Anyone else laughing at the Nascar announcement?

Trackmouse wrote: In reply to iceracer: You gotta realize the "family sedans" these nascars are based on are sloths BECAUSE NASCAR let them get away with it. If NASCAR said "you'll run the factory chassis, no tube frames" we would have a badass impala/Monte Carlo/Grand Prix/ etc. and I'd bet it would be the next day. "If you build it, they will come."

The sedans that the stocks share their names with ('cause they don't share anything else) are hardly sloths. The Fusion Sport can hit 60 somewhere in the mid-5s and turn 1/4 mile well down into the 14s. As "boring" as the Camry is, the V6 version is no slow poke either. In a straight line, it can haul butt. I also don't think NASCAR had a ton of control over how the manufacturer designed the street car. Since they now share nothing but their names, I don't see the design of one influencing the other.

While it would be retro cool to the cars be required to be truly based off cars plucked from the factory, it's not realistic. Just wouldn't be safe. There are still series that run true stock based cars...just go to your local short track and you'll see plenty of them. Or series like the Continental Tires Road Race series. But top level NASCAR, no way. It's no different than NHRA, F1, etc...look at the cars from 30 years ago and look at them now. Very, very different...in the name of speed and safety. This will be my 6th season running LeMons, and even in that true grassroots level racing, I've seen speeds increase. As speeds get faster, rules get tighter and the cars become less street like and more race car like. I've heard stories from LeMons people who were around at the start and the cars they ran were so much less safe and different than what's required today.

I still don't know that I like the changes NASCAR has made, but I understand it and don't fault them for things not being like the "good 'ol days".

Trackmouse wrote: In reply to iceracer: You gotta realize the "family sedans" these nascars are based on are sloths BECAUSE NASCAR let them get away with it. If NASCAR said "you'll run the factory chassis, no tube frames" we would have a badass impala/Monte Carlo/Grand Prix/ etc. and I'd bet it would be the next day. "If you build it, they will come."

More like it'd be "Welp, we're shifting focus to another form of racing. Bye."

All right, I'll put my $0.02 in.

I'm a NASCAR fan and I have been all my life. I cheered on King Richard until he retired, Alan Kulwiki until he died, Davey Allision until he died, at this point I'd decided I was cursed and I probably shouldn't have a favourite for a while. I later cheered on Ricky Rudd, big E and now Jr.

I've found that anyone who describes NASCAR as "just driving around in circles" doesn't understand NASCAR. It's not a game of miles or laps or miles per hour. NASCAR is a game of inches. a high stakes 200 mph house of cards.

I love all forms of racing. My favourites are WRC and aussie V8 supercars. I drag raced because that was the racing available to me. Now I autocross because that is the racing available to me. Many people watch NASCAR because that is the racing available to them. You have to go looking for WRC, or DTM, or BTCC, but NASCAR is right there on TV every week. And unlike the lame monoball sports, you get to see your favourite team every week.

That was long winded... You may laugh at NASCAR's format changes but at least they're trying. Adapt or die is the rule of life.

I'll close now with my proposed rule changes to make NASCAR better.

1: Any passenger sedan manufactured in the united states. 2: The body must be the exact dimensions of the production version, excepting a NASCAR standard splitter and rear wing. 3: an standard tube frame chassis will be used on all cars, adjusted only for factory wheelbase. 4: engines will be built by each manufacture to meet certain guidelines (probably displacement and hp/tq maximums) 5: transmisions and rear ends will be a standard type. teams may choose from a list of accepted gear ratios.

The racing:

Taking a page from the V8 supercars races will be spread between 2-3 days as short heats. trucks, nationwide, and cup cars will each run on each day giving fans a variety of races to see on a 1 day ticket. drivers can race in only one class.

Each race weekend will operate like a mini points series with points awarded per race and a race weekend winner awarded per those points. these points will determine the overall season winner.

Track permitting there will be a road course as one of the events each weekend. Road course races will be run rain or shine.

That's how I'd do it.

In reply to AClockworkGarage:

I like it. As for the road courses, I have never understood why NASCAR doesn't simply utilize the superspeedway infield courses at the bigger tracks??? Daytona and Indy and several other good infield courses are available. They could still seat xxx,000 fans and the #1 complaint that most fans have about road races (you can't see the whole track at once) is addressed. Come on Mr. France, it wouldn't be that hard! You can have a 1-hour speedway race, then the teams get to adjust the suspensions, aero, gearing, and swap fresh engines and non-staggered tires for a road race all on the same day for the same ticket price. The road race grid positions are determined by the speedway race finishing position, which should make for some good road racing since a number of NASCAR drivers are getting better at road racing.

In reply to WildScotsRacing:

I like it. I would say they can have a second car setup for the road course, and if they wreck one of the two they could use the road car on the speedway or vice versa.

AClockworkGarage wrote: I'll close now with my proposed rule changes to make NASCAR better. 1: Any passenger sedan manufactured in the united states.

That rules out GM, Ford, and Chrysler Camries would be just fine though.

Oh well, they'll just have to move back home. or make a 4 door corvette again...

In all honesty, the reason I just can't get into NASCAR anymore is that I can barely tell the cars apart. They're all too damn similar looking, which doesn't really matter because I can barely see them on the TV due to all the damn arrows, driver photos, logos, numbers, speeds, positions, times, lap counters, and all the other crap covering the screen.

They can't use the infield road courses because a lot of people pay a lot of money to park their rv in the infield for the week of the race, and they line them up along the road course.. that's also where the driver's big fancy busses are parked..

Also, it's not what people go to see.. they go to see oval track racing with cars going 200mph..

In reply to Huckleberry:

Is there a way I can share your post to the Book of Faces?

If they want to make a real change. Race in the rain, Bob Costas!

novaderrik wrote: They can't use the infield road courses because a lot of people pay a lot of money to park their rv in the infield for the week of the race, and they line them up along the road course.. that's also where the driver's big fancy busses are parked.. Also, it's not what people go to see.. they go to see oval track racing with cars going 200mph..

They go to see wrecks. That's one of tge reasons why I don't watch it. I hate wrecking.

Three years ago the cup series' top engine departments were approaching 900hp or more. Then the powers that be decided to implement a tapered spacer in the intake to bring the power down to the 750 range, believing it would create better racing/more passing. Imo it didn't, why impede engineering progress? They might as well of mandated a spec motor from a single supplier. Still smh

The basic engine today is almost a spec engine. The valve covers may be different.

It always amazes me how a pushrod engine can rev. to over 9000 rpm and live. The reliability is unbelieveable.

iceracer wrote: The basic engine today is almost a spec engine. The valve covers may be different. It always amazes me how a pushrod engine can rev. to over 9000 rpm and live. The reliability is unbelieveable.

All are spec to 358ci/16 valves, all run the same McLaren fuel injection system. The difference is with internal/external architecture as well as piston dome design, cam/lifter duration & timing, and compression ratios. The latest ford/roushyates motor was designed to have the lowest center of gravity (pumps, alternator placed at there lowest point, among other unknown to myself weight distributing architecture). In 2009 dodge unveiled the R6 motor that was said to have the longest plumbing matrix of cooling veins throughout the heads and upper block. Six or seven years ago TRD engines were using a newly developed coating on the cam lobes and lifters for the lowest friction coefficient possible. The r&d race is ongoing as I type this.