2010 Will Be Better

It has been a long time since I posted anything on my racing blog. It is not that I have lost interest in racing, just that some major forms of racing have lost interest in me, the long time racing fan.

NASCAR and other forms of major racing organizations have been courting the "New Fan" and forgetting about me and my fellow long time fans. This caused a temporary jump in interest in the sport. Increased attendance at races and sales of race items skyrocketed. But that was short lived.

The economy has had something to do with shrinking interest in auto racing, mainly NASCAR, but that is not the only reason. That "New Fan" that NASCAR courted, has moved on to some other fad. Some have stayed and will be long time fans. But a big chunk of that "New Fan" influx of fans have moved on.

There will be another influx of Danica Patrick fans that were never race fans, but are drawn to the news buzz of Danica mania. Some will stay and some will more on.

But the bottom line is the long time race fan. One that has been a fan for some time and will remain a fan for the rest of their life. That is the base of auto racing. That is who NASCAR and other forms of racing should not forget. I am hoping 2010 will be better for those fans.

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ARCA racing is done. Summer is winding down. So I will now have more time to write about racing. There is still time left in the NASCAR season. The Chase is rolling along. The NASCAR Hall of Fame just announced the first class. There is plenty to write about just in NASCAR. Check back often for new articles about racing.

ARCA Racing

I have been semi-involved in an ARCA racing team for the last several years. In case you have not heard of ARCA, they are a stepping stone to NASCAR. They are also a racing series that uses the same cars as NASCAR Cup series used up until 2008. The car pictured with this post is my friend Tom Berte's race car. He has raced in ARCA over the last several years. Being on a race team at the ARCA level has given me insight on how a race team operates and what it takes to put a car on a track in race ready condition. It takes just the same amount of work to get an ARCA car ready as it does in any of the three NASCAR series. 

ARCA racing is very competitive racing. It is by far more relaxed than NASCAR. They have fewer races and travel less, but it is still intense racing. Take a look on Speed TV sometime as most of the races are broadcast. Or better yet, show up at an ARCA event. It will cost far less than NASCAR and you may see some of the future stars of NASCAR before they get a really big head.

Welcome To The Racing Curmudgeon

Welcome to the Racing Curmudgeon blog. I have been a racing fan for over 45 years and have just a few opinions on all types of racing. I will be posting as I have time, mostly at least weekly. I also write travel articles and am a photographer. You can see some of my photographs on my Photography Web Site: www.markbuehl.com

Thanks for stopping by and reading my racing blog.