I guess I am not a NASCAR fan anymore...

[BackinBlackSS/RS]

Originally Posted by Blade

I still enjoy the speed that you feel at the track. But yea......I feel like the series is on the downturn. Its like it grew too fast and now has no idea where to go from here.

They need to let the teams have more say. Let them be creative. It's BS that
all the cars are basically the same. Innovation by the gearheads in the pits was the heart and soul of this racing. Nascar has done away with this.

[Angrybird 12]

The thing is every year since 1989 when Nascar allowed GM to run the LUMINA, A front wheel drive V6 Car but as a rear wheel drive V8, Nascar no longer was stock car racing.. So this isn't something new.. it has been going on for over 20 years now.. But you need to think of something.. There is no way Nascar could go back to strictly "Stock Cars", not with the tracks they have now... Even If they required stock drivetrains, with mods the teams could make to the cars they would be reaching speeds of over 180MPH, there would be no way the bodys of these cars could withstand a 170+ MPH crash and keep the driver safe. they would have to have special frames and roll cages. Too many drivers have been killed in the last 10 years and when Dale Earnhardt was Killed at Daytona, that put the final nail in the Coffin for anything that even resembled a stock car...That is one reason for the COT, Driver Safety.

To me When Dale died is when Nascar started going down hill.. But it is still the most popular form of racing in this Country and always will be.

[MLL67RSSS]

Originally Posted by Skyman 08

Well Didn't the Camaro Pace the Daytona 500, Indy 500 and the Brickyard races LAST YEAR???

While they did re-decal 5 of the 25 Camaro Indy 500 Festivals cars with the Allstate 400 logos on the doors for use in the Brickyard 400, the actual Pace Car was a Corvette Z06 (pic below).

Having never been a big ball sports fan and always a BIG racing fan, I had been eagerly watching NASCAR races since they first televised the full Daytona 500 live in '79. Last year I didn't watch one single race, although I did watch some of the Brickyard (we get tickets each year but I've stayed home the last few years, a BIG plus when they had that tire debacle). My son has been watching all the SPEED NASCAR Classics racing he has recorded lately. UNBELIEVEABLE to watch those old races where they weren't throwing all the BS debris/competition/bunch-the-field cautions constantly. I tried to watch the end of the final race this season, but when they threw that "unknown" caution with just under 50 laps to go so all the cars could fill their tanks (and eliminate any type of strategy), get new tires, and bunch the field even further it pissed me off so bad I had to turn it off. I must say it takes a certain talent to run a thriving, formerly exciting racing series so poorly that a former die-hard enthusiast such as myself can't even bear to watch in anymore without getting pissed and yelling at the TV because of all the ridiculous cautions/penalties/regulation etc., etc., etc.

Now of course the IRL isn't perfect. There currently is only one chassis (Dallara) and one engine (Honda) and we'd all like to see it return to it's heyday with mutiple chassis/engines and innovation, but the reality of it is with the current technology and costs, to engineer and build a competitive chassis/engine for just a couple of cars it just would be crazy. Sadly those days are past I believe. But at least when I watch an IRL race I'm screaming at the TV out of excitement, NOT frustration!

AS the OP said:

GO IRL!!!!!!!!!

P.S. The car Dale Sr. was driving was constructed just like, and just as safe as the modern cars. It was an improperly attached lap belt bracket that caused his lap belt to rip/tear allowing his body to shift forward on impact and sustain the basilar skull fracture that killed him. But I'm with you, A LOT of NASCAR died that day with him.

[coolman]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

Oh, stop....At least it wasn't the Camry....pray something like that never happens.

Camaro will pace Indianapolis, and Mustang will Pace Daytona. No reason to hate!

It already happened. Camry did pace several Nascar races already. I don't know why anyone cares what fricken pace car they use. They could use a golf cart for all I care. It wouldn't stop me from watching. Nascar to me is a reason to grab a case of beer and hang out with fellow motorheads for four hours.

[2ndgenz28]

The over use of cautions is cause of what I said earlier, NASCAR is a blood sport, and the fans want some destruction. So they bunch em up, to crash em up, n viewer ship goes up.

[MLL67RSSS]

Oh and one other thing, they used to say Jeff Gordon was in line to break Richard Petty's record of Championships. I heard talk the other day that they thought that Jeff would have won more championships by now. Well guess what, if they hadn't implemented that assinine "race for the chase" crap, two of the last four Championships won by Jimmie Johnson would have been won by Jeff Gordon. And don't get me started on the guaranteed owner's points crap, the race should be for the fastest cars that qualify PERIOD! Guess NASCAR has never heard "if it ain't broke don't fix it!" It's all about corporate money, not about racing anymore.

[chevydude26]

i think the mustang looks bulky and cheap and only looks good in convertible form...a mustang hasn't looked good since the 1969-1970 mach ones

the mustang concept before the 2005 mustang looked great though...but then they came out with that ugly bulky crap

[BackinBlackSS/RS]

I'm all for driver safety, but that doesn't mean they have too take away innovation by the teams, or make all the damn cars the same. Much of the reason they are where they are today, does not exist today. Where is that gonna put them? I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count.
I still enjoy the races, but it's not like it used to be.

[nester7929]

Originally Posted by shroomjohn

Im getting sick of seeing articles keep saying the 2011 mustang has "class leading mpg" last time I checked everything says it gets 25mpg no more than the camaro

They're talking about the V6, which does get better mileage than the V6 Camaro. On the V8 level, they are identical.

["prima"Donna]

Originally Posted by The_Blur

I know a lot of guys here disagree, but I believe that NASCAR may be the worst example of racing out there. The products raced are limited to 4 manufacturers, and the only track style is a giant oval. Yes—the drivers are skilled, but there are much better ways to demonstrate skill. I'd rather see road courses.

There are road courses...Watkins Glen, NY, and Infineon Speedway in California..............

[TooCool5]

Originally Posted by detroitboy

None of the parts on the outside or inside of the NASCAR cars are representative of anything made by our Big 3 manufacturers anyhow. NASCAR is its own world. And now they have even silenced the announcers by telling them they cannot speak negatively about the NASCAR organization (as a result of the announcers slamming them over the Talledega race). NASCAR will self destruct. There are no more sold out races and its not just because of the economy.

NASCAR started to self destruct since the passing of Dale. You think he would have let them come up with the so called cement block car of tomorrow? No way he would have voiced his strong opinion and had the fan support with him.