Tiny holes drilled through decklid fasteners, suspicious oil-like additives in the intake manifold, illicit ducting behind body panels. These don’t quite make a suspense novel, but they are the recent headlines in the world of NASCAR. They are the reasons why four crew chiefs, including that of Roush Racing, have been suspended from this years Daytona 500 and why NASCAR officials are handing down fines and suspensions to team owners. The tactics, while seemingly small and inconsequential, can have potentially huge impact in a race where margins of victory are measured in fractions of a fraction of a second. But does NASCAR really takes cheating seriously? If so, then why doesn’t NASCAR ban the entire team from competing in the race?
Some critics say NASCAR really isn’t a sport so much as it is a televised game show. (What other “sport” has the lead finishers earning prize money?) NASCAR is indeed competition, but the competition is simply a vehicle for a huge business in mass-marketing. The real competitors in NASCAR are the companies sponsoring the cars. When millions of people are fixated upon brand logos for hours on end, the winners are the advertisers whose logos are strewn across the hoods and sides of the race cars. So it makes sense then that NASCAR wont ever take serious measures against cheating - such as banning the Dewalt sponsored Roush team from competing in this months Daytona 500, because the real penalty could be the company cutting NASCAR from their marketing budget next year. Instead, NASCAR takes the easy road - ban a crew chief, or a driver, issue a meaningless fine and hope the public bites. All the while the same number of cars belonging to the team are allowed to carry logos across the TV sets of millions of viewers.
We say that NASCAR needs to make up its mind. If it really wants to present itself as a motorsport, and one with integrity, stop balancing the business with the competition and yank teams from the event if they are caught cheating. If they think this will hurt ratings and revenue, then make NASCAR like the WWE where anything goes and there are no rules.
Nascar is the junk food of racing these days (high speed freeway driving if your will). I used to watch it when the cars still had identity/different styles/advantages, but now they are nothing more than low tech “spec” cars, which I think are designed with a 50% chance of being crashed. Also, if I ever hear the word “AWESOME” again (which is the favorite word of nascar) I’ll throw up. Anyway, “I” can no longer watch Nascar for more that 5 to 10 minitues, for it just turns my stomach. For those that want “real” racing try watching MOTOGP, or F1.
By mike kletecka. July 12th, 2008 at 12:52 pmFinally !!!!! A site where the truth is being told!
By 08mustangs. February 24th, 2008 at 3:07 pmI’m so sick and tired of the lying and cheating of not only nascum but the nhra and others.
Keep it up boys.
Lets get this out to as many people and sites as possible to get the word out and about. We need to be heard and they need to hear we know they have been screwing with us for way too many years.
brian france and rick hendrick do not hide the fact that they are close personal friends away from the track. maybe a little conflict of interest and a little influence, eh?
By moses. October 13th, 2007 at 6:50 pmYou guys have some points. The France family has always been pro Chevy, or maybe just anti-Ford. Y’all must be younguns. No one mentioned when Ford was ready to send their new 427 SOHC to out run the MOPAR HEMI that had been brought back a few months earlier. NASCAR promptly outlawed overhead cams, I guess that still stands. Use to be you had to run a body and engine confirguration that could be found in a dealer showroom. Bruton Smith, are you listening? BTW, did you notice two of the France family are listed as in America’s 400 Billionaires? carry on
By longislandtex. May 30th, 2007 at 8:11 amWell, messcar has become like half of the country, socilestic. It is not fair for some one to develope an unfair atvantage. No. We must have the equal shairing of missery.
If you want to develop the sport let us have just a few rules. The car has to weigh so many pounds. You have this much gas to burn—no more. So run what you brung. The weight and fuel limits will determine how things go. Maybe someone needs to come to the race with an electric car?
By Garrison. May 24th, 2007 at 7:01 pmI recall in the 80’s when the Aero-Bird came out and chevy was still running the boxy monte carlo. Ford dominated. What did nascar do? they let the chevy teams change the rear window of the car to make it more like a ‘bird. Ford teams also had to take the headlight covers off of their cars while the chevy teams could keep them. these were on the cars w/ the 4-headlight design. i wish ford would quit nascar - the sanction simply will not allow the ford teams to compete.
By DDVerni. April 26th, 2007 at 2:38 pmWell, this last week at Phoenix just made-up my mind about Nascar Cup racing. I am DONE with the whole CHEVY SHOW Nascar !!!! It really pees me when the wreck occurred with the little rainbow cry-baby & others where pitting, & Lil Jeffy regains the lead & the others are put at front of the leader so they can lose a lap, but not Lil Rainbow Boy! If Nascar could, they probably would try to take Mattie’s one & only Ford win away for some reason, if Nascar could find one!
