Does anyone who liked NASCAR in the 80's and 90's still like it?

LeiterFanatic · 01-20-2010, 11:48 PM

As a lifelong NASCAR fan (from mid 70's) I have seen the sport evolve and all... but I am finding it VERY hard to muster any excitement about NASCAR anymore. I was going to post a long list of things I don;t like or go meh about but I think the crux of the deal is the rise of the SuperTeams that put their driver out there in the front week after week after week. Jimmy Johnson? YAWN. Dale Earnhardt Jr? BUST Jeff Gordon? whatever. Most of the "young guns" are so generic that they blur into one another. Danica Patrick.. again... YAWN.

My God, even King Richard is fielding a Ford this year. I suppose I had my roots in the redneck times and long for those colorful drivers, fistfights, door handle to door handle (back when they had one-it didnt work but they had one) racing, two-car teams or a bunch of independents running. Those were the days. I remember going to Dover Downs in 1975 for the Delaware 500. I go to Homestead now, and it sucks. Sigh. Am I alone in like the old days or am I even alone in caring?

jazzrack · 01-21-2010, 02:32 AM

i agree with you, i trace my waning interest back in the mid-90's i suppose, when the car started to look the same, then nascar went to overregulation and made them all basicly the same under the hood & now all pretense of different cars racing eachother is gone, they all use the same frame, get the engines from the same 2 builders. ect.

the COT has been a disaster for fans & now they are moving it to the nationwide series. i used to make an effort to catch as many races as possible, now the trucks are the only good races to watch and they are too short.

jaxmagicman · 01-21-2010, 10:00 AM

I used to love it. Now it bores me to tears. I think they spend way too much time at commercial. I feel like you get to see maybe 2 minutes of racing. Then a yellow flag and then a commercial.

JackRules1 · 01-21-2010, 10:29 AM

I haven't been a fan all that long, but I grow weary of the same half-dozen guys at the front and the same 3 dozen guys who don't seem able to compete week in and week out. I look forward to Daytona and then it's down hill from there.

RchW · 01-21-2010, 10:32 AM

I was a huge fan for many years since the mid 80's. I went to the Daytona 500 for my 50th birthday in Feb 2005. Since then my interest has dropped off the table. Now I might watch 10-15 minutes of a race at the most.

Johnson's dominance and the realization that Dale Jr is just his name have hurt the sport.

What LF said too.

To be fair. I watch much less of every sport now than I used to. Hockey means nothing to me now. Football, I watch the playoffs. Basketball, meh. I still watch baseball, but if they continue to make a mockery of playoff scheduling, I may turn it off too.

Sports in North America is in for a rude awakening in the next decade.

koohead · 01-21-2010, 05:38 PM

Quite possibly the silliest and scariest idea...ever. A co-worker put it best..."I'm just waiting for them to add hubcap spikes".

NASCAR will relax rules to let drivers 'mix it up' - ESPN

Jason · 01-21-2010, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackRules1

I haven't been a fan all that long, but I grow weary of the same half-dozen guys at the front and the same 3 dozen guys who don't seem able to compete week in and week out. I look forward to Daytona and then it's down hill from there.

Yeah, that's where I am too. There's virtually no chance a second or third tier driver can win these days unless it's a fluke like leaders getting caught on pit road during a caution.

jbergey22 · 01-21-2010, 08:11 PM

I just hate most of the rules. It seems it is more about pit strategy and less about actual racing.

When they have their biggest race of the year end a little more than halfway through the race.

When they have races end in caution.

I eventually had enough of these things and didnt watch a race after the rain shortened Dayton last year.

Jason Moyer · 01-23-2010, 02:37 PM

My interest peaked in the early to mid 80's, although I'd tend to credit that to other forms of racing taking my interest rather than some kind of failure on nascar's apart.

LeiterFanatic · 01-25-2010, 06:40 PM

I long for this...

YouTube - 1976 Daytona 500 Part 3 of 3 Live Broadcast

Still, the greatest sports moment I have ever witnessed live...

