by Chris Myers
If we’re going to discuss the hard times America is facing and the fiscal aspects of NASCAR, we have to look at the car industry and the sponsors who are the backbone of the sport. Car manufacturers and other sponsors have their hands full, negotiating the economic slowdown that began in 2008. As far as the NASCAR community has heard, they have a plan … even if no one actually knows what that plan is. Luckily, Toyota was there to pump some financial life into the sport. So while the days of Chevy, Ford, and Dodge aren’t ending, they are not alone on the circuit.
From the time when our founding fathers came together with the hope of forming a nation around respectable principles and ideals, this country was created on dreams and forged by those who take the risks and have the courage to follow through on those dreams.
Competing in NASCAR is expensive, but the organization has taken certain steps in an attempt to make the sport less financially restrictive. The goal seems to be to make the sport less about how much money a team has and more about its talent. The executives at NASCAR have put together regulations, so that everything can be more cost effective for competitors. There is no union in NASCAR, and when they want to make changes to improve the race, they do it. With the newer cars, they’ve tried to make it more cost-effective. They’ve limited testing, which made developing a winning car very expensive. They’re trying to make it so wealthier teams can’t get too far ahead just based on their wallets
But the reality is teams that have more financial resources can get the best people. Just like any business, when you’re trying to get ahead, having money helps a lot. These teams can afford the best parts and the best people to assemble, test, fix, and drive their vehicles, and they can invest more in testing and technical research. It’s important to have a competitive balance in NASCAR, and in many ways, that balance is hard to achieve; however, NASCAR has cut back on how many cars a team can field each year. Beginning in 2010, they reduced the number of cars an owner can field to four, which was down from five in 2009. Before that, it was unlimited. If you want your car on track, you need money or sponsorship. Everyone wants sponsorship, but sponsors want winning cars to put their logos on for maximum exposure. Unfortunately, the only way you can get that winning car is if you have the money to assemble, fix, and race it, money that teams want to be getting from sponsors. It’s a vicious cycle. Unless you have money to begin with, racing and winning is very challenging.
The sport doesn’t coddle its drivers, and a lot of the people in the sport weren’t fed their success with a silver spoon; they were certainly not pampered along the way. Nothing is handed to you in NASCAR. Just as every American has to work to achieve the American dream, these drivers have put everything on the line to get behind the wheel. A good number of them come from blue-collar backgrounds and don’t have the same opportunities as other drivers with more money. When people talk about drivers who have been fed their success with a silver spoon, they are usually talking about how the driver just couldn’t make it. Truth is, those drivers just don’t have the grit to handle the sport. Drivers who succeed against all odds may make a lot of money, but they don’t forget where they came from or who put them where they are today – their fans, their friends, and their family.
Drivers, rich or poor, hold on respectfully to their roots. They have been raised with certain morals that hold strong. Money doesn’t change that. That kind of upbringing is what makes NASCAR drivers role models. There is not much negative news on NASCAR drivers because they are fundamentally straight arrows. The NASCAR community doesn’t encourage that kind of behavior, whether it’s the administration or the fans themselves. These drivers are taught, whether they’re aware of it or not, a set of core American values that garners NASCAR some serious respect. Those values can be seen in every aspect of their lives, right down to how they spend their money.
Take, for instance, former driver Ward Burton, who invested his money in property to protect the environment. He’s a native Virginian with a strong appreciation for the great American outdoors. Instead of buying a Hummer or a stretch limo, drivers invest their money in other ways. They’re raised to appreciate hard-earned money and with a core set of American values that keep them spending their money not only wisely, but in meaningful ways.
Maybe so, but it’s more about the overarching message. NASCAR likes to keep its races open to everyone – it likes the idea of an open sport. Even if you come out of nowheresville, it still believes you should have a chance to race. Americans love to relate to drivers and see everyday people on the track. It’s the same idea as American Idol; we like to believe that our dreams can come true. NASCAR supports that.
As crazy as it may seem, some people do it to make money. Even stranger: they do it to make money and they succeed. It’s not entirely clear how, but several very successful teams and drivers have started engaging in what has now become known as “start and park.” They drive a few laps, earn a few points, and take home cash without having to worry about the costs of fixing the car to stay in the race. Their strategy and how exactly the money balances out are uncertain.
There’s something admirable about it, really. It’s the same creative spirit of American entrepreneurship that got NASCAR going in the first place. It’s the same spirit that makes our country so innovative. The drive to succeed and make money has inspired great advancement both in our country and in the sport.
Money is said to be the root of all evil, but in a capitalist society, it has been at the heart of great advancement. NASCAR drivers and their attitude toward wealth really show that just because you make more money doesn’t mean you have to change as a person. What’s in your wallet doesn’t have to change who you are inside. If you have the right morals and guiding principles, you can maintain your integrity – no matter how much money you have.
