Two Manufacturers Now Looking At NASCAR

[ToyYoda]

I was all ready to answer this question, and then realized I was wrong. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't come up with more than four manufacturers full time in NASCAR at any one time if you don't count divisions as separate entities, and discount oddities like the one road course win by a Jaguar in the 60's. . For most of the life of NASCAR, there have only been four main American manufacturers at any one time, and then only three.

Yeah, I'd say since probably the mid-60's, the only American car companies that have existed were GM, Ford, Chrysler, and AMC. And with foreign automakers not really being in the sport since then until Toyota came in, four is probably the most we've had at once in that timeframe.

 

[StandOnIt]

Them thar foreign cars were banned after 1960. Big mistake if you ask me, might be one of the reasons there weren't more road courses built back in the day.


NASCAR's early history included several foreign manufacturers, such as Aston Martin, Austin-Healey, Citroën, Jaguar, MG, Morgan, Porsche, Renault, and Volkswagen.[25] At a 1954 road race in Linden, New Jersey, Jaguar cars finished first, fourth, fifth and sixth.[26]

As a matter of policy, NASCAR restricted entry to American car makers from the 1960s until 2004, when Toyota was allowed to enter the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with the Toyota Tundra. The restriction was relaxed in recognition of the fact that the Tundra, while Japanese in origin, is built in the United States. Commentators have also noted that the "American" cars are often built or assembled in Canada and Mexico. As of the 2013 season and the introduction of the Gen-6 car, only the Toyota Camry and Ford Fusion are assembled in the United States, with the Holden Commodore (branded as Chevrolet SS in the U.S.) in Australia, and the Ford Fusion is also built in Mexico as well as the United States. Some fans have complained about the entry of a foreign manufacturer into what is perceived as an American sport, while drivers and owners have expressed concern that Toyota's deep pockets, and stated willingness to spend, may increase costs for other teams as well.[27]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_NASCAR

 

[Formerjackman]

In the past, one of the major holdbacks for a foreign manufacturer in NASCAR, even if they had been allowed to enter, would be having a car of the appropriate size and an engine of the right size and type. Of course now you can stretch a car and invent an engine out of thin air.

 

[Skoalbandit33]

I've never understood the reasons for GMC's existence. Most of them are literally just a Chevrolet with a different grille. When GM was killing off brands during their bankruptcy, I'm not sure why they decided to let GMC hang around vs. some of the brands they got rid of.

Way back when GM had 60% of the market and there was talk of making them a monopoly if you were a GM dealer you won the lottery every year. There were a lot of stand alone single franchise dealers and a lot of duel dealers and the lucky one's that did not have a Chevy franchise often times could get a GMC franchise and have access to the lucrative truck market.

About 20 years ago the forward thinkers though that GM would end up with 3 franchises with those being Saturn-Chevy-Caddy so they were fairly close. GM still has to many dealers and could force a lot of closures by axing either Buick and/or GMC in the future.

GM's problems were always more on the cost side than the revenue side anyway. With the contracts they had in place, and the way they did business, it was just costing them too much to make the cars. Also remember GM was built to supply half of all of the cars sold in the US and a bunch more overseas, something that was no longer going to happen even if GM didn't shoot themselves in the foot. With all of the competitors than sprang up from say 1970 on, GM was never going to have that big of market share again even if they built spectacular products (which they often didn't). It took far too long to and a bankruptcy to finally get the corporation down to the size of the market.

GM laughed at VW when they introduced the Beetle and did not pay attention to Datsun and Toyota until it was too late. By the time Honda came along with the Civic the die was cast.

In the past, one of the major holdbacks for a foreign manufacturer in NASCAR, even if they had been allowed to enter, would be having a car of the appropriate size and an engine of the right size and type. Of course now you can stretch a car and invent an engine out of thin air.

Nascar and the manufacturers have invented cars and engines for many years now.

 

[StandOnIt]

In the past, one of the major holdbacks for a foreign manufacturer in NASCAR, even if they had been allowed to enter, would be having a car of the appropriate size and an engine of the right size and type. Of course now you can stretch a car and invent an engine out of thin air.

technically a hold back, but it was sculpted to be that way, it wasn't back in the fifties, but made so by Big Bill and the yes man he had on his sanctioning body FWIW. IMO, it would be more valuable today as an Xfinity series option instead of look alike, drive alike cloneish cars to the cup series. Similar to one of the classes they have in the IMSA series.

 

[Team Penske]

I was all ready to answer this question, and then realized I was wrong. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't come up with more than four manufacturers full time in NASCAR at any one time if you don't count divisions as separate entities, and discount oddities like the one road course win by a Jaguar in the 60's. . For most of the life of NASCAR, there have only been four main American manufacturers at any one time, and then only three.

You have to go back away but did you consider Studebaker, Rambler and others of that era.?

 

[JBone88]

No new manufacturers are coming. We hear this same story every summer. NASCAR brass trying to polish turds again. Everything's great. The product is better than ever.

Meanwhile sponsors are leaving right and left, the stands are empty, and former Cup champions will be working at Burger King next season.

 

[Team Penske]

No new manufacturers are coming. We hear this same story every summer. NASCAR brass trying to polish turds again. Everything's great. The product is better than ever.

Meanwhile sponsors are leaving right and left, the stands are empty, and former Cup champions will be working at Burger King next season.

Ya hard to see them living on the average 50 million net worth.

 

[NASCAR Apologist]

No new manufacturers are coming. We hear this same story every summer. NASCAR brass trying to polish turds again. Everything's great. The product is better than ever.

Meanwhile sponsors are leaving right and left, the stands are empty, and former Cup champions will be working at Burger King next season.

Holy hysterics!

 

[FLRacingFan]

So few of these "[BIG MANUFACTURER] to [BIG AUTO RACING SERIES]" discussions actually seem to come to fruition (unless it's Formula E, apparently), no matter where or what kind of racing. I'll believe it when they're on track at Daytona in February of some year. Audi has been one year away from being one year away from entering F1 for what feels like a decade now - just like Dodge to NASCAR.

 

[FLRacingFan]

From the FWIW Department: Lee Spencer mentioned today on SiriusXM radio that she understood one roadblock to Dodge returning was disagreement with Nascar about how much Dodge would spend on marketing and promotion. There was no follow-up discussion, but that did surprise me. Seems like a hurdle that could be cleared via negotiation, IMO.

If they're looking for an activation spend out of Dodge like they get out of Toyota I think they can start looking elsewhere.

 

[Mispeedway15]

I'd like to see someone compete with the Tundra in the trucks. Toyota is filthy dominant at that level

 

[darlingtonfan]

If they're looking for an activation spend out of Dodge like they get out of Toyota I think they can start looking elsewhere.

Dodge has hit a home run with the Fast and Furious movies.They have also given cars to various hip hop artist that have appeared on music videos at a fraction of the cost of NASCAR.This is a completely different demographic than what NASCAR offers.

 

[Mopardh9]

Dodge has hit a home run with the Fast and Furious movies.They have also given cars to various hip hop artist that have appeared on music videos at a fraction of the cost of NASCAR.This is a completely different demographic than what NASCAR offers.

Yep totally agree, why would Dodge go back in to a failing sport, Nascar is tanking, why waste money to go back to something that might only be around another few years? I'd love to see Dodge back in, but from a business standpoint it makes absolutely no sense.