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NASCAR fuel woes worse in '70s

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Up in Detroit, there are cutbacks here and cutbacks there. And NASCAR, even though it's a cheap marketing tool in the grand scheme of things, might well feel the pinch, too. How deeply, well that's up for debate, and for NASCAR men to sweat out. Compared to what NASCAR execs had faced in dealing with fallout from the Arab oil embargo of 1973 and the ensuing fuel crises of 1974 and 1979, this might be a walk in the park, relatively speaking. Back then, stock-car racing was still reeling from the Detroit walkout in 1971. Ford and Dodge had packed up everything and abandoned NASCAR, and only a couple of teams, such as Junior Johnson's, had any factory backing at all. And for several years, there were three major full-time teams. Now, by contrast, General Motors supports 13 major Sprint Cup teams, Ford has eight factory teams, Dodge and Toyota have 10 each. So there's plenty of room for pruning. Of course any cutbacks in NASCAR might be more marketing cosmetics than anything, because, all things considered, car-makers don't spend all that much on this sport, maybe $100 million each per year. Detroit's NASCAR efforts are supported in large part by independent sponsors, from General Mills to Caterpillar to Lowe's to the U.S. Army.

Winston-Salem Journal

Richard Petty, AP Richard Petty, AP

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July 19, 2008  12:40 PM ET
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Nice Shades!!!

July 19, 2008  12:46 PM ET
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To all my friends out there, all 11 of you. Have a Great Day, catch up with you later.
I'll be at the Beach with my Sons,,,, no,,, not at Teresa's house! LOL

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July 19, 2008  01:05 PM ET
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If sponsorship dwindles, will they bring back cigarette advertising?

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July 19, 2008  01:14 PM ET
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Unlike the '70's, there is no fuel shortage. We have plenty of fuel, it's just expensive because foreigners are driving the future markets up.

July 19, 2008  01:34 PM ET
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I think it's also American futures trading that is driving the price of crude upwards. It's not foreigners alone in this rodeo.

July 19, 2008  01:43 PM ET
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Seymore is right. The speculators have driven the price up.
That and demand from China and India.

July 19, 2008  01:57 PM ET
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Seymore is right. The speculators have driven the price up.
That and demand from China and India.

Don't shave the Busch | 07/19/08, 01:43 PM

Except for your "taste" in the Bug eye boy, you seem to be semi smart, (Puck), so I guess you can stay. LOL
I know, I'm still here, finally got off work, and my sons out of bed, Heading for the beach.
See Ya!

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July 19, 2008  03:17 PM ET
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I think the fuel shortage problem is a lot worse than that article is indicating. There is nothing "walk in the park" about it. These big 3 layoffs and the domino layoffs are the worse I have seen in my life. I am not that old, but my parents and grandparents think that too.

July 19, 2008  03:21 PM ET
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To all my friends out there, all 11 of you. Have a Great Day, catch up with you later.
I'll be at the Beach with my Sons,,,, no,,, not at Teresa's house! LOL

-The Floatman- | 07/19/08, 12:46 PM
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Have fun dude and keep spoilin' the hell out of those sons -- be safe and drink a cold for your friends!!

July 19, 2008  04:19 PM ET
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Like RZ said.. It's not a 'fuel shortage' problem.. There's plenty of fuel but the problem lies with laws of Supply and Demand... that is what's making fuel so expensive.. That plus greedy Arabs.

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July 19, 2008  05:21 PM ET
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What will hurt the sport is Sponsor Money... As fuel prices rise it increases the prices of consumer goods. Less money for the average person to spend on amenities .. The Trickle down affect will hurt companies bottom lines.. Meaning Sponsor Dollars might not be there in the future.

July 19, 2008  06:55 PM ET
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The problem could have been worse, thank god Kyle Petty has been conserving fuel as much as he could by running fewer laps than the other drivers. Way to go Kyle!

Go Kyle - Go Green!

July 19, 2008  07:09 PM ET
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Good one Miyagi!!

July 19, 2008  08:06 PM ET
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They didn't cover it in the article but Petty was mainly answering questions about the ongoing contract between NASCAR and Fannation (regarding the fact that all NASCAR drivers and NASCAR affiliates must always be wearing cheap sunglasses when appearing in T&R articles).
The contract was recently expanded and now covers individual users who use NASCAR avatars. Those violating the 'shades' agreement will be subject to fines and revocation of Fannation priveleges.

 
July 19, 2008  11:31 PM ET
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What about he "porn star" mustache?

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