There have been some excellent points made in here.

NASCAR is not undergoing evolution, it’s undergoing corporate expansion. It’s “cool” these days to have someone with a Mexican last name representing you, it’s “cool” these days to be politically correct, it’s “cool” to have black people in your commercials degrading white people (Burger King, Washington Mutual).
This thing of political corecteness has begun to make me question what my country stands for. I mean sheet, in a country where an illegal immigrant can rape and kill a child and later be released because they “weren’t advised of their rights so seek legal counsul from the Mexican Consulate”, but the President won’t come to the aide of three Border Patrol agents who shot a drug smuggler in the arse as he ran back accross the border…
I’m wondering what country I can move to. This is beginning to really suck.
And NASCAR is selling out. Don’t get me wrong, I still love to hear and see 43 cars doing 200MPH, but the reality of it is begining to really suck.

Come check out Myspace.com/savemyhorse
DW

Nicely said . I will have to agree it would seem we are the foreign country sometimes . We have less rights here than others go figure. To retire my mom said she might relinquish her citizen ship and sneek back here so she will be taken care of in the hospital. Later

Nascar’s current rules and the changing of the rules every race is what is killing Nascar. Commercialization is going to have a negative effect on Nascar, people will tire of constantly seeing Nascar on tv and everywhere else.

Too much of a good thing is not good at all.

Like the True Race Fans, Whos Blood Runs Stock Car Racing. We still pull for Earnhardt Jr, but have stopped going to the Races, our dimes are too hard to come by.

And seeing a Rock Band at a Stock Car Event is giving most of the True Fans heartattacks. Country Music is Stock Car Racing notes to the ears.

See as somebody who has been involved with NASCAR and “stock car” racing since I was born (not just a fan but actually involved) What you said is insulting to me, and its not just you but the attitude that alot of people have.

I for one HATE country music, does that make me any less of a NASCAR fan? NO. I think Ralph Jr is the most overated thing to hit NASCAR since superspeedways. But does that make me any less of a fan? NO.

You can like the type of sport without having to like all the superficial stuff that people think goes with it.

The only thing I agree with you on is the fact that getting the money to go to the race sis becoming harder and harder. But that is a problem that goes way beyond any sanctioning body.

This last weekend, boy was it boring to see 25 cars in a line. Sure, they broke out into 2 and 3 wide a few times, but the racing was not racing, it was riding, and look at the amount of money the drivers made. They were paid more in 4 hours, and many of you make in two years. If the France’s want more money, why not make a National NASCAR league, form 2 or 3 divisions, race in all parts of the country, allow anyone who comes to the track, attempt to qualify, and the top 43 race. Make 10 races open to everyone in the country with higher points for positions, again the top 43 cars race, and all this leads to the “CHAMPION” and then the person who races best wins the most. Also, another change, give points for each lap and the position in which a person is running, that way, yes the person who wins, wins, but may lose out on the points, because he ran in the back all day, and drafted the last half lap to win. You would then have everyone trying to be in the front all day to get the most points so they could wind up the champion at the end of the year. As for the regions, that would allow the south to follow their boys, (or girls) as would the west, north, etc. More teams, more money, more drivers and so on. Also, I agree with all the statements above, each has a valid point, and to top it all off, there is no anger in any of the reply’s, they are all very to the point a civil. Way to go….
Have a nice day and keep reading and writing…..

I have to dissagree with the first point you made here, Tona/Dega have been about just ridding around for most of the race for the last 10 years. It takes no skill to race at those tracks, real racers race on short tracks and roadcourses were it actually takes skill to win.

As far as breaking NASCAR up I have been trying to convince people for years that is the best thing to happen. Split up the cup series like the Hooters pro-cup is, and take the Busch series and get rid of it and have the Busch East, West, Canadain Tire North, & Corona South series become the “new” Busch series. They would have a regular season of 20-25 races and then the top so many from each division would be eligible for the championship which will be decided over 10 races. Also the regular season champions will get credit with being the regular season champion (ie; Dale Jr, Cup series East champion, Jeff Gordon Cup series West champion)

I dont how the writer of this article thinks Dario is foreign, when he is more American in Blood Kin to the Southern Stock Car Fans than the rest of the field of drivers in NASCAR from the Western States of the US.

Anyway. What is killing this sport is the Love of MONEY by the FRANCE family and the changing of the guard at the gate. Where they had the die hard Southern family that spent their last dime on the races each week and were loyal to death. NASCAR has thrown them in the back seat and thinking bigger money being in dollars and not dimes put their stock in Foreign FANS and people who have NO Family History in the Sport.

