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View Full Version : NASCAR: What's going on?!



badger
7/11/2008, 10:24 AM
Sponsorships are fleeing the racetrack. Ownership and associations are getting mixed up. Some teams are just not showing up anymore.

Anyone care to offer some insight? Is it the economy, (stupid) or is it something else?

Scott D
7/11/2008, 01:19 PM
maybe it's maxed out it's earnings potential, combined with a downturn in the economy.

BlondeSoonerGirl
7/11/2008, 01:19 PM
Gas is expensive, yo.

badger
7/11/2008, 03:49 PM
I thought it was a sport on the rise - expanding audience, popular drivers, that type of thing. NASCAR drivers seem nicer to fans than other sports.

Then again, gas prices had to catch up eventually with a sport that relies on gas, much like industries that rely on gas (auto sales, airline travel) are on the downswing.

How bout Jr., the most popular driver, getting dropped by Navy after they just started that promo with him? OUCH!

Scott D
7/11/2008, 03:53 PM
I know that when they were prepping for the race up here, Jr. flat out said that he wouldn't be doing NASCAR if the drivers had to pay for their own fuel. So I'd think that sponsor money goes into that.

Anything can be on the rise, but hit the wall when the money goes south for the people that essentially pay for it, and costs go up at the same time.

BudSooner
7/11/2008, 05:11 PM
That is just it, alot of companies are feeling the pinch, and with the gas prices soaring....everyone is having to tighten purse strings.
Case in point, Navy just told JR they would not be sponsoring his Nationwide team next year...of all the drivers you would think they want to be associated with but bottom line, they have to cust costs everywhere.

Some teams are going thru different situations, RCR with Jeff Burton is having to get a new sponsor in Catepillar since the Nextel owners told him AND Ryan Newman that both AT&T/Alltell would not be allowed to return next year..Alltell won't be back since Verizon purchase them and will change names. After the AT&T lawsuit, Nascar told teams that no new telecommunication companies will be allowed to sponsor anyone...Verizon took over Alltell.

Target is looking to save money where it can, and sponsoring an uninspiring ride with Franchitti ain't cutting it.
Alot of them are just changing hands-Betty Crocker to RCR with the 4th car, Office Depot to Tony Stewart/Haas racing.
Bass Pro is supposed to leave Martin Truex Jr and go with Newman next year..I assume with Tony and Co.

yermom
7/11/2008, 05:38 PM
or maybe people realized turning left is boring ;)

Curly Bill
7/11/2008, 05:55 PM
or maybe people realized turning left is boring ;)

No shiaz. :D

GrapevineSooner
7/12/2008, 10:36 AM
Left hand turns aren't the problem.

Economic pinch, downturn in attendance and ratings, and fans getting tired of watching one team hit on it's setup while the rest of the drivers play follow the leader is also a contributing factor.

But don't expect rosy Brian France to acknowledge any of that.

Especially on the new car. Because from a purely competitive standpoint, the new car sucks.

badger
7/12/2008, 10:47 AM
As a recent Nascar fan, I can tell you that not all turns are left - haven't you seen some of the other types of races Nascar offers than just the loop?

Maybe I'm just assuming wrong, but I though Home and Office Depot were the same company, so it would be like Jr. suddenly drinking Pepsi instead of Amp Mountain Dew energy drink. Not much of a change there.

Somebody's getting rich off these gas prices... it isn't American businesses.

Scott D
7/12/2008, 12:05 PM
That is just it, alot of companies are feeling the pinch, and with the gas prices soaring....everyone is having to tighten purse strings.
Case in point, Navy just told JR they would not be sponsoring his Nationwide team next year...of all the drivers you would think they want to be associated with but bottom line, they have to cust costs everywhere.

Some teams are going thru different situations, RCR with Jeff Burton is having to get a new sponsor in Catepillar since the Nextel owners told him AND Ryan Newman that both AT&T/Alltell would not be allowed to return next year..Alltell won't be back since Verizon purchase them and will change names. After the AT&T lawsuit, Nascar told teams that no new telecommunication companies will be allowed to sponsor anyone...Verizon took over Alltell.

Target is looking to save money where it can, and sponsoring an uninspiring ride with Franchitti ain't cutting it.
Alot of them are just changing hands-Betty Crocker to RCR with the 4th car, Office Depot to Tony Stewart/Haas racing.
Bass Pro is supposed to leave Martin Truex Jr and go with Newman next year..I assume with Tony and Co.

