NASCAR Sucks Because It’s Not About Cars

"Matt Brown" (superfastmatt) 01/26/2017 at 12:05 • Filed to: None

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Photo: Wikipedia

I stopped watching Nascar about the same time I stopped working for a Nascar team. A brief peek under the hood and it was hard to not be disillusioned about the minute role of the automobile in the sport. Nascar tries very hard to make sure all of the cars are the same. And if all the cars are the same, then the sport can only be about the personalities behind the wheel, and I don’t give a crap what Dale Jr. had for lunch, no matter how many times they talk about it during the race.

I showed up on the team the same year as the Car of Tomorrow. The CoT had a separate front splitter that was just a flat ledge hanging off the front of the car. The first year there were only a few rules regarding the splitter: it must be this shape and this material and be supported by five supports in these locations. One team showed up a few races into the season with carbon fiber supports, and were promptly told to GTFO with that fancy carbon shit. Nascar does not want innovation or deviation, and they don’t need the rulebook to enforce their inflexibility at inspection. We figured out at the wind tunnel that larger supports would block airflow and limit the parachute effect of the front splitter, so we bought oversized rod ends and fasteners and played dumb, which helped us ever so slightly at the big tracks until they changed the rules to specify the dimensions and material of the splitter support. That was the extent of our racecar engineering; spending tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours doing analysis and testing, and then fabricating the resulting design so that it looked like it was assembled by a shade tree mechanic with parts he had lying around.

We had other ideas, but they were mostly cheating. We considered making the truck arms out of titanium and coating them with a magnetic steel coating. Not because titanium is lighter, but because it would be less stiff and would allow the car to sit lower at speed. We calculated it out and it would have given us a 17 lap advantage over the race, so we figured we couldn’t pass that one under the radar.

I love cars, and Nascar just doesn’t have anything to do with cars. The team I was on was young and had a lot to learn, but I was already burnt out. Partly because I did not have the passion to fine tune the few microscopic areas of possible development on that pushrod turd of an engine, but also partly because I was tired of the just do what the leader is doing attitude and the culture where the Crew Chief felt comfortable referring to the engineers as “math fags.”

I get that modern automobile racing is hard; people die when cars go too fast, and if you’re not careful with the rules it just leads to a money=winning game and there’s not competition. Making de facto spec cars is one solution. Another solution is to franchise the teams. Like truck arm suspension and throttle body injection, this idea is far from new. Nascar started this process last year with the carter system, about which I know nothing because I still don’t watch Nascar. But, I think this is a step in the right direction, a step towards fully franchised teams. With a full franchise system, there will be a specific number of teams, and only those teams can compete in the races. People seem to freak out about this, pointing out that you would no longer be able to just show up with a car that meets the rules and try your luck. I don’t see the issue with this; you can’t just show up to an NFL game with a team and expect to play. Sponsorship would be auctioned off and the money paid directly to Nascar who will divide it up evenly among the franchised teams. This will be an issue for Furniture Row Racing, who is owned by their sponsor, but I’m sure some accommodations could be made.

Now the teams are all equally funded, so we can open up the rules and the cars can be different again! But what if one team figures out some clever thing that nobody else does, or what if they get some outside funding from a supplier or parent company and dump a bunch of money into research? Easy: Claimer class Nascar.

At the end of the race, with the winning car still in the winner’s circle, anyone else who came in the top 5 can trade cars with the winner. There would have to be some way to keep the car from being messed with at the end of the race. Let’s say if the driver over-revs the engine after the finish line, the driver of the trading team gets to punch him in the face as hard as he can. I don’t know, I don’t have all the details worked out.

There are reasons why this wouldn’t work that I’m sure a lot of people have thought about. But the truth is it isn’t likely to happen anyway, because Nascar is extremely averse to change. They all kind of wish it was still 1980.

And to be honest, I don’t actually care. There are other racing series with interesting cars. I haven’t cared what Dale Jr. had for lunch for a decade. I’m not going to start watching because there added a couple halftimes with different checkered flags or some race for the chase playoff bullshit. Nascar sucks because it’s not about cars. And if it’s not about cars, I might as well be watching golf. And I hate golf.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Matt Brown 01/26/2017 at 12:12

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What a depressing read... You know there’s a team that builds cars where the focus is on engineering in Kannapolis. They make right turns too!

Chariotoflove > Matt Brown 01/26/2017 at 12:22

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Nice essay. Now do IndyCar!

carcrasher88 > Matt Brown 01/26/2017 at 12:23

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You’ve certainly got some good points, and it’s definitely true that NASCAR should get with the times when it comes to technology.

I disagree, though, with the idea of a full franchise system, mainly on the idea that it reduces the likelihood of an underdog victory by smaller teams who work their butts off, week in and week out, even more so than larger teams with more funding.

That’s the sort of thing the fans like to see on occasion. Look at some of the biggest examples of underdog success from smaller teams. Front Row Motorsports at Talladega back in ‘14...Phoenix Racing back in ‘09 (albeit a controversial win, it was an underdog win nonetheless)...and of course, Furniture Row’s earlier, pre-JGR alliance wins at Darlington in ‘11 and Pocono in ‘14.

