[davidm]

I feel bad for those who's only exposer to racing is what was on display this past weekend at Daytona.

[The Old Coyote]

Originally Posted by chathamracefan The problem with the reliance on tv ratings is that the ratings have been going in the tank for a few years. When the next tv deal comes around the real squeeze will happen. Somewhere in mid 2000’s the focus of Nascar management shifted to turning into more of a tv show entertainment event vs a sport and in the process ran off a big chunk of their core audience.

I agree. I quit following NASCRAP after they signed the big TV deals with FOX and NBC. They empathized driver celebrity over racing and became what I call "People Magazine of Racing".

[TQ29m]

Originally Posted by davidm I feel bad for those who's only exposer to racing is what was on display this past weekend at Daytona.

That's probably the sad extent of it, altho the numbers were great, the shows were not, but then again, it is NICECAR, it is expected to be that way, I really think a lot of people came to see what Danica would do in her last tin top race, too bad she had to get collected up in a wreck, but racing tends to lead the way in that, no need to wonder "IF", it's more like "WHEN". I did my usual thing, got sat down too soon, and was sound asleep before the first crash, dang, I hated to miss JJ's wreck! Bob

[brsteg]

Originally Posted by Sandy Lowe Sarah Fisher & Kyle Larson were both part of NASCAR’s Drive 4 Diversity program. Are you speaking about them? Or just Daniel Suarez and Darrell Wallace, Jr.?

I don't like the D4D program either. It's NASCAR picking winners and losers; and when it comes to drivers owners and sponsors should be picking the guys that get rides regardless of sex or race.

If D4D were not a drivers program but a crew members; from tire changers to mechanics to engineers, trying to bring opportunities and awareness to minority individuals in different universities then I would support it.

But the drivers should be who ever is the best, and that should be decided by owners and/or sponsors. (Now the reality is there is a rich kid problem where parents and grandparents with companies are buying these rides up; but for today I don't think there is a solution. You just have to let the kids fail on their own and leave, or hang around if they are good enough or rich enough.)

[BrentTFunk]

I went to the 500 on Sunday. Haven't been since Dale Jarrett won his first race for Yates, so it had been a long time. I don't care for all the crashing. I attended my first NASCAR race at Charlotte in 1984. Although they have not been able to keep all the fans that they had during the boom of the 90's when they were the flavor of the day, the crowds are bigger than they were in the days of the traitor flag. Daytona was not real nice when I went before, it is real nice now. I liked the racing at Ocala better, but was impressed with what I saw at Daytona. The facility was real nice.

[openwheelfan1]

Okay, first off, I watch all kinds of racing. Short track, motocross, NASCAR, IndyCar, F1, NHRA. With that said, at the highest level of the sport of auto racing, it is supposed to be the elite of the sport. So why in the world can’t what are supposed to be the greatest stock car drivers in the world drive 500 miles without bouncing off each other and the walls and demolishing millions of dollars of equipment? NASCAR implements rules every year to “control costs” and then they have a week of races at Daytona where some teams trashed as much as $2,000,000 (or more) worth of race cars per team. I read where the Hendricks team was estimated to have lost close to $7,000,000 in race cars at Daytona. That’s insanity!

[Brickyard]

Originally Posted by ISF One is it's clearly apparent that you are a disgruntled former CART employee

Oh noes! You got me! I get up every morning, light a few candles around a photo of Dan Gurney, slather myself in baby oil, turn on a little Marvin Gaye, and pull my wicker bill to the sultry sounds of a 3.4L Mercedes pushrod.

Jesus H. Christ on moped. Boles and Miles ought just hand in their resignations. With geniuses such as yourself out of circulation no wonder things can't get cranking at the old speed plant.

[Aces&Eights]

Originally Posted by revjimk Well I didn't want to get into ******** but I have to reply to that. My feelings on the Confederate flag didn't come from "mainstream media" & I have lived in the South. In fact my family moved from NYC to small town Virginia when I was 10, in 1960, Civil War centennial & full scale segregation, which we all thought was horrible & un-American. We had to stand up for Dixie during HS pep rallies, & the schools taught a very pro Confederate version of history, probably the same kind of thing you were taught. I was there for first school integration & it was a positive thing, South was forced to confront racism, which still hasn't happened in the North. As for Civil War... fought for "States Rights"? Right to do what?... own slaves, & the Confederate leaders were very open about that. The "States Rights" line only came up after they lost. If you really love the South (including ALL its people) you should hate the Confederacy because they brought untold suffering to their own people. Civil War killed more Americans than ALL out other wars combined until Gulf War 1. IMHO, Confederate leaders were traitors... Nazi symbols are ILLEGAL in Germany... As for NASCAR's decline, plenty of people on this board gave their reasons for not liking NASCAR, & you're the only one who brought up Confederate flag issue. Its boring racing... Can we get back to sprint cars now?

