No pitting under YELLOWS would make racing so much better. If you pit you start from the pits. I like the top XX rule but 25 would be a better number. The chase 26 races but only count your top 24 races. The chase itself should have a point system for only the chasers.

I'm still stuck on hating the chase. You can have 26 good/lucky races, but have a bad/unlucky race or two in ten races does not work for me! I don't care how you change the points, but make all 36 races count!

hdhar5 - 17 February 2009 11:52 AM

What's wrong with NASCAR? That question seems to be the common thread in chat forums here in SPEED TV, NASCAR.Com and ESPN. Well, there are quite a few problems with NASCAR. It used to showcase the best racing in America; but, like many other major sports, management's focus on becoming "bigger and better" has begun to cause much more harm than good.
When you take races away from venues that have history and have helped to build your sport (such as Rockingham) you weaken your fan base. When you build tracks that are as generic as vanilla ice cream at Walmart (such as Fontana) you weaken your sport.
When you try to "manufacture" excitement by creating a "play-off" system that is more in-line with other major sports, you weaken your sport. When you throw yellow flags for questionable debris to tighten up the field, you weaken your sport. When you fail to be consistent with penalties and leave even a suspicion of favoring one driver or team over another, you weaken your sport.
When you build up a race and call it your "Super Bowl", count down the days until that race on your official website, commit 40-plus hours of television broadcasting to that event and then treat it as if it is any other race and not allow it to be completed in its entirety...yes, you weaken your sport.
NASCAR, in my humble opinion, lost sight of who made their sport appealing to advertisers, sponsors and that golden umbrella known as National Television. They lost sight of the fans. Yes, us, the fans. We are, for the most part, blue-collared workers who work long hours and are the heart and soul of NASCAR's fan base. We are the ones who look forward to that one or two races a year that we can save our money to attend. We are willing to travel hundreds of miles to attend a race and, when we do, we spend hundreds of dollars on merchandise that supports our sport. We aren't like MLB fans who have three or four stadiums or hundreds of games we can choose from. We aren't like NFL fans who can buy our favorite team's t-shirts or hats in any department store. We are race fans. Yes we are ridiculed for following a sport where "they only drive in circles". You mention the Atlanta Falcons to anyone on the street and they will know who you are talking about. Try mentioning JGR and see if you get the familiar nod or just a look of complete confusion.
My point is, we---the fans---, made NASCAR appealing to the sponsors. NASCAR got greedy and forgot who goes to their races. They created this polished image, which appeals to some (sponsors). It wants controversy to stimulate ratings but punishes certain drivers and teams if they do controversial things. They have put "personalities" in the broadcast booths and have added cut-away cars to teach us the intricacies of NASCAR racing. I don't know about you but I can read...if I have a question about roof flaps or spring rubbers then I will go to the library.
NASCAR keeps making changes that do nothing more than weaken its fan base.

If they insist on making changes, then I would offer the following suggestions:
1. Make the Daytona 500 the most important event of the season. It tends to rain in Florida (even us rednecks have figured that out), so allocate for the rain. If the race needs to be run on two consecutive days to run all 500 miles, then do so. Start the race earlier. I already turn the TV on at 8:00 to watch that blowhard Spencer.
2. Get rid of the Chase. Sorry, it just isn't all that exciting nor is it popular with your fan base. It is great for Jimmy Johnson but kind of screw other drivers who have a good first 26 races. A driver can win ten races in the "regular season" and have two DNF's in the Chase and lose a championship. It is a dumb format.
3. Bring back Rockingham, take a race from California. If you must have two races in Fontana then fix the track. Put some variable banking in the place that promotes better racing. Heck, I worked as a draftsman for that track, loved the idea of bringing NASCAR back to SoCal but I hate the races there.
4. Get rid of the superficial non-sense that is scattered through the race broadcasts. No more digger, no more race updates by broadcasting hacks like Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace and that know-nothing Krista Voda. Dale and Rusty were great drivers but suck as broadcasters.
5. Let drivers drive and let them speak their mind without backlash from Mike Helton. If they wreck someone or get caught cheating...park them. Simple as that. If they find themselves sitting in the stands or their motorcoach during a race maybe they will think before they do something stupid. Suspending the crew chief doesn't really seem to work.


