What Killed NASCAR?

dwindling ratings indicate a dwindling fanbase. costs are out of control and aren't getting much better. what caused it?
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nascar is dead long live indycar

[@kayakdog121]

Same reason so-called "country" music sucks now. It no longer has the original down home grit. The image is overly produced in a phony made for TV way. And of course the fans are being reamed for money at every opportunity while the hyped up stars, owners, and sponsors get super rich. Its turned into a money extraction machine first and entertainment second.

[@kayakdog121]

@Mattixx G Haven't gotten laid in a while, huh?. Lol

[@IICLUII]

@@kayakdog121 LMAO! xD

[@alaricvisigoth919]

Everything must be in order. We can't have random people out for a good time. And I hear Antifa is starting a race team.

[@Peter-pv8xx]

George Jones said it best in the song who's gonna fill their shoes. The current country music leaves much to be desired in my opinion.

Mattixx G antifa spotted

[@chandlerwhite8302]

A short list: 1. Earnhardt Sr’s death 2. The “Car of Tomorrow” 3. Bruton Smith’s greed, building all of the boring 1.5 mile tracks in new markets that could care less about NASCAR and leaving places that moved and died for the sport. 4. The dominance of Hendrick Motorsports- why watch when you know the same person is going to win every week? 5. The France family’s whacked out behavior; changing rules every week and acting like arrogant dictators to the teams, fans and press, possibly explained now by drug use.

[@blacktoblack7292]

Car of tomorrow wasn’t bad. What sorta brought it back was when Edwards went into the fence

[@richardlamb5369]

Amen brother especially the tracks abandoned the exciting tracks like north wilksboro rockingham hickory etc 4 what rich suits with deep pockets racing is dead it died with Dale sr.!!!!#NASCAR,MORE LIKE PANSIE MOTORSPORTS

[@Lorelei41]

Chandler White I agree!! We need more tracks like North Wilkesboro and Martinsville!! Those races were always good races

[@josiah4614]

Yeah its definitely not Hendrick

[@richardlamb5369]

Amen dude u sure got that right enough said!!!

[@tauyun]

It's amazing that F-1 go do an entire 2 hour race without commercial breaks but NASCAR has more commercial time than actual race time

[@MirzaAhmed89]

I haven't watched F1 regularly since 2008, but I recall plenty of commercial breaks.

[@pyromcr]

Yup, there is no good way to watch NASCAR. I would pay for a streaming service with non stop F1 level commentary. But that doesn't exist, instead all we have is non stop commercials and commentators that don't talk about anything besides surface level details and just sound bored and low energy.

[@tauyun]

@@MirzaAhmed89 There are no commercials in F1 from start to finish for the race and for qualifying

[@H0LLOW_PRIV]

Welcome to America, land of the free and home of the most commercials ever seen on TV

[@dannywestbrooks7207]

What NASCAR has and F1 doesn't is Capitalism

[@caelroighblunt1956]

The unsustainable business model may be the root but for me, anyway, it was the innate stupidity of a "playoff" format that allowed teams to win championships based on a third of a season. Now they've just turned Cup races into heat races. A real race is a race that is run from start to finish without artificial pauses. A real season is run from start to finish.

[@Buck1954]

Trying to adopt political correctness killed it for me. Sponsors and Television has ruined all of the sports.

[@dickfitzwell1409]

The best races in my memory are the ones that were on the radio with Eli Gold calling them...with the exception of the 1976 Daytona and 1979 Daytona.

[@DarthVader1977]

have* ruined

[@ryankc3631]

I agree.

[@waterheaterservices]

Comrades we must have Party Approved Correct Thinking and Speech.

[@cuses-ws5gp]

And just how would you let people in all parts of the country view the races? If you think the pittance you pay for tickets would attract enough cars to the races, you live in a different world than I! Therefore, you have to have help. "Political correctness" has nothing to do with it - the person that wrote that millennials don't watch it nor care that much about cars is much more correct. Look where the US population lives now - 42% of the population lives in 3% of the counties of the US. Many, many more big cities than there used to be - people have much less use for cars than they once did. No conspiracy - just population changes. Same goes for the number of people who hunt any more.

[@jasonsimmons7479]

Indeed they priced the sport out of reach of the ppl who made it.

[@IDYLBERRY]

That's a good part of it. I live 20 minutes from Infineon raceway and been going there since the mid 70's. I've earned enough to attend a lot of racing there not just NASCAR. NASCAR tickets are $100.00 and I've better thing to spend money on. Infineon gave to much track control to NASCAR. They eliminated the "carousel" then straightened the track through turns 4-6. I used to park my van at the top of turn 2 where they eventually put the camera crew so I parked 20 back. Then the track owners say no one allowed to park around the track except the motorhome parking above turns 8-9. Next they wanted everyone in a seat. It was turned from a customer friendly track into a customer fleecing track. I still go there 2-3 times a year but not for NASCAR.

[@charleslee9603]

Nacar forgot where they came from.

[@JeHa1967]

Charles Lee thats what ithink too

[@acewilliams7917]

Yup, forget your roots and you lose sight of everything.

[@suspiciouschicken]

A few guys with modified fords racing around dirt tracks

[@DupontandLowesWarrior]

North Wilkesboro North Carolina South Boston and Riverside

[@matiasfpm]

Yup. From ilegal alcohol :DDDDD

[@tomdalfonzo9959]

I can sum up what killed NASCAR in two words: BRIAN FRANCE!!!!!!

[@henryjames8654]

I can sum it up in one word, GREED.

[@richardlamb5369]

Ur right thats what u get when u leave a rich spolied entitled brat in charge!!!!#rich prick!!

[@TheOwl22]

I can sum it up in 6 words. Toxicity of the fanbases and mismanagement.

[@MrChristopherHaas]

@@henryjames8654 I’d have to add the word “blind” to it. Blind Greed that automatically lets the sponsors run everything instead of putting the best, most experienced actual race car drivers on track with actual stock cars and selling the product where people will come and see it and are/were invested in it instead of charging $100 for weekend seats wherein said sponsors children no ones ever heard of and have 0 reason to care about are learning how to drive on Fridays AND Saturdays and the grads race on Sundays against the dozen or so deserving drivers/teams

[@theaviationphotographer61]

yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssss I agree

[@altinfoil592]

This is a business school grad analysis of why Nascar is failing. Not an analysis of why the fans have tuned out. I was a die-hard fan for decades, but cannot be bothered to follow Nascar any more. For me, the reasons were: 1. Restrictor plates made a bad joke out of "racing" cars; 2, The Car of Tomorrow made a joke of "stock car" - every car was then the same except for stick-on emblems and engines. 3. Excessive macro- and micro-regulation: EVERYTHING is regulated to death - ride height, rear air-dam angle, every engine part must be pre-approved, etc., etc., etc. Creativity has disappeared in favor of bureaucracy. 4. The Chase/Playoff formula sucks. 5. The cars are so restricted and regulated that no car on a superspeedway can run outside of a pack - everything is about drafting and getting help. 3 hours of watching a traffic jam pack run around nose-to-tail in 2 lines puts me to sleep. The big excitement comes only in the last few laps when (1) The Big One crash 10 or so laps from the end takes out 1/3 of the field, and (2) the last 2 laps when intense drafting decides the race. Better to watch "Race Highlights" where you get to see The Big One and the last 2 laps - takes only 5 minutes to see all that was interesting about the race. 5. The loss of Dale Earhhardt - he was the only one who really knew how to come from last in line to win the race in the last 2 laps. Now that Dale is gone, and the other big personality racers have retired, all we are left with is group followers and nasty little shits whose racing success depends upon crashing out their competitors - they cannot beat the competition on racing speed or skill. -

[@pjoka2644]

I couldn't agree more. Dale was the reason i watched Nascar for a large part.

[@maxpayne2574]

I agree with you on the intentional crashing they just follow the leader until the last lap then spin them out and win

[@JOHNDOE-gl2ic]

NHRA drag racing is dying for the same reasons.

[@granddad-mv5ef]

You make some good points, thanks for your thoughts.

[@jds6206]

NASCAR is "vanilla" racing....the same stuff throughout the entire field, and it's boring.

[@DavidScercy]

Ads in the middle of videos is what will kill KZbin....jus sayin

[@KamikazeGames]

You know what I've had adblock on for so long i didn't even know there were midroll ads in this video lmao

[@slayer5813]

Yeah, it's called AdBlock lol. Who watches KZbin with ads in 2018?

[@AnnaAnnaYes]

You're right!!

[@silasmarner7586]

agreed, I use adblock plus.... what ads???

[@mrbobsshow]

Hell yeah

[@GMAN420BC]

NASCAR lost its fan base because it allowed sponsors to sell more than the sport itself. A NASCAR event was a 4 hour advertisement of all corporate logos that happened to have a car race going on too. It became so expensive to go to the race, they priced themselves right out of their fan bases ability to go.

[@zenzen7136]

It's always been a advertising on cars.

[@dannywestbrooks7207]

Thats how all sports are.

[@Dr.MantisTobogganMD]

This comment has been brought to you by Coca Cola. I’d like to personally give my gratitude to the Coke family and Preparation-H for giving me the opportunity to make this comment. This comment has been brought to you by Coca-Cola. Please try the new Coca-Cola Starlight: Space Flavored only available by region.

[@HemiSlant6828]

@@zenzen7136 ehh, not really true. Back in the 40's and 50's back when the sport was starting, you would be hard pressed to find someone with a major sponsor out on track. Hell, most of the sponsors back then were just small mechanic shops that wanted some attention.

