Has NASCAR finally jumped the shark?

[HardDrive]

Originally posted by island911
NASCAR has always (well as long as I can remember) always had faux bodies on tube frames. BFD... "a stock pontiac or toyota at 180mph." Ya mean 108mph? (maybe)

I just don't get the hatered towards NASCAR. I'm not a fan, but don't get the hatered. Is dog racing better? . . horse racing? . ..snowmobile racing? .. .drag racing?

I don't hate nascar, but I don't find it interesting either.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally posted by asphaltgambler
Doubt it.

If IHRA drag racing received 1/10 the amount of whoring and shameless promotion as NASCAR THEY would just as popular. But at least it IS interesting to the spectator because a lot of variables of car/ engine combinations with-in one class. Very exciting!

Anyone here ever see drag boat racing? Unbelieveable !! but it's such a small segment of racing that it is virtually invisible to the average joe.

I am not a big NASCAR fan (I like motocross/supercross where skill and big cajones rule), but I positively cannot stand drag racing.

[CurtEgerer]

This is all 'boob bait for the bubbas', so to speak. NASCAR can't afford another Daytona 500 TV ratings drop after last year. 1 year can be explained away as an anomaly. 2 years in a row? That's called a trend - a trend NASCAR is scared to death of .... the beancounters at all these corporate sponsors look at one thing and only one thing - TV ratings. This so-called cheating scandal has increased 'the buzz' about the race - news of it has even spilled over onto local radio channels and newspapers who don't normally cover NASCAR much at all. And besides, Speed TV ran out of things to talk about during their 3 week, 24/7 Daytona 500 preview show.

[berettafan]

Originally posted by jmshepard
I can’t help but wonder how much of the Daytona 500 cheating issue is hype designed to increase interest in NASCAR?

Right on the money i think.

[berettafan]

These won't be far behind...

[Overpaid Slacker]

Originally posted by HardDrive
I don't hate nascar, but I don't find it interesting either.

I'll agree, and add that I don't understand the appeal.

Maybe this has to go on the List Of Things I'll Never Understand, which is mostly populated today with things about chicks, their rituals and genetic attraction to completely useless shiny things.

I've tried to understand NASCAR. Really, I have. I've watched races with die-hard fans, busting each others' balls and whatnot. I've read the puff pieces and the technical stuff... The personalities aren't interesting, and, honestly they seem like the WWF caricatures of 15 years ago.

There's just no "there" there.

Even with the miniscule understanding of racing that I have, I'm much more interested in ALMS or F1 than NASCAR. But, I'm not the target NASCAR demographic, and "nobody ever lost money underestimating the American public."

To answer the question, has it jumped the shark: not yet, but I think the pendulum of public interest is, if not yet swinging the other way, very near the apogee. There are, after all, only so many people who are going to be interested in it, and 99% of them live in the United States.

JP

[CurtEgerer]

Interesting reading from USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/nascar/2007-02-13-season-of-change_x.htm


>>>> ..... The multimedia blitz comes at a time when NASCAR needs the extra publicity. Ratings were down for 32 of the 36 races last year, and attendance also flattened.

Skipper thinks ESPN can drive interest by becoming "the 24-7 home of the NASCAR fan."<<<<<<

.... just in case you weren't getting enough NASCAR on Speed TV!

[Overpaid Slacker]

Good article, Curt.

JP

[Clarke]

I think that NASCAR has gone to the dogs ever since a cigarette or beer company quit being the series sponsor. Nextel has ruined NASCAR. There were never so many yellow flags for "debris" on the track as there are now. Every time a driver has a good lead building, suddenly there is "debris" on the track.

[teenerted1]

NASCAR didnt jump the shark



FONZIE did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jmshepard]

What I don't understand is why corporate America continues to drink the NASCAR Kool-Aid.
Nextel - Stock has taken a nosedive over the past couple years. Sales are flat compared to other wireless providers.

GM - Just barely keeping head above water

Ford - Floundering

Chrysler - Drowning

Toyota-on a roll gathering in market share, now embroiled in a cheating scandal.

