If automakers get a bailout, should NASCAR die?

ChibiSF

ChibiSF

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From: http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/16/if-automakers-get-a-bailout-should-nascar-die/

A columnist over at Slate.com is recommending -- and not lightly, he wants you to know -- that with the domestic automakers enduring "Detroit's version of The Troubles," now would be a good time to "euthanize" NASCAR. He makes a long argument, but the crux of it is simple: if the domestics get a heap of money from the government, should that money really be used to sponsor a specialized race series that arguably doesn't have the national pull or the return it once did? His supporting arguments are sometimes disingenuous and occasionally slightly off-base, but the question is worth considering. If the public loans money to the automakers, who decides where that money is spent? Yet, if Ford, GM, and Chrysler were to do the same thing to NASCAR that Honda, Suzuki, Audi, and Subaru have been doing, well... that would leave NASCAR as a one-make series featuring, ta-da, Toyota. And wouldn't that be something to see?
 
In this case yea, they should be using the money for things other than sponsoring a race series. But as with the other motorsports, hopefully it'll just be temporary.
 
But...but...but NASCAR is America!
:lol:

Joking aside - yes I think the "sport" of NASCAR should die. Pedal to the metal and only turn left - how hard can it be?
 
NASCAR is a ridiculous and idiotic "sport" and no, it should not be saved. It really isn't a sport in the first place, it's more in the vein of fast-moving billboards that in no way resemble the production cars they are representing. If all the major sponsors back out, then what is there to keep this joke alive?
 
I wouldn't mind it if it was like V8 supercars
 
_HighVoltage_ said:
But...but...but NASCAR is America!
:lol:

Joking aside - yes I think the "sport" of NASCAR should die. Pedal to the metal and only turn left - how hard can it be?
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Dude I absolutely f***ing hate Nascar, but you obviously have never piloted a 700hp rolling roll cage around a steep bank. I'll tell you from my experience at a Nascar-sponsored mechanic's school, that shit is HARD. Even ex-F1 drivers will tell you that Nascar isn't as easy as it looks.
 
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It would be great if NASCAR would go back to using modified road cars like they did until the 70's (Chargers, Camaros, Roadrunners, etc.)

It's funny whan you watch NASCAR do a technical circuit with left and right :)shock2:) turns. Everyone spinning out and such. Half of the teams use different drivers cause the regular guys can't do it.
 
If I was a US taxpayer and my hard-earned was being used to bail out GM, Ford and Chrysler, I'd say ... KILL IT. As a non-US taxpayer, I'd also say KILL IT .... I have never understood why people would be interested in such a one-dimensional form of motor racing.

Having said that, our own V8 Supercars is barely 2-dimensional .... the competition between the teams and drivers is quite good, but I really pine for proper touring car racing (David & Goliath and all that).... which V8 Supercars killed ... so I hate it. Give Bathurst back to Series Production!!
 
GerFix said:
If I was a US taxpayer and my hard-earned was being used to bail out GM, Ford and Chrysler, I'd say ... KILL IT. As a non-US taxpayer, I'd also say KILL IT .... I have never understood why people would be interested in such a one-dimensional form of motor racing.

Having said that, our own V8 Supercars is barely 2-dimensional .... the competition between the teams and drivers is quite good, but I really pine for proper touring car racing (David & Goliath and all that).... which V8 Supercars killed ... so I hate it. Give Bathurst back to Series Production!!
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Enough manufactures make "similar" sorts of cars to Holden and Ford that I wish they'd get involved, would be good seeing audi with rs4's, bmw with the new m3 etc.
 
Tadite said:
How much money goes to NASCAR?
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I'm curious too.

None of the big three build the cars used in Nascar. The only thing the teams get from the big three is money to use their image on the body shell. If the big three cannot pay the teams to use their image, then the teams have a choice. Use Toyota stickers on their machines and hope Toyota still sees a reason to pay anyone to use their image, since there will no longer be any compitition for them. Or just make a concession of their own, keep using the Chevrolet, Dodge, and Ford images, but don't expect any payment from the big three. It could be their way of helping the American manufactures by giving them free advertising.
 
Rokovak said:
Dude I absolutely f***ing hate Nascar, but you obviously have never piloted a 700hp rolling roll cage around a steep bank. I'll tell you from my experience at a Nascar-sponsored mechanic's school, that shit is HARD. Even ex-F1 drivers will tell you that Nascar isn't as easy as it looks.
Click to expand...

I can't even count how many articles I've read and interviews with open-wheel drivers who descripe how difficult NASCAR-type racing is. "Imagine the car you're driving doubles in weight, looses half it's grip, and had the same power."