[@SIX6SIXer]

i can tell you what killed it... 1) $200 tickets+ 2) $5 sodas + 3) $9 burgers+ 4) $12 beers+ 5) $50 T-shirts+ 6) $60 hats+ _________________ UNAFFORDABLE

[@ronaldreed7698]

What happened to NASCAR? Large multi team conglomerates and identical cars. People used to back the cars they drove and visa versa. The French's lost touch with the common fan, they tried to create fans from people who knew nothing about automobiles. I used to never miss a Daytona or a Sebring race, now I refuse to go. Hell with the Billionaire bastards, I don't like them, they don't like me.

[@Miatacrosser]

Sebring? Nascar doesn't race there.

[@Broncort1]

Notice it all went downhill after Winston was tossed.

[@texknight67]

That was a major red flag to me as well. I thought they should get rid of sponsors altogether. Even for the different series. Opperate like all the other major sports.

[@EH-ev8zf]

I agree... They dumped IROC, too. That was not a good thing.

[@wildwoody20]

Exactly after you went and left the monster girls how bad they look yeah if you're a man you like the way they look but do you want to take your son down there or let him watch out on TV at in the winter circle they're very sleazy looking same thing as Motocross the monster girls look very sleazy and when you got children that's not cool

[@cumminsrealpower680]

Damn right!!!!!! But it's ok to have alcohol sponsor a race. Can't remember the race but in 2018 there was a race sponsored by some vodka(I think) brand. Heck, I preferred the Winston Cup. WINSTON WILL ALWAYS BE WHAT I CALL IT.

[@FerrickOxhide]

Exactly

[@cgirl111]

I don't want to watch 3 partial races. The whole stages and playoff thing is just stupid.

[@NANA4bacon]

Could not agree with you more!1

[@patheticcircus3774]

cgirl111 I agree 1 million percent nascar is dead now I hate to see a caution every hundred or so I can’t believe they went to heat racing it just sucks now

[@rahkinrah1963]

I used to watch a few of the races. Then came the chase.B.S. Stages? I didn't even watch the Daytona this year. Now, if I watch the road courses - it's on KZbin. I can't stand Jeff Gordon as a commentator and got really tired of the rest of the crew too. I have better things to do on Sundays - and it ain't "stick and ball" sports. Bury it NOW!

[@NANA4bacon]

@@TheSmoothGrind now it does not matter who is the fastest and being at the right place at the right time is more important that's not racing!

[@edwuncleriii1922]

I like the stages because long green flag runs are boring to watch. There's no action. I just hate the whole points system, they complicated it with all this playoff points and stage points bullshit.

[@napoleaj01]

I was born in the early 1980’s. I remember watching Bill Elliott win the pole for the 1985 Daytona 500. I watching as much NASCAR as I could as a kid until about 2000. It’s not so much the cost of a ticket, those are no more than a football or hockey game. Here are my thoughts: 1. I think the core group of NASCAR fans has gotten older. My Dad is in his late 60’s now, he doesn’t go to races anymore. In the 1990’s we watched and drove to watch racing. I have young Millenial co-workers, none of them have a natural interest in cars. This isn’t 1950 anymore, cars have been optimized and are modes of transportation, not hobbies. 2. Rule changes. I’m not sure why NASCAR can’t find a rules package and stick with it. As I type this I am watching Atlanta, and now the cars are limited to 550 horsepower. Why? 3. The races themselves follow a predictable pattern. The leader charges out front, then it’s cars in a line with no passing for 200 laps. Many of the new tracks introduced in the 1990’s were cookie cutter mile and a half’s, and there is no passing. 4. The death of Dale Earnhardt had a real effect. As referenced in point #1, all the drivers I grew up with are gone - Earnhardt, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Ernie Irvan, Bill Elliott, Alan Kuiwicki, Terry Labonte, Rusty Wallace, Ken Schrader, Dale Jarrett, Harry Gant. 5. Watching Atlanta right now. Commercials at lap 10 and again at 23 laps. Daytona this year was insane.

[@RJARRRPCGP]

@Cheetahs Fly 550 HP isn't a lick more than a high-trim stock Corvette, LOL.

[@howardfordyce5699]

All excellent points. Nascar is headed for the checkered flag.

[@bubblepuppie6341]

My grandad calls it Hollywood racing and real racing died with the good ol boys.

[@dabprod4962]

Bubble.....you're Grandad is exactly right.

[@suzannehaynes824]

Amen

[@toddlosure4793]

I grew up watching Nascar with my dad in the 90s. It was so much fun, cheap enough for all fans, and had such a different feel to it. If you didnt see it you cant understand. So sad.

[@TheBillpucci]

Your grandad is correct. Now you get a ride because you have a pretty face you can put on cereal box. Before you only got a ride if you could drive. You worked your way up from the dirt and small tracks hoping to get a chance at the big time. The Busch series then the Cup series. Boy do I miss racing. Losing Dale didn't help at all.

[@traildog_adventures]

Your granddad is partially correct, real racing isn't dead it's just not televised. You can find it at all of the small town tracks all across the country still every Friday and Saturday night throughout the summer.

[@rob70042]

the death of Dale Earnhardt was the start of the death of nascar, followed by too many changes to fast. the loss of Winston cup just to please the "PC" morons, cookie cutter tracks and drivers. NASCAR BODIES .theirs a lot more also but im drunk and dont want to type anymore. one more thing historically when the kids take over the business is the downfall of the business

[@akutan224b]

Cant wait for the Nancy Poloci 500. Some sports are meant to be regional.

[@rob70042]

auto racing is everywhere

[@joetexas1546]

Leonard Burnett Pelosi 500-constant Left Turns😁

[@manuelkong10]

I think you're right about Dale

[@respo8]

BINGO!!!! Earnhardt's death absolutely was the beginning of the end for Nascar.

[@SuperNASCARrocks]

Brian France taking over as CEO of NASCAR in 2003 is what killed NASCAR. Not to mention the chase being implemented in 2004 and old school short track’s like north wilksboro and rockingham going away.

[@basketballife5838]

Right thats y new Rockingham owners r redoing the track and have reached out to Nascar

[@mindcrime828]

If the fans would have shown up to Rockingham and North Wilkesboro then they wouldn't have lost their dates. Same with Atlanta losing its 2nd date. NASCAR takes some of the blame with how they scheduled, but even when near the popularity peak, those races didn't sell out on a consistent enough basis to push for upgrading the track instead of going to new places.

[@basketballife5838]

@@mindcrime828 partially true but nobody wants to sit in North Carolina when it's cold. A better race date could of helped out to

[@basketballife5838]

@@mindcrime828 and at this point it would be better then pocono, Kansas, Indy, or many others

[@mindcrime828]

@@basketballife5838 your point is valid, but if people don't show, they can't complain later when the track loses the date. Michigan often times is boring, and being Michigan the weather is always unpredictable. That hasn't stopped me from going to every race there for over 20 years now.

[@ShawnaGraham50]

It’s death started when it wasn’t the “Winston cup” anymore.

[@amskeels]

100% right!

[@nathanking9083]

Yeah used to be able to leave track with a month's worth of free smokes...ahhhhhh the good old days

[@spence7985]

right on

[@bigmatthawk18]

Well maybe by 2003 it was less trendy to smoke than how it was back in the 70s when they started sponsoring the top racing series in NASCAR

[@OriginImports]

Big tobacco and alcohol accounted for a fuck ton of money in NASCAR when those companies werent allowed to advertise anymore, all that funding died, and thus NASCAR died as well, guess tobacco really does kill everything eventually...Also i refuse to watch races now days cause the stupid SECTOR shit they got going now, If its 300 laps it better be 300 laps not a F1 qualifying session.

[@140ex5]

It’s ironic that what attracted fans to stock car racing was its primitive beginnings and its credo of win on Sunday sell on Monday. Now cars are scientifically evolved clones of each other. Not very exciting to watch duplicates of the same car door to door lap after lap.

[@JohnDoe-mk6dw]

Is this the problem with all big modern franchises? Companies try to appeal to casual fans and they lose both the hardcore fans and the casual fans?

[@davidallen234]

John Doe Exactly I just hope a new generation will start appealing to better audiences instead of casuals all the time.

[@richardlamb5369]

Yes its not racing anymore its a circus and Nascar officials and car owners r the ring masters and the drivers r the clowns!!!

[@TheOwl22]

How about how the fanbase has become so toxic that they have contributed to killing NASCAR?

[@johnd.1849]

The “Chase” is a joke. You have to practically have a mechanical engineering degree to figure out the points system. They close the smaller, but more historical tracks. They are what tie NASCAR to it’s glorious past. Imagine if Major League Baseball closed Fenway Park or Wrigley Field? They can’t even keep the name of the Championship Cup the same...Winston Cup, Nextel Cup, flavor of the month Cup may as well be

[@patersonplankrd]

John D. You may be looking at the LAST titled sponsor major stock car racing may ever have. Because once this contract end with Monster Energy, it is possible no other company will want to spend the money to sponsor the series. The reasons I state this are clear. The maker of this video covered many of those reasons.

[@johnd.1849]

TheSmoothGrind : How about we go back to the system and scoring they used to have? Seemed to work well for decades. Attendance and fan interest that would put today’s numbers to shame. By the way jackhole...I have 3 college degrees including a doctorate...and you? Ya, didn’t think so

[@johnd.1849]

TheSmoothGrind : stay classy punk

[@randyjohnson7734]

Good point

[@area.man.]

@@johnd.1849 Please never get cancer John D, it sucks and I would never wish for anyone to get it.

