Running 2018 NASCAR thread

They took a pretty big hit in 2014 during the Winter Olympics as well. It's not as bad as people are making it out to be. The bigger concern is the downward trend. For all the added viewers between 2000-2010, it looks like the sport is back to pretty much where it was during the CBS/ESPN years.
The drivers really need to differentiate themselves - they all seem about as similar as the cars.

 

Agreed. That IROC Camaro was a great looking race car, plus the street version looked awesome, especially with the t-tops.
As for Elliott, didn't his team find something in the engines for the speedways? IIRC, the other Fords weren't up to his pace, especially the 1985 Talladega race where he made up 2 laps under green. The Chevy teams got the Aerocoupe the next year to compete with the slicker T-Bird, while Pontiac got the Grand Prix Fastback.
To me, the best looking cars in NASCAR were in 1988. The 1987-88 T-Bird translated to a nice looking racer, the Monte Carlo Aerocoupes looked badass (especially Earnhardt's new Goodwrench ride with the silver No. 3), and the new GM10 cars looked good, especially the Oldsmobiles.

 

Sunday winner Kevin Harvick team penalized, fined and suspended after car fails post-race inspection.
Funny, because during the race, several folks talked about a rear window issue, which many , including announcers, downplayed.
He was fined for the window issue and a using a steel rocker panel instead of aluminum.

NASCAR penalizes Kevin Harvick for illegal Las Vegas race-winning car

 

Lowes severs ties wth No. 49 Hendrick motorsports

Articledoesnt say if Lowe's is getting out NASCAR sponsorship, just ending relationship with No. 48 team and Hendrick.

Lowe's will not return to Hendrick in 2019

 

Is it that full-season sponsorship is just too expensive these days and the sport's market penetration doesn't justify the expense?
It just doesn't seem to be a sport that Main Street American brands will underwrite any more. FedEx and Lowes I think are the only sole sponsors of teams this year. And looking at the rest of the team sponsors is kind of a mish-mash.

 

NASCAR low ratings and losing sponsors? If only their players would stand during the game

 

If Trump really loved NASCAR, he'd allow liquor and tobacco ads back on cars.

 

Aren't liquor ads allowed? I remember there being a Crown Royal car a while back.

 

Trivia question: Name the three drivers who drove the Lowe's car for Richard Childress in 2001.

 

I'm guessing Jeff Burton is one of them, it was the 31 right?

 

The answer: Mike Skinner, Robby Gordon and Jeff Green.

Skinner was the first driver in Lowe's livery (if you remember, he won the Daytona 500 pole in the No. 31 as a rookie in 1997). He had the full-time ride as teammate to Dale Earnhardt until Skinner suffered a concussion and knee injury in a major crash at Chicagoland midway through the 2001 season. Gordon was expected to finish the season and then take over the ride in 2002. Instead, Skinner returned after five races, re-injured the knee at Richmond and opted for surgery. Gordon almost won at Watkins Glen, but the in-car camera caught fire. He ended up in the car for a total of 10 races and won the season-finale after Jeff Gordon ran into him at Loudon (postponed until November because of 9/11). Green ran the No. 31 at Homestead instead of the No. 30 AOL.

And it's actually a trick question, because there were FOUR drivers who ran Lowe's colors in 2001.

After Skinner's first crash, Lowe's didn't think much of Robby and decided it would drop sponsorship with RCR and throw in with Rick Hendrick. So he put some off-road racing punk from El Cajon, Calif., in the Lowe's/Power of Pride No. 48 Chevrolet at Charlotte, Homestead and Atlanta. Johnny Jimson or something. I don't think he amounted to much.