My take on NASCAR after 40 years.......

[L4Dawg]

It's been at least that long since I watched a NASCAR race prior to today. I watched the whole thing. It was maybe, sort of, mildly interesting. It was great to watch something resembling live sports after two months. That being said, I'll watch golf next week.

 

[57stratdawg]

I watched more NASCAR today than I have in the preceding decade. Apparently they’re running Darlington again on Wed? Did I hear that right?

DFS NASCAR is fairly entertaining if you’re on FanDuel / Draft Kings.

 

[msstatelp1]

It hasn't been the same since Dale Sr. died. There's no enforcer, no "bad" guy, (think Dale Sr., AJ Foyt, Buddy Baker) and everyone kisses the France family ***.

 

[NWADawg]

It's been at least that long since I watched a NASCAR race prior to today. I watched the whole thing. It was maybe, sort of, mildly interesting. It was great to watch something resembling live sports after two months. That being said, I'll watch golf next week.

I grew up watching NASCAR. My dad was actually offered a sponsorship to start racing at Darlington so we always watched it when it was on. I quit watching when the race cars went from cars that looked like the ones on the street to being carbon copies with different stickers.

 

[PBRME]

I was big into NASCAR in the early 2000’s. Today was the first race I’ve tried watching in a few years. Made it 10 laps and had to find something else. I’m ready for baseball.

 

[goodknight]

Boring to me, they just drive around in in a big counterclockwise direction the whole day.

 

[kired]

Ditto for me. I was a big fan from early 90s when I was about 5-6th grade through college / 2004. Last race I attended was that spring at Talladega. Slowly lost interest since then. I think Jimmy Johnson dominating for so long in the 2000s is what killed it for me. Haven’t watched it much the last ~10 years. I would like to take my kids to a few races, but have no interest in watching it anymore other than if I happen to catch the last 15-20 minutes of a race.

 

[JungRebel]

I've always thought of NASCAR as that event men pretend to be really interested in so they can get away from their wives for a whole weekend day and drink beer, paying attention only to wrecks and the last 30 minutes or so.

NTTAWWT

Going to a race would be a different story. Then you would get shithammered, take a big rip of the ganj or something stronger, and drink $12 beers until you passed out or the race was over.

 

[Dawgpile]

Either you appreciate motorsports or you don't. Not a lot of grey area here.

I was pumped about real, live competition on broadcast TV today and watched flag-to-flag. My man Harvick won, and 'back from the dead' Matt Kenseth had a top-10 finish. Good to have NASCAR back!

 

[Indognito]

I started following NASCAR in 1962. Yeah, I'm old but I was 13 that summer. I found a love for cars and NASCAR at about the same time . If it was on TV we couldn't get it in our rural Mississippi market. I got results by newspaper and there was some limited coverage in magazines like Motor Trend, etc. The cars looked like the ones I saw on the road. The drivers were colorful and interesting and it was great. Now, I could care less. The drivers are bland and the cars look generic to me and nothing close to what I see daily. Give me Fireball Roberts, Fast Freddie Lorenzen, Junior Johnson, Joe Weatherly, Ned Jarrett, Tiny Lund et al.

If y'all like today's NASCAR I think that's great and I hope it brings you as much entertainment as it did for me in the old days. Of course that's true for lots of things at my age.

 

[Upyurs]

I grew up watching NASCAR. My dad was actually offered a sponsorship to start racing at Darlington so we always watched it when it was on. I quit watching when the race cars went from cars that looked like the ones on the street to being carbon copies with different stickers.

Then you stopped watching a LOOOOOOONG time ago and missed ALOT of Nascar.

 

[the dog is on the loose]

Was good to see live racing back on tv. I’ve been involved in racing nearly my entire life (54 years old). Been watching nascar since the seventies and yes it’s had it’s share of bad times. Car of tomorrow was one of them. Kyle Busch is every bit of a bad guy that there is and the sport needs that. Didn’t care for Tony Stewart but he spoke his mind and nascar needs more of that. Now talk about boring, golf and baseball is that.

 

[Upyurs]

I've always thought of NASCAR as that event men pretend to be really interested in so they can get away from their wives for a whole weekend day and drink beer, paying attention only to wrecks and the last 30 minutes or so.

NTTAWWT

Going to a race would be a different story. Then you would get shithammered, take a big rip of the ganj or something stronger, and drink $12 beers until you passed out or the race was over.

Sounds about like a Rebel fan. Could care less about the actual sport and more about getting wasted.

 

[GTAdawg]

Never surprised by the racing haterz that have to make it a point to come out to say that they don't think it's a real sport, they just drive in circlez, it's just a bunch of hicks going town to town, so on and so on....

I got hooked as a young lad when I watched my first race at the '97 July Daytona race and I was hooked all the way up until Gordon retired in 2015 (or '16?). I still enjoy the sport but don't watch nearly as much now. Was glad to see it yesterday though.

 

[jethreauxdawg]

I used to watch it regularly

But hardly do anymore. Still like it, but not as much. I got bored when the started the green, white, checkered finish. It seemed like it made everything before it in the race worthless.
I do wish they drove cars that were the same shape as actual street models. I would love for them to start with an actual car shell you can buy at a dealership that has the stock powertrain plus the new safety stuff (roll cage, fire retardants, etc) on Monday and let them do whatever they want to it by race day. That would be fun to watch.