Seeing this as a Huge investment, NASCAR, France family throws their pearls to the swine and thinks all will be well. NOPE.

Rating ARE DROPPING, Ticket sales are DROPPING, and their foreign Fans are getting tired of the car races.

Like the True Race Fans, Whos Blood Runs Stock Car Racing. We still pull for Earnhardt Jr, but have stopped going to the Races, our dimes are too hard to come by. Yes, We love Racing, but a Football game can be seen from kickoff to the last drop of sweat, even with adds. And seeing a Rock Band at a Stock Car Event is giving most of the True Fans heartattacks. Country Music is Stock Car Racing notes to the ears.

The drivers ARE the stars and NASCAR treats them like a bunch of five-year-olds.

Nobody knows what is better for the sport than the drivers, and they are forced to remain mute, now under threat of fines, point reductions, and removal. I guess most ppl didn’t know that in the old days, the threat was actually from a pistol on Big Bill’s hip!!!!

No love left for NASCAR, but can’t get enough of the races!!!

I have been a Nascar fan for 30 years. Nascar is huge because of the good ole boy fan base has built it to be huge. I don’t think the influx of open wheel drivers is what is killing Nascar, I think Brian France in his idea of screw the good ole boy I want the whole world to give me more money is what is killing Nascar. I have been saying for years Nascar is going down the tubes thanks to 1 the Chase, 2 the COT, 3 the Drive for Diversity Program and 4 the Sponsors (meaning all the ad sh** on everylap and thanks to so forth, all you hear is a sponsor name through the whole race). Nascar has gotten to money hungry. And Nascar is the sanctioning body, but they should be blamed because they are the sanctioning body owned by the France family and the new generation of that family is killing what granddad built.
I never thought I would say it but I am truly sick of Nascar and may stop watching. I have loved this sport as long as I remember but I hate what it has become. It will lose its loyal good ole boy fan base and be stuck with a failing race league just like the open wheel. Just like they said on the race sunday will the last open wheel driver turn out the lights when you leave, they will be saying that to Nascar one day. I just hope someone else will start a REAL STOCK CAR RACING series again and bring back true racing. (I know you have your local tracks, but I like the big tracks, not just 1 mile plus but the whole shabang of Nascar and the spending the whole weekend at track and loving every minute of it)

I must agree with the above quote. I’ve been
an avid fan for 141/2 years, since JG started
Cup races. When he retires, is when I’ve
watched my last race. The sad thing is the
“OLD” fans will not be missed. We attend several races each year, and the younger
fans look at us as “What are you doing, here?”
I cancelled our plans for Homestead 07 and
plans for July Daytona 08. And again—won’t
be missed. Last Pepsi 400 was not sold out,
infact if you attended the Busch race, you
could use that same ticket, to sit on the back
stretch. The open wheel drivers such as JPM
they didn’t want him in F1, and he could’t get
a ride–

NASCAR is not undergoing evolution, it’s undergoing corporate expansion. It’s “cool” these days to have someone with a Mexican last name representing you, it’s “cool” these days to be politically correct, it’s “cool” to have black people in your commercials degrading white people (Burger King, Washington Mutual).
This thing of political corecteness has begun to make me question what my country stands for. I mean sheet, in a country where an illegal immigrant can rape and kill a child and later be released because they “weren’t advised of their rights so seek legal counsul from the Mexican Consulate”, but the President won’t come to the aide of three Border Patrol agents who shot a drug smuggler in the arse as he ran back accross the border…
I’m wondering what country I can move to. This is beginning to really suck.
And NASCAR is selling out. Don’t get me wrong, I still love to hear and see 43 cars doing 200MPH, but the reality of it is begining to really suck.

Come check out Myspace.com/savemyhorse
DW

, and it cant be about the money indy and formula make plenty of money

WRONG! Most drivers in the IRL Indycar series and the ChampCar World Series have to PAY money inorder to have their rides. The IRL is working to do away with this by raising purses, allowing the teams the chance to earn more money.

The top tier Formula 1 drivers make on average the same amount per race as your top tier Cup driver. However most F1 drivers make less money per race then your average finishing cup driver does.

As far as drivers moving over, well really its no diffrent then what every driver does. You race in one class until you win everything there is to win and then you move up into another class. Moving from Openwheel to NASCAR is no diffrent then a driver moving from streetstocks to latemodels or modifieds. Just like football and baseball and every other sport there will always be way more qualified people then there is room for.

