I think we feel the same way about this. The races lack drama and excitement, even though statistically, they are closer with far more competitive cars than in the golden days of racing. Maybe it's overexposure, maybe it's the cookiecutter tracks, definitely the rise of the corporate spokesperson-driver versus the parttime bootleggers we grew up rooting for and against. I think the decline of brand competition plays a big role. As a kid, I rooted for Richard Petty but also I totally hated Ford and GM. Particularly Ford, an antipathy I still carry. Everyone knows the cars today are identical with only a few graphics distinguishing one brand from another. In the old days, a real fan wouldn't be caught dead driving any make other than the one his favorite driver drove. Today, most fans drive minivans or japanese models.
I don't know what the answer is and I know for a fact that NASCAR doesn't either. In fact, their attitude is best described as denial. To them, moving the Southern 500 from Darlington and giving the date to Fontana was a no brainer. Probably some consulting firm ran the numbers for them and pointed out that Darlington was designed by a dirt farmer, was in the middle of nowhere and Fontana had the vast LA market. Also, fans at Darlington tended to do unPC things like bring Confederate flags to races. Tradition, history and great racing got lost in the Powerpoint presentation.
I think the COT needs to be junked. It's butt ugly. The cars are way too aero dependent. A guy gets in front in clean air and he can't be passed. If someone uses the bumper to pass, it's an international incident. My favorite NASCAR series now is trucks. I'll watch Superbike motorcycle racing over anything NASCAR puts on. I find the American Le Mans series and the Rolex sports car series to be far more entertaining, and I'm not a big road race fan. In fact, the best race NASCAR has each year is Tony Stewart's Eldora dirt track event. Too bad it's not the deciding race in the Cup.
