June 14th, 2009 
T.C. Over the last few weeks the emails and comments from our readers have taken a decidedly negative turn. We’ve certainly had more comments and emails then ever before, which is great, it just seems that many of you are very, very angry about NASCAR right now. And I don’t know if we bring it on ourselves by choosing to write about certain topics, but I feel like we’ve always thrown in some edgy stuff, and the reactions were never this bad. And not that I’m looking for your sympathy, because I’m not, but it’s been a long time since I remember being called this many names over such a short period of time.
The world in general is going through some tough times right now. In our own country, the economy is still in the dumps and there are a ton of people out of work. The NASCAR community certainly hasn’t been immune to this. If you happen to be one of those folks without work, stay strong!
But with that said, how come you aren’t using NASCAR as an escape? There are a ton of great story lines this year and I don’t know why these aren’t the focus for many of you. Let me give you a few examples of the great stuff happening right now:
- Old Man Rivers Mark Martin is freakin’ on a tear
- Is Dale Jr. rebounding with Lance McGrew?
- Kyle Busch is being Kyle Busch. He smashed a trophy!
- The future for driving talent is bright with guys like Joey Logano, Colin Braun, Trevor Bayne, Erik Darnell, and Justin Allgaier coming up through the ranks.
- Tony Stewart is leading the points in his first year as an owner/driver
- There is an epic points battle brewing in the Truck Series
And there are certainly a lot more.
I know that some of you will start calling me a NASCAR homer/kool aid drinker/butt kisser again, and I’m ready for that. But you know what? I do love NASCAR! I guess that may come as a shock to you, but I do! There isn’t a greater sport on this planet, and it has given me not only a career, but also a ton of entertainment over the years.
With the current state of the sport, I do agree with you that there are problems. Ticket prices across the board need to come down, as do concession and merchandise prices. We need to do whatever it takes to get butts back in the seats. But, if folks still can’t afford to come out, we need them to be happy with TV coverage. Pre-race shows need to be trimmed way down, and stupid gimmicks like Digger need to end. Just show fans the race!
I don’t necessarily think there are major problems with competition, but I would like to see some more gray areas that teams could work in with the COT. And I believe NASCAR and Goodyear need to put their heads together to come up with a better (and bigger) tire for the Cup cars. I also think the ridiculous pit stop rule in the Truck Series needs to be offed. Watching the pit stop sequences during those races is horrid and confusing. NASCAR also needs to continue working to find ways to trim costs for the teams, and it should be promoting and helping the small and startup teams.
But even with these current problems, lets not forget this isn’t the first time in NASCAR history that there have been problems. Every year there is something new that pops up that folks don’t like. It just seems to me that the venom towards NASCAR and the sport in general has been particularly vicious this year.
So here is what I’m proposing to you. Instead of being mad about EVERYTHING, chill out a bit. NASCAR is just entertainment folks. It should be something you turn to to forget about all the world’s problems. It shouldn’t create more for you. Allow yourself to get lost in the last lap drama of today’s Michigan race, where both the first and second place cars ran out of gas! Don’t be afraid to have a little fun with Kyle Busch being cocky and mouthy all the time. And if you are upset about something, it’s still okay, just don’t take stuff so seriously. Bring it over to TNI ( <– that’s us) and we’ll do like Ari Gold says to do… We’ll hug it out b**ch!
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Couldn’t have said it better myself T.C. Well Done.
With more than 140 characters, you brought up great points. =) Some people will always get upset, call people names, etc. However, at the end of the day, there are still good people coming to the racetrack. There are still more people attending Nascar events than any other sport with the exception of soccer in Europe. Just remember, for every fan that hates you, there are 10 that love you. Unless you are secretly Kyle Busch. =) Great article.
Great article. I agree 100%.
Great post TC, could not agree more
I think some of the anger is frustration from fans at seeing what was, to many of them, the bright spot of uniqueness in sports being turned into ‘racertainment’ with nothing but a bottom line mentality. They (we) loved our corner of the sport universe, and find it being transformed into something we no longer recognize. If you love something that much, it hurts to see it being eroded into something mundane. We keep hoping that somehow, we can get back that feeling. It’s like digging thru the pile of manure, thinking there must be a pony under there somewhere.
Y’all are right on the button.