While NASCAR (which should change it's name to the "North American Stock Same Car Auto Racing" with the "car of the future") itself may not be a good investment for a car company, I can imagine that in the places where it's popular, it helps solidify a position in people's minds. If they have a favorite driver, and they drive a...*ahem*..."Ford" ...(I use that term loosely, as none of the cars are actually related to any mass-produced vehicle by any manufacturer) then they will probably buy a Ford, too.

I'm not a fan, but I don't have anything against it. I mean, I think Baseball is fun to play, but watching it? As a spectator sport? Fuck no. Boring as shit. Same as NASCAR...but I don't have a reason to kill it unless, once all of the maths are done (including merchandising and liscensing deals) and it shows they are losing money, then yeah...kill it.
 
I'd be more worried about GM reinvesting their profits in umbrella crap like GMAC. I don't care if their using NASCAR, or Little Debbie as a way to drain their money, eitherway the automakers should be reinvesting their profits back into the auto-companies.
 
Hidden_Hunter said:
Enough manufactures make "similar" sorts of cars to Holden and Ford that I wish they'd get involved, would be good seeing audi with rs4's, bmw with the new m3 etc.
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It's a bit off topic (and I'm sorry to the OP) but the rules (in 2006, at least) for V8 Supercars were that eligible vehicles were Fords (BA and BF) and Holdens (VY and VZ) and nothing else. They would need a radical rule change to get other manufacturers (and me :p) interested.
 
I thought the big NASCAR sponsor is Sprint/NEXTEL. While the Big 3 does do alot of advertising and sponsoring various NASCAR teams. So I'm not sure where people got the idea that the Big 3 has any control over the life and death of an independent racing organization.
 
I can't stand NASCAR, but some of you guys are just silly. I wouldn't mind if NASCAR as we know it now went away, and was replaced with something like Supercars. Build the cars from actual street cars, open up the tech to include, oh ... EFI and IRS. Run on road courses more often, etc. It would be much better all the way around.

_HighVoltage_ said:
Joking aside - yes I think the "sport" of NASCAR should die. Pedal to the metal and only turn left - how hard can it be?
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Yeah, I'm sure driving a 7-900hp fullsize RWD car with no driving aids, a manual transmission and tires narrower than some street cars at 200mph ... with 40 other cars ... for a couple hours is a cakewalk. I don't even like NASCAR, but to just dismiss it as a joke, as easy ... come on.

nist7 said:
I'm not sure where people got the idea that the Big 3 has any control over the life and death of an independent racing organization.
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Exactly. Just because the cars have GM, Ford, Chrysler or Toyota stickers on them doesn't mean a whole lot. I don't think there's actually a factory team for any of the big 3, it's all private.
 
Rokovak said:
Dude I absolutely f***ing hate Nascar, but you obviously have never piloted a 700hp rolling roll cage around a steep bank. I'll tell you from my experience at a Nascar-sponsored mechanic's school, that shit is HARD. Even ex-F1 drivers will tell you that Nascar isn't as easy as it looks.
Click to expand...

I remember reading an article where Colin McRae was driving in one of the NASCAR cars and even he said it was very very tough. It's all about endurance and concentration, one wrong move and it could end very badly for you.
 
Hidden_Hunter said:
I wouldn't mind it if it was like V8 supercars
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It can be on road courses. But they only do what, 3 roads every year?

Anyway, other than some sponsorship the Big 3 have no control over NASCAR. Even other forms of racing are highly private; there are exceptions, but if a manufacturer pulls out of a particular series it will not end the series. You have to understand how wealthy people involved with motorsport have to be. There are many private teams that are spending a lot more than factory teams.

I don't care too much about NASCAR anyway, even if it did die I wouldn't be heartbroken. I just wish the US was less segregated in terms of motorsport. We have out internal series', NASCAR, IndyCar, Grand Am, Koni Challenge, Speed GT and Touring Cars, Star Mazda, Formula Atlantics etc, but a lot of those are dominated by foreign drivers anyway. I wish we were a little more involved, like having our own integrated Formula ladder leading to F1 and such. But it's never gonna happen because we just don't seem to care that much. Maybe it's the oceans?
 
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Nascar does need to die. Although manufacturer names are only put on the cars if the manufacturers pay, the manufacturers blow tons of cash providing other things as well, like logistics, mechanical support etc etc etc. Slate.com actually wrote an article about this today. It's not a bad one either. I've never been a NASCAR fan, and tbh I'd love to see it replaced with some american touring cars.
 
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