by richard teague tinynascars@yahoo.com
Sí Hablo NASCAR. Hola mis amigos, bey usted no tiene ninguna idea en cuanto a lo que digo hágale? Bien hago no cualquier Bubbas y Bubbets. Usted mejor le obtiene U a ello porque el artículo estará en Espanol. Si usted cree que entonces usted puede cabalgar mi mulo cause allí ain’ T no manera que puedo mantener esto arriba. OK OK, that’s enough of that. I’m just trying to start something, but only because NASCAR started it first. It seems that NASCAR is starting the series up again that was formed in 2004 with OCESA, which is part of a larger company CIE, an entertainment promoter in Latin America and Spain. With its first Busch Series race last year and then a second one in 2006, NASCAR feels they should start getting a corner on the marketability of the sport in other countries.
It seems to be the old thing where the big company joins the little guy and then takes over so they can all make big “dinero”. In Mexico last year, the Desafio Corona Series had 14 races in several big cities down there with the help of (you-know-who) Mr. Brian France. The name has changed, and so has the flow of their pesos, probably. In 2007 it will be called “NASCAR Mexico Corona Series” and NASCAR’s Robbie Weiss, NASCAR Managing Director International, had this to say: “By further incorporating the series under the NASCAR brand and competition structure, we hope to create a natural bridge for teams and drivers to grow and participate in the NASCAR system.” Does that mean that more new drivers will be available to the Cup series in the future since the “Buschwhackers” have all but put an end to the old way of coming up through that series?
I’ll talk about the Busch Series in a minute, cause this is to good to stop here. Now, the NMCS will debut in March, on the same weekend and track that the NASCAR Busch Series is making their return to Mexico, along with the Rolex Sports Car Series. Y’all remember Chad Little, don’t you? He had a couple of good years in Busch but never really did too well in Cup. He’s been the director of racing development for NASCAR for two years down south. Chad thinks it has been great watching these talented drivers get the opportunity to race in NASCAR, and the new series will be an even better way for them to display their abilities. Little said, “It’s an exciting time to be a part of NASCAR Mexico and build this new series.” I wonder how long before the Cup guys will be called, “Coronawhackers” and shut this way to the Bigs down?
Now, NASCAR hasn’t stopped south of the border, as you may all ready know, next season there will be a race in Canada and just last month Mr. Brian said he had eyes on China and Western Europe. He wants to join up with other businesses in those countries and bring in NASCAR’s clout with sponsors, the media, and licensing (marketable goodies in other words) so that the NFL will be in his shadow. He seems to be obsessed with being bigger and better than football and compares NASCAR to (and copies) them in many ways. To become an international sport would make Mr. France a happy man, but just who would pay for this? The true fans of racing: US! I can see it now, several races on a weekend. And if you want to watch your favorite driver, well he’s on Pay-per-View. Channel 500 this Sunday, but next week you can catch him on ABC.
Where is NASCAR going in the future, and what does ISC have in store for us the next several years? Well, you’ll be getting a taste of it in 2007, and 2010 may just be real scary. Now I can understand the need for a Car of Tomorrow, but while a #20 Home Depot runs here in the U.S. and a #20 En Casa Estación races in Mexico, it makes sense for them to all look alike. Can NASCAR grow to be as popular in all these different countries? Will the Cup Stars be on loan to a race in China? Mr. France says no, the big names won’t go to these foreign lands. He says. “It will be developing with someone on the ground, our style, our brand of racing, and our business model.” Just think, it all started here in the South by a Yankee and now the grandson is taking it worldwide, or at least he is giving it the ole college try.
As for where I skipped over a few lines back, about the “Buschwackers,” one columnist writes, “Why, then, is there so much being said and written about what’s wrong with the Busch Series?” He goes on to refer to a term, “what now many have taken to calling ‘Cup-Lite’.” Does he have a clue as to why the Busch Series was formed? I think it was so that new young drivers, and yes teams, could come race and not have the challenge of the big money teams winning every time. They could develop their skills against each other so they can win races and take home some money to help pay for their education and not be back in the last thirty spots of a race. So what happens when one guy wins in one race, that’s not a Cup driver, and then he goes and signs with RYR. What happened to his team in Busch? They closed up shop. Who got the fair end of that deal?
The Busch Series should be for the little guys and not the Cup Stars and owners to test their theories out on a track before the Cup race. That same writer says that the fans and the sponsors get a deal. TV loves the ratings being up and the track owners don’t mind it either. Why? More money for them. In the same breath that he says how great everything is in Busch, “cars and drivers being fielded by traditionally independent Busch teams are down and nearly out.” Well, yea! How can the smaller teams come up with the money it takes to race Busch? It’s like the small Cup teams trying to make a spot when there are so few to try for each week. It’s tuff and it ain’t going to stop in either series. Yes, Bob Margolis of Yahoo Sports, I’m not a Buschwhacking, Cup-Liter or whatever you or anyone else wants to call a fan.
I will keep right on saying it and writing about it and don’t think that I will ever be happy with all the NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers racing in the NASCAR Busch Series. They belong in Cup and Busch belongs to the FNGs and the Old Guys. NASCAR ain’t going to do a darn thing about it as long as people like yourself and a few drivers are OK with it and, in your case, thrilled with it. Another thing that I feel we can look forward to soon in Busch is a Chase format, what with Harvick winning by more than eight hundred points. Let’s see more of them in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. How bout it? I wonder of a Cup guy could drive a full season in all three of NASCAR’s top series? All right I’m done and if you want me you can find me at tinynascars@yahoo.com, and just like all ways: If it ain’t NASCAR, It ain’t s**t!
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