How did NASCAR ("stock car") get to how it is now?

[DrivenMind]

Alright RutRoe you took the time to be patient, and respectful even though we were getting our jollies off talking ****; in return I'll try to give you a real response worth reading.

My biggest problem with NASCAR is the way it unabashedly overshadows every other single form of motorsport in the U.S. Plain and simple. It's like eating the same meal over, and over again for years. I'm dying for variety. But there's little to be found anymore, and don't take this personally, but I think SPEED Channel quit helping.

I absolutely cannot stand how much I see NASCAR on the network. I used to look forward to not knowing what I was going to find on Speedvision, be it Semi-Trucks racing on Motorsports Mundial, Off Road Championships, F1, WRC, IROC, SCCA, British Pro Touring, Rolex, Le Mans, The Ferrari Cup, Indy, Cart, MotoGP, Motocross, all that ****. Then slowly NASCAR took over. I guess Speedvision was in some financial need, because NASCAR, and the advertising for it seemed to simply take over.

I have no doubt that theres technology abound in Nextel Cup cars, I mean look at the budgets going into these things.

I hate NASCAR because of what it stands for. It's not about the competition. It's not about the racing. It's really not even about the cars anymore.

It's about advertising. It's about marketability, and it used to be/still is a method by which our domestic car manufacturers would try to pass off their ****ty, poorly developed cars, and sell them to a domestic NASCAR fan base, by relating them to cars that are absolutely nothing like their ****ty showroom counterparts.

Remember all the Chevy commercials featuring Dale Jr.? Yuck.

I hate NASCAR because when I was little kid I ****ing loved it. But as I grew up it just got more, and more boring. It didn't seem like these guys were pushing the cars. It just seemed like some kind of automated mechanical giant. Juggernaut is the best word I've heard used to describe NASCAR, it's unstoppable, and it's unavoidable. It's become so big that you can't get away from it. It's like racing for commies. There are other choices out there, but in the states, this is usually the only one your gonna get.

I understand peoples love for NASCAR, I really do, and almost any gearhead can sort of get why people like it. But as an enthusiast I hate how the Juggernaut has made all other forms of motor sports fight for a fraction of their deserved spotlight.

[Glides]

Alright RutRoe you took the time to be patient, and respectful even though we were getting our jollies off talking ****; in return I'll try to give you a real response worth reading.

My biggest problem with NASCAR is the way it unabashedly overshadows every other single form of motorsport in the U.S. Plain and simple. It's like eating the same meal over, and over again for years. I'm dying for variety. But there's little to be found anymore, and don't take this personally, but I think SPEED Channel quit helping.

I absolutely cannot stand how much I see NASCAR on the network. I used to look forward to not knowing what I was going to find on Speedvision, be it Semi-Trucks racing on Motorsports Mundial, Off Road Championships, F1, WRC, IROC, SCCA, British Pro Touring, Rolex, Le Mans, The Ferrari Cup, Indy, Cart, MotoGP, Motocross, all that ****. Then slowly NASCAR took over. I guess Speedvision was in some financial need, because NASCAR, and the advertising for it seemed to simply take over.

I have no doubt that theres technology abound in Nextel Cup cars, I mean look at the budgets going into these things.

I hate NASCAR because of what it stands for. It's not about the competition. It's not about the racing. It's really not even about the cars anymore.

It's about advertising. It's about marketability, and it used to be/still is a method by which our domestic car manufacturers would try to pass off their ****ty, poorly developed cars, and sell them to a domestic NASCAR fan base, by relating them to cars that are absolutely nothing like their ****ty showroom counterparts.

Remember all the Chevy commercials featuring Dale Jr.? Yuck.

I hate NASCAR because when I was little kid I ****ing loved it. But as I grew up it just got more, and more boring. It didn't seem like these guys were pushing the cars. It just seemed like some kind of automated mechanical giant. Juggernaut is the best word I've heard used to describe NASCAR, it's unstoppable, and it's unavoidable. It's become so big that you can't get away from it. It's like racing for commies. There are other choices out there, but in the states, this is usually the only one your gonna get.

I understand peoples love for NASCAR, I really do, and almost any gearhead can sort of get why people like it. But as an enthusiast I hate how the Juggernaut has made all other forms of motor sports fight for a fraction of their deserved spotlight.

Excellent post and you are absolutely right. This is the kind of post that I can actually respect because thought has gone into why, how and what the problem with Nascar and your fellings towards it. Excellent work.

