I enjoy NASCAR, but there are some things that have been eating me lately:
Money is power. Chad Knauss can (and will) try to gain a competitive edge (read: CHEAT) any chance he gets. I would too, if the only consequence was me being suspended for a few races. Big deal, last I checked that had absolutely no affect on the 48 car thus far this season. See how Lowes feels about the #48 not racing the Daytona 500. If you have money in NASCAR, rules do not apply to you. Which leads me to my next point…
Rules are not rules. NASCAR changes rules as they come along. This is absolutely ridiculous. Any effort to gain a competitive edge (within the bounds of the current rules). Is quickly erased because NASCAR will modify the rules to nullify all the R&D money you have spent. Case in point. DEI cars dominated restrictor plate races for a few years because they found a secret. They were making smaller engines which produced more horsepower when equipped with a restrictor plate. NASCAR caught wind of this and made a rule that said all cars have to be a certain displacement (358 Cubic Inches). DEI can flush all the engine and R&D money down the drain. NASCAR should do like every other sport does, and make rules at the beginning of the season and stick to them until the end. Of course, they would not have much time to mull the over because…
The season is entirely too long. In an effort to boost late season racing NASCAR created ‘Chase for the Cup’. That was cool, but I still didn’t watch. This is because NFL and College Football is going full steam all throughout ‘the Chase’. A typical conversation during these times goes like this, ‘Where are they racing tomorrow?’, ‘I don’t know, the Falcons play the Bucs though.’. NASCAR can not compete with football, and besides, it doesn’t matter because NASCAR’s next season is only a mere 2 months away.
They market diversity. No other sport is marketed like NASCAR. I know somewhere there is a team of suits sitting around like political strategists trying to figure out how to get an different ethnic group to watch NASCAR. Typical ideas include: having rappers sing the national anthem, moving a race to Mexico and hyping minority drivers. God forbid a minority driver ever really ‘makes it’, we will have to hear about that so much we will all be sick to our stomachs. I am not racist, I would root for a minority driver just like I would root for anyone else. I just don’t want him shoved down my throat.
It is not a sport. There I said it. I have no doubts about the athleticism or abilities of all the drivers and pit crews. My problem is the money, sponsorships and rules. I am not naive enough to think that other sports are not about money. But, until I see the New York Yankees running around with Oakley logos all over their uniforms or hear Bud Selig declare that they are going to move the fences in so that their are more Home Runs. I will not defend NASCAR against this argument.
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on Tuesday, March 21st, 2006 at 7:56 am and is filed under Uncategorized.
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March 23rd, 2006 at 12:02 pm
I was going to sell advertising on my ‘92 Escort but I don’t want to offend you so I will just call Budwieser and tell them I can’t do it.
I agree though for real by the end of the season, I am like enough already! The thing I like most about a NASCAR race is the little educational spots where they take you into the pits and talk about the strategy and technology and those are few and far between.
March 30th, 2006 at 10:05 am
I didn’t like NASCAR to begin with.. even though I’m put through it week in and week out… oh god, please tell me i get longer than 2 months for an off”Season” break…