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"NASCAR Talk 2011"

90K views 394 replies 38 participants last post by  dinger 
#1 ·
I don't know how you all felt about todays race, but I didn't like it, except with the winner. I felt like I was watching some kind of automotive roller derby. I wish they would open the restrictions up to where a guy can pass a car, based on how much H.P. he makes, just like the old days. This sucks today. :smash: I watch about 3 NASCAR races a year, I like the long tracks, but I will quit wasting my time.
 
#2 ·
dinger said:
I don't know how you all felt about todays race, but I didn't like it, except with the winner. I felt like I was watching some kind of automotive roller derby. I wish they would open the restrictions up to where a guy can pass a car, based on how much H.P. he makes, just like the old days. This sucks today. :smash: I watch about 3 NASCAR races a year, I like the long tracks, but I will quit wasting my time.
Very boring, I hope the whole season is not like this.
 
#5 ·
dinger said:
I don't know how you all felt about todays race, but I didn't like it, except with the winner. I felt like I was watching some kind of automotive roller derby. I wish they would open the restrictions up to where a guy can pass a car, based on how much H.P. he makes, just like the old days. This sucks today. :smash: I watch about 3 NASCAR races a year, I like the long tracks, but I will quit wasting my time.
Trouble is with that, at 220 mph, you couldnt keep those cars on the ground.......The only way to get rid of the plates and be safe would be to not race on Daytona and Talledega.....and thats not going to happen

I think its great that the Wood Brothers are back in the game and am happy for the kid....... :thumbup:
 
#6 ·
One thing I don't appreciate is all the radio chatter and spotter involvement. I mean you can switch over and talk with another driver, plot and plan moves together, they tell you who is on the move and coming up behind you etc etc etc. I think it takes away from some of the 'seat of the pants' talent needed before radios. I would like them to change it so that it is only driver to crew chief that is it.

If safety is a concern then only activate the spotters transmitter as soon as there is wreck or something.
 
#7 ·
Daytona

Well....

I loved seeing the Wood Bros back in Victory Lane. (Esp with that paint scheme - reminded me of the old days when that was Cale's car)

I think it's great that a "munchkin" won

However, the stretch of 500 miles that led up to that victory was comprised of some of the worst, most boring racing I have ever seen. If NASCAR is worried about declining attendance and declining TV viewers, then they are gonna have to do SOMETHING, or even us die-hard fans will switch to watching the Home & Garden Network.

If we need to keep speeds down on the big tracks and every single team already builds special "plate engines" for the big tracks - how about if we have a separate rule for the big tracks - 300 cu inch engines without restrictor plates instead of 355's with plates? Stop mandating what specific rear gears MUST be used?

Other suggestions welcome - submit them to the France Family and lets see if they care at all!
 
#8 ·
Dave57210 said:
Well....


If we need to keep speeds down on the big tracks and every single team already builds special "plate engines" for the big tracks - how about if we have a separate rule for the big tracks - 300 cu inch engines without restrictor plates instead of 355's with plates? Stop mandating what specific rear gears MUST be used?

Other suggestions welcome - submit them to the France Family and lets see if they care at all!
That's what I was thinking also. Make an engine change, they have been working in the 355 parameters for a long, long time (a good trivia question), maybe it's time for some change. Every car out there is probably within + or - 10 horsepower. It is too equal....it's boring. Skill level seems to be how well you can push/be pushed around the race track without someone getting in your way. Maybe add 500 lbs to the weight of the car, wherever you would like to place it. I am looking forward to next weekend, the start of the NHRA season, love the pro-stocks, blink your eyes and you're out. Equality rules here, take 16 cars for the field, most days they will be within 3 or 4 one/hundredths of each other, reaction time, shifting, keep the car in the groove, 6 seconds of action, one car after another. Hard to beat.
 
#9 ·
I watched the race on Sat at my father in laws and I can tell you Im glad I watch F1 racing, this is what Nascar has come to? find a dance partner and drive around two by two... exciting, see how long that lasts when the sponsors realize that viewers are just watching the last 10 laps since the rest of the race is so boring.

I will stick with formula one thank you
 
#10 ·
I like the "lower the cubic inch limit" idea myself too and unrestrict them again, the whole bumper push procession on the track was boring. Keep them V8's but drop the ci limit to around 300...and keep dropping it as speeds increase.

Lets face it, a 355 Nascar engine puts out the same HP (or more depending on who you believe) as a Nascar 426 did in the old days but now we have better tires and more aero in the designs. I don't see anything wrong with a bunch of 5.0 Litre cars duking it out on the banks, I wouldn't even be averse to letting high tech engines with multi valves compete alongside with weight restrictions to level the field. Anything to break the boredom, reminded me of watching a bunch of formula vees out there except on a huge banked oval where driving skill has little to do with winning...seemed the luck of staying out of an accident had more to with getting to the lead than actual driving skill or engine building prowess.

