Nascar 2012

[larryboy]

I'm hearing that the points deductions and suspensions have been overturned for the 48 team. Knaus on probation and he still gets the 100k fine.

JJ strikes me as a guy that never sets one foot into the shop, glad he got his points back.

[wxwax]

It's refreshing to see an owner in sports who listens to the fans. That crowd was shockingly small.

[pbarmy]

Originally Posted by wxwax

It's refreshing to see an owner in sports who listens to the fans. That crowd was shockingly small.

Yeah,it must be the racing,the economy is doing great,just watch the news.

[Motorcyclist]

Originally Posted by larryboy

I'm hearing that the points deductions and suspensions have been overturned for the 48 team. Knaus on probation and he still gets the 100k fine.

JJ strikes me as a guy that never sets one foot into the shop, glad he got his points back.

I'm surprised as hell to hear it got overturned. That mediator will play hell to get his $1/year salary out of NASCAR.

Knaus got a big break, but all that means is that NASCAR will be watching every step he makes. If he gets popped for something while he is on probation, then he'll be in even deeper than his original penalty.

I dunno if what he did was right or wrong, but paying a $100,000 fine makes me think it was fairly serious.

[Motorcyclist]

Originally Posted by larryboy

Yup, took away the bump and run....boring to watch. I bet it's fun to drive since it has all those lines to run.

I've been at the old Bristol track, and it was a great experience. The crowd was lively, the place was packed and there was racing and bumping throughout the field. The guys contesting 31st place were racing each other just as hard as the leaders.

The new configuration definitely makes for better side by side racing, but it allows the cars to run totally different lines and not come close to each other. The old track had about a lane and a half in the corners, so the drivers were constantly trying to hug the inside line, or get down to it, which made for some truly entertaining dust-ups. I think this is an oddball case of a modification making a track better for pure racing, but taking away from the entertainment aspect of the show.

I was never a fan of the bump and run to move the leader out of the way, particularly on the last laps, but as a tool to move a slower car off line deeper in the pack, it was a lot of fun to watch.

It will be interesting to see if Bruton puts back the 36* banking as opposed to that progressive stuff they have now.

[wxwax]

Originally Posted by pbarmy

Yeah,it must be the racing,the economy is doing great,just watch the news.

Patch and I were discussing the reasons for NASCAR's current decline. We agreed that a lot of different factors are at work. Some may go back to the sport's departure from its "wrench it yourself" ethos.

For sure the economy and the price of gas affect NASCAR, which relies heavily on traveling fans. It's simplistic to think those are the only factors, though.

[RedRocket]

Originally Posted by wxwax

I have a friend who follows NASCAR closely -- or used to. He told me yesterday he'd forgotten they were at Bristol this weekend. Bristol! Historically a fun track and close to here, he's often wanted to go.

He feels that since the resurfacing it's just another drone-around track, that it lost its appeal.

He's not the only one. I watched the race, and the stands were only half full, at Bristol!

[Pantah]

Originally Posted by RedRocket

He's not the only one. I watched the race, and the stands were only half full, at Bristol!

I noticed that too. I wonder whn Bristol stopped selling out?

IMO I think NASCAR is over exposed. Add in the spec car nature of it and the cookie cutter tracks... I have been a fan since Fireball Roberts and Junior Johnson days, but then it was actually stock car racing between the big three. Today it's something different. Probably most motorsports are in decline, though.

Football has it right: 16 contests, plus the playoffs. I like BB as well, but sheesh...the season is forever! Too many games. Same with Hocky and Basketball. Too long a grind.

[PeteN95]

Originally Posted by Motorcyclist

The new configuration definitely makes for better side by side racing, but it allows the cars to run totally different lines and not come close to each other. The old track had about a lane and a half in the corners, so the drivers were constantly trying to hug the inside line, or get down to it, which made for some truly entertaining dust-ups. I think this is an oddball case of a modification making a track better for pure racing, but taking away from the entertainment aspect of the show.

Why don't they just make it a figure 8?!?

[RedRocket]

Originally Posted by Pantah

I noticed that too. I wonder whn Bristol stopped selling out?

IMO I think NASCAR is over exposed. Add in the spec car nature of it and the cookie cutter tracks... I have been a fan since Fireball Roberts and Junior Johnson days, but then it was actually stock car racing between the big three. Today it's something different. Probably most motorsports are in decline, though.

Football has it right: 16 contests, plus the playoffs. I like BB as well, but sheesh...the season is forever! Too many games. Same with Hocky and Basketball. Too long a grind.

The summer night race is likely much better attended, but I always doubted the need for two races per year at so many tracks, other than to feed the track owner's pockets and/or keeping the tracks a viable business.

[pbarmy]

I have friends who used to always go to Bristol,diehards.The price of camping,ticket restrictions and prices,and I'm guessing the homogenization of the racing were all contributing factors in their no longer attending.I cant figure out how the NHRA can continue,must be the TV contract.

[Motorcyclist]

Originally Posted by PeteN95

Why don't they just make it a figure 8?!?

You realize that racing is primarily an entertainment business, right? If no one shows up or tunes in then it is no longer a viable business model. The tricky work for the sanctioning body is to balance pure racing with the overall "show." NASCAR has a pretty good track record of keeping the racing close, and promoting individual drivers, teams and rivalries. This allows them to keep the hardcore fans entertained, while reaching out to the casual fans.

[wxwax]

The magic has somehow disappeared, though. Instead of competition, too many races feel like endless droning around a track by identical cars, waiting for the caution with 10-20 laps to go, so they can bunch the field and have a show at the end.

A lot of things probably contribute. I wonder how much the homogenization of the cars has to do with it? There's no difference between a Ford, a Chevy, a Dodge and a Toyota except under the hood, where people can't see it. Used to be you could tell the difference between the cars and root for something. And as Patch noted, it's been a while since the shadetree mechanic could relate to the series.

Sick as this is to say, I wonder if making the cars safer turned some people off? There's a lot less danger. Wrecks are common and usually inconsequential.

I wonder of moving away from storied, traditional venues and racing on huge, antiseptic and boring ovals killed some interest?

And of course there's the economy and the price of gas.

I wonder, wonder who, who wrote the book of...

[wxwax]

That's a really good point. 500 miles used to be a true test of car and engine endurance. Now it's only a test of audience patience.

[Rd650]

After they analyzed the early pileup for about the 35th time I decided to go cut the grass. Listening to D Waltrip is torture. Keselowski snapping Twitter pictures in the winners circle is a clear indicator that Nascar is changing.