[mitchntx]

After watching a some of the coverage of the Daytona 500 this weekend and hearing a lot of discussion about the costs associated with feilding a competitive team and hearing the gnashing of teeth surrounding the dwindling sponsorships and hearing the concerns about enough cars to field a full grid and seeing Waltrip's wild tumble and seeing that tumble re-played on network after network after network ....

I began to wonder ....

Because it's all about the number of minutes a specific sponsor get's it's name on TV, when will a driver, who is an "also ran", purposely wreck his car, just get gleen a few extra minutes of sponsor coverage?

Is it cost effective to spend a $100,000 race car in order to keep a $10 million sponsor?

NAPA received tons of exposure from networks to local TV stations replaying his wreck. I would hate to see that happen on purpose, but ... it has to be there in someone's mind ...

[rmackintosh]

But Open wheel just isn't "there" anymore. And I don't think the open wheel woes can, or should, be blamed on Nascar.

True....open wheel killed themselves.....they call it greed.

But on the other hand.....the last few years that open wheel was "still viable" it was like F1 in the U.S......NO AMERICAN DRIVERS in an American series! And THAT is because all American drivers went to NASCAR.....not that I blame them...that is where the sponsors were. But don't think that Tony and Robby went to NASCAR because "they love it" no matter how many times it is printed/video'd....they both stayed in a DYING open wheel longer than most because it was more what they wanted to do......

But this is like pro basketball and high schoolers going pro right away....I can't blame them....with the $$$ being waved in their face....but doesn't mean I have to agree with it/like it.