Your entire post though goes back to what I said earlier. Nascar is made for a simpler folk. The everyday hardworking pipe fitter or brick layer that wants a hero of the people. Most Nascar hero's are southern, from the old days or from the old day families and country. Minus a few (Gordon) who is pretty much the given favorite to boo. Nascar has gone through great pains to develop and market to this crowd of Blue Collar workers. That's who brings them the money and who the majority of spectators are.

Plus add in the fact that they use the "America is great" to the fullest doesn't hurt either. That's the hook, the way to get people in. It's American cars on an American track. Most people that by American cars don't do it for the superb features or the super technology (because let's face it, American cars for the most part suck) they do it because it's American. And Dale drow a Chevy so by god, that must be the American thing to do. Like I said, Simple people, simple cars.

Formula one will never take off in the US like they want it too because of that reason right there. What sane American would ever want to get behind a Honda powered race car???? Not my father and usually not anyone over the age of 30.

But yes, it is rotting racing out in some form. Speed channel was just the latest of casualties from the ever moving mass effect that is Nascar.

[2Fast4Radar]

Alright RutRoe you took the time to be patient, and respectful even though we were getting our jollies off talking ****; in return I'll try to give you a real response worth reading.

My biggest problem with NASCAR is the way it unabashedly overshadows every other single form of motorsport in the U.S. Plain and simple. It's like eating the same meal over, and over again for years. I'm dying for variety. But there's little to be found anymore, and don't take this personally, but I think SPEED Channel quit helping.

I absolutely cannot stand how much I see NASCAR on the network. I used to look forward to not knowing what I was going to find on Speedvision, be it Semi-Trucks racing on Motorsports Mundial, Off Road Championships, F1, WRC, IROC, SCCA, British Pro Touring, Rolex, Le Mans, The Ferrari Cup, Indy, Cart, MotoGP, Motocross, all that ****. Then slowly NASCAR took over. I guess Speedvision was in some financial need, because NASCAR, and the advertising for it seemed to simply take over.

I have no doubt that theres technology abound in Nextel Cup cars, I mean look at the budgets going into these things.

I hate NASCAR because of what it stands for. It's not about the competition. It's not about the racing. It's really not even about the cars anymore.

It's about advertising. It's about marketability, and it used to be/still is a method by which our domestic car manufacturers would try to pass off their ****ty, poorly developed cars, and sell them to a domestic NASCAR fan base, by relating them to cars that are absolutely nothing like their ****ty showroom counterparts.

Remember all the Chevy commercials featuring Dale Jr.? Yuck.

I hate NASCAR because when I was little kid I ****ing loved it. But as I grew up it just got more, and more boring. It didn't seem like these guys were pushing the cars. It just seemed like some kind of automated mechanical giant. Juggernaut is the best word I've heard used to describe NASCAR, it's unstoppable, and it's unavoidable. It's become so big that you can't get away from it. It's like racing for commies. There are other choices out there, but in the states, this is usually the only one your gonna get.

I understand peoples love for NASCAR, I really do, and almost any gearhead can sort of get why people like it. But as an enthusiast I hate how the Juggernaut has made all other forms of motor sports fight for a fraction of their deserved spotlight.

This is spot on. Beyond the fact that I think NASCAR is in and of itself an insufferable spectacle of racing, I also loathe NASCAR because of its overall dominance that has left no choices to watch any other form of racing in this country.

I like the idea of cars from the dealer showroom racing instead of purpose built tube framed chassis stickered out to pseudo-resemble a real car. Why anyone would buy a Monte Carlo because they call a car racing in NASCAR a Monte Carlo is beyond me. No matter how "simple" someone is I find it hard to believe that they would find any resemblance between the car they see on TV and the one on the dealership lot save for the nameplate. Why go through all of the motions?

It's these simple minded, stuck thinking inside the box people that are really hurting our car market. We simply build poor quality vehicles pushed through by an older generation of simple minded executives geared to simple minded consumers who love simple minded racing. That's fine until you look at who we export our cars to - basically NOBODY. Because NOBODY outside the US has much interest buying them. Hell we can barely sell them to citizens of this country who are proud to be US citizens - myself included. Now there's some exceptions - Jeremy Clarkson would drive a ZO6 or a Ford GT, but like everyone else from his homeland Clarkson wouldn't be caught dead driving an Impala or Caliber around in place of a comparable Peugot or Nissan. That's why there aren't Chevrolet dealerships all over Asia or Europe, yet the US has an enormous list of import dealerships.

[RutRoe]

This is spot on. Beyond the fact that I think NASCAR is in and of itself an insufferable spectacle of racing, I also loathe NASCAR because of its overall dominance that has left no choices to watch any other form of racing in this country.

