Humpy's Hot Topic: What's Wrong With NASCAR?

I always like listening to humpy. I do think we need a working mans driver. Yes too much is put into weather or not a guy is marketable or not. but sponsors pay the bills and these days its tuff to get the money for a non marketable driver, even if they win races, ala matt kenseth.
 
good stuff dp. bout 15 min. into it i'm thinkin.........
once a promoter......always a promoter !
"gettin butts in tha seats " ! ha!

like all us ole farts......he wants it back like it used ta be. ain't gonna happen.
plus....he's prolly still pissed......rightfully so......that ole bruton kicked 'im ta tha curb.

ironically......he's tha one that put "showmanship" in racin......was tha best...
....but now that tv's doin it---bah humbug ! ha!

hope hof eventually puts 'im in.......deserves it.
 
Yeah, I just read about this on Jayski.

I love how he says we need to put even more emphasis on winning, as if there isn't enough already. We have the Chase, where the top 10 drivers are seeded based primarily on their number of wins, and the two drivers from 11-20 with the most wins get in. The points system was overhauled and now more points are given for wins in individual races. Look at Tony Stewart's championship run in 2011 and try to tell me that winning isn't important enough.

I agree with him that NASCAR has made a lot of changes over the years - perhaps too many - but the solution isn't more changes. I think that for now they should just stick with what they have. Points for a repass? LOL. And people aren't attending races as much these days because the economy sucks and they can't afford it, not because the TV broadcasts are so amazing.
 
hawg dawg said:
good stuff dp. bout 15 min. into it i'm thinkin.........
once a promoter......always a promoter !
"gettin butts in tha seats " ! ha!
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Yep, that's what it's about for those track promoters and owners. Get the butts in the seats. Humpy was damn good at it too. It was always an entertaining show when attending a race @ Charlotte.
 
His point about the "amazing" TV broadcasts causing attendance to drop would be viable but for one thing: people aren't watching NASCAR on TV like they used to either.
 
People aren't doing much of anything 'like they used to' . In my area , fairs and festivals are down , outdoor concerts are down , harness racing tracks are closing , Don't see pick up ball games at the local parks anymore . Don't know of anything except childrens concerts that seem to be increasing. Cept maybe lawn bowling .:)
 
Most of the over and under passing Humpty is talking about were at speeds less than 100 mph on short tracks. Those days are gone. I remember when Nascar gave out money for leading at half way..that was along time ago and it was done because there wasn't any passing going on way back when and the fans were complaining. but they kept building the big cookie cutters because they were making money. they haven't listened to the fans for years, they listen to the sponsors and the TV people. Just about any racing series could be a success if they had closed wheel shorter track racing with full time coverage. I'm hoping one of these days, someone will put together an internet series based racing program together. Stream away, I will be watching and I would support a membership fee or whatever they came up with. Use something like pick up trucks. they all are pretty much clones of each other anyway. don't let them get all goofy looking like the Nascar trucks that don't look like a truck anymore.
 
ted@economy said:
People aren't doing much of anything 'like they used to' . In my area , fairs and festivals are down , outdoor concerts are down , harness racing tracks are closing , Don't see pick up ball games at the local parks anymore . Don't know of anything except childrens concerts that seem to be increasing. Cept maybe lawn bowling .:)
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You nailed it. Except for NFL football, everything is in decline as far as attendance is going. Even college football is seeing some sizeable declines because they are doing what NASCAR did 10-15 years ago - price the fans out of going.

The other thing is most forms of racing aren't getting enough young fans interested in the sport. Part of that goes back to my prior comment about ticket prices. But even at local tracks, most people in the stands are 35 and older.
 
MRM said:
You nailed it. Except for NFL football, everything is in decline as far as attendance is going. Even college football is seeing some sizeable declines because they are doing what NASCAR did 10-15 years ago - price the fans out of going.

The other thing is most forms of racing aren't getting enough young fans interested in the sport. Part of that goes back to my prior comment about ticket prices. But even at local tracks, most people in the stands are 35 and older.
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Nascar's marketing is terrible imo but the lack of diveristy and the digtial age hurt the sport alot.

my dad is a car guy so naturally he loved racing and past that love down to me. There are less people like that cause its all about computers, now society where the cars ppl drive have zero personality.
 
I blame a lot of the lack of interest in cars on the advanced technology of today's cars. "Back in the day" you could get out and work on your own car. Today's cars require an engineering degree just to open the hood.

I remember tinkering with points in the distributor, gapping spark plugs, pulling the rods and lifters. Heck, I pulled the motor out my Jeep, broke it down, had it bored out, and put it back together.

