NASCAR and the younger crowd

I think with technology today, the younger generation is more of an instant gratification crowd and for the most part don't have the attention span to endure a 3 hour race.
Also, as stated above, youngsters don't care about cars anymore. They stopped building classic cars in the late 60's, early 70's. Kids don't build cars like they did when I was in high school. Wheels, tires and stereo is about the extent of it anymore.
Times are changing. We are a dying breed. I also think that Brian changing the rules every other race is driving off the veteran audience.
 
Bobw said:
I took Auto Mech as a elective in my Jr (64)and Sr(65) HS years. Those classes along with Wood and Machine shop have been eliminate in schools for the most part.
I will excuse a 25 year old woman from changing a flat, not a 25 year old guy who says "I don't know how".
My son has a pretty good side line working on his friends and co-workers cars. Most of the guys just don't know.
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Yup. It pissed me off when none of my area high schools had auto shop... But a big part of the reason no one wrenches nowadays is because the automakers are making their cars so difficult to work on(no space!) that you have to go to a shop, preferably a dealer of course,(so they keep you coming back) to get anything taken care of. They are intentionally killing the shade tree mechanic. I owned a Scion TC for awhile. She blew up. The motor had to come out the bottom. Who the hell has a lift at their house?...
 
BobbyFord said:
...
Also, as stated above, youngsters don't care about cars anymore. They stopped building classic cars in the late 60's, early 70's. Kids don't build cars like they did when I was in high school. Wheels, tires and stereo is about the extent of it anymore.
Times are changing. We are a dying breed. I also think that Brian changing the rules every other race is driving off the veteran audience.
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Kids don't care about cars, or much of anything else these days. My stepkids don't have any "toys" like I did at their age. They have iPods and Internet, and they watch TV. Then they get bored because they don't have any hobbies or other interests. As kids we spent our time in the woods, in the water, climbing on things and building stuff. I think that leads you into wanting to work on cars and things. Also, car stuff is expensive now and vehicles built from the 90's on that are desirable aren't really easy or cheap to work on. You can't even replace a factory radio on the newest cars.
 
Bobw said:
I took Auto Mech as a elective in my Jr (64)and Sr(65) HS years. Those classes along with Wood and Machine shop have been eliminate in schools for the most part.
I will excuse a 25 year old woman from changing a flat, not a 25 year old guy who says "I don't know how".
My son has a pretty good side line working on his friends and co-workers cars. Most of the guys just don't know.
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I know HOW to change a flat, just physically challenged. :D
 
Maybe more young guns like Larson, Elliot and the like would appeal...

You could have Larson have a dust up with a guy like Kyle Busch....some real hatred brewing.
 
People who have a general interest in cars will probably have some interest in racing. I don't think you can market racing to someone who has no interest in cars. Racing will always have some percentage of the sports crowd. The board room at NASCAR might want an ever increasing percentage of fans but I think they should focus on keeping the percentage of the sports fans they have.
 
I will excuse a 25 year old woman from changing a flat, not a 25 year old guy who says "I don't know how".
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Anyone who owns a car should know how to change a tire. I like the commercial where a girl is changing a tire in crappy weather and at the end her father commends her.
 
BobbyFord said:
I think with technology today, the younger generation is more of an instant gratification crowd and for the most part don't have the attention span to endure a 3 hour race.
Also, as stated above, youngsters don't care about cars anymore. They stopped building classic cars in the late 60's, early 70's. Kids don't build cars like they did when I was in high school. Wheels, tires and stereo is about the extent of it anymore.
Times are changing. We are a dying breed. I also think that Brian changing the rules every other race is driving off the veteran audience.
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The veteran audience is dying off and need to be replaced. Standing still trying to appeal to them is a waste.
 
