I hope they saved there pennies, because they are going to need them!! Unless Toyota steps in and it becomes TOYCAR.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/22/AR2008102203343.html

This affects every motorsport, including drag racing. Would you have put Party's over for NHRA!! woohoo! as the title for your thread? Maybe the beer teams will prosper as folks drink themselves to sleep at night...

No question about it, NASCAR has become a gluttony of excesses.
I've been a big NASCAR fan since before MOST of the U.S. even heard the name.
As pointed out in the article in the above link, NASCAR came from a very basic grass roots organization that many of us could relate to and enjoy. I, like MANY of you guys, have become very disappointed with most of the directions that NASCAR has (is) gone.
Would it be correct to say that what goes around comes around in this case? I think so.
CLEARLY, it has become more about the $$$$$$$$$$$ than it is about the good times, rough and tumble racin'!
Doing everything to improve the cars and the safety for the drivers is great----------------some of it should have been done a long time ago. But to jam the excessive technology, ridiculous and constantly changing rules and the elite professionalism down everyones throats has (at least for me) turned off and turned away many fans.
There was a time when NOTHING interferred with my total dedication to a race on Sunday, and I taped EVERY race. I never tape a race anymore, I frequently miss some of the night races (often have family things going on), and on Sunday, I only have 2-3 TVs on the race, but no longer sit through an entire race.
It really is sad the way it's gone, and who knows, this may be (or may not be) a wake up call for NASCAR. :confused:

it sucks...

but i'll tell you, (as cynical as it may be) it couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch of sell-outs. scale it waaaay down, and take it back to its roots...that's the solution.

what kind of cars would they run if they decided to go back to their roots? since almost nobody is making rear wheel drive cars.

This affects every motorsport, including drag racing. Would you have put Party's over for NHRA!! woohoo! as the title for your thread? Maybe the beer teams will prosper as folks drink themselves to sleep at night...

That's a great analogy regarding racing and drinking. :rolleyes:

If you've watched NASCAR for more than 15 years you know what it's become. Circus cars with Circus drivers...Like I said I hope they saved some pennies.

A far as NHRA goes, hopefully the Schumachers and Forces will see the writing on the wall as well.

what kind of cars would they run if they decided to go back to their roots? since almost nobody is making rear wheel drive cars.


i dont know.....maybe some old american iron? http://planetsmilies.net/confused-smiley-17425.gif (http://planetsmilies.net)

Maybe the beer teams will prosper as folks drink themselves to sleep at night...

That's a great analogy regarding racing and drinking. :rolleyes:



Do you think that the sponsorship money comes exclusively from racers drinking beer? They take up a collection at the beer stand? Did you know that NHRA has had an 'official' beer for almost three decades?

Lost interest in Nascar 10 years ago, way too much BS even then, They need a paring down!

Nascar will be a "sport" with 4-5 teams very shortly. Almost there now. It's there fault like everything else in America today. Don't worry about the cost, we will get more money, borrow it, charge it, whatever. COT has good points, but they made owners sell several hundred cars at firesale prices. Then replace them with 20-30 cars for each driver at $150 thou or more apiece,without motor. They now have a spec car. Might as well have had somebody make all the bodies on one die and give them to each team, no sense having wind tunnels and body men. Might as well use a spec engine! Keeping the old car with some upgrades would have been a money saving idea. Owners that pay 15-20 mill a year for driver have created another problem. Plenty of talented guys that would drive for less then that. Of course with the economics they have to be able to bring sponsors with them.
Nascar has the same ideology with tracks and races. Spend 250 million for a new track and get money back by selling ticket packages to races nobody wants to see. Single race tickets over $100 in some cases. Hotel rates up 50-100% on race weekend. Fans will pay it and we will be allright. Buy a race track for $180 million so you can shut it down and move the race. About as stupid a decision as a business man can make. Build a new track and "hope" we can get a cup date. Keep running at the tracks that were paid for and didn't have the tremendous overhead. That would make it much cheaper for the fan.

Run the old cars with safety upgrades. Throw away templates and let one company stamp out bodies. Put a limit on driver pay. should have stuck to the old tracks and not tried to build the multi million $ new places. If those steps were done, the sport might be in better shape for team owners, fans and track owners. Put a good product on view. If a guy is too sissy to race and just wants to ride around and collect his $200,000 salary, get him out of the car. Sounds like the US government, doesn't it?

Do you think that the sponsorship money comes exclusively from racers drinking beer? They take up a collection at the beer stand? Did you know that NHRA has had an 'official' beer for almost three decades?

Yeah and remember when Winston was the main sponsor for both NASCAR and NHRA?? Before it was deemed "evil" :rolleyes:

Maybe I took what you said the wrong way.

Unfortunately the term "NASCAR" (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) has not been accurate for decades. They haven't had stock cars since the late 70s.

They let it get out of hand when one owner was allowed to have 3,4 or 5 teams. They become the dominant force and everyone else plays catch-up.

Then they allowed the sponsorship get out of hand to pay for those multi teams.

Then they allowed a few people to go around and buy up all the tracks, as stated above, and close them. So they could go to one of the new tracks owned by the same guy.

