LOVE it.
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20100319/FREE/100319833As I watched Daytona this year at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention with a group of folks who weren't necessarily NASCAR fans, I noticed something. People who try to get into the sport can't. They have no idea what is going on. Why? You can't tell the cars apart. Henry Ford said racing started when the second car was built. It was a simple notion and one that played a part in the birth of NASCAR. Drivers bought cars and raced them--stock.
The manufacturers started supporting motorsports when they realized what a winning car could do for sales. Win on Sunday, sell on Monday. That was the idea, and I don't think anything has changed in 50 years. Granted, the return-on-investment metrics are a little more sophisticated, but the reasoning is the same.
As the sport grew, a lot of that mentality was lost. Now, it seems people cheer for the driver, then the sponsor, then maybe the manufacturer. It might have something to do with the fact that all the cars look identical. It's sticker racing. The only things different about the cars making the left turns are the drivers and the company logos on the hoods. NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow really wiped out any differentiation.
I understand what NASCAR was trying to do with the Car of Tomorrow. It was supposed to regulate the series (a more even playing field) and be less expensive for teams. That didn't happen.
The concept behind the series is now broken. Manufacturers are spending huge dollar amounts supporting racing when the cars don't resemble anything you can buy in dealer showrooms. Not to mention that the NASCAR powertrain is outdated. Chevrolet wins on Sunday, and the consumer goes to the dealership and asks for a Malibu. You know, the one with the carburetor.
Toyota runs an engine it has never built for production cars. Explain to me the ROI on that. OK, I'll admit there is a huge audience. And Toyota probably needed to be in NASCAR to get some sales movement in the Southern states, especially when it launched its truck. But that was before the economy collapsed and you could afford to do things because you wanted to do them.
I spoke with executives from several automakers who are now scrutinizing their racing involvement. Change must happen. The costs are out of control.
It's not too late to race on Sunday and sell on Monday. It's happening now with cars that compete in the ALMS, whose road-racing series helps move plenty of Audis, Porsches and Jaguars, and better still, it gives them the appeal of performance on track and in the showroom. If NASCAR's Jim France really wanted to steal thunder from the main event, he'd promote that Chevrolet's Camaro is going nose-to-nose with Ford's Mustang. All we would need is a Dodge Challenger thrown into the fray.
I saw the Grand-Am Camaro at that NADA convention. Now, that's a car I want to buy.
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