Pony Cars Coming To Busch Series

[07PONY]

Saw this on JAYSKI.COM

NASCAR hopes to inject new life into its Busch Series by changing the types of cars raced, beginning as early as 2009, according to multiple sources familiar with the project. If plans go according to schedule, the next-generation Busch Series cars will be Chevy Camaros, Dodge Challengers, Ford Mustangs and an as-yet-to-be named Toyota model, sources said. Ford overhauled the Mustang as a 1960s-retro model in 2005, to positive critical and commercial results. Chevrolet and Dodge will release similarly retro-themed Camaros and Challengers, respectively, by the 2009 model year. The Mustang, Camaro and Challenger all are two-door coupes with rear-wheel drive and available V-8 engines, a hugely popular combination in the halcyon days of 1960s muscle cars. A switch to these cars - plus whichever model Toyota chooses to campaign - would make a huge amount of sense, as it would help the Busch Series have its own distinct identity apart from Nextel Cup and help remove the stigma of the series as "Cup Lite," as some call it now. Sources familiar with the project said NASCAR has discussed the idea of switching cars with the manufacturers and has received a positive reception for the idea.(SPEEDtv.com)(9-15-2007)

[Yelleroush]

That would be awesome to watch them run and it would bring a little bit more excitement to the races.

[FordFan]

Cool, now add a few more road courses to the mix and there could be a retro type Trans Am atmosphere....

[Shay]

Wow. If that comes to fruition it will be HUGE.

[bigtone408]

Wow. NASCAR would shoot their own sports car series in the foot w/ that move.

[07roushgt]

they should be more worried about the "busch-wackers" that are really hurting the series instead of the names of the cars.

[STU]

That would be cool. Think they will be using the COT then? Not sure how they can make it look like Mustangs and Camaros

[Sabre]

It would certainly be interesting if it happened, but like a lot of the stuff I read on the internet, I'm going to take this news with a grain of salt for awhile.

At the very least, it would certainly put more of the old "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" credo back into NASCAR racing.....that is, if they can keep the cars looking like their consumer counterparts. In the last 10 years, the Cup and Busch series cars have pretty much lost their manufacturer's identity and pretty much all look alike. The Car Of Tomorrow....which next year I guess we're going to have to call the Car of Today....made them all look even more alike, in my opinion.....almost to the point of the IROC series. The engines and a few other manufacturer's parts, is all that separate the brands anymore and I'm not sure how they figure that helps them sell the cars sitting on the dealership's lots. I've heard and read that NASCAR has said that they have no plans to implement the COT in the Busch series ( which won't be called the Busch series for long, since Busch is giving up the sponsorship and they don't have another one on board yet ) which surprises me a little, because NASCAR has touted the safety factor and lower cost of the COT as primary reasons for the change in the Cup series.......even if you throw out the lower cost reasons, you'd still think they'd want the Busch drivers to be as safe as the Cup drivers.

All in all I think NASCAR is slipping a bit. I know that it's a huge business and that a lot of money is at stake in everything they do.....which has to have a huge impact on each decision they make, but it just seems to me that it's not as good as it once was. I still root for any and all Roush drivers each week and/or any Ford to win......yeah, I'm pretty diehard...cut me and I bleed blue.....and you'll never convince me that Mark Martin didn't win the Daytona 500 last January and that he was cheated out of it by NASCAR not following their own rules and throwing the caution flag when they should have!

Just my opinion......which doesn't count for much except in my own mind!

[06Roush_st_3]

From what I heard on this the Pony cars would be based on the current Cup cars. They will NOT be real pony cars. They would be like the cars are now, with some difference in the fronts and minor rear to make them appear similar to the real pony car counterparts.

I think this is an Awesome idea. After all lots of people buy the pony cars. It would be cool to see the pony cars compete on the track in some form and would certainly get some going more on the Ford, Chevy, Dodge thing. Toyota, well who cares. What are they going to put up a Celica...lol I wonder if Toyota is fighting or will fight on this one, I think it would make them look stupid. Well more then they do already.