Great article, I could not agree with you more. It seemed everyone wanted NASCAR to let the drivers be themselves, now that they are, it is disrespectful. Go figure!
Keep up the good work.
You asked on Twitter about whether there is the kind of negativity you’re seeing among NASCAR fans with other sports fan. As someone who runs a large baseball fan forum I can say yes, there’s negativity but it’s very different. Baseball fans are critical and negative when their team or individual players aren’t doing well but it’s not often that there’s excessive negativity directed towards the overall sport as is often seen with NASCAR fans.
It’s great that there are storylines to follow but often the quality of the racing isn’t very good at least in Cup in that it’s pretty boring, at least if you’re watching on TV, until the last few laps. After investing 3-4 hours to watch a race, it’s not really enough for a lot of people to have 5-10 minutes of hard, exciting racing and that’s it. So that’s part of why people are negative about the sport imo, because they aren’t seeing the kind of racing they’d like to be seeing. The decline in ticket sales and ratings isn’t going to reverse itself anytime soon, even if the economy gets better, if fans feel like it’s not a good investment of their time and money.
People like you are killing NASCAR. NASCAR is sick and you aren’t helping it by closing your eyes to the horrible condition it is in right now.
Thanks for the reminder! It is just entertainment! If certain fans no longer find it entertaining then perhaps it is time to find another sport to follow…as if there is no controversy to be found in every sport!
NASCAR seems to attract a lot of fans who enjoy beginning their sentences with “Back in the day”. The sport is not static and we must embrace the new drivers, rules, and tracks while we adjust to the loss of some of our personal favorites.
Excellent article and, as usual, food for thought.
You just don’t get it. Example #1 – Carl Long.
I have to wonder if the increase in the volume of displeasure has a relationship with an increase in the way the fans can voice their displeasure. Now anyone can write anything anwhere and it is read. Don’t forget, those that are upset will voice their views louder and stronger than those that are happy.
I agree, but with the ticket prices, $60-$70 for the lowest price tickets is terrible, however some tracks like New Hampshire are selling a few tickets for less, my father and I just bought two $70 tickets for $39 each for New Hampshire at the end of the month, thats all we can afford, (we were looking for Saturday tickets at $45 each), thats not bad, but $40 a ticket shouldn’t have to be a bargin, it should be the lowest rate ticket in all sections, not just in one grandstand or section.
BYW: I don’t blame you or yell at you, you guys are giving your opinion on NASCAR, just like I do and so does most people whether they write about it or simply comment on it, the NASCAR insider is doing a good job, keep up the good work.
Personally I will root for empty seats and low ratings every week until gimmicks like the Chase go away and we get back to having a SPORT like we sued to have.
I don’t hate Nascar. I am upset though. I LOVE the face mark Martin is running so good, he’s one of my favorite drivers. I still despise Kyle Busch, I always will. My problems go deeper than the drivers. This is not the Nascar I came to love as a kid. My biggest problem with the sport is Brian France. In my opinion when he took over everything started going to hell.
I hate the chase.
I hate the new car, although I’m glad it’s safer.
I hate the fact the schedule still has 2 California races though the fans and drivers HATE the place.
I want to SEE the debris on the track that causes these cautions, we used to, every time. A caution free race is not a bad thing. I don’t believe there is anything there.
I understand that everything changes eventually, however the changes that have been made to the very fabric Nascar was made from I will never like. When will we see the NFL move to 6 downs? How about a 30 foot base run in MLB to “make competition more exciting”…………….
Nascar has moved the way of professional wrestling, and I don’t like it. I’m not angry, I’m not name calling. Well, maybe one, Brian France is a doody head.
If the time comes when the fans stop caring enough to get mad about the on-track product. The inconsistent rulings, favoritism, the Chase, etc, etc.etc. Then NA$CAR will REALLY be in trouble!
I think some of it has to do with NASCAR itself and how it fosters a sense of ownership among fans. Think about their tag line: “My. Your. Our NASCAR.” Fans feel they are part of shaping of the sport. Even Jeff Burton last week said the changes to the double-file restart were a direct result of fan suggestion/complaint. He said NASCAR was listening and monitoring internet boards to gauge fan sentiment. Maybe the notion someone is actually listening has created a monster of sorts.
NASCAR should:
Reveal their list of banned substances.