And, even as it is...at ‘outdated’ the sport is...it’s still more exciting than the snoozefest that is Formula 1.

crowmolly > Matt Brown 01/26/2017 at 12:24

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nvm

jimz > Matt Brown 01/26/2017 at 12:24

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I feel the same way about F1, which is why I’ve never been able to get into that either. I know more about Hamilton hissy fits with Rosberg than I do about the cars.

Pickup_man > Matt Brown 01/26/2017 at 12:35

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This is the reason I don’t like NASCAR, or a lot of other big racing organizations. I get the whole driver skill argument, and keeping the rules tight, and at a smaller level I think this works ok, that way the winner isn’t always the guy with the most money. I feel like it stifles innovation though just for the sake of fairness, and at the high levels of racing, NASCAR, Formula 1 (especially F1) I want to actually be able to tell the difference between the cars, I want big crazy new designs, cutting edge technology, experiments that just might be crazy enough to work. There’s two ways you can look at racing, who’s the better driver, or who has the better car, personally I like the better car line of thinking, but not everyone agrees.

This has happened in flat track racing as well, for the longest time the rules were so tailored that if you weren’t running an XR750 you basically weren’t racing, but with Kawasaki’s resurgence, Indian’s new flat track bike, Harley moving to the XG750, and growing interest from other manufactures I might actually start watching flat track racing.

Future next gen S2000 owner > Matt Brown 01/26/2017 at 12:37

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Deleted because it was a bad comment and I should be ashamed.

BKosher84 > Chariotoflove 01/26/2017 at 12:46

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Ha! I went to my first full fledged IndyCar race in Detroit last year and now I’m hooked. I’ve been to DOZEN’s of NASCAR races but the race day/race weekend experience that IndyCar puts on is bar none above NASCAR.

Chariotoflove > BKosher84 01/26/2017 at 12:48

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Well, I grew up in Indy; so, the 500 is steeped in my cultural memory. It will always be my favorite race/type of racing.

shop-teacher > Matt Brown 01/26/2017 at 14:51

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I stopped watching NASCAR when the COT came out for this very reason. I felt like the last vestiges of anything being about the cars or innovation was gone. I remember watching an interview with the talking head that became Darrell Waltrip, and what he said (in support of the COT) crystalized my feelings and put me off completely. He said, “This sport ain’t about cars! It’s about the drivers man!”

I got into racing, because I like cars. At that moment, it became clear that NASCAR had nothing left to offer me. I attempted to watch Jeff Gordon’s last race. I just couldn’t do it.

Wagon Guy drives a Boostang > Matt Brown 02/26/2017 at 20:53

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I’ve never thought that NASCAR was about cars. Especially not since most of what’s out there on track has almost no resemblence to anything you can walk into a dealer showroom and buy today. Sure, I want a V8 RWD Pushrod Camry, wait... No, I don’t. I’ve thought for years that if you want to run a Toyota Camry in a racing series, it should be using the same engine, transmission, and layout of the car you get from a dealer. Can you imagine FWD Camrys an Fusions running around Talladega?

LongbowMkII > jimz 03/05/2017 at 15:42

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It’s a bit different in F1. There are distinct differences in the cars, itd just take a doctorate in aerodynamic engineering to really explain the how and why.

For Sweden > Future next gen S2000 owner 03/05/2017 at 18:00

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me_irl

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > jimz 03/05/2017 at 19:05

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There are gobs of F1 technical information, even journals. To love F1 you have to love crafty engineers and think a cleaver duct that nobody else thought about is super sexy. I can’t imagine watching some fake stock cars go in a circle, I never understand the arguments people have had with me about why they like it. I always think, um, so? They are clearly at opposite ends of the engineering and refined spectrum. I mean this is the stuff going through my head all the time:

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > carcrasher88 03/05/2017 at 19:09

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Well I often think people must have had a lobotomy to watch oval racing. At least watch Aussie Supercar V8s, what nascar should be. Yeah cars side by side up Eau Rouge is a snoozefest? Crazy.

jimz > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 03/06/2017 at 09:50

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One common thread among F1 fans is they can’t wait to tell you how awesome they think they are because of the kind of racing they sit on their asses and watch on TV.

I never understand the arguments people have had with me about why they like it.

maybe stop acting like they need to justify it to you.

Scott > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 03/12/2017 at 17:47

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There is a degree of truth to what he says though. As they have tried to eve out the field, they put ever tighter restrictions on the design of a car. The result is that many of the engineers come up with pretty much the same solutions to the problem. Yes compared to Nascrap, F1 is an innovative think tank. But compared what F1 was, or what it easily could be you really have to get down to the nitty gritty to see those technical solution.