And as a tribute to my first ever sports hero
YouTube - SportsCentury - Richard Petty

Le Grande Orange · 01-25-2010, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koohead

Quite possibly the silliest and scariest idea...ever. A co-worker put it best..."I'm just waiting for them to add hubcap spikes".

Cool! Maybe the climax can be all the cars chasing down a gasoline tanker truck!

LeiterFanatic · 01-26-2010, 01:16 PM

This is the last good finish I have seen... was surprised to see it was from 2003. Seems like yesterday.
YouTube - 2003 Kurt Busch Ricky Craven Darlington Close Finish

Cooleyvol · 01-26-2010, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koohead

Quite possibly the silliest and scariest idea...ever. A co-worker put it best..."I'm just waiting for them to add hubcap spikes".

NASCAR will relax rules to let drivers 'mix it up' - ESPN

Like it or not, this is what built NASCAR and what the fans want. I see nothing silly nor scary about letting them race. They're not saying 'anything goes', but they are saying that they'll let them actually race.

Jason Moyer · 01-27-2010, 01:31 PM

What's the over/under on a car going into the seats during one of the plate races this year?

theasfl · 02-02-2010, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Moyer

What's the over/under on a car going into the seats during one of the plate races this year?

The fence.

theasfl · 02-02-2010, 03:18 PM

Adding all the cookie cutter tracks has turned me off extensively, but I still follow (and normally watch) the races particularly pre-NFL...though I'm not sure I'm simply doing it because I'm participating in it's fantasy version. I was a Rusty Wallace fan growing up, but I have yet to find a new driver to root for exclusively.

Stinson · 02-02-2010, 11:23 PM

I'm too young to go back to the 70's and 80's, but I used to really enjoy NASCAR in the late 90's and early 2000's. Nowadays, I can't watch more than a few laps, if I even bother to try.

For me, there's far too much regulation, and nowhere near enough variation. Same cars, same tracks... nothing to look forward to.

And what's with the cautions? Last couple of races I attempted to watch, they actually had cautions scheduled at certain laps. Do they really need to extend races that already last 10 hours?

I don't know. Just way too boring for me anymore. I'll stick to WRC.

Jason Moyer · 02-03-2010, 11:38 AM

NASCAR's track selection now is terrible. I'd almost equate the 1.5 mile oval boom of the last decade or so to the 70's cookie cutter stadium boom, although at least that had the side effect of creating a brand of baseball that was interesting to watch. The only races I tune into anymore are Martinsville/Bristol/Infineon/Watkins Glen/Pocono.

LeiterFanatic · 02-04-2010, 08:37 PM

Jeff Gordon once asked the million dollar question: "If Bristol is the most popular track with fans, why don;t they build more like it?" The answer is probably the key to this whole thing: 1.5 mile ovals are great for corporate skyboxes. NASCAR went corporate around the time that multi-car teams began to ruin racing. It is all about corporate "access" and selling a "brand". If you have been to races lately, the track is littered with stooges wearing button-down Oxford cloth shirts with corporate logos wearing matching racing team caps and little vinyl bags of swag from a VIP tent somewhere. Jimmie Johnson, is this milieu, makes COMPLETE sense. David Pearson would never have made it past the focus groups. AND I LOVE DAVID PEARSON SO **** OFF NASCAR!

Jason Moyer · 02-05-2010, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeiterFanatic

NASCAR went corporate around the time that multi-car teams began to ruin racing.

The 1960's?

NASCAR has always been about being a corporate money making machine dominated by whoever has the most money, the only things that changed were a.) the corporations backing the thing, and that only happened because of the manufacturers pulling out of the sport in the early 70's (by "the sport" I specifically mean stockcar racing, they never really stopped dumping money into champcar or sportscars until the late 90's) which led to France and others going after mainstream sponsorship, and b.) the number of team owners with a ton of money/influence (which is part of the reason the level of competition is so much higher now).

