The Great NASCAR 2018 Season Topic. (SPOILER ALERT)

Ian-S · **Joined:** Thu Dec 13, 2007 8:51 pm **Posts:** 10697

Yup we'll do that, thanks.

RHornacek · **Posted:** Sun Nov 18, 2018 5:04 pm

Hey has anyone else noticed in the last few races that the engine sounds on broadcasts is somewhat more present or louder or so?
Maybe it is my subjective perception, but I just checked into the 2017 Ford 400 broadcast and you barely heard the engines in those, they were just not as distinct and in your face (or ears rather) than they are now. And I am currently watching the cup qualifying where the engines are really easily heard and a much stronger presence on the broadcasts.

So listen to that when you watch the races this weekend.

Reason this catches my attention is because at the beginning of the year after watching older races from the early 2000s I noticed that the engine noises back then were much more a part of the broadcasts and made the race a much better experience on screen.
Something I perceived as almost totally gone in recent years.
And I think in one of my emails to NBCSN I mentioned this and urged them to either use different mics around the track or adjust them to catch the sounds better to improve the broadcast and thus the viewers experience.
Now, how awesome would it be, if they actually followed that advice?
In my current perception there's a clearly noticable difference to say the 2017 Ford 400 or even FOX broadcasts from earlier in the year.

Make sure to pay attention to that.

Ian-S · **Joined:** Thu Dec 13, 2007 8:51 pm **Posts:** 10697

81F mostly cloudy, wind ne8mph for homestead.

Carsten Theile · **Joined:** Fri May 18, 2012 4:27 pm **Posts:** 556

Wind seems to be a challenge for skydivers.

Let's hope this is the last time someone goes into the catchfence.

RHornacek · **Posted:** Tue Nov 20, 2018 12:54 pm

Ahh well, looks like Joe Logano stole one.
To be fiar, Busch and Harvick had almost perfect seasons, and their stats would have almost certainly won them the title during Winston Cup, but we all know that.

Hey how about Kenseth running strong, raced his way into the top 10, and then maintained for a 6th place finish on the final run. All that in inferior Rousch cars.
This guys has to go full time again in decent equipment.

Cant believe this season is over, it went by quickly.

And even less I can believe that their putting plates or spacers or whatever in at almost every large track or so.
Already forgot exactly what the package will bring, but I know it is gonna be shitty

I mean just have them race bicycles, if you hate engines so much, NASCAR. :roll:

cjhill · **Posted:** Tue Nov 20, 2018 3:05 pm

When you put all 4 on equal terms there in the last race anything can happen. He beat the other 3 so won it fairly on those terms, surprised that Truex didn't at least run him up the hill after what he said he'd do to him after Martinsville.

I still think winner take all in the last race is a bit extreme, though national hot rods have a world final as do many of the short oval world finals where it is winner take all from 1 race.
I think there are too many points resets in this playoff system. It relies on being good at one track to win the championship where it should be about excelling on all tracks. I actually like the 'playoff points' system, it rewards consistency.

I remember in 2008 I think it was, Kyle Busch had a great regular season but had 2 bad finishes to start the 'chase' and that was him out of it.

The jury is out on the new rules package but they have to do something to improve the racing. It'll either work or it wont. The all-star package worked well but they needed to try it in a few more races before the end of the season. A bit like how they phased in the COT in 2007.

I was saying in another forum that NASCAR will never be as popular as it was back in the 80s/90s because people have so many different means of entertainment now and shorter attention spans. Then you have the retirements of fan favourite drivers, that just adds another element to it. I know A LOT of JG fans aren't watching NASCAR anymore.

RHornacek · **Posted:** Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:14 pm

Some good points there, some not so.
You know my stance on the points system etc, nothing since 2003 has been fair or acceptable to me, so I wont go over that again.

