[simple simon]

lately it seems alot of threads have brought up the question of if racing today is better then yester-year....if it is more competitive now or then ?

so i thought i would start this thread and post the stats for # of winners each year and we could discuss it here

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by simple simon

lately it seems alot of threads have brought up the question of if racing today is better then yester-year....if it is more competitive now or then ?

so i thought i would start this thread and post the stats for # of winners each year and we could discuss it here

This should be quite interesting.

[simple simon]

1975.......8 winners

1980.......10 winners

1985......9 winners

1990......14 winners

1995......11 winners

2000.......14 winners

2005......15 winners

NASCAR Stats, NASCAR Racing Stats, Nascar Winners, Driver Stats

[Mike24]

It is by far more competitive than it has been in years. NASCAR has made some great decisions on improving competition and improving technology as technology advances. I would much rather see exciting racing than boring single file racing because the cars are setup so different. NASCAR still gives the teams control, yet not enough control to where they can get ahead of another team, and that means competition, and it shows the drivers talent on what he can do with the car. The Chase creates an exciting race for the championship. I would much rather see 12 drivers with a legit shot at the championship instead of 2. Kudos to NASCAR for improving the sport.

[simple simon]

most races won by year

1975.......Richard Petty won 13 races

1980.......Cale Yarborough won 6 races

1985.......Bill Elliot won 11 races

1990.......Dale Earnhardt won 9 races

1995.......JG won 7 races

2000.......Tony Stewart won 6 races

2005.......Greg Biffle won 6 races

[simple simon]

id say from these quick examples it is more competitive and open to more drivers having a chance to win each week

which i for one think is great for us the fans and for the sport

[Bob Tanner]

Your facts are difficult to argue with, Simon. Without a doubt more cars are winning today and more cars are finishing on the lead lap. Absolutely undeniable.

But, know what? I still long to go back to the days of domination and less parity in the field. It was simpler, less corporate involvement so the fans felt actually closer to the teams. The cars were much more stock and the fans could easily identify with a particular manufacturer, because the car they saw on the street resembled the car they saw on the track. The drivers weren't all vanilla and actually had some character flaws. They weren't all photogenic male models with proper grammar, and diction, with 32-inch waists and bodies made beautiful by personal trainers. In short, the drivers looked like US, not some metro-gendered ad man. The fans had their favorites but the bottom line was they were race fans who actually worked on their own cars, attended the local track where they lived, and many took a perverse pride in being a fan of a sport which wasn't on the front page of the sports section every day. I liked the days when a driver drove his own car and was competitive. If he drove for a owner, they finalized their agreement with a handshake and probably sealed it with a shot of adult beverage. They didn't have to have "Your people call my people and set the deal up. I'll sign when you all get together." The money wasn't the size of the purses today but it was considerable by yesterday's standards. It was just that men, in those days, often had a sense of obligation and honor. Character wasn't situational.

Yeah, I'm an old fart and a genuine anachronism. But even with its obvious flaws, I'll take THAT NASCAR over the NA$CAR of today.

[Nevadastars]

Personally, I love the racing today, but can't stand the hype, glamour, glitz and corporate BS that goes on around it. So, I just try and find out when a race starts and flip it on, making sure the mute button is handy during "boogity, boogity, boogity.
As far as the actual racing goes from the different decades, my favorite times were the mid-80s till the networks took over, and DE died in 2001. It just seemed simpler. Being on the left coast my whole life, we weren't around Nascar until ESPN started broadcasting in the 80s. The only time we got to see any from the earlier days was occasional clips on Wide World of Sports. So even though I'm one of the older guys here, I dont have any real knowledge of the 50s, 60s, and 70s.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Nevadastars

Personally, I love the racing today, but can't stand the hype, glamour, glitz and corporate BS that goes on around it. So, I just try and find out when a race starts and flip it on, making sure the mute button is handy during "boogity, boogity, boogity.
As far as the actual racing goes from the different decades, my favorite times were the mid-80s till the networks took over, and DE died in 2001. It just seemed simpler. Being on the left coast my whole life, we weren't around Nascar until ESPN started broadcasting in the 80s. The only time we got to see any from the earlier days was occasional clips on Wide World of Sports. So even though I'm one of the older guys here, I dont have any real knowledge of the 50s, 60s, and 70s.

Once the green flag falls, Don, if I'm able to look over the sameness of all the cars (I can't tell a Toy from a GM from a Ford from a MOPAR unless I see it written on the cowl), and block out the stick&ball retreads who have found a home doing racing media, and the Village Idiots in the booth who talk incessantly and say virtually nothing, the racing is tolerable.

To my knowledge I have NEVER said that "NASCAR Sucks!" (Ref: another post, not your's. But this seems a aprapo time to throw that in) I have though indicated the Hell out of the fact that I have many disagreements with some of the things that NA$CAR does. But, no one from Daytona has ever contacted me and asked my opinion so my disagreements are just my own feelings which I, for right or wrong, share with you and all the other great people in this forum.

