Interesting Take on Detroit's NASCAR Involvement

Following up on the thread on NASCAR road courses, etc. I ran across this post today. Hopefully, it will get some tongues wagging in a postive way.

A bit long and redundant a few times but the point is valid.

BHW

http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3487

 

Interestingly enough, I had just posted this article's address on the other NASCAR thread. If what it says is true, (and I believe it is), Detroit should drop NASCAR faster than WJC drops his trousers.

 

Well, if the manufacturer's creed "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" is true, then NASCAR is not serving any purpose to Chevrolet, Ford or D/C as, to be honest, I dont see many Monte Carlos (or whatever Ford and D/C are running in NASCAR) on the road at all.

For me, the days of NASCAR glory were the years up until the mid 70's when they were true STOCK CARS and you could actually tell them apart. This article hits it on the head, fans arent gravitating to manufactureres, they're more into the drivers or even sponsors.

Of course, the same may be said (as pointed out in this week's Autosport)
that if the entire F-1 starting grid was painted white, the cars could scarcely be identified.

A friend of mine who watches NASCAR (and has never so much as seen any other form of racing) tells me he likes Tony Stewart. I asked him why. He says, "He went flying through the air upside down at Daytona, he's great!"

Which, while this has nothing to do with the type of car Tony Stewart drives or is even a commentary of his driving skills (which I think are impressive), it's more to do with the entertainment factor. For those educated in the purist forms of motorsport, seeing a guy flying upside down at high speed is a horrible sight but for NASCAR fans, this is what they're paying to see.

Herein lies the one of the differences.

As for the drivers and teams, there must be something said about a championship which pays it's winner $1M at the end of the season. But, when you see how much these guys make in the sales of their crappy t-shirts
and trinkets, it far outweighs what the actual championship pays. Guys like
Earnhardt, Jr and Jeff Gordon make upwards of $25M a year in their trinkets alone so what is the motoviation for Jeff Gordon to go to F-1?

Bernie Ecclestone better be thinking long and hard about that question.

BHW

 

Pride. I am hoping that Jeff Gordon will decide to show the world just how good a driver he is (and I am no fan of his; this is merely my opinion).