Will NASCAR be affected negatively by Chrysler and GM's bankruptcies?
 

I am not truly a NASCAR fan, I far more enjoy Indy type cars, but I see the bankruptcies as a true issue that could cripple NASCAR. Although the foreign makers (Toyota, Honda, etc) may see this as an opportunity to truly cash in on an American icon.

GM today has made this announcement: General Motors plans cuts across NASCAR - Racing - SI.com

While June 2nd, Richard Petty said this: NASCAR may lose Dodge, GM

What do you think all this means for NASCAR?

Huh, I never considered there might be a positive side of GM and Chrysler going bankrupt. See the glass as half full!

/can't stand NASCAR

It'd be interesting if they started using models from outside the US.

i have mixed feelings about this. it was odd when toyota raced in NASCAR, only because NASCAR is an american thing, born out of bootlegging and american ingenuity (read sunday money. best book on NASCAR ever). then again, times change, the new blood might be good for the sport, and ultimately, i think the majority of the folks don't care about the make of the car.

if they raced mistubishis, hondas, fiats, and bmw's, would it still be NASCAR? or is NASCAR only possible with american made cars?

is NASCAR about who makes the car, or is it about how they race, car specs and limits, etc?

there is nothing "stock" in stock car racing today, so does it matter if the non-stock stock car is not american made?

i think if they kept racing the same way they do now, kept the fun and excitement, kept it all NASCAR-y, most fans won't care who built the engine.

When I first started following NASCAR in the early 90's the cars had long since gotten away from being based on production vehicles but they still looked like them. You could take a Lumina, Grand Prix or Thunderbird race car painted in bare primer and no decals and tell which was which. Now with the COT you can't tell the difference between a Impala, Fusion, Charger or Camry, since they look nothing like the production counterparts. Same with the engine. 15 years ago the engine blocks were basically beefier versions of the engines used in production trucks at the time. Today the engines are nothing alike and share no dimensions with any production parts.

Attendance and tv ratings are both way down from when they peaked a couple of years ago. Many tracks that were furiously adding seating capacity as fast as they could in the 90s are now covering big sections of grandstands with tarps emblazoned with track sponsor logos in an effort to make the stands look less empty than they really are.

So with the vehicles being raced bearing no similarity to what they are selling, and decreased interest from the public there really isn't any reason for the manufacturers to continue at their current level. I still think they should be involved since a significant portion of their customer base is there.

But yeah, I used to be a hard core NASCAR fan, but recently I don't even watch 1/2 the races anymore. If NASCAR dies it will have more to do with them getting too big too fast and thinking the growth would continue forever than anything the automakers did.