What do you want in NASCAR racing?

buckaroo

buckaroo

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Seems there is a never ending complaint about what we see and has happened to NASCAR over the years so while we are still in the "off" season, why not tell what you want, or rather would like to see in the NASCAR series?

For me, it's simple. Give me four or five really good teams with the rest more or less fighting for that fifth place of a lap down. I want some really good fierce rivalries between those four or five top guys with some emotion thrown in for good will or bad, what ever. I want the cars on the track to fit templates of those same cars that are on the showroom floor so that they don't look exactly like one another. And I want a rule book that is published before the first race and won't be changed until the season is over. I want sponsors to be of a secondary nature instead of a primary concern and I want to see those drivers who have earned their way into a seat race instead of finding some purdy boy who can sell a product.

As for watching the race, I want to have the ability to see the best racing in the race, not just the top five. If the top guns have to start at the back, watching them come through the crowd is more than half the fun. And technical explanations we can do without because what I want, there won't be much more than having to explain what tight and loose means.

The sport has totally gotten out of hand with technology and along with that comes the high price of things, and along with that comes parity, something that has killed the sport. Just give me the old time racing back and I'll be content.
 
buck, I have to echo your words. Especially making the cars look like the ones we can buy off the showroom floor.

Added, no team owner can have more than 2 entries.
 
Stock cars aren't stock. They have evolved into highly technical and very expensive machines. It wasn't all that long ago where a car could remain competitive, even win, with body damage. Now a base ball sized dent takes a car from being a front runner to back of the pack. For the life of me I can't remember how much just a single pound in air pressure changes the spring rate ( getting old:() but teams are making 1/2 even 1/4 pound adjustments during pit stops. 1/2 pound of air can take a car from the back to the front,,and vice versa. Shocks are another area, now teams have a shock specialist on board.

Got too technical way too fast. Cars look nothing like those in the showrooms and they all fit a common template. A handful of owners control over half of a 43 car field.

Go back to the roots. Let the cars retain their identity. No more than 2 cars per team and no your father,mother,sister, brother can't own 2 more unless they are 100% seperate entities. No more windtunnel testing or 7 post shakers.

That'd be a good start IMHO.
 
All good suggestions and there are plenty more but even on the local scene, technology is taking over and with that comes the price of victory.

SST55 said:
Got too technical way too fast. Cars look nothing like those in the showrooms and they all fit a common template. .
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I knew that they used common templates, but I didn't know how common until I went on a pit tour at Charlotte. There are of course some different templates, but other than the nose and the roof, most of the others are the exact same and they all use those same templates. I remember when the old Monte Carlo with the straight up back window was a piece of crap on the track and NASCAR asked GM to make a change to a sloping back window so there it would equalize a bit because at the time, only cars that were sold to the public could be raced. GM made a few limited MCs with the sloping window and the rest is history. Today, it doesn't make a bit of difference. They just add the manufacturers decals and that is that.
 
I'd like to see some really good racing during the whole race, not just the last few laps. Passing happening at all times and not just waiting to pit road to get ahead or gas milage, green/white checkers, etc. Like Buck said.. it was awesome watching the guys make their way up to the front from the back. Not too many drivers can do that anymore it seems.

As far as cars looking like the cars you buy - I understand that and my husband complains about that all the time. My problem from doing that now is, most consumer cars look about the same. Sometimes I don't know what's what until I get up behind or beside it and can read the name off of it. Used to be you could tell what was what - although I was never good like my brothers and hubby who could just look at a car and tell you the make and year, etc. There's very few cars on the market that have a look that's totally theirs and I always find they catch my eye. Too bad the automakers limit them to just a few models, most likely the really high-priced ones. I liked when my car looked like something special instead of just like every other car.
 
