does anyone think nascar is going downhill?

Question

so with the new drivers, new cars, new rules, the impala instead of the monte carlo, and all the changes that mngmt. has made im really thinking about not watching anymore or going to races. too many changes have turned me off. its all a big media fest anymore and its just not very focused on racing it seems. is nascar trying to be more like F1? gawd i hope not. any opinions?

Duck...you said it man! totally!

yea F1 comparison was a stretch to get ppl riled up a little and yea the post race lately does suck but SAFER?? man, these cars have been way safe since Big E. died. ive been enjoying a lot less this season but good points none the less.

Answer 1

My opinion is NASCAR is going through a period of growing pains. It has increased in popularity all through the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. People got a little overwhelmed this year with rule changes, a new manufacturer (Toyota) and the whole COT debut. If they had had a little more foresight they might have considered working some of these changes in more gradually. The state of NASCAR's long term future is as bright as ever and today's changes will bring in much more interest globally. This will undoubtedly tick off some of the old school fans that want to keep it the "good old boys club" but NASCAR seems willing to sacrifice the feelings of a few for the big picture health of the sport. It will take people awhile to get comfortable with the changes but there have been great storylines this year and the races are as exciting as they have ever been.

Answer 2

NASCAR is trying to improve itself by making the cars safer and making competition better at the same time, hence COT... Supposedly will make 1.5 mile races much better while not effecting short tracks and restictor competition and when they get everything ironed out they will greatly improve safety. You can't blame NASCAR for the new drivers or the impala, they don't control what drivers are hired and what cars are driven.

I do agree with you on a couple things. Some of the rules are ridiculous (lucky dog, top 35 locked in crap). And your right, its a huge media fest! I hate how they build in a hour of crap before the race starts, but at the end they only have a few mins. and only interview a couple drivers...

All and all I'm actually enjoying watching NASCAR more this year then in the past few. I also don't think they are trying to be like F1.

Answer 3

It all depends on who you ask.

For those who say its more and more like an IROC race with the cars, I guarentee you, you were the same people who, 10 years ago, were complaining that their favorite car brand was getting slighted on setups.

For those who say about celebrities, its about attracting more viewers. Yeah its annoying when you get some so-called "fan" there saying that its their first race, but theres others there that are there for the reason of attracting fans.

For those who say Toyota is not an american car company, and NASCAR will eventually be overran by foriegn cars, it already is. Dodges, Fords, and Chevys that are represented in Nextel Cup are made in Canada and Mexico. The Camry is made in the USA.

The tracks... ok, that I agree with. NASCAR needs to get with the road courses and short tracks, or at least, like they did or tried with Homestead and Las Vegas, make the cookie cutters built up as where intresting racing can be had.

Theres some things I like (Top 35 I think is ok, though I think it should be Top 30 or Top 25 instead, if your decent enough in the points, you should be allowed to be automatically qualified, imagine the outrage if the point leader's engine went during a qualifying run.), and the Lucky Dog is an ok idea, though it should be tweaked a little bit.

Its just something I always see though. Whenever there is a changeover from old to new, the old always complain about the "good ole' days", no matter what the sport. Other people complain that certain things should be more equal, but when it happens, then its that NASCAR is becoming like IROC.

Some people cant be pleased regardless

Answer 4

I think NASCAR is going downhill. They have gotten away from pure racing in the name of entertainment and marketing gimmicks. It's all about keeping the sponsors happy and keeping TV ratings up to sell commercial time using whatever gimmicks they can. For example: celebrity guest appearances at races - celebrities who claim they are big fans, but then start the next sentence with "yeah, this is my first race..." If the racing is good, you don't need them.

As far as the cars go, there isn't any innovation anymore. The rulebook doesn't allow anybody to do anything exciting. With the introduction of the Car of Tomorrow, it just continues to become more like IROC.

The track selections are boring - they need to get away from the cookie cutter tracks. The ISC needs to be broken up, and tracks need to be independently owned again.