[@mikesproles7045]

The Brian France and Mike Helton killed NASCAR I grew up watching. New rules packages every single year and changing the points system every time we turn around and now this crap about stage racing "trying to make it fair".... I can't even keep up with the rule changes and points system. Then if we get a little rain we've got to have a competition caution, screw that just race and get rid of the damn restrictor plates while your at it. If I can build a Ford Pinto that will go 240 on Talladega and still turn left, then u better build one to or you will lose the race. I can't stand a race that is follow the leader, if you step out to pass you are going to the back of the pack, racing is about passing other drivers to get to the front, not as much about who took 2 tires to get track position knowing no one could pass them if they break the draft.

[@thundervalley9766]

Cookie cutter tracks, cookie cutter cars,winning the championship after sitting out 1/3 of the year. These aren’t reasons I started as a NASCAR fan listening with my dad on the radio in the seventies when races weren’t televised. I still remember the first nationally televised flag to flag race in 79. This video is right on. I’ve gone from never missing a race to I really don’t care. Now I avoid 1 1/2 races like the plague. Rip NASCAR

[@michaelpage1030]

Funny the racers today & country music singers all look the same. Imagine trying to tame David Pearson for TV.

[@darinmalone]

Ted Heath You hit the nail on the head. But NASCAR doesn’t get it. The guy who made this video doesn’t get it.

[@steeldriver5338]

@@michaelpage1030 That's essentially anything that's mainstream nowadays. If you want the good stuff, you have to dig for it. There's still stock car racing. There's still independent country music artists that stick to the roots. Just gotta dig...

[@homotorsports]

Cookie cutter cars..restrictor plates...exc... it`s almost as bad as professional wrestling...They were going faster in 1970.....

[@Newzchspy]

X2, I remember Bill and Dale in Talladega going faster than Indy and F1 cars. Those were the days. Just like the NFL is dying with so many rules about hits etc. and Drag Racing is now 1000 feet (not a 1/4 mile), so too did restrictor plates and aero rules ruin Nascar. Let em run free and fast and viewership will increase again.

[@ethantaube2512]

Restrictor Plates are needed to cut the horsepower down at Daytona or they would run at 230

[@Newzchspy]

Ethan Taube 230 ?? Pfft, they’d be doing 240-250 and that’s what people want to see. Cars are too slow, races are too long. Speed em up again! It all about speed Nd wrecks! Too corporate now. People have the attention span of a gnat.

[@edarmstrong9389]

@@ethantaube2512 If they are required to run stock aero packages, no way the cars will go that fast.

[@wyldeshooter]

And somehow that would be a bad thing???@@ethantaube2512

[@startrek91481]

It's boring, that's the problem. Who wants to see nearly identical cars, with drivers who have very similar skills make left turns for 200+ miles?

[@maspencer6379]

The truth is you're not wrong Shawn. Not a lot of people are going to see the appeal in watching people drive in circles. Yes, there are people like me who enjoy the strategic parts of the races, but most other people just find it boring. NASCAR has tried to make it more down-to-the-wire, but stage racing, while interesting to the more analytical fan, doesn't make it any more exciting for anyone else.

[@Xantylon74]

@@if6was929 Hahaha Democrat gay soyboy.

[@goddessintriptych7046]

Available alternatives. The average person has access to so much more that they could be "watching" (not to mention "doing") because of the internet. Going to the races might be a novelty for some, but seems like a waste of time to indulge regularly.

[@rucarnuts13]

He does have a point. I prefer watching Nascar footage from the early 80's, 70's, 60's and even the 50's because the cars you saw on track were moderately-modified production cars. Race on Sunday, sell on Monday. I want to see proper, old-school stock car racing again. Not near-identical, build-by-number rolling shells with practically identical pushrod engines that make the same noise with the only differentiating features being the different brand stickers on their noses.

[@johnswaim3919]

@@if6was929 Here's your tip, penis head, get woke.

[@VGF80]

In summary, Nascar relied too heavily on sponsors to not only sustain but also grow the sport. Since sponsors only fund teams with the promise of advertisement of thier respective brand. This meant that viewership became Nascar's priority, and what better way to maximise views than by appealing to the casual racing fan/lowest common denominator. This explains why Nascar has gone overboard with all the gimmicks. This ironically lead to lower ratings and less views which meant more sponsors go which makes nascar double down on the gimmicks even more and the viscous cycle continues all stemming from allowing sponsors to become the lifeblood of Nascar during the sport's rise in the late 90s and early 00s.

[@Bluelightning23]

Bring back stock bodies and modern factory engines.

[@kevinerose]

Basically, we need a new stock car racing circuit. Kill NASCAR and place sponsor limits on cars, no team play, make tickets affordable again, and allow walk-on drivers.

[@kylekenan2321]

And dirt tracks

[@flyingfishsurf]

Even the most recent internal combustion engine is not 'modern'. Join the 21st century.

[@Bluelightning23]

@@flyingfishsurf most cars on the road use overhead camshafts. NASCAR started using fuel injection just a few years ago. They still use a rear suspension designed in the 50s or 60s and a front suspension that's even older. In fact, it's so outdated they have to wedge the rear end just to make it handle a turn a high speeds. So, I'm pretty sure you know what I mean when I say, modern.

[@Bluelightning23]

@@flyingfishsurf and just in case you assume I'm not aware the overhead cam engine isn't really modern, I am, but it's what most cars use today.

[@ohger1]

Two things for me: as a born and bred Northerner, I loved the whole Southern reb aspect of the spectacle. Even the race announcers had drawls. The loss of that heritage was lamentable and preventable. The second reason was not preventable: current cars on sale cannot be converted for racing. Back when I was a kid, I owned Torinos and Monte Carlos (wanted a Charger but never found one I liked), and loved seeing the car I was actually driving modified to race on Sundays. Now everyone drives the same exact car.

[@ohger1]

@Ga Fin I'm going to take that as a compliment!

[@KenjaTimu]

As a northerner i never had the slightest interest in Nascar unless the cars were going to crash into each other and catch on fire. Nascar was chasing an audience that had no interest in their product. It should have stayed a Southern thing.

[@KenjaTimu]

How much of Nascar's decline is the rise of the SEC in college football? They'd rather watch the Crimson Tide than Earnheart Jr.

[@gutrench9489]

Scott Humphreys But you’re watching a video of Nascar, why engage in a conversation with a topic you have no interest in?

[@gngiamei]

@Cody Windham Yankee upstate New Yorker here there is way better Motorsports to be watching like rally watching someone take a left hand turn for the hundredth time gets kind of boring and there's even rallycross for a more fan friendly event

[@roydavis9457]

Brain France's stupidity is what killed NASCAR.

[@medionlvr]

That's AGGRAVATED Stupidity.

[@fire1777]

Too many cars under the same owner. Not suppose to be a group trophy.

[@freedomone776]

Your analysis is over rationalization for two simple things that killed nascar. First thing is that all the cars look the same. Back in the 70's every car looked different and fans liked that a Pontiac looked different than a Chevy and vice versa! There were Matadors, Chevelles, Mercureys, Dodges, Plymouths and so on!! Each car had its own style and unique look!!!! Second thing that killed Nascar is all the stupid car building engine and body rules that each team MUST conform to in the interest of fairness! Nascar like our school systems implemented a COMMON CORE mentality and like our school systems, the sport became "dumbed down", boring & failing! HOMOGENIZATION, like SOCIALISM NEVER works! DEREGULATION frees up creativity, healthy competition, innovation and perpetual interest!!

[@bobbypickle67]

Freedom One Amen brother

[@robertheinkel6225]

I agree with the body style issue. When I do watch a race, I can't tell one brand from another without the car number. I used to love NASCAR but rarely watch it anymore.

[@stevejackson2986]

@Freedom One Deregulation also frees up corporations to take advantage of the common worker, by not having to pay fair wages,among other things, while their execs make record breaking salaries. We had no regulation at the turn of the last century. And what happened? The top capitalists and industrialists, like Rockefeller, Carnegie, Vanderbilt, etc., took advantage of their workers, including children, by making them work ridiculous hours, for little pay, in horrible and often unsafe working conditions. And what did that bring about? The fucking unions, which have helped bankrupt this country, and the rise of the mafia, which was given strength and validity when the unions turned to them for muscle and protection. So, if we get rid of all regulations, what's your solution to keep that from happening again? You really think the execs at a company like Home Depot won't take complete advantage of people if the minimum wage, which is a regulation you and everyone in this country has benefited from, were abolished? Do you really think they'd keep their starting wages the same as they are now? If so, you're at the very least naive, if not outright stupid, and probably fell for comrade trump's bullshit. Oh well, it won't matter when we are all swearing allegiance to Russia and President Putin.

[@r32rocky]

Similar happened to SCCA's TransAm series. The original cars in that we're based on actual real every day cars like Mustangs, Camaros, AMC Javelin, etc. And every car on the track we're fairly close to what a fan could go and buy off the showroom floor. Then it too became a tube frame (with only 2 to 3 companies making them), with a vacuformed body to fake turn it into whatever car/brand you were sponsored by, and then pretty much 3 engines (again, also built by only a few engine builders). If Nascar, TransAm, and even IMSA road racing, were to go back to their roots where almost an amazing designer could build a competitive car in their own garage, and not need a mega million backer to have a chance to win races, might help bring back old fans, bring in new fans, AND,....... Help grow a whole new generation of automotive geniuses!!