Target'd save more money if they imposed their insurance 'plans' on full time employees that they forced on part timers. Do something like say "You must work 75+ hours a week to qualify for full health insurance, otherwise we'll let you get this little package where you pay 90% out of pocket for everything health insurance". That'd probably save them more than a stupid NASCAR sponsorship :D

Whet
7/12/2008, 01:51 PM
Target'd save more money if they imposed their insurance 'plans' on full time employees that they forced on part timers. Do something like say "You must work 75+ hours a week to qualify for full health insurance, otherwise we'll let you get this little package where you pay 90% out of pocket for everything health insurance". That'd probably save them more than a stupid NASCAR sponsorship :D

Why is a NASCAR sponsorship "stupid?" Or, was that just an uneducated dig at the sport that millions of people follow?

Also, remember that Jr is sponsored by National Guard, so it would make sense that another branch would not want to "share" a driver with another branch..... All of the military sponsorships are one year contracts, so there is nothing really wrong with the Navy deciding to not back the Nationwide team of JR Motorsports...

yermom
7/12/2008, 02:59 PM
As a recent Nascar fan, I can tell you that not all turns are left - haven't you seen some of the other types of races Nascar offers than just the loop?

Maybe I'm just assuming wrong, but I though Home and Office Depot were the same company, so it would be like Jr. suddenly drinking Pepsi instead of Amp Mountain Dew energy drink. Not much of a change there.

Somebody's getting rich off these gas prices... it isn't American businesses.

are those ever on TV?

Scott D
7/12/2008, 03:46 PM
Why is a NASCAR sponsorship "stupid?" Or, was that just an uneducated dig at the sport that millions of people follow?

Also, remember that Jr is sponsored by National Guard, so it would make sense that another branch would not want to "share" a driver with another branch..... All of the military sponsorships are one year contracts, so there is nothing really wrong with the Navy deciding to not back the Nationwide team of JR Motorsports...

it's stupid if it's being used as a cost cutting excuse no more, no less. Any sponsors using "cost cutting" as a reason to dropping sponsorship are just pulling a corporate world version of Title IX.

Curly Bill
7/12/2008, 04:15 PM
Nascar lost me when they made all the cars look the same, and for the most part all the drivers started looking and talking the same as well. In other words: when they became all corporate and politically correct.

Bring back Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarbrough, Richard Petty, some of those guys had real personalities that weren't developed in someones PR office or in Hollywood, and they drove cars that you could actually tell the Chevy's from the Fords, from the Dodges, etc...

I used to watch Nascar every chance I got, now I wouldn't walk across the street to set in the front row.

GrapevineSooner
7/12/2008, 10:19 PM
It would also help if the same damn driver didn't win week after week after week.

royalfan5
7/12/2008, 10:32 PM
I was a serious NASCAR for a number of years. I kind of quit last summer when I didn't have cable for six weeks. I just found I didn't miss it. For me it became pretty stale. I'm a car nut by nature, and the sport has kind of went away from the things that drew me in the first place, like real differences between cars, and interesting drivers. I've started dabbling with following F1, but I doubt it will stick.

Whet
7/13/2008, 01:44 AM
Nascar lost me when they made all the cars look the same, and for the most part all the drivers started looking and talking the same as well. In other words: when they became all corporate and politically correct.

Bring back Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarbrough, Richard Petty, some of those guys had real personalities that weren't developed in someones PR office or in Hollywood, and they drove cars that you could actually tell the Chevy's from the Fords, from the Dodges, etc...

I used to watch Nascar every chance I got, now I wouldn't walk across the street to set in the front row.

Kyle Busch -
Tony Stewart
Kyle Petty, Bobby LaBonte, Robbie Gordon

I don't think any of the above were developed in someones PR office or Hollywood!

If you rue for the days of DW, then you haven't seen Kyle Busch - uncanny resemblence... But Kyle is a better all around driver.....

Does it really matter if the car is a Chevy, Dodge, or Toyota? I am more interested in the driver that wins the race, not the manufacturer...

But, to all his own. Some like it, some don't. Some like IRL, some don't. Some like f1, others find it boring and don't.

Of course, some like rasslin' entertainment too...

Yep, it sure would be boring if everyone liked the same thing (except for the Sooners, of course)

Curly Bill
7/13/2008, 01:52 AM
Nope, when they lost me they lost me for good. The good ol' days ain't coming back. About the time Nascar really exploded and when all corporate I jumped off the wagon.

yermom
7/13/2008, 01:56 AM
WRC is the only racing i liked to watch and Speed doesn't carry it anymore, i don't even know if Speed is still around :O

Curly Bill
7/13/2008, 02:00 AM
I'll watch Formula 1 when I can find it. I don't have Speed so that's not often. It just seems to me that for pure driving skill the F-1 boys beat the Nascar boys hands down, and besides that the cars in F-1 are just so kick-***.

