Impala to replace Monte Carlo in NASCAR Nextel Cup

[superstreet]

Originally Posted by kool_zx3

Monte carlo sales will be in the toilet now...

[SCCA1995]

Originally Posted by TomDotCom

General Motors is phasing out the Monte Carlo and Grand Prix after the 2007 model year, hence the reason for the Nascar switch to Impalas. Both models are dated and not selling as expected.

Stay tuned though for some exciting announcements regarding their replacments.

I can't wait to hear what the GP replacement will actually be called.

I said to someone the other day, "This is gonna be the last year for good NASCAR racing". There has been so much hooplah about the car of tomorrow. I haven't found out why it is being introduced/mandated for NASCAR. I'll finish out this year, then probably stop watching racing all together. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing is my favorite right now, but is being broadcast only on Speed Network (which I don't have here). ALMS & SCCA were mostly on Speed. I think NASCAR racing went into the toilet when they accepted the big money to let NBC/TNT/FOX start televising races.

[327]

Originally Posted by ByTheLake

How could your opinion be wrong? It is what it is ... your opinion.

And I agree with you ... NASCAR is no fun since the true stock bodies stopped circulating the ovals years ago. I realize that those were still heavily modified production vehicles, but they were still production-based.

production based SHEETMETAL. and they still do run it, except for the lower sides of the car. Anyone that thinks they are plastic and stickers shouldnt ever watch it.

QUOTE
I hope the chevelle does come back it's my second favorite car camaro's first. Nascar body's are all the same anyway except for stickers but a certain person on this site will call you dumb and uneducated for saying so.QUOTE

Oh, cry me a river.. I will tell you people one thing. The Monte carlo nascar body is currently still running the cab from the 95-01 model ( I think they only changed the rear window on the street car) . How the hell does that match up with the other manufacturers body? Please someone tell me.. you can see it on COT pics. Now lower classes of nascar match the production sheetmetal even closer.

[SDRacing]

Originally Posted by ByTheLake

I actually do enjoy motorsports, but prefer the production-based races, like with some SCCA events.

Regarding NASCAR, rather than it's current cloned cars, it's history is more interesting to me, being rooted in the bootlegging of moonshine. How cool is that?

yes, but as stated in these nascar thread wars as before, do you think a stock bodied impala could handle 200 mph? And if you wrecked the car, just imagine how much it would cost to replace the body panels...hence the sheetmetal bodies. I enjoy ALL motorsports, with nascar my fav... there are people here that have never been to a race and bash it all to hell. Tv gives it no justice, they are so much faster in person.

[gmhashope]

Originally Posted by poncho1982

Nascar as we know and love, is dead. Has been for a few years now. IMO it died in 1987 when GM announced it was cancelling the RWD Monte and began racing the FWD Lumina (in RWD form of course)

Oh, and lets not forget the day they put restrictor plates on at the Super Speedways.

Right it's a lot better if the cars go flying into the stands and kills a few fans and the driver. That's a lot better.

I said this the other day that MC was done in NASCAR and the Impala would probably replace it. No surprise here.

Also, if so many people hate NASCAR then stay out of a thread about NASCAR. I'm so sick of people's ignorance. Make sure you know your facts before you try to bash something.

[SDRacing]

Originally Posted by Slack

This seems like the right thing to do. Monte Carlos have almost no brand recognition now. No one cares about them, not even NASCAR fans. They all drive pickups anyway. And who cares if the Impala is a four door, Nextel Cup cars don't have doors.

Uhh there are nascar fans that care!!

[asim]

I guess this is the first main move by GM to give the Monte Carlo a slow death. This is sad, it is such a great car. My brother had a 1997 model years back, it was a great car. Now the nameplate is dying once again.

[Phillip]

Originally Posted by ByTheLake

Translation:
NASCAR has given GM permission to remove the Monte Carlo headlight and grille stickers and apply Impala headlight and grille stickers

The article ends with:
But there are NO Monte Carlos on NASCAR tracks ... only plastic shells with stickers on them. Is this really a loss?

Don't forget the tail lamps! Nonetheless, I agree. I'm not a NASCAR basher, but since these vehicles share nigh nothing with what's sold on Monday, this doesn't strike me as riveting unless you're delving into whether the Monte Carlo name has a future in GM.

[gmhashope]

That's because the Monte Carlo is dead and I'm sure most of us here will be happy to see a RWD Camaro instead.

[Ty_99]

Wow, Alot of hatred in this thread. Unfortunately it will be sad seeing the MC leave Nascar, even in there are only minor resemblance between the two cars, and it is more about the name.

Wasn't the last major redesign (Changing the front grill and back lights is not a major redesign in my books) of the MC done to make it more efficient as a Nascar, until NASCAR stepped in and said "umm u guys have to much of advantage over the competition"?

But it will be interesting to see how the Impala looks in Nascar trim.

