When did NASCAR become the major leagues

NASCAR has become a mainstream sport - that's where the sponsor and TV dollars are and that's why drivers want to be there. There is no money in American Open Wheel racing and I daresay most Americans aren't even aware that there is such a thing. Maybe they've heard of the Indy 500 but they don't watch it and have no interest in it - sad because open wheel racing used to be a major sport in this country with most of the drivers' names well known, much like NASCAR today.

This happened for a number of reasons - the retirement of the name drivers (AJ, Mario, the Unsers, etc.) with mainly foreign drivers filling their spots, the fact that the cars became virtually spec (no new and interesting technology being introduced), no new and amazing speed records being set any longer, and of course the split between CART and the IRL. This same type of transition happened to professional sports car racing a generation earlier.

 

It is not just open wheel racing. Look at the number of road racers trying NASCAR. Some are only doing the couple of NASCAR road races, but other are looking for a more full time situation. About the only NASCAR races I watch are the ones from Sonoma and the Glen. I wanted to see how Scott Pruett, Boris Said and the others are fairing against the regulars.

I will say that having worked several NASCAR truck races and ARCA and ASA races on the road course at Heartland Park, some of the NASCAR drivers are not bad on road courses. Mark Martin was particularly good and held his own with the road racer hired guns. When Jay Sauter raced trucks for Childress he was a good road racer as well.

As was said, NASCAR is where the money is, and if you want a big career in racing in this country that is where you have to be. I am just glad that I am old enough to have seen when road racing was the big thing. It was sure great to see the oringinal Can-Am, Trans-Am and even the F5000 Continental series with the likes of Gurney, Revson, JYS, McLaren, Surtees, Phil Hill and Jim Hall among others.

 

Don't forget all the other sports car drivers driving in NASCAR now-Boris Said, Patrick Carpenter, Randy Pobst, James Safronas (in busch i think?), Lou Giglotti, Ron Fellows, etc. It's too bad to see all these guys going to ASSCAR, but its pretty obvious that they are more talented, as shown by JPM winning 2 out of 3 roadcourses this year.

 

Randy Pobst is driving in Nascar? What, as a "Road course ringer" like Fellows?

Anyways, no one watches Champ car, and not much more watch Indy. American open wheel racing is a huge and distinct step down from F1. Nascar on the other hand, because of the huge American popularity and money involved, isn't considered as big of a fall from F1.

 

It was a punch in the face to lose JPM to Nascar, but, as others in this thread have so insightfully elocuted,it donned on me that he had no other place to go to maintain his lifestyle. Nascar may be ugly and retro, but it has become the WORLD'S second series to be in if you're a 'name' driver and keeping the yacht in Monte is a concern. There will be more defections coming. Osmosis y'all.

 

I'm not sure, I think i saw his name for a busch series race a few weeks ago when there was no real racing on. I was tuned into espn and was too lazy to change the channel lol.

 

When?

Was it after Group C/IMSA GTP died, IRL/CART mess, and when speedvision sold out to fox?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGJ6_vDKEN8

The part about Danica Patrick in NASCAR hasn't come true. She signed in July, 2006 with Andretti Green Racing for 2007.

http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/28732/

At the Champ Car/ALMS double-header in April, 2007 in Houston:

As I checked into the hotel, I asked the manager if he was aware of the race this weekend (there were a few billboards in the area) to which he replied..."NASCAR is in town?"

(now dead link)

http://www.racingfanatics.com/2007%20Home%20Pages/2007alms/Houston/Back%20to%20the%20Streets.htm

Daytona 500 a greater race than the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Dakar Rally?

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/070625

# 45: Daytona 500

# 68: 24 Hours of Le Mans (Pescarolo 01 Judd shown)

# 77: Dakar Rally

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/070625

http://www.dakar.com/indexus.html

I'm glad PT won't sell out

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/champcar/33663/

stay away from it kid

http://www.motorsport.com/magazine/feature.asp?C=WhosWho&D=2007-07-03

http://www.liamkenney.com/

 

What spec LMP cars are out there?

http://www.americanlemans.com/news/Article.aspx?ID=2811

Near-spec is Daytona Prototype:

http://www.the-paddock.net/content/view/241368/49/

“Most people don’t realize that when you strip these things down,” Raffauf said, “that I’m going to guess the number is somewhere between 80-85% of these cars are identical, structure wise. So it’s really an exercise of how you cloak the structure.”