what I want....... will never happen again.....lol.....
I want more short tracks.... ( races like the Shootout this weekend.....) I want N Wilksboro, South Boston, Rockingham, Martinsville, Bristol, that kinda racing.... tracks with attitude....
I want races that don't take 2 minutes and 4 different name brands to say.... names like -Old Dominion 500........ World 600, Southern 500, National 500, Firecaracker 400, names that MEANT somethin not the Walmart, Diet Caffeine free Cherry Pepsi, Scotts Tissue, Sharpie, Duralast, 500 brought to you by Advance Auto Parts.........lol
I want drivers that I know..... that I have watched for years and either cheered or boo'ed along the way BEFORE they get to the big dance.
I want characters for drivers...... not media molded, pretty boy, corporate statesmen. Drivers that are hungry...... and have gone hungry. ( That was one of the things that made Dale so tough..... he grew up hard on local tracks, and did not want to scrimp to live...... he wanted to RACE....) Too many mediocre drivers make too much money and produce litle to no results- See also Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears, Michael Waltrip, etc.....
I want to see cars that LOOK like cars...... not purpose built, high tech racers. That was what drew me to NASCAR over Indy...... so much technology in champ cars..... now other than stuff like telemetry and on board computers.... not much differneces.....
I want to forget areo-push..... aero loose..... geeze.... if ya can't bump and grind, and can't through traffic, wheres the excitement?????
I want things to matter again..... remember the Pit Crew Challenge??? what they are doin now is a joke..... the Winston, oops, All- Star race.... glorified test session..... and dont even start on the Shoot out.......lol
I want grey rules in the book.... give these guys some ways to manipulate the rules.... that was what made racin great..... guys like Junior Johnson, Banjo Mathews, Smokey Yunik wouldn't stand a chance now. Used to be if you knew somethin that you could slip thru, and was slick, you could stand a chance.
I wanna see local guys get the breaks.... not Indy guys, not F-1 guys.... they were good for a lil press, but didn't bring the big sponsors NASCAR thought they would, or many new fans..... I want to see guys from Saturday nights, with a fire in their eye moving up....... not 18 year old kids.....
I wanna see attitude..... from drivers AND fans....... I want to see drivers say whats on their mind...... if ya got run over, say it..... if NASCAR dropped the ball, say it....... and the fans..... how many times do ya see now a guy wearin a Jeff Gordon hat, a Jimmy Johnson Shirt and a Carl Edwards cooler....lol. I think ya got a good shot at seein your guy win....lol.
I want to see NASCAR grow a set...... stand up for the fans.... not the sponsors, not the car owners, not whoever... quit cavin in to special interests to make the sport more markatable...... hey, ya had a great product, now you look silly tryin to please everybody.........

now having ranted, yes, I know, I'm a dinosaur... I know the sport has past me by...... I knwo I will never get any of these things, well at least not from the "Big League"...... and yes, come Sunday I will still be watchin, rootin for Mark, and keepin up with the sport. Just want be goin anymore, probably... and yes, I know NASCAR won't miss me...... but I will be supportin my local tracks, every Saturday night, yes I will hang out with the drivers, crews and fans, and yes I will still love the sport of racing. I know it's not what it once was on a local level either, nor will it be, but it's close enough for me to enjoy.and yes, anytime I can get a chance I will meet and thank the "pioneers" of the sport, and learn as much as I can about the "good ole days"......
Now back to your regularly scheduled programin.......I think I'll go back and watch some of my old tapes from Darlington......lol
 
SST55 said:
Stock cars aren't stock. They have evolved into highly technical and very expensive machines. It wasn't all that long ago where a car could remain competitive, even win, with body damage. Now a base ball sized dent takes a car from being a front runner to back of the pack. For the life of me I can't remember how much just a single pound in air pressure changes the spring rate ( getting old:() but teams are making 1/2 even 1/4 pound adjustments during pit stops. 1/2 pound of air can take a car from the back to the front,,and vice versa. Shocks are another area, now teams have a shock specialist on board.

Got too technical way too fast. Cars look nothing like those in the showrooms and they all fit a common template. A handful of owners control over half of a 43 car field.

Go back to the roots. Let the cars retain their identity. No more than 2 cars per team and no your father,mother,sister, brother can't own 2 more unless they are 100% seperate entities. No more windtunnel testing or 7 post shakers.

That'd be a good start IMHO.
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I agree. One thing though, stock cars have never been "stock" except for maybe the first Strictly Stock race. After that, the modifications began. Some of it was safety related but then they started allowing suspension mods and other stuff because the cars weren't holding up. But they were still cars bought and built into race cars and the drive train was show room :)rolleyes: try n' tell that to the officials that worked back then that.....then there was Smokey). I love watching 50's 60's 70's 80's footage, it was real then not so many politics. I mean it's still fun to watch but yeah, they should fit the showroom template but I don't think we'll ever see a stock engine or suspension in a race car.
 
Matt43 said:
I agree. One thing though, stock cars have never been "stock" except for maybe the first Strictly Stock race.
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well...... actually even in the first race..... think about who won.....Glen Dunaway. He was disqualified ( Jim Roper was awarded the win)because he had helper springs installed ......lol.... so even in the first race they weren't all stock.....lol.
Course those springs were there because of other "duties" the car had to perform on late night runs thru the mountains........ hmm, why would a car need stiffer springs in the rear while tryin to make the car look "level"........lol
 
Speedway that was a great post, I'll have to second what you said all the way. I too like racing at the local level much better than the "big boys" these days, now that I think of it, I have like local racing better than Cup all along. I think the most important improvement to Nascar right now would be to let them use their ingenuity like you said. That "grey" area is pretty much just black and white now. You are right that is what made racing, racing, guys like Smokey and Junior Johnson "tinkering" with things to make them better.I can live with the cars looking the same, just let them not all race the same, the racing has become boring in the last 5 years. I find myself turning the channel most of the time, then coming back for the last 50 laps. I never did that 5 or 6 years ago, I would watch a race from start to finish, have PIP on for the game or something else. Get the fans enthused about quality racing rather than quantity.
 
speedwayphoto said:
Old Dominion 500
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That'd be awesome ;) too bad Steve Britt and Charles Graybeal don't want to invest a dime in improvements to the track. It's not terrible at all but concrete barriers or a fresh sheet of asphalt or some expansions to the control tower or a couple thousand more grandstands would be nice.
 
speedwayphoto said:
well...... actually even in the first race..... think about who won.....Glen Dunaway. He was disqualified ( Jim Roper was awarded the win)because he had helper springs installed ......lol.... so even in the first race they weren't all stock.....lol.
Course those springs were there because of other "duties" the car had to perform on late night runs thru the mountains........ hmm, why would a car need stiffer springs in the rear while tryin to make the car look "level"........lol
Click to expand...

