Car Thread

[healey36]

William K. Vanderbilt II's Mercedes in the pits for fuel at the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race held in Nassau County on Long Island:



Willie Vanderbilt, ultimately president of the New York Central, was an enthusiast for fast cars. The Vanderbilt Cup was a staple race for many years leading up to WWI.

This Bains News Service pic from 10/24/1908 demonstrates the meaning of "pit row"...

Healey

[rogruth]

So the "pits" actually were!

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Every person there must have been filled with a great sense of adventure, with automobiles so new, and racing, too. They must have all known that they were at the very beginning of something totally new and life and culture changing. Considering the date, such things as well paved roads and highways, gas stations, roadside rest stops, and small restaurants, and motels, all had yet to be figured out, perhaps by some of those guys present for that event and photo. Marvelous.

I'm old enough that I can recall when my folks stopped at our first "red-roofed" Howard Johnson's, along some of Pennsylvania's highways. And the PA Turnpike had gray stone restaurants like them that are still present, enjoyable refreshing stops along the way. Murph

[healey36]

I hear ya...when I drive up I-87 from NYC to Albany I feel compelled to stop at every rest-area (I don’t, but I want to, especially in the summer when they have farm markets set up). Same way with I-90 heading west from Albany.

[Mitch]

Murph, I'm pretty sure Howard Johnson's had orange roofs. You might be thinkin' of Red Roof Inns.

Cool to see how racin' got started more'n a century ago, but look what's happened to it now. For years, NASCAR was so huge, getting its start in the south by whiskey runners, and eventually growing into the fastest growing spectator sport in the world up 'til about 10 to 15 years ago. The cup race champion got the "Winston" cup, but that's a cigarette company, and many of the racer's teams were sponsored by cigarette companies and brands, but pressure from the "politically correcters" and the AMA got rid of all the cigarette sponsorships, and teams were clamoring to find new sponsors. Back in '01, when Dodge came back into NASCAR, it was said that a sponsor had to cough up a minimum $1 million to get their name on the car, and we had lots of cars sponsored by beer breweries; Budweiser, Coors Light, Miller Lite, etc., but they're gone now due to "correctness". We can't have racers drinkin' beer. While all this is goin' on, attendance is dropping. NASCAR's rule changes and car restrictions account for a lot of it, 'cause now we have the "Car of Tomorrow", where they're all look alikes and built the same, regardless Ford, Chevy, Toyota, etc. You couple that with the fact that NASCAR racing is a middle class sport, and the uncertain economies of the last 10 years or so left that class without enough money for racing, and you can see the decline of NASCAR. Racetracks that were standing room only years back are half empty now; the cameras won't even show all the empty seat sections in the park. There just might be an uncertain future for NASCAR.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Murph, I'm pretty sure Howard Johnson's had orange roofs. You might be thinkin' of Red Roof Inns....

You're right, Mitch, of course . As soon as I read your point here, I remembered it as you correctly stated. Thanks for adjusting that "memory."

[Big Jim]

It was a toss up, "Car Thread" or "Seen In Print". Car Thread won out.

Fart Car.jpg (74.6 KiB) Viewed 3777 times

[v8vega]

I have hears that in smart car on the freeway you feel like your sitting on a cannonball.

[healey36]

NASCAR's rule changes and car restrictions account for a lot of it, 'cause now we have the "Car of Tomorrow", where they're all look alikes and built the same, regardless Ford, Chevy, Toyota, etc.

Certainly agree with that...the homogenization of the field to achieve three-wide racing in massive bunches has killed it, at least for me. It's nothing but a thinly-veiled demolition derby now...luck has greatly overtaken any demonstration of skill. Get to the front at all cost to avoid trouble. That and the bump-from-behind...it's ridiculous. They're supposed to be "stock" cars...hell, you can't even cheat anymore and get away with it, lol...

For me nothing can compare to watching Bobby Allison (Mercury) or Richard Petty (Dodge) running down Cale Yarborough (Chevrolet) from a half-lap back with three laps to go, back in the day.

Healey

[Rufus T. Firefly]

NASCAR's rule changes and car restrictions account for a lot of it, 'cause now we have the "Car of Tomorrow", where they're all look alikes and built the same, regardless Ford, Chevy, Toyota, etc.

Certainly agree with that...the homogenization of the field to achieve three-wide racing in massive bunches has killed it, at least for me. It's nothing but a thinly-veiled demolition derby now...luck has greatly overtaken any demonstration of skill. Get to the front at all cost to avoid trouble. That and the bump-from-behind...it's ridiculous. They're supposed to be "stock" cars...hell, you can't even cheat anymore and get away with it, lol...

It's boring and close behind bowling and baseball as a sleep inducer.

[Tom Dempsey]

For me nothing can compare to watching Bobby Allison (Mercury) or Richard Petty (Dodge) running down Cale Yarborough (Chevrolet) from a half-lap back with three laps to go, back in the day.

Oh, you mean when it was an auto race instead of performance art.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

For me nothing can compare to watching Bobby Allison (Mercury) or Richard Petty (Dodge) running down Cale Yarborough (Chevrolet) from a half-lap back with three laps to go, back in the day.

Oh, you mean when it was an auto race instead of performance art.

And you could actually listen to it on the radio and stay awake.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

For me nothing can compare to watching Bobby Allison (Mercury) or Richard Petty (Dodge) running down Cale Yarborough (Chevrolet) from a half-lap back with three laps to go, back in the day.

Oh, you mean when it was an auto race instead of performance art.

Sounds correct to me. Spot-on, Tom.

[healey36]

NASCAR's rule changes and car restrictions account for a lot of it, 'cause now we have the "Car of Tomorrow", where they're all look alikes and built the same, regardless Ford, Chevy, Toyota, etc.

Certainly agree with that...the homogenization of the field to achieve three-wide racing in massive bunches has killed it, at least for me. It's nothing but a thinly-veiled demolition derby now...luck has greatly overtaken any demonstration of skill. Get to the front at all cost to avoid trouble. That and the bump-from-behind...it's ridiculous. They're supposed to be "stock" cars...hell, you can't even cheat anymore and get away with it, lol...

It's boring and close behind bowling and baseball as a sleep inducer.

Bowling and baseball...merely an excuse to drink beer (kinda like eating steamed-crabs).

[rogruth]

Certainly agree with that...the homogenization of the field to achieve three-wide racing in massive bunches has killed it, at least for me. It's nothing but a thinly-veiled demolition derby now...luck has greatly overtaken any demonstration of skill. Get to the front at all cost to avoid trouble. That and the bump-from-behind...it's ridiculous. They're supposed to be "stock" cars...hell, you can't even cheat anymore and get away with it, lol...

It's boring and close behind bowling and baseball as a sleep inducer.

Bowling and baseball...merely an excuse to drink beer (kinda like eating steamed-crabs).

You need an excuse to drink beer?