Is NASCAR dead?

[lakemadness]

The Midget race on the new dirt track in the infield sold out Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Just saying!

I was there, second year. Great race and great crowd.

 

[lakemadness]

I attended many May night races there while I was working across the street. Bush Stadium was built in 1931, and it was an Art Deco architectural treasure with beautiful tile work, including wonderful mosaics. I believe it was demolished in 1999.

Its still there. It has been converted to apartments. The field is still there.
https://www.coreredevelopment.com/apartments/stadium-lofts/

 

[farmo83]

Haven't watched since Dale Sr passed away.

The drivers today have no character or personality. I realize this is mostly due to the times we live in and the sponsor restrictions. Still makes it boring to me.

 

[TCHB]

Yes

 

[sprintcvx]

With the changes they've been making for the last few years, I find myself watching less and less.

 

[5oclocksomewhere]

I’ve been a Nascar fan for as long as I can remember. With all the new rule BS I haven’t watched a race in a couple years. We still keep our infield spot at Fontana but the whole 55mph trailer towing in Ca has made it very unappealing to drive back out there from Az, so we just sell our spot to a friend every year.

What is this talk of Nascar 2nd amendment stance? I haven’t heard anything about this.

 

[playdeep]

If anybody want to see good racing, Go to your local track regardless of what the venue is.
This Corporate shit is played out.
Fuck them.

^^^This^^^
You want to see real racing go find a dirt track that's running Sprint cars...

I prefer non wing but the wing Guys are pretty amazing as well.

 

[westair]

The changes that Nascar and NHRA have made over the last several years pushed long time fans out and didn't attract a younger fan base, so now they don't have anything.

You can add Indycars to this..

 

[Hardly Satisfied]

I still have a spot at Autoclub speedway and still like Nascar. Hope they figure this out soon

 

[Kfabe]

Formula 1 is running real strong. This is Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on podium at Monza.

 

[COCA COLA COWBOY]

Remember when it was race on Sunday and sell on Monday? Well, you can't buy what the racers are driving anymore.

I agree! I have no interest in big corporate racing. I do love watching the local racing of cars that can be seen on the street. Same goes for boats. I could care less about the Top Fuel stuff, I like to watch the same boats I see at the river battle it out.

 

[Moneypit]

What is this talk of Nascar 2nd amendment stance? I haven’t heard anything about this.

No fire arm sponsorship of any type on any of the cars...

Dead? I'd say dying a slow death... They need to SCRAP this countdown crap. Stage races are the things you pull with horses... Count points from the first lap of the season to the last. Eliminate pit road speed limits and penalties. Pit crew behind wall until car stops in pit box. Eliminate "arms length" loose tire rule. No spoiler spec rules. Brand name cars must look like brand. Eliminate 5 minute repair rule. Paint, not wraps.
Just a few my .02 worth..
Ray

 

[Racey]

Not to defend NASCAR, but the Southern 500 was packed last weekend. Keep in mind Indy has a 250,000+ capacity. With even 100,000 fans, the stands would look pretty empty.

A lot of competing sporting events this weekend too.

Yeah i don't disagree that NASCAR has a major viewership problem, and is making, and has made some dumb marketing decisions. But indy is absolutely massive in seating capacity, i think it may be closer to 300,000 seats. So not hard to make the stands look empty if you have 80,000 show up for a race.

 

[rrrr]

Its still there. It has been converted to apartments. The field is still there.
https://www.coreredevelopment.com/apartments/stadium-lofts/

The remaining original structure, which housed administrative functions of the home baseball team and some restrooms, is just the center portion of the overall stadium. Everything to the left and right of it is new construction, some of which was built on top of the original sloped concrete seating areas after demolition of the overhead structures between first and third base. There are new apartment buildings covering the former outfield area.

It was a really cool venue. The Art Deco architectural features were present everywhere, including the concession areas, bathrooms, and portals between the concourse and seating areas. In addition to the beautiful tile work I mentioned above, there were also many insets of hand carved stone around columns and door openings leading into spaces around the concourse.

 

[rrrr]

Yeah i don't disagree that NASCAR has a major viewership problem, and is making, and has made some dumb marketing decisions. But indy is absolutely massive in seating capacity, i think it may be closer to 300,000 seats. So not hard to make the stands look empty if you have 80,000 show up for a race.