Need to list the “if/then” penalties. If you do this, then you will be penalized that. Before the infraction occurs.
TV coverage:
Realize not all of us are members of Junior Nation and when he’s running 12th we don’t need to watch him for 5 laps when there is a race going on elsewhere.
Instead of all the fluff during pre-race, show us stuff with substance. We didn’t need to see Wendy running away from Newman with cake.
Jimmy Spencer needs a muzzle – he is so quick to blast other drivers’ abilities. If he learned to keep his temper and mouth in check, maybe his career would’ve lasted longer..again, JMO.
For the most part TC, you’ve hit the nail on the head about the issues, but NASCAR has shown they don’t listen to what we want/say. And don’t give us, the fans are getting double-file restarts…I’m not hearing from other fans that that sure fixed the problem.
Keep up the good work and hopefully Kyle will continue to rile up the fans or this would be one long, boring season.
Hey Kathy. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been watching nas$car for 25+ years and yes, you can teach a dog new tricks. I AM finding different things to watch. I’ll come back when the France era ends. He’s done everything in his power to destroy the sport.
ALL IS WELL ! !
THE SKY IS NOT FALLING ! !
Give me a break.
NA$CAR stuck it’s head in the sand years ago and has only recently peeked half an eye out to see what is going on. It seems while their head was in the sand, the surrounding land crumbled away.
Personally, I am not upset with NASCAR itself. There are some things I don’t agree with, but it is what it is.
What upsets me the most of all is the media along with the asinine TV coverage. I don’t believe the muck-a muck TV people care one bit about their quality of announcing, altho some of it has gotten better, there is a long way to go. Since they paid so much to do this, you would think national TV would really try to make a good product.
As for the media, I only read Jayski,TDP, and TNI. The rest of it is junk, especially newspaper stuff.
I agree TC I think the happy fans are just watching and enjoying and only the complainers are posting etc.
One thing for sure is there are too many races recently ( in the last 5 years) that there isnt much racing happening is it the car, the tire, or is it the evolution of teams learning what others are doing and becoming more equal? Maybe NASCAR neesd to letthe teams have some room to work on the cars.The COT while much safer has too many restrictions on it.NASCAR wants racing they need ot letthe teams work on RACE cars and make them racier!
Brian France needs to get his head out of his backside and truly listen to the fans and drivers and force Goodyear to make better tires. Last years fiasco at Indy was devestating for the credibility of NASCAR.You should have heard the snickers from other motorsports over that mess.
There is a TON of great and wonderful things about our sport that no other sport can begin to compare to.
Our players i.e. Drivers are accessable to the fans, the fans can enter the playing surface( track/pit road) pre game and look around and mingle in the locker room( garage) . The players sign autograpghs for FREE ( unless its a fundraiser) and they will talk to their fans and make appearences all year round. You dont see any of that in the NFL, MLB or heaven forbid the NBA. Our players dont make headlines for getting busted for shooting themselves in the backside with an illegal gun in a night club, they dont get busted for robbery or drug charges on a regular basis. Yes we have had a few bad apples but in the stick and ball sports its a regular occurance.
I LOVE this sport I grew up loving it and while I dont like some of the changes I still love and support NASCAR.
TC – I agree with you that people do need to see entertainment/sports as an escape. However, I also agree with dawg – “If the time comes when the fans stop caring enough to get mad….then we are in trouble.”
I also think people like to complain. My very unscientific gut feel is that people are more likely to say things like, “Ugh, what a horrible day.” Vs. Wow! What a good day!”
I also think it is easier for people to voice their opinion than ever before. In the past, if you wrote a letter to the company, nobody saw your letter. If you wrote a letter to the editor, you had to include your name & address (which would be published). So, IF you took the time to actually write a letter and actually mail it, you were more inclined to hold back on your opinion. Now, there are numerous avenues to voice your opinion in an anonymous way and never leave your desk. And you can REALLY say what you feel.
Now, I do think NASCAR & the networks need to change the product up to appeal to today’s fan. Most people have shorter attention spans. We are used to living in a world of sound bites and highlights. There are more entertainment options. “flipping through the channels” is easier. There are more channels to flip through.