[@bigstick5278]

Freedom One::: Lol that reminds me when i was a kid in the Cub Scouts we had those balsa wood race cars and the rockets with the rubber band driven propeller on a fishing line. I never made one and the kit came with three rubber bands. I didn't know they were spares, i used all three and won every race. And as everyone was asking me how i did that and why it was so fast that it at one point went off the line and hit the wall? I honestly didn't know until when i got home and read the instructions closely.. True story. Yeah the left doesn't know what a winner is so they award losers.. What did the new Governor of California say, "You have to loose a business bankrupt a few times before you get it right".

[@IWasLikeEmilio]

VIARGA sponsorship really kept the sport up, strong and hard. Since they left it went down.

[@kooliosis47]

lmao

[@manuelkong10]

hahaha

[@silvershelbygt500]

They stuck around for about 4 hours wasn't it?

[@normcote270]

LOL!!!

[@scotthummel4248]

Lol

[@fester01]

wanna save stock car racing ? make it what it used to be .. actual factory stock cars .. no mods except roll cage and plexxy glass

[@Machi74005]

Yeah, except the would be racing front wheel drive 4 bangers. Not too exciting.

[@brianbirc]

festor01 The molester? Anyway yah. Yah same with off road racing! Those desert/Baja racing Trophy Trucks are just a tubed metal frame with a fiberglass body. Why not race the trucks we drive ? A Lot of those do not drive a thousand miles without breaking. Steel is strong and ours drive many many more miles.

[@cpufreak101]

@@Machi74005 to be honest tho that's the kind of racing i like the most, when you have cars that slow, it can actually lead to more battles and more intense driving. sure fast car races are still awesome, but there's something cool about everyday sedans being driven hard on a track

[@angelgallegos199]

You mean rallying? I used to like stock car but it’s boring, got into the rallying scene and it’s awesome. Car you can buy racing on regular street roads as well as off roading log tracks. Plus it feel pure and natural

[@YorHighness]

@@Machi74005 Charger hellcats, challenger hellcats, Ford Mustangs big blocks,etc arent 4 bangers but stock cars you and me can buy.

[@struggleboy]

The problem with not having "stock" cars is that the sport used to come up from below. A young kid could take a car he bought for $1000, add a roll cage and participate in local stock car races. He'd get better, win more and more, and eventually get the attention of a sponsor, who would get him a better car to drive in national races, eventually getting to NASCAR. At least that would be the Dream. There's now no relation between local stock car racing (does it even exist any more?) and NASCAR.

[@henryjames8654]

stuggleboy, the other thing missing, all the practice they got running from the "revenuers" as well as the cash flow generated by moonshine sales. These farm boys didn't come up with the money to race from selling crops. But I guess that isn't socially accepted.

[@jamescyr7643]

Brian France killed NASCAR. With the Chase, to the neverending body changes, the areo packages yearly, he destroyed it. NASCAR needs to get back to it's roots. STOCK CARS!!! More short tracks. More road courses. Smaller teams. Bring back the old points system. Shit...put em on dirt twice a year! Seriously. NASCAR needs to listen to us. If us fans that care and know the sport is in trouble can't have our voice heard, NASCAR will die. I guarantee it.

[@BrianSchaffer]

The chase didn't kill it considering there is no more clinching before the final race. The rest NASCAR does needs to fix.

[@tjw3999]

right what made racing so great in the early days was anyone could do it. nascar used to help local short tracks now they just let them close and people can t afford to race and lose intrest

[@tjw3999]

sure it kills it brian little teams can t even try to qualify

[@fatpatlives1998]

@@BrianSchaffer I agree with this....matt Kenseth 2003 season is why the chase was created but it wasn't the reason for the lost of fans

[@NANA4bacon]

You fool Toyota is more American then Chevy or Ford

[@michaelangelo8139]

The “ sport “ is sooooo expensive that no one can play except the very wealthy . Add that to the amount of rules and restrictions and high expense at the gate and there is your recipe for failure . Common sense .

[@kevinhenry7273]

The rules use to say what you couldn't do, now they tell you what you must do. All creativity, except pushing the rules, has been removed.

[@GrandFunalleyMedia]

I think the Car of Tomorrow was the killer for me. I totally stopped being interested when all cars started looking identical. Personally, I'd rather see cars run slower but with more "character."

[@akutan224b]

That what the IROC races were for.

[@GrandFunalleyMedia]

@@akutan224b Right. And they sucked too.

[@dougboggio7098]

It's not a sport anymore,........it's a business Bye bye NASCAR

[@Nobody-kg8md]

Citation needed

[@richardlamb5369]

Ur 100 percent right

[@jermaineboyd6594]

Soon we could say r.I.p nascar 1958-2025

[@toomuchisaid928]

Never was a sport...cars going in circles...lame

[@richardlamb5369]

@@toomuchisaid928 Its only lame if ur not a fan maybe ur not a fan but seeing how it is 2day hell i dont blame u it is just going around in circles and it is lame now so i have 2 agree with u!!!

[@michaelgreer5379]

I believe that what’s killing NASCAR more than anything else is the fact that in a country of people who drive underpowered SUVs, people can’t relate to what’s on the track. How many of us used to own cars that we’d see on NASCAR ovals - big American coupes? Those are going away and being replaced by cars that Americans don’t drive anymore. The average Camry driver isn’t going to be interested in NASCAR races, either.

[@commenter6763]

That and electric vehicles being the future. Budding technicians and engineers are probably leaning more toward electric vehicles these days than the internal combustion engine. And not so much SUVs, but most cars these days do plenty for the average person, so the "ooh and awe" of a racing car isn't there anymore.

[@WhittyPics]

You have to be freaking kidding? The fastest Trans-AM or Corvette in the 70s was slower than the average production car today. 0-60mph in 6 seconds was fast in the 70s. Today we are in the 2s and 3s

[@oafyvonskidmark316]

Funny thing, I had a 67 GTO with a 400 & a 4 spd and 325 hp , it did 15's in the 1/4 mile after I align bored and parallel decked the block, balanced the rotating assembly, installed 12 to 1 pistons a cam and lifters, roller rockers, headers , intake and a carb! It even got 6 mpg doing it!! My 2006 GTO with an aluminum LS2 has 400 hp , a 6 spd manual and independent rear suspension with 4 wheel discs all stock and turns high 12's low 13's all day long and gets 22 mpg doing it !

[@dj-dempsey6021]

I don't know, because GT racing and F1, whilst different formats of racing, just because people don't own a Porsche or a Ferrari doesn't mean people are gonna stop watching because they can't relate. The viewer numbers have increased this year compared to last. The racing in at Atlanta, Vegas and at Phoenix was pretty damn good to watch.

[@terrybratton8635]

I think you are onto something. Cars are pretty much appliances nowadays - there is no emotional cache about cars symbolizing freedom and independence like they did to baby boomers. There are prototypes afoot of autonomous air vehicles that can be summoned by iphones and shared by others in the same areas. I think most people in large population centers would be receptive to this. Totally different culture.

[@billhuber2964]

Lack of people killed NASCAR. Greedy event organisers overpricing tickets , concessions . greed.

[@goddessintriptych7046]

not to mention, KZbin.

[@mikesamaras4084]

NASCAR was finished when " Laughing Clown Malt Liquor" stopped being a sponsor...

[@howardfordyce5699]

Nothing lasts forever, nothing. I'm thankful to have been around for the Winston Cup era. That was racing! Thanks for the memories.

[@josephbuckhoff6988]

*I Live 65 miles from Daytona & I'LL never Pay Sky High Prices Again (Parking & Souvenirs, too) I'LL watch it on TV... Over Paid Drivers, GREEDY GREEDY Nascar BAST*RDS !! They can never make enough $$$$, 100's of Millions each Year :( I Miss DALE EARNHARDT #3, He was Nascar*

[@longagoandfaraway7868]

The only time I have ever been to DIS is for the Turkey Run. I would never even consider buying race tickets. I live in South Daytona and I'm about 6 miles from the track so if I avoid the area during Speed Weeks and the July race it's pretty normal in my neighborhood. Unfortunately I work about 2 miles from the speedway and bank at the SCCU on Bill France Blvd (half a block from the track) so I can't totally avoid the madness. The same thing applies to Bike Week and Biketoberfest. I just stay away from Main Street and Beachside during that time. Gas prices DO go up when all the tourists are in town. And forget going to SteakNShake on ISB while they're here.

[@WhiskeyDale]

Answer: Brian France , Rule book , Kyle Busch. pretty much in that order.

[@joereachor2739]

The problem with Kyle is he's racing in wrong decade. Always where he can cause problems and is fast. Kinda like Dale SR. 😀But not a "good ol' boy".

[@someguy4027]

Kyle Busch. Nuff said. The dude’s a douche.

[@maskedtheory7251]

I mean you can complain and hate Kyle Bush all you want, but he's probably the closest thing you have to drivers back in the late 90s and early 2000s during the 'good' days of Nascar. Even with the filter placed on drivers by modern politics and media. Kyle is one of the few if not the ONLY drivers who holds a persona that we know and either love/hate.

[@jimijakjones99]

I don't see how Kyle Busch had hurt racing . Kyle and Kurt have both won championships like the Texas bros Terry and Bobby . Bodine bros Geoff and Brett and Todd . I always thought it was neat to see brothers in the field . Biggest thing that's hurt Nascar are the fact that it tried a little too hard to cater to the casual fan . Just like the NFL , Nascar said " Hey folks , we got our hard core fans addicted.......so lets go get them casual fans . " Stage racing is a flat out joke , it would be cool for Bristol but I hate it at the Super Speedways and 1.5 mile tracks . They took a lot of strategy away when dealing with pit stops , gas milage ( I always thought it was neat when somebody snookered the field with a gas milage strategy .........but NASCAR wants all the races to end the same way .)"