I like the idea of cars from the dealer showroom racing instead of purpose built tube framed chassis stickered out to pseudo-resemble a real car. Why anyone would buy a Monte Carlo because they call a car racing in NASCAR a Monte Carlo is beyond me. No matter how "simple" someone is I find it hard to believe that they would find any resemblance between the car they see on TV and the one on the dealership lot save for the nameplate. Why go through all of the motions?

It's these simple minded, stuck thinking inside the box people that are really hurting our car market. We simply build poor quality vehicles pushed through by an older generation of simple minded executives geared to simple minded consumers who love simple minded racing. That's fine until you look at who we export our cars to - basically NOBODY. Because NOBODY outside the US has much interest buying them. Hell we can barely sell them to citizens of this country who are proud to be US citizens - myself included. Now there's some exceptions - Jeremy Clarkson would drive a ZO6 or a Ford GT, but like everyone else from his homeland Clarkson wouldn't be caught dead driving an Impala or Caliber around in place of a comparable Peugot or Nissan. That's why there aren't Chevrolet dealerships all over Asia or Europe, yet the US has an enormous list of import dealerships.

Sorry I quit checking on the thread and didn't see you had replied DrivenMinds...

That was a more than respectable response, which as you've seen in this thread, many people are unable to voice those things clearly.

I agree with more than a few things you said, but I for one think there is still areas for change and I think the sport will have to make changes for the positive, or eventually hurl itself into a downward spiral that might not have an eject button.

2fast... You make some great points that aren't totally about this sport, but in my opinion more acurately reflect why the American Auto Manufacturers have had such troubles in the past years....we largely produce crappy cars.

Take a 5 year old Honda Accord and a 5 year old Chevy Malibu, or a Taurus even. Look at their maint. records, the interior wear, the exterior wear, and it's no comparison. We've made poor choices in catering to a market that had too many good choices to continue to make poor ones year after year.

I don't think your NASCAR car model reference is all that major since when you watch F1, there's zero crossover to a real car. And speaking with The King, Richard Petty, I have learned tons about how some of their cars came to be. The cars were much more stock oriented, but mst of the good teams, such as Petty Racing, would basically get a car from the assmebly line well before it was competed and customize the car at that point. I am sure there were many smaller teams that tore apart dealership sold cars, but to my knowledge there weren't many bigger teams that did that. But still, they at least looked like them....

I for one wish they did since I don't want to it end up like the IROC series where all the cars are built the same, look the same, and everything else.

The one thing I think we should address here is that a lot of people have said SPEED Channel, originally Speedvision, has sold out in many ways and doesn't stand what it originally stood for.

SPEED is a great example of change and evolution in todays economy. As a business, you have to make money. When they had rally races or shows about smaller racing series and they couldn't find any sponsorships for commercials or the shows, were they just supposed to pay themselves to keep everything on just to be true to the real racer ? Some would argue yes, others realize if they did that for long, they would have gone under....

What they did was create more programs with more "mainstream" content that had more sponsor options and would get higher ratings. Through this came the waterfall of NASCAR programming to the network. And you know what ? In my opinion, SPEED is much larger than it's ever been before due to the extensive NASCAR coverage and the great people that watch it.

Without it, how could a show like Pinks accomplish all that it has done ? Shows like NOPI Tunervision and Unique Whips have promos during NASCAR programming for a reason... it's because those viewers will come back and watch the other stuff...NASCAR programming makes other programs possible. Wether it's Unique whips, Pinks All out, or anything else.

That's why I am so adament about people being "Pro-Motorsports." It helps us all out in the end. Wether anyone likes NASCAR or not, when they get involved with stuff, people listen. People respond. Companies listen. Companies spend marketing dollars.

That's why it's important to understand the sport and how it works, which obviously some of you guys do.

And just for the doubters...last year, Kasey Kahne, who is a younger NASCAR driver for Dodge at Evernham Motorsports, helped throw a drifting event at Irwindale that matches up Drift pro's with NASCAR driver's all for Charity and the Kasey Kahne foundation. Not only was the place a sell out, 2 groups of people who didn't have much in common found themselves there together and cheering for driver's of different sports on the same track.

That's the definition of being pro-motorsports. Learn it, support it, and figure out how to benefit from it.

[japan4racing]

I for one wish they did since I don't want to it end up like the IROC series where all the cars are built the same, look the same, and everything else.

i have been telling ppl at work about this..its coming..sooner or later its gonna happen. i enjoy the iroc races but one every weekend with 43 cars in it....thats no good if you ask me

[The Yousef]

That's why I am so adament about people being "Pro-Motorsports." It helps us all out in the end. Wether anyone likes NASCAR or not, when they get involved with stuff, people listen. People respond. Companies listen. Companies spend marketing dollars.

couldn't have said it better myself...