NASCAR used to, and still does to a small degree, have a mantra that went "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday". They said this because the cars they raced on the NASCAR circuit were actually cars that you common people could afford to buy at the car dealership on Monday. But that all changed when NASCAR race cars became a thin sheet of metal on a roll cage, it looked like the car you could buy, but it wasn't, and that got worse thwne they introduced the "car of tomorrow" which makes every car, regardless of make, basically the same.
Recently NASCAR announced that the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger would compete in the Nationwide Series as that series' car of tomorrow models. The problem is that common people can't afford those now even if they looked like the real one you could buy.
Today on the X-Games Ford used the rally event to introduce the American public to the newest car in it's American stable, the Fiesta. The Fiesta is an affordable, gas-saving subcompact that has proven itself wildly popular in Europe. There was once a school of thought, which is lessening, that Americans don't like things Europeans like...tell that to Jane. Jane is a friend of mine. She's from Texas and she's very, very Texan. If you think of the "All-American girl" the image you think of probably resembles Jane in some way. Earlier this year Jane was picked by Ford to become a "Fiesta Agent", a group of internet-savvy people chosen to honestly review the Fiesta for six months, and perform strange tasks while doing so. Jane adores her Fiesta, and it gets positive reviews wherever she goes. Yes, these cars do work in America.
With this in mind, I asked myself, why doesn't NASCAR -- which is suffering from falling popularity -- catch wind of this? People like the Fiesta, and people can afford the Fiesta. In 2010 Ford will enter three different vehicles in NASCAR's three national divisions: The Fusion, the Mustang, and the F-150. I understand the appeal of all three, but why isn't there a division for smaller cars? I know people will say "Because they're small", but the Fiesta was very entertaining to watch as a rally car and would be entertaining on courses like Charlotte and Bristol if it was kept as is. It could race along side the 500 if Fiat brings it over as a Chrysler, the Yaris, and Chevy's neglected Aveo. People would watch, and people would buy.
Showing posts with label racing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label racing. Show all posts
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Fuck off, Bruton.
Seriously, go fuck yourself.
I realize how much Bruton Smith and his race track have done for the economy of Cabarrus County. I also realize how much Cabarrus, and indeed Mecklenburg, have bent over backwards to please Bruton and his ego.
I wasn't against his drag strip earlier this year, he has every right to build on land he owns. Afterall, the people in that subdivision did by land near a fucking speedway (three of them actually if you count the dirt track and auxilary oval). What I was against was Bruton asking a country reeling from the loss of it's largest employer, PhillipMorris, for an $80 million incentive package or he would close his speedway, Cabarrus' second largest employer, and move his business elsewhere. The county and the city of Concord buckled to his demands, they had no choice. They offered his business $80 million over 40-years.
That wasn't good enough. Not only has Bruton built his drag strip, but before it's grand opening Bruton has announced that he wants that $80 million over three years, not 40, and if he doesn't get it he's going to start charging interest.
As people in North Carolina know, Concord borders Charlotte. Charlotte is a success story, and Charlotte's wild success is due in large part to the tireless dedication of the Belk family. Indeed, John Belk was once Mayor of Charlotte. The Belk's have donated large sums of money and time to various organizations in Charlotte. No fewer than five stadiums in the metro bare the name of Irwin Belk, a testiment to his passion for the community.
When all the Belk's pass on, Charlotte will mourn their loss with tears, and look back on them with incredible pride. When Bruton dies, Concord will breathe a sigh of relief.
I realize how much Bruton Smith and his race track have done for the economy of Cabarrus County. I also realize how much Cabarrus, and indeed Mecklenburg, have bent over backwards to please Bruton and his ego.
I wasn't against his drag strip earlier this year, he has every right to build on land he owns. Afterall, the people in that subdivision did by land near a fucking speedway (three of them actually if you count the dirt track and auxilary oval). What I was against was Bruton asking a country reeling from the loss of it's largest employer, PhillipMorris, for an $80 million incentive package or he would close his speedway, Cabarrus' second largest employer, and move his business elsewhere. The county and the city of Concord buckled to his demands, they had no choice. They offered his business $80 million over 40-years.
That wasn't good enough. Not only has Bruton built his drag strip, but before it's grand opening Bruton has announced that he wants that $80 million over three years, not 40, and if he doesn't get it he's going to start charging interest.
As people in North Carolina know, Concord borders Charlotte. Charlotte is a success story, and Charlotte's wild success is due in large part to the tireless dedication of the Belk family. Indeed, John Belk was once Mayor of Charlotte. The Belk's have donated large sums of money and time to various organizations in Charlotte. No fewer than five stadiums in the metro bare the name of Irwin Belk, a testiment to his passion for the community.
When all the Belk's pass on, Charlotte will mourn their loss with tears, and look back on them with incredible pride. When Bruton dies, Concord will breathe a sigh of relief.
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