Detroit-Daytona-Charlotte: How about a fan-friendly NASCAR Preseason Preview in Charlotte? Isn't it time to start changing things up?

Great ideas! It's a shame that NASCAR AND Sprint just don't get it. T. Wayne Robertson was a great idea man and since he and RJR left the sport (yeah, I know big tobacco issues) it just hasn't been the same. I'm not a smoker, never was, but they knew how to promote things. Sprint just seems lame about most of their promotional ideas. The idea of having a little bit of pre-season testing to get people excited, coupled with the auto show AND the drivers all in the SE sounds good to me.

Bruton dumped Humpy for his kid and going to Charlotte Motor Speedway isn't the same either. Humpy knew how to show the fans a good time, Smith's kid is still trying to figure out what to do next.

Gee, fans might even buy a souvenir or two and help out motorsports authentics. Although at least for me, I quit buying diecast because although I had a few of the old style race cars, there is NOTHING about the boxy POS car currently in the Cup series that makes me want to have them on a shelf.

The tracks could do a few things to show they care about the longtime ticket holders with some things that would cost them nothing. They could give out some preferred parking spaces to long time fans after they have had tickets for 20 or more years these fans are obviously older and have problems walking 2 miles to the track this is a reason my 67 year old father is going to give up some of his tickets this might fill some of those empty seats. I've been to over 200 cup races and 150 Nationwide and truck races do you know how many times I have been given a perk like a pre race pit pass or anything else NEVER. I'm so tired of meeting people who get free everything and say this is my first race.

THANK YOU!!!! As I have whined and bitched on your venue, I exchanged emails with the idiots at NEXTEL when they moved their Oh so successful Fan Farce to Daytona. My Canadian friends can't make it to Daytona as easy as NC and the Old North State sure is easier to get to than Daytona from the Lower 48 as well. (Hey there's that number again!)

One day, one event with lots of fans who would even go get you a biscuit and hot chocolate while you held their place in line. Comradery and a chance to see ALL the drivers there, the neat auction, all the cars, Old Timers! It was great! Cell phone geeks just can't market like baccy folks. Hey, fans may even buy stuff for the drivers to sign, who knows? What a great venue for new cars to be unveiled!

As for Lowe's, I think it would be a great idea but then again, I think about stock price. Silly me. They would probably have to sell one of the five or six neat jets they have that facilitates all their executives living on Lake Norman. Not sure that the Senior Regional VPs really want to live in their Regions. I don't know if they'll sponsor it but there are other companies that would jump at the chance......

a friend of ours believes that it was the marketing of T. Wayne / RJR that was the driving force behind nascar's explosive growth of the 90's and that the beach boys deluded themselves into thinking it was something they had done. This marketing by RJR took several years to wear off and that both nascar's and Nextel / Sprints efforts are what is carrying the sport now. I think his idea has some merit.

And you crack me up with the notion of nascar ever being agile --- thanks for starting the day off with a laugh.

One of the worse moves NASCAR ever made was making Mike Helton, President of NASCAR. The only reason he got the job in the first place probably because he was "buddy-buddy" with Bill, Jr and coming up through the ISC ranks, running Talladega and so on.

What they should have did was to hire HUMPY WHEELER instead. He had more experience than ANY other GM, track manager, etc. Innovative with Bruton Smith from adding condos to the racetrack, to lighting superspeedways, THEY put the PRE-RACE in pre-race activities. Second-to-none. Even the Indy 500 with all it's hype can't compete. His daughter, Patty was already in the television industry with her programming. To me, it would have been a no brainer.

But, it was to NASCAR's ignorance. Still hung up "in-fighting" between ISC/NASCAR/FRANCE FAMILY vs SMI/BRUTON SMITH. Just an opportunity wasted. I would hope NASCAR would bring along Humpy just for experience and know how (consulting) to bring back how it "used" to be. Let 'em race. Run TV your way and not to have TV TELL YOU WHAT TO DO. Bring racin' back to the geographical markets that WANT it, not outta the way places like Fontana, 2x a year (maybe once) With the right hype, Fontana can pack 2x as many fans in one race than two. But when you have NASCAR executives that don't know how to put on a show, as Mike Helton puts it..."It is what it is".

NASCAR just needs to move to Charlotte. PERIOD! Corporate and all. And use Daytona as a vacation getaway.

Happy New Year Mike Mulhern!!!! Have a great 2010!!!!