Could this be the perverbial nail in the coffin for NASCAR

[Josh42]

Dale Jr. announces retirement after 2017 race season. With NASCAR losing its biggest star whats it going to do? Yes they are going to keep going. But this is NASCAR's biggest star and its last Earnhardt, unless everyone jumps to Jeffery which really hasn't showed me much. There no real big names in lower series that can take over. I think its time for NASCAR to finally start listening to its fans that left the sport and figure out how to fix it.

[arob]

The worst news at the worst time for NASCAR. I'm not sure there is an answer for NASCAR at this point.

[NickHolt]

STATEMENT FROM TMS PRESIDENT GOSSAGE REGARDING DALE EARNHARDT JR. RETIREMENT ANNOUNCEMENT

FORT WORTH, Texas (April 25, 2017) - The following is a statement from Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage on today's announcement that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be retiring at the end of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

"Dang it! Dale Jr., put my kids through college and I was hoping he would stick around long enough to send my grandkids to college. You have to be happy and support him when he makes a choice like this and, certainly, I do. Now I've got to go pony shopping..."

[Josh42]

Wow ok didn't know I was bitter and negative. I was merely stating how I felt but if you want me to bitter and negative here you go. Yes there is plenty of up and coming stars in NASCAR but who are they? NASCAR spends all their time marketing Earnhardt, Johnson, Kesolowski, Logano, Busch brothers, Patrick and Harvick. The only reason you hear of Larson right now is because he letting his racing do the talking for him. Go to any toy store and look at NASCAR cars they sell only ones you will see is the above mentioned drivers you might get lucky to find someone else. I can only tell you two xfinitity drivers and that's Elliot Sadler and Justin Allgaier. There's been 7 races this year and 5 of them have been won by Cup regulars. Remember when the Busch races and Truck races were dominated by the series regulars. That one of the problems NASCAR has is they only focus on their meal tickets instead of spreading the growth and knowledge of their other drivers.

 

Infact if you want my honest opinion NASCAR doesn't give two shits about the local guys or their "hometracks". Back in the day at least once a year you could guarantee you would see Terry Labonte, Harry Gant, Davey Allison, Dale Earnhardt guys like that show up and your local racetrack and race the locals cars for the fans. You could have your local guy like a Casey Smith, Joe Aramendia, Robert Richardson, Chris Davidson who could show up with a team and race in the top level, now they have the charters that don't let anyone show up and race. Remember when the truck series ran at tracks like Evergreen, I-70, Mansfield, I-25, Mesa Marin and IRP. Remember when the Busch Series raced at Nashville, Myrtle Beach, Hickory, Mansfield, South Boston, and IRP. They quit going to places like that and the stands would be packed it would be good for the fans, and the track. Yeah now we have Eldora which is probably the best race of the year, but the only reason we have that race is because of who owns the track. If Earl's family or someone else would of took over Eldora there would be NO truck race there. I can name more busch and truck series drivers from back in the day than I can name today. Hell I can name more ASA, and Hooters Pro Cup drivers than I can name of todays busch and truck series drivers. Why because they ran the local short tracks and the racing was better and more exciting than all of the NASCAR races today. I mean NASCAR made Bristol boring and I still think that goes back to when they concreted the place. If they would of left that place asphalt oh man that would be a show.

[arob]

I don't think NASCAR ,or racing in general, ever had the attention of the basketball crowd.Or much of the soccer crown either. NASCAR fell into the rapid expansion trap that many in retail did. When NASCAR was rolling a few years back instead of taking care of what was working they rapidly went to "cookie cutter" 1 1/2 mile tracks that seat 100,000 plus.The result of that was less exciting racing , major parking and traffic hassles and increased costs.NASCAR is so invested in these tracks they are stuck with them and yanking out seating. Not sure if NASCAR can go back"home" again but they need to try. Better to have a packed 1/3 -3/4 mile with 10000 or so than a 60% 180000 seat place. Can you imagine Monster Cup at Bowman-Grey?

