NASCAR claims to be returning to its roots…are they really?
Quote selected text Published February 12th, 2008 in NASCAR News
There was a real, live, actual, authentic dust-up during practice for Saturday night’s Bud Shootout, and you would have thought a hidden vault had been discovered containing the secret scrolls of NASCAR’s rebirth.
When two of NASCAR’s most volatile drivers — Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch — rammed into each other on the track during Friday evening’s practice session, then rammed into each other again in the pits and began yelling and gesturing at each other from their cars, NASCAR officials couldn’t wait to hail this as proof positive that the sport is returning to its rural, rowdy roots.
“This is the NASCAR everybody fell in love with,” declared Jim Hunter, NASCAR’s vice president of corporate communications.
If we didn’t know better, we’d say the run-in was as scripted as a WWE Smackdown. Then again, with NASCAR we don’t really know better, do we?
After all, NASCAR’s head honcho, Brian France, declared a month ago that his sport would get “back to basics . . . minimize change . . . embrace the past.” It has become NASCAR’s throwback theme as we prepare for next Sunday’s milestone 50th running of the Daytona 500.
And, really, a theme is all it is. Let’s face it, this “back to basics” rhetoric is a ruse, probably dreamed up by a Madison Avenue advertising exec to win back some old-school fans who have felt abandoned by new-age NASCAR. Come on, NASCAR has as much chance of getting back to basics as college football has of recruiting legitimate student-athletes. It’s all a facade to make grass-roots fans feel better about a sport they say has left them choking in its corporate dust.
As far as we could deduce from watching Saturday night’s Bud Shootout, there is no noticeable retro movement in NASCAR. None of the cars was sporting a tail fin, none of the wives was wearing a beehive hairdo and none of the tickets was selling for $5.
And, to top it all, the Hendrick motor monopoly is still winning everything.
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and a 6 race probation for both drivers…Give me a break from the NASCAR BS. NASCAR should publish what the penalties will be for infractions. A partial list would maybe look something like this.
1. Banging cars on a “hot” pit road - minus 100 points
2. Shoving another driver - minus 5 points unless other driver out weighs you by 100 lbs, then plus 50 points toward your next penalty.
3. Hitting another driver in the helmet - minus 25 points for stupidity, might injure yourself
4. Peeing on another drivers motor coach wheels - plus 100 points towards next infraction
Now Rick, that is some through back stuff.
What about; Tossing your helmet at another driver and missing the car = minus 50 points
for bad aim…
Claiming there is debris on the track during a race when it was your own
Budweiser can you tossed out. = 25 points if you get away with it…
Any more suggestions ???
It’s a bad deal when a guy like Robby might get fined because he installed the parts Evernham sold him but these 2 jerks get a slap on the wrist. If Robby gets fined, Evernham should get fined. NASCAR will always be consistent about being inconsistent.
If they’re really returning to NASCAR’s roots, bring back the dirt tracks. Syracuse in NY, Indiana State Fairgrounds, and DuQuoin State Fairgrounds are each 1 mile in length, quite long enough for 43 cars to fit on. ARCA races at DuQuoin and Indiana State Fairgrounds, and in 92 they had a dirt race at Hagerstown, MD’s 1/2 track. It’d be a lot more diverse and entertaining.
the ONLY way nascar will get back to its roots is to bring in come dirt tracks, and run more short tracks… enough with the 1 1/2 mile speedways.
and they’d have to get rid of half the rules and toss out the cookie-cutter cars… good luck with that
Real racing and grassroots can be found by clicking on above on DAD Racing. There’s another Dale Jr coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Check it out! On my way…Dale Jr
The only way NASCAR will be back to its roots is if they get rid of the Cup, Nationwide, Truck, and Grand National series and get back to having the Whelen Modifieds as NASCAR’s top series. After all that is NASCAR’s oldest and most history filled division, not to mention the racing is 10 times better then any of the other NASCAR series could ever provide.
I say get rid of qualifying all together, everyone picks numbers out of a hat and run twin 125’s call them b and c features just like dirt racing and then have a 150 lap(mile on the super speedways) shootout now that would be exciting to me and do away with the prerace show and just do driver interviews instead
Hey Bob, Our rules make as much sense as what NASCAR dishes out and they would be alot more entertaining!
On a serious note, anyone remember how Spencer was man handled by NASCAR after he punched KB? They should have awarded him a provisional championship, but they chose to screw him over. Wonder if KB is still suffering the 15% loss of breathinghe claimed. Maybe that is why he is a complete idiot, lack of oxygen…no, I forgot he was that way before Spencer smacked him.
If NASCAR want ROOTS back in Racing, then bring back your Roots and Core of Racing.
For one thing, know your Family NASCAR !! You have lost you are and where you came from in Racing.
All you have done is thrown everything that has Roots out and dragged everything new into the house.
Bring back the people that made racing racing for intervews, starting of races, Grand Mrashalls, etc…
Only good thing, is Junior J in the Pace Car. Have a Petty dropping the Green Flag and someone Else, as Grand Marshall from the Old Days.