Well I was more about the sanctioned mods like the reinforced suspension parts and the wheel stuff that was allowed afterward than that but yeah you're right about that. I saw an interview with an old official that said he'd figured out if guys were milling their heads for higher compression thus more HP. He said he'd feel the bottom edge of the head casting and if the edge was sharp they were busted. LOL, he said they all ask him "How did you know???" He said he never told them.
 
I like technology. I like NASCAR because of the lack of technology.

As far as the templates go...That's a necessary part of the sport. It makes it so nobody has an unfair advantage. When Richard Petty was winning races by 3 laps, he was cheating better than everyone else.You have to draw a line somewhere. what are you gonna do ? Run a front wheel drive V6 Camry and a front wheel drive V6 Fusion. ? They would probably handle better, but the Burn out would be boring.

My biggest complaint about NASCAR is they are trying to sensationalize it a bit too much. Some of it reminds me of Pro Wrestling or something. The shoot out needs to be shot out. Personally, I hate short tracks, and I hate super speedways. The perfect tracks are like a mile or a mile and a half.
And more road courses . They need 6 or 8 of them.
And shorten up some of these races. Just race for 2 hours, and at the end of 2 hours, the race is over,,,,that's it. These 5 hour Coca Cola 600 races need to go away....They're boring. Too many Cautions....it's dull.
I even heard A.J. Foyt say pretty much the same thing. He said he watches the start and the finish, because he's got too much to do to sit for 4 hours and watch a whole race.
 
I like technology. I like NASCAR because of the lack of technology.

As far as the templates go...That's a necessary part of the sport. It makes it so nobody has an unfair advantage. When Richard Petty was winning races by 3 laps, he was cheating better than everyone else.You have to draw a line somewhere. what are you gonna do ? Run a front wheel drive V6 Camry and a front wheel drive V6 Fusion. ? They would probably handle better, but the Burn out would be boring.

My biggest complaint about NASCAR is they are trying to sensationalize it a bit too much. Some of it reminds me of Pro Wrestling or something. The shoot out needs to be shot out. Personally, I hate short tracks, and I hate super speedways. The perfect tracks are like a mile or a mile and a half.
And more road courses . They need 6 or 8 of them.
And shorten up some of these races. Just race for 2 hours, and at the end of 2 hours, the race is over,,,,that's it. These 5 hour Coca Cola 600 races need to go away....They're boring. Too many Cautions....it's dull.
I even heard A.J. Foyt say pretty much the same thing. He said he watches the start and the finish, because he's got too much to do to sit for 4 hours and watch a whole race.
 
I want ONE points race on dirt. :beerbang:

The traditional stock car went out with front wheel drive, downsizing, and the demise of the V-8 powerplant in production sedans. NASCAR's Grand National, Winston, and whatever Cup racing has always been about running a product that the fans that drive to the track can identify with. I'll probably take a lot of flak for this, but I feel that the CoT actually bears a stronger overall resemblence to what Detroit is putting in showrooms now than the previous cars with their radically chopped tops and ballooned out fenders. Do I miss the Dodge Chargers and Ford Torinos? You bet, but that was then and this is now.
 
Yea ..why not Petty Blue ? Let em' run on dirt. These guys are always talking about how their the best drivers in the world....lets see it. In the old days, Sprint cars were the way you worked your way into open wheel.
I mentioned this on another thread...Since Grand Am is now apart of NASCAR...Why not incorporate a few road races in sports cars ?
I wanna see a race at Laguna Seca with some NASCAR guys behind the wheel.
( I could actually go to that race ). I know it's a reach at this point. They don't have the facilities to accommodate a race of those proportions....the pit's couldn't accommodate even 30 cars, much less 43. Plus...there's barely a grandstand. But what a great track !
 
Drew said:
Yea ..why not Petty Blue ? Let em' run on dirt. These guys are always talking about how their the best drivers in the world....lets see it. In the old days, Sprint cars were the way you worked your way into open wheel.
I mentioned this on another thread...Since Grand Am is now apart of NASCAR...Why not incorporate a few road races in sports cars ?
I wanna see a race at Laguna Seca with some NASCAR guys behind the wheel.
( I could actually go to that race ). I know it's a reach at this point. They don't have the facilities to accommodate a race of those proportions....the pit's couldn't accommodate even 30 cars, much less 43. Plus...there's barely a grandstand. But what a great track !
Click to expand...

New Jersey does.
 
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