The Downward Spiral of NASCAR...

[miguel]

Racing went downhill once success started to be based on how much corporate sponsorship a team had ($$$) rather than the guys wanting to actually race each other for peanuts.

Just glad I got to see racing at Manzanita before it got shut down.

 

[ghitch75]

i'm done.....my Sundays are open now.....

 

[mtinner]

seems a race track would be a good place to set up some shooting events.

 

[indykid]

I can't put my finger on it, but I just lost interest several years ago. A big part of it was cars were required to all have the same body meaning that being a fan of a brand didn't mean anything. Another big part of it, for me personally, was when half the season was put on pay TV only, and I don't pay for TV.

Nailed it for me too. I only have antenna TV and the fact that they refuse to show the championship events to the masses made me lose interest. I can put up with the cars being sort of equal because it forces the drivers to do what they say they love, drive. With good setup, the better drivers win or finish up front, and the rest are moving chicanes. Sometimes just too boring to watch, although I still try to watch the ones on free TV.

 

[Leadeye]

Race on Sunday, sell on Monday back in the 60s and 70s.

 

[PGRChaplain]

I had a T shirt years ago that stated "If you don't have Dirt in your Beer your not at a Race Track". I'm glad that Smoke bought Eldora! On fanschoice.tv you can watch the Flat Track Motorcycle Races. The New Indians have been beating everything else.

 

[K_W]

I stopped watching when the ads and sponsorship plugs got pervasive. Indy is about to lose me too... a sponsor for track temperature?

 

[churchmouse]

I stopped watching when the ads and sponsorship plugs got pervasive. Indy is about to lose me too... a sponsor for track temperature?

Revenue. Period.

 

[femurphy77]

I'll get weird here, I've always enjoyed watching euro Pro Rally! Those guys are nuts and I believe the fans are even crazier!!

 

[churchmouse]

I'll get weird here, I've always enjoyed watching euro Pro Rally! Those guys are nuts and I believe the fans are even crazier!!

The Ausies have a V-8 sedan series that rocks.

 

[RugerRog]

I havent watched Nascar in several years, lost interest because the racing was boring to me. The cars are cookie cutter, stickers for head lights and tail lights . I used to always watch the Daytona 500. Now, I find myself watching the IMSA Sports car series or what ever they are called. I find them fun to watch. I also find myself liking the Vintage racing. Last year the wife and I went up to Elkhart Lake and caught some Vintage racing, and it was fun!

I think there is a vintage race at Indy this year. I'm thinking about getting tickets to that event.

 

[churchmouse]

I havent watched Nascar in several years, lost interest because the racing was boring to me. The cars are cookie cutter, stickers for head lights and tail lights . I used to always watch the Daytona 500. Now, I find myself watching the IMSA Sports car series or what ever they are called. I find them fun to watch. I also find myself liking the Vintage racing. Last year the wife and I went up to Elkhart Lake and caught some Vintage racing, and it was fun!

I think there is a vintage race at Indy this year. I'm thinking about getting tickets to that event.

There is a Vintage running this year.
I talked with one of my old racing buddy's that has a restoration shop specializing in these vintage cars.
He has 5 in this event and needs some help getting them all up to the line with the drivers strapped in. I am considering taking him up on this. Been a while since I stood out on the grid. It is on Carb day so the crowd will be there.

 

[oldpink]

[video=youtube;fkgN4JKg1Fc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkgN4JKg1Fc[/video]

 

[edporch]

I was a big fan of racing for many years, but have lost interest in it for a long time.

Worshiping at the altar of parity may SOUND good, but it makes for boring cookie cutter racing.

All the top levels of racing have become over regulated jokes that are now little more than glorified IROC spec races.

Open the rules back up, and once again allow innovation so teams can work to gain an "edge".

For example, I used to love the month of May at Indy when a variety of cars would show up at the track all attacking the problem their own way.

 

[PistolBob]

I still love to watch the NHRA but gave up on the Indy 500 when CART split off and Penske ruined it. Tried to follow Indycar a couple years ago but no dice. I was a huge NASCAR fan in the 70's and 80's but not much since. Seems like the word RACING has been removed. Now everyone seems to have the same cars with the same capability, and I wonder sometimes if a trained monkey could pilot those things around the oval. i do like the horses though.

 

[churchmouse]

I still love to watch the NHRA but gave up on the Indy 500 when CART split off and Penske ruined it. Tried to follow Indycar a couple years ago but no dice. I was a huge NASCAR fan in the 70's and 80's but not much since. Seems like the word RACING has been removed. Now everyone seems to have the same cars with the same capability, and I wonder sometimes if a trained monkey could pilot those things around the oval. i do like the horses though.

Tony Stewert said this very same thing about Qualy's at the Daytona. When asked what he thought of the process he said a trained monkey could do it.
That was in response to restrictor plate racing. The 1st big nail in NAPCAR's coffin. It has been down hill ever since.

 

[churchmouse]

I was a big fan of racing for many years, but have lost interest in it for a long time.

Worshiping at the altar of parity may SOUND good, but it makes for boring cookie cutter racing.

All the top levels of racing have become over regulated jokes that are now little more than glorified IROC spec races.

Open the rules back up, and once again allow innovation so teams can work to gain an "edge".

For example, I used to love the month of May at Indy when a variety of cars would show up at the track all attacking the problem their own way.

Well said sir.

 

[DRob]

The Ausies have a V-8 sedan series that rocks.

You got that right! The Ausie V8 supercars are fun to watch. Isn't there a similar series in Europe?

IndyCar has become an absolute snoozer and IMS is, and always has been, the worst spectator oval on the planet. But, back when half the field was built in a garage behind somebody's house in Speedway and A.J. Watson built most of the frames, it was a much better show. Yep, showing my age.

 

[KMaC]

British Touring Car series is pretty entertaining if you can find a station that covers it. Sort of a NASCAR on road tracks. Small sedans with lots of contact. Germany has a touring car series too but with larger, more expensive cars and less contact.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

Nail in the coffin for me was the play-off system. New France basically said screw you to the fans - overwhelmingly didn't want it - he said, "...you'll learn to love it."

Let my brickyard tickets go back, sold/gave away all my NASCAR stuff, haven't been to a race since. When Sr. died, all the fun went out of NASCAR and France Jr. has been trying everything to get it back. Go back to what made NASCAR in the beginning and you MIGHT save it...I doubt it.