Post by bnsf1995 on Jan 31, 2020 1:49:56 GMT -5
With the 2020 NASCAR season upon us, I felt the urge to get back into NR2003 and get the NSCA timeline off the ground.
The schedule for the first season of the NSCA Can Am Cup Series will resemble the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series schedule, but with several differences:
1. Daytona 500 @ Daytona International Speedway
2. Auto Club 500 @ California Speedway
3. UAW-Dodge 500 @ Las Vegas Motor Speedway
4. Kobalt Tools 400 @ Atlanta Motor Speedway
5. Food City 500 @ Bristol Motor Speedway
6. Goody's Cool Orange 500 @ Martinsville Speedway
7. Sunoco 400 @ Rockingham Speedway
8. Harley-Davidson 250 @ Road America
9. Aaron's 499 @ Talladega Superspeedway
10. Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400 @ Richmond International Raceway
11. Music City 420 @ Music City Motorplex
E. Can Am Showdown @ Lowe's Motor Speedway
E. Can Am All-Star Race @ Lowe's Motor Speedway
12. Coca-Cola 600 @ Lowe's Motor Speedway
13. Best Buy 400 Benefiting Student Clubs for Autism Speaks @ Dover International Speedway
14. Pocono 500 @ Pocono Raceway
15. LifeLock 400 @ Michigan International Speedway
16. Toyota/Save Mart 350 @ Infineon Raceway
17. Lennox Industrial Tools 301 @ New Hampshire Motor Speedway
18. Pepsi Firecracker 400 @ Daytona International Speedway
19. LifeLock.com 400 @ Chicagoland Speedway
20. Allstate 400 At The Brickyard @ Indianapolis Motor Speedway
21. Susan G. Komen For The Cure 250 @ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Complex
22. Centurion Boats at the Glen @ Watkins Glen International
23. Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer 400 @ The Milwaukee Mile
24. Sharpie 500 @ Bristol Motor Speedway
25. Southern 500 @ Darlington Raceway
26. Chevy Rock & Roll 400 @ Richmond International Raceway
27. Tyson Holly Farms 400 @ North Wilkesboro Speedway
28. Camping World RV 400 Presented By AAA @ Dover International Speedway
29. Camping World RV 400 Presented By Coleman @ Kansas Speedway
30. AMP Energy 500 @ Talladega Superspeedway
31. Bank of America 500 @ Lowe's Motor Speedway
32. TUMS QuikPak 500 @ Martinsville Speedway
33. Ford 400 @ Homestead-Miami Speedway
34. Dickies 500 @ Texas Motor Speedway
35. Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil @ Phoenix International Raceway
36. Pep Boys Auto 500 @ Atlanta Motor Speedway
* Rockingham, North Wilkesboro, and Nashville return to the schedule for the first time since 2004, 1996, and 1984, respectively; Rockingham replaces the Spring Texas race, North Wilkesboro replaces the Fall New Hampshire race, and Nashville replaces the Darlington date that has been moved
* Several new tracks have been added, including Road America (replacing the Spring Phoenix race), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Complex (replacing the Summer Pocono race), and The Milwaukee Mile (replacing the Summer Michigan date)
* Existing Nextel Cup races were shuffled around, including the Fall Atlanta race swapping dates with Miami, and the Labor Day weekend race at California being replaced by the relocated Darlington race, which regained the Southern 500 name
* The Budweiser Shootout was left off the schedule due to the 2008 Can Am Cup Series season being considered a fresh start
Under NSCA, the very structure of not just the Cup Series, but the entire sanctioning body was changed. There were so many changes, I can't list them all, so here's the big changes:
NSCA scrapped the controversial Car of Tomorrow that ran a limited schedule in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. Instead, they elected to continue running the fourth-generation car with features of the CoT that could be implemented. NSCA is targeting 2011 for the debut of a new bodystyle that will be closer to the cars in dealerships, but until then, the Car of Yesterday is here to stay. Drivers and fans couldn't be more pleased by this development.
The controversial Chase for the Cup has also been scrapped. The Can Am Cup Series will instead use the old Winston Cup points system. This change was also received very positively by drivers and fans.
NSCA decided it would be better if the tracks negotiated with broadcasters, rather than the body itself.
