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Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,515
Registered: ‎06-26-2011

Re: Nascar's apparently for sale

I was a die-hard NASCAR fan years ago, but when Earnhardt Sr died that was it for me. I tried to re-engage but just couldn't.

 

I went to races, bought some of the merchandise, have pics from the tracks, etc. I even wrote my master's thesis on the history of NASCAR and created a proposal outlining a proposed investment  strategy for NASCAR fans. At one time my ex and I were building a house in Mooresville, NC near some of the engine shops and a few crewmembers lived nearby.

 

I have the memories, and enjoy watching NASCAR classics on TV. But it's sad to see how things have changed. Sorry to hear that the France family wants out.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 24,105
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Nascar's apparently for sale

Last night was the All Star race in Charlotte and the attendance looked dismal. There were parts of the grandstands where nearly all of the seats were empty. One of your biggest races of the year, held in the heartland of Nascar and you can't fill the grandstands?

 

This quote pretty much tells the story. “A lot of pushing and shoving,” race winner Kevin Harvick said after the race. “It reminded me a lot of IROC racing back in the day.”

 

And IROC went bankrupt. Becoming more like IROC is not the way Nascar should be moving. Nascar shouldn't be a scientific experiment to find out which driver driving an identically prepared car is the best driver at that specific track on that specific day, but that's where they've decided to go. Different cars, set up differently, driven by different drivers, who are more concerned with winning than keeping a sponsor happy, is the Nascar that was insanely popular and growing as a sport. You could have a slow car to start with, but make changes and make it fast. Now what you start with is pretty much what you've got. If your car isn't fast enough, you just go around in circles (ovals actually) until the race ends and try again next week. Yeah, it's not  exactly must see TV these days.

 

It wasn't that long ago when cars were different. Setups were determined by the teams. Hit it right and you could move to the front. Get it wrong and you were in trouble early, but could make changes to try and fix things. Each track would have a different setup. Some drivers want a looser car, some want a tighter car. Some will sacrifice handling for a bit more speed while others prefer stability over speed.These days you get whatever Nascar gives you and you are expected to live with it. 

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!
Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,491
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Nascar's apparently for sale

Hopefully a group of veteran drivers will throw in and take NASCAR back to what it should be.

 

Does it need to go back to the 5 rules written on a napkin?  No. 

 

But all these crazy changes to compete with Football and playoffs and make the races shorter, etc. make it hard to follow and take away from the best driver winning it all.

 

Back in the day, consistency won.  The pearl clutching over Terry LaBonte winning the championship but not having the most wins didn't sit right with people, so they changed it.

 

Back in the day, they needed all stars and big names to compete in the field but they weren't competitive, so they threw in the "Past Champion Provisional" until Daryl Waltrip was in every single race fielding a car that wasn't competitive to make it in on it's own.  So then they put a cap on the number of races a past champion could enter.

 

With the retirement of Jeff Gordon, I was barely hanging on for Dale Jr.  And then when Dale was out and then announced his retirement, I was done.

 

I don't even care who wins. 

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QVC Shopper - 1993

# IAMTEAMWEN
Honored Contributor
Posts: 16,017
Registered: ‎06-09-2014

Re: Nascar's apparently for sale

I was one of those devotees but it got way too expensive (almost $100 for just a ticket for one person in the cheap seats!) and the same 3-5 drivers out of maybe 2-3 teams with a chance of winning. 

 

My driver was never gonna get there although he did once but it's just too much money without enough fair play that drove me away and back to my first loves of baseball and football.  Have to say I haven't missed it.