Scott D
7/13/2008, 09:56 AM
I wouldn't be too sold on Formula 1, that seems to have a worse case of manufactureritis than NASCAR has ever been accused of. If you drive for certain teams you'll be at the top of the standings, if not, you'll be at the bottom. Not to say that the guys at the top aren't skilled, but you could rotate most any F-1 driver onto those same teams and they'd keep winning.

I think that NASCAR's move to try and make the cars virtually identical was a good move because the races became more dependant on the drivers, and who wasn't trying to "bump" someone else to make room for their teammate.

Does anyone really watch Cart or the IRL or whatever the hell the re-merged entity is going to call itself? ;) I mean outside of the Indy 500. :D

BudSooner
7/13/2008, 10:31 AM
Kyle Busch -
Tony Stewart
Kyle Petty, Bobby LaBonte, Robbie Gordon

I don't think any of the above were developed in someones PR office or Hollywood!

If you rue for the days of DW, then you haven't seen Kyle Busch - uncanny resemblence... But Kyle is a better all around driver.....

Does it really matter if the car is a Chevy, Dodge, or Toyota? I am more interested in the driver that wins the race, not the manufacturer...

But, to all his own. Some like it, some don't. Some like IRL, some don't. Some like f1, others find it boring and don't.

Of course, some like rasslin' entertainment too...

Yep, it sure would be boring if everyone liked the same thing (except for the Sooners, of course)

You left out Juan Montoya, from an interview after his scuffle with Kyle Busch the reporter asked him "would you do it again?"
Juan casually replied "Yes"

Also don't forget Carl Edwards who was pissed at his Roush racing team driver Matt Kenseth, to the point he was going to punch him after California this year.
Denny Hamlin(who I think is a little punk bastard like his buddy Kyle)he was in the car at Dover? when Kyle Petty came over, stuck his finger into Hamlin's helmet and slammed the visor down....the kid climbed out only to get restrained by nascar officials.
Hell, even posterboy for Nascar Jeff Gordon was mad at Matt Kenseth for spinning him at Bristol a couple years ago, came to Matt's pit and shoved Matt. Kenseth looks like a punching bag for guys anymore...he needs to punch someone to keep from looking like a bitch...heh!

Someone named Harvick? Remember he and Greg Biffle got into it years ago and Harvick did the mosh pit dive at one of Gregs pit crew...funny stuff.
THEN, even the girlfriends get into the action..Biffle and i think Kurt Bush's old lady started a pissing match in 2006.

Forget Donnie Allison and Cale, when the women get fired up..it makes for great ratings. :D

badger
7/13/2008, 10:35 AM
I am kind of surprised at Kyle Busch this season, It is getting kind of old - Kyle wins! Flip. And... drink Coke.

Nascar is something I can "watch" without really watching. Last night's race I had on while playing on the computer (Team Fortress 2 is wonderful). I would check the order between rounds and if there was a fun crash, a DVR is a gift.

BudSooner
7/13/2008, 10:38 AM
As far as "do they show races where they turn other than left?"

It's called a road course, TNT just did the Infineon race and I think ESPN gets the Watkins Glen race.
So there are just two, though there should be more..Road America, Road Atlanta(great track..watch the ALMS races on Speed when they are there)but thats just my opinion.

BlondeSoonerGirl
7/13/2008, 10:47 AM
Edwards is the one that does the flips.

Whet
7/13/2008, 11:51 PM
Saturday night's race was a great finish! And, there were a lot of cheers for Kyle too!

Both nights were great! The temperatures were perfect and they did a great job on the lights.

BudSooner
7/14/2008, 12:23 PM
The cheers I believe were for when "Shrub" slid the car into the mud and could not move, dominant yes, boring...CHECK!
That race sucked balls. Thank god for DVR's.

I still stand by my statement that road racing is where it's at.

btw, the "Rocketman" Ryan Newman is now a free agent, it seems "Sir" Roger Penske didn't like his comments that he would not return unless the performance was stepped up. Obviously the ony way he got out near the front was due to a 2 tire change and a splash of fuel, once out on the track his #12 was a menace due to NO FRICKIN horsepower/handling.
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=3486307

I for one am glad he's getting out of that turd of a Dodge, now all I need is for him to sign on the dotted line at RCR/Stewart-Haas Racing...Chevy, hell yeah!

Whet
7/14/2008, 03:15 PM
http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/4917/july2008races391ba0.jpg

birddog
7/14/2008, 03:24 PM
i listen to the cars at the faifgrounds speedway from my backyard. that's about as close as i can get to giving a rats ace about car racing.