Matt Taliaferro · Friday July 6, 2007
Quick, name the track that hosts the IRL's season opening race.
Did it take a second? Still don’t know? Heck…I had to look it up myself, as I'm not the die-hard IndyCar enthusiast.
The answer to this question is not as important on a factual level so much as it is on a subconscious one. In NASCAR, where the Daytona 500 has served as the starting block to a new season for 25 years, everyone — even my mother who only catches a glimpse of races on random trips through the living room — knows that Daytona kicks off the traveling road show known as the NASCAR season. In an otherwise barren gap on the sports landscape — the Super Bowl has just concluded and March Madness is still a few weeks away — Daytona has carved its own neat little niche in February where the sport of auto racing can take center stage on a national level.
So where am I going with this, you ask? (What's the point here, Matt… land the plane). Well, a nasty little rumor has surfaced this week that NASCAR has had discussions to move the date of the sport's most significant, prestigious, and hyped event — the Daytona 500 — to November, where it can close the season and square off with the NFL.
Just a rumor, you're thinking; no need to cry wolf. Oh, how you are mistaken.
Reminisce with me to a period, not long ago, in the late 1980s / early ‘90s. It was an exceptional time to be a NASCAR fan. Bill France Jr. had led the sport out of the tribulations of the mid-‘70s, grown it through the ‘80s and had finally hit paydirt. A sleek, black No. 3 Chevrolet menacingly stalked racetracks across the country. Not to be undone, a couple of cocky kids named Davey Allison and Rusty Wallace rose on the scene to challenge Dale Earnhardt's supremacy. Rockingham and North Wilkesboro were alive and well, celebrated as racetracks that offered unmatched entertainment. The Cars of Yesterday were unique, not generic; Chevys were Chevys and Fords were Fords. On-track altercations spilled over into the garage without fear of suspensions and points-dockings; the racing was wild, the characters unruly, and the venues were stages taken from some old movie that captured the not-yet-tame world of the Winston Cup Series.
Bring it back to now. Here we sit in 2007, wondering just how we got so far away from those magical days. Ironhead is gone, as is Davey; Rusty wears a suit and tie while attempting to speak the King's English; Rockingham, Wilkesboro and the Southern 500 — the freakin' Southern 500 — are no more; a Chevy is a Ford is a Dodge is a… Toyota? Identity is now in the decal alone, and personalities have been neutered to project the clean-cut, wholesome image the sanctioning body craves. Just as disappointing, new racetracks have no discernable features, only grandstands built to the heavens to accommodate a generation of fans who only know of parade-style aero racing.
I could go on and on, waxing poetic about the good ol' days and how they are now but a speck in the rearview mirror. But I won’t, because the point has already been made: If you think NASCAR wouldn't dare move its signature event because, "Ya just don't mess with a race…an event…a spectacle… a tradition like the Daytona 500!" think again, as there is no tradition sacred at this point in the sport's evolution.
Being a unique entity is taboo in the eyes of NASCAR CEO Brian France. To find (financial) success, NASCAR must align its practices with those of other sports; the characteristics that set stock car racing apart and mesmerized a legion of followers in the first place have long been thrown aside. If five extra dollars can be squeezed out of the Daytona 500 by staging it at season's end, the idea will be given serious consideration.
Unfortunately, what will not be considered is the legitimacy of the newly crowned champion or the actual legacy of the event. Do we truly want the points battle decided by “The Big One?” Is pack racing with horsepower-sapping restrictor plates the bar that tests a driver and team's mettle? Luck in avoiding a big wreck will never trump a driver and team's skill, moxy, and savvy in my book, yet that’s exactly where we might be headed.
There are larger questions that should be addressed if, in fact, the sanctioning body is seriously considering moving the Daytona 500. But in examining the changes already implemented since Brian France's ascension to the NASCAR throne, my fear is that when the decision is made, it will be with dollar signs in mind – not the integrity of a sport losing its soul.
By the way, the IRL opens their season at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the very track that would most likely take Daytona's spot on point. Wonder if anyone besides the diehard NASCAR fans will be able to remember that?
©2000 - 2008 Matt Taliaferro and Frontstetch.com. Thanks for visiting the Frontstretch!
I dislike plate racing anyway and I find the idea of having a plate race decided the Championship appalling.
There’s too much room for random chaos. The Big One could take out ALL the contenders — leaving the Championship race dependent on who can repair cars faster.
There’s too much room for team orders for the non-contending team members to devote themselves to pushing their contending teammate rather than racing on their own behalf.
