Fans and newcomers to
NASCAR will be hard-pressed to find something that remains the same from the 2006 season entering the 2007 season. Not even
the TV station that covers the race itself, or the size of the cars out on the track are the same.
The sport featured similar
changes going into the 2001 Winston Cup season. FOX and NBC/TNT signed a huge deal to broadcast Cup races, leaving ABC/ESPN,
CBS, TBS, and TNN (now Spike TV) without NASCAR. Dodge was making a comeback to the sport after a lengthy hiatus, and two
new tracks entered the tour (Chicagoland, Kansas).
Advertise on StockCar Review, with advertising rates starting as
low as $16.50 per month, you cannot find a better deal. Email us at scr@stockcarreview.com for more information.
This year, ABC and ESPN
return to the sport, outbidding NBC to broadcast NASCAR's premier series for the first time since November 2000. Toyota will become
the first foreign manufacturer to enter the series in its 59-year history, and '07 will mark the first year with NASCAR's
"Car of Tomorrow", a bigger, more technological car that will supposedly make racing better and cost less to make. Also, the
rookie class features a lot of diversity and talent, as Colombia-born former Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya, former
Champ Car driver A.J. Allmendinger, Busch Series graduate Paul Menard, and Truck Series graduate David Reutimann among others
contend for the Rookie of the Year Award at season's end.
Perhaps the most intriguing
question entering Daytona testing which starts this week is how the Car of Tomorrow
will perform when it makes its debut at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 25th. Most teams, drivers, and fans all have a gripe
or two (or 12) on it, from its odd-looking wing to the time and effort it's taking to produce all-new cars.
When FOX and NBC entered
the sport in 2001, TV ratings started going up and they have not stopped… well until last year.
Many skeptics will be
interested to see how well the TV ratings are for NASCAR, as, for the first time in awhile, ratings seemed to have plateued,
with most races either matching the rating from the previous year, or doing slightly worse. Some think that it's because of
the length of the races, which can range from 3 to 4 1/2 hours, some even longer.
Whether or not NASCAR decides to shorten some of its 36 races on the schedule somewhat depends on how the TV ratings for this
year wind up.
One thing that may play into
the TV ratings is how much drama and/or action the Chase for the Nextel Cup produces. It was announced a few days ago that
more drivers will be eligible for the Chase, but no word on how many more. Also, more points will be awarded to the winner,
which may treat fans to more drama in the final laps of races, and may, in turn, increase TV ratings.
Toyota entered the Craftsman
Truck Series in 2004 with many expectations as to how well they would do in their inaugural season in NASCAR. It took them
until July to win their first race, but since that win, many more wins have followed, and last year saw the top 6 all from
the Toyota camp, and 7 of the top 10 en route to their first manufacturer's championship. Many are afraid of Toyota driving
other manufacturers like Chevy, Ford, and Dodge out of the series, and if that happens, what will happen in the Nextel Cup
Series in a few years when Toyota gets experience and a few wins under their belt?
All of the answers to
those questions started being answered yesterday (Jan 8th) as Preseason Thunder began at Daytona.
2006 StockCar Review.
