NASCAR Rant

[Marty Kocse]

There was a time when the having a Ford vs Chevy vs Plymouth meant something.  My first race was at Darlington in the 70's over Labor Day weekend - man it was HOT!  I remember distinctly how Cale Yarborough and David Pearson were so much faster than the other cars that day.  It was pretty cool watching them go around at super sonic speeds while the others still messed with their setups. 

Now, all the cars are almost identical.  They use a single tire, have restrictor plates, have aerodynamic tolerances, and even suspension setups mandated at some tracks.  As far as the cars go, what do they have today that can distinguish one from another?  Nothing.  They want them all to be exactly the same and put in place guidelines to keep them that way.  They might as well change the name from NASCAR to IROC. 

What they need is for some more differences to exist between the cars and let the drivers/crew chiefs have more freedom to make changes that will distinguish their car from the others.

Oh yeah, I stood next to the KING, "Richard Petty", and believe it or not, got to shake Jackie Stewart's hand as he crossed through the infield (he was reporting on the race).  It was a great day.