There are just over 257,000 fixed seats. Viewing mounds along the back stretch are popular, and accommodate an additional 50,000 or so fans on race day, the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

 

[LowRiver2]

Between all above and who wants to hunt down the damn channel to watch the damn thing?
Plenty of other options to watch or do vs. the nonsense that series has become.

 

[mjc]

I still watch most races if I am home, Don't watch if not there. Biggest problem with all racing is that kids now don't care about cars and driving anymore, all social media is it.

 

[spectra bash]

Indy said there were 65,000 people spread out throughout the 260,000 seats. Pretty sure thats how many people are at the stuper bowl. most nascar tracks hold 50 to 80,000 people. Darlington last week was sold out. The non nascar fans have been saying its dying for years. I dont think so. If ya dont like the sport guess you should focus on the sports you do. Closet fans.

 

[jetur]

Nascar isn't dead. Hell, they just got the psshhht guy.

 

[SpeedyWho]

The 2013 Daytona pole killed it for me, I always figured certain aspects are fixed but that was just too much. Haven't watched a single lap since.

 

[Ricks raft]

Been a fan since the late 80's. Like most sports the hey days of late 90's early 2000's are gone.
Most sports are having trouble filling seats.
I didn't like the chase format at first but do now. People saying the racing isn't good like the old days, didn't watch the old days ... In the 50's 60's most races had 2nd and 3rd place cars multiple laps down . Drivers would run 70-80% until the end, now with stage racing they run close to 100% all race.

The attention span of young people is short so getting them to watch a 3-4 hr race isn't working, all sports are trying to make shorter events. The problem is, if your watching on tv you want it short if your at the event you want more for your money... So for the last few years they have added fan zones, air shows, concerts, etc... It seems to be working, also the economy is helping, fan attendance is up this year with multiple events sold out.
Brickyard 400 has not had good racing over the years so attendance is down but still had over 60k but looks empty when it holds close to 300k. The racing was better this year.

NASCAR is working on a new car for 2020 to try and get costs down for team owners, composite bodies, spec engines, 3 section chassis, and technology to entice other manufactures. Currently over $30 million a year for a top team sponsorship and in today's world hard for a sponsor to justify that price tag.

 

[Old Texan]

The biggest thing that happened in NASCAR this year was Lil' E's plane crash....Other than that, few long time fans no what is happening

In my opinion, too many events, no drivers with any charisma, and the rules changes make it both confusing to many and boring to most.

Get rid of the standard for all body styles and let each manufacturer and team have leeway into making their brand individual. Nobody can tell a Chevy, Ford, or Toyota apart. The cookie cutter shit accomplished nothing but putting fans to sleep.

The more they think they're making shit equal and competitive, the more they go the other direction. Let them tinker and do individual things. So what if a few cars dominate, in the end it will make more teams get better to catch up.

They officials that run it have lost their way.

 

[was thatguy]

If anybody want to see good racing, Go to your local track regardless of what the venue is.
This Corporate shit is played out.
Fuck them.

Truth.

 

[lenmann]

If you were King for a day, what would you change to save Nascar?

Or is it like most other motorsports, in an inevitable death spiral because the demographic is aging out?

 

[westair]

If you were King for a day, what would you change to save Nascar?

Or is it like most other motorsports, in an inevitable death spiral because the demographic is aging out?

More road courses and hopefully that would lead to less restrictions on the cars

 

[pronstar]

More road courses and hopefully that would lead to less restrictions on the cars

Honestly, if they go to road courses then they need to rethink the cars.

They’re huge, heavy and not at all fast around a road course. Suspension tech that was state-of-the-art in a 1950’s pickup truck probably isn’t helping, either.

IMHO the cars are meh...and I can’t watch things go in circles for more than a few seconds.

And there are waaaay too many races, along with a never-ending season. Google says the 2020 season runs from February thru November. Seriously.

“How can we miss you if you won’t go away?” comes to mind...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[rrrr]

I'd go for a V8 Supercar kinda deal. The Aussies are running RWD tube frame cars with choices of a NA V-8 or 4 and 6 cylinder turbo engines of 650-ish HP. The cars have full independent suspensions and a six speed transaxle.