Some other things that I would change, if I were in charge:

1. Get rid of the Top 35 qualifying rule. Go fast or go home. Maybe have a second chance qualifier, but nobody's guaranteed a spot. Give the fans a good race, the sponsors have to accept that their team might not get in the race - that's just part of it. They should also limit how much a sponsor can give a team per year.

2. Bring the racing to the fans - never go to the same track more than once a year so they can hit more venues and reach out to more fans.

3. Keep the Busch series and Truck Series schedules independent of the Cup series to eliminate the Buschwhacking for a majority of the weekends. Let those series become their own series again.

4. Allow the teams to do whatever they want with suspension design, transmissions, and braking systems. The only thing NASCAR should be concerned with is safety - not standards. They need to allow teams and manufacturers to innovate so the manufacturers have a reason to participate and showcase their technologies.

5. Allow more than one tire manufacturer.

Answer 5

F1 NO,but the Rolex series type cars yes.
When the main way to tell the difference of the cars is a decal with the manufacturer name.
I want to see the cup run or the Busch teams or Trucks but why pay my money to watch the same drivers run Saturday and Sunday.
The Cup teams seem to have figured out how to use the companion events as a test.
The racing is good but too predictable.
The last few races I've listened to on the radio,at least the anouncers make it seem like something different is going on.

Answer 6

NASCAR is not going "downhill" but the TV coverage is horrible. The networks have directors who are morons. Intead of following the cars racing, they switch cameras and camera angles every few seconds. Personally, I would rather see a camera centered from the infield that circles 360 degrees so the same camera can stay on the cars. Also, I would rather watch 30 straight seconds of two cars racing for the 15 th position than the #1 and #2 car that are not side by side. Way too many switches of cameras, way too short on following a car and way too little of finding the real racing on the racetrack, regardless of position. Also, not enough camera shots from on the cars themselves.

Answer 7

In 1957, I was watching 1 set of drivers drive Detroit steel.

In 1967, I was watching a different set of drivers, for the most part, driving heavily modified Detroit steel.

In 1977, more new drivers and most of the cars were built by Banjo Matthews in Asehville, NC.

In 1987, more new drivers and most teams were building cars in-house as they were tweaking sheetmetal for aero.

In 1997, more new drivers and the aero was getting out of hand, causing severe handling problems in traffic.

In 2007, the more things change, the more they stay the same with a set of drivers driving full-bodied cars.

For that, I can always count on NASCAR to deliver.

Answer 8

I in basic terms think of that NASCAR hit a climax and that they may be commencing as much as point out some. additionally, there are greater policies now to help the competition and protection of all of us. "The Chase" is used to help save the buzz up for the tip of the year championship run particularly than some years in the past how if the chief of the factors going into final race of the year might in basic terms initiate, he might then win the championship. this is now very interesting in any respect. Plus, races initiate later so as that those on the west coast could have a huge gamble to awaken. If a race is being run at 1PM on jap prevalent Time, it would then be 10AM on the west coast the place some would desire to be asleep or they may be in church. I do agree approximately no person somewhat stepping as much as the plate while it includes Dale Earnhardt's status however the race attendance, quite this year, are starting to be fewer and much less as a results of gasoline and fee ticket expenditures as nicely. this is all too high priced. And permit's not forget approximately the hotel expenditures too.

Answer 9

It depends, if you're driving a Chevy NASCAR is your best friend, and you'll be allowed to win just about every race. But if you drive a Ford and win two or three races, just listen to the GM twits start screaming they need a rules change to even things up, and NASCAR does their bidding. Now if NASCAR actually is a fair sanctioning body, it seems they would make a change against Chevy winning so many races, and try to help Dodge and Ford (even Toyota) in the interst of "fairness" and "competition". But don't hold your breath waiting for it..............http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RickyRudd3Forever \\
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DaleEarnhardt15Forever

When racing was REAL!

Answer 10

with all the new drivers and race tracks appearing, I believe NASCAR will grow into a system like baseball, American & National league. Figureing out a world series, now thats a different story!