The beers a given Brent. Just ask. I got nothing against you, In fact loved meeting you. Im aware of your happy (I Hope) new life and would buy you two one on that alone.

I see your point. I really shouldn't allow that to cross over into racing conversation. I think it was Aeros posting a successful buisness losing a little money that set me off. Sorry.

Take care bud, Never think twice about saying HI at the races.
Chuck

Whats Nascar??????

Well , D.O. titled this thread " NASCAR $$$$ - 31% Down " , which of course , is entirely incorrect.
As NASCAR is privately held , you'll never see their operating report stated as given here for ISC. NASCAR and ISC are two separate entities.
ISC is a publicly traded corporation that remains profitable in this troubled economy.

If you sort out the numbers , the "net income" is most important and is $11.1 million less in this past quarter as compared to a year ago. This number is actually an improvement over earlier projections. So some things are not as bad as could have been , which is a credit to the ISC management and in particular to Ms. Lesa France Kennedy. ISC will continue to make some adjustments necessary as they continue to work through this recession.

To confuse ISC as NASCAR and to wish harm to either is simply foolish as in example -
Motorsports in Indiana accounts for more than $ 700 Million dollars to the local and state economies with approximately 31% of that coming from a single event known as the " Allstate 400 at the Brickyard ".
All that plus 15,000 motorsports jobs in Indiana with most here in Marion and Hendricks counties.
Be careful what you wish for.

:stuck

Thanks for that information Paul. I don't see how saying what you see wrong with a series as bing negative, Couldn'dn't saying saying most of the COT changest applied to existing models be constructed as Possitive????? Driver in center, Foam on right side and still being a chevy, ford or dodge model without making them Grill and headlight only stickers be considers constructive?

Saying the whole reason some races have been removed due to not having 200.000 seating capacity isn't wrong. The track were awesome and provided great or Unique racing. Personally I hate the restrictor races but Im told in person they are awesome to watch. Really, what made nascar the ULTIMATE WAS a fight in the infield as Petty was taking the checkered. Now theres a penalty box. B.S.

Chuck , there is nothing wrong with some spirited debate about the NASCAR product as in the conduct of the event or today's spec car that you describe , in example.

My career began with NASCAR in 1971 and I was fortunate to know the original founder , Mr. William H.G. France or " Big Bill " to his friends.
France ,Sr. turned the reins to son , Bill ,Jr. in '72 and the growth of NASCAR was unprecedented in all of sport for the next three decades. Brian had impossible shoes to fill when he assumed control in 2003 and is largely criticized for everything that has taken place since. Some is just.

Today's NASCAR is not what Big Bill could have envisioned or one that Bill , Jr. would have crafted. Brian's tenure , unlike his father's , is not one to manage growth , but rather to manage from the position of peak market share. In other words , there is nowhere to go but down. Brian is in an impossible situation as compared to that of his father and grandfather. I wish him well !

However , I'm not sure that Brian is responsible for much of what the core fans complain about. Mike Helton was named President in November of 2000 and just 3 months later the sport lost it's greatest star in Dale Earnhardt , Sr.

Helton became the public face of the Earnhardt death investigation and gained stronger footing in formulating NASCAR policy because of it. His presidential powers were self-expanded and he has taken advantage of it ever since. Truth be known , much of what most people find offensive about NASCAR is borne from a Helton policy.

To those of us that can remember seeing those Ray Nichels prepared Dodges , the Plymouth Superbird of Pete Hamilton , or David Pearson wheeling that big-ass Mercury Cyclone around Darlington on Labor Day , it's hard to wrap your arms around today's spec car with decals in attempt to establish an identity to something in a showroom.

:stuck

The simple problem with NASCAR is that it has become a boring sport to watch. Can anyone recall the last time 2 cars were neck and neck at the end of a race? The sport has lost its competition and its attitude.

We used to have season tickets to the KY Speedway. We gave those up about 4 years ago when my son started racing. It got to the point where even watching little kids race quarter midgets was more fun to watch than a NASCAR event.

I would much rather drive 15 minutes to Lawrenceburg and watch some dirt racing then shell out the cash to watch a NASCAR parade.

I agree 100 percent. I also think hes kind of in a impossible possiton pleasing Sponsors as much as the fans. The fans should come first, however. Without em. The sport wouldn't exist. and Certantly not to any level it has become.

There is a very important statement in this comment. It's the one I have pointing to for years now as the reason that local attendence for most races is down. You said you gave up your tickets when your son started racing. (Which is great that you guys race) My point is, attendence is down in many areas because the fans have now become competitors and are off doing their own thing.

As far as ISC and NASCAR go; their attendence and revenues where natually going to fall. As far as their fan base earning below the median income; that is a first for me to hear. I had always heard their fan base was one of an upper middle income above the median.

I hear so many people complain about the COT, but it was what people wanted. The fans had said they where tired of seeing cars that depended so much on Aero. The dreaded Aero push and such. Now that they have a car where you have to get up on the wheel and drive for the entire race; people are mad about it. I am not a huge NASCAR fan and I too was irritated when I heard about the COT because they where taking it out of the hands of the mechanics, but honestly; they put it back in the hands of the drivers for the most part and it was the right move. Besides, the budget was near 30 million two years ago and would be near 35-38 million now. They had to put a stop to it. If this recession would have hit and they where still using the old cars, you would probably only have 32-38 cars a race right now.

If the truth is actually known, the car companies where probably secretly happy that they went to this car. It saves them a ton of money.

I hope NASCAR stays strong because they do provide many jobs all over the world.

They have an image problem though. The reason the fans don't buy the merch is for one they are probably tired of the constant marketing push and also because the sports most popular drivers don't win on a regular basis. Stewart,Earnhardt and Gordon are have basically three wins between them for the last two years. Not alot for a fan to shout about.

Not every class of motorsports has Hunter and Bland, or DD and Jon fighting it out in the last corner of the last lap. You guys are just spoiled.:wink

Some organization who's only goal is to obtain an a$$load of money..... racing is secondary.