DO YOU REALLY LIKE TODAY'S NASCAR?

I think depending on your age. Many people feel so different about the current Nascar.

In my opinion. When Dale Earnhardt died many years ago. I think the "air was let out" of Nascar. His fan base was so big and so powerful and so dedicated to Dale. He was Nascar period!

The much older Nascar fan base miss the gutted stock cars that were truly stock! Every year the major car manufacturers would come out with their new models and some would end up on a Nascar track. Basically gutted for safety purposes. And boy, could you stretch the "gray area" of the Nascar rules(sort of cheating) and get away with it!

Now a days. We are basically seeing the Nascar(IROC) car series! All cars are fabricated to look like current productions cars but are in no way similar. All manufacturers have an engine program as well.

The big separation in 2012 race teams is knowledge and experience and most of all.....money. But, experience gives way to so many changes by Nascar. So, then who ever learns to apply this newer technology should be faster on race day? That doesn't always apply either does it.

You have to be able to beat the best in order to take their place. That would be Team #48. The only problem there is.....they aren't going to give away any secrets! So, then how do you defeat your competition? That's right, knowledge gained by trial and error and thinking outside the Nascar box. But with so many race tracks going through so many changes in surface plus Nascar and all their constant changes....I can see what a struggle it is for most race teams! So, in knowing that. You would need almost a "real time" knowledge base of information...that doesn't exist!

Your comments..................

WOW...!!!

I could probably write in this forum for days without conveying my thoughts.

Having followed NASCAR through the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and the new millenium, I would say...no it isn't the same.

BUT IT'S BETTER THAN NO NASCAR AT ALL!!!

I'll just say that I think my favorite era was when you basically bought the car off the showroom floor, souped it up and took it to the track. You know...STOCK CAR.

One thing I really like about today's NASCAR is the great strides in safety. It does give one pause to see good guys die.

Do I really like today's NASCAR? No.

Do I prefer it to when Johnson was dominating? Yes.

Do I prefer from racing in the 90s? No.

I have watched racing all my life. In the 90s when Dale was still around racing was great. Though it kinda sucked how Jeff Gordon was dominating (I hated Jeff Gordon just has much as Jimmie Johnson). But at least it was Dale v.s Jeff. There were real rivalries. The plate racing even legit. Creativity was there because the car were not all the same. There was actually passing at the mile and halfs.

Now because of the cot the cars are too close. The difference from having a winning car and a 25th place car is so little. Until Tony won from 42nd at Daytona, the farthest in the field a driver came to win was 17th when Dale Earhardt Jr won.

It is so hard to pass. Which is why some complain about cautions. I don't care for cautions. I want to see racing. But after a few laps they just get single file because it is too hard to pass, slows both cars down. It isn't worth it to pass.

I used to love plate racing when I was a kid. I grew to understand how messed up it was though. I consider it beer drinking racing. It is fun to watch at times. But still is ridiculous. After the whole two car tandem nonsense (which was so awful and unnatural to watch). The new pack is not even close to the old pack. I never thought I would hear it is hard to pass on a plate track. Plate racing is such a joke now. At least the package they used to have there was passing, cars would even get a bit spread out.

Hopefully the new 2013 car will fix all this.

Nascar was going down the crapper since the mid 90's and Dale Earnhardt was the last of the show far as i'm concerned.There's only a handfull of drivers anymore that's even worth watching and even that isn't all too frequent.Nascar changes the rules constantly and it seems never for the better,go back to at the very least the early 90's and leave it alone except for the Hanns device and safer barriers,the only positive i've seen since then. Don't care for most any of the rules now,alot of the newer tracks,multi-car teams,and track positon has been really old for a long time-i got out first-i-won ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ,three lap shoot out,lucky dog,it all sucks! There was no real rivalry bettween Jeff and Dale,they were bussiness partners,the rivalry was bettween the fans,how often did anyone see Dale "rattle" Jeffs cage-Jeff was all the new image Nascar wanted to project and Ray Everham is what made Jeff look more than what it really was.Dale wasn't a media #### and told it like it was and backed up his words on and off the track.Most drivers today run their mouths but never back it up,like children on the playground with the teacher in the middle. Nascar has become follow the leader and pretty dam dull,the local Dirt tracks are a #### of alot more intertaining and a #### of alot cheaper!

GOOD STUFF SO FAR FOLKS!

I like it because Tony's winning......don't like it when he is not!! Really and truly it has changed so much, to get it back....I don't know where you would start.. Safety wise that is truly a plus for NASCAR, but it took the death of Dale Earnhart to get that accomplished. I wish NASCAR was more proactive, then reactive...and I wish they would listen more to the drivers....

