NASCAR good ol’ days

It’s a topic sure to create intense debate and even hot tempers.

As the annual high-stakes chess match unfolded with loads of the usual restrictor-plate suspense Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, some folks long for the old NASCAR.

The Sprint Cup show now plays on network television. The cast has become international, the directors are mega-millionaires and the audience includes the corporate elite.

A large segment of the NASCAR fan base remembers a simpler time when the series actually had character, free spirits and a southern-soundtrack.

Anyone remember the Oldsmobile, independent drivers like Buddy Arrington, and unique tracks like Rockingham and North Wilkesboro?

According to the party line, modern-day Sprint Cup racing is far superior to the days when drivers such as Richard Petty would lap half the field and win by huge margins.

I dare anyone to say they actually enjoyed the recent bore-a-thon at Texas Motor Speedway. Heck, even the drivers admitted that the single-file parade was a stinker.

Yes, NASCAR’s new mass-produced car has earned rave reviews for safety. However, even elite teams such as Hendrick Motorsports have yet to discover a way to pass or race in traffic on intermediate-sized tracks.

Defending series champion Jimmie Johnson claimed the new car was basically ‘’undrivable"

after the Texas disg-race.

The NASCAR brass contends that creative crew chiefs and engineers will eventually solve the balance issue with the winged Car of Tomorrow and devise a method to make events more interesting.

Meanwhile, the sport appears to be losing the ratings boost and feel-good buzz it had to start the season. With gas prices soaring to record levels, more track promoters may soon feel the empty-seat blues.

And that brings us back to stock car racing of the 1970s and 80s. Granted, some of the storylines lacked fantastic finishes but this was before NASCAR introduced gimmicky rules as the lucky-dog which allows slower cars back on the lead lap. And let’s don’t forget all those phantom cautions that bunch up race fields and delight television producers.

Due in large part to colorful stars such as Dale Earnhardt, Buddy Baker and Darrell Waltrip, the Sunday afternoon matinees offered old-fashioned fun. Fans could identify with their blue-collar heroes, afford a motel and maybe even grab an autograph or two.

Perhaps it was inevitable, but this sport has just become too sanitized and predictable. There are few rebels, let alone ruffians.

Much like the Formula One world, a handful of teams rule the Sprint Cup series. The cars and drivers all look alike. We need some spice, some underdogs and maybe even some fighting.

This isn’t ballet or some overly-scripted reality show. This is racing and that should be powerful stuff.

agregory@bristolnews.com