Nascar and TV

[dail24]

So was the ROCK, great racing there, but not a "BIG $$" enough market for NASCAR.

 

[boston area dtv]

So was the ROCK, great racing there, but not a "BIG $$" enough market for NASCAR.

Well thats why Loudon gets two races...its because its the only New England track. They have to keep the fans happy up here.

Its funny cuz I think they are in a tough situation. The main question is how does NASCAR expand.

They have an insatiable fan base so they try to satisfy as many fans as possible by racing all over the us and not just in the south eastern U.S. However the NASCAR circuit is so expensive for drivers to run that NASCAR cant fill full fields anymore. How many times last year did some car start a race, run a couple of laps and then bow out, just so NASCAR could say they had a full field? Thats not good for the sport.

I think that NASCAR is missing the boat with the BUSCH series. Maybe they should create an American and National league. Bring the Busch drivers up. Race on Saturday nights and Sundays. They could still have some sort of developmental league.

Ok boys rip me for that one!

 

[herdfan]

AI go to both the summer and fall race up there so its not that Im complaining that NH has two races while some of the other tracks down south have been forced to give up a race.

Louden has two races because a southern track (N. Wilksboro) was bought and its dates shipped off to NH and Texas.

I think that N. Wilksboro had it done what Bristol and Richmond did, it would be one of the most popular tracks today.

 

[Mr Tony]

Herdfan

Texas got one of the races that "The Rock" (Rockingham) use to have. California got the other

and who's bright idea was it to get rid of the 2nd Darlington Race (Mt Dew Southern 500)??

N Wilksboro aint been around for a while

 

[herdfan]

Texas got one of the races that "The Rock" (Rockingham) use to have. California got the other

and who's bright idea was it to get rid of the 2nd Darlington Race (Mt Dew Southern 500)??

N Wilksboro aint been around for a while

The second Texas date (fall race) came from the Rock. Texas got its first race and Louden its second when Bruton Smith and Bob Bahre bought N. Wilksboro in 1996 for $14M (Smith paid $6, Bahre paid $8) and gave the dates to their respective tracks.

As to Darlington losing a date, that blame falls squarely on NASCAR, or its sister company, International Speedway Corp. ISC owned the Lady in Black and took the date to give to it's Phoenix track after the 2004 season. Phoenix apparently has better demographics than Darlington Co, SC. Maybe, but the racing was better in SC than in AZ.

 

[dont24]

I heard a rumor that a speedway may be built in NY and we may lose a Louden race. Not sure if there's any truth to it. Anyone else hear this one?

 

[waltinvt]

A thought about Loudon, NH. The track is horrible and race is awful. The flat corners dont enable the cars to keep their speeds in the corners and passing is rare.

I go to both the summer and fall race up there so its not that Im complaining that NH has two races while some of the other tracks down south have been forced to give up a race.

I just wish theyd make the race a little more exciting.

I agree. Just a little banking would probably make a big difference.
Oh and more chem toliets along the road out of the parking areas

 

[dont24]

A thought about Loudon, NH. The track is horrible and race is awful. The flat corners dont enable the cars to keep their speeds in the corners and passing is rare.

I go to both the summer and fall race up there so its not that Im complaining that NH has two races while some of the other tracks down south have been forced to give up a race.

I just wish theyd make the race a little more exciting.

No arguement from me. Races are not exciting at Louden.
I also have season tickets to both races. The whole experience is what draws us to both. ( tailgating, etc.... )

 

[DWS44]

I heard a rumor that a speedway may be built in NY and we may lose a Louden race. Not sure if there's any truth to it. Anyone else hear this one?

They've been trying to get a track in NY for several years now. They made a big push for the Meadowlands a few years back, but it fell through. THe current plan is for Staten Island, and is rumored to be a 3/4 mile Richmond clone. You can read some background/rumors here: http://www.jayski.com/pages/tracks/nyc.htm

(Jayski is a great site for following the NASCAR world...more news/less propoganda than the official NASCAR.com)

The other "hotbed" they've been jonesing for is the Seattle area. They've had countless plans for that region, none of which have come to fruition. http://www.jayski.com/pages/tracks/oregon.htm

I figure at least one of these events will come from Martinsville. In the current NASCAR way of thinking, I'm surprised Martinsville still has two events.

