So who will fill the void in NASCAR?
 

http://blog.mlive.com/finish_line/2008/11/general_motors_corp_and_ford.html

This article touches a bit on the lack of fear NASCAR has should GM or Ford pull out of the sport due to financial reasons. So building on that, I wonder who will fill the void. NASCAR can't just be a Toyota-only race series - or can it?

Here's my take: Mercedes enters NASCAR with their E-class. Why not? It's made in Alabama, and is more American than a Monte Carlo. Same with BMW (made in Georgia, I think). And hell, throw in Audi and Volvo, Honda, too for the FWD equivalent. They're all block-like slabs on wheels, albeit with two extra doors, but who's counting?

Either that, or the European version of stock car racing should come out here to the States. If anything, it's more interesting as those cars turn right as many times as they turn left.

yup...

Not true.

M Class is made in Alabama.

E Class is made in Germany.

Don't even talk about it. The thought of NASCAR turning into a touring car series is like some sort of crazy dream come true. Real suspension? Fuggedaboutit.

Yep, you're correct. It's also assembled in Iran.

E Class Assembly is in:

Sindelfingen, Germany
Bremen, Germany
Sindelfingen, Germany, Stuttgart, Germany
Zuffenhausen, Germany
Graz, Austria
Beijing, China
Cairo, Egypt
Pekan, Malaysia
Tehran, Iran

Real fuel injection. Real transmissions. Yeah. The France family stopped it once about twenty years ago, and sure as apple pie, they'll stop it again.

How much cheaper would gas be if NASCAR went away altogether?

That's a lot of gas used every weekend.



Ok, that's not very fair but I have thought about how we have a fuel problem and how much gas is used by car racing.

Have you seen any of the VW Jetta TDi series? They're allowed only two tanks of fuel for the entire season.

Yeah, I watched a couple of the Jetta races this weekend. Pretty cool series. I didn't know that about the fuel amount, though. Thanks.

The Q. Begs a Q. What Void ??? A bunch of cars made to look like production CARS THAT ARE NOT MADE ANYWHERE...near Detroit. Never was a car. Morphodite
They suck through a carb, tun left only, and are in competition with All Star Wrestling and Modern country music. Same mentality
All about the driver doing flips off his door........please will they go away.
Hope they drown in their cheap beer

Lots of money is made in NASCAR. I'm not a fan but being a car guy, I do like to watch the tech segments on the shows when there isn't REAl racing on.


Heck, my company is the official vending company of NASCAR.


Oh, that can't be good.

Mercedes in Nascar? Wrong market.

GM in, GM out, those pussies still won't race in the rain.

Actually, they did in Montreal this year.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/423144-nascar-rain.html?highlight=Nascar+rain

I stand corrected Sir. Saw them drying the track out in Phoenix this past weekend though, like you need to dry anything in Phoenix...

You ever tried driving an oval track in the rain? Lots of luck...Just guessing here, but I'd guess those good old boys could drive rings around anybody posting here...road or oval, given equal cars...and do his backflip after winning.

Doesn't seem to stop the rest of the racing world: F1, Super Bike...

Matt:

If you race on an oval in the rain (even with wet tires), all of the cars will hit the wall on the first turn. Race over. Those cars require ALL of their mechanical grip in the dry to turn on an oval.

There's no point in destroying all of the cars for 15 seconds of glory. Besides, who wins? The car that stopped the furthest from the starting point?

Aussie V8 Supercars.

Go left, go right, more bumpin, rubbin and crashin than Nascar.

Something for all.

My Pt is ,"What is a NASCAR ? Why put a shell on it and lt bulb decals to look like some thing it never was, not from birth, well they say 10% body panels have to be....usually the roof shell I am told. (read nascar car rule)
Why not put their own shell on it and call it what it is "a morphidite ,.!!!!" Know why they don't ? Halve America that watches that kind of race thinks it is some part of Detroit ! I know cause I have done several bar room surveys in the last 2 years !
Nascar could not stand on its own with out that illusion or miss use..Detroit supports it cause they know that the folks that watch it think they could go dwn and buy one at the local ford or Chevy shop should they have the itch.
A complete Scam that works.
As further proof of my meanderings, F1 races and the like are not popular in the states because the they do not represent Detroit iron and Beer drinking Bud has no interest in "them there" foreign cars.............................................. ...
This is brought to you by wkrp via Juneau. Your opinion may very and represents what ever the folks have said in the Bellingham / Seattle area thought or did not thought

The most popular motorsports show in the USA.

Nascar is well run and profitable..
unlike the car co. they represent..

exception ..Toyota...

Rika

That is my P. t Pwd72s as I explained why in the above par.

The funny things is that the race cars only represent the makes with the addition of stickers. They could be anything since they are all identical.

Call one a John Deere and another a Caterpillar.

Exactly...NASCAR is "spec" racing...

I under stand they are all a like except the divers...but the representation to be something that does not exist, makes it into a pro wrestling catagory, a big joke. LOL
Why not call them what they are "one offs"

That's called driver error - to put it kindly. That would happen with other motorsports in the rain too if the brain fade quotient was the same as NASCAR.

If the auto companies pull out, how does that affect NASCAR other than the profit they make from sponsorship? Gate receipts and TV broadcast rights seems to be a pretty good profit center.

NASCAR just sponsors the series, just like SCCA, but on a much larger scale. Teams can build new cars, use existing cars, drivetrains and team sponsors. Does NASCAR need subsidizing from GM, Ford and Chrysler? For what? Technology? Nope. Race purses? Probably, so the payoff decreases, and they find other series sponsors. NASCAR must learn to live within their means if they want to continue the series.

If it's a fan-based series (which it is), they shouldn't be hurting.

And the question must be asked; "How many of us care?"

Sherwood

Though some of the teams are hurting. Ganassi and Dale Earnhardt plan to merge partly due to financial issues.

http://nascar.fanhouse.com/2008/11/12/dale-earnhardt-inc-chip-ganassi-racing-ink-plan-for-2009-merge/

GWB, he can wreck anything :)

With major auto manufacture sponsorship on the wane, the teams need to scale back their operations a bit. Has everyone seen Michael Waltrip's operation?

http://www.wsoctv.com/slideshow/news/13309413/detail.html

Sherwood

I seriously doubt it :). I'm not a fan of Nascar (anymore), but it is without question a "marketing person's" dream, and other sponsors will step up without missing a beat. Don't fool yourself, it's a BIG business. I used to work for R.J. Reynolds, and when they were forced out (I think they paid something like 30-40 million per year to sponsor the "Winston Cup" series) there was no shortage of others waiting in line chomping at the bit. It hasn't been about racing (for years) although the driver's ARE damn good, and as folks at Rennsport renuions in Daytona learned...it isn't easy turning left at 200 mph for several hours bumper-to-bumper.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1226621604.jpg

Guess who owns this cue case by Jack Justis? The hand-eye skills of driving translate to other games done well. So, if NACAR dries up, "Smoke" could always try pool hustling. ;)

*cough* I'm surprised no one has mentioned Nissan and Honda *cough*

And no, I'm not kidding... I'm not a NASCAR fan but Honda could get a lot more advertising bang for there buck by running NASCAR as opposed to certain other forms of racing.

Isn't' NASCAR only slightly more boring than watching golf, pool or poker?

But less boring than watching follow the leader F-1 races...

I don't have a TV. it's all boring.

That was then, and I would have agreed.

However, evidently, you haven't tuned in the past couple of F1 seasons.

You got that right...no speed channel here. Too much stupid stuff for the little bits of good stuff.