[FryarFan]

I am not sure what may have been edited out that came across as bitter and negative from your posts Josh42. To this one lone voice, I think you touch on a lot of the actual things that are affecting the NASCAR product and say it pretty well. Even before the Race of Champions series that you mention where a few would show up, some will remember back when on a Friday or Saturday you would hear of Bobby or Donnie showing up with their own hot rods, or making appearances at any of the short tracks that they could. Or back in early 80's, even though it was rained out at Hiway 16, you might have had the opportunity to see Bobby Allison and Benny Parsons make an appearance. That was huge to a kid that knew they might get to see them at my track on Saturday night and then drive over to TWS and see them race on Sunday.

 

Now, there is some of that still. No matter how you feel about them, at least some like Kyle Busch, or Tony Stewart, or Kasey Kahne and others invest some time and their money in the lower classes and at the short track level. Not all of it is tied up in some yacht or Manhattan apartment.

 

I believe, and it is only my $.02 worth, that oversaturation has something to do with what NASCAR is seeing in attendance. The old adage..."leave 'em wanting more" can be a valuable approach.

 

Look at one of the largest sports. The NFL plays from Sept to about the end of Dec for most teams....4 months. Then a few get to play into January, and then they're done till July/August. NASCAR runs from Feb through Thanksgiving, take a little break for the holidays and back at it. Some fans aren't necessarily "wanting more". Some are "wanting a break". I think the same issue affects the other sports like NBA, NHL and MLB. Except for the devoted few that pay attention to the Combine or the Draft, a lot of NFL fans can't wait for training camp, and are left wanting more, usually on Week 16 of the season.

 

People will say, "No, you have to start in Feb cause it's Daytona" and "they can't take the Southern 500, or the Brickyard, or .......name a weekend away, to shorten the season", but at some point there has be a saturation point, where the average customer says..."I don't have the money to go again"....or "I can't spend every Sunday for 10 months doing this". I think we're seeing that on TV when they pan the stands with the camera shot.

 

Being in DFW, I have several that used to go every time NASCAR was in town, both days and qualifying. Now, they might go to the fall race if someone gives them tickets. But probably not. And I'm talking about former season ticket holders.

 

Again, just my $.02 (which after taxes and insurance, really comes out to less than a penny, or a balance due that I need to pay)

Billy

[NickHolt]

The top three NASCAR series are dominated by technology and money just like everything else in corporate America - and the racing naturally reflects that culture. NASCAR has little in common with the everyday folks who struggle to make ends meet.

 

Short track racing, especially dirt track racing, is essentially a throwback to an earlier era that was not dominated by big money or flashy technology. The World of Outlaws and USMTS and LOLMDS are now what NASCAR used to be - the best of the authentic racers getting it on... A word of warning here: These guys have to keep it real or they too will lose their fan base just like NASCAR has.

 

Likewise, big time drag racing has fallen to the money and technology gods with local strips providing the venue for authentic drag racing.

 

There have always been the Sports Car bunch and that hasn't changed too much over the years until someone tries to make it into a high-dollar, high-tech series like the failed IMSA stuff. NASA thrives and local sport car clubs thrive because of their authenticity. 1st place at a NASA event is an empty beer glass!

 

People will always want to race because a certain segment of the population is highly competitive. Stock car racing is still very much in vogue on city streets and country lanes and always will be.

 

Nick

[racer61]

Jr. was out half of last season and the sport survived. It survived his fathers death. It survived the Pettys retiring. It survived the Fox retiring. It survived Mark Martin, Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Ned Jarrett, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart,.....and the list goes on. For gods sake, he is just another racer, not the second coming.

[arob]

http://nesn.com/2017/04/drivers-who-could-take-dale-earnhardt-jr-s-place-as-nascars-most-popular/ My vote goes to Larson. I agree NASCAR will survive drivers coming and going.That's because the drivers are not the problem.

[Radical]

NASCAR will survive and keep on going for years to come. If Junior's last name wasn't Earnhardt do you think he would have as many fans as he does? I don't think so. He hasn't won any championships except for when he was in the Busch Series. He would be just another regular driver like Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer, Truex, McMurray. Not to take anything away from those drivers, they're great drivers in their own right but they don't have the fan base as Junior. Without the Earnhardt name he would be just another ordinary racer.

[HiTech]

if you did not see this coming you had to be asleep over this last year ..the time it took jr to heal should have told you he wont stay in racing . he just got married and isn't getting younger ..and one more big hit could finish him off ..so no surprise here .. and no nascar wont lose much .I have already started looking for another driver or drivers to enjoy , chase .Larson and one or two more .the older drivers are starting to get old news ..

[direct-flo]

NASCAR has become a circus....but who ever negotiated that $8billion TV deal neads to be president.

[Jamie]

I believe, and it is only my $.02 worth, that oversaturation has something to do with what NASCAR is seeing in attendance. The old adage..."leave 'em wanting more" can be a valuable approach.

 

Look at one of the largest sports. The NFL plays from Sept to about the end of Dec for most teams....4 months. Then a few get to play into January, and then they're done till July/August. NASCAR runs from Feb through Thanksgiving, take a little break for the holidays and back at it. Some fans aren't necessarily "wanting more". Some are "wanting a break". I think the same issue affects the other sports like NBA, NHL and MLB. Except for the devoted few that pay attention to the Combine or the Draft, a lot of NFL fans can't wait for training camp, and are left wanting more, usually on Week 16 of the season.

 

People will say, "No, you have to start in Feb cause it's Daytona" and "they can't take the Southern 500, or the Brickyard, or .......name a weekend away, to shorten the season", but at some point there has be a saturation point, where the average customer says..."I don't have the money to go again"....or "I can't spend every Sunday for 10 months doing this". I think we're seeing that on TV when they pan the stands with the camera shot.

I have been saying this for a few years now. I read that 37% of the races are ran on 1.5 mile tracks throughout the season, I think I know where we can trim the fat. When they announced the move to a second Las Vegas race I quit defending NASCAR, they honestly just don't get it.

[rebelracewriter]

 

 

Wow ok didn't know I was bitter and negative. I was merely stating how I felt but if you want me to bitter and negative here you go. Yes there is plenty of up and coming stars in NASCAR but who are they? NASCAR spends all their time marketing Earnhardt, Johnson, Kesolowski, Logano, Busch brothers, Patrick and Harvick. The only reason you hear of Larson right now is because he letting his racing do the talking for him. Go to any toy store and look at NASCAR cars they sell only ones you will see is the above mentioned drivers you might get lucky to find someone else. I can only tell you two xfinitity drivers and that's Elliot Sadler and Justin Allgaier. There's been 7 races this year and 5 of them have been won by Cup regulars. Remember when the Busch races and Truck races were dominated by the series regulars. That one of the problems NASCAR has is they only focus on their meal tickets instead of spreading the growth and knowledge of their other drivers.

 

Infact if you want my honest opinion NASCAR doesn't give two shits about the local guys or their "hometracks". Back in the day at least once a year you could guarantee you would see Terry Labonte, Harry Gant, Davey Allison, Dale Earnhardt guys like that show up and your local racetrack and race the locals cars for the fans. You could have your local guy like a Casey Smith, Joe Aramendia, Robert Richardson, Chris Davidson who could show up with a team and race in the top level, now they have the charters that don't let anyone show up and race. Remember when the truck series ran at tracks like Evergreen, I-70, Mansfield, I-25, Mesa Marin and IRP. Remember when the Busch Series raced at Nashville, Myrtle Beach, Hickory, Mansfield, South Boston, and IRP. They quit going to places like that and the stands would be packed it would be good for the fans, and the track. Yeah now we have Eldora which is probably the best race of the year, but the only reason we have that race is because of who owns the track. If Earl's family or someone else would of took over Eldora there would be NO truck race there. I can name more busch and truck series drivers from back in the day than I can name today. Hell I can name more ASA, and Hooters Pro Cup drivers than I can name of todays busch and truck series drivers. Why because they ran the local short tracks and the racing was better and more exciting than all of the NASCAR races today. I mean NASCAR made Bristol boring and I still think that goes back to when they concreted the place. If they would of left that place asphalt oh man that would be a show.

You go Josh!

 

[rebelracewriter]

 

If Junior's last name wasn't Earnhardt do you think he would have as many fans as he does? I don't think so.

Ah, but it is Earnhardt....#bashcar "marketed" the hell out of that....He was their CURRENT cash cow.....You only have to take Marketing 101 to understand that......They've tried doing the same thing with Danica, but she can't drive a nail through melted butter without hitting something....and going against what they thought would happen, MANY of the women fans don't like her

[PAPosse]

If you knew nothing about the sport, who would you think was the six time champion when these photos were taken?

[rebelracewriter]

 

If you knew nothing about the sport, who would you think was the six time champion when these photos were taken?

Danica?

[PAPosse]

 

 

If you knew nothing about the sport, who would you think was the six time champion when these photos were taken?

 

Danica? )

Well, I guess I asked for that one.

[PAPosse]

 

 

If you knew nothing about the sport, who would you think was the six time champion when these photos were taken?

Danica?

Top 20 finish today.

[JamesHigdon]

I'm pretty sure there where more people at I37 last night than Richmond today and I'm damn sure the racing was better. You'd have to be certifiable to go to a NASCAR race over what's been available locally recently. 100 competitive cars (with a chance to win any given race) every night at CTS last year, probably 50 every night at I37 and less than 10 at any given cup race (unless you count Danica).

[RodneyRodriguez]

somebody was telling me how great those drag racing women were... a girl being fast a few seconds vs girls that can go hours? c'mon I'll take the last mentioned.

[direct-flo]

Check this out and tell me what Brian didn't talk about.

 

http://racedaysa.com/index.php/2017/04/30/brian-france-discusses-dale-jr-retirement-current-state-of-nascar/

 

Brian France discusses Dale Jr. retirement, current state of NASCAR

by Mike Haag | Posted on Sunday, April 30th, 2017

[PAPosse]

Check this out and tell me what Brian didn't talk about.

 

http://racedaysa.com/index.php/2017/04/30/brian-france-discusses-dale-jr-retirement-current-state-of-nascar/

Brian France discusses Dale Jr. retirement, current state of NASCAR

 

by Mike Haag | Posted on Sunday, April 30th, 2017

Truck Series for one. Tearing out seats. TV ratings.

 

He didn't really talk about anything. His interviews are a train wreck. He constantly stops himself in mid-sentence and goes off in another direction, sometimes multiple times when answering a single question. He just says whole bunch of words while saying nothing at all.

 

He managed to place emphasis on the stakeholders though.

 

And for the conspiracy theorists, he made it a point to say his son's favorite driver is Joey "quintessential nascar" Logano. Hey, who won today?

[Josh42]

Danica can not compare to the likes of Leah Prichett, Courtney and Brittany Force, Erica Enders and other female drag racers. The only thing Danica can come close to comparing with those four is marketability. Yes those women only drive for 4 seconds but if you think its so easy you go do it. How about launching a racecar that pulls more G's than the space shuttle at launch. Lets not forget to mention that when you are slammed into the seat at launch it is likened to being kicked in the chest by a mule. Then your steering a bomb that can go off at any second. Remember one cylinder in those cars puts out more horsepower than a single nascar engine. Knowing your about to get slammed into the seat at amazing force you have to have lightening fast reaction time. Then your blasting down the track and you lose a cylinder, that loss of a cylinder is enough to push that car towards the wall or centerline, now you have to muscle that car back into the groove as your going through the finish line that lost cylinder now just decides to implode on itself and the engine blows and the concussion from the explosion knocks the wind out of you. Your on fire trying to pull the chutes and your still going well over 250mph. You get the car stopped and bail out of the car while its on fire. Then you realize your win light is on so now you have to bust it back to the pits and be ready to do this again in 60 minutes. Those women do more things inside their race in a weekend that Danica does in single race. Now look at the other aspect what has Danica done? Shes won one Indy Car race and that was a fuel mileage race only reason she won was because she was the last to run out. Erica Enders two time Pro Stock world champion muti-time race winner. Courtney Force multi-time race winner, Brittany Force multi-time race winner, Leah Pritchett multi-time race winner, current leader in NHRA Top fuel points, multiple champion in other classes. Plus and the main thing they look a hell of a lot better than Danica.

[HiTech]

Don't think it is hate for Danica .but what for four five years now she still cant run in the front and she has a good team ...I don't hate her .just don't like her don't think she has the talent level it takes to run as a top runner . wrecking at 190 does not mean much other then she isn't afraid to go out again and again . ill give her credit for that ... main thing that is she wasn't pulled into nascar for her driving talent .nascar needed something new to bring in more women into racing and get em out to the track and add a few more men with all the modeling pics in swimsuits .. ill finish with this .I have raced against some very fine female racers good drivers and never once did I think of them any other way than another racer I have to beat ..