NASCAR being sold?

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

https://www.reuters.com/video/2018/05/07/exclusive-nascar-owners-explore-sale-sou?videoId=424793001

 

Maybe the new owners will change the direction the cars are driven.

 

 

 

 

[Clay Mosby]

Not really surprised by this. Brian France has NOT been good for NASCAR. They need fresh ideas, new tracks,  and with the exception of Daytona and the Charlotte 600, shorten all races to 400 miles or less.

 

[Utah Bob #35998]

Couldn't hurt.

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

Big Bill France (NASCAR founder) would turn over in his grave if he saw what his baby has become. Today it's all about how much $$$ the France family can milk out of it!

[Henry T Harrison]

The team racing and this new scoring system have destroyed the sport. They need to go back to every driver trying to win and not blocking for the star

 

[Widder, SASS #59054]

I grew up with NASCAR when Darrell Waltrip was a bad guy and drove for Mtn. Dew.

Cal Yarborough and Richard Petty were fan favorites.

Dale Earnhardt was a newbie (sorta) and I think he drove for Wrangler (but not sure).  I think it was a pretty dark blue and yellow car with #2 on it.

Names like Bobbie and Donnie Allison were very popular, as was Davy later on.

REMEMBER the Alabama gang?

 

And who could forget Bill Elliott and the Elliott Brothers racing team.

 

In high school,  68 & 69, most of the conversation between us guys was Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge/Plymouth.

 

Somewhere in time, management greed took over and Sunday afternoons started to loose my interest.

Of course, my interest dropped a lot when King Richard retired and then when Dale died, I really lost a lot of interest.

 

I don't remember the year, but I was at Daytona, sitting in turn 4, when Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough rounded turn 4 side x side and headed into the tri-oval when Richard won his 200 race.    We also got to see the Presidents plane land back past the long straight-away.

 

Great memories.

 

..........Widder

 

[Blackwater 53393]

How to fix NASCAR: 1- Discontinue the “Stage racing/points”

                                     2-Abandon the “Chase”

                                     3- Get rid of restrictor plates

                                     4- Go back to factory body panels

                                     5- Make ticket prices reasonable

                                     6- Go back to open infields at big tracks

                                     7- Allow for more creativity in the rules, (chassis, suspension, gearing)

                                    8- Return to racing back to the caution

                                    9- Let teams repair damage in the garage and return to the race

                                  10- Return to the point system from fifteen years ago with a point for leading a lap and another for leading the most laps and add another for qualifying                                           first

                                  11- Go back to single car qualifying

                                  12- Any venue that is used twice in the same year must run at least one race on a road course

                                  13- Create a “Manufacturers Championship” with real emphasis on competition and development!

 

EDIT:  Prevent Brian France and Mike Helton from even going near anything having to do with NASCAR!!! 

 

 

 

 

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

I attended my first NASCAR race in 1959 in Riverside at the old road course. Been going to races since then. A lot has changed, not all for the better. My biggest problem is I just don't like Brian France. Best thing that could happen is get his family out and get a racer to run it. I vote for Chocolate Myers!

[irish ike, SASS #43615]

NASCAR and NHRA Pro-Stock have ended up being in the same boat. The fans are tired of all of the Neutralizing the cars to where there is no real separation between them.

Prostock rules have pushed Ford and Chrysler out of competition. So NHRA says hey Ford and Chrysler guys you can use a Chevy motor in a factory body. HUH!

 

Toyota complained about their lack of horsepower and so NASCAR allowed them engine changes that gave them more power but not Ford and Chevy!

Make them use Factory body shapes. But someone may have a better areo body than us...so! Multiple car teams have killed real competition. Cars running interference for a team member.

 I could go on but why? NASCAr won't change. They are loosing spectators and revenue.

Ike

[Clay Mosby]

I agree with almost all your points Blackwater, but I would keep the current point system of a point per place plus a bonus for winning. I never could figure out the point system of 1st -3rd got so many, 4th-7th go so many, etc etc.

I would also get rid of guaranteed starting spots. Never liked that. And now that they almost never running a full field, it's moot anyway.  But I believe that if you can't run fast enough, then you don't deserve to be in the race.

I think you should still allow Cup drivers to race in the truck or Xfinity races, but they cannot claim purses or points. These classes have barely funded teams as it is, it's unfair for Cup teams to come in and take purse money away from them. If a Cup driver wins, 50% goes to the track and 50% is divided up amongst the non-Cup drivers.

Just IMHO. 

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

NASCAR.  Cars should be built with the chassis and bodies from real cars.  Steel instead of the crazy faque plastic stuff.

[Charlie Whiskers]

 Well, NASCAR hasn't run a "factory legal" car since the T-Bird. Everything since have all been 4 door, front wheel drive, V6 powered "things" converted to rear wheel drive V8 power. Also, none of the ones running now have a factory V8. A V6 is what the ones they're racing comes with. IF NASCAR allows the Camaro, Mustang, Challenger (assuming MOPAR would come back); then at least there'd be true rear wheel drive, V8 Optional 2 door body styles. And I wouldn't care if Toyota didn't follow the trend.

[Blackwater 53393]

4 hours ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

NASCAR.  Cars should be built with the chassis and bodies from real cars.  Steel instead of the crazy faque plastic stuff.

 

 

CC!  If you go and look at most production vehicles sold today, you will find far more plastic than metal in the body!!  Most of today's cars don't have a chassis either!!  

 

The chassis in a NASCAR "stock car" is basically a '57 Ford chassis with an early sixties Chevy pickup coil spring rear suspension grafted to it!!!

 

Fifty years ago, NASCAR was a hotbed of innovation that produced many improvements to the production cars of the day.  Other than improvements to the passenger/driver compartment of the cars, which doesn't easily translate to production vehicles, NASCAR has made practically NO improvements in the last thirty years.

