The NASCAR Thread

[odcics2]

Vintage Nascar series would be great to watch.  Stick these newer drivers in them and enjoy the show.

yup no Air Conditioned Suits or Power Steering , i can here them all crying now  

x3.

[JB400]

So, Nascar thinks making changes to the car will encourage other manufacturers to join back in.

https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2018/10/02/rules-package-help-shape-seventh-generation-stock-car-entice-new-oems/

I don't see it happening, although the Charger would look good back on thr track.

[Mike DC]

Why do I get the feeling that NASCAR is more interested in a brand like Honda than in Chrysler?

[Aero426]

Why do I get the feeling that NASCAR is more interested in a brand like Honda than in Chrysler?

A shame that Dodge is not in there.   They would be NASCAR's most relevant brand as they actually have a RWD V8 powered car.     Am sure that NASCAR would welcome ANY nameplate that wanted to compete these days.     They are becoming more and more off on their own island in terms of relevance to justifying a motorsports program.      NASCAR's current fuel saving technology is to shut the car off and coast during caution laps.  

[Ponch ®]

Why do I get the feeling that NASCAR is more interested in a brand like Honda than in Chrysler?

[Mike DC]

     
If NASCAR thinks their diehard fans are gonna pay money to watch a Toyota/Honda rivalry . . .

[odcics2]

Why do I get the feeling that NASCAR is more interested in a brand like Honda than in Chrysler?

A shame that Dodge is not in there.   They would be NASCAR's most relevant brand as they actually have a RWD V8 powered car.     Am sure that NASCAR would welcome ANY nameplate that wanted to compete these days.     They are becoming more and more off on their own island in terms of relevance to justifying a motorsports program.      NASCAR's current fuel saving technology is to shut the car off and coast during caution laps.  

Chrysler is selling vehicles without Nascar.  Not a lot of marketing reasons to get back in... (other than us old guys on forums that miss the old days)

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2018/10/02/us-auto-sales-september-2018/1495761002/

Chrysler even outsold Ford last month.  All  major players are down in sales, except Chrysler.

[Aero426]

Chrysler is selling vehicles without Nascar.  Not a lot of marketing reasons to get back in... (other than us old guys on forums that miss the old days)

Ford and Chevy could certainly do the same.   

[wingcar]

Chrysler is selling vehicles without Nascar.  Not a lot of marketing reasons to get back in... (other than us old guys on forums that miss the old days)

Ford and Chevy could certainly do the same.   

Maybe if the cars actually looked more like what's sitting in the showroom, they could use NASCAR as a marketing tool.

[Mike DC]

Maybe if the cars actually looked more like what's sitting in the showroom, they could use NASCAR as a marketing tool.

I would love to see the car bodies looking visibly closer to stock, put a limit on the total area that can be covered with sponsor logos, and they have to run one of the OEM paint colors for the base.  Make it look more like production cars pulled off the street and covered in decals.  

[TruckDriver]

Chad Knaus won't crew chief for Jimmie Johnson after 2018 

https://sports.yahoo.com/chad-knaus-wont-crew-chief-jimmie-johnson-2018-213119881.html?src=rss

"Jimmie Johnson won't have Chad Knaus has his crew chief for 2019 and beyond. Hendrick Motorsports announced Wednesday that Knaus would become William Byron's crew chief and Johnson's crew chief in 2019 would be Kevin Meendering, who currently works for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series.

"It's no secret that Chad and Jimmie have experienced their ups and downs over the years," Rick Hendrick said in a statement. "They're fierce competitors, great friends and have immense respect for one another. They also fight like brothers. All three of us agree it's finally time for new challenges and that a change will benefit them and the organization.""

[JB400]

And if Johnson doesn't perform like he should, he'll end up retiring, or move to Xfinity.  I don't think he has a lifetime contract like Gordon

[Chargen69]

Mr. H dont like that fighting like brothers, just ask Jr and tony jr

they've always fought, and been able to get in a room and work it out, sounds to me like somebody may have crossed the line of respect somewhere

[Aero426]

And if Johnson doesn't perform like he should, he'll end up retiring, or move to Xfinity.  I don't think he has a lifetime contract like Gordon

JJ is signed through the 2020 season.  He says he is still hungry.    I think that when he stops,  Hendrick will offer him something within the organization.   Kind of like the mentoring role that Ganassi offered Jamie McMurray for this coming year.     Rick Mears has done this for RP for years.   

[Ponch ®]

Maybe if the cars actually looked more like what's sitting in the showroom, they could use NASCAR as a marketing tool.

I would love to .... put a limit on the total area that can be covered with sponsor logos.....

lol you'll see them running 4 door, 4 cyl front wheel Camrys before they give up any surfaces that can be sold...

[Mike DC]

lol you'll see them running 4 door, 4 cyl front wheel Camrys before they give up any surfaces that can be sold...