I look at the motor in my present car and, dang, I'm lucky if I know where the oil dipstick is.
 
TexasRaceLady said:
I blame a lot of the lack of interest in cars on the advanced technology of today's cars. "Back in the day" you could get out and work on your own car. Today's cars require an engineering degree just to open the hood.

I remember tinkering with points in the distributor, gapping spark plugs, pulling the rods and lifters. Heck, I pulled the motor out my Jeep, broke it down, had it bored out, and put it back together.

I look at the motor in my present car and, dang, I'm lucky if I know where the oil dipstick is.
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Damn TRL, I had no idea you are a motor head. :cheers:
 
FB, spent a lot of time as helper during the 70s when the husband and his brother were crewing a dirt car. Learned a lot by watching and pestering with questions.
 
TexasRaceLady said:
I blame a lot of the lack of interest in cars on the advanced technology of today's cars. "Back in the day" you could get out and work on your own car. Today's cars require an engineering degree just to open the hood.

I remember tinkering with points in the distributor, gapping spark plugs, pulling the rods and lifters. Heck, I pulled the motor out my Jeep, broke it down, had it bored out, and put it back together.

I look at the motor in my present car and, dang, I'm lucky if I know where the oil dipstick is.
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This isn't true at all. I'm very plugged in to the local car scene. The kids are doing all kinds of crazy upgrades on their Subaru, their Honda, and their Evos. They just don't like NASCAR because it's corporate and boring.
 
Maybe it's where I live, sloggie, but the only upgrades I see and hear are the loud pipes, the wing on the trunk lid, lowered, or jacked. Low profile tires and lowered bodies irritate me because they can't drive but 10 miles an hour because the ride is so rough.
I don't really see, or really hear, young people doing work on the motor itself. Maybe I'm more used to the sound of worked over V8s rather than the little tin cans.
 
TexasRaceLady said:
Maybe it's where I live, sloggie, but the only upgrades I see and hear are the loud pipes, the wing on the trunk lid, lowered, or jacked. Low profile tires and lowered bodies irritate me because they can't drive but 10 miles an hour because the ride is so rough.
I don't really see, or really hear, young people doing work on the motor itself. Maybe I'm more used to the sound of worked over V8s rather than the little tin cans.
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You can't really see an upgraded turbo from the street :)

The point stands though. NASCAR just doesn't appeal to the kids.
 
TexasRaceLady said:
Maybe it's where I live, sloggie, but the only upgrades I see and hear are the loud pipes, the wing on the trunk lid, lowered, or jacked. Low profile tires and lowered bodies irritate me because they can't drive but 10 miles an hour because the ride is so rough.
I don't really see, or really hear, young people doing work on the motor itself. Maybe I'm more used to the sound of worked over V8s rather than the little tin cans.
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Yep, lawn mower motor in a car blasting a loud tinny obnoxious sounding exhaust that sounds like its doing 80 but is actually doing 25.
 
Humpy Wheeler made Bruton Smith what he is today and Bruton just threw Humpy under the bus after dragging him through a mud-pit. It's just wrong.

Not to mention that Bruton Smith, who reaps all the benefits of what Humpy did at Charlotte, has done more damage to NASCAR racing than any other sole person can ever imagine doing.
 
MRM said:
You nailed it. Except for NFL football, everything is in decline as far as attendance is going. Even college football is seeing some sizeable declines because they are doing what NASCAR did 10-15 years ago - price the fans out of going.

The other thing is most forms of racing aren't getting enough young fans interested in the sport. Part of that goes back to my prior comment about ticket prices. But even at local tracks, most people in the stands are 35 and older.
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Most tracks I go to do a decent job getting younger fans to show up.

NASCAR isn't fan friendly. It isn't even close to fan friendly. When you go to your local short track or to an NHRA race or even, to a lesser degree, an IndyCar race, you get a chance to meet the drivers and be a part of the sport. NASCAR, in becoming a corporate sport, has taken the fan-friendly aspect out of it. Too many of the drivers are divas - and then the good guys, even they don't get a chance to sign autographs and meet fans because their corporate sponsors won't allow it.

I've seen drivers go to those little "fan zone" things Sprint, NASCAR and some of the tracks do and completely refuse to sign autographs. I've seen driver go there and want to sign autographs and talk to fans but their PR reps not allow it. This type of stuff turns fans off.

MLB teams have all sorts of promotions that get fans in the stands. NFL has training camp where fans get a chance to meet their favorite players. The players in those sports go to local schools, youth groups and give back to the community. And when they do, it's publicized and spotlighted. NASCAR drivers, for whatever reason, are not doing this stuff the way they used to anymore.