I do not have any citations for this so I am just going from memory. It is very telling that the highest rated network shows happened 40-50 years ago. Despite more & more homes having tv’s (and multiple tv’s), cable & satellite in the last 15-20 years, the shows with highest number of households again happened 25+ years ago. Didn’t MASH have something like 105MM viewers and 75-80% share?
The Super Bowl has held strong over the years because it is “an event.” But other than that I think the highest rated show in the last 10 years or so is Friends with like 50MM viewers and 40-45% share. That is a huge drop. So, for NASCAR to remain relevant, I think they need to find ways to liven it up.
Great article!!! I believe that I posted a similar comment about fan negativity not too long ago.
I love the extended pre-race activities (ei, NASCAR Now, Race Day, Network Pre-Race, etc.) due to the fact that if I am not at the track for race day, I can get an extended view of the race track acitivities from home and get to listen to various driver and team member interviews.
Thank you, to both of you, for your daily time and thoughts!
Stacy
I think it’s safe to say that followers of this blog (and pages like Jayski) are hardcore fans who live and breathe the sport. More importantly: without realizing it, they have a perspective on the sport that isn’t shared by most of the people who watch and attend the races every week. Of the 100k+ fans that go to the racetrack each week, 95% have no idea. They enjoy themselves, they get a cursory impression of what’s going on in NASCAR that day, and they split. You won’t hear them bitching or complaining. They might stop watching on TV because they’ve been overexposed to NASCAR or because the shows have become too gimmicky, but you won’t hear them voice their opinion anywhere.
With this page, you attract a much smaller, unique crowd: people who are actively interested in NASCAR and who want to further their understanding of what the sport *really* is like. You actively promote this familiarity with posts like last week’s “Perception Isn’t Always Reality” article, or your opinion on the Carl Long situation (which, too me, had the between-the-lines message that Carl Long isn’t anybody you would really root for if you knew him in real life).
But familiarity breeds contempt. And all those people who feel like they are becoming more familiar with NASCAR through pages like yours (never mind that they’re not really, but you’re broadening their perspective) are going to become more vocal about the sport – and possibly more negative. After all, they’re the experts on the sport!
So that’s the fine line we walk: do we enjoy the sport for what is is – pure entertainment – without so much investment? Honestly, if people want to do that, they should stop reading TNI and Jayski. When the circus comes to town, nobody should know that the clown was crying before the performance. If we choose to read it all, we need to learn to disengage ourselves from all the gory details when watching the race.
And that’s the fine line *you* walk: you can ask people to just enjoy the sport, be entertained by it being what it is. But you need to remember that just last week, you made another post that pulled away the curtain, destroying some of the mystery and “superhuman” quality of the sport. That makes it harder to just enjoy the show
Personally, I prefer webpages like TNI doing what they do. But it’s my responsibility to remember the enchantment and still enjoy the sport even though “I know too much”. NASCAR is coming to Sonoma this week. I’m excited! I have my tickets, I have my pit passes, I made a video montage of last year’s event that reminded me of how much fun I had. When I’m at the event, I’ll have to treat it like the mystical circus, all the while being happy that pages like TNI gave me a slightly better understanding of what’s going on behind the scenes.
Great post. This is precisely why I quit reading and commenting on a variety of other forums. I’m glad I found you guys.
I have a lot of the same complaints as everyone does here, but I really don’t feel it comes anywhere close to ruining the sport and enjoyment for me. I think people take it overboard.
“I won’t watch another race again!” and the like.
This season has been great! Even the normally boring races have had their own excitement with fuel issues, storylines, etc.
Then again, I’m newer to the sport than a lot of others, so who knows.
I’m not “mad at NASCAR”, rather I am mad at SearsPointer (ok…envious) because he is rubbing it in our face that he is going to Sears Point (Infineon Raceway for relative newbies) this weekend. SearsPointer will get to witness the separation of real drivers vs the seat fillers as they thrash a 3,500 stock car (well….a COT spec car) around an undulating and beautiful hill side road course. Folks, this is where it’s at and I really hope it doesn’t come down to fuel mileage!
And to #5 SB above, “racertainment” you hit the nail on the head bud.
As un-PC as it might seem, IMHO NASCAR should not get too far away from the “element of danger” in their sport. Something to leave the fans saying “damn that was a hell of a move at over 212 mph!” and “I don’t dare miss a moment of the action”.