And there is too much room for the Championship to be decided the way the 2006 Daytona 500 was — because a driver is presented with the choice to push a personal friend or a manufacturer teammate.
What a great article. It’s so nice to see that there are other people out there that share the same feelings about the sport that I do. Racing used to not only be a sport, it was a way of life, a religion so to speak. It is totally disgusting to see the mess they have made out of it today. I personally went from a fan that would not miss a single lap in a season, to sometimes missing an entire race now and just tuning into sportscenter to see the top 10, which usually are the same “drivers” who run for teams with the unlimited bank accounts! It amazes me how they could take such a great and perfect sport, and destroy it to the level they have today. There is no longer any loyaly, anywhere. Nascar will screw any track over that they want in order to make more money and fuel the cash cow. Look at the tracks they have closed or stolen a date from in order to move those dates to a more “geopgraphically correct” area where they think they will sell more seats. They have completely raped the sport of it’s heritage and destroyed the roots of the sport. But like any tree, if you cut the roots, it will die, and if you look closely, Nascar is doing just that. The tv ratings are down every week, races are no longer being sold out….it has certainly reached it peak and is now on the downward slide. The newbie fans don’t have the loyaly that us old dinosaurs had, and they will stay for a while, but I doubt they will stay forever. Many of the older fans are so sick of all of the BS that they have just drifted away. Stewart said it best how they run racing like the WWE. Between all of the bogus calls, phantom cautions, and ridiculous penalties, there is no fairness, no consistiency, and no character anymore. Big Bill France Sr. is rolling over in his grave to see that the heart and soul of this sport has been sold out! Brian France is a money hungry leech and if there is a tin nickel to make anywhere he will get it and will step on whoever is in the way to do so. It would not surprise me one bit to see them move the 500 to November, and to add another thought onto that, I would probably expect that they turn it into a pay-per-view event as well! At that point, I think we should all take our money and order a WWE event as at least Vince McMahon is man enough to come out and tell you straight up that wrestling is staged, much like Nascar has become……..very sad!!!
As far as the fans who miss “real” racing, there are tracks near you where the “good ol’ boys” still run today. Cup competition is a parade, and the big buck is the winner, pert-near every time. So, enjoy the Cup races as they present them (ya ain’t gotta get dressed to watch TV), attend them if ya wanna support them as is, but be sure to catch a local race when ya can, as the best racing is the one near you.
MïK Watson
Ocean Shores, Wa
The only reason I’m iffy about the Daytona 500 keeping the season opening date is that the rest of the season can diminish the impact of the win (see: W. Burton 2002, J. Gordon 2005), which seems a little off. I’m fine the way it is though.
The real issue I have is having Homestead as the final race of the season; perhaps it’s just me, but I don’t find it a particularly interesting track, and I miss having Atlanta as the traditional season-ending date. I’m afraid there will never be another season-ender like the ’92 Hooters 500 (which is easily one of the 5 best races of all time, in my opinion)
great article and comments from everyone. it has become sad and sicknening of what NASCAR has become. a giant whore for the t.v. industry. how can you “kill” the southern 500 only to be replaced by a race in which no one in california cares, meanwhile the state of south carolina gets no grace? it’s going to be interesting to see what happens with the kentucky speedway vs NASCAR mediation/court case. i hope kentucky wins!
i love NASCAR racing but racing in general. and for the time and money, F1 is looking real good right now. knockout qualifying is something to watch and the actual race are shorter in time (est. 90 mins) and the speed is unreal. no phantom cautions for a tissues on the track or it looks like rain, let’s pullem in. F1 is just straight up balls out racin’. the way NASCAR used to be.
I’ve thought for about the last 10 years that NASCAR ought to move the Firecracker to the last race of the year. Start at the beach and end there. The significance of the Firecracker on a hot, July 4th morning has been lost anyway since they went to a night time race in “early July”. So it just became another race.
I’ve suggested they move Pepsi 400 to end of year and move the Brickyard from some obscure weekend in August to 4th of July weekend. Tony George would love it because he’d get the Indy 500 on Memorial Day weekend and BY400 near July 4th. And ISC stockholders would love it because of the revenue created in February as the season starts and in November as the season ends.
But the D500 – yes, its GOT to remain in Feb along with the rest of Speed Weeks.
BTW Kenneth I agree that 92 H500 was one of the greatest. But I still remember when the season ended in Cali at Ontario and later Riverside. ATL only had a short run at being the final race.
As usual, NASCAR’s big wheel, who thinks he is a big wheel,is doing,is allenating fans and killing th sport.
