DW's latest blog entry deserves support

[SportscarBruce]

Suggested reading;

You know folks, after each week's race there seem to be things that we at Home see that still go unnoticed by those at the track. If you watch TV, listen to the radio or read the newspapers and blogs, there clearly is a lot of disagreement with the direction the sport is going.

There's concern about this new car and how it runs. There's concern about how it doesn't look like race cars we are accustomed to seeing. There are folks questioning NASCAR, especially recently about their calls on cautions. Was there debris or wasn't there debris? There just seems to be a lot of issues these days.

NASCAR has had a couple of these town hall meetings as they call them. Have you been invited to one? Well I haven't either. So that's why I was thinking I would have my own town hall meeting and I can promise you it would be a little bit different...

http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/DW-time-to-have-our-own-town-hall-meeting-113009

[harvick#1]

If I say something, Mark is gonna bash it, so no use in arguing even though DW is agreeing with what I say

[Mark in Oshawa]

If I say something, Mark is gonna bash it, so no use in arguing even though DW is agreeing with what I say

I am not going to bash it if it is based on some form of reality. You can say you dont' like the current car and complain about the debris cautions, but you and I are NOT at the track so saying we don't agree on cautions having debris is out the window. TV wont always catch it.

AS for the COT, it is safer...but if you say you don't like the looks of it, I wont quibble. IT is however providing pretty good races. You disagree, and yet it is just an opinion of yours that it isn't a good car. DW will likely tell you other wise, because I have heard him defend the new car.

The thing is tho, NASCAR has a perception issue in the minds of many fans, and no matter how many facts or statistics seem to matter. THAT just is illogical to me. Never seen a sport where the fans spend so much time finding fault....

[Sparky1329]

If DW was the person making decisions for the sport his town hall could be productive. He's not. NASCAR doesn't make decisions based on any input from those who are included in the first town hall.

[harvick#1]

AS for the COT, it is safer...but if you say you don't like the looks of it, I wont quibble. IT is however providing pretty good races. You disagree, and yet it is just an opinion of yours that it isn't a good car. DW will likely tell you other wise, because I have heard him defend the new car.


Nascar can at least tweak the car alittle bit, most, if not all teams still can't get the car figured out, and adjustments rarely work for this car, if the car unloads like crap, your done, Nascar needs to let up and start bringing the feel back to a driver.

either moving back to a rear spoiler, or making a new rear wing for higher downforce. when you look at Nascar's rear wing is basically a flat CF piece tilted at a 30 degree angle, then when you look at all other rear wing in different racing series, they are all complex and have openings to catch the air and add rear downforce.

but I'm maybe wrong, maybe its just Goodyear, and their inability to consistently bring a solid tire week after week.

as for the "debris" cautions, tire rubber and napkins are unjustifiable to throw a caution and take 5 laps on a 1.5 mile track to blow off the entire track, If Nascar just wants to admit that this is "There" version of a halftime or intermission, they should just let public know.


There was only one man who would not stand for this, but he passed away and no driver has taken that step in telling Nascar whats wrong and to stop the WWE show. After Big E passed, it took 3 years to kill off the "real" Nascar into an artificial one. but I still hope for a revolt one day and resurrect the good ol days of racing when it was exciting.

[NickFalzone]

I think DW knows more about what the fans want, and the sport needs, than NASCAR realizes. I don't think there's a ton of changes that need to be made, but wouldn't it be great if NASCAR actually listened to some of these comments from the town hall debate and that resulted in positive changes for the racing.

[BobbyC]

I do think going back to the "hood, nose, and roof from the factory" needs to come straight from a street car and not a manufacturer-provided specialty piece, and the noses should be similar all the way to the bumper range. One thing the COT has shown, unfortunately, is how the auto industry treats bumpers.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I think if DW does this town hall, NASCAR will be paying attention. Market research and focus groups do what DW is proposing, except they do it quietly. DW does nothing quietly.

I am all for changing the COT into cars taht look more different. So when the make that sucks at Daytona has owners whining for more spoiler or some other BS, you guys will see WHY NASCAR did the COT the way they did it. I hated it at first but by mid season of its first full year, I got what the advantage was, in that NASCAR isn't always tinkering the rules to try to even the playing field between 3 or 4 distinctive bodies. Then everyone always claimed NASCAR was playing favourites.

Lets face it, the people who knock them will keep finding excuses. IF it isn't the COT, it is the debris cautions. I think NASCAR should at least listen, but it is up to them whether they want to feel it is the whole fanbase is up in the arms, or just those who like to be discontented.

[call_me_andrew]

either moving back to a rear spoiler, or making a new rear wing for higher downforce. when you look at Nascar's rear wing is basically a flat CF piece tilted at a 30 degree angle, then when you look at all other rear wing in different racing series, they are all complex and have openings to catch the air and add rear downforce.

First, the maximum wing angle is 16 degrees.

Second, those complex wings make more dirty air than a straight wing. Since those series are limited to how wide and tall their wings can be, the wing builders have to find a way to create as much surface area as possible to get more downforce. Considering the COT has so much downforce at the rear that teams are trying to stall the wings, a smaller wing is the better solution.

[Continental Op]

I think it's good that one of the more important "voices" in the Nascar community writes an article that clearly recognizes that everything isn't right in the sport today. They got a clear downward trend to turn and about the only good decisions Nascar have made the last five years are double file restarts and sending the nationwide series to Elkhart Lake.

Considering Nascar got 43 car fields and a huge deep driver talent pool to pick from it's almost an achievement to have accomplished such a boring season as the 2009 was. I am not talking about the Jimmie Johnson or Hendrick dominance, I am talking about the races. Ok stuff always gets more interesting when they go to the 0.5 milers but it's obvious when you read the top 5 race lists of the year. No really great races were run this year.

To me the big issue is the 1.5 mile track dominance in the schedule and all those darn double dates. They need to scrap almost all double dates and they need to go back home to more 0.5-1.3 mile tracks. Also two more road courses should be added.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I keep trying to figure out what constitutes exciting racing to some people. Continental OP says the series is in decline and the racing was dull. I guess I was fooled. The finish at the Spring Talladega dull? There was no racing at Phoenix? What about the drama of Tony Stewart shutting the engine off and on at Pocono to win there?

I dunno, in a 36 race season you will have some stinkers, but I can say if NASCAR is dull, then the rest of the racing world has had some really colossolly dull races....

NASCAR I don't believe is in any serious decline either. IT has plateaued. The best thing they can do is not change a thing for a few years....