NASCAR - Is It Really Racing Anymore?

[MI-Cans]

Flipping through the channels, I came across this weekend's Charlotte race. I was stunned!! It was like a road race at Sonoma or Watkins Glen. Have they lost their minds completely? This is what happens when younger generations take over anything. They think they have better ideas or they insist on fixing things that ain't broke!! They've regulated the cars to the point where they're like IROC - all the same.

I'm old school. Went to my first race in June of 1970 at Michigan - Cale Yarborough won it. Been to a few races, visited a lot of tracks while on vacation. Watched every chance I could on TV. Became an Earnhardt fan (Sr., that is. Jr. never learned how to really drive). Wife was a Gordon fan. Made for some interesting Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons at our house!

Anyway, those idiots thought they needed to compete with the ball and stick sports. NASCAR used to have sell out crowds. Hell, there was a multi-year waiting list for the Bristol races. Now, you can just walk right in the day of the race. They've stopped announcing the attendance at races. They removed the grandstands on the backstretch at Daytona. They've tweaked the points system more times than Petty won races (or it seems like it, anyway). They break the race into segments. They now have what THEY call PLAYOFFS! And they have everybody going abound in a pack with no passing, no bumping, nothing. Get in line and follow the leader!

They had a sport that could stand on it's own against the other sports in this country. At one time it was second to only the NFL in attendance and viewership. Yeah NASCAR - keep fixin' it!

This is just my opinion as a fan of when it was real racing.

(MI-Cans)

[renokenn]

You aren't wrong, spec racing at best. I don't watch most of the races anymore or just catch the last 20 laps or so.

[MI-Cans]

I think it all started back in 2003, when Kenseth won the championship but only won one race. The points were originally set up to reward consistent driving and finishes. Somebody thought it was wrong that Newman had 8 wins that year but only finished sixth in the points. So the fixes began...

(MI-Cans)

Click to enlarge.

[idigrust]

Probably the best race of the year. All sports are down in attendance, NASCAR is really down. Yeah, 2003 was weird, Kenseth wrapped up the championship the week before the last race and blew up at Homestead finishing 36th. Now 4 drivers have a chance to win at Homestead. Watching 43 (now 40) cars play follow the leader on big tracks for 2 hours lost it's luster a long time ago. Trust me, "Back in the day" wasn't all that great, 1, 2 or 3 cars finishing on the lead lap isn't all that exciting.

[pinnacle-project]

This is what happens when younger generations take over anything. They think they have better ideas or they insist on fixing things that ain't broke!!
(MI-Cans)

Ed, I was also wondering what the motivation was behind the roval at Charlotte. Here is an answer I found.

https://www.nascar.com/video/franchise/ ... ome-about/

I watched a little of the Xfinity race and a little of the Cup race. I'm not normally into road races but I enjoyed what I saw of the roval races.

[bantam10]

This is what happens when younger generations take over anything. They think they have better ideas or they insist on fixing things that ain't broke!!

(MI-Cans)

Not necessarily.







Now, I used to watch every NASCAR race since I could remember. But I stopped caring 4-5 years ago. I don’t like all the new point systems and breaking the race into segments or whatever they do. Just wasn’t the same. Plus all the racers I loved to watch back in the early 2000’s are retired.

Plus I’d rather spend Friday and Saturday nights at the local drag strip watching home built street machines dish it out in person anyway

[kamsquared]

I’m going to spew my opinion because I am a huge Nascar fan and generally disagree with Ed...even though Ed is a great guy.

I’ve been an avid Nascar fan since the early 80’s and have had season tix at Michigan Speedway for the last 28 years!! Ive seen races at almost every track on the circuit with Charlotte being my favorite.
I thought this Charlotte Roval race was one of the best races I’ve watched at Charlotte outside of a couple of Winston Select races in the late 80s and 90s!!
I cannot tell you the reason why Nascar lost all of the fans in the late 90s. Some of it was trying to regulate drivers actions and attitudes to keep sponsors happy....Nascar lost that Earnhardt attitude of FU I’m here to win. I hated when Toyota joined the fray...and in the same breath I love Kyle Busch, he is great for the sport.
He’s got that attitude. Same reason I love watching my doppelgänger, Kurt Busch..attitude!
Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton and Mark Martin started the downfall of boring Nascar drivers....yes Mark Martin.
Nascar needs to let them race hard, wreck each other, and get in fist fights...that’s how you bring passion back to racing.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MI-Cans]

I truly appreciate everyone’s comments.

I could’ve been clearer about one thing. The race at Charlotte was a Road Race. I am not a fan of Road Racing. NASCAR was built on oval tracks, whether closer to circles or the “D” shaped ovals. All Left Turns, as they say. When Sonoma & Watkins Glen were on, I found other things to do. At first I tolerated them. Then the teams brought in “Ringers” to do their driving. Guys like Boris Said, Ron Fellows, etc. Road Racing does has a place in motorsports, I just don’t think it belongs in NASCAR. If you like Road Racing, ESPN broadcasts F1 on weekends. My opinion.

Kurt,
“I cannot tell you the reason why NASCAR lost all of the fans in the late 90s. Some of it was trying to regulate drivers actions and attitudes to keep sponsors happy....NASCAR lost that Earnhardt attitude of FU I’m here to win. I hated when Toyota joined the fray...and in the same breath I love Kyle Busch, he is great for the sport. He’s got that attitude. Same reason I love watching my doppelgänger, Kurt Busch…attitude! Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton and Mark Martin started the downfall of boring NASCAR drivers....yes Mark Martin. NASCAR needs to let them race hard, wreck each other, and get into fist fights...that’s how you bring passion back to racing.”

I agree 100%.
Johnson shouldn’t be a seven time champion but they kept revising the point system to make him one. He and his crew chief were cheaters and they were caught at it. If he was such a “team” player, how come when he was good, the rest of Hendrick’s teams sucked?
They brought Toyota in or should I say they brought in Toyota money. The networks weren’t very subtle in shoving Toyota down your throat that whole first season and since.

Bantam,
“This is what happens when younger generations take over anything. They think they have better ideas or they insist on fixing things that ain't broke!!”

That is just a generalized statement based my life experiences. And I’m old enough to have seen it happen numerous times. Yes, young people can and do have good ideas, plans, etc. What backfires is when they go to fixing things that aren’t broke. I can cite numerous examples if you like. I just won’t clutter this post up with examples to back up that statement.

(MI-Cans)

I apologize for the quotes not looking right. My editing function doesn't work like some of yours.

[renokenn]

NASCAR raced on road course at Riverside.

[Nosinut]

I never followed it until I got involved in this pic a winner pool this year. I knew maybe a driver or two. Now due to Kurt and my degenerate gambler instincts, I follow it every week. I have even watched qualifying. What a loser I have become.

[pinnacle-project]

I never followed it until I got involved in this pic a winner pool this year. I knew maybe a driver or two. Now due to Kurt and my degenerate gambler instincts, I follow it every week. I have even watched qualifying. What a loser I have become.

Funny. There are probably worse sins you could commit in your life. It appears you are having fun so I hope you continue to be a loser for a long time.

[azza72]

you need to start watching races where they turn right.talk of a double header on the gold goast with nascar.