" "handsome harry" "the ice man" the wonder boy" "swervin irvan (yes thats mean)" "mr. excitement" "the silver fox" "the king"...sure theres still some "smoke" "the outlaw" "wild thing" "rowdy" "the closer"

but then you get ones like "cousin carl" which is blah

i m sure i have more if i could think of it but tahts just some


Be prepared to get bashed by the group who will gladly take their Nascar Pablum and then beg for more lol.

I can relate to some of the things you spoke of and I miss even small things like seeing the orange Unocal Globe at every track. Hell I miss Bill "The Hat Man" Broderick and his perfectly coiffed hair and beard lol. I was a rabid Nascar fan for over 25 years and enjoyed my time following the series but now I would consider myself a casual fan. In fact if Nascar vaporized tonight it would have zero effect on me unlike if football or hockey and hockey disappeared.

I think if we are honest with ourselves we look back at the past with more fondness then we should as we tend to minimize the bad and accentuate the good. Also today's fans should be able to put their stamp on the sport and build memories so they can talk about how good things used to be lol. They don't think they ever will but I never thought I would tell someone to turn down the radio or complain that "this music all sounds the same to me."

There are lots of things I cannot relate to with current Nascar fans. For instance why in the hell would you care who a driver is dating or what his kids names are? Why would you go to pieces because your favorite driver was unable to race? It's like a friggen soap opera for crying out loud! I could bloviate forever but I will go back to my corner now.
 
Each year my enthusiasm dwindles just a bit more. Before I PLANNED my weekend around the cup races, then came VCR's and now DVR's. I would tape/record to watch later. Now I don't bother to waste the electricity recording. If I catch the race fine, if not? Oh well.

The loss of Sr hurt.
It hurt more when not a single driver stepped up to be the voice of the drivers.
If anyone thinks Sr would be telling us how great the racing is today, the COT, or how the new points system is better I've got this bridge,

Brain took a functioning entity and instead of making minor tweaks he took a meat axe to it to fix what wasn't broken all for the almighty buck.
 
There is a difference between a Nascar fan and a racing fan. Vast majority here are Nascar only. They wanted to be #1 and now they are warts and all, and along with that they have attracted a large following of moody hero worshippers. Some pine for "the good ol days". But I remember races won frequently with only two cars on the lead lap or worse. I would love to see that happen today to remind some people how much better the racing today is in every series not just Nascar. That's the good part, but so many fans are living vicariously thru "their" driver now with the added publicity you would think they are a member of the family.:biggrin:
 
Each year my enthusiasm dwindles just a bit more. Before I PLANNED my weekend around the cup races, then came VCR's and now DVR's. I would tape/record to watch later. Now I don't bother to waste the electricity recording. If I catch the race fine, if not? Oh well.

The loss of Sr hurt.
It hurt more when not a single driver stepped up to be the voice of the drivers.
If anyone thinks Sr would be telling us how great the racing is today, the COT, or how the new points system is better I've got this bridge,

Brain took a functioning entity and instead of making minor tweaks he took a meat axe to it to fix what wasn't broken all for the almighty buck.

When Nascar shoved the Spec Racer (COT) on me that did it. I am hopeful that the current rules package will lead to improved racing which is why I am back watching again. I have not seen anything really compelling yet but it is way better than what I saw a few years ago.
 
I know it is off topic but do you consider Nascar to be more of a show or a sport?

It is way more of a show than a sport compared to other forms of motorsport. Until Fox killed SPEED probably half the programming was Nascar shows. As it is, there is a Nascar show on every day, more TV time than actual races.
 
After they took Kurt off the track, I didn't watch for a whole week. Even yesterday was kinda boring but I knew if I didn't watch I'd miss it.
 
i also miss the lesser teams. now its basically hendrick, gibbs, roush, penske, shr, rcr, mwr and some lesser teams

but remember when we had morgan mclure, andy petree racing, bill davis racing, dei, geoff bodine racing,jasper motorsports, stavola brothers


sure they didnt win titles but they won racens and would compete for good solid finishes
 
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There is a difference between a Nascar fan and a racing fan. Vast majority here are Nascar only. They wanted to be #1 and now they are warts and all, and along with that they have attracted a large following of moody hero worshippers. Some pine for "the good ol days". But I remember races won frequently with only two cars on the lead lap or worse. I would love to see that happen today to remind some people how much better the racing today is in every series not just Nascar. That's the good part, but so many fans are living vicariously thru "their" driver now with the added publicity you would think they are a member of the family.:biggrin:

Yeah and the second place car was 3/4th's of a lap behind and losing ground. Because so many cars were on different laps you could almost watch races within the race. Buddy Arrington and Dave Marcis could be putting on one helluva show for 5th place 6 laps down.