[Pastor J]

As much as I would like to see the old style nascar cars come back, I'm betting that the cars will all be COT cars with just a decal of the production car from each angle.

I really wish they would go back to the old style racing. I've heard through the rumor mill that there was talk at one time to restart a series that was like the old series, but I'm betting that is more wishful thinking than anything else.

[07PONY]

I think Jack is behind this idea. Can everybody say TRACKPAK..

[D ROUSH]

Cant imagine that the cars will look so different but all the same as it is now, would be kinda cool though

[Shay]

Originally Posted by Pastor J

...I really wish they would go back to the old style racing. I've heard through the rumor mill that there was talk at one time to restart a series that was like the old series, but I'm betting that is more wishful thinking than anything else.

Racing has gotten so convoluted.

The funny thing is that what you just described exists. It is called Grand-Am. There are regular production cars in many classes that are much more close to actually product cars in chassis and body, even engines. www.grandamerican.com

The only problem with Grand-Am is that it has a snobby Euro aroma to it and is barely popular enough in the States to keep going, let alone attract the kind of following that NASCAR has.

[Sabre]

Originally Posted by Shay

Racing has gotten so convoluted.

The funny thing is that what you just described exists. It is called Grand-Am. There are regular production cars in many classes that are much more close to actually product cars in chassis and body, even engines. www.grandamerican.com

The only problem with Grand-Am is that it has a snobby Euro aroma to it and is barely popular enough in the States to keep going, let alone attract the kind of following that NASCAR has.

I was in my early teens about 1969 & 1970. I remember reading about and occasionally getting a TV glimpse of the Trans Am series...when it was in it's heyday.....boy was I ever hooked. Sure would be nice to see something like that again. The Grand-Am series is OK, but really doesn't hold a candle to the old Trans Am series.....which I doubt we'll ever see anything like again. I do watch the TV listing pretty regularly, for schedules of when the Grand-Am series will be on....usually shown on Speed Channel. You're right that it does have a bit of a Euro feeling to it, but I still get a tingle when I catch a glimpse of that familiar Mustang body styling cutting a perfect apex and passing a Porsche! The Koni Challenge Series is another one, but I think it's rarely seen on TV and unfortunately I would have a hard time getting to any of the race venues.

[bigtone408]

Originally Posted by Shay

www.grandamerican.com
The only problem with Grand-Am is that it has a snobby Euro aroma to it and is barely popular enough in the States to keep going, let alone attract the kind of following that NASCAR has.

The commercial success of Grand Am, or lack of, is a direct correlation of the series' ownership and their lack of understanding of why sportscar fans are sportscar fans.

[bigtone408]

Originally Posted by Sabre

You're right that it does have a bit of a Euro feeling to it...

Motor racing, especially sports car and formula racing, should have a "Euro feeling" to it; where do you think motor racing began?

[Mustanger]

Originally Posted by bigtone408

Motor racing, especially sports car and formula racing, should have a "Euro feeling" to it; where do you think motor racing began?

When the first two Americans bought a car & met on a dirt road!!

[Shay]

Originally Posted by bigtone408

Motor racing, especially sports car and formula racing, should have a "Euro feeling" to it; where do you think motor racing began?

True, but time has proven that Americans like to see their racing presented to them like a Football game.

Porches and Hondas and Fords on a track without spectacular crashes, no Budweiser commercials with chicks, and a passive Australian sounding announcer just isnt Sunday fun for us Yanks.

[CBASS]

I would rather NOT see this happen. NASCAR is boring to me.
I would watch NASCAR if it was something like Australia's V8 Supercar racing.

[Daves_Stage2]

Originally Posted by CBASS

I would rather NOT see this happen. NASCAR is boring to me......

Are these two statements somehow related to each other? It's not clear in your post why you think Busch switching to the different cars is not a good idea.

For me it doesn't really matter what model of cars they are supposed to be representing since they are not going to look anything like what the average Joe buys off the lot. Might as well be the manufacturer's mini-van models.