[@WhiskeyDale]

@@jimijakjones99yle Busch missed 1/3 of the race season , yet NASCAR gives him a waiver so he can win the championship. That killed the sport plain and simple.

[@davem145mxr]

The loss of Dale Earnhardt and the retirement of Mark Martin killed it for me

[@joetexas1546]

David Miller so true!

[@theguythehobbyshop7880]

Ive been looking through the comments for over5 min and im surprised this is the only comment about dale e ive seen so far It was a tipping point for sure

[@gloriaannopperman2734]

Loss of Dale Sr did it for us..we never watched again. Losing Dale was too brutal for us! Yes we are Dale Earnhardt Sr fanatics and proud of it! the Oppermans from Texas

[@redcaraiden]

Whos watching in 2024?

[@tylerpatterson1267]

I watch, but not faithfully. Harvick retired.

[@travisglantonthetowerenthusias]

Me

[@PaperBanjo64]

Me just got here from the dragon girl's video.

[@travisglantonthetowerenthusias]

@ 2025 is coming........... and that means it’s the last season of nascar period.

[@stephengrahn9361]

It was all bull after they stopped the N Wilksboro race down and moved a bunch of races out of the South.

[@tennsmoothie]

Yes

[@dondaly5297]

Canceling N Wilksbro, Rockingham, cutting Darlington and all regional tracks to one race a year was suicide by ignorance and greed. Bill France Jr got sold a bill of goods that lasted just about ONE DECADE and started a slow and painful death to anyone who knew the purpose and mission of Big Bill, which was to simply provide a good thing to racer and fan alike. Same thing happened to D.I.R.T. in the N.E., big money and mirrors moved in and "real racin" went away.

[@WaterboyCaniac]

Yep! And building the same track in different cities/states! And Waltrip excusing that saying the tracks aren't the same because one may have a bump in a spot on the track that the others don't. 🙄

[@brennanshapiro6595]

As someone who grew up in Rockingham, the only thing that will get me interested in NASCAR again is if at least one race a year returns to Rockingham.

[@jamespoteat9361]

NASCAR is ashamed of its Southern fan base.

[@manuelkong10]

BINGO

[@RLJ550]

You mean the people who got mad because they couldn't bring their own coolers full of beer to the stadium anymore? That fanbase?

[@SlickestMouthpiece]

Steve Jones actually it is pretty entertaining

[@Cooter4]

We Southerners MADE NAS(TOCK)C(AR)RA what it was! OK Moonshiner made NASCAR, but the South Fueled it! Grew up outside of Darlington South Carolina. We looked forward to the Labor Day Southern 500 and the Spring REBEL 400 Race, and the races in Lumberton NC. Also the Drag Racing in Darlington. Mid 80's stopped going as it was becoming to commercialized, and NOT STOCK CARS! And the STEALING OF THE SOUTHERN 500 LABOR DAY RACE ans giving (selling) it to Kommiefornia. I did out of respect for nascar by going to the last Southern 500, in name only, as was held in November 2004. It was about MONEY! Car Ad "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" Non-existent now as there are NO stock cars. The 2004 race was the first race attended since the 80's you couldn't tell the cars apart, plus they were only fiberglass bodies. On a side note the 2004 race was the only race I ever sat in the stands, was always in the infield.

[@echt114]

Bubba: The "Kommie" comment outed you as brainwashed cult trash.

[@MrGbutter]

I totally agree, Put stock back into stock cars.

[@jonnie2bad]

show me 1 OEM pushrod v-8 camry, god damn it that shit pissed me off. How much did Toyota pay to be allowed to race that bullshit. I woulda let a overhead cam v-8 slide but not even that. Now the Supra has a TURBO CHARGED 3.0L V-6 it will never have a V-8 off the dealers lot. Oh yeah and it's fuel injected and not carbureted.

[@virginiahoward1421]

Do you mean cheaters? From my. Experience that was every sat. night. Wake up no such thing as stock!

[@volsman80]

Don't forget the fact that they basically neutered your most exciting tracks like Bristol, which at one point was the hardest ticket to get a hold of and kept the ticket prices the same. Taking away from the fan's excitement to cater to the sponsors and owners.

[@bajikimran2304]

What killed NASCAR? All the drivers that made the sport popular have retired. Today's drivers are not interesting people or personalities.

[@iplaypearldrums7935]

corporate puppets??

[@ricksimpsonoil3511]

Yep your right that's my thoughts exactly I despise Brad Krashlolski

[@bobbastion7335]

The old school drivers were men. These guys (for the most part) are merely males. There is a huge difference.

[@JHFMW]

AlexGRFan97 whatt? 🤦🏽‍♂️ totally wrong and F1 is gaining popularity

[@PeterMayer]

@@bobbastion7335 please.....

[@jsparker77]

Very well put. I tried to stick with NASCAR for years, and finally had enough after 2015. I was a fan for over 20 years (many of those years it was a full blown obsession), but they've grown further and further from what drew me to the sport in the first place. I still miss the hell out of what NASCAR used to be, but as much as I tried to keep giving it a chance, I finally had enough. The poor management, rising costs, constantly changing the rules for no reason other than to try something new, drivers that feel like they're just as manufactured and engineered as the cars they drive, etc. The sport feels to me like it lost every bit of soul it once had. Very sad.

[@edford1693]

I was a fan from the 1970s and the final straw was when Kyke Busch "won" the championship after missing 11 races.

[@77justin96]

Alot of us are dumping entertainment from television all together. I personally have had my fill of bread and circus. I try to spend as much time as I can on a creek or river searching for Indian artifacts.

[@dorsteel8398]

77justin96 I'm an Indian and I approve your message.

[@jacobmorrissette1331]

77justin96 weird flex but okay

[@77justin96]

Jacob what are you talking about? Weird flex? Most peope watch nascar on the television programmer. Nascar is a distraction as are all sports fanboy.

[@77justin96]

Dor thank you. I respect and admire your culture.

[@dorsteel8398]

77justin96 thanks. I'm in southeast Alaska. Tlinget

[@thegreenbird795]

i think one thing that killed NASCAR is that people don't drive cars anymore...They drive trucks and SUV's...

[@fw1421]

NASCAR was so much better when it wasn’t so regulated. When they made the cars all the same it was another nail in the coffin. Greed also has ruined it,too much money is a problem. Then there’s the constant changing of the rules and point system.

[@VGF80]

Then how does that explain the gen 3 and gen 4 cars?

[@stevelogan5475]

Restrictor plates, and real stock cars, no matter the year , make, model, not all the crap, decal headlights, etc... you want to drive a 427 motor, drive it, 305, 351, drive em'. A smaller motor that turns tight will do you a lot more good at bristol than at daytona, etc.. change cars when you race at daytona. Etc...

[@Miatacrosser]

Ya that'll hold down costs

[@stevelogan5475]

@Happy MrCrabs it is a part that restricts all the vehicles in regards to fuel injection and limits your horse power and speed, for instance your car cannot go over 600 horsepower, the restrictor plate is checked on all cars by nascar officials, and it limits your speed in mph , they try to even out the playing field for all cars/drivers. True stock car racing uses the stock motor by the manufacturer, track you are racing on may be better to use a car with less horse power but a tight turn radius like bristol. It is a circle track, i would take a small car like a nova small block motor over say a barracuda with a large block, that is true stock car racing.

[@stevelogan5475]

@Happy MrCrabs not a problem my friend, God bless

[@jreyman]

@Happy MrCrabs It's a metal plate installed in the intake that has a specified size hole (or holes) that restrict airflow, thus reducing power to keep cars below a certain speed. Used primarily for safety purposes to prevent excessive aero lift (usually involving an uncontrolled, short, flight and rather harsh landing (crash).

[@stevelogan5475]

@Happy MrCrabs yw my friend

[@johnsalvaterra1355]

There are many "fads" in life, NASCAR was one. Stock bodies won't bring it back, nothing will. A very inefficient way for a sponsor to get recognition. Today the Internet provides the best bang for the advertising dollars. NASCAR is today's buggy whip. No real need for it anymore.

[@tennsmoothie]

Wrong - It was not a fad, except to those up north and out west where new, boring tracks were built and fake fans became interested for a cup of coffee (or a latte'). The real fans in the South were left behind when they made the car changes, left the old tracks and became politically beautiful.

[@johnsalvaterra1355]

tennsmoothie I agree , NASCAR was a southern sport. That is where the base was, and should have stayed. But the tracks are empty because NASCAR wanted to be a national sport, and that was a fad. The people who supported NASCAR were a specific generation, mainly boomers , and the preceding generation from WWII.

[@GatoradeCupSeriesX94]

3 years later... It's gotten even worse... #FIRESTEVEPHELPS

[@H0LLOW_PRIV]

You sure about that?

[@darrellfxdwg]

Cookie cutter cars, moving too many races out of the southeast, and Toyota. To sum it up in two words: Brian France.

[@eatmelily]

I felt the same Way when they let Ford, race at Indy, and all the European races....Ford is the Devil

[@tonytackett3843]

Disrespect of veteran drivers to bring in young fans with young drivers did it for me. Cheat for the selected young drivers.

[@stephenmitchell3569]

They need to go back factory bodies and allow production size Engines! Remember 427 Fords, 429 Fords, 440, also Hemi by Dodge, 427 Chevy. Changing body styles to improve the race! It's boring and team members wrecking, blocking other that are faster!