01-20-2010, 11:48 PM	#1
LeiterFanatic All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 1,348	Does anyone who liked NASCAR in the 80's and 90's still like it? As a lifelong NASCAR fan (from mid 70's) I have seen the sport evolve and all... but I am finding it VERY hard to muster any excitement about NASCAR anymore. I was going to post a long list of things I don;t like or go meh about but I think the crux of the deal is the rise of the SuperTeams that put their driver out there in the front week after week after week. Jimmy Johnson? YAWN. Dale Earnhardt Jr? BUST Jeff Gordon? whatever. Most of the "young guns" are so generic that they blur into one another. Danica Patrick.. again... YAWN. My God, even King Richard is fielding a Ford this year. I suppose I had my roots in the redneck times and long for those colorful drivers, fistfights, door handle to door handle (back when they had one-it didnt work but they had one) racing, two-car teams or a bunch of independents running. Those were the days. I remember going to Dover Downs in 1975 for the Delaware 500. I go to Homestead now, and it sucks. Sigh. Am I alone in like the old days or am I even alone in caring?

01-21-2010, 02:32 AM	#2
jazzrack Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: still kicking Posts: 3,229	i agree with you, i trace my waning interest back in the mid-90's i suppose, when the car started to look the same, then nascar went to overregulation and made them all basicly the same under the hood & now all pretense of different cars racing eachother is gone, they all use the same frame, get the engines from the same 2 builders. ect. the COT has been a disaster for fans & now they are moving it to the nationwide series. i used to make an effort to catch as many races as possible, now the trucks are the only good races to watch and they are too short. __________________ . "Never confuse composure for ease" Was once Head Cheese of Corporate League Baseball

01-21-2010, 10:00 AM	#3
jaxmagicman Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Retired defloration-maker living in Myrtle Beach, SC Posts: 7,801	I used to love it. Now it bores me to tears. I think they spend way too much time at commercial. I feel like you get to see maybe 2 minutes of racing. Then a yellow flag and then a commercial. __________________ See ID Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of MLB Advanced Media, L.P. Minor League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with the permission of Minor League Baseball. All rights reserved.

01-21-2010, 10:32 AM	#5
RchW Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Toronto ON by way of Glasgow UK Posts: 15,629	I was a huge fan for many years since the mid 80's. I went to the Daytona 500 for my 50th birthday in Feb 2005. Since then my interest has dropped off the table. Now I might watch 10-15 minutes of a race at the most. Johnson's dominance and the realization that Dale Jr is just his name have hurt the sport. What LF said too. To be fair. I watch much less of every sport now than I used to. Hockey means nothing to me now. Football, I watch the playoffs. Basketball, meh. I still watch baseball, but if they continue to make a mockery of playoff scheduling, I may turn it off too. Sports in North America is in for a rude awakening in the next decade. __________________ Cheers RichW If you’re looking for a good cause to donate money to please consider a Donation to Parkinson’s Canada. It may help me have a better future and if not me, someone else. Thanks. “Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition …There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.” Frank Wilhoit

01-21-2010, 05:38 PM	#6
koohead Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 3,211	Maybe this will help bring back some fans?!?!?! Quite possibly the silliest and scariest idea...ever. A co-worker put it best..."I'm just waiting for them to add hubcap spikes". NASCAR will relax rules to let drivers 'mix it up' - ESPN __________________ GM - New Jersey Bears of the NPBL;

01-21-2010, 10:29 AM	#4
JackRules1 Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Central Florida Posts: 245	I haven't been a fan all that long, but I grow weary of the same half-dozen guys at the front and the same 3 dozen guys who don't seem able to compete week in and week out. I look forward to Daytona and then it's down hill from there.

01-21-2010, 08:11 PM	#8
jbergey22 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,481	I just hate most of the rules. It seems it is more about pit strategy and less about actual racing. When they have their biggest race of the year end a little more than halfway through the race. When they have races end in caution. I eventually had enough of these things and didnt watch a race after the rain shortened Dayton last year.

