after all the high expectations based on the ESPN of the eighties and nineties. One of the problems with E$PN and FOX was their obsession with all things Junior. Joe Jacobs over on Stock Car Review pretty well covers this dilemma in his article "Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Mediocre Driver with a Million Fans" where he describes how his mediocre performance doesn’t equate to his huge fan base and the TV hype about him. I can’t add to his take on the matter so I’ll let it be.
Does Toyota belong in NA$CAR racing? In my opinion, NO. Here’s why. First off they made a big jump into our market back in the seventies manufactured gas shortage. They brought over little four banger engine, stick shift motorized shoe boxes. These cars and pickups were well built and got relatively high gas mileage. Here’s where the problem arises for me. Look at them now. The cars and pickemups they build here aren’t sold in Japan. The so called mini cars are the rage over there. These are tiny little things more like the original imports they sent over here. If the original models brought over here were still in vogue they wouldn’t be eligible to race NA$CAR due to size. As fears of gas shortages evaporated so did the small size and the start of building plants here to build larger vehicles. Look at the Toyota Tundra. Those things are huge. I don’t deny that they build quality vehicles. What irritates me is how that was established.
[Note: Why do I call the gas shortage manufactured? Simple. I was stationed at the Charleston Navy Base during that time frame. The onshore storage tanks were full and the oil tankers were anchored in the harbor with no place to offload their precious cargo. Jimmuh Carter and his minions set allocation rules base on only the major gas companies and did not account for the, at the time, hundreds of independents. Their numbers game forced the independents to close and their sales volume was never accounted for or reallocated. Figures lie and liars figure.]
This image shows what sells over there.
I can only assume that the Japanese based car plants are not suited to build the size vehicles they produce over here. So what did they do? They went to Indiana and Kentucky and built new plants without labor union influence/interference. Our auto makers, on the other hand, haven’t built any new plants, with the exception of Saturn, and are closing down old ones as their market share drops. The once proud Detroit behemoth, thanks to shoddy workmanship and labor union demands, is a whimpering shadow of its one time greatness. (Detroit and it’s production capabilities won WWII for the world but then rested on it‘s laurels) Our auto industry is under attack by a double edged sword of outdated plants and unfair trade practices of many foreign trade partners. And, over there, they are reverting to what got them started over here. Suzuki is now their number three manufacturer due to their emphasis on the mini concept as these two articles explain.
How many GM, Ford or Chrysler plants do you find in Japan? Answer: NONE. GM is discontinuing sales of their German made OPEL over there as well as India. They did that here years ago. GM used to be partnered with ISUZI. Where are they now? Bottom line folks, until they change it, NASCAR stands for National Association Of Stock Car Racing, not International. Many will say, “But the TOYS they race are built here by Americans.” True enough, but it’s how they got here and where the profits go that upsets me and irritates the hell of my remaining one good nerve.
As I’ve cruised the internet via Jayski’s it appears the CUP Series is falling on hard times because of:
1. The Chase
2. The Top 35 Rule
3. Irregular Rules Enforcement
4. E$PN/Fox/TNT and King Brian
5. Late/irregular race start times
6. High ticket prices/Overpriced Motel Rooms/Rising Gas Cost
7. The COT/POS/Can Of Tuna/Whatever
What order you place these items is up to you. They aren’t listed here is any order of priority. If you are relatively new to the sport you won’t remember the uproar over the downsizing of the cars or when they raced Buicks, Oldsmobile’s, Plymouths and more recently Pontiacs. How about when they used to race those huge Chryslers, Hudson’s and even Cadillac’s and Mercedes. You won’t remember that the rules required models eligible to race had to be produced in certain numbers, be two door coupes, etc. Bitching about the COT is useless. NAZICAR has made it what it is and you will like it mien heir. So, get used to it just like we had to with the downsized, no longer factory stock cars back in the eighties.
All cars, regardless of supposed make, run Ford pickemup rear ends and trailing arms. The engines are no longer based on production blocks and, don’t forget, Toyota didn’t even make a V-8 until they decided to go racing. So bemoaning the COT as not being or looking stock is a waste of time. It is what it is and we are stuck with it. I prefer to give it a chance since berating it is only a waste of my typing expertise and sure isn‘t worth developing an ulcer over. If it fails then CA$HCAR will have to go back to square one and that ain’t gonna happen, especially if his highness King Brian remains on the throne.
The past two months have been a
nightmare of medical tests for me with
MRI’s, MRA’s, CT scans, ECG’s, ultra sound
s, blood tests, head scans and so on. So
far all I know is what’s right. My heart is
good, my nerves are good (except when
writing about NA$CAR) my veins are good,
I still have two good vertebrae in my long
ago injured back. All they have found is I
have too many red blood cells but it isn’t
caused by a three hundred dollar medical
term for leukemia. So, I’ve finally made
the decision. The Winston’s had to go.
It’s been a long love hate relationship with
the product that helped put NASCAR on the national map. If any of my rants seem more irritated than usual then you ex smokers will understand the withdrawal symptoms. Now isn’t a good time to mess with me so beware.
Don’t forget those little ones and your loved ones. May a loving God’s blessings be upon you and yours, this great nation, all who serve to protect and defend and all victims of terrorism. May we never forget 911
Never forget: We are the land of the FREE because of the BRAVE.
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