[@gkiltz0]

They need to get past just 3 manufacturers At least bring Dodge back in BMW wouldn't hurt

[@leesantos9711]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@charlescourtwright2229]

the reason why everyone mentions those companies is because of the fact that Chevy, Dodge and Ford were THE American car brands

[@leesantos9711]

@@charlescourtwright2229 American Muscle! 👍👍👍👍👍

[@gkiltz0]

Last I hear Dodge wanted to be there but didn't think they could accomplish anything with just one or two car owners. Until they can get at least 3 or 4 cars in the starting grid, they are not willing to make the commitment. Bill France is not sure there is support among owners for a fourth manufacturer

[@PaperBanjo64]

We thought things were bad in 2018 but it got WORSE!!! NASCAR IS dying and they are happily killing the league!

[@jdunlap2]

Easy. The cars have become irrelevant. The bear no relation to anything driven on the street today.

[@Stevonoles1]

Born and raised in the Daytona Area. Loved NASCAR since the day I was born. My list of what is killing NASCAR not in specific order. 1.5 mile speedways that are almost exactly alike, Car of tomorrow, ticket prices, concession stand pricing, Danica Patrick, Jimmie Johnson winning 5 or 6 championships in a row, Toyota, Death of Alan Kulwicki, Davey Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Adam Petty and a few others, removal of Rockingham, North Wilksboro from schedule, repaving and design of Bristol, Loss of Dodge, the retirement of Dale Jr., Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, and Carl Edwards all around the same time, Brian France, Kyle Busch, Nextel telling NASCAR no other phone sponsorships on any cars, lucky dog, not racing to the yellow, too many commercials, paint schemes on cars change from week to week and you can't tell who your driver is. People including myself do not care for restrictor plates but these are the best races of the year to watch. People forget about Awesome Bill being up 6 laps in the 80s and the entire field strung out. It was terrible. Bring back the stock look and let whoever shows up with the best stuff win. Making Robert Yates share his Head design with all Ford teams? Come on! He was a genius and they took that from him. God love him, but get Darrell to stop the boogity boogity sh*t. Plain vanilla drivers who have zero personality, do not care one bit about the fans, and are just there to turn laps and get paid. I truly hope they can fix it, but it would require a complete restructuring of the sport. I am sure I have forgotten a few things, such as racing cars that are 4 door sedans on the street. That is not a race car. Going with Camaro and mustang will hopefully help. Not sure if they make a 2 door Camry. And finally, what Tony Stewart got away with is deplorable.

[@Off-The-X]

We should talk. Thank you for sharing. If you really want to know, here is the guy to ask! No bullshit twitter.com/TheIntimidator6

[@Everythingisgoingtobealright]

Damn, you know your shit.

[@mrc.9702]

Toyota out Dodge back in would help, going back to smaller tracks too.

[@DevBizkit]

agreed and i add that sponsors also can spend minimal for social media marketing compared to plastering a car that will air on a restricted cable station.

[@mikep4823]

Basically what i was going to say but you hit it on the head. The old days are gone and i would bet the farm never will they listen to the little guy sitting in the stands. The best racing will always be where all this started is the local dirt oval tracks that guys are actually doing their best to stay on top and not a damn Hollywood Days of Thunder movie. After Dale SR passed it hurt bad but then Adam was the final draw i never watched another race after. These super speedways killed the sport. Nobody wants to watch their favorite driver tumble for thousands of feet wondering if he will ever walk again. Long live the small tight racing tracks.

[@CovertOperation13]

I no longer enjoy NASCAR simply because the car's are all built almost identical. I now prefer the sports man rank's as there is more competition. Local dirt track's.

[@nordic5490]

Yup, no one I know wants to watch a Silhouette formula.

[@waynestarnes5462]

Word!!!

[@Foxracing1205]

Pretty much the driver doesn’t drive the car anymore...

[@77Badger]

It was never the same after Dale Earnhardt, Sr. and Jeff Gordon. Drivers are just not as compelling now. Bland product. Loss of the southern aspect as well. They abandoned their fan base. They also abandoned many of the tracks that had special "personality" for cookie cutter tracks. Basically inept management at the top killed NASCAR.

[@Sargebri]

Get rid of stage racing and bring back the personalities that made the sport. Today's drivers are so bland that they are nothing more than talking heads.

[@MrMakemyday3]

STAGE RACING is a damned joke.

[@acenace24]

Stage racing is what they created so Nascar doesn't have to throw as many phantom cautions. Either way both are stupid.

[@kateofone]

No literally stage racing is what killed it for me. I actually liked the lucky dog, it made it interesting. Then they had to make the green white checkered and stages along with yellow flags to refuel. UGHHHH

[@mariagomez5030]

I SERIOUSLY Know Right?.

[@fumedrummer]

I say: Change stage racing to heats. First heat: 20 cars. Second heat: another 20 cars. Third heat: Top 10 from stages 1 and 2. This would make the tiny tracks like Bristol and Martinsville a lot more fun to watch... and the pit roads won't have to wrap around the whole track.

[@kateofone]

@@fumedrummer No no no, just have 43 drivers race. No segments, heats or cautions to refuel. Just good racing.

[@duradim1]

I lost interest in NASCAR when they made the cars the same.

[@mrknowitallyah6058]

Jeff Gordon retiring killed it for me. And I simply cannot stand to look or hear from Brian France...not even for a second. He killed NASCAR for sure.

[@tuftyterror983]

Nascar died when the playoffs came. Now it’s just a bunch of gimmicks to get. We fans that fail miserably

[@rogermay5093]

There are "car" people and not car people. These days there are fewer and fewer car people. A car today to most younger people is nothing more than an appliance such as a toaster.

[@johnz8210]

That's the bottom line. Perfect reply. All the other problems stem from that.

[@dooley1230]

Cars today are nothing more than appliances.

[@brianbrown212]

Andrew M Overpriced appliances

[@leeblackwolf3158]

That's not completely true there are us car enthusiast that love our car as a piece of ourselves, from mustangs to gtrs, eclipses, camaros, challengers, supras, and so on not all of us nessessarly street racers but all of us share our love for our cars, but I am not gonna disagree with you there has been a serious decline in people wanting a car for what it needs to be they buy it for day to day use nothing more. Hell barely anyone is buying manuals anymore and even the car industry knows that and they've been selling way more automatics and sadly this generation is so fucked up beyond repair I dont know if the car world will fight back with any strength left because of even the car industry's taking small down falls of there cars. For example the eclipse no longer being a sports coupe but a fucking SUV crossover, evos discontinued, making lambos into SUVs and camaros these days aren't event selling that well so far our only hope is ford and dodge with the mustang and challenger.

[@bhuff4748]

100% exactly right.. it used to be that people watched because they could work on cars, loved cars, or they pulled for a manufacturer. You don't have that at all anymore. People just don't have that interest and cars don't mean anything to them...just a necessity.

[@bboysfanatic]

Easy....they aren't racing "stock" cars. Not one Nascar shared any parts with road cars.

[@somedude4774]

There are actually People who think NASCAR race cars are the same cars You can buy off the dealer's showrooms with roll cages added, shows You how ignorant People are about cars today.

[@edgarmcbee2474]

When it first started they were really close more than they are now not sure what a engine cost now but its definitely more than a person with a regular job could afford

[@csmlyly5736]

Not to mention the crowd of "me want to go fast and cum into tailpipe" crowd is aging out and dying away, thank God. The mature people buying cars today just want to get to work and back and stay alive. NASCAR and any car related to it are not interesting to most people. The cars are completely irrelevant to most people's lives and a desire to race them around even more so.

[@fhuber7507]

When it started... one driver went into a showroom, bought a car, did minor stuff to it and raced it that weekend. I remember in the 1970's they had to have a certain number of production cars sold with the exact engine used for racing. Buick/Chevrolet got mad at Pontiac because Pontiac put their name into the molds for one variation of the heads for the engine and thus Buick and Chevrolet could not use those heads for racing. My parents bought a Buick and every time they took it in for an oil change all of the mechanics gathered to look under the hood. We found out it was one of the NASCAR qualifying engines, randomly put in that car on the assembly line. 12 years later when I rebuilt it, getting parts was a pain because NOTHING for the standard version block fit. Different crank so different crank bearings, Different camshaft, different lifters, different oil pump, different fuel pump, different carb so I had to go to a racing shop to get the carb rebuild parts...

[@edreed5571]

Clinton takes it in the ass in a prius

[@TheAmerican1963]

and, to add insult to injury, they stripped NASCAR of its Southern heritage because of political correctness......... :-) ....hell, f1 is on the same path..... :-)

[@mastman2315]

bring back the Good ol boys racing production cars modified in a NC barn and he who can cheat the best wins

[@mastman2315]

Dannica who?

[@mastman2315]

get rid of restrictor plates and over priced concessions give the INFIELD back to the deplorables not everyone can afford a 500K monaco motorhome and 1500 hundred dollar fee to park it in the infield. Pick up truck loaded with beer camping gear and rebel flags YEAH BABY

[@jimbo5635]

NASCAR pretty much alienated there fan base thru Political correctness.

[@jimbo5635]

@doc hall agree, especially our culture.

[@schatzemanly6749]

Taking the “Stock” out of stock car racing is what is killing NASCAR. There is absolutely no semblance between what you see on the track and what you see on the street. At least the Aussies and their Super Car series is closer

[@raymondeldridge6068]

Needs to get back it roots and use factory bodies

[@brianbirc]

Raymond Eldridge Yah same with off road racing! Those desert/Baja racing Trophy Trucks are just a tubed metal frame with a fiberglass body. Why not race the trucks we drive ? A Lot of those do not drive a thousand miles without breaking. Steel is strong!!

