Should NASCAR Change Its Name?

Should NASCAR change their name? I mean what does the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing have to do with what's going on. With things like the car of tomorrow, how can they still car it stock car racing? Perhaps NAMCAR would be a good name, National Association of Modified Car Auto Racing. Or even better COTNAR, Car of Tomorrow National Association of Racing. It just doesn't have the same ring.

The cars of NASCAR have not been anywhere near stock for a long time. They have been changed, tweaked, and modified through the years, so that nothing about the cars resemble their stock namesakes. You are certainly not going to get 750 horsepower out of that Ford Taurus sitting on the dealer lot. Plus last time I checked a Taurus was a sedan not a coupe. You most certainly are not going to get the grip out of the stock tires that come on a Toyota Camry, like the ones they use at the tracks. I would love to see a rear wheel drive, non fuel injected Monte Carlo drive off a dealer lot.

The car of tomorrow was developed and designed by NASCAR. How can the manufacturers, Toyota, Dodge, Chevrolet, and Ford, put their names on them? They are all going to be the same. An emblem here and a decal there, is going to be the marks the manufacturers have on the cars. The engines carry the basic block design that was configured by the manufacturer, but that's it. Custom pieces created by engine builders take the credit for making the engine what it is. You never hear about how good or bad a Ford or Chevy motor is. You hear about the Roush engine or the Yates engine.

Even though I understand the efforts behind the car of tomorrow, how much is too much? Safety is obviously a huge concern, but when is enough, enough? They have the head and neck restraints like the Hans device. They have the impact-absorbing safer barrier soft walls. They run restrictor plates to keep there speeds down at the speedways. They use smaller fuel cells so they have to stop more and can get fresh tires. What's next a navigational system that tells them when a car is to close? Parking assist so they never pass up their pit stalls? How about computer driven cars so the drivers don't even have to be in them, just be around to take the glory?