RANT: There is nothing "Stock" about a "Stock Car".

[benburch]

$ SET /RANT=ON

OK, Now...

My Parents were real NASCAR fans, and Dick Trickle is a family friend. I have nothing whatsoever against NASCAR, though I personally like Formula-1 better.

But there is NOTHING whatsoever "Stock" about a "Stock Car". They share NONE of the parts that go into a street car, except maybe a fuze or something trivial like that. They are 100% custom racing vehicles designed from the ground up as such. The only factor they share with the "Stock" vehicle they represent is the profile of the body, as determined by a template that is gaged against a production vehicle. The body itself is a fiberglass shell that also shares no parts with the stock vehicle.

Long ago, to get around the profile rules, the Dodge Daytona and Plymouth Superbird were created. These had HUGE, TALL rear spoilers to help keep the rear wheels on the ground at high speed. None of the other cars on the racing circuit could mount a spoiler like this, giving them an advantage. They produced only about as many of these as production vehicles as required to allow that profile to pass muster for NASCAR.

I just think it is silly to keep the profile rule around any more...

That is all.

You can go back to your regularly scheduled weekend now.

$ SET /RANT=OFF

[Rufus T. Firefly]

1. That's annoyed me for a while.

Nothing is stock, so how is it "stock?"

The general shape of the car is similar to the street version, but that's about it.

I guess that's why they use "NASCAR" and hope you don't pay attention to the "SC."

[ContraBass Black]

4. Don't forget, they now have headlight stickers.

:D

[Schema Thing]

2. You wasted a rant on this?

this is at most worthy of a "grrr", but certainly not a rant, brother.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. Ok for you to like car races

to each his own. I don't like racing, but I do have some questions:

1. Do these "stock" cars use regular gasoline, or are they powered by alcohol like some of the other racing cars?

2. Is the racing community doing anything to promote the use of alternative fuels? I could see where they could have a big impact since they have so many fans. And if they've come up with engine modifications that could be easily used by the general public, they would be heroes, even to non fans like me.

[benburch]

5. Gasoline.

And as long as sponsorships from gasoline stations are a big part of it, I cannot imagine that will change.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. A pity

I believe the reason there were car races to begin with was to show off the newest technology. Auto races using alternative fuels would be going back to this old tradition.

[benburch]

8. It would require a rules change.

But I wonder if E85 could be a worthwhile racing fuel?

[sabbat hunter]

11. indy cars

indy 500 type cars run on ethanol instead of gasoline.

[davepc]

9. Theres a movement to introduce ethenol to NASCAR

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12803994/

The Indy Racing League is leading the way on alternative fuels, beginning a two-year transition to ethanol.

NASCAR? Those dinosaurs are still burning dinosaurs.

Last year, General Motors officials privately asked NASCAR to consider switching to ethanol. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, made a similar public plea to NASCAR CEO Brian France.

...

It’s already happening at Indy, where later this month the entire Indy 500 starting field will be fueled by a mixture of ethanol and carbon-based methanol for the first time. Next year, Indy cars will run on 100 percent ethanol.

FWIT, they dont exacutly use pump gas either.

[BlooInBloo]

6. But how will the MARKETING work?

I mean if they let go of the branding that involves a connection with "the common man"?

American are stupid, but are they stupid enough to go for branding that is OBVIOUSLY elitist? I don't think so. Despite the huge success of NASCAR with "the common man", I don't see European GT racing having that level of success with the American "common man". I suspect part of this is that there is no PERCEPTION of "with the common man"-ness with the GT circuit.

Maybe there's also the difficulty NASCAR people experience when trying to comprehend turning the steering wheel both left AND right in the SAME race....


EDIT: Apparently "elitist" is a difficult word to spell when drinking...

[Lefty48197]

10. How about the stock Grand Prix that LOOKS like a NASCAR car?

Now that's silly.