Who else misses the "old" NASCAR?

[HelenePA]

None of this top 35 qualifying crap (its crap pure crap) none of this silly points stuff they've come up with. Just good old fashion racing. I got into it in the late 80's When it was Dale, Rusty, Bill the good old guys.. It has just lost its appeal to me. I'm still a fan.. just not like I use to be.

 

[Ohiodislover]

Agreed--Still a Fan, but I no longer base our weekend plans on the race. I used to NEVER miss.

I get tired of the Jimmy/Jeff show
Nascar's changing of the rules every week is exhausting.
I could go on.

 

[Dizzy4Disney90210]

HelenaPA, I don't know anything about nascar racing, I'm just posting because I think your baby is adorable

 

[Colleen27]

We're right there with you. Daytona used to be our Super Bowl - big party, lots of friends over, etc. Now we barely follow the sport any more.

 

[BoyLovesBuzz]

I agree. While I admire the skill of the drivers, and the sheer power of the cars, whenever the governing body of the sport, think they are bigger than the sport, you are one step away from professional wrestling.

 

[John VN]

None of this top 35 qualifying crap (its crap pure crap) none of this silly points stuff they've come up with. Just good old fashion racing. I got into it in the late 80's When it was Dale, Rusty, Bill the good old guys.. It has just lost its appeal to me. I'm still a fan.. just not like I use to be.

Tim, Davey, Neil, Alan, Benny, Bobby........fun and interesting racing. The calling of the race on MRN was exciting.

The Original Polish Victory Lap by Alan #7

 

[hoosll]

Hate it, I've totally lost interest and actually feel like the races are fixed due to the flags near the end and collusion between team members and owners to fix races. The last 3-4 years have been awful

whenever the governing body of the sport, think they are bigger than the sport, you are one step away from professional wrestling.

couldn't agree more.... now they are trying to do the same thing to golf with points, etc.

 

[mickeyboat]

I agree, see other thread.

Denae

 

[JDinCO]

It's all based on $$$ instead of tradition.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I know I sound like a total sentimental redneck, but my love of NASCAR died when Dale Earnhardt died.

I loved NASCAR back in the day when Richard Petty was in the twilight of his career, and Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt and a cast of characters gave it their all every week.

I lived 7 miles from what is now Lowe's Motor Speedway -the heart of it all.

 

[HelenePA]

I know I sound like a total sentimental redneck, but my love of NASCAR died when Dale Earnhardt died.

I loved NASCAR back in the day when Richard Petty was in the twilight of his career, and Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt and a cast of characters gave it their all every week.

I lived 7 miles from what is now Lowe's Motor Speedway -the heart of it all.

It hasn't been the same for me since he died either.. We can be sentimental rednecks together. Amazing how much you can miss someone you never met isn't it?

 

[SorcererDonald16]

Agreed--Still a Fan, but I no longer base our weekend plans on the race. I used to NEVER miss.

I get tired of the Jimmy/Jeff show
Nascar's changing of the rules every week is exhausting.
I could go on.

This is how I feel too. I didn't start watching and being a fan until 2001, and even since then, a LOT has changed. The last couple of years, I've barely watched any of it. I think I'm at the point where I feel like saying "Someone wake me when Jimmie Johnson retires."

I know I sound like a total sentimental redneck, but my love of NASCAR died when Dale Earnhardt died.

I loved NASCAR back in the day when Richard Petty was in the twilight of his career, and Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt and a cast of characters gave it their all every week.

I lived 7 miles from what is now Lowe's Motor Speedway -the heart of it all.

It's actually backwards for me. My dad was a huge Bill Elliott fan. Back in those days, we only had one TV with cable, and so whenever Nascar was on, my dad would watch it and I would be wishing with all my heart ANYTHING else was on TV. I hated it.

Fast forward to 2001 when Senior passed away. My grandfather was in the hospital at the time, and my aunt told us what happened when she came to visit. I vaguely remembered him from my childhood, so when I got home from the hospital that night I watched the coverage on TV. Couple weeks later, I was staying with my grandparents to help out, and doing reading for school. I need background noise when I'm reading, so I was flipping the channels, saw a race, and said, oh what the heck. I'll watch it. I felt really badly for Dale Junior, so I thought I'd watch it, hoping he'd win so maybe he'd feel a bit better for a minute. I was worried my own grandfather was going to pass away, so grief was on my mind a lot at that time. He didn't win, but strangely enough I found out that I actually really liked Nascar. So, I guess you could say I owe Senior a big thanks. I don't like a lot of Junior's reported shenaningans, but to this day, I still root for him.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

Me, me, me, me.....(hand held way up in the air)!!!!

I still miss seeing that Black #3 driving around as well!!!! Racing hasn't been the same since for me.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Back when the cars were real cars and not Spec Racers????

When the headlights were removed and pie plates were put into the holes?

When Smokey Yunick made cheatin' an art form?

Now "racers" make a good living by qualifying and then parking . . .

 

[Seahunt]

When the track started serving tiramisu martinis I told my DH it just wasn't the same.

JMO but I think the younger generation of Nascar's France family "got above their raisin' (as Ricky Skaggs would sing) and went all Hollywood, and it's been downhill from there... but I guess big bucks will do that to you.

 

[Diva of Dragons]

Interesting thread. I've never been into it but I had a unique opportunity, last summer, to talk to a guy that has been behind the scenes, working on cars for many many years.

He said he doesn't like the NASCAR scene anymore because it's just not legit. It's all about $$$$. He said that, before every race, whoever the head guy is (told me his name but I forgot) used to give a little pep talk and say things like "have a great race", "may the best driver win", etc...... Now all he says is "put on a great show!"

 

[Vexorg]

Count me in the "used to like NASCAR" crowd. Anymore I'd much rather watch ALMS or some other sportscar series. NASCAR seems to have become a sport of "May the most marketable driver win" these days.

 

[kaylajr]

I'm with you on this one..
I am still a fan and I still watch but it just isn't the same

Sundays used to be Race day... plans set around the race ...my family knew better than to call during the race ...


It is really sad.. I grew up watching Nascar
I got my DH hooked

I wanted to share it with my girls too but they just don't get it and to be honest If I was starting no I probably wouldn't "get it" either

 

[HelenePA]

HelenaPA, I don't know anything about nascar racing, I'm just posting because I think your baby is adorable

missed this last night... thank you

 

[MarkerMouse]

Oh yeah, the old days....

... when a race finished with MAYBE 2 or 3 cars on the lead lap.
... when the only race coverage was a couple minutes of taped highlights on Wide World of Sports
... when there were only 4 or 5 teams actually capable of winning on any given Sunday
... when the races never made it out of the Southeast United States


These days....

... there are a lot of teams on the lead lap at the end of a race, if not most of them.
... there is more before race and post race coverage than anyone could watch, there is flag to flag live coverage of not only the Cup series, but he Nationwide and Truck series too. And sometimes ARCA as well.
... most weeks every team on the track, plus a few that went home, have a reasonable chance of possibly winning, and probably 20-30 teams that wouldn't even be a real surprise.
... races are held across the United States, in every region (even other countries)


If you quit watching because one particular driver no longer races.... then you are not a race fan, you're just a fan of a driver. I'm a racing fan, I don't care if there are 43 drivers I've never heard of on the track.

I was a fan in the 1960's, and I'm still a fan. The racing is far more competive now than ever.