An idea from far left field...

[Boneman]

Anyone interested in a class of cars that LOOKS AND SOUNDS like no other? Its a radical departure from what we are used to seeing, but it is possible and would produce a product that would sell tickets and attract new fans. Of course I don't expect it to actually happen, but if I had money and a few years to invest....

It is based on the idea that young people today are much more interested in exotic supercars than they are in NASCAR, or in stock car racing of any sort. I don't have facts and figures on the public's preference, it is a hunch that I think is quite true. Race fans like us are all about Camaros, Monte Carlos, Mustangs and so forth. But my belief is that the non-race public, in other words the pool of new fans that we have to attract, prefers Ferraris, Audis, Nissan 370Z etc.. Although these cars are featured in endurance racing, they obviously cannot be used in our sport, but stick with me for a second.

Consider a good class like crate LM. They are affordable and keep smaller teams in racing, but the disadvantage is that they all look the same. Sure, they have different headlight stickers, but aside from the graphics they all look and sound the exactly alike.

Imagine this: what if a company like Five Star or Lightening Light produced plastic body panels for a crate LM that looked like exotic supercars, AND that each body type had to be paired with a certain design of header so that they also SOUNDED very different from each other?

If you are a nuts and bolts race fan, you probably realize that the header design can make the same engine sound radically different. Remember the old "Zoomie" headers? They made an engine sound like it was turning twice the speed that it actually does.

Produce 3 body styles: Porshe, Ferrari and Audi, for example. Then legislate a certain, distinctive header style to be paired with each body. This way a tube frame crate LM suddenly stands out from the crowd and resembles something it is not, an exotic supercar that draws the interest of younger fans.

Start a new class? No way! Allow them to merge into an existing class like the PASS series, for example. Can you imagine the sponsors that would line up to put their name on the first short track "Ferrari" in America? How about the new (and old) fans that would love to see something that passes as a Porsche rubbing fenders with "our" cars on a Saturday night?

This was the beauty of the Rolex 24: different looking cars that sounded different from each other, but all racing together. The difference is that a reworked LM would not cost a half a million like the Rolex cars do.

Would there be legal trouble from the Ferrari, Porsche, etc.? Eventually, and I have no idea how to fix it. But hey, I'm just the visionary, so I'll leave the details to someone else.

[egspeedway]

Boneman you have to much time on your hands. Lets keep thinking American with left hand turns on dirt.

[Boneman]

This is for left turns on either dirt or pavement.

As my buddy Andy says, "there is no off position on the genius switch".

[Bigbuck]

Good idea

Why don't you go lease DESOTO for 2-3 weeks , invite all these exotic cars and see how it goes? Surely you can find some investors etc.

[pintodave]

Rex, I like the way you think. We need more people thinking of new stuff.

This is why the Chumpcar series pulls 70+ cars to events. Fun, cost effective, exciting racing, and it's a little different than what everyone else is doing. 125 cars started the Daytona race last year with alternates that were waiting for cars to drop out so they could participate.

[egspeedway]

This is for left turns on either dirt or pavement.

As my buddy Andy says, "there is no off position on the genius switch".

In the absence of an off switch could we ask for a REV limiter.

[dd38]

Thats one reason I put a Charger body on my car. At least it's a little different. Now if my ship would only come in. But I'll probably be at the airport when it does!

[Boneman]

could we ask for a REV limiter.

Good one! I actually run everything through a filter, so you should see the stuff that I don't put on here.

[andre]

Great idea! This would be nice to see alll those exotic look alike cars going in circle. BUT, the real and best of them in the whole wild world were at Daytona, and can be seen at different road race tracks in US and Canada, and nobody is there to watch.

What is needed to this sport is something that will draw fans, tons of them.

In today's world, what draws young race fans in motorsports? Where do the younger generation gathers? What moves them away for their computer? What do they like?

Drift, drag, tuning event, show and shine. THAT is where they are.

What's there that is so attracting? The majority of those events are built by people of their generation, who understand their needs, and they delivers those.

NO rules, unlimited motors, unlimited everything, beautiful young women, music, noise, tire smoke, lighting system, very entertaining DJ, very entertaining announcer(s), vendors display with beautiful young women, draws of all kinds, people interacting with people, games, beautiful young women, beer, big party time, fans asking to judge on certain competitions, all competition are quick and fast, drift is one lap of the circuit, drag is over in seconds, fans can participate with their own everyday street cars, did I mention beautiful young women? And beside drag, those event are Rain or Shine, so nobody wonders...no worry, it will happen.

You go attend one of those, and compare that to us, older generation, with our Stock Car shows. We are neanderthal in entertainment compare to those events.

Some of their stuff could be apply to Stock Car racing, but it's not tomorrow we'll see an older generation promoter try that.

That's my 2 cents.