None of this is NASCAR's fault directly, but this is the reality. NASCAR has become an elitist sport.
 
Johali said:
Yep, lawn mower motor in a car blasting a loud tinny obnoxious sounding exhaust that sounds like its doing 80 but is actually doing 25.
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This stuff pisses me off - especially when I forked over hundreds of dollars to the State of Maryland because my car had an exhaust leak. Meanwhile, these damn "country boys" and "country girls" (see: redneck wannabes) go out of their way to have their 'lifted trucks' emit so much smoke that you can't see a damn thing if you get behind them and when these kids take their rice burners and manipulate the exhaust so that it sounds like a Top Fuel f'ing Dragster.
 
Also, there's a lack of interest in cars in general from young people. Kids don't want to drive cars. They can't afford to drive cars. New cars are way overpriced - and not because of safety and reliability either. And older cars - chances are, you aren't going to find a used car that's worth a ****. I got lucky with my old Toyota and I got lucky with the Subaru I currently own (these two things have one thing in common).

Hondas are good cars but I wouldn't buy a used Civic or Prelude if you gave me the cash to do it - because I know why the majority of them are being sold. Spoiled kids buy those, trick them out for the ****** Fast and Furious wannabe bull**** they do, blow out their gaskets and manifolds, damage their transmissions all to hell and then they sell them off and buy a brand new car to destroy.

Kids are exiting college and having to work minimum wage jobs just to feed themselves. They're moving in to the cities so they can take public transportation. If they're lucky enough to find a used car - the very first mechanical problem that comes up breaks the bank.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Humpy Wheeler made Bruton Smith what he is today and Bruton just threw Humpy under the bus after dragging him through a mud-pit. It's just wrong.

Not to mention that Bruton Smith, who reaps all the benefits of what Humpy did at Charlotte, has done more damage to NASCAR racing than any other sole person can ever imagine doing.
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I couldn't agree more. Bruton Smith is a slime, and it makes me ill whenever the talking heads in the media gush about how much he's done for the sport. I could probably list some things he's done TO the sport, but not for it.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Also, there's a lack of interest in cars in general from young people. Kids don't want to drive cars. They can't afford to drive cars. New cars are way overpriced - and not because of safety and reliability either. And older cars - chances are, you aren't going to find a used car that's worth a ****. I got lucky with my old Toyota and I got lucky with the Subaru I currently own (these two things have one thing in common).

Hondas are good cars but I wouldn't buy a used Civic or Prelude if you gave me the cash to do it - because I know why the majority of them are being sold. Spoiled kids buy those, trick them out for the ******* Fast and Furious wannabe bull**** they do, blow out their gaskets and manifolds, damage their transmissions all to hell and then they sell them off and buy a brand new car to destroy.

Kids are exiting college and having to work minimum wage jobs just to feed themselves. They're moving in to the cities so they can take public transportation. If they're lucky enough to find a used car - the very first mechanical problem that comes up breaks the bank.
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The hip hopers around here have there jap junk running 12 to high 11 in the quarter mile.
 
BOWTIE GUY said:
The hip hopers around here have there jap junk running 12 to high 11 in the quarter mile.
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"Jap junk"? I don't care how fast my Jap junk goes - all I know is that I haven't had to put hundreds of dollars of work in to it every month like I did with American junk.
 
I think Humpy has alot of good points. Simply put, NASCAR got too big and too corporate and wanted to go national and attract new fans. The problem is, those fans checked in for a short time and then didn't stay because they weren't interested, and in the meantime they lost many of their longtime grass-roots fans. So in the end they came up short with both the old and the new fans.

Sure, there's other factors involved. It's a different world today in the internet age of instant news and every game in professional sports is available regardless of where you live if you want to pay for it. Most college teams in FBS are on TV every week. And the attention span of today's society is much shorter because there are simply so many options - you can have the game or race on TV while simultaneously browsing the internet, checking the up-to-the-minute stats of a game, and texting your buddies.
 
carolinabuff said:
I think Humpy has alot of good points. Simply put, NASCAR got too big and too corporate and wanted to go national and attract new fans. The problem is, those fans checked in for a short time and then didn't stay because they weren't interested, and in the meantime they lost many of their longtime grass-roots fans. So in the end they came up short with both the old and the new fans.