I still remember how I fell in love with NASCAR, it was love on first sight, literally.
I saw it on TV when my father flipped through the channels, and I think it was a race at either Charlotte, Atlanta or Texas and it was in either 96 or 97 or so, some 1.5 miler.
When I saw the first footage of a Bristol race, I almost could not believe it.
I thought I was in heaven. Totally my thing, man.
It was like I had found a purpose or so, you know, something that ensured that my life was gonna be awesome. One more reason to live. It was awesome.
Obviously NASCAR is taking all that away from me with each further f**k up they deliver. :cry:

I still remember thinking, "Man these Americans, they know what makes for great entertainment man." or something along those lines.
It was really only after that that I developed a deeper interest in Formula 1 also I think, which lasted around until they started f*****g up that series as well, so until around 2006 or or so.
CART and Indycar I caught whenever I could. I still remmember somewhat vividly that race in which greg moore died etc.

The question is of course, why do people not fall in love with NASCAR in droves anymore.
And you could probably write entire books about this topic. There are just so many reasons.
Economic, social, political, changes in the racing product of NASCAR itself, psychological reasons and reasons that are a mix of all of those etc.
But had NASCAR just stuck to putting on real, pure racing, like they did at one time, they would not have to take that much crap these days. In fact they would harvest a lot of praise for staying on course in a time where everything else seems to crumble and go down the drain.

Ian-S · **Joined:** Thu Dec 13, 2007 8:51 pm **Posts:** 10697

I think the internet and to an extent blanket tv coverage is to blame for a lot of people not falling in love with XYZ nowdays, I remember the time and effort that went into the planning to attend a GP back in the 80's, and that was just at a track 30 miles down the road.

When you can just flick on your tv or tablet and watch the dam thing, why bother? It's one of the reasons why the last time I stepped inside a circuit (other than to drop someone off) was when the ChampCars came to Brands, I'm middle aged and lazy and can't be bothered to put the effort into planning a day at a track (plus spending upward of a £100 doing it) when I can just park my arse on the sofa and watch everything there.

It's probably the same elsewhere, blanket tv coverage, increased cost and hassle of attending (we never used to have to go through security checks and have most of your food or drink taken in the 80's even at the height of the IRA bombings, now you have to go through a pat down and bag search just to get into a museum or theme park - I heard bag searches were in operation at Silverstone for the BTCC event too) so a lot of people just thing f**k that when they have to get back and be in for work 8am the next day or they'll be sacked.

So many more cheap, quick alternatives to do by comparison plus people have no spare time anyway to even have a hobby let alone follow a sport, people also feel pressured by employees not to venture too far away in case they are needed (last time someone said that to me I told them my phone was being switched off when I left their place and wouldn't be turned on until I went back in - they were really unhappy about not being able to call me in while I was supposed to be on holiday).

RHornacek · **Posted:** Thu Nov 22, 2018 6:08 am

Yea, that definitely plays a huge role. The exact same thoughts about it went through my head.
Add to that the fact that the internet has somwhat replaced the automobile as a means of socializing.
Back in the 1990's no one had internet, and the auto was your only gateway to the world, particularly in more rural and suburban areas, so you could couple that with visiting a race or so.

Transfering this to today, I wouldn't even know which track would be the most likely place for me to vist, if I even lived in the US and how near to it would I have to live in order for the hassle not to be too enormous.
Back before they bulldozed Bristol, it would have been the top candidate for sure.
Today it'd probably be Martinsville, Darlington or Dover, maybe Michigan.

I dont live too far away from the Oscherleben racetrack, maybe about 45 mins.
And for years I said to myself, you gotta visit a DTM race one day. Year after year after year after year, and I never went. :lmao:

Only caught a practice there one time, but that was only because we happened to be in the area and it was free to enter on friday.

So these points are big time valid I think.
NASCAR will probably be forced to restructure completely or something at one point and completely overthink what they actually want to do. But this cash cow is milked dry soon.
Maybe NASCAR will disappear completely one day, and some other series will take its place, who knows.

RHornacek · **Posted:** Sun Dec 23, 2018 9:16 am

9 am on a Sunday and I am watching the 2004 Southern 500.

I'm such a NASCAR addict :wall:

The Great NASCAR 2018 Season Topic. (SPOILER ALERT)

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