Car and Driver: Obama Orders Chevrolet and Dodge Out Of NASCAR

[flvegan]

BY JARED GALL, ILLUSTRATION BY ERIC WOODWARD
April 2009



In a move sure to spark outrage, the White House announced today that GM and Chrysler must cease participation in NASCAR at the end of the 2009 season if they hope to receive any additional financial aid from the government. Companies around the globe—Honda and Audi, to name two—have drawn down racing operations, and NASCAR itself has already felt the pinch in the form of reduced team spending. A complete withdrawal from America’s premier racing series is expected to save more than $250 million between GM and Chrysler, a substantial amount considering the drastic measures being implemented elsewhere.

“Automakers used to operate on the principle of ‘win on Sunday, sell on Monday,’ but the Auto Task Force’s research just doesn’t validate that as true,” said the statement from President Obama. While fans have decried the Car of Tomorrow for heavily limiting what little personalization the cookie-cutter series had previously allowed to participating manufacturers, and drivers have slammed its brick-like aerodynamics and unpredictable handling, even the governmental oversight committee sees that the full-scale regulation of the cars leaves the manufacturers very little space for research and development. “NASCAR is a racing series that regulates down to the smallest detail of the cars, where a car badged a Chevrolet or Dodge differs only marginally from a Ford or a Toyota. There’s no technological development to speak of.”

The statement goes on further to say the same demand will be made of Ford if it asks for government assistance. “In order to receive this money, corporations must demonstrate they will spend it wisely. Racing has been said to improve on-road technology, but frankly, NASCAR almost flaunts its standing among the lowest-tech forms of motorsport. NASCAR is not proven to drive advancements that transfer from the racetrack to the road, and this nation’s way forward does not hinge on decades-old technology. We need new, and we need innovation.”

The President realizes this will be an unpopular call, but stands behind the decision, saying, “This is an obvious cut to make, but it is not an easy one. This administration is not ignoring the tremendous sentimental value and emotional appeal NASCAR holds for so many Americans. But now is not the time for sentiment and nostalgia; now is a time for decisive financial action. If our automotive industry is to emerge from this recession intact, then these difficult decisions must be made.”

much more at link

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/high_performance/motorsports/obama_orders_chevrolet_and_dodge_out_of_nascar_car_news

[Squatch]

1. Now, if only he'd order NASCAR out of the US, I'd be satisfied.

[thewiseguy]

2. Is this a joke?

[Lugnut]

5. Of course it is.

It's All Fool's Day.

[NeedleCast]

3. The only thing amazing about this is that the president of the US has to be involved

in what should be a no-brainer of a decisions...and this is from a person who is pretty much neutral on NASCAR.

[NeedleCast]

7. Damn, I'm a sucker...

See peeps, this is how to pull an April Fools joke. It has to be plausible enough to be possible. This is just the sort of shit I'd expect Republicants to get outraged about.

[flvegan]

8. .

:thumbsup:

I did say there was much more at the link. Didn't want to break the 4 paragraph rule.

[TwilightGardener]

4. Joke.

[Purveyor]

6. Of fuckme. Neil Boortz is reporting this as an actual fact. eom

[Kalyke]

9. Is he really?

:rofl:

What's funny is that I didn't believe the OP, but I do believe Boortz would be reporting this as fact. Sad, isn't it? :rofl:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

11. Just more proof...

That when it comes to moronity, Neil Boortz is always a threat for the pole position.

[leveymg]

10. NASCAR would be more interesting if all the factory teams and big sponsors departed.

Back to the future - small budget, private teams. In other words, a sport:

[DainBramaged]

13. And I remember the days of Lee Petty, Fireball Roberts, Fred Lorenzen

and the battles in the early 60's and you had to wait for the racing news from the monthly magazines which were two months behind or National Speed Sport News if you could find a newsstand that carried it.

[leveymg]

14. If you wanted to pitcrew, all you had to do was show up and volunteer.

Get to the track the morning of practice, stand by the gate, and ask the first guy driving a tow car coming in if he needed help. 80 percent of the time, they were delighted to have another pair of hands to push the thing on and off the trailer, carry tool boxes, etc. They'd even buy you a beer and drive you home at the end of the weekend. A great way to see races up close when I was a teenager.

Nothing glamorous about it.

[DainBramaged]

23. I am so jealous my hair is on fire

Leisurely pit stops, spinner wrenches, guys in T-Shits in the pits, SMOKING during the race (Dick Trickle used to do it during caution flags, had a LIGHTER in his car until NASCAR said UH No more). Days of innocence, and quick death.

[leveymg]

24. I love Denny Hulme's comment about Can Am cars of the '70s: "Brute force and ignorance."

Maybe. But, I'll take it anyday over the corporate sponsor-driven industry racing has become.

This was a Bud Moore race transporter in 1964:

[DainBramaged]

29. One of my first AMT models I built in the early 60's was a '63 Merc

And I wish I still had them (Mom threw them all away after I moved out in '69).

[leveymg]

32. Know how you feel. My die-cast 1/43s went at a tag sale when I was away at college

US Grand Prix '72 - not a formal affair. I didn't take this photo of Ronnie Pederson in the pits at Watkins Glen that year, but I was there. My dad had a friend at ABC Sports and I got an all-access pass. Even Formula One was once a very relaxed, down-to-earth scene with few pretenses.

?size=67&uid=%7BEAD84EFF-5650-471D-A728-45D54D3F2646%7D

[thewiseguy]

12. Freepers are falling for it

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2219081/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2219522/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2219726/posts

[pokerfan]

16. What a bunch of morans

[Kittycat]

15. Sad thing is, all this article will do is spark outrage in those too stupid to realize it's a joke

[ddeclue]

17. 4/1 Day!

:rofl:

[TZ]

18. Very good.

The only thing better would be posting this at Free Republic...:rofl:

[flvegan]

19. See post #12.

:rofl:

[MindPilot]

20. Nicely done!

[Connie_Corleone]

21. It's a Republican Party Day joke.

[bobbert]

22. The heading at the link states: This is an april fool's joke

it's a good one though

[ddeclue]

25. Probably got so many people mad that they had to put the disclaimer in.

[flvegan]

26. I couldn't include it.

Four paragraph rule and all.

And it would have ruined the fun.

[NoGOPZone]

27. There are likely several people at Ford wishing this were true. nt

[merh]

28. He should order the Military out of NASCAR

Army has a team, Air Force is a sponsor and navy may have a team too.

http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/headlines/cup/02/04/military.sponsorshipsbkeselowski.dearnhardtjr.mmartin.jwood/index.html

And no, sadly, this is not an april fools joke, part of that huge military budget goes to sponsor nascar.

[DainBramaged]

30. AND the NHRA

http://www.goarmy.com/racing/nhra_top_fuel.jsp

[Name removed]

31. Deleted sub-thread

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