By Big Block 4d. April 25th, 2007 at 12:28 pmNascar is FIXED! If your not in a Hendrick’s car, or just any other Chevy, your not going to win!!!!
Nascar has the rules set where they want them, “CHEVY WINS & to hell with the rest”!!!!!!!
NASCAR stopped being NASCAR in the late 80s and early 90s. In fact I can tell you when it started to turn. Remember the Chevy Lumina, well if you do not, it was to be chevys answer to the T-bird. One problem, it was horrible aero wise, and thats when NASCAR stepped in for the first time and took the cars to the wind tunnel. That was the first time NASCAR decided to step in on CHevys part. And now we have the COT, designed by and built by, NASCAR.
By TheBrain. March 29th, 2007 at 2:39 pmMy favorite is the phantom cautions for debris, just so they can have a “great” finish. Or the preferred winner of the week.
DW is the poster child for everyone has a price, what a sell out.
Toyota, yeh thats a good idea, how long before we call it JAPCAR.
Personally I have found other things to do on sundays.
I am so mad a Nascar. They are 100% chevy. just look at the advertising time they give to chevy. The drivers, crew chief who ever, breaks a rule the same rule, and the ford driver gets slammed the chevy driver pays money. Everyone says chevy is better, they win more races, well no sh&t, if i raced 23 yugos to 9 fords, i bet Yugo would be the top car. The odds are stacked.
By nohsp4u. March 16th, 2007 at 5:55 pmI’m kind of confused. J.J was penalized for a tire outside the pitbox, but on his last stop two tires were out of the pit box and a offical stop one from rolling to far. A pit crewman ran out and got both tires,but was out of the pit box when JJ left. Does anyone know what the ruling is, isn’t that a infraction also?
By Ron. March 13th, 2007 at 7:48 pmIt is a real joke ..Ford should just step down.. 9 Fords to 23 Chevys.remember Chevy stepped down in 1963 or 4 ?didn’t come back untill the 70’s.
By jimmy Hawk. March 12th, 2007 at 7:59 amLarry Mac and DW both are whores. Today (3/11) at Vegas no comments from the dynamic duds, when little Jimmie Jerkson had a wheel leave his pit box. I wanted clarity on the rule for equipment leaving your pit. But, those two masters of suck up said nothing and a commercial conviently took over. Mark Martin should have won at Daytona, nascar decided not to throw the yellow until it was what they wanted for a finish. If Mark was JG or JJ I bet the flag would have flown in his favor.
By ross. March 11th, 2007 at 7:24 pmIt turned into essentially a spec series years ago. I was excited to watch both F1, Trans-Am, and NASCAR from 87ish up through around 95. Now they are all generally boring to watch. NASCAR is so over promoted, I hardly watch Speed anymore because that is about all you see on it. The soap opera is American Hot Rod or Pinks!. Both of which can be entertaining but you have to lower your IQ to get through a show about half the time. Dream Car Garage actually is a show for the smart guy.
By kblackav8or. March 10th, 2007 at 5:42 pmNASCAR is a JOKE! It has degenerated into a soap opera or WWF on wheels; idiots wrecking each other and getting into fights. What other racing organization is so dedicated to obstructing progress? I mean come on, push rod V8s? Carburetors, rear wheel drive under front wheel drive bodies, Pontiacs that are Chevys, Chevys using Ford differentials, even the drivers uniforms make you look hard to try to figure what kind of a car they are driving. I was a fan back in the day, as bassman noted, when the cars actually has some relationship to real cars.
By oldtim. March 6th, 2007 at 10:41 amONLY THE OWNERS CAN CHANGE NASCAR BY NOT SHOWING UP. BETTER YET, WHEN THE GREEN FLAG DROPS,ALL DRIVERS MAINTAIN 55 MPH AND DO NOT PASS ANYONE.THAT WILL GIVE THE SPONSORS 8-9 HRS OF TV EXPOSURE.RE: TOYOTA THEY DON’T MARKET A “STOCK”PUSH ROD V8 AND NEVER HAVE.HOW SILLY CAN YOU GET,NASTOCKCAR!!!!” STOCK” WOULD PERMIT FORD TO RUN DOHC WOOPS TRIED THAT AND WON IT ALL.
By arthur wiesner. March 6th, 2007 at 10:02 amrun what you brung
By Donald Morrow. March 5th, 2007 at 7:42 amI like all the safety built into the racing but Nascar has taken away individuality let the teams find a way to make it faster, what happened to run what you brung. They took 4 magnetos form drag racing to slow them down the teams said ok and got faster with 2 let make them run stock hi breads with boom boxes and soler panels on the top. I like creativity.
