Lowe's Is Dumping Jimmie Johnson

[Mitch Alsup]

Originally Posted By: JamesBond
Everyone is complaining about NASCAR but no one has an idea of how to fix it, and neither do I.


NASCAR was born from modified cars anyone could by from the factory on a showroom floor.
So bring back stock cars with actual body panels from actual production cars,
and make the engine sit in the same place and drive the same wheels as the factory car.

A) aero is not equal:: so friggen what--you want best aero by from the manufacture with the best aero
B) front wheel drive:: any mfg wanting to win will produce a RWD car.
C) what about a Mid-engined sedan:: would advance the state of road cars too
D) wings: if the car on the showroom floor has one, so can the race car
E) underbody aerodynamics: see D)
F) movable aero: see D)
G) engine size: 5.7L push rods 4.5 litre DOHC V6-V8-V10-V12 whatever the mfg sells you can use
H) carbon fiber panels: whatever the mfg sells on the showroom floor can be used
I) weight: same as what the low-optioned car on the showroom floor weights

 

[bdcardinal]

According to a tweet from Adam Stern from the Sports Business Journal, HMS exec Pat Perkins has states that HMS has already begun receiving calls from companies interested in sponsoring Jimmie next year.

Generally most of the tweets from Adam Stern are very accurate, even the speculative ones.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Mitch Alsup


You're not going to get a lot of argument from me on that. There are series like that and there have been in various iterations through the years. If one wishes to complain that a Camry cannot beat a Camaro, then, hypothetically, Toyota shouldn't pit a Camry against a Camaro. It's that simple. Look at the various GT type races in Europe. Vettes and Ford GTs and Nisasn GT-Rs participate, along with the usual suspects. Camrys and Accords and Micras aren't put in such GT classes because, among other reasons, they'd get whomped on and laughed at.

Some of the most storied years of the Big Three were when they were trying to outdo each other in stock car racing and had to have something comparable on the roads. People saw something on the track and wanted to own that. Today, I doubt there are many people running out to buy an Impala or a Camry because of what they saw on the track.

 

[PimTac]

“I see where the Street Outlaws kind of deal might be able to fill this vacuum. Drivers easily accessible?? Yeah. Drivers seem like regular everyday people?? Yes. No stupid governing body like NASCAR regulating the cars to the inth degree to make them equal??? Check. A lot of those cars look like real fast cars?? Yep. There is something to what those guys are doing. And if they are wise and smart... They will be able to get NASCAR fans, IRL fans and NHRA fans to show up and watch them race. Has long as they stick to the basics. And learn from NASCAR's failures. “


Great idea there. Something that would be open to anyone.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Today, I doubt there are many people running out to buy an Impala or a Camry because of what they saw on the track.


Hey, wait a minute! I just bought a new Camry because it leads the majority of every NASCAR race. It's the Pace Car!

 

[CT8]

How exciting is watching people drive around an oval for hours?

 

[eyeofthetiger]

Originally Posted By: CT8
How exciting is watching people drive around an oval for hours?


Unless there's a really cool wreck, it's up there with golf among my top 3 things to watch if I need to take a nap.

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Today, I doubt there are many people running out to buy an Impala or a Camry because of what they saw on the track.


Which makes me wonder WHY the Nippon Giant forced their way into NASCAR in the first place.

Did they see an opportunity to (what they thought would be easily) dominate a series for VERY LITTLE investment (as they have done in the past, but with having to dump tons of Camry/Corolla profit billion$$ into the effort for those series)?

What they thought would be VERY cheap advertising on quickly rolling billboards?

Or, was it to prove to the very last holdouts that they truly are a 'MURRICAN company, and that it's A OK to buy ONLY their [censored] despite the 'furrin' name on it?

(I would still not purchase ANY of their 'products' no matter what they do, nor where they screw their vehicles together.

)

 

[bdcardinal]

I do enjoy watching NASCAR, even on ovals, but then again I will sit and watch Test cricket.

My mom bought her Fusion, besides liking the car, because at the time Carl Edwards drove for Roush Fenway and he was her driver.

 

[CT Rob]

Way too many rules now.Made all the cars cookie cutters.boring and i used to watch every race.Now i never watch and dont even know who half of the drivers are anymore when i do check it out.

 

[oldhp]

bbhero is spot on. I remember if your car was good at Daytona, it wasn't good at the 1.5 mile tracks and vice-versa. Mid 90's was the best racing to me. No spliters, no side skirts. You could see a good 6 inches under the cars. There where no bump stops, cars actually rode on the springs.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: dailydriver
Which makes me wonder WHY the Nippon Giant forced their way into NASCAR in the first place.