These are my suggestions. True, I am just a fan. I haven't driven a car at 200 mph into a banked turn. But, I am not a sellout to corporate America, either. If NASCAR would read this and acknowledge that they have failed the fans in just one of these areas...that would be the beginning of improvement in a sport that is rapidly losing fans.
NASCAR...your's is a unique sport. Don't try to be like MLB, the NFL or any other sport. Return to the NASCAR that made you great. Fans will come back.

It sucks.

you want to see some hard racing nascar? "if you win your in" "if you win a race, your in the chase"(thats sounds like a good sound bite for the chase).that would result in some great racing,and some great calls on pit row.keep the 12 highest point drivers just add anyone outside the 12 that wins a race. i also think the chase racers should all re-set back to zero.then...those 12(or more if more guys win) are on thier own point system.what i mean is.if they finish 43rd due to a crash they only get (12th.13th 14th place points depending on how many drivers there are) not 43rds.who ever is the highest finishing driver gets first place points,secound highest gets secound place points,and so on(you get the picture).of course leading a lap and extra points for winning still stands.that would keep the points close on all of them all the way thru the chase.and the last race should be a super speedway.that would make the chase exciting to watch!

I have thought this for several years now but with the recent events I think Nascar needs to seriusly concider moving laped cars to the back.

Before the lucky dog rule cars needed to line up on the inside to have a chance at getting a lap back.

Now with the lucky dog they have no need to be up there causing problems, let them fight it out at the back

Have a double wide restart in the order of standing just like the start of the race

i agree troublemaker.i hate it too when they say a 5 o`clock start time and it`s after 6 before we get going.latley i`ve been taping the races so i can fast foward during the commercial fest,and all the caution laps.makes me alot less frustrated.fever thats a great idea about restarts.lets see the leaders fight it out and not worry about being wrecked by lapped cars.look what happened at daytona.

I stopped watching when they rolled out the COT... and turned it into an IROC series...

Can't tell you the last Sprint/Nextel Cup race I watched... However, do watch Nationwide occasionally - as they haven't faq'd up the body as much (yet) and seems to still have some decent racing for ovals...

Just my .02 cents -

I like NASCAR. But, then again, I don't expect perfection. I've been following it since the '60's and it has provided me a lot of entertaining times. So, Thanks NASCAR. You're not perfect, but even the complainers keep tuning back in apparently.
BTW, maybe Dave can explain how much of the pre and post race fluff and hype is the product of the networks and the track promoters, and not NASCAR. Just because it is ABOUT NASCAR doesn't mean it is BY NASCAR. Besides, my TV came with a remote that allows me to change channels when a show irritates me. Didn't the rest of you get the same thing with yours?

Cat-Man-Do - 23 February 2009 06:38 PM

I like NASCAR. But, then again, I don't expect perfection. I've been following it since the '60's and it has provided me a lot of entertaining times. So, Thanks NASCAR. You're not perfect, but even the complainers keep tuning back in apparently.
BTW, maybe Dave can explain how much of the pre and post race fluff and hype is the product of the networks and the track promoters, and not NASCAR. Just because it is ABOUT NASCAR doesn't mean it is BY NASCAR. Besides, my TV came with a remote that allows me to change channels when a show irritates me. Didn't the rest of you get the same thing with yours?

No, people don't change the channel. Because if they did, they wouldn't have anything too complain about.
But i agree with you, NASCAR isn't perfect. No racing series is.

I realize that they are trying to keep cost down, but they need to get the cars (technically) out of the '80's.

Also, another big grype - yellow flags right about the time there is a fuel window or someone popular is about to go a lap down?? Cmon.