Rockingham was one of the toughest tracks
since NASCRAP closed it I havent had interest

NASCAR didnt close Rockingham. The fans not buying all the tickets closed the track, along with the Ferko lawsuit.

Under the ruling of the Ferko lawsuit NASCAR was forced to stop running the Winston No-Bull 5, Move the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway to November, Give Speedway Motorsports, Inc.’s Texas Motor Speedway a race in the chase, and Surrender North Carolina Speedway to SMI.

So it was not NASCAR that closed Rockingham, and it was not ISC that closed Rockingham, It was Bruton Smith and SMI that closed Rockingham.

Just for the record, I appreciate the tone of your comments. I think this is a good debate and you are representing your opinion well. I disagree with you about the fan base and its support. The “old” type of nascar fan was very loyal to its drivers sponsers. Many studies have reported this fact. The new type of fan goes for what ever is hot now and does not seem to be as loyal. I don’t think they will stay with the sport. They are not race fans per se, they follow the trends. Real race fans will never leave nascar unless the COT destroys racing. I will probably still watch because I love it. Although, I will say that I no longer watch the race from begining to end, unless it is raining at home.

What does fisha695 stand for?

Thanks, Fisha695 stands for, Fisha = Fisher (my last name) 69 = my favorite number, and 5 is just a random number. I use Fisha695 & Fisha694 on most racing message boards.

And I think that its important to keep in mind that the new racefans not being as diehard isnt just in racing, but its in all sports. I mean you can look at this new generation of fans outside of sports and they are the same way, they follow whatever is “hot” at the moment. Now im only 19, but I can say that everyday I wake up and am glad I’m not like most people around my age were they follow the latest trends and only the latest trends.

In time it’ll change, these new casual fans will get older and some will become lifelong diehard fans, while some will stop following the sport, and other will remain casual fans. But the “beauty” of it all is this cycle will always go on and on.

Like I said earlier, its not that there are more casual fans, its just with all the access to information the gap between the die-hard and casual fans is just getting bigger. But if you look at all sports since the internet was invented you will see the same thing.

More for money hungry Nascar.

Busch wanted out thats cool fine what ever, sad to see them go.

But Nationwide is not in for next season, again fine, Busch didn’t want to re-sign and after looking Nationwide signed on.

Problem Nationwide being dicks and giving Gico 2 years to get out.
No grandfather claus like with Attel in Cup. Gico has 2 years to get out.
They(Gico) better fight this now, or in 2 years, and sue Nationwide (like AT&T suing Nextel.)

Corparte Nascar Sucks.
If Dale Sr. was still alive I beleive things would be different he wouldn’t stand for Todays Nascar. He’ll complain like he did when they changed the Cars and the 500 was just 1 line for pretty much the full 200 laps cause you couldn’t pass.

I have read most of the articles. I Want to point out HOW much I agree with:

{ Corparte Nascar Sucks.} THis more than anything else mentioned is driving the bullshit we all dislike.
Foreign drivers fine/ toyota I kinda understand/ I mean Most other racing IRL offroad etc there is any make of vehical .
However there are no harleys in motocross ! So why not have only american cars in nascar
I think this is what everyone refers to when they say southern/eastern roots. Not THe KKK rebel flag or any other neg. stuff. Guys facts are this is a sign of how weak we have become. THe country we fought in the past is kickin our butts in our country fair and square . WE are the ones buying um.
So the best thing is drive better build stronger teams , make it worth while for teams to stick together instead of jumping ship and beat em on the track.Ford ran at lemans back in the day against all odds and one. Seems any one with the cash should be able to go in circles.
Money talks and when the band wagon fans leave they will have to change the format to attract the ones who enjoyed it before. Thats all I have to say about that later

we dirt track races ae the true racers becasue are cars don’t look alike.

No matter if its Dirt of Asphault the only classes were they cars dont look alike is the Hobby/pro/street/strictly/junkyard/boneyard stock classes. Latemodels look pretty much all the same, and so do modifieds. Then you got sprints and midgets with minor diffrences between the cars.

Why is Formula One so popular across the globe?
Do people in the UK & China & Brazil drive F1 cars?
I don’t look or sound like Lewis Hamilton but I can relate to him.
And I don’t look like Tony Stewart but I can relate to him too.

Racing is racing, it shouldn’t matter if you understand what the driver is saying or if the driver looks like you or even if you buy all their sponsor products or not. Actually, if that is all that kept you focused on racing, you were focusing on the wrong thing. Just enjoy racing. It’s not that hard.