[@cpufreak101]

@Jim Watson fun fact, Ford just came out with a new 7.3L OHV "big block" V8 for their 2020 pickup lineup, imagine using some of those motors for racing

[@veebee592]

Stop treating the public as fools might help.

[@christhedicemaniac4318]

What killed Nascar? I can easily answer that! The death of Dale Earnhardt! I'm telling you Nascar hasn't been the same since!

[@woodscrafter1971]

Amen.

[@joshwilliams8921]

yea....fuck Earnhardt. his death has fuck al! to do with why nascar is fucked dumbass

[@jakecook3591]

josh williams even tho after his death they came out with the car of tomorrow and a bunch of rules and regulations

[@joshbarlow581]

I agree... His passing and the gen 6 cars with big wings, they played follow the leader for hundreds of laps and it was boring

[@tamezzodiac2862]

It’s cause dale basically ran nascar. They asked him about everything. He ran nascar he was asked after every race what they should do. Then he died and nascar fucked its self and didn’t know what to do since Dale was running.

[@tufstuff2586]

NASCAR killed themselves. 1. Abandoning long and storied tracks that had good racing for terrible tracks like Texas and Kentucky. 2. Going to the COT than the Gen 6 which were both terrible should have just upgraded the gen 4. 3. Stage cautions and phantom debris cautions. 4. Awful NASCAR video games. 5. The NASCAR Chase for the Cup and the Playoffs. 6. Top level teams dominating every week. 7. Promoting pay drivers over drivers with actual talent. 8. Terrible race packages. 9. NASCAR's awful officiating 10. So much more.

[@whiskers78753]

I think the problem is much bigger than what is described in this video. Additional things that make NASCAR less appealing today are the ridiculously long season and the ridiculous points system (along with the new playoff system), that I don't even understand. However, what is really killing NASCAR is youth. Young people don't care about sports anymore. All sports are suffering, basketball, football, auto racing, baseball, you name it. Young people just don't care about competition anymore. As these young people keep growing up, fewer people will attend sporting events. It's that simple. Young people just want to stare at their phones. Even if they attend a sporting event, they take selfies and update their social media because all they want is for people to know they were there, not to enjoy the race itself.

[@philcrane2426]

Correct

[@alensley1368]

Your right. The cell phone generation cant sit still long enough to watch a race.

[@cbgreenbay]

Yes I agree , put the STOCK back in Nascar racing ! It shouldn't be about who has more cash to build something fast but who can take stock parts and cars and go the fastest . In the old days it was win on sunday and sell cars at the dealerships on Monday. Because fans believed the car they got could , with some minor tweeks run on sunday . I stopped watching when it just got way to commercialism and most of the good old boys retired. And then you had to have cable to watch the second half of the season. I don't get cable where I live and I ain't paying to watch rookie drivers take out half the front runners in the last 20 laps with stupid crashes .

[@matthewgiese7811]

Honestly the cars they race now, there is no real difference if it's a Ford, or a Chevy, or a Toyota etc... same body type and design but with a different car manufacturer engine. The rest of the car is the same as the other cars.

[@LarryDickman1]

Ya, but it was fun to watch the crash on the news. :) 20 drone drivers out of the race.

[@YorHighness]

Points system playoff system restictor plates. You cant even go into a showroom and buy a car that resembles what they drive.Put the Stock back into stock car. 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Race Car

[@Nobody-kg8md]

Yea, keeping drivers safe by implementing restrictor plates, etc. is quite problematic

[@avengersracing]

I wish they still used the Monte and the Impala, but those are discontinued. It would be great thought if they set up the cars to race simular to how they did

[@wdsbhb]

Right...I totally want to see people racing a stock Camry. You guys have no idea what you’re asking. It would be a pathetic display and truly no one would watch. No one drives a car that looks like an Indy car, and no one complains about that. Only a couple of you chuckleheads take the stock in stock car seriously. The rest of the country couldn’t care less.

[@Ninja98x]

​@@wdsbhb Exactly right. The term "stock car" has now evolved to mean "racecar with a full body, door and fenders" and that's fine. No one wants to watch actual Camrys race on the track, and even badass street cars like a Corvette Z06 are slow compared to a Cup car. Cup cars haven't been actually STOCK cars since the Strictly Stock division....in like 1949. They were loosely based on street cars for a while but "stock cars" have been completely divorced from their street counterparts since before NASCAR's golden age of the late 90's. Hell back in 1989 Darrell Waltrip was driving a "Chevy Lumina", but I don't recall GM making a Lumina that was rear-wheel drive, had a V8, or a 4-speed manual. The car Dale Earnhardt drove in the early 90's had basically nothing in common with the actual Chevy Lumina that you could buy in a showroom. And nobody cared.

[@bobalobalie]

All you morons attempting rebut to the OP have no common sense. He isn’t talking about a real Toyota Camry racing in NASCAR. However. They should use the body style completely in the car model they choose. Of course it isn’t going to be a normal, say, Ford Mustang. But, it will look like one.

[@r3d4373d]

Lots of people say that NASCAR died because of Dale Sr.'s death. But they were still doing well until 2009. That's when it started to die. Really, the reason NASCAR died is because Brian France. He was focused on short term. Also, when NASCAR left say, North Wilkesboro. That was a bad choice.

[@dondaly5297]

Return to Roots is impossible since the fan base that cemented the REAL NASCAR PRODUCT has moved on and will never return! Auto Manufactures have moved on and will never return, Sponsors have moved on and will not return. When NASCAR turned its back on the very thing that made it unique and almost equal to religion, another entity that is dying but for a different reason, it committed suicide through ignorance and greed. NASCAR 'shit the bed' in the mid 1990's and went on an expansion plan that divided the sport into fragments when it's very existence was the unique ability to proper as a regional utopia for fans and sponsors alike. NASCAR forced it's concept into regions of the country that weren't really interested, saw it as a FAD and still do not know the roots of the sport and the people who built it, almost by accident. I used to drive thousands of miles every year to take part in a weekend at Talledaga, Rockingham, Watkins Glen, Richmond, Dover, Homestead but I wouldn't drive across town to see one today, and watching on TV is a farce unless you like looking at the lead car or two, and pit stops for 4 hours. SAD.

[@oafyvonskidmark316]

NASCAR will be all electric with naked drivers seated like 10 speed racers and but cams in car!

[@thatswhite1]

race for the chase killed nascar thats when i stopped watching

[@k9feces]

Yeah the champion should be the person that had the best season period.

[@RecklessRon]

Yes, I stopped watching the year they started that. Also the loss of great personalities from the growing fans of the 90s killed the sport. I was a Jeff Gordon fans not a NASCAR fan, so if I even wanted to return, who do I root for? Who or what will drive my passion to watch week to week. It's a tough sport compared to sports like football etc. where I can stick by a team for my life.

[@spence7985]

yep

[@jimmydavis3]

It is plain and simple, Brian France destroyed NASCAR.

[@jakekoehler1]

Let’s see if this comes true in 6 months when the Charters “expire”and speed weeks begins 👀

[@kaseymoe]

I think the 'chase' also played a part of the demise of NASCAR.

[@GoodOlRoll]

It did. A lot of old school fans left after Gordon literally got robbed a second time in 2007

[@lynndragoman2454]

When they took it off of main stream television and put it half here and half there it was all over

[@CoasterMan13Official]

That's what truly killed it.

[@GregJay]

No Stock car bodies, no Richard Petty, no AJ Foyt, no Buddy Baker, no Yarborough boys, etc. Cars all look the same I lost interest when Petty retired No Al Unser well you see

[@davidcox3831]

qq

[@smugglersrun7779]

I totally. Agree good old boys are gone and so is Nascar

[@davidhendrickson1428]

After watching 5 decades of nascar driver itself into the hole here is what I have seen. #1. the cars. Nascar was always been the ability to go to the car dealership and buy the same car. #2. The Chase. #3. breaking up[ races into teeny tiny races and then a 10 lap shootout. #4.Living for the TV fan instead of the paying fan. #5. Restrictor plates #6. not retiring numbers like #3

[@dannywestbrooks7207]

1. Cars have changed definitely, I agree 2. NASCAR needed a new system so it could fit other sports. It isn't the best, but its what we got 3. Don't know what you mean, but if you're talking about stage racing it is different, but its lead to more entertaining racing then one long marathon imo. Also a 10 lap shootout isn't always an occurance. 4. I agree, they don't appeal to the paying fan as much as the TV fan, but right now TV is important. They can do good off that. 5. You want them cars killing people? 6. Its not up to NASCAR time retire a number, its the team owner. Childress did retire the number before his grandson got it. Which I still don't like because he doesn't deserve that number.

[@AaronPharaoh]

I'm someone who was a hardcore NASCAR fan for years and now I barely watch at all. I would say that I'm not the "typical" fan. I'm a 32 y/o black guy from Connecticut. I started watching NASCAR around 1995. My dad and grandpa were always into all motorsports, NASCAR, Indy, Drag Racing, F1, so I like it all. I used to record every race on VHS and watch them back later. I've been to multiple races ext. Anyway, I was an Earnhardt fan and then an Earnhardt Jr. fan. As I grew up and began having a real life the length of the races began to wear on me. I also hated the mid afternoon start times. The green needs to be in the air by 1PM in my opinion. I liked the chase/playoff format but they just kept changing it all the time and adding more drivers and I felt that it became watered down. Also with all of the corporatism I feel that the majority of drivers are encouraged to be boring with no personality. Another factor more specific to me and other minorities is that there are just about zero guys that look like me out there. Wallace Jr is on the circuit now but being that I'm a bit older it's just hard for me to really care. I still catch the big races but I've fallen off a long way as a fan who used to watch and record every race to now maybe watching 3-5 races per year.

