5 Reasons I will STOP Being a NASCAR Fan
In the overall scheme of things, I have been a NASCAR fan for a short time...about 12 years. The way things look now, this will be my last year of actively following the sport. This is why...
1. The Car Of Tomorrow - Now all cars must fit the same inspection template, therefore all cars must look the same. This sameness is boring. NO experimentation, NO design changes, NO taking chances, and NO new ideas. Implemented for competition and safety, it reminds me of the IROC races where each driver was given an identical Chevy Camero and then allowed to race.
2. Restricter Plates - Designed to slow the car, they are credited with producing spectacular crashes. If a driver has the skill, ability, nerve, and equipment to go 200+ mph, he should be allowed. Which is less safe, a 1 car crash at 210 mph or a 15 car crash at 195 mph?
3. Nextel drivers in the Busch race - More and more, Nextel driver compete and dominate in the Busch races. These Nextel drivers then complain that rookies do not know how to compete at 200 mph because of the lack of seat time. When the Nextel drivers participate in Busch races, they take a spot away from someone who could benefit from the experience. Nextel drivers to it for fun, money, or as an extended practice. Regardless, new drivers are cheated of being able to learn how to race at high speeds. I suggest that Nextel drivers only drive Nextel races and leave the Busch races open for other drivers.
4. The Chase - The system for choosing a champ does not interest me. I would rather have 2 races at the end of the year for the top 20 in points. Each driver gets 20% of his points and the grid for the first race is set by the points. The grid for the second race is set by the finish of the first. Add the points and determine a winner.
5. Probation - Nextel does not police itself well. Drivers are put on probation - so what? Probation means nothing.
This is why I will stop watching NASCAR and spending Sundays with my family.
1. The Car Of Tomorrow - Now all cars must fit the same inspection template, therefore all cars must look the same. This sameness is boring. NO experimentation, NO design changes, NO taking chances, and NO new ideas. Implemented for competition and safety, it reminds me of the IROC races where each driver was given an identical Chevy Camero and then allowed to race.
2. Restricter Plates - Designed to slow the car, they are credited with producing spectacular crashes. If a driver has the skill, ability, nerve, and equipment to go 200+ mph, he should be allowed. Which is less safe, a 1 car crash at 210 mph or a 15 car crash at 195 mph?
3. Nextel drivers in the Busch race - More and more, Nextel driver compete and dominate in the Busch races. These Nextel drivers then complain that rookies do not know how to compete at 200 mph because of the lack of seat time. When the Nextel drivers participate in Busch races, they take a spot away from someone who could benefit from the experience. Nextel drivers to it for fun, money, or as an extended practice. Regardless, new drivers are cheated of being able to learn how to race at high speeds. I suggest that Nextel drivers only drive Nextel races and leave the Busch races open for other drivers.
4. The Chase - The system for choosing a champ does not interest me. I would rather have 2 races at the end of the year for the top 20 in points. Each driver gets 20% of his points and the grid for the first race is set by the points. The grid for the second race is set by the finish of the first. Add the points and determine a winner.
5. Probation - Nextel does not police itself well. Drivers are put on probation - so what? Probation means nothing.
This is why I will stop watching NASCAR and spending Sundays with my family.
posted by Al | 9:34 PM
4 Comments:
oh no!
Oooh. Those all seem like pretty good reasons! I've only been watching since this year but I can see the good reasoning behind all of these.
I really lost interest about the time that Richard Petty switched from Plymouth to Pontiac. I was on active duty and deployed a lot, so I couldn't keep up. When I finally got on shore duty, I couldn't believe how different it was. This was in the early 90s.
Even before the Car of Tomorrow, it seemed to me that all of the cars were pretty much the same. When I was a boy, a car maker had to put 1500 models of an almost NASCAR ready vehicle for sale to the public. In theory, you could walk into a showroom and drive away the car your favorite driver was running that Sunday. This is the reason the Plymouth Superbird was sold to the public.
As things progressed, the cars became less and less "stock." I can understand a few of the changes being done for driver safety. But the whole deal now seems pasteurized, homogenized and a bit too politically correct for me.
The final straw for me was to remove Winston as the sponsor of the Cup. NASCAR was born and raised in the heart of tobacco country. To deny that was to turn their back on their own heritage.
I think NASCAR should change their name to NAAR. There is nothing close to a Stock Car involved with it any longer.
The death of Dale Earnhardt made me stop. I just couldn't do it without the man there anymore.
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