Is the era of Drivers that run to put food on the table gone?

Question

This is a couple questions rolled int one rant!

Dale Sr. ran hard to finish in the money to give his family money to eat. All I hear about now is 10 y/o's that are running Go-Karts and in an ARCA Car by 15. Is the fact that today many drivers that show a bit of promise are handed everything they could ever need hurting the image of nascar?

When was the last time a guy that you could relate to in victory lane?

With that said if I do not get my son in a Go Cart or quarter midget by 12 will he have no shot of racing?

Be honest did you like NASCAR more when there was less $$ and more unpolished drivers?

Answer 1

Just had chime in on this one. The racing of the 70's is over in the top ranks of NASCAR. In fact if you even want to watch that kind of racing you need to go to your local track and watch the street stocks that are still running the 1970 - 1980 grocery getters. As for Drivers that run to put groceries on the table, that era is not gone, you are just looking at the wrong series. The folks that drive in USAC full time are doing just that, racing to put food on the table. The folks racing in the USRA Hooters Pro-Cup, some race for groceries some work a full time job on top of racing. ARCA/ReMax series, there are only a couple of well paid drivers.

The drivers in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, there are drivers there that have to maintain full time jobs to make ends meet. So the yester year is gone in CUP and possibly the Busch series. But that doesn't deter from the racing. These guys are giving it their best every weekend.

May I suggest you try doing it.

Answer 2

Everyone is looking for the next Casey Kane or Carl Edwards...a good face man to sell sponsors on and someone who can run competitively. But in short, yes the era is gone. It used to be a working man's sport, but it has outgrown it's roots (sadly).

The thing I miss about the "unpolished drivers" is the rivalries from the good 'ol days. These days if two drivers get together on the race track, the next week everyone acts like nothing happened, they're all friends again. Back then, rivalries would stretch out for several seasons. And when those two drivers were next to each other on the track, everyone paid attention. We haven't seen a good rivalry since Jimmy Spencer retired.

But it's easy for us to sit back and say the $$$ is ruining racing. It's still a good show and as long as we keep seeing finishes like this year's Daytona 500, I'll keep watching.

Answer 3

yes i loved it better when drivers had come straight from the garage of there own homes. they where drivers that could have a chance. now the nascar of today don't see these drivers. all they see is money just like you said. i live near a place where there are good drivers. but the big corperasions that is nascar now would never give the drivers a chance because they will never come here to my home town to see these up and coming drivers. now nascar is looking at open wheal drivers. granted they are good, they aren't what the old nascar drivers are. those drivers that are here raceing on dirt and asphalt have the itch to go to nascar to make that leap to be the great driver as of the old. to make a long comment short money talks and the drivers that race in small towns can only dream

Answer 4

There you go! Getting all sentimental on us! I feel you dude, but that isn't the way the sport progressed. One thing that will always be the same is mans desire to compete in racing. It's the ultimate one upmanship and you get it with all the adrenaline your body can excrete. Guys race no matter if they get paid or not. I like racing all blown outta proportion like this. Can you exploit racing? No. It's some of the purest forms of competition. There's a lot of variables involved. No matter how it's formatted, at the beggining of any kind/type of race, each racer is competing with the same agreement between the other racers. You don't have to race if you don't want to. But if you don't race, you aren't gonna have any fun. No wonder it's so hard for those older guys to get outta racing. How do you quit!? It's not about the money for most racers, it's about ego.

Answer 5

In a way, I get what you're saying. This has happened in all sports. You have middle school coaches try to specialize, and I see 4th grade soccer players making choices that only an adult with an honest-to-God shot at playing professionally should make.
Still- if you're really good- you'll get in. Sometimes you have to bang on the door a little harder.
The problem is, there are far too many people that think that have SPECIAL talent, when in reality, they're pretty ordinary. If you ask me, sports are more enjoyable when tere's no money involved. It's kinda cool seeing your local mechanic rockin' at the dirt trakc on Saturday night.

Answer 6

Hey I remember those days..alot of drivers raced just to be able to buy parts for the next race and put food on table.. Heck I remember when a entire pit crew slept in our garage at night before getting up at 3-4am to make it to the track with the car on the trailer (not a million $$ hauler) they all road in the truck and in back of the truck even the driver...(no lear jet for the driver back in the day). ..If some of these spoiled drivers had to go back to that...I doubt some of them could tolerate more than 1 race. It has been interesting see all the changes that Nascar has gone through since I remember some of the early yrs...boy has things changed..

Answer 7

You didn't hear Mark Martin used a $250,000 hauler for his seven year old son to haul his go-cart to races when he got into go-cart races? It had a fully equipped machine shop in it. Fact.

Yes. Now with all the F1 and CART drivers getting into NASCAR, there is a concern by many NASCAR officials that it will block up and coming American racers. None of them need the money, and in fact one of them has a sponsor from CHINA that he's bringing.

Answer 8

I am afraid the good old days are over forever. None of the drivers are needing money, they have lots of it. I miss the days when drivers were poor and winning really meant something to them.

Answer 9

bet'cha half of the drivers now don't even
own homes. they live out of their trailers and eat
track food just like everbody else. i don't
really remember the day when a driver had
to eat catfood out of a can while the cat
was looking at him.

Answer 10

I agree with ya a little on some thing's,but in today's world,you have to get your kid's involved in something they like.But no,you can wait to he's around 15 to get him rolling.But only if YOU think he's ready,orunless he show's you otherwise,and he can't do that without some wheels.The sooner,the better