Good! Like to see them have to go back to stock style cars again and take the $$$$ out of the sport.

Cookie cutter tracks is what killed my watching on sundays.

what kind of cars would they run if they decided to go back to their roots? since almost nobody is making rear wheel drive cars.

Camaros, Mustangs and Chargers would be a good choice.

Its like everything else and it was taken to excess, Ive drag raced since I was a teen and watched the races before that but the last few years I dont hardly watch the races because of the big money teams and the big shot drivers, Ive been to National events in the old days and they were great, the last one I attended was like a circus, not fun. I sold my Chevelle bracket car last year because the rule changes and bracket changes just took the fun out of it, oh well have the memories. my 2 cents

I have read every single comment----------and so far, I have not found one that I disagree with!!! SAD! :(

Good! Like to see them have to go back to stock style cars again and take the $$$$ out of the sport.


We've been seeing the same thing in drag racing for the last several years.

Cookie cutter tracks, cookie cutter events, catering to big-bankroll teams.

Lately, NHRA has been struggling to get 16 T/F cars to SHOW UP at an event!

A few decades ago, there was no problem getting 50-60 T/F cars to show up to qualify for Sunday. Today, you just need to drag your leaker to the track, and you most likely will make the field for Sunday.

I'd LOVE to see a resurgence of Sportsman drag racing. If all you knew about drag racing was what you saw on TV, you'd never realize that there is soooooooo much more going on at an event than just the Pro categories.

This is why I don't watch NHRA on TV. Way too boring.


Randy

the racing has become sooooooooo boring, I find myself watching the first five to ten laps, then the last 20. seeing the cars run around in single file is so boring that if I would try to watch a whole race, I would need toothpicks to hold my eyes open.:boring:

Yep, I can remember in the 60's when we ran Comp Eliminator (C/D) and we'd go to the stands on Fri and Sat nights just to watch 40 to 50 T/F cars try to make the 32 car field. Not like that in MANY years. Now drag racing is promoted by an organization that knows nothing about the racers or audience. Just a bunch of guys in suits dividing up the money among themselves. The racers (pro) live off of the sponsor. That WILL change.

Maybe little Brian will have to sell off a yacht or a house. I'm not shedding any tears for Nascar.
I hope people will continue to support their local circle tracks. Those guys need the money - the Frances don't need any more.

Camaros, Mustangs and Chargers would be a good choice.

There was talk last year of NASCAR going to the Camaros, Mustangs and Challangers. I haven't read anymore about it since then.
James

Unfortunately the term "NASCAR" (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) has not been accurate for decades.

Thought it stood for Non-Athletic Sport Centered Around Rednecks

Just like any major sport, its all about making money and not so much anything else. I'd much rather go to the local dirt track and watch regular folks duke it out with their weekend warriers, or people from the small circuits who drive because they love driving than waste a minute watching any major NASCAR race.

It all changed for me when Sr. died, havent watched a race since. I was taping that Daytona race while I watched it, never did watch it again.

Seriously! The last nationals event I raced in was in .........95? Whew! It's been a while. It's more fun to go to test and tune days. No trophy, no money, but that's not why I started racing anyway. Which is good, since I never won a race. :( I beat the other guy to the big end plenty of times, but I either got tree'd, or broke out, or red lighted. I hated losing a race because another guy got outta the hole .001 second faster than me. I like run what ya' brung, first one at the other end wins. Racing in general needs to go back to that. Maybe now it will.

It all changed for me when Sr. died, havent watched a race since. I was taping that Daytona race while I watched it, never did watch it again.

Same here. I dont think I watched a complete race since Sr. died. It just aint the same. I just watch NASCAR races now to cure insomnia. Havent been to a race at M.I.S. since like mid 90s and really dont miss it. Hopefully there will be some big changes now.

calm the f#^& down, you wanna see something bad watch F1 they spend more on napkins than a nascar does on everything and that dont equate to good racin so you better either love it or, what ever

F1 is like the "soccer" of autoracing. NASCAR is the "football' of autoracing...well, it used to be. They need to take some of the money OUT of racing. It almost seems the PINKS ALL OUT events, with regular Joes racing, outsell the NHRA events by looking at the crowds in the stands.

What ever happened to stock car racing? does anyone race "stock" cars anymore?

Racing is a sport in which the guy, or team, with the most $$ wins. Isn't the whole point of stock car racing to keep the vehicles as they were from the factory, upgrading only the safety equipment? That way a lot more people can afford to race, and like any game the more players, the more fun.

Big money always ruins any Sport it gets into. I use to Love the NHRA, but now have zero interest.

Big money destroys the soul of a Sport.

What ever happened to stock car racing? does anyone race "stock" cars anymore?

Racing is a sport in which the guy, or team, with the most $$ wins. Isn't the whole point of stock car racing to keep the vehicles as they were from the factory, upgrading only the safety equipment? That way a lot more people can afford to race, and like any game the more players, the more fun.
Rob, you said it! Seems they lost Stock somewhere. It should be called NACAR, "National Association for Car Auto Racing"!:mad: