BY400 aluminum blamed on Goodyear

[SportscarBruce]

That's the impression I got from Mr. Graves' articles in today's USA Today, that the 80k+ dropoff in ticket sales was directly attributable to last year's exploding tire fiasco.

Does Goodyear also account for the entire 2009 season's ratings and attendence freefall?

[call_me_andrew]

Well I think it is safe to say that 80K is a bigger drop off than normal.

So I'd say 40-50K is Goodyear's fault, and the rest a weak economy.

[harvick#1]

the rest is from the CoT, this has been a horrible car, its a sad pathetic race car

[muggle not]

Unemployment is over 10%. The ripple effects are more than considerable.

[harvick#1]

Unemployment is over 10%. The ripple effects are more than considerable.

yep, and people are still getting laid off. hopefully mine comes to an end monday

[Mark in Oshawa]

the rest is from the CoT, this has been a horrible car, its a sad pathetic race car

You keep beatin' that drum...but we can argue the racing this year has been better than ever, not to mention the car is safer.

No...there was nothing wrong with this car that tire testing couldn't fix. Goodyear deserves the beating they took last year and they deserve kudo's for getting it right this year.

Indy is a tough track to race on, and too many race fans don't appreciate that.

[call_me_andrew]

I have to admit, I was preparing myself for more empty seats than I saw.

[e2mtt]

Good tires yesterday... proves that with the right testing, you CAN build a tire for a Cup car for Indy. Goodyear definitely deserves being ripped for last years debacle.

What Mark said, Indy is a tough track. It really is a classic layout.

(No matter how much Harvick#1 dislikes the new car & Lee Roy wants Indy dropped, they are here to stay! :-) )

[Mark in Oshawa]

There are no cheap wins at Indy. Look at the people who have won there. No flukes in this bunch. It is a tough track to pass on but if you get your car working right you can run well. The crowds may be gone but they will be back. I have it on my bucket list to go there I know that.

[harvick#1]

You keep beatin' that drum...but we can argue the racing this year has been better than ever, not to mention the car is safer.

is it??? its still hard to come a good race that has the CoT. also the old car was just as safe, the only thing the old car didn't have until the end of its life was the safer walls.

if Nascar got rid of the wing and put a spoiler back on, maybe it will improve the car.

IMO the old car still produced much better racing than the parades they have now.

[NickFalzone]

I agree Harvick, but they seem to be getting the new car better, or at least that's what the drivers say.

The Brickyard attendance was supposedly 180k yesterday, down 20% from last year's number. Not great, but not terrible either.

[call_me_andrew]

if Nascar got rid of the wing and put a spoiler back on, maybe it will improve the car.

If the car's running alone might handle better. But the spoiler creates way more dirty air than the wing.

You may not have noticed, but there's a gap between the wing and the decklid. Air can go under the wing! The spoiler just sends all air up and away.

[Mark in Oshawa]

is it??? its still hard to come a good race that has the CoT. also the old car was just as safe, the only thing the old car didn't have until the end of its life was the safer walls.

if Nascar got rid of the wing and put a spoiler back on, maybe it will improve the car.

IMO the old car still produced much better racing than the parades they have now.

You didn't watch that Roush family feud at Dover last year? How about Darlington? Heck...Chicago was pretty wild for a change.

THe old car WASNT as safe. Ask Dario Franchitti in his Nationwide car crash. Many people in the Garage saw that and realized the COT is safer. Tell Mike McDowell after that wreck in Texas.

The new COT is now the car of today and they are learning more and more about it all the time. It is putting on better races than many of the old ones where the old car has aeropush issues on most of the faster tracks.

I was NOT a fan of the COT but I know what I see when I watch races now, that is cars that can get closer to each other. The only real issue stopping racing from being "better" in terms of guys being able to pass is the fact all the teams are pretty close on setups and the differences in cars are smaller, leading everyone to run about the same speed. On a road course, driver ability can come to the front, just as it would at Indy or Darlington but at some tracks....well they need to give the teams more latitude in setups to either get it right...or screw up.

[ms0362]

the rest is from the CoT, this has been a horrible car, its a sad pathetic race car

I tend to agree. Indy/Brickyard showed this. Clean air and the leader is 5+ seconds ahead in a few laps. The COT is the worst thing to happen to this sport.

[ms0362]

You didn't watch that Roush family feud at Dover last year? How about Darlington? Heck...Chicago was pretty wild for a change.

THe old car WASNT as safe. Ask Dario Franchitti in his Nationwide car crash. Many people in the Garage saw that and realized the COT is safer. Tell Mike McDowell after that wreck in Texas.

The new COT is now the car of today and they are learning more and more about it all the time. It is putting on better races than many of the old ones where the old car has aeropush issues on most of the faster tracks.

I was NOT a fan of the COT but I know what I see when I watch races now, that is cars that can get closer to each other. The only real issue stopping racing from being "better" in terms of guys being able to pass is the fact all the teams are pretty close on setups and the differences in cars are smaller, leading everyone to run about the same speed. On a road course, driver ability can come to the front, just as it would at Indy or Darlington but at some tracks....well they need to give the teams more latitude in setups to either get it right...or screw up.

They could have taken the same safety alterations and applied them to the old car. The safety of the car has nothing to do with how poor a race car it is.

[call_me_andrew]

They could have taken the same safety alterations and applied them to the old car. The safety of the car has nothing to do with how poor a race car it is.

I suggest you investigate the Ship of Theseus Paradox.

If you start modifying the old car with COT changes, you'll wind up giving the old car a higher roof, stepped door bars, bigger crumple zones, etc. Eventually, it just becomes the COT with a body that looks like it melted.

Even the old car pulled away in clean air. What do you want, more pack racing crap?

[muggle not]

I agree Harvick, but they seem to be getting the new car better, or at least that's what the drivers say.

The Brickyard attendance was supposedly 180k yesterday, down 20% from last year's number. Not great, but not terrible either.
And their attendance at Indy matches the Daytona 500, the king of them all. Any other Nascar track would be jumping with joy for 180,000 people.

[methanolHuffer]

That was the easiest time I have ever had leaving the IMS track. Usually jammed up pretty bad, but it was smooth going all the way home.

Crowd was well mannered the whole day, too.

It felt as though I was not at the right place.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I tend to agree. Indy/Brickyard showed this. Clean air and the leader is 5+ seconds ahead in a few laps. The COT is the worst thing to happen to this sport.

Yes...like we NEVER had Aero push ONCE with the old car. You ever watch footage from the last 2 years of races with the "twisted sister"? Way worse than the COT.

[Mark in Oshawa]

They could have taken the same safety alterations and applied them to the old car. The safety of the car has nothing to do with how poor a race car it is.

Andrew is dead on the money. The by product of all the safety and the bigger greenhouse (which was to give drivers more room before they became part of a crush zone) is the higher center of gravity, which means the cars don't corner as well and are more prone to be a bear to get right. It rewards good drivers, and it rewards guys who can drive a loose car. Like we wouldn't want to have a car that only skilled drivers could drive. God forbid the best drivers not be able to prove their ability by dumbing down the car.

You have no idea of how that larger car is much more safer, and it is obvious you don't want to admit this new car works. You and people like Harvick complain it is ruining NASCAR and you wont watch, yet you are on this board whining about it. You still care obviously....

[Mark in Oshawa]

And their attendance at Indy matches the Daytona 500, the king of them all. Any other Nascar track would be jumping with joy for 180,000 people.

Don't let attendance numbers actually count for something. Just point out that there are 250000 seats at Indy and any doom and gloom guy will find happiness in the 70000 empty seats. I am with you Mug, 180000 is the biggest crowd at any other NASCAR facility, so this has to be in context.

I wish I could have been there.

I think NASCAR's whole problem with Indy is many NASCAR fans don't see the race for what it is: A fast road course with 4 left turns. It is hard to pass, you have one good groove in the corner, and the winner is the guy who figures it out better than the rest. I think some of the ding dongs want 4 abrest foot to the floor racing at every track, thinking that that is displaying skill. It isn't......

[call_me_andrew]

6.5 million Americans watched the race this year. That's down 200K from last year, but still respectable.