Some people seem to get their jollies from a sport by only seeing the negative and never stopping to actually enjoy anything positive. Whether they are armchair CEO’s, crew chiefs, owners or drivers, they always know more than the people they SIT and watch. As a fan of over 45 years I can say that there have always been these kind of people. I think NASCAR figured out a long time ago that they’re never going to please 100% of the people 100% of the time. Can’t understand why people continue to watch something they find so screwed up. I’m enjoying racing more this year than any year since we lost Dale. It’s good to laugh and cheer Kyle as he kicks some vanilla butts.
This last race was just wild at the end. Can’t believe I called the 2 front runners running out of gas and Martin flying by. Classic! Now all my race buddies think I’m psychic
Gawd are you guys good. 2 thumbs up. Your site is better than well over 1/2 of what the pros dish out.
Change is inevitable, unless there is no growth. I wonder how many more people make a living from NASCAR racing even today than did 10 or 15 years ago. Cup is not what it was when the King and then Ironhead were in their prime and I do miss some of what was NASCAR racing – but it still sure beats what’s in 2nd place a whole lot. The glass is a whole lot more than 1/2 full. Thanks.
Excellent article!
Let’s face it, no sport is perfect and no sport stands still. Doesn’t mean you have to like everything about it but to purposely ignore what is good about it just to complain is ridiculous.
Personally, I don’t care for the NASCAR ruling body (the Hunters of the world) but that’s a very small part of my NASCAR world and I don’t dwell on it. I could give 5 figs about Brian France. I pretty much ignore everything about him, too.
I like your blog. Keep it up and don’t worry about the critics, the koolaid tastes just fine (especially with a little vodka mixed in!) Some need to lighten up and enjoy life.
Amen TC but I attribute it to people who are unhappy tend to be more verbal than those that are not unhappy. I guess with NASCAR I’m a glass half full kind of person, interestingly enough I’m a half empy with most everything else. NASCAR is my escape from reality and I even get to see in in person twice a year.
TC and Journo,
Part of the problem with the comments are you two. When someone criticizes Nascar, or an article that you have written, you jump right in there to defend your writings or Nascar. Stop doing that. If you want to be a journalist, then be neutral. Otherwise, put a disclaimer at the top of your page and state that this is an opinion page and not a news page. For instance, your June 3rd column on Carl Long. You went on and defended yourself for almost every post that did not agree with your position.
I LOVE reading your columns each and every day. I even look forward to reading them because you guys have a perspective that no one else can possibly have. I just get tired of seeing you guys pulling the Nascar line. It is ok to write about Nascar’s line, but as a writer, it is not your job to defend the Nascar line whenever someone writes something negative about it. Just put the story out there and let us, the reader, make up our minds and voice our opinions. Otherwise, you might just as well go to work for Nascar’s PR department.
But just to repeat myself so that you do not think I am just some anti-Nascar fan, I LOVE reading your stories. They give me food for thought, and teach me things that I could not possible know in any other way. So, keep up the good writing.
OK, my soapbox just collapsed so I am now off it.
Thank you
Safemike- First of all thanks for reading the site! We are glad you enjoy it. A large part of the reason we wanted to start this site is so we would have a place to give news sometimes and most of the time give our opinion. Coupled with that was our wanting to interact with people on certain issues. That usually comes down to the comment section.
Now we have up until this point been pretty active in the comment sections of the posts, mostly as you have pointed out defending our positions. I would disagree with you that we always defend the NASCAR line. Just this week I criticized the sport for their lackluster marketing efforts in the truck series (this was of course not the first time we have criticized NASCAR and it certainly won’t be the last). It is just on certain issues, like Carl Long, our views happen to be in line with NASCAR (not to mention we both get sick of the conspiracy theorists). If someone comes onto the site and is questioning us or what we wrote we are naturally going to defend what we wrote and respond to it. After the last month and several exasperating evenings I can tell you both of us are going to be cutting back on that.
This is unfortunate too, because this discussion is something we have really enjoyed. But with the unnecessary name calling, and less than constructive comments it has become much less enjoyable and frankly is not worth either of our time.