[@southroncross9515]

Aaron, you just nailed it. Well said, sir.

[@andyhughes9763]

Aaron Pharaoh SIR, YOU MAY WANT TO GET A HOLD OF nascar AND FILL THEM IN!

[@HOWNDOG66]

Well said. As far as the lack of color goes....they need to show up at local tracks in the numbers the white boys do and maybe a few more will be good enough.

[@crw3673]

I can surely relate to you bro. I'm 46, black and grew up in NYC. Been watching nascar since Dale Earnhardt had the yellow and blue wrangler car and love stock car racing ever since. But over the years with manufacturers pulling out, cars not looking like a stock car and the air row dependency and technology coming about. And don't forget the political correctness, that's now in the sport. These are some of the many things killing this sport. And yes the time schedule didn't work for me neither back in the day.

[@Nathan9197]

My friend, there is no need to mention your race. You are human, not a demographic.

[@glenzisko3928]

The death of Dale Earnhardt was the start of it may he rest in piece 3

[@bbdl7042]

Glen Zisko no dale fans knew better to just leave. Dale left one hell of a generation but Brian fucked everything when he took over the company.

[@glenzisko3928]

Bbd L I agree with you I followed JR for awhile but he really wasn’t that good especially after Dale died

[@kevinwalker5798]

Haha not even close.

[@chrisgrace67]

When Dale passed away, The Driver's lost thier voice. He was the only one that NASCAR would listen too when he spoke.

[@HoosierRooster]

Glen Zisko live by the sword die by the sword

[@X2Lazy2WinX]

Nascar will never truly "die." Someone will pull a Tony George and say "screw it, I'm gonna start my own series!" And if someone does, I hope it goes more down the road of short track and road racing. The mile and a halfs are boring, so much to the point where some genius thinks making one half flat and one half 30 degrees will TOOOOTALLY fix everything. They'll run similar cars too, with much cheaper costs, and using fan and driver feedback to change the body type accordingly to get back to the 90s to 2000s kind of racing. Close, unpredictable, and 20+ drivers with various teams and manufacturers have a legit shot to win, unlike today where a couple of Ford's and Toyota's dominate every week and the other 30+ drivers get left in the dust. Eventually, Nascar WILL lose out, and like the IRL/Cart split, this other series will buy out the remains, restore the Nascar name, and HOPEFULLY we'll have the Nascar that today's _modern_ racing fans desire.

[@jadonhollan]

you right

[@robminmonaca]

Now INDYCAR is starting to go back to the roots of the old CART series. However CART was booming at the time and then Tony used the biggest race along with USAC to make the race more American in 1996. That was a bomb to the huge growth INDYCAR had. It’s like using the Daytona 500 as a racing league and saying f u NASCAR. Indycar was a hot mess in mid to late 90s till about 2008. However NASCAR took a major shift in 2008 and have never recovered. So a split from NASCAR could legit work and is for the right reasons.

[@genemartin6962]

unfortunately this will never happen. Check on who actually OWNS the race tracks. Speedway Inc which is owned by......wait for it......The France Family. Bruton Smith owns some too. NASCAR will never be what it was. Used to love it. spent most of my youth trying to get into one of those cup cars. Do not even watch now. Have better things to do.

[@robminmonaca]

Gene Martin it would it be crazy if the IMS/Hulman or Pocono owner created a new stock car series. They are not owned one bit by the France family. The only reason Tony George created his series is that he owned the INDY 500 and had his Hulman George family wealth and money to fund his IRL along with past revenue still generated from CART and the NASCAR frenzy and early Brickyard races during the NASCAR boom. How knows maybe John Menard or Roger Penske just get super pissed off enough and leave NASCAR to form a new series but can negotiate with SMI or ISC to run some races their for the new series. Penske still has money and influence. That is one of the reasons why Tony George split from CART because he hated Penske and other big CART teams and owners. Kind of wishful thinking but look at what happened to INDYCAR. They were doing good in the early 90s and the Indy 500 was still bigger than The Daytona 500 for like ages but then CART and Tony George got into their stupid Bullshit fight about who was more worthy the Europeans or Americans. However Tony George thought having a more American influence would make CART inferior. CART really weren’t inferior but Tony George knew his 25/8 rule in the 96 INDY 500 would piss them off and for to get a moral victory for himself and prove the IRL was the best thing for INDYCAR. That was not in reality along with CART/ChampCar. Thank god things are in the right direction now in IndyCar. However a split in stock car might the best thing in that form of auto racing.

[@genemartin6962]

Rob sorry if I upset you. I was actually responding to the post about NASCAR. I do not know or care who owns the Open Wheel tracks. What I was commenting on is the thought that someone could think they could start a series to challange NASCAR when most of the tracks are owned by guys who have a vested interest in the continuation of the NASCAR model. The BEST thing that could happen, in my opinion, is for the France family to sell the entire series along with their interest in the tracks that they own. THEN I think you would and could see real change. Like I said I chased the dream for 15 years on short tracks around the South. never ran open wheel. Just have observed what big money has done to a sport that I once loved. Like I said I have moved on with a LOT of other people.wish you the best.

[@chrisfisher1625]

as a fan that got sick of nascar for about ten years, Ive recently returned on a somewhat part time basis. I am in shock to see mostly empty stands and a bunch of drivers I've never heard of. This video was very informative and jives with others ive seen on this subject.

[@bigcityFDO]

NASCAR needs to return to its roots. They need to get rid of these Identical cars, have drivers that have pure grit and not just a pretty face. Have personalities like the Earnhardt's, the Petty's, Spencer, Dale Jarrrett, Mark Martin etc. I think a few things contributed to the death of the sport. Winston and RJR leaving NASCAR and I also think the implementation of the Chase somewhat ruined NASCAR. Its great for TV, but not overall for the sport.

[@jillsmcfarland2001]

The same handful of men own everything ! Same investors.

[@David-oz6dz]

The answer is really simple Brian France!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@jbond4078]

answer is money hungry

[@pjoka2644]

Nascar forgot it's roots and it's original fan base. All the "good ole" southern boys with larger than life personalities made the sport what it was, the "politically correct" drivers of today... well, kinda just made Nascar like watching the grass grow.

[@craighotson8848]

9

[@ddll6709]

So NASCAR was doomed to fail from the beginning. It's a "good ole southern boys" activity, which limits the amount of fans it can gain

[@shinydavidhowell]

@@ddll6709As someone who is very very not in that demographic, I... Half-agree? NASCAR was driven by a fiercely loyal fanbase, overwhelmingly male and mostly regional - and for a long time it chugged along as just that. Too much of a loyal fanbase to die, but never likely to expand beyond it. Except it then, suddenly, did! And then it got caught in a trap and you have the story of this video. I'm British, and the analogy I immediately think of is with rugby league. That's big in Northern England, and also very much tied to working-class men there. Except the sport rode some of the broader TV rights bubble, made unpopular changes including and especially some hilariously complex playoff structures, and made awkward attempts at expanding its geographical reach. This regional English sporting league now has a team in Toronto. Yes, that Toronto. However, at least a ball sport doesn't get fundamentally changed when some money gets funnelled in and out of it. Motorsport does, and that's why NASCAR is caught in a literally existential crisis.

[@ddll6709]

@@shinydavidhowell I agree that changes in NASCAR has chased it's fans away but I still think NASCAR was doomed to fail from the beginning because it has placed itself in a tight bubble, being geared toward a constantly declining demographic. Motorsports naturally have a hard time finding fans compared to other sports like football, soccer or basketball. It is an expensive activity to get into. Soccer, even if you have never played it before, you have a child or a nephew that is playing it and you go watch his games and become involved in the sport, and voila, soccer gets a new fan. The chances of you knowing someone involved in motorsports is pretty slim. Now back to NASCAR, it's not just a sport, it is a culture, a white southern culture. Yes some sports have some cultural elements (lacrosse for example) but in a historical sense, nothing more. NASCAR and their base were proud to say this is the "way of life" i.e. the "white southern way of life" and they made sure people know by making it hard or outright rejecting non white drivers. Try to go to a NASCAR stadium as non white as late as the 1980s. NASCAR has done a lot to change that image but unfortunately that perception still exists, probably because there are still a lot of their fans who thinks it's "political correctness" for NASCAR to say "maybe we should be more inclusive."

[@shinydavidhowell]

That combination of cost entry barriers plus an unapologetic regional appeal - and while I like that in principle, my views on the "white southern way of life" are like yours, hatred is all too central to it - meant NASCAR was always at risk of existential crisis. How ironic it is that the catalyst for that crisis turned out to be the consequences of breaking through its own niche.

[@BoothGretchen]

When NASCAR started bad mouthing the Confederate flag being flown at the races, I, we left. About 10/12 of us went to at least 3 races a year. Now? None. Used to see protest outside of Richmond Raceway over this. Quite a few fans felt the same way. I imagine most know about the Darlington Sea of Red. Infield with hundreds of Rebel flags. Ticket stubs and brochures with Reb flag images. Johny Reb riding on the hood of the pace car waving a Reb flag. Now, NASCAR doesn't even allow any of that memorabilia in their museum! Might offend the "new" fans.