How do the NASCAR solons manage to dupe so many businesses into thinking that advertising on the side of one of these vehicles translates into increased market share?
Jim S.

[cashflyer]

Originally posted by Rearden
I attended a sports car race last year, then went to buy the car at my local Porsche dealer. Who would have thought that you can't buy a 997 with a sequential gearbox and carbon fiber bodywork? Then they told me that the dry sump engine is only available in the limited edition GT3!

But I bet the sports car race you watched was not sanctioned by a company calling itself the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.

They can solve the problem by just admitting that NASCAR is now a brand name and not an acronym.

Originally posted by island911
NASCAR has always (well as long as I can remember) always had faux bodies on tube frames.

The picture I posted on page 1 is of Bobby Allison racing in a first gen Monte Carlo. I have seen the build pics of the replica, and the racing shell is the same as the one on the Monte Carlo the dealer would sell you off the lot in 1972.

[Clarke]

I remember hearing a story about Richard Petty trashing his race and backup car in practice. Plymouth directed the team to the local dealer to pick up a Superbird. The dropped in their race mill and with relatively fey modifications, went racing. I'm not sure if it's true, but sure sounds cool.

[teenerted1]

Originally posted by jmshepard


Toyota-on a roll gathering in market share, now embroiled in a cheating scandal.

toyota isnt blamed for the scandle.
Mikey's head wrench is...look at all the other Toyotas. they seem to be ok

talk about jumping the shark

[jmshepard]

Ted,
I did not intend to indicate that Toyota was involved in the cheating. I believe that they are just part of the collateral damage.
My question would be why would Toyota, which has been making steady gains in domestic market share be interested in getting involved in NASCAR? Clearly they don't need the positive exposure. Now, Toyota will be forever tied to this debacle in Daytona. The management in Japan must be scratching their collective heads wondering what they have done.
Jim S.

[Scott at Pelican Parts]

Originally posted by jmshepard
Ted,
I did not intend to indicate that Toyota was involved in the cheating. I believe that they are just part of the collateral damage.
My question would be why would Toyota, which has been making steady gains in domestic market share be interested in getting involved in NASCAR? Clearly they don't need the positive exposure. Now, Toyota will be forever tied to this debacle in Daytona. The management in Japan must be scratching their collective heads wondering what they have done.
Jim S.

I'd guess over 90% of Toyota buyers don't know the Daytona 500 from the Grand Prix de Monaco. By getting involved in NASCAR, they are trying to attract a new audience (Southeastern USA).

[sammyg2]

LOL no more cheating in NASCAR? The next thing you know they will be telling professional wrestlers not to fake it.

[stevepaa]

Is there a race coming up?

[TerryH]

Originally posted by jmshepard
Ted,
I did not intend to indicate that Toyota was involved in the cheating. I believe that they are just part of the collateral damage.
My question would be why would Toyota, which has been making steady gains in domestic market share be interested in getting involved in NASCAR? Clearly they don't need the positive exposure. Now, Toyota will be forever tied to this debacle in Daytona. The management in Japan must be scratching their collective heads wondering what they have done.
Jim S.

Toyota has been a part of NASCAR since 2000 in the Goody's series and in 2002 started in the Craftsman trucks series. They won the championship in 2006 with 12 wins. They have been competeing against US manufacturers for a long time now. Nextel Cup racing was the next logical step.

Cheating has been part of racing since forever and will continue to be. Everyone is looking for an edge. While it was an embarrassment for the entire organization, I don't think this incident branded Toyota in the least. Teams with Chevies got caught cheating and all 3 Evernham Dodge teams got crew chief suspensions this week.

[LakeCleElum]

Seems like the 2006 season started the same way. Big hype over cheating in the Jimmie Johnson #48 camp......Escorted crew chief Chad out the door. Big headlines and then no real cheating issues the rest of the season.

This is just part of the frenzy building hype to kick off the new season.......Too bad Toyota got caught up in it....They'll have an uphill stuggle with the redneck fans and didn't need this....