 

[waltinvt]

They've been trying to get a track in NY for several years now. They made a big push for the Meadowlands a few years back, but it fell through. THe current plan is for Staten Island, and is rumored to be a 3/4 mile Richmond clone. You can read some background/rumors here: http://www.jayski.com/pages/tracks/nyc.htm

(Jayski is a great site for following the NASCAR world...more news/less propoganda than the official NASCAR.com)

The other "hotbed" they've been jonesing for is the Seattle area. They've had countless plans for that region, none of which have come to fruition. http://www.jayski.com/pages/tracks/oregon.htm

I figure at least one of these events will come from Martinsville. In the current NASCAR way of thinking, I'm surprised Martinsville still has two events.

Louden is a virtual sellout for both races almost a year in advance and I think they sell around 135,000 tickets for each race. I imagine the Bear family will do everything possible to keep it there, including renovations as needed.

 

[boston area dtv]

I am a very bitter Bostonian. NBC is preempting the Ryan Newman invitational (qualifying) for regurgitated NEWS of this damn snow storm..UGH!!!

 

[herdfan]

I figure at least one of these events will come from Martinsville. In the current NASCAR way of thinking, I'm surprised Martinsville still has two events.

The France family has a minority ownership stake in Martinsville and the Clay family and France family go way back.

 

[Mr Tony]

I am a very bitter Bostonian. NBC is preempting the Ryan Newman invitational (qualifying) for regurgitated NEWS of this damn snow storm..UGH!!!

you're bitter?

lets see...they stopped carrying qualifying at 3 eastern for olympics but there was still people who needed to qualify and I can't see the Bud Shootout until Midnight Eastern because TSN is carrying it tape delayed due to the rain yesterday

on another note, TSN was suppose to carry the pro bowl but they didnt start showing it until 35 minutes into it because they were showing golf...the same golf that was on CBS!!!

(for the uneducated, TSN is the mian Sports network in Canada and they like to show stuff already on another network so they can simsub it....simsubs are when they override the other network with their commercials..so if you tune into CBS you got the same as what is on TSN..) They could have stopped showing it at 6PM and have gone to the pro bowl

 

[Roger]

Nascar has made a lot of long-time fans mad by taking great small track races away and replacing them with boring cookie cutter tracks. I like all the small tracks
because they're more fun to watch for me than "fuel mileage" tracks. I hate California because it's so damn boring. I don't care for Texas either and most 1.5 tracks. Michigan can be really boring unless there's a late caution which can make it worthwhile. Pocono is cool on TV because everybody can't get all the corners set up right.

I've been a Nascar fan since Dale Earnhardt drove the Levi Garret yellow and blue car which would be in the 80's. North Wilkesboro was one of my favorite tracks along with Darlington and the Rock. I hate the direction that Nascar is going and I don't care for any of the "Young Guns" drivers. That along with boring cookie tracks I'm not sure if I can keep my interest much longer. I miss the old-style Nascar with drivers that paid their dues to get a good ride along with the older, smaller traditional southern tracks and roots.

Mark Martin, DJ, Shrader (sp?) are the last of the old era drivers that I like. Now we have pretty boys, dickheads, and too much youth which doesn't have any appeal to me. Greed and money has hurt the sport and piss on the people who made the sport popular enough to be pissed on for the sake of money.

 

[shugo77]

I've been a Nascar fan since Dale Earnhardt drove the Levi Garret yellow and blue car which would be in the 80's.

Levi Garret huh? I am pretty sure you mean Wrangler

 

[Jimbo]

Levi Garret huh? I am pretty sure you mean Wrangler

I to thought that didn't look right ...

Jimbo

 

[Roger]

Correct. Geoff Bodine had the white and yellow Levi car.

 

[DWS44]

Correct. Geoff Bodine had the white and yellow Levi car.

...and later Ricky Rudd drove that car for Levi Garrett before Tide came on board. Same team that later became Terry's (and now Kyle Busch) with Kelloggs.

 

[herdfan]

...and later Ricky Rudd drove that car for Levi Garrett before Tide came on board.

When did DW drive the Tide car for Hendrick? He was driving the Tide car when he won Daytona in 1989 wasn't he? Ricky left Hendrick in 1995? Did he move to the Tide car when DW left?