Automakers' struggles affecting NASCAR

[1931Chevy]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070125/..._industry_woes
CONCORD, N.C. - When asked about Ford Motor Co.'s announcement that it lost a record $12.7 billion last year, the director of Dodge's racing program cringes as if he just swallowed a swig of motor oil.

These aren't the best of times for the U.S. auto industry, and the effects are starting to trickle down to NASCAR. Folks in the race team shops sprinkled throughout suburban Charlotte are worried about tightening their belts _ and not just the ones on their engines.

Mike Accavitti, director of Dodge Motorsports and SRT Product Planning, said teams must start finding ways to become more efficient.
"I've always contended that if it's a money-burning contest, you've got the wrong partner," Accavitti said. "I don't want to say we're cheap, but we never really had a lot of money to just throw at things."

[RamJet502]

I want to see Dodge make a financial comeback. I still consider Dodge an American company and I think they make Chevy and Ford work harder. Letting Toyota into the race could alienate a lot of diehard fans which would be bad for the domestics because NASCAR is great advertisement.

[motorman]

Originally Posted by RamJet502

I want to see Dodge make a financial comeback. I still consider Dodge an American company and I think they make Chevy and Ford work harder. Letting Toyota into the race could alienate a lot of diehard fans which would be bad for the domestics because NASCAR is great advertisement.

people who buy toyotas tend to be in the upper income brackets and NASCAR needs this demographic because the older NASCAR fan was more blue collar. with the cost to go to the races these days i think NASCAR has found out that the blue collar folks are staying home and watching the races on TV. the wife and i used to go to 10/12 races a year but we have cut back to just going to daytona for speed weeks because of the costs. NO i do not get free tickets.

[ChevroletRevived]

And people say the Detroit companies not doing well doesn't have a big impact...

[GotAWD]

Originally Posted by ChevroletRevived

And people say the Detroit companies not doing well doesn't have a big impact...

no doubt. im not gonna preech my nascar stuff anymore as far as im concern its dead. leave it at that.

[gotz_otto]

I have always thought NASCAR was a waste of money hobby. Oil, gas and tires are just a few wastes, maybe if they ran on E85 it would not be so bad. To me it is not a sport, just a hobby to waste money and spend time watching it.

[redimpss5]

Screw the new car from the orient!

[nascarnate326]

Originally Posted by GotAWD

no doubt. im not gonna preech my nascar stuff anymore as far as im concern its dead. leave it at that.

Amen.
Grand Am racing FTW!

[Shotgun]

I wonder how much, if any, NASCAR helped prop up the domestic automakers for a while with the "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" idea. I'd say it did help for a while, but now the only ones that can help the automakers are themselves.

[Sinner]

ALMS, Speed World Challenge, WRC are all far more exciting and highly engineered than NASCAR and it's related/sub forms.

We wouldn't have a Corvette Z06 if it weren't for the ALMS and Le Mans, NASCAR? Well it has the Monte Carlo . When was the last time NASCAR brought racing tech to the street? NASCAR's glory days as well as it's usefullness are long over.

[bone]

Toyota must be laughing. they are coming into Nascar with tons of money just when the big three must seriously think of cutting back. In three years time Toyota will be winning just about everything. Tell you what, they won't get any help from me.

[ChevyITguy]

Originally Posted by RamJet502

I want to see Dodge make a financial comeback. I still consider Dodge an American company and I think they make Chevy and Ford work harder. Letting Toyota into the race could alienate a lot of diehard fans which would be bad for the domestics because NASCAR is great advertisement.

I'm not so sure about driving fans away from NASCAR as much as driving fans away from those companies sponsoring Toyota teams. I've talked to a large number of people who won't buy parts from NAPA any longer simply because of their sponsorship of Michael Waltrip (note to Toyota: if you're gonna sponsor a team sponsor a WINNER... end of note).

I'm willing to bet good money that there are far more owners of Chevys, Fords and Dodges that are NASCAR fans than there are owners of Toyotas.

Just my two cents...

[rkuk2k]

Originally Posted by bone

Toyota must be laughing. they are coming into Nascar with tons of money just when the big three must seriously think of cutting back. In three years time Toyota will be winning just about everything. Tell you what, they won't get any help from me.

Hasn't helped them in F1 has though has it?? They are seriously crap, a good example of where throwing lots of money at something does not always bring results, especially instantaneous. I didn't realise Toybota were in Nascar

[Dynamo]

Originally Posted by Shotgun

I wonder how much, if any, NASCAR helped prop up the domestic automakers for a while with the "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" idea. I'd say it did help for a while, but now the only ones that can help the automakers are themselves.

NASCAR certainly helps regionally, but to say it propped up the biggest companies in the world is a deslusion of granduer. Don't get me wrong, I worked in NASCAR and love it, but it's just an advertising expense for us anymore. Money well spent compared to print ads in my mind but certainly not a prop.

[CBECK]

GM-FORD get out of NASCAR, send a message, be BOLD like your rides Ford-be like always-like never before GM.