As I stated before, I'm an old fart, your basic anachronism who liked NASCAR back when it was a simpler sport. It might not make sense to the Gen X'ers out there but I honestly liked NASCAR better when it wasn't on TV each week and it's drivers weren't household names in every home in the country. It was kind of neat to have to wait on small morsels of NASCAR news and all the idiotic rule enforcement, sponsor squabbling, back biting, nit picking, and so on wasn't common knowledge.

Speaking only for myself, THAT NASCAR was a whole lot easier to like and admire. Once more, speaking ONLY for myself, maybe what I suffer from is too much longevity with the sport and too much knowledge about its goings on?

Does that make any sense to you?

[Nevadastars]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Speaking only for myself, THAT NASCAR was a whole lot easier to like and admire. Once more, speaking ONLY for myself, maybe what I suffer from is too much longevity with the sport and too much knowledge about its goings on?

Does that make any sense to you?

Sure it makes sense Bob. Which is why I said even in the 80s/90s it was much simpler than today...........and I like simple.

[LSC9901]

Well in the year or so I've been here I may have once or twice stated that NASCAR Sux in the few posts that I have made, although I do not recall it. I do have far more likes than dislikes about NASCAR but then again how many times has the evening news told you about the high school kid who does a good thing in his home town ? Never you say ?? Same here ... we all have a passion for telling others about the things that are wrong with whatever the subject might be.

I remember when racing on TV was a real novelty. The Daytona and Indy 500 were both tape delayed at best. Other races were much older. I'm happy to see them on every week along with Busch and CTS. Can't get enough of them.

Now does NASCAR suck ??? Well I can't say for sure but what I can tell you is that they have changed the sport I enjoy the most in a lot of ways that do not please me. Therefore it is my duty to post opinions that may be construed as contrary to the leadership of Brian France and clan.

How's that ?

[Bean]

See, ya'll do agree with me that NASCAR sucks, ceptin ya'll use different words.

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by Bean

See, ya'll do agree with me that NASCAR sucks, ceptin ya'll use different words.

This is where I'll have to disagree.... NASCAR doesn't suck... However Na$car is startin to suck. IMHO

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by Bean

See, ya'll do agree with me that NASCAR sucks, ceptin ya'll use different words.

Seriously I wouldn't say it sux. A big, major, giant YES there are a bunch of things that I don't like and I am vocal about them. For me personally if I thought it was so bad that it "sucked" I'd probably give up watching it. I do continue to watch it because it gives me my racing fix for the week and when the season is over I find myself looking forward to the next speed week. The constant changes in the sport such as new teams, drivers swapping teams and so on, keep my interest peaked. The newest group of rookies provides a lot of discussion here along with the newest manufacturer to join the ranks. On all of these topics I have opinions. Some agree and some do not. There are subjects that I have even changed my mind about because of discussion on these boards.

Yup there are a ton of isues that get under my skin but when they say"Gentlemen start your engines", I get all fired up too. Now if they'd just get rid of "Boogity" maybe NASCAR would suck a whole lot less !!!!!

[BringBackWilkesboro]

I was going to comment on this, but as usual Bob does it better than I could myself.

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Your facts are difficult to argue with, Simon. Without a doubt more cars are winning today and more cars are finishing on the lead lap. Absolutely undeniable.

But, know what? I still long to go back to the days of domination and less parity in the field. It was simpler, less corporate involvement so the fans felt actually closer to the teams. The cars were much more stock and the fans could easily identify with a particular manufacturer, because the car they saw on the street resembled the car they saw on the track. The drivers weren't all vanilla and actually had some character flaws. They weren't all photogenic male models with proper grammar, and diction, with 32-inch waists and bodies made beautiful by personal trainers. In short, the drivers looked like US, not some metro-gendered ad man. The fans had their favorites but the bottom line was they were race fans who actually worked on their own cars, attended the local track where they lived, and many took a perverse pride in being a fan of a sport which wasn't on the front page of the sports section every day. I liked the days when a driver drove his own car and was competitive. If he drove for a owner, they finalized their agreement with a handshake and probably sealed it with a shot of adult beverage. They didn't have to have "Your people call my people and set the deal up. I'll sign when you all get together." The money wasn't the size of the purses today but it was considerable by yesterday's standards. It was just that men, in those days, often had a sense of obligation and honor. Character wasn't situational.

Yeah, I'm an old fart and a genuine anachronism. But even with its obvious flaws, I'll take THAT NASCAR over the NA$CAR of today.

I don't see anyway to make a meaningful contribution to the above. Except something that has been discussed many times on this board, hard work winning races in those days. It's easy to see how that may not be true. In 1976, Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and David Pearson won 23 of the 30 races that year. Those guys had the most money and thus the best equipment and the best odds of winning, but Dave Marcis is the perfect defense. Dave was one of the hardest working guys of our sport and it went vertually un-noticed, even when he won, and he only did that 5 times in a 35 year career. But he won those races driving for Nord Krauskopf (who?). This was after Nord's best days as an owner with Bobby Issac. He beat Richard Petty in his PE Dodge, Buddy Baker in his Bud Moore Ford and David Pearson in his Wood Bros. Merc. So exactly how does Dave Marcis in a Nord Krauskopf Dodge beat the likes of Petty Enterprises or the Wood Brothers? He didn't do it by *****ing and moaning, I assure you.