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Does Stock Car belong in the name NASCAR. There is very little left in today’s NASCAR’s that is even close to relating to Stock Cars.
I guess I am a dinosaur that still remembers the day when NASCARS were Stock Cars. The days you could go to your local dealer and buy a street legal version of the cars being run on the track. In 1969 there was the Dodge Daytona, to get Richard Petty back, and the Plymouth Superbird, both with a wing over the rear deck lid. In 1986 there was the Chevrolet Aero Coupe where the back glass extended from the roof almost all the way back to the trunk.
These body styles were introduced for one primary reason, to compete in NASCAR Racing. But before the cars could be raced there had to be a minimum of 500 available for sale to the everyday auto buyer. Naturally there was little in common between the NASCAR version and the Street legal version outside of the body style.
NASCAR could have scaled back the cars when the domestic auto makers went to smaller front wheel drive V6 models but they did not.
Of course the same has happened in NHRA with the Funny Car’s. At first they were stock bodied cars with monster engines. Color Me Gone, Hemi Under Glass, Little Red Wagon. Today they are short wheel base top fuel cars with a plastic aero dynamically designed body that all look alike.
The same for the Indy cars in the early days. There were all kinds of exotic body style’ and power trains including a jet powered car, 1967 Parnelli Jones’ Granatelli/Pratt & Whitney. In fact there were even some diesel powered entries. Today’s Indy car are nothing but oversized Honda Go Carts. And NASCAR will follow as they move toward a more international venue.
It was the ingenuity and creativeness in the early days of NASCAR and Indy that brought on many advancements used in cars today. But with the changes that have or are occurring today leaves little to be offered for the manufactures to use in today’s cars on the market.
So it is no wonder domestic auto manufactures are scaling back their participation in supporting NASCAR and the racing teams. Why should they? NASCAR has all but eliminated the Brand identity of the cars. I do not consider a decal on the front of a car a Brand Identity.
So the bottom line is there is no STOCK CAR in NASCAR.
Does Stock Car belong in the name NASCAR. There is very little left in today’s NASCAR’s that is even close to relating to Stock Cars.
I guess I am a dinosaur that still remembers the day when NASCARS were Stock Cars. The days you could go to your local dealer and buy a street legal version of the cars being run on the track. In 1969 there was the Dodge Daytona, to get Richard Petty back, and the Plymouth Superbird, both with a wing over the rear deck lid. In 1986 there was the Chevrolet Aero Coupe where the back glass extended from the roof almost all the way back to the trunk.
These body styles were introduced for one primary reason, to compete in NASCAR Racing. But before the cars could be raced there had to be a minimum of 500 available for sale to the everyday auto buyer. Naturally there was little in common between the NASCAR version and the Street legal version outside of the body style.
NASCAR could have scaled back the cars when the domestic auto makers went to smaller front wheel drive V6 models but they did not.
Of course the same has happened in NHRA with the Funny Car’s. At first they were stock bodied cars with monster engines. Color Me Gone, Hemi Under Glass, Little Red Wagon. Today they are short wheel base top fuel cars with a plastic aero dynamically designed body that all look alike.
The same for the Indy cars in the early days. There were all kinds of exotic body style’ and power trains including a jet powered car, 1967 Parnelli Jones’ Granatelli/Pratt & Whitney. In fact there were even some diesel powered entries. Today’s Indy car are nothing but oversized Honda Go Carts. And NASCAR will follow as they move toward a more international venue.
It was the ingenuity and creativeness in the early days of NASCAR and Indy that brought on many advancements used in cars today. But with the changes that have or are occurring today leaves little to be offered for the manufactures to use in today’s cars on the market.
So it is no wonder domestic auto manufactures are scaling back their participation in supporting NASCAR and the racing teams. Why should they? NASCAR has all but eliminated the Brand identity of the cars. I do not consider a decal on the front of a car a Brand Identity.
So the bottom line is there is no STOCK CAR in NASCAR.
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