I know that's simplifying it a bit but sheesh, I sure miss the old days when two ton sedans, huge big blocks and crappy tires ran on that course. You know I am almost at the point where they should be using stock based engines in the cars and if that means a V6 then so be it, you can keep the tube frames and rear drive layout but if you can't buy a car that resembles what runs out there I wonder how that translates to the customer in the showroom floor.

Seriously think about it, homologation of a car to get it legal for the track was a great thing for us car guys...how else would we have gotten those 427 Galaxies or 426 Superbirds that are so sought after today. I had a rental the other week that I absolutely loved, a 2009 SS Chevy Caprice...I beat the crud out of that car for a week, I even took it on highway drives in the evenings just to drive it hard and listen to it pull in top gear. Sure took me back to the old days when you could love a big car with some horses under the hood, it was only a 5.3L with 300hp or so but it pulled nice for a land yacht...plenty comfortable too. Have to tip that rental girl more often for that upgrade! :D

Think about it, that is what started it all...big car, rear drive, lots of power plus room for the family...those were the roots of Nascar...Dad could buy one and the kids could see it on the track on TV while Dad talked about how he should have got the "track pack" option while he watched the race with the kids. Its become too sterile and too regulated with next to no innovation to allow anyone have an edge and it doesn't take a genius to see how it has translated into the racing.

I think we talk about this topic every year after Taledaga and Daytona, and I keep saying the same things... :(
 
#11 ·
Im not sticking up for the restrictor plates or anything, but I cant see what a smaller engine would do......It would just be the same, less horsepower and the same racing......They would likely get a bit better mileage, so there would be less pit stops, thus longer periods of boring racing.......

Daytona and Talledega are just 2 tracks.....they are the oddballs of NASCAR...the season really starts next week at the 1 1/2 mile tracks
 
#15 ·
the daytona 500

I liked it, 70 some lead changes, a lot better than one big line of 43 cars going around lap after lap, at least two cars could be leading one minute and be back in 15th or so the next. I had tickets at Daytona for years, until it started taking too long to get out of there. Now I have tickets at Kansas.

Someone said they should run with out spotters, well if they did we would still be watching the race. You can't see jack out of those cars, I did one of those driving school deals in them, took so many hours of class then got to drive alone. I was pushing 175 MPH. let me tell you, it's not like driving down the highway, even if you are the on the track with a lead car, he would only let you go as fast as he thought you should.

Maybe it doesn't look like much but you ask anyone of those drivers how hard it is to drive like that, the pusher can't see a thing, that's why they talk to each other, The Gibbs cars were the only ones that would not give out what channel they were on.

Someone said they couldn't wait until next week, when NHRA starts, because they like pro-stock. Those cars are held to certain CI also, they sure aren't run what you brung. I was a crew chief on one when they first started, WJ was are big foe from across town, during the week we traded parts. Greg Anderson was a crewman on are car. We ran a Plymouth, back then we had to carry a extra 100 lbs because we had a HEMI even when we had the same HP.

I like them both I watch every race, Trucks, nationwide, and cup and all the drag racing, except bracket I can't stand that. I only live about 10 miles from Brained race track and they drag every Wed. So I go watch a lot.

Now NASCAR will get back to the regular racing until they get to the other long track.
Oh 2013 they will have a new car that will look more like the show room cars.

Bob
 
#16 ·
Like I told you fellowers last year that an't stock cars it's race cars. I have seen it progress? to what NASCAR is to day and it an't stock car raceing any more. If it was you could drive down and enter your car and quess what it would stay on the ground cause it woun't run 200 MPH. Let them use roll bars and all the other safty stuff but make them run a stock car! I can rember when I could go 50 miles in most any way I liked and see Herb,Fireball and the rest of the REAL stock car drivers eather drive there cars up or if they were lucky pull them.Yes I know it woun't happen but I sure would like to see just one more STOCK CAR race.

OLDROD
 
#19 ·
39 OLDROD said:
Like I told you fellowers last year that an't stock cars it's race cars. I have seen it progress? to what NASCAR is to day and it an't stock car raceing any more. If it was you could drive down and enter your car and quess what it would stay on the ground cause it woun't run 200 MPH. Let them use roll bars and all the other safty stuff but make them run a stock car! I can rember when I could go 50 miles in most any way I liked and see Herb,Fireball and the rest of the REAL stock car drivers eather drive there cars up or if they were lucky pull them.Yes I know it woun't happen but I sure would like to see just one more STOCK CAR race.

OLDROD
Do you think anyone would come to watch?



Blazin72 said:
I think the Daytona 500 is just as overhyped and overrated as the Super Bowl.
Agreed, but millions enjoy the Super Bowl.....and Daytona 500


Thing is, these sports have to evolve to stay popular...If they didnt they would die...Whether you agree with it or not is up to you

We say the same things about these dumb automotive shows on TV...We say, lets see the builds, not the drama....Trouble is, we are the minority......If it was that way, poor ratings would have them canceled in no time
 
#20 ·
poncho62 said:
Do you think anyone would come to watch?





