The NASCAR Truck Series has massive problems. The main sponsor is rising from the end of the year and a new has not yet been announced. Dodge says goodbye at the end of the year and finally the race in New Hamsphire next weekend just to go for 30 cars at the start. With a maximum starting field of 36 cars. Now, 30 cars, compared with most European series, still quite a bit, but in the U.S., there are increasing voices, see the complete series even in danger. In addition, NASCAR has just bought the GrandAm. If you want to maybe replace the CTS against the GrandAm?
Sounds strange at first, but then you hear, for example, Jack Roush say something like:
I think there's a NASCAR road-racing series coming, regardless of Whether the truck series goes away. And for us to be able to road race again would be a great thing. It would be cool, and I would enjoy having a Daytona Prototype car for the 24 Hours in 2009, and for a handful of other races, too, but I think it may be too late to get that going for next year. But maybe 2010th
The idea behind it: As in the Truck Series, you put the top drivers in the Cup now and then into a GrandAm. That would please the sponsors, because the unit Prototypes are enjoying great popularity through out yet, although there are a lot of pressure from the ALMS, which will indeed go in the next few more races with the IRL.
But how could the Truck Series actually slip so deeply into the crisis? For one thing, was also calculated to Dodge. A few years ago have started a lot of money to spend and they pulled away from other teams, several other sponsors. Then came 2004 and Toyota did something similar. The cost of the series exploded, so that you are laying around 5 million dollars on the table in order to be there again. That's about twice as much as you paid into the GrandAm. Trucks were also the beginning of 2000 the car in the U.S.. From Ford sold a long time each year nearly 1 million units by the F-150, Dodge was close behind with just over 600,000. As the engines simply took an old small-block V8, which needs just by starting much fuel as a midsize car to 100 km. Because the fuel price is high, however, and the concept of environmental protection in the U.S. more and more penetrated to only sell heavy trucks. Ford sits on a pile F-150, GM Silverado partly out of the skin to the purchase price. And sometimes gives the local dealer discount again. On my last visit I saw USA brand new Dodge Ram, which were sold off for a little over $ 13,000 (9100 €).
The problems of CTS are also several pages. The series has become too expensive, the manufacturer may lose interest, because hardly any trucks for sale. One must not forget that the CTS was founded in 1995, just because the manufacturers here could make good advertising for their trucks. But if no one wants to drive trucks, there is no reason to put money into the series.
Switching to a GrandAm series would make sense to think in part because the manufacturers of the engines (Lexus, Pontiac, Porsche and Ford) does not belong to the poorest and the series could be used as well to introduce new hybrid technology. NASCAR also lives by the manufacturers and a series that is where the opportunity to test new inventions in racing and to show the audience just makes more sense than a championship with the car, probably belonging to the estate car past.
It would not be surprised if next year we introduced last season would see the truck series.
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Would be a shame to the trucks, which have often given good race. But the GrandAm which this year has also managed to finish mid-season was narrower than the other, the finish line at Daytona summer race was terrific. Therefore, it would not disappoint me too much if the series would be exchanged, both of which offer good race, the Daytona Prototypes are even in my eyes to the ugliest cars that you get to see week after week on the racetrack.
I ask only one thing: the trucks are often times anyway as part of the Sprint Cup program on ovals, road. For this is indeed the GrandAm now less suitable. So go the other way around where most of all, or they are trying, where possible, to send to oval-infield lines, such as the one in Daytona and Homestead has been?
The very idea of a racing series with / to pickup I find so confusing that the end does not really come soon enough.