the Daytona 500
Ever since Bill France started NASCAR and racing on the beach.the sport has gone from a bunch of good old boys racing on Sat. night with their moon shine cars to where they could make more money. By building Daytona And racing in Feb. Bill could get the people from up north, that came south in the winter to come to the races. The racing was still in the SE. then came TV, now more people watched the drivers had to have better cars, go faster. It took a long time until it took the next step, moving out of the south east, but it did and a small snowball was started. But it pickup speed and more tracks were built, more drivers were coming into the sport from around the country, people wanted the cars to go faster, NASCAR had to make rules, drivers became hero's, more money was made, it was still a race but it also was show business. In show business things have to change or it goes under. NASCAR still controls it, so they are the ones that change it. They had to make a COD car, TV or the public didn't want to see their hero's killed or hurt bad on TV, not unless we have become so sick that we want to see that.
NASCAR knows that going away from car ID has hurt. They plan on going back to it in 2013, how I don't know. Using the same parts, well that would be great if they had robots working on the cars. People have cheated since day one, if they didn't they wouldn't have to look at the cars before, and after the race.
So those that would like to see it like it was, sorry but you are only dreaming. This is not a sport for just car people, hasn't been for a long time, and if it was it would not be what it is. Even at the home town small mom and pop tracks, most of the cars are Mod. That's what people want to see.
Same at NHRA, it's a traveling show, same drivers, same cars,and rules so no one cheats, not that they don't try.
Bob