That’s why NASCAR drivers are role models, not only for our future generations, but for our corporations and our nation as a whole today. These drivers have made great sacrifices; a lot of them don’t come from wealthy backgrounds, but their dedication and their family’s dedication has gotten them to the very top of a sport that is perhaps one of the most financially demanding in the world. All people, in the United States and in NASCAR alike, respect those who have worked hard for what they have. The American dream is a great one, and it can be achieved, but no one is going to hand it to you. You have to get behind the wheel and race after it. And at the end of the day, it’s worth the fight.
7
TECHNOLOGY
“Life looks pretty good from here, doesn’t it?”
He was an all-American tough guy, like John Wayne wearing a racing helmet. Some people would say he had an aura. There was something about the way he walked and the way he wore his sunglasses. They called him “The Intimidator.” The sun was setting behind him. The sky was painted in those same ol’ magnificent colors. It’s funny when I think about it – at the time I interviewed him, I didn’t notice the fiery beauty of that sunset. It was only twenty-four hours later, when I sat stupid from shock, my mouth half-open, that I realized how meaningful Dale Earnhardt’s words had been.
His life did look pretty good: he was the star of NASCAR, and he was loved. Some said he was the fastest man alive, somehow invincible. But on February 18, 2001, his invincibility ran out. Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR’s seemingly invincible superman, proved that human life is terrifyingly fragile.
His tragic end was met with disbelief and shock. Moments earlier, Earnhardt was full of life, speeding down the race track. Everyone was cheering with excitement, gripping the edges of their seats. It was the very end of the race. Darrell Waltrip was doing his first broadcast for FOX, while brother Michael was headed straight to the finish line. Darrell was naturally excited and bursting at the seams. Meanwhile, Earnhardt, who owned Michael’s race car, was blocking other cars to help him win the race. Earnhardt wanted to be sure that his team would win. When Waltrip passed the finish line, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., the excitement had hit a clima
x. There had been a spectacular crash, a win, and a great competitive finish. It was a euphoric moment.
Yet that crash was no ordinary crash. The audience, still reeling from excitement, saw a victory turn into a tragic loss within seconds. A driver ran up to the car to check on Earnhardt. He turned away quickly.
We had all seen crashes before, often serious ones, and yet the driver would walk away unharmed. Drivers defy death. That is what we love about the sport. And if anyone could survive a crash, it was The Intimidator.
We tried to radio in as people approached the car. We watched; we zoomed in with our cameras. We waited to see a moving arm, a leg, a body jumping out of the car. There was nothing. Had there been a concussion? No one spoke. The medical professionals came out. For once our broadcast team didn’t know what to say. We didn’t know any more than the fans. The broadcast was ended and he was taken to a hospital.
Meanwhile, I was trying to prepare for the post-race show. How could I possibly prepare? What could I say? FOX went to the hospital and got the official word from NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt was dead. We waited for word from NASCAR and then had to come back on the air.
Nobody knew how to react. We were stunned. It was too painful to cry. Our mouths just hung open and no sound came out – a silent scream. We went from great excitement to this. More information was constantly coming in. I had just interviewed him that week. I had met several people who worked on his crew, and I thought of the people who grew up with him, his family. The cameras came on and I sat stiffly in front of them. Then our broadcasting crew delivered the sad report, on a day that was so exciting and joyful just a few hours earlier.
In response to Earnhardt’s death, today NASCAR has built safety force fields around their drivers using technology. His death inspired a wave of technological advancements and new regulations in the sport to keep drivers safe and put NASCAR solidly in the twenty-first century. Everything from new safety restraint devices to new advancements in engine technology – even the way we broadcast – has changed. There have been many life-threatening crashes since Earnhardt’s death from which drivers have been able to walk away. Even in death, he left an impact on the sport. Dale is still keeping the sport alive.
If that accident happened today instead of over a decade ago, it may have happened differently. People would have demanded more information and more information would have been available faster. There would have been cameras in the car and recorded radio transmissions between Earnhardt and the crew chief. “Was there something wrong with the car?” people would wonder, listening to the radio conversations. We live in an information age, and when there’s a tragedy, we want that information. Even then, there were journalists who were at our doors to get access to more information. They wanted photos of the car and medical reports. At the time, that was all kept very private, maybe according to the family’s wishes or for the sake of good taste.
New helmet regulations are just one example of NASCAR bringing its safety regulations up to speed. The advancements are numerous and growing. Now there’s the HANS device that carefully cushions the driver’s head and neck from impact. The windows in NASCAR cars have been changed to polycarbonate – a material originally used in fighter planes – to prevent shattering. All drivers wear fireproof uniforms, another important safety measure.
Even the way the seating is placed in the car has changed. Now, if a driver hits a wall from particular angles, he remains protected; the driver’s seat has been moved toward the center of the car and further back to reduce impact on the driver if the car is hit from the front or the side. Since 1988 restrictor plates have been used at Daytona and Talladega. Plates are installed in the race car’s engines to cut back on the amount of air traveling from the carburetor to the engine thus restricting the horsepower the engine can produce and decreasing the speed of the vehicles. Marshalls and safety teams exercise more caution; they’re more alert and are watching for danger.