That's a very good question. It's not like NASCAR gives particular models any aura these days, and that's the same for Toyota, and they certainly didn't have any sports car product launch to coincide with entering NASCAR. The notion of a rolling billboard giving them name recognition doesn't do much for me, either, since there are no stock cars in stock car racing. Camrys racing would be pathetic. Fake Camrys racing is even more pathetic.

 

[sprite1741]

Originally Posted By: CT8
How exciting is watching people drive around an oval for hours?

So true. It used to be exciting when they actually raced, now they just just drive around and advertise with their mobile billboards. No wonder the stands are empty.

 

[billt460]

Perhaps they should paint a double yellow line down the center of the track. Then have half the field going clockwise. And the other half going counterclockwise. At least it wouldn't be so boring with a closing speed of 400 MPH. Especially at Talladega and Daytona.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: billt460
Perhaps they should paint a double yellow line down the center of the track. Then have half the field going clockwise. And the other half going counterclockwise. At least it wouldn't be so boring with a closing speed of 400 MPH. Especially at Talladega and Daytona.


There is an awesome interview with Tony Stewart suggesting this very thing.

 

[Greggy_D]

Originally Posted By: mattwithcats
Just wait until September 30th, 2018...

The ROVAL at Charlotte...

http://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/roval/



You've got to be kidding me. What is this garbage?

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted By: Greggy_D
Originally Posted By: mattwithcats
Just wait until September 30th, 2018...

The ROVAL at Charlotte...

http://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/roval/

You've got to be kidding me. What is this garbage?

Seriously? Charlotte's infield is a blast!

Come on up April 12!

 

[Durangoboy]

Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Don't forget the demographics that did attend NASCAR races are now getting older and just stay home and watch on TV.

The younger generation of people are not interested in cars going around a track and a caution for stupid things like for tires.
They want to see import drifting and drag racing events. For me I like F1 and LeMans style racing with various cars on the same track.

I think you hit it. I feel the same way. I was deep in to Nascar racing from the early 80's. A group of us would go to 3-4 races a year, camp out, pickup cheap tickets from scalpers outside the track. It was a low cost 3 day outing with buddies, lots of beer drinking and girl watching. Great way to unwind from our high tech high stress jobs. Heck, I live in Charlotte, CMS is just 12 miles over there from my house. Sometimes friend/relatives would come down and sleep on the floor in our family room. Times change, we all got older a couple have died, racing has got really expensive. What used to be fun is now hard work. When I retired, my priorities changed. I lost the need to get away. My closest friend got divorced and moved back to NY. Now I'm just too old.

Life happens......


That is the same story for myself as well....in the 70s 80s I would go to the indy 500 every year and sit in the same seats. Me and my then wife looked forward to the weekend months before it was time to leave for the race and we would gladly drive the 10 hours it took to get there. Then there were the all American drivers AJ Foyt Al Unser etc etc. I would get free tickets to enter the garage area the day before the race and ck out the cars and drivers. It was so much fun every year for about 21 years in a row. After the Cart/USAC break up things changed big time, even in the garage area the energy was gone and never came back.

Now I"m just too old myself, the Kansas Speedway is 20 minutes drive from my house and I dont bother to go even when the tickets are free. I drive past the track almost daily and think nothing of it, I do think about my Home that the track took away from me to build the facility.

 

[Indydriver]

Originally Posted By: MParr
NASCAR began it’s death spiral the year following Alan Kulwiki’s championship win. It all started when Goodyear colluded with NASCAR to muscle Hoosier Tire out of the Cup Series. All teams on Goodyear tires, give me a break.


I used to buy 16 tickets, parking, box lunches and beaucoup beer at the Brickyard every year and take customers. Then, Goodyear fubar’d the tire compound-apparently forgetting about the diamond grinding on the track, and the tires shredded down to the cords every 12 laps. Instead of coating the track and filling in the micro grooves, the rubber went airborne. We were all covered in rubber dust as if we’d been to a dirt track and sat just outside a corner. They had to throw a yellow every 12 laps to come in for new tires, then shred them again. NASCAR, Goodyear and IMS did nothing for the fans after cheating them out of their ticket prices to see a “race”. So, they lost my 16 seats+++ and I’ve not been back to any NASCAR race since. I do still go to the Indy 500 which continues to be a great show.

 

[ted s]

what is lowes?