First, I never mentioned ********. Second, some of what you say is true, some not. Third, I will never hate the confederacy, slavery is a separate issue and is disgusting. I’m gonna drop some truth on you, only 16% of southerners owned slaves, 84% did not. The south represented 30% of the US population, but paid 80% of the taxes. The rights of the states were at the heart of the reason for sesession because we were being financially abused. Now was segregation ugly and reprehensible? YES. My father still instinctively thinks in segregationary ways, but he’s from that generation, I am not. They say the winners get to write history and that’s true, but that doesn’t make it all true. While you lived here for a time, it’s not exactly the same as being from here. My family has been here since the late 1700’s, I am the third and named after a governor of Georgia from the mid 1800’s, my cousin was Secretary of State and his statue is at the base of Stone Mountain. I only mention all that to show how deep my roots run here, but that doesn’t mean I condone everything that’s ever happened. The media, public education and many ill informed celebrities like to link Confederacy and Slavery like they were one in the same, they were not. As morally high as it sounds to say the north fought for freedom of the slaves, it just isn’t true. The slavery angle came later when enthusiasm for the war in the north was weaning. Bottom line Confedracy isn’t a replacement word for slavery. I’m not angry with you, I understand why you feel the way you do, I’m sure you saw some ugly stuff while you were here, I have to, but like the numbers I listed not everyone here is full of hate and racism. The south still wears the stain of racism, but I see more of it up north and on the west coast than I do here daily.

As to Nascar, it was born here, the same way Indy car was born in Indiana, but like I said earlier the flag deal was just one more thing in the move to separate itself from its base. It won’t bother me to see NASCAR crumble, they chose to leave the loyal and grass roots could use the sponsor dollars. I’m not mad with you and I hope you aren’t mad with me.

[revjimk]

Originally Posted by Aces&Eights First, I never mentioned ********. Second, some of what you say is true, some not. Third, I will never hate the confederacy, slavery is a separate issue and is disgusting. I’m gonna drop some truth on you, only 16% of southerners owned slaves, 84% did not. The south represented 30% of the US population, but paid 80% of the taxes. The rights of the states were at the heart of the reason for sesession because we were being financially abused. Now was segregation ugly and reprehensible? YES. My father still instinctively thinks in segregationary ways, but he’s from that generation, I am not. They say the winners get to write history and that’s true, but that doesn’t make it all true. While you lived here for a time, it’s not exactly the same as being from here. My family has been here since the late 1700’s, I am the third and named after a governor of Georgia from the mid 1800’s, my cousin was Secretary of State and his statue is at the base of Stone Mountain. I only mention all that to show how deep my roots run here, but that doesn’t mean I condone everything that’s ever happened. The media, public education and many ill informed celebrities like to link Confederacy and Slavery like they were one in the same, they were not. As morally high as it sounds to say the north fought for freedom of the slaves, it just isn’t true. The slavery angle came later when enthusiasm for the war in the north was weaning. Bottom line Confedracy isn’t a replacement word for slavery. I’m not angry with you, I understand why you feel the way you do, I’m sure you saw some ugly stuff while you were here, I have to, but like the numbers I listed not everyone here is full of hate and racism. The south still wears the stain of racism, but I see more of it up north and on the west coast than I do here daily. As to Nascar, it was born here, the same way Indy car was born in Indiana, but like I said earlier the flag deal was just one more thing in the move to separate itself from its base. It won’t bother me to see NASCAR crumble, they chose to leave the loyal and grass roots could use the sponsor dollars. I’m not mad with you and I hope you aren’t mad with me.

A) "only 16% of southerners owned slaves, 84% did not" True. But the 84% were foolish enough to take up arms against their fellow Americans & US government to protect interests of slave owners (B) " While you lived here for a time, it’s not exactly the same as being from here"... thats for damn sure, & they let me know it. I was a "Yankee N&%$ lover" (C) "As morally high as it sounds to say the north fought for freedom of the slaves, it just isn’t true" False. The actual issue of 1860 ******** was whether slavery would be extended into new territories in the West. Lincoln was against slavery, but knew it was politically impossible to ban it in the South. He took a firm stand against it spreading West. As soon as he was elected, Southern states started to secede, knowing that free states in the West would eventually lead to an anti-slavery majority in Congress. THEY assaulted Ft. Sumter, & it didn't work out too well for them, did it?
One more quote coming, then lets drop the subject...OK?

[revjimk]

The Confederacy was ALL about slavery! From Alexander Stephens, Confederate VP: "Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite ideas; its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition."
OK??? I want to get off this subject & back to racing