I know what you mean about the driver fans and I suspect many of them would not know what a local short track was if they were sitting in one watching a 50 lap feature. They probably think a Silver Crown is something Brian France drinks and a Midget is John Andretti lol. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a favorite driver or team but when it turns into a circle jerk it is nauseating.
 
i also miss the lesser teams. now its basically hendrick, gibbs, roush, penske, shr, rcr, mwr and some lesser teams

but remember when we had morgan mclure, andy petree racing, bill davis racing, dei, geoff bodine racing,jasper motorsports, stavola brothers


sure they didnt win titles but they won racens and would compete for good solid finishes

There used to be multiple engine and chassis builders too and some of the flavor went away as Nascar was homogenized. You don't hear anything about front steer or rear steer cars anymore that is for sure.
 
Sport but with a lot of entertainment built around it.
Yep. All sports are a form of entertainment. NASCAR's no exception. I also watch the NFL, NHL, and MLB for entertainment. Why would anyone want to watch if it weren't entertaining? Outside of the NFL NASCAR remains the highest rated sports related broadcast each and every weekend. A lot of people continue to be entertained by it. I think if a person doesn't find it entertaining anymore it's probably time to move on to something new. I know I wouldn't be watching if I felt that way. I sure as heck wouldn't be posting here if a day would come that I no longer find the sport entertaining.
 
Yep. All sports are a form of entertainment. NASCAR's no exception. I also watch the NFL, NHL, and MLB for entertainment. Why would anyone want to watch if it weren't entertaining? Outside of the NFL NASCAR remains the highest rated sports related broadcast each and every weekend. A lot of people continue to be entertained by it. I think if a person doesn't find it entertaining anymore it's probably time to move on to something new. I know I wouldn't be watching if I felt that way. I sure as heck wouldn't be posting here if a day would come that I no longer find the sport entertaining.
Yep. And also I don't understand people that come on here day after day that don't like our sport but continue to try and annoy the ones that do.
 
I pine for the old days sometimes too, but I like what we have now. I could do without the qualifying and chase gimmickry, but I still enjoy the racing very much. About the only thing I can't really get into is the Xfinity Series. It's one of those things I'll watch if nothing else is on, but it's not appointment television.
 
I pine for the old days sometimes too, but I like what we have now. I could do without the qualifying and chase gimmickry, but I still enjoy the racing very much. About the only thing I can't really get into is the Xfinity Series. It's one of those things I'll watch if nothing else is on, but it's not appointment television.

Fully agree with that. Trucks this year are going to be great, no Kyle Busch to ruin the series (No offense to KyBu fans, but that's just how it is) and Cup has gotten off to a good start. What we've seen from XFinity so far is a double-duty driver get his season ended in the opener, one of the worst races in the series' recent history at Atlanta, and a Vegas race that ended with a non-points driver not having the balls to bump Dillon out of the way to win his first career race. I wouldn't be suprised in the least if NASCAR shuts the series down after Xfinity sponsorship leaves.
 
I know it is off topic but do you consider Nascar to be more of a show or a sport?
I know how I define a 'sport'. I'm not sure how I define 'show', or if you and I would define it in the same way.

Either way, I won't watch a sport I don't find personally entertaining. That includes baseball, basketball, most Olympic events, and anything judged instead of scored. Most forms of motor sports (including NASCAR series, IRL, Rolex, ARCA; but NOT drag racing) entertain me, as do pro football and golf, so I watch them.
 
I also don't get the preaching about going to our local tracks. Isn't there another forum section for that? Some fans like NASCAR and NASCAR alone. Occasionally I go to the local dirt track but I'm not nearly as entertained as going to a NASCAR race.

I didn't see any preaching on any subject on this thread but maybe I missed something. Also are the threads on here so rigid and inflexible that another sport or form of racing cannot be used to provide comparison, context or difference? I totally understand where it would be verboten if 2 or 3 people started discussing NCAA brackets but anyone can see that is not the case here.
 
I pine for the old days sometimes too, but I like what we have now. I could do without the qualifying and chase gimmickry, but I still enjoy the racing very much. About the only thing I can't really get into is the Xfinity Series. It's one of those things I'll watch if nothing else is on, but it's not appointment television.

