LOYALTY FACTOR LONG GONE IN NASCAR.Byline: Louis Brewster Staff Writer Random thoughts before the start of a very busy - and much anticipated - NASCAR NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), organization that sanctions American stock-car races, est. 1948. It held its first race in Daytona Beach, Fla. weekend at California Speedway The California Speedway is a two-mile, low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California, similar to that of "sister track" Michigan International Speedway. It is located approximately 40 miles east of Los Angeles on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill. , wondering whatever happened to former NASCAR Winston West driver Ruben Garcia Ruben Garcia (born April 1, 1946) is an American NASCAR racer from South El Monte, California. He started out in the Winston West Series. He is best remembered for hitting the wall at the Riverside International Raceway on June 12, 1988, when he came off turn 9 and hit the wall . ... For years, what set NASCAR's top level of competition apart from the country's other major professional sports The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. was the loyalty factor. NASCAR fans were loyal to the drivers, and, just as important, loyal to the sponsors. Such devotion attracted corporate America to the sport. In turn, drivers were loyal to the men who owned the cars. Sure, some drivers went from team to team, but the top-tier stars regularly remained with their teams and sponsors through thick and thin. Owners garnered big headlines in the rare instances when they ``let'' a driver go, usually for poor performance. After all, stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly in the United States and Great Britain held largely on oval rings of between approximately a quarter-mile and 2. is a performance-driven sport. The landscape is changing, and loyalty is taking a hit. Sponsors are quick to jump to a team it figures might produce better results, whether in a race or on its bottom line. Chip Ganassi Floyd "Chip" Ganassi (born May 24, 1958 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and educated at local Duquesne University) is a former American racecar driver and current racecar owner. , who made his reputation in open-wheel racing, shook the NASCAR garage several years ago when he tried to lure Tony Stewart For other persons named Tony Stewart, see Tony Stewart (disambiguation). Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart (born May 20, 1971) is an auto racing driver who was born in Columbus, Indiana. He has won championships in sprint cars, Indy cars, and stock cars. out from under his contract with Joe Gibbs. It's quite possible Ganassi wasn't the first to employ such tactics, but he was the first to take it public. Ganassi's bold move came back to haunt him and partner Felix Sabates this summer. Jamie McMurray, under contract to Ganassi through 2006, upset the apple cart by signing a deal with Jack Roush for 2007. In turn, Roush was burned when defending Nextel Cup champ Kurt Busch signed to drive for Roger Penske in 2007. Suddenly, NASCAR looked very much like the stick-and-ball sports, albeit with a slight twist. In the end, money and opportunity had replaced loyalty. ... Southern California is remembered by many people for many things. But in NASCAR circles, there is one lasting memory of Fontana and California Speedway: Trash. The talk among the drivers after the last two Cup races at Fontana has revolved around the volume of trash blown onto the track. A hot dog wrapper stuck in an air opening can rob a car of the power it needs on a horsepower track. So what's the solution? Nothing but hot dogs on a stick? More trash containers? Less paper products to protect food? Actually, the answer is quite simple: Put the trash in the can instead of letting it drop. Police your own area. ... What are the odds NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. opens Sunday's telecast with a scenic shot more associated with Hollywood than either Fontana or San Bernardino County? Is there a site in and around Fontana that can compete with the traditional Hollywood sign shot, or the Santa Monica Pier The Santa Monica Pier is located at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California and is a prominent landmark. Attractions The pier contains Pacific Park, a family amusement park with a large ferris wheel. ? Whatever it ends up being one thing is certain - unlike last year, there won't be repeated mentions about the West Nile virus West Nile virus, microorganism and the infection resulting from it, which typically produces no symptoms or a flulike condition. The virus is a flavivirus and is related to a number of viruses that cause encephalitis. , which had all of NASCAR concerned last September - especially after footage of vector trucks spraying around the speedway appeared. ... If Tony Stewart wins Sunday night, will he climb the fence? Stewart will try, but the chances of him reaching the starter's stand are pretty remote. The bottom trap door is accessible only from the grandstand, and if Stewart is as tired as previous winners, it'll take a huge effort to go over the top. Furthermore, the fence is at a steep angle from the track and stands on top of a 4-foot wall. Nevertheless, if Smoke continues his streak and does take the checkered flag, fans will be happy even if he only climbs part way. ... Traffic should not be an issue for Sunday's race, although it might have an impact for Friday night's Grand National West event. Because of Sunday's late starting time (5 p.m.), fans are expected to drift in all day in Fontana. Some will tailgate A conversion layer that lets IDE devices connect to the IEEE 1394 Firewire interface. all day, some will arrive for the 2 p.m. concert by Everclear and some will make it just in time. Nothing like 90,000-plus trying to get in by 11 a.m. as in the February race. There is less stress to get out. Most fans will not work Monday, cutting the tension level. ... It's unlikely Sunday's race will sell out, which will cause the Eastern press to question whether Southern California deserves a race, let alone two. But don't take that talk seriously. International Speedway Corporation International Speedway Corporation (ISC) is a corporation whose primary business is the ownership and management of NASCAR race tracks. ISC was founded by NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. owns the facility. When it starts to bark about the lack of fans, then it's time to listen. But until then, ISC (1) (Internet Systems Consortium, Redwood City, CA www.isc.org) An organization founded by Paul Vixie, Carl Malamud and Rick Adams in 1994 and later sponsored by UUNET and other Internet companies. is content to take the proceeds from 100,000 fans to the bank. CAPTION(S): photo, 4 boxes Photo: Chip Ganassi, who tried to lure Tony Stewart from Joe Gibbs' team several years ago, watched Jamie McMurray leave his team for greener pastures with Jack Roush racing in 2007. Getty Images Box: (1) NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES SONY HD 500 (2) STANDINGS (3) SERIES SCHEDULE (4) NASCAR WEST SERIES RELOCATE HERE 200 |
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