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Monster Energy Cup sponsorship ends (bundled packages for 2020)
New Competion Package begins (higher-downforce, lower-horsepower combination to enhance the on-track product)
POTENTIAL Free-Agent Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Regulars AFTER the 2018 season
#00-Landon Cassill
#1-Jamie McMurray (Daytona 500 and retires?)
#6-Trevor Bayne
#19-Daniel Suarez (could head to #41 in 2019)
#32-Matt DiBenedetto (headed to #95 team)
#34-Michael McDowell (supposedly will stay in #34)
#41-Kurt Busch (Ganassi's #1?)
#72-Corey LaJoie
#78-Martin Truex, Jr.(replaces Suarez in #19, #78 closes)
#47-A.J. Allmendinger (no word on 2019 plans after being replaced for 2019)
#96-Jeffrey Earnhardt
Reed Sorenson ?
Major Dates for 2019:
2/11: Speed Weeks at Daytona
2/17: Daytona 500
4/28: Spring Talladega
5/18: All Star Race @ CMS
9/08: Brickyard 400 (last race in regular season)
9/15: Las Vegas (first race of Chase - Round of 16)
10/6: Dover (Round of 12)
10/27: Martinsville (Round of 8)
11/17: Homestead (Championship)
2019 will be interesting for the ford camps since they are getting a new body style in the ford mustang. i am thinking the chevys and toyotas will share domination at least for the first part of the season.
2019 will be interesting for the ford camps since they are getting a new body style in the ford mustang. i am thinking the chevys and toyotas will share domination at least for the first part of the season.
and truex is going into the 19 ride at JGR.
Chevy's struggle with the Camero in 2018 makes me think that Ford could struggle with the Mustang in 2019 but i don't think that is a given. Plus, I am not convinced Chevy has the Carmero figured out yet. Larson and Chase were the only 2 Cameros that ran consistently top 10 the later half of the year. The rest were average to garbage at best. I think Ford, having seen the struggles Chevy had with the Cameros, will likely take a different approach with the Mustangs.. what ever that means.
We know SHR is not one to sit idly by while others are winning races.. There gonna push the envelope if they start out slow.
the problem with developing new body styles isnt about developing the aerodynamics. its figuring out what the car wants on the track. the aero is easy compared to that. remember that essentially all the notebooks the crew chiefs have are thrown out the window and they are starting over. all new chassis settings, weight distributions, etc.
sometimes things fall into place faster because some settings are very similar to the old cars, but sometimes, you end up going back and retesting settings you rejected with the old car. and also remember that on track testing is limited by nascar, especially at tracks they regularly run at. nascar for instance only allows just so many test days at each track, during the season or not, that means to get more testing time, the teams have to rent tracks not on the schedule, for instance they might rent road america or road atlanta to test the road course cars.
and then you also have to deal with testing procedures which are cumbersome to begin with, like first getting a good baseline for the car, then making a change and testing it, then making another change and testing that, etc. and all the while the driver has to be the model of consistency making laps to the point of being essentially a computer behind the wheel.
it gets to the point that you can test all day, and make only a couple of changes to test, with a ton more to test again at a later date.
This is a make or break season for Nascar, if the new rules package tanks and Nascar keeps on losing more viewers, more seats in the stands are empty, then this sport will contract even more.
Right. The glory days are behind them. I'll bet none of today's drivers could even drive a real stock car from the past.
Right. The glory days are behind them. I'll bet none of today's drivers could even drive a real stock car from the past.
dont believe that for a minute my friend. remember that current nascar drivers grew up driving just about anything with wheels on them, like go carts, sprint cars, midgets, etc.
I don't think that the decline in viewership and race ticket sales is something that can be stemmed in a single season. What NASCAR needs to see is a decline in the decline, so to speak. They want to know, as do the sponsors, that they are at least getting close to the bottom... Once they have hit bottom and things start to level out then they can start thinking of new ways to bring in more viewers and more sponsors.
I think that even at the bottom, there are enough fans to maintain the type of fan base they had in the mid to late 80s.
I don't think that the decline in viewership and race ticket sales is something that can be stemmed in a single season. What NASCAR needs to see is a decline in the decline, so to speak. They want to know, as do the sponsors, that they are at least getting close to the bottom... Once they have hit bottom and things start to level out then they can start thinking of new ways to bring in more viewers and more sponsors.
I think that even at the bottom, there are enough fans to maintain the type of fan base they had in the mid to late 80s.
Like technology and innovation NASCAR really needed to adapt yesterday.
Technology and innovation have decimated business and culture overnight. NASCAR has the money to study trends.......their refusal to go to the mattresses (those knowing The Godfather movie will relate) and try to stem the losses are going to be a setback in slowing the rapidly diminishing fan base.
While not NASCAR, Harley Davidson had the world by the balls and because of them not recognizing us old baby boomers who are fading away and that the up and coming youngsters don't give a flip about the HD life they are also in a world of hurt suddenly having to try to reinvent themselves.
NASCAR expanded way to far and fast and getting back to the eighties level would diminish sponsership dollars as no one is going to put money in ad dollars where there is little return.
Me, I am down to only watching the road course races. This years Watkins Glenn race had to be my favorite from this past season.
dont believe that for a minute my friend. remember that current nascar drivers grew up driving just about anything with wheels on them, like go carts, sprint cars, midgets, etc.
Now this is from an old mans perspective, switching from a 1970 Doge Challenger to a 1998 BMW M3 and attempting speeds of 120 plus MPH (lets just say in fantasy as otherwise I would be breaking the law) I would feel 100 percent safer and more in control of the M3. The Challenger begins to float over a 100 MPH.
While these kids have real talent, the technology with these cars now are a definite plus in their favor.
I can only imagine what it felt like to drive those Dodge Daytonas or Plymouth Superbirds at Talladega at over 200 MPH in the 70's. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vdwhM5xB-8Y
Just my humble opinion
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) and try to stem the losses are going to be a setback in slowing the rapidly diminishing fan base.