Nowhere have we claimed this to be the Associated Press or strictly a news site. It is a blog that is mostly our opinion, and I thought that was apparent in the nature of what we wrote. Not exactly unbiased stuff. As neither of us is working in a professional capacity per se on this (it is a hobby we work on, on the side) we felt like we should defend our positions or help impart knowledge. Mostly though it is us trying to engage in discussions. Since that element seems to have disappeared look for much less of us on these comment sections.
I log on 2 this site because I enjoy your insite, your knowledge, yuor information AND YOUR OPINIONS!! EVERYONE it allowed their opinion!! I figure IF I do not like it I have the right AND option 2 NOT log on!! NO ONE forces me 2 read your site!! I may or may not always agree but nothing says I have 2!! Don’t let yourselves be bothered by the RUDE, UNCALLED for statements and name calling of people who have no other way 2 express themselves!! Just know how many of us TRUELY appreciate what you know, what you share and just how much you do care….. or why else would you be doing this?!! OH…… maybe for the money… HA HA HA…….. I have my own website……. but anymore…. THIS is the first site I come 2! THANK YOU and “I” do appreciate your work!!
Nowhere have we claimed this to be the Associated Press or strictly a news site. It is a blog that is mostly our opinion, and I thought that was apparent in the nature of what we wrote. Not exactly unbiased stuff. As neither of us is working in a professional capacity per se on this (it is a hobby we work on, on the side) we felt like we should defend our positions or help impart knowledge. Mostly though it is us trying to engage in discussions. Since that element seems to have disappeared look for much less of us on these comment sections.
^ ^ ^
Your quote^
Do NOT stop doing what you do!! Just DO NOT lef it get the best of you!! DEFEND!! RESPOND!! REACT…… but just take it with the grain of salt… I would really hate 2 see you stop doing what you two are SO GOOD at doing!!
Dragonfly- Haha. Thank you for the kind words. It is always nice to hear that stuff. Don’t worry we aren’t going anywhere and we will definitely still be popping into the comment sections on every post. It hasn’t so much gotten to us (we both have very thick skin and both have been called a lot worse by people we actually know), as it has just become very time consuming waging battles with people through email or in the comment sections. Don’t get me wrong we love the site and we love the passion of everyone involved we just aren’t going to comment quite as often as we have been. At some point we just end up saying the same thing over and over again and that’s not doing anyone any good. But if there is a good discussion going on, we will definitely be taking part.
Go to your windows,
fling them open and shout to the roof tops…
“I am MAD AS HELL, and I am not going to take it anymore !!!”
hehehehe.. JK, btw- that is a quote from that movie.
Interesting notes TC, I heard another reporter saying the exact same thing. He said the emails have been gettting meaner and meaner. Maybe it has something to do with retirement funds going ~~pooof~~ or the fact that 10% of homeloans are in foreclosure, or the fact that someone sold us out to CHina, and they want to dump the US dolllar as the worldwide currency or maybe it si…ummmm…
…Maybe it is….Oh heck, I am not smart enough to know, but….
I sure like your website, it is my last dosage of NASCAR, I am still on boycott, until….well you know.
I have been filling the racing hole with some other interesting racing, like F1 and the 24 hours of LaMans on Speed network last weekend, in HDTV, was very interesting. We DVRd every segment they showed and it was was fun to watch.
I am not mad at NASCAR, I am disaapopinted, at NASCAR, but that has all been said before….. so anyway….TC keep up the great work, you are the man!!
T.C. and Journo: If it makes you feel any better, your readers get abused and criticized in the comments section too.
T.C. & Journo. Thanks for not being the AP. I have the feeling that the readers would greatly diminish if that was the case.
I respect your opinions, and am glad to express mine. Let’s let it go at that instead of all this analyzing.
First GREAT site and EXCELLENT posts! Your (TC / Journo) insights and comments to a post make it better than any of the other sites I have visited in the past, so keep up the good work and don’t be a couple of wuss!3&.
From my limited exposere to tracks being dega and Atl I will say that tracks do alot to make it enjoyable for fans. If I could change 1 thing it would be to INCREASE the seat size that you are alloted. I have chair back seats in Atl so I fixed the space problem but at a considerable cost and at Dega I’m in a spot with plenty of room for a very good price.
TV coverage is a different deal. TNT announcers are much better! Don’t have to listen to DW. I’m sure he’s a fine person, but he wears me out after a very short time. I prefer Bestwick and Petty etc. Where the heck did digger come from…get rid of the critter and all the other puff junk. Last but certainly not least for me if NASCAR’s reading- STOP trying to emulate the WWE! It’s fake and that is not what racing is all about for me.
