I can see why they are trying something new, but I'm not sure these are the right changes. I think that younger people who are not interested in driving themselves will be a tough target audience no matter what changes they make to the races.
The fan base will just keep getting older and the sport will eventually die out along with the fans. That is my prediction.
Yay, more changes to make something 'TV Friendly', so they can have scheduled commercial breaks and an extended post-season. It's really just a continuation of the trend NASCAR has been following for years. They're emulating other popular sport formats in order to cater toward a TV audience and easier to schedule format for the networks.
The forced yellow is going to result in a scheduled commercial break, with an exciting 'pack start' when we return from our messages from these sponsors.
Then we'll have an exciting post season through 'the playoffs' (seriously?). I'm guessing they're aiming for some prime-time slots for that one, racing under the lights. I'm just surprised they didn't shorten the race lengths.
-Hans
OK Wally, #3 and #5 and I'll watch again.
Sanchinguy wrote: I'll be the "get off my lawn" guy and suggest that NASCAR return to a true "stock car" format and require cars to built on production vehicle unit bodies. Maybe that'd bring the manufacturers back into the game and maybe even bring back some interesting RWD platforms...
Somehow I think requiring them to build cars that go 180mph and are based on a street car meant to go 65mph down the highway is not a good recipe for driver safety. I would be in favor of requiring the race car to mimic the production car in all dimensions and shape, that would be cool (at least in theory), but they need to be 100% custom fabricated race cars. We're well beyond the days of using stock OEM parts.
Will wrote: I imagine Carl Edwards sure as E36 M3 is.
And THAT answers why he bailed out.
In reply to spitfirebill:
He's not getting any younger and having to do three backflips a race gives him more chances to not stick the landing.
Had to read it to believe it. 
Under the new format, races will consist of three stages, with championship implications in each stage. The top-10 finishers in each stage will be awarded additional championship points. The winner of the first two stages of each race will receive one playoff point, and the race winner will receive five playoff points. Each playoff point will be added to a driver's reset total following the 26th race, if that competitor makes the playoffs.
The structure also ensures that competition will be dialed up throughout the duration of the 26-race regular season, as points for both stage winners and race winners will transfer into the postseason -- and an official regular-season champion will be crownded, and rewarded with 15 playoff points to the driver's playoff reset of 2,000. The stage format also gives fans a pair of natural breaks in the action.
All playoff points will carry through to the end of the third round of the postseason (Round of 8), with the Championship 4 racing straight-up at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the title.
That's where I quit reading. It's all about 'playoff points'? Good Lord.
... and they're good w/ this?
Buhbye NASCAR
When will they be adding the loop de loop and criss cross crash jump?
As long as there's a shark tank underneath the jump.
The light of a new day has me embracing change. With some change suggestions of my own.
The fight should have a tire iron segment... just to keep a little NASCAR history in it.
next will be a "Joker" lap, maybe down pit road?
In reply to Klayfish:
This is nothing like how heat races are run on short tracks. I don't have a problem and agree that going back one car running away isn't the way to go but these changes seem pointless.
If the issue is long races I would split the day up like some touring car series do with two separate races and points for both. Run 200 miles/laps depending on the track, have a winner, then line up for a second race 30 minutes later. You can do anything you need to to the car, with an extra 5 points if you run the same car twice and if you need to roll out a fresh car you start at the back of race two. Tracks with two races you can do one race the traditional 4-500 miles and split the other. As much as I like watching 500 laps at Bristol or Martinsville I would bet there would be some excitement if drivers knew they could get fresh brakes and maybe an engine half way through.
If they went the heat race route I would eliminate the Nationwide series, put the less expensive drivetrains into the bigger Cup cars and then you could have 50-60 cars go through heats and a consi to make the 40 car feature.
There are so many ways to fix this and they really didn't hit on any of them.
Huckleberry wrote: The light of a new day has me embracing change. With some change suggestions of my own. - Pole is won in a cage fight. They have to wear their suits so we know who they are but that is the only rule. - Last place in each stage is fed to actual lions at the podium. Fans at home can vote to save their favorites or other teams can "steal". - The overall winner becomes the next Bachelor/Bachelorette on ABC. - Last, but not least... TRAILERS! https://www.youtube.com/embed/VEOApUuQhJg
We can only hope that Jeremy, Richard, and James see this. I would love to see them do a figure-8 with trailers segment... with the same guys in this video 
In reply to Huckleberry:
Not good enough. Replace the cars with school buses pulling trailers the same length as the bus.
