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Can't believe how much trouble the Nationwide Series is in atm. Someone already mentioned that there's less entries than the CWTS race (also got to mention that there's a chance that less than 40 cars turn up, can't see the 52 turning up after their practice crash at Daytona), and of those, nearly half of them are at the moment unsponsored for this weekend (including the Daytona 500 winner). I had a feeling that this year would be a struggle, but I didn't expect it to be this bad, and tbh, I'm glad One's not showing any races in full this season.

It is kinda sad considering the entry lists were always 45-48 with old car last year...but I only count 3 or 4 start and parks. At times last year almost 10 cars would park so it's really the same. Cutting the purse is the biggest problem. They should have done something to avoid that. Even if it meant cutting the field to 36 and distributing the current money for 37-43 into those 36...but mainly for the back half of the finishers. I'm sure there will be 43 cars by Saturday and all NASCAR's gonna do is hand them $12,000 each to run a few laps.

The Daytona purse is so large it didn't matter much but when you get to Phoenix where it's only 1 million it will be more noticable.

Daytona
2010 Purse: $2,740,505
2011 Purse: $2,500,865

The worst part for us though is the quality of the races. It seems the underfunded teams are even further off with the new car and there are now more underfunded cars than ever. When 20th place in a whole second off in one qualifying lap we have problems. Hopefully Kyle Busch won't lap up to 10th place in 40 laps Saturday.

One thing I just noticed on the Cup entry list is that Trevor Bayne's car is owned by Richard Petty. Could be a mistake, but I thought that car was owned by the Wood Bros.

It's a Wood Brothers car backed by Jack Roush. Petty's the listed owner.

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Ducks Angels Sounders Spurs

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - Throw the Cup guys out of Nationwide, and you'll bring the field closer together. Elite drivers in elite equipment will kick the shit out of everyone else every time, but non-Cup drivers in elite equipment won't.

And then they will be lucky to draw 30 cars and 10,000 people per race.

Because that was what it was like before the Cup regulars started running every race...

Buschwhacking has been around since day 1, but full-time Cup drivers competing for the title is a very recent phenomenon; it didn't start en masse until 2006 (Harvick v Bowyer v Edwards v Hamlin).

The new rule has helped a lot. The only two Cup drivers who are going to run every race are Edwards and Kesolowski. With time, this should come down to 0.

You can't throw Cup drivers out completely.

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Dan Wheldon ¦ 1978-2011
Marco Simoncelli ¦ 1987-2011
Jules Bianchi ¦ 1989-2015
Justin Wilson ¦ 1978-2015

Yeah, I know he's mad and I don't care. I do not care. I did not care then. I do not care now. I'm here to race him.

It's still a retarded way to "fix" the problem. All they need to do is separate the NNS and Cup schedules, which would both make it more difficult for drivers to run both races, and allow the NNS to visit more short tracks and emerging markets. But NASCAR doesn't want to do that because having double or triple-bill events justifies them jacking up the ticket price. Which is also why grandstands are half empty these days.

In short, NASCAR are jackasses.

Which incidentally is not something we didn't already know.

I remember the days when Busch went to tracks Cup never bothered with, that was so much better.

Do that and get the TV right, and you don't need Cup drivers.

You need some Cup drivers because if no Cup driver shows up in a race, good luck filling out 43 entries and have more than 10,000 fans at attendance (stands and infield).

It's only a problem when they compete full-time for the championship (looking at you, Mr. Ed).

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Ducks Angels Sounders Spurs

People are stupid. Market it right, and you'll get enough people out to cover the bills and build interest.

That wasn't an issue back in the '90s when the Busch series had its own set of marketable drivers. Of course there were Cup driver cameos then, and it wasn't a problem. But Cup drivers are seen as a necessary draw now because the life has been sucked out of the grand national series through aligning it too much with Cup.

Separate the series to encourage a separate body of drivers, run it at smaller tracks with lower ticket prices, market it right, and it will save a series that is on a one-way trip down the shitter. It will also provide a future generation of Cup drivers which is kinda important for the future of that series too.

Makes so much sense to do that. Meaning NASCAR won't do it.

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Ducks Angels Sounders Spurs

You need the names to run the Nationwide now to bring in the fans because NASCAR has dumbed it down so much that the sport has nothing left but the names. The series itself just isn't as exciting any more.

Bring back the excitement, the uniqueness and the fun and it won't matter who is in the cars - you'll get your fans.

All the series needs is another Buckshot Jones. Yeah, I said it. Another Roy "Buckshot" Jones.

Hell, it'd be nice just to get the original Buckshot Jones back. I mean, it's not like he's got anything better to do, right? Someone please hire him!!

I would love to see Hickory, Rougemont, Myrtle Beach, South Boston, and New River Valley brought back, but it would never happen.

If Buckshot comes back, I want LaJoie back too.

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-Joe.
Atlanta United FC | Cincinnati Reds | Atlanta Falcons | Tennessee Titans