Safety has become a priority for NASCAR, and the technological advancements in the sport have made the act of driving safer. NASCAR has a lot to offer in technological advancement, not only for its fans and drivers, but for the country. Perhaps if these innovations were used off the race track, they could make for safer cars on our highways as well.
Advancement hasn’t only come in the form of newer and more effective safety technology. In fact, the worry that many people have now is that there has been too much advancement in technology. The sport is becoming so advanced that NASCAR has to work to keep things from going on autopilot. We want drivers to have an influence and an impact. If there are too many high-tech tools and gadgets, it becomes more about the cars and technology a team can afford and less about the driver. There has to be that human element.
NASCAR also wants to keep the races fair. If it becomes too much about technology and who can afford it, then the races lose their human element. Sure, some teams can afford better cars – but NASCAR doesn’t want it to be about who has more money. They’re working hard to balance the sport competitively, allowing teams to compete and win based on more than the technology they have and the car they can afford to engineer. That’s one of the reasons NASCAR uses the restrictor plate. By placing the device in NASCAR engines, they can keep the speeds at Daytona and Talladega down.
Speed isn’t the only thing that NASCAR limits using technology. The engineers and mechanics working for these teams are some of the most creative and talented staff America’s body shops have ever seen. They’re constantly inventing new ways to make cars run faster, smoother, safer, and more efficiently. That’s why NASCAR officials have to keep a close eye on all technological advancements in the sport to make sure that the competition is fair and balanced, and that the human element doesn’t get lost. So NASCAR limits testing. They also regulate what type of fuel can be used in the cars. While this may seem trivial, fuel can make a big difference – especially when teams start using propylene oxide, which is a gel-like substance used in rocket fuel to help send their vehicles blasting to the finish line.
NASCAR is on top of all the latest technology – they have to be. Teams are working around the clock to get that competitive edge. They’re constantly creating new ways to get to the finish line faster, like tinkering with aerodynamics: the way in which air flows around the car. Getting good aerodynamics is essential for a winning race car. By creating a vehicle that is smooth and streamline, engineers and mechanics are able to avoid the friction that occurs when air flow is disturbed – something as small as a candy wrapper can slow a car down by disturbing the air around it. When a car isn’t streamline, air doesn’t flow past it easily and it moves slower. These cars must be fine-tuned.
Nothing can get in the way of NASCAR’s fastest automobiles, not even air. Sometimes, though, cars become too aerodynamic. In 1994, roof flaps had to be placed on cars to help prevent them from becoming airborne. Technology and expert engineering have made these cars go so fast that now we’re just trying to keep them on the ground. In 2012, NASCAR went to fuel-injected engines, for a variety of reasons. First, they’re more like the engines in the cars you and I drive, which is one of NASCAR’s key attractions. (Okay, we don’t have one seat and a roll bar in our cars, but you get the point.) Yes, it was easier for NASCAR crew members to work on vehicles with carburetors, and the traditionalists no doubt squawked when NASCAR mandated the change. But the new fuel-injected engines are more efficient, and efficiency is crucial in NASCAR.
In 2013, NASCAR car manufacturers are bringing their car models back to their roots. The new NASCAR vehicles that will be unveiled over the next year will look similar to the cars that fans can view and purchase off car dealership showroom floors. Each of the car makers that compete in NASCAR will now be distinguishable from each other, and this is one step closer to allowing auto manufacturer branding. This is something important for the re-engagement of fans and for continued fan loyalty – to see cars that resemble the ones they themselves could drive, have in their garages, or
buy will create natural support for the fans of NASCAR.
The track design also affects the car’s aerodynamics and how engineers approach the build of the vehicle. If a team is racing at Tennessee’s popular Bristol Motor Speedway, they’re going to have to prepare themselves for a short track and hard concrete. In Daytona or Talladega, the tracks are bigger and getting around them quickly is everything. In those situations, teams need good aerodynamics so they can move more quickly – every second counts. When teams prepare their cars, they design them with specific race tracks in mind.
Technology has taken the sport to the point where preparation, research, and good engineering are essential for a driver to be successful. It cuts time. Technology is used to get things done faster, just as it is in everyday America – we drink our coffee from the automatic espresso machine, make breakfast in two minutes in the microwave, multi-task by using an electric toothbrush while we dry our hair, and drive too fast to get to work on time. As a culture, we like to move fast, and technology saves valuable time.
That’s why America is one of the most technologically advanced societies in the world. And that’s why NASCAR is constantly advancing – we want to do things faster, and we’re always trying to move ahead. We’re racing into the future. The technology displayed in NASCAR is cutting-edge. That’s what many fans love about NASCAR: the speed and the technology. They love learning about engineering innovations. That’s what the gearhead is: a NASCAR fan with mechanical know-how and a passion for cars.