Indy cars have something called "Push to Pass".. I think that might be interesting if they could add it to NASCAR cup cars. It gives them small amounts of extra power just to pass another car. They only have a certain amount of passes to use and when that is gone, you have to depend on your own talent... I know some of the complaints from the drivers are that they can't pass each other...that might help and would be interesting to watch!

i was never a fan of dale sr, but respected what he did as a man, it was sad to have him pass, but it didnt effect like it did much of the fans, so for me there really wasnt any change, except this knucklehead france, he is the one who has destroyed nascar, but than on the other hand, my favorite driver JJ dominated nascar the last 10 years so yea im gonna say i liked it....

Everyone who posted had some good replies regarding the questions. I knew NASCAR from the 50's but was passionate about Indy car racing for years. I never missed all the hoop la weeks before the Indianapolis 500. I was a faithful fan until the driver from Coldwater, MI (I believe that is where he was from) was killed during a practice. When I found the NASCAR races on TV I was quite taken with racing again. I didn't have a favorite for quite some time until I discovered Tony was a dirt track racer. My home town had an awesome dirt track and I saw as many races I could on a Sunday afternoon. I liked Tony as he was one of a kind and he still is. He is much more refined but that kid still has the fire for racing. As for NASCAR I liked the old school feuds, as for the many championships Johnson won well that is part of the game. Just as it was when Richard Petty won week after week and people got bored with that. Richard was not a favorite of mine. Give me the Alabama gang and a few others. Where the things started to fall apart was when Kenseth won and then NASCAR for some reason thought they needed a big shake up. Lucky dog is just plain wrong as well as the wave around. Some of the nit pickin rules drive the fans crazy. Also the broadcasters drive a person up the wall. They talk too much and analyze till he$$ freezes over. Give me a Sunday afternoon with Benny, Ned and Buddy. They were awesome in their day but they didn't remind us every three minutes what they had done. As for those in charge of Nascar I give them credit in safety, but don't when it comes to controling every little thing a driver says, they aren't consistant in the rules. Please NASCAR lay off the drivers as they are the point where the big bucks come in. As for the status of NASCAR I wouldn't worry as the chase last year was about as exciting as one can get. Believe it Brian and yes something similar can set it off again. Don't try an manufacture what you think the fans want. Just listen to what the drivers have to say and if possible put it into the program. No one wants to see racing disappear but be carefull what you ask for as you might just get it NASCAR.

Miss the Busch Series,Craftsman Truck Series and most of all Winston Cup.

i was never a fan of dale sr, but respected what he did as a man, it was sad to have him pass, but it didnt effect like it did much of the fans, so for me there really wasnt any change, except this knucklehead france, he is the one who has destroyed nascar, but than on the other hand, my favorite driver JJ dominated nascar the last 10 years so yea im gonna say i liked it....

How nice of you to spare my feelings about Dale. Brian France i agree, but don't forget Smith letting Humpy wheeler go and Smith ruining Bristol all by himself as well as now wanting to push cautions to tighten the field.

i wasnt sparing your feelings, i never liked the guy, but that doesnt take away from what he did, and anyone that discredits a driver that wins championships and races is a fool and knows nothing bout racing,

i wasnt sparing your feelings, i never liked the guy, but that doesnt take away from what he did, and anyone that discredits a driver that wins championships and races is a fool and knows nothing bout racing,

There's alot of fools,you'll have to narrow it down.
Come on deep down you know you have a soft spot for Dale,i like JJ even thou i'm not a fan of his.

I'm a late bloomer to Nascar. Didn't get involved till 2002. I was instantly a Ryan Newman fan. A man from mellow South Bend Indiana.(my neighboring state) I also liked Tony Stewart who was from Indiana. Neither fit the typical southern born and raised Nascar driver of days gone by. I guess to sort of fit in with that "moon shine runner" story. I know, many current/past drivers aren't all southern born and raised!

Even thought I didn't get real involved till 2002. I watched Nascar a little growing up in the 60's to current. Remember, we didn't have a trillion satellite channels to choose from back in the day. You had to watch whatever the networks had on and that was it. That would of been drag racing mixed in with Nascar,IRL bla bla bla. I remember Jackie Stewart announcing so many round track races with that funny(to me) accent.

Like any sport. Once the original owner passes on and hands the empire over to their kids. We begin to see a lot of change as if the sport has to keep on evolving. Why is that? I know, trying to make it better. Well there's an old saying,"The more things change, the more they stay the same." Has France junior made things better? Not so sure.......

No as good as it was years ago