 

 

2 minutes ago, Charlie Whiskers said:

 Well, NASCAR hasn't run a "factory legal" car since the T-Bird. Everything since have all been 4 door, front wheel drive, V6 powered "things" converted to rear wheel drive V8 power. Also, none of the ones running now have a factory V8. A V6 is what the ones they're racing comes with. IF NASCAR allows the Camaro, Mustang, Challenger (assuming MOPAR would come back); then at least there'd be true rear wheel, V8 Optional 2 door body styles. And I wouldn't care if Toyota didn't follow the trend.

 

Actually, the Chevy SS that ran up until last year was a V8 rear wheel drive automobile.  The most recent Charger that dropped out a few years ago was also V8 and was available in rear wheel and all wheel drive as well.  But you're right!  They are all four door vehicles.  Chevy's offering this year is the Camaro, but NASCAR rules have it looking more like a four door sedan than an actual Camaro.

 

 

I have NO problem with a fabricated chassis or aftermarket body panels for NASCAR race cars, so long as the body panels match the lines of the car they represent!!  The rules for NASCAR need to return to something similar to what existed in the late fifties/early sixties!!  Something like the following would be OUTSTANDING!!!

 

 No drooping noses or chopped roofs. No skewed bodies that look like the car is going sideways down the track or raked windshields and raised rear window panels.  Cut the templates to fit any random production version of the car as it is found in the dealership showroom!!  Put a limit on the front spoiler/splitter and allow as much rear deck spoiler as can be had so long as it is not visible around the roof line when the car is viewed from directly in front at the level of the top of the cowl where it meets the windshield.  

 

Limit the diameter of the wheels  and the size of the wheel well openings as viewed directly from the side of the car at the mid point of the body, twenty-seven inches from the ground!!

Any size and diameter tire that can be readily replaced during a normal green flag pit stop will be permitted so long as it can be removed and replaced through the sanctioned wheel opening and will fit the accepted wheel.  Must meet sanctioning body's safety requirements.

 

Any suspension that is NOT electronically, hydraulically, or pneumatically controlled is permitted. Suspension must be adjusted manually, without removing body panels, if adjusted in the pits.  Major suspension adjustments or substitutions must be made in the garage.

 

Any transmission that offers the same number of ratios as the production version of the car is acceptable. Clutchless or electronically shifted transmissions are NOT allowed. Final drive ratio of transmission may not exceed .85% overdrive. Transmission MUST have an internal reverse gear!!

 

Any final drive differential offered and sold by the manufacturer of the production vehicle represented may be used. Gear ratios for differential will be at the discretion of the sanctioning body as applied to each track.  All vehicles in competition will be allowed 5% + or - range of selection in ratio for the given track.

 

Engines will be limited to 6.0 liter displacement and will use the factory stock block sold in the production vehicle represented. Cylinder heads will be factory production castings. Any internal modifications that cannot be viewed from the outside of the stock casting, not including the size of exhaust port openings, but not to include the repositioning of said exhaust ports will be permitted.  Engines MUST be of the same design as the engine available in the production version of the car represented.  All engines will be of the reciprocating, piston driven, four stroke variety with a single camshaft located and installed in the engine block.  No overhead camshafts. No electronic or pneumatic valve actuators will be permitted. No rotary valves. No billet or fabricated engine blocks or heads will be permitted.

 

Engine may not be replaced during the race after the starting green flag has dropped. Any part or piece of the vehicle may be repaired or replaced before qualifying is complete without penalty.  Substitution of damaged parts may be done after qualifying so long as the same size/ratio/capacity replacement part is used. Engine may be repaired but no block, head, or reciprocating assembly may be removed and replaced without penalty.  Repairs to the engine will result in loss of qualifying position, (car will be placed at the rear of the longest line) upon start of the race.  Replacement of engine after qualifying will result in a one lap penalty if done after qualifying, except at the discretion of the chief pit steward where catastrophic failure occurred during qualifying.  In such cases the penalty will be the same as that for replacing parts.

 

A backup car may be substituted for any car damaged too severely to be repaired.  Cars already qualified and then damaged will be assessed a one lap penalty at the start of the race. No penalty for substitutions made before qualifying.

 

All vehicles in competition will be subject to current NASCAR structural and safety rules and guidelines.  All parts used in competition will be subject to prior acceptance by NASCAR technical and safety comities.   

[Hoss Carpenter]

I agree with all the "Fixes" I have read here. Also, put windshield wipers on the cars and get some rain tires in the pits. It kills me to see them all pull in when a few drops of rain happen. Most every other sport keeps on keeping on with rain. at least to you get lighting. This includes Football, Baseball. Golf, Formula One. Sports cars. etc. Not the NASCAR sissies. A few years ago the Busch cars ran in the rain.   I will not be surprised if the whole thing falls apart within a couple or three years.   Cheers,  Hoss C.

[Blackwater 53393]

1 hour ago, Hoss Carpenter said:

I agree with all the "Fixes" I have read here. Also, put windshield wipers on the cars and get some rain tires in the pits. It kills me to see them all pull in when a few drops of rain happen. Most every other sport keeps on keeping on with rain. at least to you get lighting. This includes Football, Baseball. Golf, Formula One. Sports cars. etc. Not the NASCAR sissies. A few years ago the Busch cars ran in the rain.   I will not be surprised if the whole thing falls apart within a couple or three years.   Cheers,  Hoss C.

 

Play in baseball is suspended when rain is moderate to heavy and the infield is usually covered. Lots of other auto racing and other motorsports are suspended or postponed due to inclement weather. I agree that some road course races should be run in the rain, but even the 24 hour races at Daytona and le Mans are red flagged during heavy rain!