They race exclusively on road courses, the cars are fast and the action is badass. Five years ago Roger Penske bought a 51% interest in Dick Johnson Racing. Johnson is a retired five time champ. You won't be surprised to learn Shell sponsored Penske/DJR Ford Mustangs are kicking ass, and driver Scott McLaughlin won the 2018 championship. McLaughlin has won 16 of the 22 races run this year.

https://www.supercars.com/news/championship/johnson-mclaughlin-blitz-world-class/

 

[FreeBird236]

When you you can put a 2 inch piece of tape on the front of the car and gain a performance advantage, I think the days of making the car look like their street counterpart is long gone..

 

[j21black]

Indy said there were 65,000 people spread out throughout the 260,000 seats. Pretty sure thats how many people are at the stuper bowl. most nascar tracks hold 50 to 80,000 people. Darlington last week was sold out. The non nascar fans have been saying its dying for years. I dont think so. If ya dont like the sport guess you should focus on the sports you do. Closet fans.

I only missed one or 2 races from the middle 90's until Mark Martin's retirement. I either watched them on TV or listened on the radio while out on the water. I had TrackPass for 10+ years so I could listen to the scanner feed while watching the TV. Starting around 04 I quit the water on Sundays and strictly watched it on TV. Even made sure I watched qualifying every week.

I have been to 40+ races in my "closet fan" time, Multiple trips to Brickyard (sucks), Talladega (favorite), Bristol, Daytona (also sucks), Darlington, Richmond, Martinsville, Charoltte, Atlanta...It helped when I moved to the Charlotte area in 08.

In the last 5 or 6 years, I may have watched a handful of races - The Chase was a dumb idea to begin with, and it became even more ridiculous when they started expanding the Chase field from the original 10 car format. They lost me completely when they went to stage racing format with knock out qualifying or whatever it is they do currently.

NASCAR is dying - I remember you had to pay double face value to get into most races, now you can get free tickets at gas stations.

 

[Carlson-jet]

If you were King for a day, what would you change to save Nascar?

Or is it like most other motorsports, in an inevitable death spiral because the demographic is aging out?

I thought of posting a similar question but I like yours better.

King for the day: You get to run a car straight off the showroom floor including tires and with a few safety modifications. Teams that want to kill their drivers will quickly be eliminated with attrition. The announcers are forced to listen to themselves for a 24 period after the race in a sound proof room with commercials playing in the background.
The center of all tracks contain a smaller track with junior racers ready to commence at the drop of any yellow flags. The junior races will race until completed. Upon the winner crossing the finish line, This will be the green flag for the headlining race. Beers will be no more than $2.50
If your teams car spills oil on the track, That team gets to clean all of the restrooms and porta potties. If there is more than a few, the rest get to direct traffic out of the Venue.
If a fan is caught doing Brodies, peeling out or missing a 1st to 2nd shift leaving the parking lot and caught, they get a special recognition on the wall of shame that nascar will include on their website. I have a few hundred other but, "I'm only King for a day"

 

[77charger]

Think one of the problems is the hp limits they use to push 850-900 hp then NASCAR cut it back also when Toyota couldn't keep an engine together. Soon after teams hit it back to 850 range.

Today they use tapered spacers to cut to about 550 st some tracks and others get more. I preferred to see more power leave it to drivers to control it use softer tires so traction falls off quicker take some downforce away too.

 

[OldSchoolBoats]

Pretty freaking packed night at Richmond......[emoji2369][emoji2369][emoji2357]

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[GRADS]

Looks good from my house!

 

[napanutt]

This to me is what NASCAR was about.
Couldn’t get the whole thing in one pic because too wide but I’ve had this since 97.
Was at Sonoma. I think I traded a pack of Marlboros for a carton of Winston’s and this poster.

 

[rrrr]

Richmond had seats all the way around the track in the 90s, I think the capacity was 80,000. The NASCAR races sold out, it was a tough ticket to score in those days.

The seats between the exit of Turn 1 and the entrance of Turn 4 were removed several years ago. I don't know what the seating capacity is now. Overhead shots of the stands tonight showed a lot of aluminum, I'd say less than 50% of the seats were occupied.

 

[Old Texan]

I'd love to see how the kids of Nascar today would have fared runnin' against the old guys like Curtis T......

Great read
http://racefansforever2014.weebly.com/the-life-and-good-times-of-curtis-turner.html