[Dirty Harry]

NASCAR's appeal seems to have been to the everyday working man, even blue collar fan. These are the folks that have been hurt most by the economic downturn. That is out of NASCAR's control.

What is under their control, though, are some of the things mentioned above. The cars are no longer representative of anything anyone would call a stock car. They don't resemble the brands they purport to be. With body templates and restrictor plates, it's basically another IROC series. I do love the safety of the new cars, but I miss the recognizable cars that used to compete. Drivers and skillful mechanics should determine the outcome of a race, not dynos and wind tunnels. At the restrictor plate tracks the first 80% of the race is simply holding your foot to the firewall and steering left. As long as the "big one" doesn't come sliding up over your hood, you'll be around to get in line wherever the draft permits and finish there, glad to have something to put back on the trailer. I prefer the tracks where the driver actually has to brake, accelerate, steer and counter steer, and pick his way through traffic, personally.

Sorry to rant.