DUN24 said:
Yup. It pissed me off when none of my area high schools had auto shop... But a big part of the reason no one wrenches nowadays is because the automakers are making their cars so difficult to work on(no space!) that you have to go to a shop, preferably a dealer of course,(so they keep you coming back) to get anything taken care of. They are intentionally killing the shade tree mechanic. I owned a Scion TC for awhile. She blew up. The motor had to come out the bottom. Who the hell has a lift at their house?...
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Lift? We don't need no stinkin' lift.
My son putting a motor in Sugar Britches Altima
DSCN0173.jpg
 
The demographic is evidenced at car shows. Hardly no youngsters. Mostly older gearheads with big cube V8s.
When there are kids, they're usually the zipper euro types or the Honda/Acura crowd. Outside of tires and radio they really have no interest in the car. They're idea of performance is a K&N filter and a 20" diameter aluminum muffler (that you have to cut half of the plastic bumper off for clearance.)
We bring a handful of Uncle Ben's in our pocket, throw it under their cars and tell 'em they got a leak :)
 
Bobw said:
Lift? We don't need no stinkin' lift.
My son putting a motor in Sugar Britches Altima
DSCN0173.jpg
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I'd like to have seen the old one come out from under the car... I imagine that cooler had to be refilled a couple times that day. Lol. Where there's a will there's a way though! In my case, I found a dude with a shop that r&r'd it for $600. Worth not having the headache IMO.


Who the hell is sugar britches?
 
BobbyFord said:
The demographic is evidenced at car shows. Hardly no youngsters. Mostly older gearheads with big cube V8s.
When there are kids, they're usually the zipper euro types or the Honda/Acura crowd. Outside of tires and radio they really have no interest in the car. They're idea of performance is a K&N filter and a 20" diameter aluminum muffler (that you have to cut half of the plastic bumper off for clearance.)
We bring a handful of Uncle Ben's in our pocket, throw it under their cars and tell 'em they got a leak :)
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LMFAO!
 
BobbyFord said:
I think with technology today, the younger generation is more of an instant gratification crowd and for the most part don't have the attention span to endure a 3 hour race.
Also, as stated above, youngsters don't care about cars anymore. They stopped building classic cars in the late 60's, early 70's. Kids don't build cars like they did when I was in high school. Wheels, tires and stereo is about the extent of it anymore.
Times are changing. We are a dying breed. I also think that Brian changing the rules every other race is driving off the veteran audience.
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Young people can "endure" a 3-4 hour football game.
 
Zerkfitting said:
Anyone who owns a car should know how to change a tire. I like the commercial where a girl is changing a tire in crappy weather and at the end her father commends her.
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I did roadside assistance for MB for over 5 years, this simply just doesnt exist. Not only do people not now how to change a flat, they can barely put gas in their cars. Even worse is when I would bail them out infront of their wife or girlfriend at 3am on the side of the highway, they didnt know how to tip either... Keep in mind, it was a free service.
 
The younger generation who like cars are doing what we did, they work with what they have. The used cars of today are much different from when I got my first car. My skills were pretty much the same - change the stereo, wheels, the bolt on stuff. My dad took me to a basic car maintenance class before I got my license. I learned how to do repair because I couldn't afford to pay someone to do it and I had a friend who knew how to do it. The key is having someone to teach you.
 
DUN24 said:
I'd like to have seen the old one come out from under the car... I imagine that cooler had to be refilled a couple times that day. Lol. Where there's a will there's a way though! In my case, I found a dude with a shop that r&r'd it for $600. Worth not having the headache IMO.
Who the hell is sugar britches?
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It came out the bottom and the new one went in the same way. Yes, the cooler needed to be refilled, a couple of times IIRC.
Who was Sugar britches? Com'on you know.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
The economy is PART of it. But only part. And the number of "underprivileged" Americans is skyrocketing and has been for 10 years.
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True but not at the rate where middle class n higher kids aint driving cars. Cmon man :p
 
Bobw said:
It came out the bottom and the new one went in the same way. Yes, the cooler needed to be refilled, a couple of times IIRC.
Who was Sugar britches? Com'on you know.
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What I meant was once you get it on the ground, manhandling it out from underneath and then getting the fresh one there. Sounds like a royal pain in the ass.

lol. Had to look it up. Makes sense. A new one though. I like it.


Holy thread jacked. Sorry.
 
Same station all year, webcast (younger stare at computer more than TV), split races in half and have 2 cup races each Sunday, 1 day of practice (to mix thing up on race day), more short tracks, more car manufacturers (hopefully nascar is going to go OHC, which is what keeps most out) and cars that look like the street version.

