Very well stated, Jeff............and I think you hit the nail on the head regarding the apparent declining interest in the sport. Those of us in "our" generation remember stock car racing the way it used to be................when racers would take old cars & turn them into racing machines, or take newer cars & turn them into racing machines..........and we could all recognize the Chevys, Fords, Plymouths, Pontiacs, Hudsons, Oldsmobiles, etc., on the race track. There was way more brand loyalty in those days and probably more driver loyalty, as well. We all remember the fiercely loyal fans pulling for the Junior Johnsons, the Flock brothers, the Fireball Roberts, the Lee & Richard Pettys, the David Pearsons, the Cale Yarbroughs, and more recently, the Dale Earnhardts, Jeff Gordons & Tim Richmonds.............and what we perceive to be the "good ole days" of stock car racing. This is a new generation of stock car racing & one which has to compete with many, many more forms of entertainment than what we saw in the '50s, '60s, '70s, and even into the '80s. The fans today do not have the automotive brand loyalties which we saw in past generations as all the race cars on the track now look the same..........you now have try to find some label on the car to determine what kind of car it is. The sport has evolved into something vastly different from what we remember as some of our fondest memories, but at the same time, it's still racing.........and I believe NASCAR has a real challenge on its hands in trying to appeal to the younger generation while, at the same time, holding on to the more senior core fans who made the sport what it is. I, too, am like PattyKay in that I guess I'll be a Dale Earnhardt fan all my life............besides all of his well-documented accomplishments on the race track, I'm not sure we'll ever see another driver with the charisma & magnetism he seemed to have. We do need more drivers like Kyle Busch because, just as I believe Dale Earnhardt was, he is an extremely talented (one of the best I've seen) & passionate driver who creates a love/hate atmosphere amongst fans. The sport needs that. I, too, believe that he will create his place in the record books, as well. ------ As you said, Jeff, the passion is still there with all of us, and we still have our precious memories, but it's still racing..........which we all love & hope that this and future generations will take good & proper care of.