- Mark Raffauf, Grand-Am’s director of competition

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/grandam/36343/

http://www.theracesite.com/client_images/albums/2980_49.jpg

http://www.theracesite.com/client_images/albums/2980_85.jpg

http://www.theracesite.com/client_images/albums/2980_89.jpg

http://www.motorsport.com/photos/grandam/2007/mon/grandam-2007-mon-eg-0204.jpg

http://www.motorsport.com/photos/grandam/2007/mon/grandam-2007-mon-eg-0244.jpg

The IRL/CART split was before the IMSA/USRRC (not ALMS/Grand-Am).

http://wsrp.ic.cz/imsa.html

http://wsrp.ic.cz/usrrc.html

The new Panoz DP01 is at least less expensive to buy and run then the previous Lola.

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/champcar/32509/

http://champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=11322

Gerald Forsythe: "I've been in open-wheel racing with March, Reynard and Lola, and I can assure you that the difficulties we've experienced here are considerably fewer than with those other three manufacturers when a new car came out."

- http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/champcar/36957/?page=2

http://www.elanmotorsports.com/

Improved Cosworth XFE turbo V-8

Ken Deagle is Cosworth's Champ Car track support manager.

Improved pistons and oil control system have enabled Cosworth to add 200 miles to the duty cycle of each engine.

"The engines now will run to 1,400 miles," Deagle said. "The limiting factor on running more than 1,200 miles was the piston. After 1,200 miles they were pretty much used up. The duty cycle just beat them up and certainly, if a driver was a little overzealous on downshifting, that was a negative as well. What we learned in the last two years and last year in particular with piston development with our CA Formula One engine were some slightly different approaches for piston design in materials and manufacturing that carried over to this new program. We've also improved the oil control a little. So while the horsepower output is the same, the internal components have been improved to get an extra 200 miles between rebuilds."

A little bit of weight has been removed from the top of the engine.

http://champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=11248

 

HAve you ever watched a shifter race in SKUSA or STARS? Scott used to race them before getting picked up by red bull. My point is, if you've ever seen a big time kart race shifter or not you would shut your mouth from sounding so stupid. the kart races are like nascar, but you don't just turn left the whole day....

I don't think you'll hear any whining from him in nascar about getting beat up.

 

Yeah I've seen people fly out of the karts. They often suffer broken bones etc. Luckily I haven't had any sort or accident like that yet, but I don't really get into the shifter karts very often anyways.

 

You are aware that those fat-arsed drivers sit in a car in over 130 degree heat for races that are over twice as long as an F1 race?

Tony Stewart might not be able to fit into an F1 car but I would imagine that quite a few F1 drivers would have difficulty finishing a NASCAR 500 mile race.

 

at the present time NASCAR has : sponsors ($$$) standing in line to get in ; major network tv deals ; easily identifiable drivers to root for and against ; close , wheel to wheel racing ; the opportunity for drivers to earn more money and recognition than in any other form of motorsport currently (in the U.S.) . so , yes , it is the Major leagues . I , like most of us , am first and foremost an F1 fan , but understand the appeal and the allure of NASCAR . i have attended numerous races and actually have fun every time i go . i will admit , it is a bit of culture shock seeing some of the NASCAR faithful that attend the races , but i enjoy and appreciate all forms of motorsport .

 

JPM seems to do fine doesn't he?

 

The "Car of Tomorrow" is causing my interest in NASCAR to fade. Now if they were running big inch Torinos and Superbirds every Sunday, THAT would get me back.

Heck, in the last race's "brawl" the fighters diddn't even remove their helmets and Hans.


Guess I'm to old school for today's stock car racing.

 

Great race yesterday.

Oh wait, it RAINED.

I prefer my racers to race, no matter what. Nothing sucks worse than buying a ticket and not getting to see a show(still cursing from Michelingate at USGP for my first race....)