[simple simon]

the question before us today is, should NASCAR go to Crate Motors ?

(i hope im using the term right, im trying to say have on supplier for all the motors ...... you get them and put them in your car and go)

seems there is some cheating going on and a few different engine builders

HMS seems to have the most luck with engines and many other teams seem to buy Hendricks motors

so why not go with crate motors ? ....... then everyone is on a more even keel right ? ........ isnt it supposed to be about the driver more then anything ?

[Racer Duck]

Having crate motors won't stop cheating.

There's lots of evidence to support my statement in the Late Model racing world where most series have gone to crate motors. With little effort an owner of a crate motor can have it "massaged" by one of many places with the equipment to disassemble and reassemble the motor. Yeah, there's special bolts that are supposed to prevent tampering, but those special bolts can be bought .. and if they can be bought, they can be replaced.

Imagine you are a race car owner and you just bought a new crate motor for $7500 that's supposed to be equal to all the other crate motors allowed in your class. Then you find out that so-and-so has a crate motor from the same source you got yours with the same part number and the same specs, but theirs has 20 more horsepower than yours and is capable of turning 500 more RPM .. and it only cost $9500. Would you be tempted to go get one? Especially if you knew it'd be the difference between a Top 5 and a Top 10 finish (maybe as much as a $1000 a race difference in prize money)?

Also, many teams, like Hendrick and Yates, have revenue producing engine programs. A crate motor rule would put many of them out of business.

The only way crates could work in Cup would be if NA$CAR passed them out at the track like they do restrictor plates & COT wings, then picked them up again after the race. And I don't think NA$CAR wants to try to manage a hundred or more engines a week between testing, practice and racing.

[simple simon]

was just a thought for discussion

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by simple simon

was just a thought for discussion

It can be a good discussion. the problems I see are:

1. the number of jobs and revenue that the specialized race shops (Hendrick, Roush-Yates, Everham, etc.) would loose and NA$CAR would have to replace,
2. the technical innovation that has driven the sport would be concentrated in a single think tank (how do you break in? what's your motivation to innovate?),
3. the requirement of every brand car to run the same (generic) engine (no more Ford-Chevy wars),
4. how to manage that many engines and parts and parts manufacturers
5. no single shop exists today that has the capability to achieve the power and reliability the teams have now (which they spent many years and tears developing.)

I think history will show the most innovation and achievement is gained when individuals have the opportunity to improve on the status quo. "governmental bodies" seem to stifle the individual.

I'm a racer, so I view it from the technical/racer's side. What would a fan think? Or a sponsor? How about a car manufacturer or a part manufacturer? What about marketing? Or Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday?
I would love to hear other people's opinions.

[oncea3fan]

I think the box has gotten to small has it is now, if they go crete motor, all those speed part suppiers would be lined up at the exit door.

I want the teams to have more room to innovate and try to gain the edge.

yes this means money, but they are going to spent it any way.

give em a stock body, set the copression ratio,valve lift and bore size and see where they take it.

hey what if the car owners voted on each piece and part. need a 90% vote to pass it, the only way $$$$ owner could run the sport would be if all (90%) were money team.

bodies ,cu.in,compress,lift would be set in stone.

but give the teams room to work..................this ain't IROC, that series didn't seem to be able to stand on it's own, is that really where NASCAR wants to go ?

[PettyBlue]

May as well let FranceCar handout motor's.They regulate every nut,bolt,part and peice that go on the cars now.Even in the cars the drivers are regulated to death.They will kill this sport if they keep it up.Talk about round de rounders,lol.

[jks812]

Would it "level" the playing field like the COT has? I guess in a way the COT has leveled the playing field, all of em except HMS....lol

[Mike24]

Why should we go to crate motors? Because some teams have more resources to build better engines? no way. The engines we have now are just fine, and just because some teams have the resources to create the best engines in NASCAR doesn't mean we need to change that.

[jks812]

I was only joking . I don't think they should either. Maybe one team, won't call names, running over everyone else will make the other teams step their programs up.

[Mike24]

Originally Posted by jks812

I was only joking . I don't think they should either. Maybe one team, won't call names, running over everyone else will make the other teams step their programs up.

lol... whatever you do, the top teams will figure out a way to get a upperhand on it. I thought the COT would make the competition better for all teams, but it has been HMS' year with the COT, which is fine with me.

[jks812]

Originally Posted by Mike24

lol... whatever you do, the top teams will figure out a way to get a upperhand on it. I thought the COT would make the competition better for all teams, but it has been HMS' year with the COT, which is fine with me.

Yes I bet it is...lol. But actually I have noticed some of the guys running at least close to the front that use not to. So who knows, when they all get it figured out, it just might get back to being intersting again.

[Mike24]

Originally Posted by jks812

Yes I bet it is...lol. But actually I have noticed some of the guys running at least close to the front that use not to. So who knows, when they all get it figured out, it just might get back to being intersting again.

Yeah. Kenny Wallace has been qualifying great with the COT. He is able to race in the top 10, then falls a little. But still, that is showing the COT is improving the competition. Once NASCAR and the drivers/teams learn more about the COT, it may get interesting. But, the top teams are still the top teams.

[simple simon]

you guys really confuse me

here i thought it was may the best driver win ........ silly me

is the best driver always winning ? .... of course not if they have inferior equipment

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by simple simon

you guys really confuse me

here i thought it was may the best driver win ........ silly me

is the best driver always winning ? .... of course not if they have inferior equipment

does that mean that you advocate dumbing down every team to the level of the worst team so that the best driver can win?

[simple simon]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

does that mean that you advocate dumbing down every team to the level of the worst team so that the best driver can win?

well i dont consider it dumbing down ..... like i said i thought it was supposed to be about the driver not the car