01-23-2010, 02:37 PM	#9
Jason Moyer Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 5,076	My interest peaked in the early to mid 80's, although I'd tend to credit that to other forms of racing taking my interest rather than some kind of failure on nascar's apart. __________________ "I pretty much popped everything cold turkey. We were doing steroids they wouldn't give to horses." -- Tom House "I was very fortunate to have a pitching coach by the name of Tom House...Tom, I really miss those days that we spent in the weight room and out on the field working together." -- Nolan Ryan's HoF Induction Speech

01-25-2010, 06:40 PM	#10
LeiterFanatic All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 1,348	I long for this... YouTube - 1976 Daytona 500 Part 3 of 3 Live Broadcast Still, the greatest sports moment I have ever witnessed live... And as a tribute to my first ever sports hero YouTube - SportsCentury - Richard Petty Last edited by LeiterFanatic; 01-25-2010 at 06:49 PM.

01-26-2010, 01:16 PM	#12
LeiterFanatic All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 1,348	This is the last good finish I have seen... was surprised to see it was from 2003. Seems like yesterday. YouTube - 2003 Kurt Busch Ricky Craven Darlington Close Finish

01-27-2010, 01:31 PM	#14
Jason Moyer Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 5,076	What's the over/under on a car going into the seats during one of the plate races this year? __________________ "I pretty much popped everything cold turkey. We were doing steroids they wouldn't give to horses." -- Tom House "I was very fortunate to have a pitching coach by the name of Tom House...Tom, I really miss those days that we spent in the weight room and out on the field working together." -- Nolan Ryan's HoF Induction Speech

02-02-2010, 03:18 PM	#16
theasfl Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Coral Springs, FL or Orlando, FL (UCF) Posts: 7,988	Adding all the cookie cutter tracks has turned me off extensively, but I still follow (and normally watch) the races particularly pre-NFL...though I'm not sure I'm simply doing it because I'm participating in it's fantasy version. I was a Rusty Wallace fan growing up, but I have yet to find a new driver to root for exclusively. __________________ All-Sports Fantasy League The ASFL 22 different games, 9 sports. Please check out the website (www.theasfl.com/asfl2/). The league is free- if you're interested please fill out the signup form and/or email the commissioner. Miami Talons (ABL): 2004, 2005 & 2008 Champs

02-02-2010, 11:23 PM	#17
Stinson Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2009 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 256	I'm too young to go back to the 70's and 80's, but I used to really enjoy NASCAR in the late 90's and early 2000's. Nowadays, I can't watch more than a few laps, if I even bother to try. For me, there's far too much regulation, and nowhere near enough variation. Same cars, same tracks... nothing to look forward to. And what's with the cautions? Last couple of races I attempted to watch, they actually had cautions scheduled at certain laps. Do they really need to extend races that already last 10 hours? I don't know. Just way too boring for me anymore. I'll stick to WRC.

02-03-2010, 11:38 AM	#18
Jason Moyer Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 5,076	NASCAR's track selection now is terrible. I'd almost equate the 1.5 mile oval boom of the last decade or so to the 70's cookie cutter stadium boom, although at least that had the side effect of creating a brand of baseball that was interesting to watch. The only races I tune into anymore are Martinsville/Bristol/Infineon/Watkins Glen/Pocono. __________________ "I pretty much popped everything cold turkey. We were doing steroids they wouldn't give to horses." -- Tom House "I was very fortunate to have a pitching coach by the name of Tom House...Tom, I really miss those days that we spent in the weight room and out on the field working together." -- Nolan Ryan's HoF Induction Speech

02-04-2010, 08:37 PM	#19
LeiterFanatic All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 1,348	Jeff Gordon once asked the million dollar question: "If Bristol is the most popular track with fans, why don;t they build more like it?" The answer is probably the key to this whole thing: 1.5 mile ovals are great for corporate skyboxes. NASCAR went corporate around the time that multi-car teams began to ruin racing. It is all about corporate "access" and selling a "brand". If you have been to races lately, the track is littered with stooges wearing button-down Oxford cloth shirts with corporate logos wearing matching racing team caps and little vinyl bags of swag from a VIP tent somewhere. Jimmie Johnson, is this milieu, makes COMPLETE sense. David Pearson would never have made it past the focus groups. AND I LOVE DAVID PEARSON SO **** OFF NASCAR!