Thems my dreams.
 
There's an idea, more manufacturers. The younger crowd seems to be more into imports these days (I have know idea why) but maybe that would attract them. I have no problem with Honda, Nissan or whoever joining Nascar. That might help the redneck/hillbilly stereotype. How cool would it be to have Benz or BMW?! Unfortunately, heres another subject that the diehard veteran nascar fan also disagrees with
 
BenzTech99 said:
There's an idea, more manufacturers. The younger crowd seems to be more into imports these days (I have know idea why) but maybe that would attract them. I have no problem with Honda, Nissan or whoever joining Nascar. That might help the redneck/hillbilly stereotype. How cool would it be to have Benz or BMW?! Unfortunately, heres another subject that the diehard veteran nascar fan also disagrees with
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No imports unless they're assembled in murica cuz that's the part that matters ;)
 
You can tell Chex is a Conservative Republican. Let's ignore something that's actually a problem for NASCAR because it's not a problem for rich people. :rolleyes: Big money is what's killing NASCAR just like it's killing this country.
 
BobbyFord said:
I think with technology today, the younger generation is more of an instant gratification crowd and for the most part don't have the attention span to endure a 3 hour race.
Also, as stated above, youngsters don't care about cars anymore. They stopped building classic cars in the late 60's, early 70's. Kids don't build cars like they did when I was in high school. Wheels, tires and stereo is about the extent of it anymore.
Times are changing. We are a dying breed. I also think that Brian changing the rules every other race is driving off the veteran audience.
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Yep. I said at the time nascar needs to attract new fans quick, because many of the current fans won't watch because of the new championship format. IMO, it has provided better racing, and a winners attitude. Not much talk of good point days this year. Sometimes, older fans can be a pain in nascars ass. They are the main reason they are still racing engines that are relics, and why the brands people buy today aren't represented on the track. Part of the magic for many was seeing their brand compete.
 
For most "WORKING" on their car today is going to the tire store and getting a set of low profile tires mounted on 'twennies' wit spinna's. Then off to the stereo shop for a system that'll require hearing aids by the time their 35,,just sayin'
Don't forget they wear hats backasswards too. a freakin generation of genius's.
 
Bobw said:
For most "WORKING" on their car today is going to the tire store and getting a set of low profile tires mounted on 'twennies' wit spinna's. Then off to the stereo shop for a system that'll require hearing aids by the time their 35,,just sayin'
Don't forget they wear hats backasswards too. a freakin generation of genius's.
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Broad brush.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Young people can "endure" a 3-4 hour football game.
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They can also play football. Which many do as youngsters. Having knowledge of a sport contributes to the fan experience.
Not many kids grow up racing cars or motorcycles anymore. Not many kids have dads that build hot rods or motorcycles anymore, like when I was a kid.
For the most part, kids aren't interested in cars anymore. Nobody gets Hot Wheels anymore for Christmas. They get video games, tablets, iPods, etc.
When I was a kid we had Hot Wheels, AFX tracks, mini bikes, go carts, etc.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Higher class, yes. Middle class, no. There's no such thing as a "middle class" for young people.
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Living in a middle class family ya dope. Jfc everything has to be spelled out for you dont it? Must be that common core bs ;)

BobbyFord said:
They can also play football. Which many do as youngsters. Having knowledge of a sport contributes to the fan experience.
Not many kids grow up racing cars or motorcycles anymore. Not many kids have dads that build hot rods or motorcycles anymore, like when I was a kid.
For the most part, kids aren't interested in cars anymore. Nobody gets Hot Wheels anymore for Christmas. They get video games, tablets, iPods, etc.
When I was a kid we had Hot Wheels, AFX tracks, mini bikes, go carts, etc.
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This :)
 
FenderBumper said:
I guess the SS and Fusion are out?
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Fusion is in start up mode to be built in Michigan The SS will be made here and exported to Australian as the Holden Commodore either this year or next
 
I wish it was back to the way Nascar used to be. Waaay back when cars were alot closer to what was in production. What "stock" cars use solid rear axles? Or 15" wheels? Or OHV engines? (besides chevy). Camry, Fusion and SS are all 4 door sedans. Why are they 2 door Cup cars? I think it should be buy a car from the factory, put a cage in it, go racing. Then we as consumers would get much better cars to buy since they have to be good for racing (the way it used to be).
 