 

[thatsbaseball]

The "spectacle" of a NASCAR race is almost as big of an event as the race itself. The tracks and crowds are huge, cars are colorful and loud and the atmosphere...well you just have to go to a few to understand. The first one I ever went to was at Talladega in the late 90's and we were close to the start line. They dropped the green flag the race was on and I thought well this pretty cool....but when those cars came back by at the end of the first lap (as my buddy told me it would) the hair "stood up" on the back of my neck. I went from "pretty cool" to "holy ****" and I was hooked. I've lost a lot of interest now but if you've never been to one you ought to go...it's a hell of a scene. Oh and #3 won that day which really made it special.

 

[Ralph Cramden]

Never been a Nascar fan. I prefer drag racing or dirt track where it's a lot less polished. And yeah....I am a car guy. If they would go back to the way it was in the late 60s early 70s and loosen the rules a little it would be more exciting to me. They definitely are not racing Mustangs or Camaros out there.

 

[HamSammich]

There was a race today?

Still don’t care anything about that.

 

[the dog is on the loose]

Never been a Nascar fan. I prefer drag racing or dirt track where it's a lot less polished. And yeah....I am a car guy. If they would go back to the way it was in the late 60s early 70s and loosen the rules a little it would be more exciting to me. They definitely are not racing Mustangs or Camaros out there.

I’m a huge dirt track fan and love super lates and sprint cars. That being said, I’ve been to everything from nascar,Indy car,world of outlaw sprint car races,etc. I will say that you ain’t seen nothing till you see an 11,000 hp top fuel dragster or funny car going down the track in person! Unfreakinreal!!!

 

[NWADawg]

Never been a Nascar fan. I prefer drag racing or dirt track where it's a lot less polished. And yeah....I am a car guy. If they would go back to the way it was in the late 60s early 70s and loosen the rules a little it would be more exciting to me. They definitely are not racing Mustangs or Camaros out there.

I second the dirt track preference.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

It's been at least that long since I watched a NASCAR race prior to today. I watched the whole thing. It was maybe, sort of, mildly interesting. It was great to watch something resembling live sports after two months. That being said, I'll watch golf next week.

For watching on TV, NASCAR = Golf to me:

1) Please put me in a situation where I have that much time on a weekend to watch anything.

2) Participating would be fun, but sitting watching on TV not so much.

 

[the dog is on the loose]

There was a race today?

Still don’t care anything about that.

And your point?

 

[PhredPhantom]

For watching on TV, NASCAR = Golf to me
1) Please put me in a situation where I have that much time on a weekend to watch anything.

2) Participating would be fun, but sitting watching on TV not so much.

Sounds just like football. (I love both BTW)

 

[fishwater99]

View attachment 16217

 

[The Peeper]

His point was the same as the OP and every other post in this thread, his "take on NASCAR after 40 years".

Now mine, if there was never another car race I wouldn't notice. I tried, went to Talladega and Daytona once each and haven't been back to those or to any others.

 

[NWADawg]

Then you stopped watching a LOOOOOOONG time ago and missed ALOT of Nascar.

It was a long time ago. The old saying used to be "win on Sunday, sell on Monday". I don't know if that is still true today. Back then, people would get excited after a car brand won and they could go buy a car that looked just like the winner the next day. It forced auto makers to put some pretty fantastic limited edition cars on the street (couldn't race a v8 with a wing on back unless you sold a minimum amount with that setup to the public).

So for the younger NASCAR generation on here(under 30 or younger), is brand loyalty a thing like it used to be? I was raised a Ford guy but it seems like drivers are marketed now more than the car brand.

This was a great generation

 

[jethreauxdawg]

I wonder if this change to generic cars correlated with Japanese cars dominating the market? I know there are other factors, but I would guess this would be one of them.

 

[thekimmer]

Haven't followed NASCAR since they closed the old short tracks like North Wilkesboro and Rockingham to appeal to a broader audience. Nothing wrong with that. It just wasn't the same and lost its enjoyment for me.

 

[blackjackdog3]

It was great to have NASCAR back. I’ll take any live major sports at this point. I’m not a golf fan but glad they’re back too.

I’d encourage anyone to take there child to a NASCAR race. It’s usually entertaining and kids enjoy. If you’re fortunate enough to get pit passes you can meet most of the drivers, crew and owners. No other sport gives you that kind of access.

If you’ve never been to a race I’d recommend Daytona or Charlotte because they truly have stadiums that are nice.

In person you can see how good the drivers really are and how they can handle a race car.

 

[Dawgpile]

It was a long time ago. The old saying used to be "win on Sunday, sell on Monday". I don't know if that is still true today. Back then, people would get excited after a car brand won and they could go buy a car that looked just like the winner the next day. It forced auto makers to put some pretty fantastic limited edition cars on the street (couldn't race a v8 with a wing on back unless you sold a minimum amount with that setup to the public).

So for the younger NASCAR generation on here(under 30 or younger), is brand loyalty a thing like it used to be? I was raised a Ford guy but it seems like drivers are marketed now more than the car brand.

This was a great generation

A classic time in NASCAR history, so true. I also prefer cars that look more like the street versions you can buy (IMSA), but since the Thunderbird of the early 80's being competitive was more about the aero of the the car than the skill of the driver (Bill Elliott). The only real solution to that was the common body. The Next-Gen car (2021) will be be more like the cars we buy today but will still have the common body. Impossible to get the aero equal without it.