NASCAR is buying another racing series

[Jaedon]

It seems that NASCAR just has too much money and not enough races, now they are purchasing the Grand Am series including the Rolex series, Grand Am Koni Challenge and the Mustang series as well. Are they getting too big for their britches?

link: http://www.racingone.com/article.aspx?artnum=44803

[RP Racing]

They also have their grubby hands in the AMA Superbike series now (DMG took over ama racing from the AMA starting next year). Daytona Motor Group (DMG) also took over Suntrust which runs the Grand Am Rolex series and Moto-ST. Pretty damn funny to see a motorcycle ROAD RACE do a rolling start and use pace cars.

[SmartWombat]

Pretty damn funny to see a motorcycle ROAD RACE do a rolling start and use pace cars.

They've got to get their corporate heads out of wherever they're stuck on that one !
Mind you, a NASCAR standing start with 4 cars on each row of the grid would be fun too

[Jaedon]

damn right.... make em run to their cars get in and start from a stand still like the old days lol.

[Jimmy B]

Standing starts on the banking would be a hoot!
JB

[brmill26]

Ah, I just now saw this thread. I think NASCAR is out to control (ruin?) every form of racing in America. There are only two major racing series in the US now that are not controlled by NASCAR, those being ALMS and Indycar.

The AMA sale to DMG (DMG is NASCAR by another corporate name) is still a HUGE talking point in the motorcycle world, and currently Honda and Suzuki are still fighting hard against it, thankfully. DMG wants to turn bike racing into NASCAR - they want to get rid of 1000cc bikes altogether, make 600cc the premier class. But they will dyno-limit horsepower, issue identical ECUs, make "competition adjustments," and generally keep the bikes as close to stock/uninteresting as possible. When riders like Mat Mladin voiced their opinions that this was ridiculous, they were met with the traditional NASCAR "you will like it, you must like it, and if you don't shut up we will punish you." Well, Mat Mladin and Suzuki refused to shut up, and in return DMG tore down all 3 of their factory Superbikes and disqualified 6-time champion Mat Mladin from an entire weekend of racing (two races/50 points), effectively ending his Championship quest. None of the above is what I nor any other fan of motorcycle racing wants to see, yet Roger Edmondson/DMG/NASCAR seem to have their heads so far up their rears that they're going to stick to their "what we say is right" attitude until they ruin everything.

In response, the Motorcycle Industry Counsel, a trade group made up of all 300+ OEMs and aftermarket companies, has created their own superbike series, called U.S. Superbike, which will essentially run the same format at World Superbike - 1000cc premier class with contained factory development, and a 600cc support class.

As yet, no manufacturers have publicly committed to one series or the other, but it is widely believed that Honda and Suzuki will go with the MIC's USSB, Kawasaki is likely to, and Yamaha will go with DMG. At any rate, if you follow bike racing in the US or are a race fan of any sort, this is a very serious thing. I personally hope USSB wins out for two reasons: 1) I don't want NASCAR to control all racing in the US, and more importantly 2) I don't want to see production motorcycle racing. The latter would completely kill off US racing's relevance in the world because stock 600s are have nothing on 1000cc WSBK, much less MotoGP.

[Jaedon]

I have not yet been to a Motorcycle race but was waiting to find the time. Now if NASCAR gets their hands on it they will bring themselves more harm in the end. What do I mean by that? Well look what they did to their own premier series the Sprint Cup. They have pretty much dumbed it down so much that the car is next to impossible to drive, the racing is uninspiring, the only controversy that would have brought some life to the series (Kyle Busch vs. Carl Edwards) was given the big SLAP of probation ensuring that they won't touch paint for at least another 5 races since the penalty, and on and on I could go. Don't get me wrong, I like the safety that the drivers now have in the new cars but I don't like the racing in them yet. Now if they get their hands on more racing series and make them their new pet projects, they will bring the same sort of Borg ruin to the sport.

The only real improvement I have seen to any series that NASCAR has put their "brand" on is the former CASCAR series up here in Canada. With new found money and sposorships on the rise they've managed to save a dying series from where it was headed. There's a lot more talk of grass roots racing up here then there has been in recent years past. One can only hope that they see the light and listen to the fans about the poor minded changes they have been making in other series.

[RP Racing]

ONly thing they did to the nascar series that was a real screw up recently is the stupid dash to the cup thingy they do for the last 10 races. The new cars are still in their infancy. In about 2-3 more years the drivers will be so used to them they will forget how the old cars were. Honestly these cars should had been put in YEARS ago along with MANY of the safety changes that were implemented after Earnharts death namely a HANS device required ( which more than likely would had saved Earnhart, Irwin, Roper and Adam Petty) and full face helmets. Nascar went through the same issues when they went from the cars of the 70's to mid 80's true stock cars (ie pretty much same setup as their street counterparts and most started life as a street car). to the cars of the late 80's to the dawning of the COT. In about 10-15 yrs when cars basic setup are probably changed again it will start over.

Personally I gave up on nascar around 94. The constant whining between GM and Ford about who has more advantage got old. Also nascar changing the rules nearly every week to "even out the playing field" if one brand seemed to run away at one event really drove me nuts. If it was for safety reasons, fine, but the raising and lowering spoiler and air dam heights and angles was just silly.

Problem with the AMA is that AMA Pro Racing has been a clusterfk for nearly the last decade or so. It was only a matter of time when they would be sold off to whomever was willing to pony up. DMG really couldnt do any worse then the AMA already has. Right now even the newly announced USSB really doesnt seem to be coming together (check Road Racing World's website for J.U.'s articles on them).