I don't care for the lesser series due to the number of cup drivers participating but that is only me. I thought the Atlanta race was better than the LV race but I expect the Phoenix race will be better than both. I don't care for this gimmicky version of the chase either but it actually worked out OK for me. Under this current system I don't acknowledge that Nascar has a yearly champion and just concentrate on who wins and does well each week. After that week is over I forget about it and hit the reset button and move onto the next week.
 
7) i miss the danger of the sport. i dont want anyone to die, but the great thing about nascar was the danger. the fact that these guys were hitting the wall at 180 plus. guys racing in the summertime in the south getting out of the car looking like they just went through the toughest battle ever. now we get competition cautions, all this fancy in car cooling stuff and all that

So....you're okay with drivers getting injured and sometimes dying from an accident that in hindsight was easily preventable with the right technology in the car and on the track?

Yea, if that's your attitude, good luck with your new sport man.
 
So....you're okay with drivers getting injured and sometimes dying from an accident that in hindsight was easily preventable with the right technology in the car and on the track?

Yea, if that's your attitude, good luck with your new sport man.
I don't believe that was said, but make it up as ya go I guess.
 
I also don't get the preaching about going to our local tracks. Isn't there another forum section for that? Some fans like NASCAR and NASCAR alone. Occasionally I go to the local dirt track but I'm not nearly as entertained as going to a NASCAR race.

I watch short track racing and NASCAR for different reasons. I watch short track racing for that home grown, grassroot style of racing. Where it's not so much about sponsorships or multi-million dollar teams, but it's about good ol' fashion racing between boys and girls and they tend to take more risk with their cars than NASCAR drivers do. Plus, some of the fan reaction when an unpopular driver wins is just awesome.

I watch NASCAR races, honestly for the technical aspect of it. The races usually last about 4 hours, so the changing track conditions, the weather, the changing car, etc. It all comes into play and each team is trying to set themselves up to take the checker flag. You have car adjustment, calls on when to pit, whether or not to take 4 or 2 tires, whether or not to take on fuel etc. It's all very exciting.
 
I'd hit the ignore button if I were you

Last week I was called a name 2 or 3 times that many people would find offensive. I must have a thicker skin or head or something as things like that have never bugged me. I do think that if a certain member gets your goat or is a problem you should use the ignore feature.
 
I also don't get the preaching about going to our local tracks. Isn't there another forum section for that? Some fans like NASCAR and NASCAR alone. Occasionally I go to the local dirt track but I'm not nearly as entertained as going to a NASCAR race.

The track I work at is NASCAR sanctioned, so, y'all should come to Southern National Motorsports Park this year. :D
 
I know how I define a 'sport'. I'm not sure how I define 'show', or if you and I would define it in the same way.

Either way, I won't watch a sport I don't find personally entertaining. That includes baseball, basketball, most Olympic events, and anything judged instead of scored. Most forms of motor sports (including NASCAR series, IRL, Rolex, ARCA; but NOT drag racing) entertain me, as do pro football and golf, so I watch them.

These are not proper definitions but I consider a show to have more of a license to manipulate things where a sport is something where you have to play by the rules. I consider Nascar to have show qualities as at times you have mystery debris cautions to tighten up the field and the idea of giving unearned laps back (lucky dog) is not very sporting.
 
I don't care for the lesser series due to the number of cup drivers participating but that is only me. I thought the Atlanta race was better than the LV race but I expect the Phoenix race will be better than both. I don't care for this gimmicky version of the chase either but it actually worked out OK for me. Under this current system I don't acknowledge that Nascar has a yearly champion and just concentrate on who wins and does well each week. After that week is over I forget about it and hit the reset button and move onto the next week.
I don't mind if a Cup driver participates in a few Xfinity races a year, they've always done that to an extent. It's when the Cup owners got so heavily involved that I lost interest. Penske, Gibbs, Roush, Childress, Hendrick by way of JR Motorsports, they've all got their hands deep in the Xfinity cookie jar. Some of them are even bringing the Cup crews down to NXS now. Kinda like bringing an AR-15 to a knife fight.
 
These are not proper definitions but I consider a show to have more of a license to manipulate things where a sport is something where you have to play by the rules. I consider Nascar to have show qualities as at times you have mystery debris cautions to tighten up the field and the idea of giving unearned laps back (lucky dog) is not very sporting.
You are so right about NASCAR having 'show' qualities, bandit. I think it became more about the entertainment than the racing back in the
late 90s.
I'm not a big fan of the "entertainment" side, but I will still watch the races.
 
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