Just another note….
In my experience lately reading the internet, the comments have gotten more and more “one note.” You read the same thing over and over from haters of different drivers.
It’s pretty tiresome, IMO and really makes me wonder about the mentality of some people who go from link to link and post crap about a driver. It’s strange. There’s drivers I dislike (hate is way too strong a word) and I rarely if ever click on a link about them, and I never post some hater comment just to stir the pot.
This is one of the sites I do enjoy reading the comments for because it rarely becomes a bashfest by maladjusted haters. So thank you for having an interesting site and attracting mostly people who leave thoughtful comments.
Oh, defend yourselves if you’d like. That’s interesting reading too.
People shouldn’t let themselves get too upset. Simply turrrrrrrn off the television and head out to some nearby short tracks on the weekends. There is still a lot of great racing with gritty drivers out there — it’s just not in NASCAR.
Get out there, get involved, and make some new friends! This other stuff won’t seem so important anymore.
I HATE THE CHASE! Let ‘em race to the end
I HATE ESPN/TNT COVERAGE! Gimme Larry Mac; get all that garbage off the screen I don’t read, so I can SEE the race
I HATE MID-SEASON RULE CHANGES! Nascar has been around long enough that rules ought to be etched in stone by now
I HATE RESTRICTOR PLATES! Let ‘em race
I HATE DRIVERS WHO DESTROY THEIR TROPHIES! Go home, Whiny-Butt Boy
I HATE THE ROAD RACES! Nascar’s supposed to turn left, not right
I HATE THE CAUTION RULE! Let ‘em race back to the line like they used to
I HATE THE COT! – Love the safety part, but could do with more racing – don’t make everyone be the same. Maybe Junior Johnson should head up Nascar!
JUST GIVE ME RACIN’ WITHOUT ALL THE ‘TRYING TO PLEASE EVERYONE’ ATTITUDE
Dianne-I’m w/ you on all but your slam on road courses. Sonoma and Watkins Glen are two of the best races on the calendar.
Hats off to the Taz Marcos Ambrose yesterday at Sonoma.
(oops, hit enter by accident) Neon, guess we have to disagree on something!!! I figured I’d get slammed here for posting my ‘hate’ list….. Later, Dude!
WHY IN THE HELL CAN’T TNT STAY WITH THE COVERAGE? They NEVER show the victory laps, burnouts, etc. They only sometimes get to victory lane in time for the driver to get out of car – most times they just cut off and into commercials.
NASCAR – CAN TNT/ESPN – They Suck bigtime!
WOO-HOO, TONY! Paybacks are a bitch, huh, crybaby Busch? Guess he’ll be whining about Tony this week. Cry, cry, cry when he doesn’t win and blame it on someone else.
Had he been in Tony’s position….hmmm, wonder what he would have done? We all know that answer! It’s just racin’ Busch Baby, get over yourself!
mine is just a general comment, this sport of nascar is one that i loved back in the 80,s and most of the 90,s however the whole complexity of this racing has totally changed. chevys looked like chevys, fords, pontiacs, etc. etc. now all that differs are the paint and decals. this is absolutley anything but stock car racing.. alot more like i.r.o.c. in my opinion. too many biased opinions from the sports anylists and former drivers. they seem to lose sight that there are 30 or more other competitors in each race. everyone watching isnt a 48-99-5-24-14-88 fan , just my opinion, and maybe im just one fan. however i was a dedicated fan for many years. now i couldnt care less when the race is on, where its at, im sure there are fans that like the format as it is. but im not one of them.. i,ll miss the real nascar and its formidible and competitive drivers that used to make me look so forward to race day… lost fan rick4no9@aol.com
Ok if nascar is listening, Make it simple. Give me a pay for view channel I can purchase for the season. Cut out all the foo-foo and let me watch the race. TNT and the commercials is so distracting I can’t get involved. Just when you catch up and start enjoying the action, 10 minutes to take a nap. Really all fans want is the product, (racing), we don’t need someone telling us you press the gas pedal then hit the brake and turn left. If they don’t do it, they hit the wall. We can figure that out by actually watching the race.