[Bob Tanner]

Just read the following on jayski.com:
Time for a drivers Union? UPDATE: The always boisterous Tony Stewart led a loud parade of outrage aimed at Goodyear's engineers after Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. If Stewart had thought about it long enough, he might have realized that there is much more that he and his fellow drivers can do. This is the perfect time for the drivers in the Sprint Cup Series to form a union. Then they can have real leverage on matters such as tires, safety and races. NASCAR has always said the drivers are "private contractors," so there has never been a need for a union. Plus, in the old days, any talk of forming a union could have seriously jeopardized a driver's career. See full story at the Delaware News Journal.(3-13-200

Oh boy, here we go. Thankfully, in today's culture of equally thankfully weakened labor unions I don't see it happening.

We've been down this path before. Back in the late 50's or early 60's (My memory banks are erasing at too rapid a pace) Fireball Roberts, Rex White, Tim Flock and my favorite driver, Curtis Turner, tried to organize the NASCAR drivers into the Teamsters. In what might have been Bill Sr.'s finest moment he declared he'd personally shoot any union rep who showed up at a track with blank membership card or any driver who signed them.

Fireball and Rex backed down. Tim and Curtis were banned for life but Bruton Smith later intervened on Turner's behalf and he was reinstated in... 65? Tim never again turned a wheel in NASCAR competition, as far as I know.

My personal opinion of organized labour is so low I won't dwell on it here. Suffice it to say that I really don't want to see major closed-wheel racing go the way of American professional stick&ball sports and American manufacturing.

Right now it appears all concerned see the light and will opt for other avenues. We can only hope...

[Measure]

I think the drivers should have a union. It's not at all about demanding more money necessarily.

They could present a single, unified voice to NASCAR to demand changes.

They could unite to get SAFER Barriers wherever a car might crash, on every track.

They could unite to demand changes to the CoT, or changes in future contracts with certain tire supplierss.

There are many good reasons for the drivers to get a Union together.

I see some posters on the board that hate every decision NASCAR makes. A lot of that probably has to do with the fact that they don't take driver input seriously enough.

A Driver's union would go a long way towards changing that.

[bob101]

The day the drivers unionize I stop watching NASCAR and stop buying tickets to the races.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by bob101

The day the drivers unionize I stop watching NASCAR and stop buying tickets to the races.

We are in total agreement.

[jks812]

Originally Posted by bob101

The day the drivers unionize I stop watching NASCAR and stop buying tickets to the races.

I will also stop watching.

[PettyBlue]

Bold statement guy's.Can either of you really live up to it?I can see stopping ticket buying,prices what they are for Grand National but TV watching?Atleast until the sport dies.

[jks812]

Originally Posted by PettyBlue

Bold statement guy's.Can either of you really live up to it?I can see stopping ticket buying,prices what they are for Grand National but TV watching?Atleast until the sport dies.

I believe I could. With the way Nascar has been in the past few years, I already watch less of it than I ever have. Alot of the races now, I just catch the first 50 laps, go find something to do, and come back and catch the last few laps. Use to I was glued to the tv from start to finish.

[PettyBlue]

Originally Posted by jks812

I believe I could. With the way Nascar has been in the past few years, I already watch less of it than I ever have. Alot of the races now, I just catch the first 50 laps, go find something to do, and come back and catch the last few laps. Use to I was glued to the tv from start to finish.

As most do,myself included nowdays.First 25,last 25 for me,TV only.Ticket price kept me out at the start of Nascar Grand National and same for today.

[BiscuitMan]

Originally Posted by Measure

I think the drivers should have a union. It's not at all about demanding more money necessarily.

They could present a single, unified voice to NASCAR to demand changes.

They could unite to get SAFER Barriers wherever a car might crash, on every track.

They could unite to demand changes to the CoT, or changes in future contracts with certain tire supplierss.

There are many good reasons for the drivers to get a Union together.

I see some posters on the board that hate every decision NASCAR makes. A lot of that probably has to do with the fact that they don't take driver input seriously enough.

A Driver's union would go a long way towards changing that.

The key factor in this process is not the drivers, but it is the owners. Hendrick, Roush, DEI, GEM, etc. are powerful players that decide where a driver sets and in which car. (Of course that list excludes Robbie Gordon.) From my perspective the owners have more of the NASCAR ear than the drivers. Back in the day when driver attempted to unionize, many owners like Petty were drivers too. Sponsorship was not a factor in those days. Today the environment surrounding NASCAR is very different with money being brought in to NASCAR via the owners.

[PettyBlue]

Originally Posted by BiscuitMan

The key factor in this process is not the drivers, but it is the owners. Hendrick, Roush, DEI, GEM, etc. are powerful players that decide where a driver sets and in which car. (Of course that list excludes Robbie Gordon.) From my perspective the owners have more of the NASCAR ear than the drivers. Back in the day when driver attempted to unionize, many owners like Petty were drivers too. Sponsorship was not a factor in those days. Today the environment surrounding NASCAR is very different with money being brought in to NASCAR via the owners.

Disagree!It is the sponsor not car owner who decides which driver they want and funnels in the money for said driver to represent said company.

[BiscuitMan]

Originally Posted by PettyBlue

Disagree!It is the sponsor not car owner who decides which driver they want and funnels in the money for said driver to represent said company.

Normally, the owner is the one who brings in the sponsor and orchestrates the driver contract to include sponsor provisions. I don't believe all drivers have personal service contracts with sponsors, with maybe the exception of Jeff Gordon and Dale Jr.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by PettyBlue

Bold statement guy's.Can either of you really live up to it?I can see stopping ticket buying,prices what they are for Grand National but TV watching?Atleast until the sport dies.

I did it with baseball (haven't followed it a bit since the first strike) and football (ditto since they struck in 1987). If I can forsake the Cubbies and the Da' Bears, this will be a piece of cake.

[Quality88]

If they join the teamsters no more.... I was teetering on stoppin watchin with DJ leavin, but the racin itself and the people here are what have changed my mind. If a damn union shows up... I'm gone