Climbing the NASCAR Ladder

What would you do if your track were not a part of NASCAR? The answer is simple but unthinkable, because no racing can survive without NASCAR. Investment in the sport is a certain drain if you do not make the grade for NASCAR to sit up and take notice.

What would you do if your track were not a part of NASCAR? The answer is simple but unthinkable, because no racing can survive without NASCAR. Investment in the sport is a certain drain if you do not make the grade for NASCAR to sit up and take notice.

You cannot blame the body because there are limits to the numbers of sponsorships available. Schedules tend to clash, and you cannot have crews and machines, to say nothing of drivers, cavorting all over the countryside for small amounts of money. The competition to make the NASCAR grade is so tough that track owners would happily give an arm or a leg to make it to the top.

However, desperate measures will only get you nowhere fast. The path to NASCAR lies in developing racing conditions in a professional way. You have to ensure uniform racing conditions, and a level playing field for outside teams. Favoring locals with an in-depth knowledge of the bends, or looking the other way when someone sneaks in little extras by way of power and handling, is the best way to keep NASCAR away. It is not just a matter of the Association, even top drivers and sponsors will not support events which are poorly regulated.

Variations in racing rules, and problems which teams from other places have in adjusting to a particular track, make for massive headaches within NASCAR, and they hinder proper development of this popular sport as well. NASCAR is pretty clear on auto dimensions and matters related to engines, so it is really up to tracks to arrange racing events which are entirely above board. Fair competition is the cornerstone on which track attendance and fan following are built, and we all know that companies which work for profit will not put up the sums of money NASCAR standards demand, if no one turns up for the show!

There is much track owners can do to enhance the level of competition at their sites, so that the best in the business know that they simply have to participate to make or to retain their standings. Just as you are no driver if you have not raced in NASCAR events, so a track may also present unique challenges which bring out the best in machines and men. So quit cribbing, and work on your track and your local rules!