Bristol, she's a changin'

But that period from the late 70s on when NASCAR started to grow in popularity featured all kinds of this stuff. Someone leading start to finish, only a handful of cars on the lead lap, only a handful of drivers had any shot to win and so on. I'm talking about in a lot of the tracks... not just Bristol. Seeing so many empty seats in Bristol had to be staggering. This is probably a knee-jerk reaction to reclaim the "fans" whoever they may be.

Is it possible, though, that the fans might not come back? I'm still not convinced that what goes on on the track matters that much in terms of turning someone on to the sport and keeping them there. I think the people and personalities do. I got into racing because someone told me, "Hey, I like that guy... Pull for him" and so my eyes followed Mark Martin's car around Bristol 500 times. (It helped that Mark almost won that race, by the way). And so while there is a "racing" fan -- and I am to a great extent, I love stock car racing at all levels -- we ultimately pull for people.

I by no means understand all the science involved to create good or bad or indifferent racing. Broyles and Dooz know their business on that front. I just think some folks in NASCAR are throwing stuff out and see what sticks. All this seems to do is alienate the "purist" race fan, the old school race fan, and the new school race fan. No one is happy.

My two cents. Kill me softly, gentleman.

 

Any chance they make it a 2 groove track instead of a 3 groove track? Call it a compromise for both camps.

 

I don't think they have said specifically what they plan to try, so I guess there is a chance for this to happen. I sure hope there will be two wide racing, but I don't think that is what they are striving to accomplish.

 

Good one, droksi.

 

Quite possibly one of the most well thought out posts in the history of the internet.

 

I don't want to see a single groove follow the leader snooze fest. At the same time, I don't want to see 200 grooves like California where one car is at least 2 zip codes away from any other car. 2 grooves seems like it would allow that side by side racing while in close proximity and provide for some rubbin' as well. Just my .02.....

 

Well...

 

DVRing the Nationwide race now. The truck race sucked. Everytime someone thinks they can improve a legend, they [uck fay] it up. See BMS and "New" Coke.

 

Question about Casey Mears' pole. Because he was awarded the pole based on practice time due to a rain-out, does that put him in the 2013 Bud Shootout?

 

I'm old school Bristol. They tried to polish a turd. Didn't like it. To be honest, I will not be going back/happy until it is returned to the 36° layout minus any bullshit progressive banking.

 

No, only when won in actual time trials.

 

I thought the racing was better than I expected, They were able to pass, even ran three wide a few times. Nationwide was a wreck-fest that to me breaks up the racing too much.

 

Thanks, I didn't know if that changed when they started using practice speeds rather than point standings.