By Dan. March 3rd, 2007 at 7:16 pmWhat started as real racing out in cow pastures became all about M.O.N.E.Y which usually ruins everything it touches.
By Mac. February 28th, 2007 at 9:02 amnascar blows
By f..k nascar. February 18th, 2007 at 4:31 pmhell i agreee, since when is racin not racin anymore, i saw a documentart a while back on smokey yunick, now that was a hot rodder’s hot rodder, kinda redneckish kinda brandish, but didnt take any shit off any nascar officials, people these days ought follow his steps, quit nascar and let ole godddamn france squander in a world crashing down on himself, smokey left because of too many rules back then, hell wonder what he thinks now
By mater. February 18th, 2007 at 8:06 amIve got a good friend pretty high up in a major nascar team. She was just explaing to me how only robby gordon both ownes a team and races for it. All of the other team owners/ drivers drive for a team that is not their own. When i heard this it blew my mind? Do they have any sence of pride in their own team. You would never peyton manning owning the colts but playing for the bears. Nascar is a joke, and has been ever since they outlawed the chryser winged cars and fords 427 SOHC.
By Tanner. February 16th, 2007 at 6:00 pmTHE FRANCES, HAVE BIG PERSONAL BUCKS INVESTED IN “GM” . GUESS WHO THEY WANT TO WIN!, REMEMBER WHEN BILL ELLIOT SET A 212 MPH RECORD, HE WAS TOLD BY NASCAR “YOU WILL NOT ! WIN THIS RACE” HE TOLD THEM GET FXIOXED AND WON, THE NEXT WEEK THEY MADE HIM RAISE HIS ROOF LINE 1 ” HE WON THEN TOO, NEXT CAME THE FIRST RESTRICTOR PLATES, TO SLOW HIM DOWN, IT DID!
By tbird. February 15th, 2007 at 9:41 pmOh yeah, and the bolts on Gordon’s car were just “misaligned”. As said earlier, “it’s not who you know, It’s how you blow who you know”. I wish the Ford teams would just pack up and take their cars home. Let France explain that to the world of racing.
By dacofa. February 15th, 2007 at 6:58 pmTo follow on to ROAST POLECATS post.
Brother I feel your pain!
Here is a short list but, not even close to complete list, of names of some fakers and posers that try and get over on us. As in take our money in the name of entertainment.
“The Frances” NASCAR
By Bradon Grant. February 15th, 2007 at 1:22 pm“Vince McMahon” WWE
“Bob Guccione” Penthouse
“Jessy James” Fake grease monkey on Monster Garage
“Larry Flint” Hustler (an apt term)
“Hugh Hefner” If you do know, do ask.
“Donald Trump” real estate putz and brainiac beauty pageant madam
“Howard Stern” radio buffoon
“All of the NFL”
“Steve Winn” you too can get rich, sucker - LOL-ATWTTB
“All of the NBA”
and
the granddaddy of it all TICKETMASTER
NASCAR is now what drag racing called “funny cars” but turn left insted of run in a straight line. And now they let Toyoto in……….and it runs on jet fuel????
By LRE in Texas. February 15th, 2007 at 12:51 pmAny crew chief or engineer worth his salt will not read the rule book for what’s in it - but for what’s not in it. If NASCAR wants to stop cheating forever they better write a rule book so descriptive it can’t be read around. Right after that they’d better change their name from NASCAR to something else, because the racing aspect will be gone.
By Jeff. February 15th, 2007 at 11:08 amNASCAR:
National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing
So where’s the Stock Car? There is NOTHING stock about them. I agree with bassman, it’s not NASCAR anymore so who cares about rules.
By Ed. February 15th, 2007 at 10:46 amNASCAR - American Idol - The Apprentice - The NFL- Super Bowl - all the same. The shame is in America fairness is always out; has been always will be.
It’s not who you know, it’s who you blow.
The Frances’ are just a more of the same in a long long line of pump and dump hucksters.
By ROAST POLECATS. February 15th, 2007 at 10:04 amWhen stock car racing became everyone-uses-a-similar-chassis-with-different-fiberglass-panels-while-only-making-left-turns, then it became a joke. Before 1971, when teams actually raced stock cars with rollbars and NASCAR required manufacterers to actually produce the vehicles they raced was when the name NASCAR actually made sense.
By bassman97. February 15th, 2007 at 9:18 amNASCAR rules are a joke and have been since day one. It all comes down to who they want to win a race and the “championship”. If they want to show everyone how honest they are, then release the rule book to the general public. But then they’d be open for being called on their own rules. And it is their rules, France and family only.
By dacofa. February 15th, 2007 at 3:25 am