I’ve long advocated for through out the rules for engines, and just say the rear wheel HP measured on a dyno at the track can not exceed X many HP in any configuration. This kind of open rule really allows engineers to get truly creative, and you could not only see that in motor design (6,8,10,12, 16, I,V,W Boxer, Rotory etc.) You could hear the difference as the cars go by. Yet it would better achieve what all the rules try, but fail to do, even out the field.

While Personality, has and always been, and always will be an aspect of Motorsport, the more they define every aspect of the car, the more Personality must make up for it. IRL essentially became Nascrap with openish wheels, cockpits, and wings, to sort of look like F1 cars. F1 cars are heading down that same path, where eventually the rule makers may just say this is what an F1 car is, now go build it, and do not deviate from our design plans. I know the idea has been suggested many times, and how long till they decide to follow Nascraps so called successful formula?

NASCAR sucks because nothing stock > Matt Brown 04/19/2017 at 13:33

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Do it like monster jam or WWE, where everyone gets to paid the same.

The points don’t matter, the winner don’t matter, the winner changes from week to week so that way people can have a favorite driver to root.

The way it is now calling these specialty/custom built/one only creations Cars (much less STOCK) is a travesty.

One of NASCAR’s original slogans was Win on Sunday sale on Monday and car dealerships actually saw increases from week to week by who/what won on Sunday.

“Fans” in the late 80s figured out these “creations” weren’t available to the general public and that took away the bragging rights(my chevy is better than your ford) ability that’s when the popularity started decreasing. Other Than in the early 90s when the yuppies thought it was the in thing to be seen at.

Hardee’s 28 forever

Kameron Heath > Matt Brown 09/24/2017 at 21:44

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Well written a d so true.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Matt Brown 12/04/2017 at 13:47

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When you’ve reduced the number of variables to one, you’ve completely dumbed down the activity.

OK, that was hyperbole, as the track is also a variable, but even that is questionable since most races are on ovals requiring little analysis or long-term strategy.

351C4V > Matt Brown 02/20/2018 at 16:36

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I quit watching NASCAR 15 years ago. I used to love it, even went to races. I gave up when Toyota was allowed in and Dodge dropped out, and I’m a FORD fan. I just looked at 5 sites to see what won the ‘18 Daytona. Not one list showed the makes and models of the cars. And what’s this “stage” crap? Another contrived thing by NASCAR to irritate former fans and keep us from returning? It worked. I won’t even look up race results anymore. **** NASCAR.

Phicrappazappa > Matt Brown 05/19/2018 at 16:43

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My wife and I used to love Nascar, and planned our vacation around the All-Star race. That was a long time ago, before Brian France assumed the helm. I personally think that’s been the downfall of Nascar. His greed (and his subordinates) and indiference to the fans. It had to go national; forget the fans in the southeast, major money calls. Goodbye, Rockingham; sorry fans, you don’t rate. I was still ticked at North Wilkesboro shutting down. That was racing. Now we even get restrictor plate crap, that’s a draw only because the wreck is a sure bet. Single file.... ho hum. Other tracks were relegated to one shot per year.

I certainly don’t wish to denigrate the effect Earnhardt Sr.’s death had. He was the “Man”. The villian you either loved or hated. He was like a wrestling heel, hated or adored. Nascar has never recovered from his loss, and as unfortunately many of his peers retired within that time frame, the loss was amplified. Competitors with actual personalities became a thing of the past. Sponsors may as well drive today, and maybe think about giving free product samples to the few that still show up to buy a ticket. At least listening to two or three minutes of sponsor butt-kissing at the end would be tolerable to them.

The cars are no longer “stock” cars in any sense. Win on Sunday, sell WHAT on Monday? Generics adorned by “Decals “R” Us”.

The last straw has been the selling of the sport to the networks. Now, unless you have an upper tier from cable, you’re not going to be privvy to a lot of races. This year the All-Star is included. We have had enough.

Good luck selling damaged goods, Brian.

Just my 2 cents.

Allen > Matt Brown 08/07/2018 at 06:35

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Well that explains how the series was destroyed, run by an alcohol and drug induced moron that turned it into a stupid never ending rule change corporate reality game show format. NASCAR CEO takes leave of absence after arrest, DWI charge. Brian France, the CEO of NASCAR, is taking a leave of absence from the company after he was arrested Sunday and charged with driving while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance after a traffic stop in New York.

Meethinx > Wagon Guy drives a Boostang 09/30/2018 at 11:14

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Totally agree!!

NASCAR…JUST SAY NO! > Matt Brown 06/23/2020 at 20:27

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NASCAR sucks harder today than ever.

I gave up caring when NASCAR got so greedy with ticket prices and everything else but the real nail in the co ffin was when they let the foreign manufactures in. My dad worked for 32 years for Pontiac Motors and that meant something to him and me. My goodness I loved watching those Pontiacs race especially when Richard Petty started driving them and thinking that my dad might have a hand on one of those exact cars ! But I digress.

NASCAR used to mean southern to me and I had a lot of pride in that but now that everything has been distorted to the max over the rebel flag which was for me  never meant to be associated with racism it was about being proud of the south and that was it at least for me.