Question for long time fans

[archbishop]

me and sbfpa_mike have been disagreeing as usual    lol but it got me thinking of what i was told last year. a fellow fan said that back in either the late 70's or early 80's they tried this or a similar points system and i was wondering if it is true and if so then why did it fail back then?

[MikeVT]

Until last years change, the points system was unchanged since 1975.  It was changed every year from 1971-75 with all kinds of different formulas but nothing similar to "The Chase".  USA Today has an article in their archives from 1/21/2004 written by Dave Pearson that will explain everything.  Hope this helps.

[archbishop]

thanks mike i have only been following nascar for the past 10 years or so hence being a gordon fan i jumped on a good young racers band wagon like anyone now getting into it would be smart to jump on kasey kahne's

i just heard it was tried before i had no clue if it was true or not thanks for the answer

[sbfpa_Mike]

Good question Arch. I thought you were only a couple years in on the Nascar deal. I have to take your Gordon affiliation a bit more seriously now; misguided as it may be.

Mike

[archbishop]

lol i hear that alot but i picked a good one and im sticking by him

[holewatcher]

  Arch but what is he good for? When he first started learning to drive he was in quarter midgets in Terre Haute, In. and his dad got upset because he couldn't win  like his dad thought, and got DQed several times because his dad thought it was allright to cheat (illegal engines and oil additives). I know because I taught novice at the time. His dad got mad and pulled him from quarter midgets and put him in go carts, where they don't check that well, then he started to win. If you ask him if he would like to run dirt again he will tell you no way those guys know how to race and will put it to you in a heart beat. He in no way impresses me as a driver or a man (he learned from his father).

[cdc]

He's only a cheater if he gets caught

[fshnfool]

thanks mike i have only been following nascar for the past 10 years or so hence being a gordon fan i jumped on a good young racers band wagon like anyone now getting into it would be smart to jump on kasey kahne's 

I was a Kahne fan before he made rookie of the year. Even after last years not-so-impressive performance, I knew it was just a matter of time before they got the new charger dialed in. Evernham is one smart cookie, he's been around for a long time and I think Kasey Kahne is one lucky kid to have him.

[holewatcher]

 

So it's alright to cheat, I wonder who taught you your morals?  If you have to cheat to win how are the honest mechcanics and driver supposed to compete? It is not how good you are, , it's how much you can get away with, is that what you are trying to say?

[holewatcher]

 

I can't believe how low someone will sink to, and how some people will condone it, your not a fan your, well I don't have enough explanitives to describe what I think.

[sbfpa_Mike]

Holewatcher,

 I don't know how long you have been watching racing, but the sport was created by a bunch of law breakers. The guys runnin shine were always braggin on who had the best car, viola' NASCAR was born. You can call it what you want, cheatin, rule bendin, dishonest, we race fans call it "trying to gain a competitive edge". As far as your question about what is he good for; maybe he couldn't drive those dirt cars, but I think he has more than proven he can drive the heck out of a Stock Car. I don't particularly care for a lot of the chnages that NASCAR has been going through, but I guess I need to get over it and realize that everything changes.

Mike

[marshrat]

Hey mike i agree some of the change they are making are so stupid dale would be rolling around in his grave. I was a Dale Earnhardt fan since i was 5 or 6 when he died i all most stop watching but now i have moved on the the one and only Kevin Harvick who is a young gun with an attitude that makes things fun i say hell if you can get away with cheating go for it thats just part of the game how do you think dale ever won LOL

[sbfpa_Mike]

Well I tell you what Chris, I LOVED to Hate Dale Earnhardt. When I started watching the sport, everyone I knew watching was an Earnhardt fan. Being the type of guy who likes to buck trends I went with Rusty Wallace. The first full race I watched, Rusty got spun out by Dale heading to the Finnish of Talladega. Rusty flipped over a few times and crossed the Finnish line up-side-down in 6 th place; another Rusty fan was born. Dale Earnhardt was the first one to Rusty's car, beating the track personnel. That act of compassion by Dale Earnhardt really made me realize how great of a competitor he was. He would do anything to win, but he still had compassion for his friends and competitors. I hate to say it, but I don't think that Jeff Gordon has the same type of winning attitude. That is my opinion and I am not, nor will I ever take away Jeff Gordon's incredible driving ability.

As for NASCAR changing; I have really been watching the programs on the speed channel since I have moved to the heart of NASCAR country. There has been a lot of talk about this very thing and it is quite interesting. All the talk has really changed my mind about NASCAR changing, it is what it is. Nascar has always changed and tried to improve itself to gain a broader audience. I think one positive example is Texas pulling out the bulldozers and changing this cookie cutter track into a similar track to Atlanta. I think we are going to see some awesome side by side racing this weekend at some serious speeds. I think we fans need to try to keep an open mind as to the changes in NASCAR and embrace all the different divisions. The Busch and Truck series are a lot closer to the old NASCAR and are worth a look.

Mike

[marshrat]

Very well put i like a driver that will do anything to win but if someone would spin out someone now a days they would be fined and docked points which i don't feel is right you go out there and race for 4 hours and get spin a guy out to win and have to finish in 2nd what fun is that

[sbfpa_Mike]

Lots of "bump and run" wins happening these days, this is another thing I have had the "experts" explain to me. The drivers are responding to the same things we are talking about here. With NASCAR really enforcing the rules these days, they are keeping competition tight. With tight competition comes tight finishes and very difficult passing. There are 2 ways to pass someone; wait for them to move themselves out of the way (get loose in the turn or get out of the way of a faster car), or move them out of the way (get real tight to their bumper at the faster tracks or put the bumper to them at the slower tracks).

It's a lot different than it was even a few years ago. I remember some media types were hounding Rusty about the fact that he switched from a Pontiac to a Ford, (like he had any choice). They were racing at Pocono the next weekend. Rusty said he could lap the field in a Ford just a well as a Pontiac. At this particular track at this particular race he almost did!! My point is, racing wasn't always as close and exciting as it is now.

Mike