The problem is not the ads.  It's the inconsistent (and sometimes incoherent) visual look of the paintjobs.  I don't mind my favorite driver having an orange & white Home Depot car or whatever.   But it's a problem when the ads are so complex that I can't even tell what the base color is supposed to be, and I don't care because it's liable to be something totally different next week anyway.    


Imagine what it would do to Football or Baseball or Hockey if they had no more team colors and just let the sponsors-of-the-week determine the uniforms.  This is basically how NASCAR is operating now.  It's another one of these "little things" that doesn't create any obvious measurable problem but it hurts the sport overall.  The backbone of this sport is fans having specific drivers they love and hate.  Constantly changing appearances is hobbling that process.  

6yo kids don't remember "Today Junior is sponsored by XYZ instead of ZYX so his 14-color paint scheme has changed for the 3rd time in the last 5 races."   They remember "Junior drives the red #8 car."

[JB400]

The problem is the fact that they've gotten so big that they have to have sponsorship, and multiple ones at that.  No sponsorship, and after a couple races, you're done.  Gone are the days where one primary sponsor is enough.  Gordon run primarily with DuPont/ Axalta.  Dale Sr. run GM Goodwrench.  Rusty run Miller.  Right now, you hardly see who the primary sponsor is anymore.

[Aero426]

The problem is the fact that they've gotten so big that they have to have sponsorship, and multiple ones at that.  No sponsorship, and after a couple races, you're done.  Gone are the days where one primary sponsor is enough.  Gordon run primarily with DuPont/ Axalta.  Dale Sr. run GM Goodwrench.  Rusty run Miller.  Right now, you hardly see who the primary sponsor is anymore.

Right.    The costs are out of control where it takes multiple primary sponsors to get through the season.  (JGR has over 400 employees!)   The days of a single sponsor are pretty much over.

[Mike DC]

  
Agreed.  The enormous costs seem like the biggest problem of all.  It's killing the sport.    

The rulebook describes a fairly cheap car.  The teams drive up the costs in spite of that as they pursue every possible advantage.  IMO the most effective cost-cutting method (in the big picture) may be taking more of the parts out of the teams' hands.  As in, NASCAR hands out more parts on the day of the race and gets them back when the race is over.  If the teams can do less to build & test the cars, then they also need fewer employees to transport & store & test & handle everything.  The savings multiplies.      

The teams would complain about being locked out of their cars . . . The fans would complain on their behalf . . . but the sport would survive better.    

[Aero426]

You know the optical scanner thing that NASCAR implemented in tech?     The top teams have now all bought this same scanner system so they can play with the cars at the shop.    Ridiculous!

A lot of these rule changes to make things "fair" have unintended consequences.

[Mike DC]

You know the optical scanner thing that NASCAR implemented in tech?     The top teams have now all bought this same scanner system so they can play with the cars at the shop.    Ridiculous!

A lot of these rule changes to make things "fair" have unintended consequences.

That's my point. 

You can regulate a body, but you cannot stop the teams from spending a zillion hours getting on the ragged edges of all the spec limits.  You can make them use a cheap brand of wheel rim, but you cannot stop them from buying 100 rims and picking out the 20 most perfectly round ones in the group.  Etc. 

Every part of the car that the team has control over is another place where they will escalate the costs trying to get a competitive advantage.     

[JB400]

Regulate too much, and you end up with the IROC series.  A money cap would be a better option.  Put a limit on the number of sponsors a team can have

[Mike DC]

              

Regulate too much, and you end up with the IROC series.

Yeah I know, but I see no other way of holding costs down and keeping the racing competitive.  NASCAR has been steadily moving in the direction of IROC as the teams squeeze out every ounce of speed year after year.  

The problem is, you cannot let car-building be a big factor in the sport without having it turn into a money-spending contest.  It's inherently a compromise.  The more the car-building matters, the more money matters.  The more money matters, the less the driver does.  


Fans get awestruck about something like Richard Petty's amazing 1967 season with all those wins, 11 in a row . . . and 2 minutes later the same people are complaining that NASCAR got pretty boring when Jimmie Johnson was winning all the time.  That's not any different.  

A money cap would be a better option.  Put a limit on the number of sponsors a team can have

It could help.  But they would need to watch for unofficial & indirect support if they started putting "salary caps" on sponsorships.

[JB400]

Well, with Almirola winning today, and doing pretty good this year, does that give indication of the actual performance of the team that Danica had, or is Almirola doing a better job of relaying what he actually needs from his team to get the performance that he needs to win?

[Aero426]

Well, with Almirola winning today, and doing pretty good this year, does that give indication of the actual performance of the team that Danica had, or is Almirola doing a better job of relaying what he actually needs from his team to get the performance that he needs to win?

SHR moved numerous crew people from the old 10 car around for this season, including a new crew chief.     Is the answer that the 10 car is performing better as a whole?     The answer is yes.    Is Almirola a better driver than Sparkle Pony?   I would say yes.