Has that jackass Brian France ever sat and raced in a stock car or has he just hung on for dear life over the years??? someone needs to go to his office and beat some sense into his corporate head! i find the timing of this rumor uneasy because his father (who probably would have stepped in to stop this assinine idea) hasn’t even been off this earth for 2 months! i only wish that today’s drivers had the balls the King did when he boycotted Talladega in its first year. Yes, the boycot was over what some drivers felt were safety concerns, but, for the same reasons, today’s guys need to take a page from that book and maybe boycot a race or two. maybe Fran$e will figure out that even though his name is on the desk, us fans don’t spend our blood-sweat-and-tears paychecks to make HIS pockets fatter. that guy is ruining what’s left of the sport and it’s time to knock him off his high horse … or get his head out of his own ass!
Just heard the “Sprint” announcement.
Sprint to the cup.
NO
The champ (and a few more) Sprint
NO
The Cup Sprint
NO
The Sprint Cup
NO
The Cuppeth runneth overeth
NO
The Champion Sprint
NO
The Sprint Champ
NO
The Spamp?
NO
The Chint?
NO?
I Don’t know, I guess I’ll get used to it like everything else.
I agree the BY400 would be great July 4th week, & the “France Bankroll 400” ending the season. Also since Petty & Dale sr. will now be referred to as 7 time “sprint” champs, will Kinser also get credit for his 20+??
As I sit & read your right on article I think to myself when it was fun going to
the races and you rooted for your favorite and you had a person sitting next to you who worked hard for his money and even harder if he attended the 500, so you see the fans who put this thing on the map are going by the wayside like everything else now you got yuppies who thing its chic to be seen at a race, rappers performing before the race and the ISC tracks ripping everyone off to increse their share over SMI so racing as we know it today & past will be gone & nothing will surprise me if Daytona 500 will be the next one to be changed
WHAT A GREAT SUMMATION!
HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD!
THANKS!
(and they sure aren’t “sprint” race being six (6) hours long!)
22 years—from Southern roots racing to “yuppie fans” have hung in there—spent out time and money at the tracks—maybe it is time gfor us to move on
After Rockingham and then the Southern 500 were dumped, I knew the floodgates had finally burst. Moving the Daytona 500 is bad enough, but what is far worse is that it doesn’t surprise me at all. Brian is killing the sport and needs to be neutered so his seed doesn’t kill it even further.
I agree with the above statement of having Atlanta as a season finisher. Those were the days, eh? Much more exciting than Homestead.
I always hated the Daytona 500 being called “Superbowl of racing”. New fans don’t understand it either. Leave the date; change the mindset.
You said it all! NASCAR = Brian France, Brian France = Greed. Money is what it’s all about. The fans are meaningless. The sport’s traditions are meaningless. It’s only how Brian and the rest can enrich themselves and “compete” with the other sports. Of course to BF, it’s a “show” and he’s taking it rapidly on a course to remake it into “rastlin” complete with scripted endings.
Great article and I concur with your observations. I also concur with a lot of the comments posted too.
If you pay close attention, you’ll also see the revisionist trying to say that the Daytona 500 was always the first race of the year. They seem to forget them going to Riverside in January and then Daytona in February. When they can’t kill off the sports’ roots or history, they try to hide them or change them.
Also, wasn’t some of the hype behind the COT was that it would elimate plate racing? And what will we have at Talladega? COT’s with restrictor plates. If you think COT racing is bad now, just wait until Dega. That’ll be your preview for the Dayona 500’s to come.
Love Talladega and Daytona. Hate restrictor plate racing.
One of the things I look forward to in winter is Speed Week at Daytona. It just wont be the same if Chicagoland (a stupid name for a racetrack), sounds more like a Yankee theme-park, opens the season. I wax poetic over by-gone days also. Think Im moving on.
Have a question for Matt's Fanning the Flames?>Just click here! and Matt may answer YOUR question right here on the Frontstretch.
Like what you see from Matt? Well you're going to love what you hear from Host Patrick Snow, Matt and Frontstretch's own Tom Bowles every week on the Athlon Inside Racing Powered by Pepsi podcast!
Contact Matt Taliaferro
Recent articles from Matt Taliaferro:
Fanning the Flames : Breaking Down TNT's Wide Open Coverage
Fanning the Flames: Vague Rules, Driver Moves, And A Long Dry Spell
Fanning the Flames: Fueling The Engine Debate, Montoya's Struggles, And... Joey Clanton?
Fanning the Flames: Investing, Qualifying, Red Flagging, And The Team Of Destiny
Fanning the Flames: Silly Season Contracts, Old School Drivers, And The "Blow Up" Crowd
