I Couldn’t Have Said it Better Myself
Written by Marc Boland · January 20, 2006
So I won’t, besides I’ve said the same far too many times as it is. But these quotes from an auto makers racing representative on NASCAR’s Car of Today carry a hell of a lot more weight than little ole me.
Brian France, take heed, your treading on thin ice. (Or ignoring the Oil Flag)
“We’re all in it to win races, but in the final analysis we’re in it to sell more cars, to bring image to our brands.”
“It has to be value-added to our business plan, and if it’s not, winning races isn’t everything. My management’s going to say, ‘I don’t care if you win a lot of races, I’m not selling more cars. Why do I want to be here?’ There’s other places where we can spend our advertising dollars. This isn’t the only show in town for us.” - John Fernandez, director of Dodge Motorsports Operations for DaimlerChrysler.
“I would like my Dodges to look like Dodges.” “Chevrolets should look like Chevrolets. Toyotas I suppose are going to be in there. I think they should all have their own look. How are the fans going to notice? I still would like them to look like what they are. I don’t think they should all be generic-looking cars.” - Beth Ann Morgenthau, owner of the #49 BAM Racing Dodge.
UPDATE: MUTINY!, there’s a mutiny in the NASCAR ranks. Seven teams have been involved in the production of the CoT. Six teams have built up, ready to test cars, RCR, Penske Racing, Roush Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, and DEI were all MIA at the latest test for the car.
And Kyle Petty, whose team was the only one in action, is peeved.
“Let me say this and let me be real clear on it, to move the ball forward faster and develop the car in a timely manner so that we as competitors and NASCAR as a sanctioning body can put on a show that the guy that bought a seat in the grandstands deserves, look around, you need more than two teams here testing,”
“Somebody has to get off their rear end and help develop this car instead of sitting on their couch complaining about how the car looks or how the car drives or what they don’t like about it. Somebody at some point in time has got to jump in and help.”
Kyle, a word of advise. Take the above John Fernandez quote under consideration. “Somebody at some point in time has got to jump” out of NASCAR if sales take a dive because of a generic looking CoT is the end result.
Generic. An Interesting word that is, it also brings to mind the terms collective, general, nonexclusive, universal and (Plain Jane) vanilla.
Excuse me while I borrow George’s Area 51 hat.
For the sake of argument lets say you had an idea for a world-wide racing series patterned after the NASCAR model. The obvious starting point, on a purely marketing basis, is to race a platform that is “generic in looks” because all brands of vehicles aren’t sold world-wide. Funny thing is (well maybe not so) the current CoT by coincidence would come close to fitting just such a race car. Scrape the grill and tail-light decals off and it could be anything.
Also suppose because of scheduling conflicts, weather patterns and the shear amount of travel for those competing in a “race car world series” it would be setup in geographical “divisions.” N. America, S. America, Africa, Asia and Europe would be separate divisions with individual champions.
And here’s where it really gets good. Once each season all divisions would come together for a series of races to determine the Generic Race Car World Series Champion. Location could be determined by the highest bidding venue. (Even Kentucky Motor Speedway - dependent on the quality of their lawyers)
Following the NASCAR model,and in keeping with the world-wide theme, it would be billed as the Chase for the Google Cup. (Hey who doesn’t Google?)
Thanks for the use of the hat George, but in reality I didn’t need it. In fact the “Chase for the Google Cup” has an endorsement from none other than Brian France.
“Do I think we can take that model, whether it’s in China or Europe or somewhere else? I do,” he said. “It will take a long time to do that. We’ve got to be careful. It can’t be us just coming over there with our business plan and spending a lot of money.”
Yep, it will take a long time Brian. Right about 2010 I would think. The year after NASCAR’s Car of Today sees its first full season of competition in 2009.
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Mmmmkay here’s what I don’t get about what the car markers are saying; the cars of TODAY don’t look like their street legal counterparts. Why are they so upset about the CoT? Do they honestly think that fans feel that the Monte Carlo Jeff Gordon drives looks like the one in their driveway? Most fans with ANY level of savvy know that there ain’t a single part in common between a stock car and a road car…and they also know that all the motors are build from scratch from totally different parts. What’s the big deal? The CoT is a new custom build racing car replacing another custom build race car. Pay your sponsorship money and you get to slap your badge on it and some headlight stickers that barely resemble that of the street car…how does that biz model differ from today’s car and the CoT? Englighten me people.
Look at the grille design of the Ford Fusion sold at dealers and the Ford Fusion NASCAR version. There is more than a passing resemblance. Same for the Dodge and to a lesser degree maybe, the Monte Carlo.