For 2008, this is what the TV lineup looks like:
* Fox will continue broadcasting NASCAR races, though not all of them. Among the races they got were California, Las Vegas, Rockingham, Nashville, Infineon, Mid-Ohio, and Milwaukee. Speed Channel will continue covering all Truck Series races, with several (including Daytona and Talladega) airing on the main network. Their broadcast crew is the same as 2007.
* CBS is back, and will broadcast the Daytona 500 for the first time since 2000. CBS also has the other restrictor plate races, Michigan, Darlington, and Kansas. Coverage will be hosted by Greg Gumbel, the booth will be manned by Ken Squier, Ned Jarrett, and David Hobbs, and pit road will be worked by Ralph Sheheen, Dick Berggren, and Bill Stephens.
* Turner was lured back, this time planning to show races on TBS instead of TNT. Their races include both Richmond races, both Lowe's races, Pocono, and Indianapolis. Their broadcast team is most of the TNT team used in 2007, but with Bill Weber replaced by Eli Gold.
* The rest of the season will be broadcast by ESPN. Most races will be on ESPN, while several, including the season finale at Atlanta, will be broadcast on ABC. Their team will consist of Nicole Briscoe in the studio, Allen Bestwick, Andy Petree, and Dale Jarret in the booth, and Dr. Jerry Punch, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, and Bill Weber on pit road.
NSCA had no control over what occurred at the driver level, and thus the Silly Season was on. Among the major changes:
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. originally planned to leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. for Hendrick Motorsports, but after the collapse of NASCAR and the formation of NSCA, he elected to stay at DEI in the #8 Budweiser Chevy
* Kyle Busch is the new driver of the #18 car at Joe Gibbs Racing after JJ Yeley proved lackluster; JGR as a whole has switched from Chevrolet to Toyota, as well, a move Tony Stewart is not happy about
* Because Dale Jr. didn't move to Hendrick, Rick Hendrick had to find another driver to fill the seat of the new #88 Chevy, eventually managing to bring Brian Vickers back
* Robby Gordon Motorsports has switched to Dodge, using engines supplied by Gillett Evernham Motorsports
Numerous rules Brian France instituted in the final years of NASCAR were eliminated or changed. Among the more notable rules removed were:
* The elimination of the green-white-checkered finish
* Freezing the field at the time of caution; it is now legal to race back to the line
* The impound protocol
2008 Schedule
The schedule for the first season of the NSCA Can Am Cup Series will resemble the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series schedule, but with several differences:
1. Daytona 500 @ Daytona International Speedway
2. Auto Club 500 @ California Speedway
3. UAW-Dodge 500 @ Las Vegas Motor Speedway
4. Kobalt Tools 400 @ Atlanta Motor Speedway
5. Food City 500 @ Bristol Motor Speedway
6. Goody's Cool Orange 500 @ Martinsville Speedway
7. Sunoco 400 @ Rockingham Speedway
8. Harley-Davidson 250 @ Road America
9. Aaron's 499 @ Talladega Superspeedway
10. Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400 @ Richmond International Raceway
11. Music City 420 @ Music City Motorplex
E. Can Am Showdown @ Lowe's Motor Speedway
E. Can Am All-Star Race @ Lowe's Motor Speedway
12. Coca-Cola 600 @ Lowe's Motor Speedway
13. Best Buy 400 Benefiting Student Clubs for Autism Speaks @ Dover International Speedway
14. Pocono 500 @ Pocono Raceway
15. LifeLock 400 @ Michigan International Speedway
16. Toyota/Save Mart 350 @ Infineon Raceway
17. Lennox Industrial Tools 301 @ New Hampshire Motor Speedway
18. Pepsi Firecracker 400 @ Daytona International Speedway
19. LifeLock.com 400 @ Chicagoland Speedway
20. Allstate 400 At The Brickyard @ Indianapolis Motor Speedway
21. Susan G. Komen For The Cure 250 @ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Complex
22. Centurion Boats at the Glen @ Watkins Glen International
23. Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer 400 @ The Milwaukee Mile
24. Sharpie 500 @ Bristol Motor Speedway
25. Southern 500 @ Darlington Raceway
26. Chevy Rock & Roll 400 @ Richmond International Raceway
27. Tyson Holly Farms 400 @ North Wilkesboro Speedway
28. Camping World RV 400 Presented By AAA @ Dover International Speedway
29. Camping World RV 400 Presented By Coleman @ Kansas Speedway
30. AMP Energy 500 @ Talladega Superspeedway
31. Bank of America 500 @ Lowe's Motor Speedway
32. TUMS QuikPak 500 @ Martinsville Speedway
33. Ford 400 @ Homestead-Miami Speedway
34. Dickies 500 @ Texas Motor Speedway
35. Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil @ Phoenix International Raceway
36. Pep Boys Auto 500 @ Atlanta Motor Speedway
Schedule Changes
* Rockingham, North Wilkesboro, and Nashville return to the schedule for the first time since 2004, 1996, and 1984, respectively; Rockingham replaces the Spring Texas race, North Wilkesboro replaces the Fall New Hampshire race, and Nashville replaces the Darlington date that has been moved
* Several new tracks have been added, including Road America (replacing the Spring Phoenix race), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Complex (replacing the Summer Pocono race), and The Milwaukee Mile (replacing the Summer Michigan date)
* Existing Nextel Cup races were shuffled around, including the Fall Atlanta race swapping dates with Miami, and the Labor Day weekend race at California being replaced by the relocated Darlington race, which regained the Southern 500 name
* The Budweiser Shootout was left off the schedule due to the 2008 Can Am Cup Series season being considered a fresh start
Changes, Changes Everywhere
Under NSCA, the very structure of not just the Cup Series, but the entire sanctioning body was changed. There were so many changes, I can't list them all, so here's the big changes:
Tomorrow will have to wait
NSCA scrapped the controversial Car of Tomorrow that ran a limited schedule in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. Instead, they elected to continue running the fourth-generation car with features of the CoT that could be implemented. NSCA is targeting 2011 for the debut of a new bodystyle that will be closer to the cars in dealerships, but until then, the Car of Yesterday is here to stay. Drivers and fans couldn't be more pleased by this development.
The Chase for Oblivion
The controversial Chase for the Cup has also been scrapped. The Can Am Cup Series will instead use the old Winston Cup points system. This change was also received very positively by drivers and fans.
TV Guide Panic
NSCA decided it would be better if the tracks negotiated with broadcasters, rather than the body itself.
For 2008, this is what the TV lineup looks like:
* Fox will continue broadcasting NASCAR races, though not all of them. Among the races they got were California, Las Vegas, Rockingham, Nashville, Infineon, Mid-Ohio, and Milwaukee. Speed Channel will continue covering all Truck Series races, with several (including Daytona and Talladega) airing on the main network. Their broadcast crew is the same as 2007.
* CBS is back, and will broadcast the Daytona 500 for the first time since 2000. CBS also has the other restrictor plate races, Michigan, Darlington, and Kansas. Coverage will be hosted by Greg Gumbel, the booth will be manned by Ken Squier, Ned Jarrett, and David Hobbs, and pit road will be worked by Ralph Sheheen, Dick Berggren, and Bill Stephens.
* Turner was lured back, this time planning to show races on TBS instead of TNT. Their races include both Richmond races, both Lowe's races, Pocono, and Indianapolis. Their broadcast team is most of the TNT team used in 2007, but with Bill Weber replaced by Eli Gold.
* The rest of the season will be broadcast by ESPN. Most races will be on ESPN, while several, including the season finale at Atlanta, will be broadcast on ABC. Their team will consist of Nicole Briscoe in the studio, Allen Bestwick, Andy Petree, and Dale Jarret in the booth, and Dr. Jerry Punch, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, and Bill Weber on pit road.
Silly Season
NSCA had no control over what occurred at the driver level, and thus the Silly Season was on. Among the major changes:
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. originally planned to leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. for Hendrick Motorsports, but after the collapse of NASCAR and the formation of NSCA, he elected to stay at DEI in the #8 Budweiser Chevy
* Kyle Busch is the new driver of the #18 car at Joe Gibbs Racing after JJ Yeley proved lackluster; JGR as a whole has switched from Chevrolet to Toyota, as well, a move Tony Stewart is not happy about
* Because Dale Jr. didn't move to Hendrick, Rick Hendrick had to find another driver to fill the seat of the new #88 Chevy, eventually managing to bring Brian Vickers back
* Robby Gordon Motorsports has switched to Dodge, using engines supplied by Gillett Evernham Motorsports
Sillier Rules
Numerous rules Brian France instituted in the final years of NASCAR were eliminated or changed. Among the more notable rules removed were:
* The elimination of the green-white-checkered finish
* Freezing the field at the time of caution; it is now legal to race back to the line
* The impound protocol