Sure, there's other factors involved. It's a different world today in the internet age of instant news and every game in professional sports is available regardless of where you live if you want to pay for it. Most college teams in FBS are on TV every week. And the attention span of today's society is much shorter because there are simply so many options - you can have the game or race on TV while simultaneously browsing the internet, checking the up-to-the-minute stats of a game, and texting your buddies.
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I'd rather turn on a Jaguars game on Sunday than watch the races. And believe me, I didn't used to be that way. I could easily follow the blowout on the computer and watch the race on TV but that's just how boring NASCAR has become. And anyone who knows anything about football knows I'm sitting here saying I'd rather watch a game where my favorite team loses 35-3 than watch a NASCAR race at Texas.

The only races left that are worth watching are Bristol and Martinsville. And I could reasonably go to both races.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
"Jap junk"? I don't care how fast my Jap junk goes - all I know is that I haven't had to put hundreds of dollars of work in to it every month like I did with American junk.
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I guess that's why I'm a "jap junk" convert. I've owned both foreign and domestic cars (even though it's hard to define what is what now), and in my personal experience have had far better luck out of the cars with the Japanese nameplates. I still like the cars from the Big Three, but I doubt I'll ever buy another new one, because the Japanese stuff in my experience has been more reliable, and doesn't depreciate as fast.
 
It's also past time to shorten the races. If the 500 mile and 400 mile races required any sort of strategy or if there was any attrition at all, the races would be great. There's not. With the exception of a few instances, the engines are bulletproof and the tires could probably hold up for an entire race. Those cars could probably survive a 500 mile race in the middle of Syria. But any slight bit of contact causes you to lose a second a lap because of aero-crap.
 
nascar/France family got greedy, they thought that they were more of a player then they were.it is not worth what it cost to go to a race weekend.
 
ToyYoda said:
I guess that's why I'm a "jap junk" convert. I've owned both foreign and domestic cars (even though it's hard to define what is what now), and in my personal experience have had far better luck out of the cars with the Japanese nameplates. I still like the cars from the Big Three, but I doubt I'll ever buy another new one, because the Japanese stuff in my experience has been more reliable, and doesn't depreciate as fast.
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The American crap cars are gimmicky. Has anyone seen an add at all from Chevrolet in the last 10 years saying you should buy their cars because it'll hold some value and run for decades? Has anyone seen an add saying you should buy a Chevy because you'll be able to drive it up a mountain so you can go hiking up some trail in the woods? All I see are ads from Chevy about "OnStar" and "free satellite radio" and touchscreen navigation systems.
 
ToyYoda said:
I guess that's why I'm a "jap junk" convert. I've owned both foreign and domestic cars (even though it's hard to define what is what now), and in my personal experience have had far better luck out of the cars with the Japanese nameplates. I still like the cars from the Big Three, but I doubt I'll ever buy another new one, because the Japanese stuff in my experience has been more reliable, and doesn't depreciate as fast.
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I just can't bring myself to buy anything but a bowtie. got one from the sixties,eighties,nineties and a 2001. the next one will be a 2015 ss Camaro.
 
ToyYoda said:
I couldn't agree more. Bruton Smith is a slime, and it makes me ill whenever the talking heads in the media gush about how much he's done for the sport. I could probably list some things he's done TO the sport, but not for it.
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Yep. It's awfully hard to respect someone who put tracks like Rockingham and North Wilkesboro on life support. Then, when he doesn't get his way he threatens litigation. Now he's got a shot at the HOF every year. Really irritating.
 
BOWTIE GUY said:
I just can't bring myself to buy anything but a bowtie. got one from the sixties,eighties,nineties and a 2001. the next one will be a 2015 ss Camaro.
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To each their own, Bowtie. It's all a matter of personal preference.

So will the '15 Camaro be the first year of the new bodystyle? I know Chevy is gonna redo the Camaro soon.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
The American crap cars are gimmicky. Has anyone seen an add at all from Chevrolet in the last 10 years saying you should buy their cars because it'll hold some value and run for decades? Has anyone seen an add saying you should buy a Chevy because you'll be able to drive it up a mountain so you can go hiking up some trail in the woods? All I see are ads from Chevy about "OnStar" and "free satellite radio" and touchscreen navigation systems.
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FLRacingFan said:
Yep. It's awfully hard to respect someone who put tracks like Rockingham and North Wilkesboro on life support. Then, when he doesn't get his way he threatens litigation. Now he's got a shot at the HOF every year. Really irritating.
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It's nothing but money. just f-up everything to make a buck.
 
ToyYoda said:
To each their own, Bowtie. It's all a matter of personal preference.

So will the '15 Camaro be the first year of the new bodystyle? I know Chevy is gonna redo the Camaro soon.
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I don't about a new bodystyle, it's going to be my 55 birthday present to me.
 
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