[poncho1982]

Originally Posted by gmhashope

Right it's a lot better if the cars go flying into the stands and kills a few fans and the driver. That's a lot better.

Play with fire, eventually you get burned. But the racing was WAY better.

Nascar at it's most dangerous, is not nearly as dangerous to the fans as Rally is right now.

[gmhashope]

Originally Posted by poncho1982

Play with fire, eventually you get burned. But the racing was WAY better.

Nascar at it's most dangerous, is not nearly as dangerous to the fans as Rally is right now.

Yea, but if 10 fans are killed at a NASCAR race I know that it will be the headline on every single news in the morning. People will be complaining and saying the government needs to stop NASCAR and there will be major law suits.Not to mention the insurance for NASCAR would be through the roof.

Now if 10 fans are killed because they're practically standing on the course at a rally race in Europe, some news channels might mention at the end and not too many people would care.

Oh, not to mention Rusty Wallace tested a car for Nextel without a restrictor plate and guess what he hated it. Doing 226 mph tore apart the tires and he said it would be near impossible for a race to happen at those speeds.

[Family Man]

Originally Posted by gmhashope

Right it's a lot better if the cars go flying into the stands and kills a few fans and the driver. That's a lot better.

I said this the other day that MC was done in NASCAR and the Impala would probably replace it. No surprise here.

Also, if so many people hate NASCAR then stay out of a thread about NASCAR. I'm so sick of people's ignorance. Make sure you know your facts before you try to bash something.

Many, many forms of autoracing have had to deal with better technology that has resulted in faster cars. F1, the so-called "pinaccle" of motorsport once ran turbochare v12s with added ground effects that would suck the cars to the ground to increase cornering speeds. Today, these cars run using n/a v8s with grooved "slicks" to slow them in the corners. At many tracks this year, the qualifying speeds were faster than last year. Once can only imagine what the state of NASCAR would be today if cars ran with no restrictor plates. I remember vividly watching Bobby Allison ( I beleive) rip apart a catch fence near the start finish line at a superspeedway back in the 80s. Frightening indeed.

Personally, I couldn't care less what GM ran, as long as they continue to support NASCAR.

[SCCA1995]

Originally Posted by Family Man

Many, many forms of autoracing have had to deal with better technology that has resulted in faster cars. F1, the so-called "pinaccle" of motorsport once ran turbochare v12s with added ground effects that would suck the cars to the ground to increase cornering speeds. Today, these cars run using n/a v8s with grooved "slicks" to slow them in the corners. At many tracks this year, the qualifying speeds were faster than last year. Once can only imagine what the state of NASCAR would be today if cars ran with no restrictor plates. I remember vividly watching Bobby Allison ( I beleive) rip apart a catch fence near the start finish line at a superspeedway back in the 80s. Frightening indeed.

Personally, I couldn't care less what GM ran, as long as they continue to support NASCAR.

That was Bobby & it was at Talladega, Alabama. 1988 IIRC.

[inov8r]

Probably more already said than is needed, but I'm jumping in the pool too...

I've felt for a long time that GM/Chevy should make this move. What we won't know is whether NA$CAR came to GM and "suggested" it, or if GM made the move as a business decision. It will look alot more like a Camry on-track, unfortunately. What will be interesting is what model will be used by the Chevy teams when the current car transitions to the new & larger RWD version in a few years--Malibu would become the logical replacement silhouette, it seems to me.

As far as MC going away, I'm thinking that maybe the name could re-surface on a "luxury" Impala, just as the Caprice nameplate came into being in 1965. There are probably some here just waiting for a new Caprice to be revived in the NA market. The Holden Statesman/Caprice is the top-line car, and I think they began using the Caprice name at some point in the 90's--not sure. I'd look at a MC-badged big Chevy sedan as akin to the difference between the Camry and Avalon.

The deviation in this thread regarding models & placement deserves comment--I'm really wondering if the "new" Impala will be as small as 115-116" WB. The new Commodore is 114.8" WB and the Statesman/Caprice is 118" WB. Maybe I'm wrong, but I see the target for Impala as the Dodge Charger/Magnum, which are 120" WB, and the Statesman's 118" platform version would make the most sense as the new Impala, IMO.

Finally, as far as "sedan racing" which really does resemble the production car as far as silhouette, I really do enjoy watching the Australian V8 Supercar series. No ovals, but the competition is extreme and passion regarding vehicle brand is VERY much part of the deal, unlike NA$CAR!

Craftsman Trucks--I agree it's the best thing going (in NA$CAR) at present, though the "foreign" domination is quite disappointing--Toyota did not cnter into their endeavor to finish anywhere but first place.

I also agree with whoever stated that NA$CAR really went off the reservation when the big TV deals started. Now we get commercials interrupted by short periods of "racing". Yellow flags appear more for the purpose of showing commercials and network promos than for any "good" reason. The sanctioning body and networks are clearly giving each other a reach-around....while we sit and wonder WHY another yellow flag came out.