ChexOrWrex said:
Living in a middle class family ya dope. Jfc everything has to be spelled out for you dont it? Must be that common core bs ;)
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So, everything's great in your world, good for you. The majority of young people in this country are struggling in ways they never would have in the 90s. But we're supposed to act like it's not a problem because rich kids are well off and can afford to race? 10-20 years ago, there were 40+ cars racing at short tracks. Now, some of those same tracks struggle to get 10-20 cars. A great many kids don't even drive cars anymore. But rich kids can still afford to buy sports cars, so that's not a problem either. :rolleyes:

The automobile industry is dying in America and automobile racing is dying with it. The first step that has to be made in racing is to make it more affordable, just like Toyota, GM and Chrysler need to make steps to make cars more affordable. The cost of owning and maintaining an automobile and the cost of racing are both skyrocketing while incomes for most Americans are on a rapid decline.

This is a real problem. Enjoy living in your fantasyland though.
 
I bet if they put the stock back in stock cars, got rid of these cookie cutter 1.5 milers n added some short tracks where cars can beat n bang without issue with tempera flaring, youd see a rise in viewers.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
So, everything's great in your world, good for you. The majority of young people in this country are struggling in ways they never would have in the 90s. But we're supposed to act like it's not a problem because rich kids are well off and can afford to race? 10-20 years ago, there were 40+ cars racing at short tracks. Now, some of those same tracks struggle to get 10-20 cars. A great many kids don't even drive cars anymore. But rich kids can still afford to buy sports cars, so that's not a problem either. :rolleyes:

The automobile industry is dying in America and automobile racing is dying with it. The first step that has to be made in racing is to make it more affordable, just like Toyota, GM and Chrysler need to make steps to make cars more affordable. The cost of owning and maintaining an automobile and the cost of racing are both skyrocketing while incomes for most Americans are on a rapid decline.

This is a real problem. Enjoy living in your fantasyland though.
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Rich people have top sports cars and middle class people drive standard off the lot cars? Who knew :eek: I'll enjoy driving my hybrid so I can save money & work so maybe one day Ill be able to have that vintage stingray corvette in my garage one day.
 
Say what? You said previously you were a poor college student with no money yet you're driving a hybrid? I know, daddy's old car, the 2013 huh?
 
ChexOrWrex said:
Rich people have top sports cars and middle class people drive standard off the lot cars? Who knew :eek:
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"Middle class" youths just don't exist. I don't know what part of this you can understand. Kids that can afford to buy a standard off the lot car are generally very wealthy or have parents that help them.

The automobile industry is dying and will continue to do so if the majority of youths cannot afford to buy cars direct from manufacturers.

Look up "Middle Class Squeeze". It's when incomes decline rapidly while the cost of living rises rapidly. That's what's actually going on in the real America.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
"Middle class" youths just don't exist. I don't know what part of this you can understand. Kids that can afford to buy a standard off the lot car are generally very wealthy or have parents that help them.

The automobile industry is dying and will continue to do so if the majority of youths cannot afford to buy cars direct from manufacturers.

Look up "Middle Class Squeeze". It's when incomes decline rapidly while the cost of living rises rapidly. That's what's actually going on in the real America.
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OK ANDY.
Its time to lay off the internet for today
 
Bobw said:
Say what? You said previously you were a poor college student with no money yet you're driving a hybrid? I know, daddy's old car, the 2013 huh?
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Its a 2006 & we split the cost down the middle while I pay the insurance n gas. Maybe because Im paying for that, textbooks & groceries with a part time job in school, full time out of school, is why im that poor college kid. It aint easy but I make it work, just like thousands of other college students in america. I get needed help from family, but that is what family is for. Geez. Id love to talk to racing instead of being politically attacked now if yall dont mind.
 
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