Atlanta thoughts

[Red Byrd]

I don't usually comment on NASCAR races, but did anyone notice the HUGE different between the "bushwhackers" vs. the Busch regulars vs. the little guys? It was almost embarassing...

oh, sorry, Nationwide

[hdolan]

I don't usually comment on NASCAR races, but did anyone notice the HUGE different between the "bushwhackers" vs. the Busch regulars vs. the little guys? It was almost embarassing...

oh, sorry, Nationwide

Indeed...not unlike the Cup guys and the newly arrrived open wheelers...

[jonesi]

I don't usually comment on NASCAR races, but did anyone notice the HUGE different between the "bushwhackers" vs. the Busch regulars vs. the little guys? It was almost embarassing...

oh, sorry, Nationwide

It's been that way for years. If you work out the economics/expenses of the series the only way to be competitive in the top 10-20 is sponsorship at a level (~$8-12mil) you can only obtain with a name cup driver. Also any non-cup driver who can run in the top 10 consistently, probably already is already on a development deal and will move up to Cup next year, at which time he too may become a "bushwhacker".

[Mack Too]

It wasn't always that way, the small independent teams that were good have either became big guys or have quit because of three seasons of Buschwacking. Todd Braun hooked up with Toyota and graduated, I know the reasons but won't say. I know the family and I knew Todd for about three years. There is nothing bad, it is a decent story, I let the PR people tell what needs to be known. Anyway, most of the big independent "Busch" teams either combined/merged or quit, until now there are less than a handful. The rest are a bunch of shoestring operations, often funded by family money, using ex-cup cars you used to have to pay $30K for. You now can get one for 1/3rd of that because there are so many. People do this just to get sons or relatives enough seat time to get in a lucky run and become the next David Gilliland, who took 10 years to become an overnight sensation. About 8 of those cars were there for the start money, field fillers recruited to put on an appearance of a full field, all is not well in the NWS.

[NoviVespa]

Looks like they should make a new rule. You must run in the Sprint series to be eligible to run in the Nationwide series.

[Mack Too]

That might work better, and you must cherry-pick a truck race of six.

[Red Byrd]

I care more about the Busch series than Cup because it's base was near my home (it's first season it ran eight races at my home track), and it's heritage is places like Hickory, SoBo, Myrtle Beach, Greenville, BGS, Wilkesboro, ect. I still wish that maybe while Cup does it's thing in California we could still see a race at the Rock after Daytona. It was always the excuse that running Busch gave setup data... I was kinda hoping the availability of cheap ex-Cup cars would help the Busch series but now I'm hoping it'll trickle down to the short tracks here [still stuck in the 70's, will not allow anything like sprinters, modifieds, or anything else that isn't NASCAR because they still believe that NASCAR cares about them - the result being that capital improvements aren't being made because no-one but diehards want to see old 80's/90's cup cars run around. The few tracks (namely Concord Park) that have opened up and are running new things such as modifieds (and the supermods last fall) have seen the gate go up and now have great facilities, while Hickory hasn't seen a fresh coat of paint since 1993.]

Sorry, NATIONWIDE (isn't that the problem?)

[KevMcNJ]

still stuck in the 70's, will not allow anything like sprinters, modifieds, or anything else that isn't NASCAR because they still believe that NASCAR cares about them - the result being that capital improvements aren't being made because no-one but diehards want to see old 80's/90's cup cars run around.

Yup, sounds like your neighboring state to the south

I really expected a whole lot more out of the local racing scene when I moved to SC, but it is a mess. No idea why.

I have noticed since moving here and maybe being sorta in the same region you can back it up, is that much of the goofy s**t I see done here every day is just done that way because its always been done that way.

A co-worker once told me, if you dont like the way we do things then go back to where you were before.

[TM1511]

Hey folks, these aren't the ex-cup cars. IIRC, the Nationwide cars had a smaller wheelbase than the car of yesterday. The old cup cars went to ARCA teams, which ran the same wheelbase.

[Mack Too]

Wrong, many cup teams convert cars to what is now NWS, it is easy to whack off several inches of wheel base, we are talking "inches" here, not feet.

[Red Byrd]

I was about to say the same thing, Mack, it is easy to convert. Now if they could go back to the V6's...

[KevMcNJ]

I was about to say the same thing, Mack, it is easy to convert. Now if they could go back to the V6's...

you dont wanna go there.

I know yer too young to recall,


but they sounded awful dude

That being said.... Bobby Allsion could make the #12 V-6 walk and talk on Saturday afternoons 20 years ago

[Indy500fanatic]

you dont wanna go there.

I know yer too young to recall,


but they sounded awful dude

That being said.... Bobby Allsion could make the #12 V-6 walk and talk on Saturday afternoons 20 years ago

Yeah and they blew up on an alarming basis too.

[Red Byrd]

I've seen old videos, I thought they sounded pretty cool. I think I watched them race once or twice also. Maybe it's just a preference thing.