Agreed, but millions enjoy the Super Bowl.....and Daytona 500


Thing is, these sports have to evolve to stay popular...If they didnt they would die...Whether you agree with it or not is up to you

We say the same things about these dumb automotive shows on TV...We say, lets see the builds, not the drama....Trouble is, we are the minority......If it was that way, poor ratings would have them canceled in no time

I take it you an't seen all the empty seats and low tv ratings?

OLDROD
 
#21 ·
39 OLDROD said:
I take it you an't seen all the empty seats and low tv ratings?

OLDROD
Hmmmmmm.....

http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/2/21/2005703/2011-daytona-500-tv-ratings-up-increase-nascar

2011 Daytona 500 TV Ratings Up Significantly Over 2010

by Jeff Gluck • Feb 21, 2011 10:55 AM EST

Here's some news NASCAR fans haven't heard much in the last few years: The TV ratings for a major race were up significantly.


What was the attendance for 2011 daytona 500?

170,000

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_was_the_attendance_for_2011_daytona_500#ixzz1EdMqXtYw
 
#22 ·
poncho62 said:
Agreed, but millions enjoy the Super Bowl.....and Daytona 500
I still watched the Super Bowl. But there's so much other overrated crap associated with it that has become way overblown. Many of the hyped up things like commercials and the half time show border on terrible. The whole thing has turned into much more than a football game, and most of it is worthless. Much like the week leading up to the Daytona 500.
 
#23 ·
Blazin72 said:
I still watched the Super Bowl. But there's so much other overrated crap associated with it that has become way overblown. Many of the hyped up things like commercials and the half time show border on terrible. The whole thing has turned into much more than a football game, and most of it is worthless. Much like the week leading up to the Daytona 500.
True....But over the last week or so, we had about 40 hrs of racing coverage on Speed plus 6 solid hours on Fox yesterday......

How about we go back to when I was younger and wanted to see Richard Petty in the Daytona 500....and had to get about 45 minutes of clips on Wide World of Sports a few weeks after the fact.......or, about 10 minutes of the Winternationals.........

Sure a lot of it is BS, worthless and all money oriented.......but we sure get a lot to see on the tube.....and the internet for that matter.....
 
#24 ·
I grew up in the heart of NASCAR country. Every little town had a dirt track and every Fri and Sat nite there was a race. Model As, 32s,3,4,5,6,7,8,9s and 40s, running hopped up Ford Flat Heads. An occasional 36-39 Chevy with a hopped up six cylinder would come along and run pretty good. Lots of building going on every night at a nearby neighbors garage and we hung around there doing little things and dirty things just to have the opportunity to sit in the car and crank it up for the owner driver while he got dressed (coveralls over his jeans, leather gloves, goggles and an occasional leather helmet). As I got older, would get to take the car for a couple of warm up laps before the owner got in. He knew how to get free labor out of us young guys. Today, Dave Marcus, one of the last independent drivers is in our car club. He is just as feisty as ever and still building cars. Says he has the only 200 mph 32 Chevy. It is on one of his old cup car frames/cages. David Pearson shows up at a lot of our local shows and just likes to hang around rodders. Interesting conversations about the old days compared to these days.

I have not liked NASCAR very well since they went to multiple teams and have predicted a fall in fan base. All cars running the same parts, displacement, chassis, and all fitting the same templates has added to their demise. This year of going to E-85 to be more green? YGBSM!!!!
and next year, going to EFI with the same computers that can only be altered by NASCAR? YGBSM!!!! Yesterdays Race?? What race? Which pair stayed out of the most trouble. I am not a fan of Kyle Bush, but he can man handle a car around the track, but his style of driving and personality makes him a terrible pusher or puller. It was obvious the rookie that ended up winning was the best pusher out there because "he did not have any old habits to interfere with his role of pushing" and when he lost his leader on the restart and was in front, his good car let him stay there, but had to abandon his pusher at the end to block the team that was passing on the left.

Nope, don't like it, but am not going to give up easily.

Trees
 
#25 ·
I all but quit watching about 2 years ago when the COT took over and thought I'd give it another try for Daytona. Slept through most of it but am I ever glad I was awake for the finish. It was so cool to see the 21 car in those colors again. It was impressive enough that Jeff Gordon ( NOT a #24 fan but he CAN drive ) was working with him and that he was even on the lead lap at the end but then for him to win!!!!!! That was too cool. Maybe there's still hope for NASCAR but I still hate the COT.

Trees, I was a Dave Marcus fan when he was still racing, I have a couple diecast of the #71 from his last 2 seasons. Does he still wear wing tips?
 
#26 ·
Trees, you said it well. I guess that is why I am a die-hard dirt track fan. You are a lucky man to be in the heart of racing, for all the car popularity we have in California, dirt track racing lags far behind the midwest and the east coast. Perhaps that is why I am so anti-NASCAR these days. We get a pretty good IMCA car count and once a month or so, late models. I haven't had a bad day at the dirt track for quite a few years. Dan
 
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