Newspaper Columnist Gets It: NASCAR Car of Tomorrow Ironically Killing NASCAR

[cjforumadmin]

http://www.bangshift.com/blog/Newspaper-Columnist-Gets-It-NASCAR-Car-of-Tomorrow-Ironically-Killing-NASCAR.html

[trh87]

Re: Newspaper Columnist Gets It: NASCAR Car of Tomorrow Ironically Killing NASCAR

totally agree. look at the Le Mans series cars... constant R&D. I mean a Diesel won the last 2 years running! If the competition that occurred in NASCAR in the 60's-70's boosted the auto industry by so much and lead the way to incredible new idea's, who's to say it wont happen today. Think about it, a "redneck" racing series that not only dragged auto makers out of the grave but it could very well change the course of the economy and could even have a profound effect on the environment. How cool would that be?

[studemax]

Re: Newspaper Columnist Gets It: NASCAR Car of Tomorrow Ironically Killing NASCAR

Well written article and spot on observations!
But you can bet NASCAR will continue to be "myopic" in the future.

[38P]

Re: Newspaper Columnist Gets It: NASCAR Car of Tomorrow Ironically Killing NASCAR

[From the newspaper column] "Here?s a story for you: In 1964, when Plymouth came out with the Hemi engine, NASCAR banned it for a time because it blew the doors off everyone. But it was a direct response to Ford and Chevy ? which, a year earlier, unveiled their own 427-cubic-inch beasts that blew the doors off everyone."

This is not exactly accurate history. Chevrolet's 1963 427 (the "Mark II") made a splash in the qualifying races at Daytona, but was an unreliable dud in the 500 (which was won by Tiny Lund in a Wood Brothers 427FE Ford). Then the GM Board pulled the plug. Junior Johnson struggled with the Mark II until the parts ran out and then switched to Ford.

Ford, on the other hand, proceded to win seven consecutive manufacturer's championships (six with the 427 FE and the last one mostly with the Boss 429). Chevrolet was virtually absent from the "Grand National" (now Sprint Cup) winners circle until the Chrysler and Ford withdrawals and moonlighting Holman-Moody employee Robert Yates figured out how to make the Chevrolet Mark IV last for 500 competition miles in 1971 for team co-owners Richard Howard and Junior Johnson (Too bad their Monte Carlo, wheeled at times by Charlie Glotzback, Friday Hassler, and Bobby Allison wasn't sponsored by "Howard Johnson's")


But obviously, Chevrolet did clandestinely spend their motorsports money better in the 1960s and 1970s. While Ford spent its money on professional racing, Chevrolet quietly invested around the margins to build up grassroots racing. Chevolet's parts operation positioned it to take over once Ford stopped building "muscle parts." Ford's idiotic abandonment of most professional and grassroots motorsports in America in November 1970 (arguably Ford's most stupid management decision since WWII) conceded American motorsports hegemony to Chevrolet for decades. Not until the 5.0 Mustang era of the 1980s was Ford able to make any inroads on Chevrolet dominance. Even now, Ford has failed to invest the resources to "beat GM" in the performance aftermarket.

The real problem with the COT is that it is not production-based in any way. The greatness of the 1960s was that NASCAR required production-based race cars that could actually "win on Sunday and sell on Monday."

NASCAR started down the slippery slope when it allowed Holman-Moody to convert unibody Ford Fairlanes into "3/4 chassis" cars using the Galaxie front suspension. What they should have told Ford was "if you want a Galaxie front suspension in a Fairlane, sell it to the public." But they didn't, and this started the march toward spec racers, which has logically culminated in the COT four decades later.

BTW, NASCAR's banning of fuel injection, supercharging, and overhead cams stymed the development of American V8s for thirty-five years. Nice work NASCAR. "Myopic" is a synonym for NASCAR.

[kindabored2]

Re: Newspaper Columnist Gets It: NASCAR Car of Tomorrow Ironically Killing NASCA

I'm a long time NASCAR fan, no description required. I work from home & conveniently have a big screen in my office. Today was kinda slow but today's race never crossed my mind. Not too long ago I would have rescheduled my entire day to be able to watch the race.

They are losing me and they don't care. Then again Sports Center told ma a toyota won......who cares....

[dand38s]

Re: Newspaper Columnist Gets It: NASCAR Car of Tomorrow Ironically Killing NASCAR

He may have got it right, but you can bet that nascar does not care what we the fans think.

[BluLightning]

Re: Newspaper Columnist Gets It: NASCAR Car of Tomorrow Ironically Killing NASCAR

Surprisingly, the race at Pocono was highly entertaining.

[SpiderGearsMan]

Re: Newspaper Columnist Gets It: NASCAR Car of Tomorrow Ironically Killing NASCAR

totally agree. look at the Le Mans series cars... constant R&D. I mean a Diesel won the last 2 years running! If the competition that occurred in NASCAR in the 60's-70's boosted the auto industry by so much and lead the way to incredible new idea's, who's to say it wont happen today. Think about it, a "redneck" racing series that not only dragged auto makers out of the grave but it could very well change the course of the economy and could even have a profound effect on the environment. How cool would that be?

why you be hatin ?
the diesels are interesting as they don't pass each other , so , it's not really racing , it's more of a parade , road racing is so popular ;D
I say big blocks in sprint cup