Chadeux wrote: In reply to Huckleberry: Not good enough. Replace the cars with school buses pulling trailers the same length as the bus.
Oh, so the fans can really be part of the race AND enjoy the comfort of home!
Claff wrote: Back in the olden days all they had to do was put cars on a track and wave the green flag. Problem on the track, yellow. After a while, a checkered. People showed up to watch and tuned in on TV. We'll never get those days back again.
Autocross became a lot less interesting to me when "PAX" appeared. Whatever happened to just putting a guy and a car on-track and starting the clock? Then again I also uptight and frantic as the competitors in the national points race, so what did I know.
Klayfish wrote:Sanchinguy wrote: I'll be the "get off my lawn" guy and suggest that NASCAR return to a true "stock car" format and require cars to built on production vehicle unit bodies. Maybe that'd bring the manufacturers back into the game and maybe even bring back some interesting RWD platforms...Somehow I think requiring them to build cars that go 180mph and are based on a street car meant to go 65mph down the highway is not a good recipe for driver safety. I would be in favor of requiring the race car to mimic the production car in all dimensions and shape, that would be cool (at least in theory), but they need to be 100% custom fabricated race cars. We're well beyond the days of using stock OEM parts.
Eh, I'm ok with it. If they want to make the big bucks strapping in to a sponsored race car they can take their chances. Factory floor pan, shape, block, and driven wheels. Beyond that, completely open rules. Technology would start to flow back into the sport and also force the manufacturers to up their game. Might even induce some European carmakers to join the fray. I'd be way more interested if there was a Jag, a Maserati, and an Audi out there.
NASCAR has lost their damn mind.
Here's an idea: scrap the current cars completely. Pick a year from NASCAR's past (for example, 1973) and build new cars that look old, but have modern safety gear. Yes the aerodynamics stink, but at least the cars look different. Loosen up on engine rules and let teams get creative again. Ditch restrictor plates completely, instead limit rear axle and transmission ratios to curb top speeds, but don't mandate an engine max RPM. Sure you can go faster, but you may blow your engine to do it (or you better have a great engine builder).
It isn't a perfect solution, but at this point it is as good as shot as this junk.
Mandate a Carburetor. I nominate this:
dean1484 wrote: All this new format is going to do is add two more times during the race where drivers are going to do dumb things and cause crashes.
Pretty sure that's the point.
I attended NASCAR events in person from 1988 to 2008. Yes, I did doze at more than one Dover-a-thon, but breaking everything into segments so you can cram in more commercials is nonsense. I stopped going when every year, the pricing went up, the hype went up and the quality of the experience went down. I was there to watch a race, not fireworks and a parade, and I resented being treated like an ATM machine. I've done just fine since the divorce, can't say the same thing for NASCAR.
Klayfish wrote:Sanchinguy wrote: I'll be the "get off my lawn" guy and suggest that NASCAR return to a true "stock car" format and require cars to built on production vehicle unit bodies. Maybe that'd bring the manufacturers back into the game and maybe even bring back some interesting RWD platforms...Somehow I think requiring them to build cars that go 180mph and are based on a street car meant to go 65mph down the highway is not a good recipe for driver safety. I would be in favor of requiring the race car to mimic the production car in all dimensions and shape, that would be cool (at least in theory), but they need to be 100% custom fabricated race cars. We're well beyond the days of using stock OEM parts.
I would say any car today would be safer then a 1969 ford torino. Just add the cage and other safety equipment.
Look to Australian Supercars for what the new Nascar should be.
BTW: I watched tons of Nascar from the later 1980's until the early 2000's and the reason I stopped watching was that the sponsors and Nascar made the drivers into boring robots. they need to get some drivers that have personalities and showcase them - but they have to be careful that it doesn't turn into a reality show / WWE type event.
KyAllroad wrote:Klayfish wrote:Eh, I'm ok with it. If they want to make the big bucks strapping in to a sponsored race car they can take their chances. Factory floor pan, shape, block, and driven wheels. Beyond that, completely open rules. Technology would start to flow back into the sport and also force the manufacturers to up their game. Might even induce some European carmakers to join the fray. I'd be way more interested if there was a Jag, a Maserati, and an Audi out there.Sanchinguy wrote:
If that is what you are looking for check out the Pirelli World Challenge.
Im ok with the changes, just so long as theres a tape delay long enough to broadcast each segment at 125% of normal film speed, and yakety sax playing in the background on a loop.
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