What's the difference between Busch series and Nextell Cup?

Question

I mean, it's mostly the same drivers, right? And what ever happened to the trucks? That was pretty stupid.

It seems to me that once every blue moon you'll get an exciting NASCAR race (something any fan can get in to), like that really close one Ricky Craven won. So I am not a diehard.

It seems to me the playoff system was designed to attract fringe viewers like me; it also seems to alienate real fans whom NASCAR assumes will eat all their crap and grin no matter what.

Now, it also seems to me that NASCAR's plan to attract viewers like me is pretty stupid, because I, along with most of the rest of the American sports audience, will focus on football on Sunday.

So NASCAR crowns its champion using its incomprehensible points system (incomprehensible to a casual fan who doesn't know if a 100 point lead is small or huge), ending the season in as anticlimactic a manner possible. Since only the diehards care (in the face of the NFL competition), why punish the diehards?

Why would "CUP" drivers want to do the Busch races (and be cynical about it if possible)? And elaborate on the difference in power.

And does NASCAR's hamfisted attempts at attracting a multicultural audience threaten you (rap crack).

Much like basball, which is losing street cred and promising black athlete's to other sports, it's clear if NASCAR is to really become mainstream it needs to get multicultural enough to become palatable to a general audiences, but not so multicultural as to piss off it's core fans, fans who "don't take kindly..."

(and yes I know NASCAR has a billion fans and can already be considered mainstream, but we know who really loves it and who doesn't...so it's not mainstream, it's moonshiners racing around dirt tracks...for now, until NASCAR gets its way and goes for the affront to God money).

Answer 1

A lot of the stuff you are saying is absolelutely true. I have been saying it from 2000 on when I heard of the tv deal that FOX had made with NASCAR.
Busch races have turned into a fiasco and Bill France Jr. said that he isn't going to change a thing. I really get tired of the cup guys with all there high dollar equipment and top notch crews coming in a beating up on the busch guys trying to work there way up into the cup series.
The trucks started out a good idea but it has faded quite a bit in the last few years. I think some of it is NASCAR treats it as a second class event. It's like NASCAR trying to get your local track to put the big NASCAR on there walls thinking they are going to draw more people in when all it does is cost you local promoter money for the right to have the sign. Nothing else changes same drivers same fans just more paint.
Then if they try to run a cup race they have to one of the 8 drivers I think that are fast enough to make the race because of this backyard board game rule the top 35 in points are in no matter what. That is some serious goofy stuff there.

You have this chase thing figured out too. Fox knew the one thing that might suck up a bunch of mindless fans would be get them to think that they were watching some sort of round ball sport.
If you go back in time and were a fan you would remember when it first was announced no one liked it and where pretty verbal about it until NASCAR must of told them the shut up because just over night you could see the change in everyones view. DW was one of the leaders in saying it was crap. Then after the shut up thing happen he would just look away when talking about it.
As a fan from the 60's I do resent the chase
The only thing I disagree with you about is the football thing. I don't really get into football that much. On the same hand though I don't watch every race of NASCAR either.
I am a race fan bot a NASCAR only fan and most of the time there are other races on from other series and I really would rather watch the AMA, MOTO GP guys. The V8 supercars is great.
The trouble though is FOX ownes SPEED channel and they are the only so called race channel and that is why there is so much NASCAR crap on and not the other racing in the world. I really wish they would just turn it into the reality show/nascar/old movie channel (when the NASCAR season is over) and start another channel with good racing from all over the world.
The points system is a little weird but not to bad. But like you basically said I have been a fan for years and you haven't. Back before the chase the big thing with the points were that the drivers felt the if you won the race you should come out of there with more points than the other drivers. A lot of time you did but with the bonus of leading a lap and the most laps, second place can tie with the winner.
In stead they came up with the chase.
They have really already lost me as a good fan. I can't take there inconsistent rules and there fine happy moods they go through. The horrible tracks that have been built towards the west and most of the kids that think they are what makes NASCAR. It's there NATION they call it. It's a pretty sad state of affairs.
Dale will be always missed #3

Answer 2

The Busch series as we know it today started out as the Late Model Sportsman series in the 50's and 60's.In the 70's it became the Busch series as a way to let the up and coming drivers have a chance to run the larger tracks and to bring a national touring series to local tracks.
But the evolution of the cars they became close to the cup cars and teams could figure the basic information from them.
The difference that is notable would be the wheel base,weight,and the engine.
In the dog eat dog world for the almighty sponsor dollar NASCAR felt it could go head to head with the NFL and it has to a point.Thus sponsors will pump in the dollars when the major drivers run both Busch and Cup,also fans can see some of their favorites run on Saturday if they can not go to the race on Sunday.
The championship being chosen as it is is anotherway of securing sponsor dollars.Sure we want our favorite driver to win but how do you make it fair for all?All sorts of suggestions have been made as to making the championship fair but each has met resistance,thus the Chase is born but it still has it's flaws.
So bottom line if you are a casual fan or a diehard fan,NASCAR wants to put on a traveling show that you will come to and support the various sponsors.And cheer on yoour favorite driver or team and hope that they win the championship.
GO JOE GIBBS RACING

Answer 3

Busch series is a stepping stone to the CUP series.
Some CUP drivers race on Sat in the Busch series but for the most part they are all rookies looking to earn a contract with the big boys.
The cars are not as powerfull, either.

As for the Chase I agree, it sucks. Go back to the original points system.
What do you expect...they are associating rap music with NASCAR these days so you know it's going downhill.

Go to www.racingone.com and you will see all the complaints there as well.

Answer 4

With the car of tomorrow there'll be a big difference, but for years it's been the size of the rear spoiler and the size of the carburetors. The rear spoiler on the Busch car doesn't allow as much down force, and the carburetors are a smaller size which produces less horse power. That's the difference.