I think Detroit is baling on sponsorship issues and will become engine consultants only. Maybe not even that if Ilmor, Cosworth and anybody else with an engine package get into the sport.
On a purely technical evaluation you are correct. Maybe it’s time to lose the “Stock” in
NASCAR’s name! Call it NACAR or whatevcer else they choose to call it.
I have a very hard time visualizing the “sell on Monday” part of the equation vis a vis NASCAR car brands of today. I could visualize the connection to brands such as Thunderbird and Charger, but I can’t visualize ANYONE pointing to a new Taurus or a Monte Carlo and saying “That’s the car I want,” NASCAR fan or not.
The car mfgs here and NASCAR could take a cue from some of the other sedan/coupe series around the world–most notably Australian V8 Supercars which are branded as cars that an enthusiast in that area of the world might want, use modern engine technology, are quite evenly matched, cost contained, etc.
Ah George… what came first, your Ilmor reference? Or this announcement from a day or so ago?
“Ilmor Engineering Inc., a company with more than two decades of success in open-wheel racing, will build engines for the Biagi Bros. Racing GEICO / BryMak entry in the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series. Mark Green will drive the #4 Dodge Charger this season.” And then there is the already proved disasterous (So bad he now runs DEI power) attempt by Menard and the R. Gordon team.
I agree with your basic point Josh but… consider this: look at the front clip of a current Daytona or “Dega car and the front clip on say a Bristol or Martinsville car.
While the short track cars still have “aero built in” the other two stray so far from those two and even farther from the street version it’s ludicris. France says (other than safety) one reason for the CoT is to slow speeds.
Well duh… put that Bristol clip on a ‘Dega car and turn them loose. I don’t buy for a minute the use of the splitter or cow catcher they are attempting to use. Look at the test speeds, they have only been 3-5 mph slower, and still with the damn (albeit larger by diameter) restrictor plate in use. (the largest reason for “big ones” because they provide no throttle response and keep the field bunched)
“Aero push” and all the other related problems at Daytona and Dega would be solved with a reduction of 12-20 mph in speed. Less speed equals less downforce it’s simple equation that fails to enter into France’s thinking.
It’s so simple it led me to go off on my Area 51 rant. There is something more at work than what has been stated to the public.
Here’s my take: NASCAR stock cars are the most ugliest racecars in the world. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with CASCAR (Canadian NASCAR) but their stock cars almost resemble a sports car. If NASCAR was to improve their technology and their cars looks, then they would be just copying sports car racing. And what good would it be to have sports cars on an oval?
WHAT, I don’t know what CASCAR you’re looking at but it sure isn’t the Canadian Association for Stock Car Racing. (Which is in talks to be sold to NASCAR BTW)
If this image (http://tinyurl.com/74obt) of the Ford Taurus driven by Kerry Micks to a second place finish in CASCAR points looks like a sports car to you, I don’t know what to say.
If you want to slow the cars at Daytona and Talladega the answer is very simple. Stop trying to limit the car speeds and alter the damn tracks! Blasphemy, you say? Well, think about it. Put in a chicane somewhere and some how, and they won’t turn 200 mph laps, will they?
Sure the cost would be large, but it would be a one time fix instead of constantly dicking around with the car designs.
I just went to an event in Ohio for Rusty Wallace that this group put on: http://www.racingspeakers.com/index.php. Rusty said at the event that had about 800 people there that he thought the new car would be safer for the drivers and would race better based on the specs.
It also looks like the newest Wallace, Rusty son will be in the cup race by 2007. Should be interesting to see the young wallace this year on the Busch series.
NASCAR Fan 22
No one cares which car wins, they just have a favorite driver. Let each driver design a part for the generic car, and the one with the least failures wins the championship.
Make the cars as they were in the 60’s a dodge was a Dodge , a Ford was Ford and a manufacturer was willing to be involved mto a greater extent. Add driver saftey elements racing tires and basic stock engines allowing only balancing and blueprinting and camshaft and valve train changes. Must use a stock block and factory fuel systems enhanced by the E.C.M’s chips and programing. I would also allow beefed up suspension systems based on the factory design. This may seem like a drastic move, but it would drasticaly reduce the team cost factor and would get back to win on Sunday and sell on Monday. I spent 39 years in the auto industry in customer sales and service. I watched the racing win sales drop when every car had to fit a tempelate. Today’s stock cars can with ease run at speeds of 150/160 mph, and with the afore mentioned modifications they could be safley be running at 160/170 mph speeds and still be a car the buying public could relate to in the showroom.