NASCAR preview: Good old days vs. today

Comparing the good old days to today

Longtime NASCAR fans often complain that racing isn't the same now as it used to be. From the commercialism that has dominated the sport in the past 10 years to cookie-cutter tracks and drivers, racing has changed. Is it necessarily bad?

Let's take a closer look:

How driversspent their timeoff the track

Good old days: As many NASCAR fans know, the sport was built by drivers who transported moonshine while trying to outrun police and federal tax agents determined to catch them. This led to the drivers wanting to prove who had the best hot rod.

Today: Aside from Kyle Busch's 128-mph "leisure" rides, drivers spend time making appearances for sponsors, filming commercials, aiding charities, working out to improve their fitness and — in some cases — flying their own planes.

Edge: Good old days. Considering Tony Stewart looked like Santa Claus while climbing fences in his Subway firesuit — as part of his post-victory celebrations a few years ago — I'm guessing he wasn't touching those sandwiches if they had a trace of lettuce.

Margin of victory

Good old days: Because of the relative lack of regulations, many races were won by substantial margins. Ned Jarrett set the NASCAR record for margin of victory at the 1966 Southern 500, when he was triumphant by … 14 laps .

Today: The average margin of victory in last season's 36 Sprint Cup point races was 1.321 seconds, including a record 23 races with winning margins under one second.

Edge: Today. Some may argue the best cars today are no longer winning as often because of fuel mileage and late cautions, but we'll give the nod to when the winning margin couldn't be timed with a calendar.

Schedule

Good old days: The 1964 Grand National season, which boasted a record 62 races, began on Nov. 10, 1963, at the now-defunct Concord Speedway. It ended on Nov. 8 in Jacksonville, Fla., the next year.

Today: The Sprint Cup season now spans a tidy nine months and will end on Nov. 18 in Homestead, Fla.

Edge: Today. Though fans may have enjoyed attending a race four days after Christmas in 1963, the break gives all a chance to recharge their batteries — literally and figuratively.

How drivers handled their differences

Good old days: Those drivers definitely had more of a hands-on approach to communication, made most famous by the fight between Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison at the 1979 Daytona 500. To quote Allison: "Cale just insisted on hitting his face against my fist!"

Today: Drivers now attempt to smooth over bad feelings over the phone; maybe Verizon or AT&T should become an official sponsor of the midweek call. If that doesn't resolve the issue, the "disrespected" party will get revenge on the track.

Edge: Good old days. The Yarborough-Allison fight played a huge role in NASCAR becoming as popular as it is. By contrast, anyone who's seen the 2006 "skirmish" between Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon at Bristol may have trouble calling NASCAR drivers "athletes."

Parity

Good old days: Richard Petty won 27 of the 48 races he ran in NASCAR's top series in 1967, including wins in 10 consecutive starts. (A 1972 rule change eliminated races under distances of 250 miles, reducing the schedule to 30 events that season.)

Today: The winners of last year's Daytona 500 (Trevor Bayne), Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (Regan Smith) and Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis (Paul Menard) — three of the most prestigious races in NASCAR — have no other Cup wins in their careers.

Edge: Good old days. Yes, last year's races made for great underdog stories, but the role of driver talent doesn't seem to be the decisive factor that it used to be.

Best ways to cheat

Good old days: Darrell Waltrip's helmet, water bottle and radio were replaced with ones made out of lead for the pre-race weigh-in; they were then replaced with the real helmet, bottle and radio before the start, saving 150 pounds. They also would fill Waltrip's frame rails with BBs and release them during the race to lighten the car.

Today: Chad Knaus was suspended for six races in 2006 for bowing his rear window. And Michael Waltrip used a fuel additive during Daytona Speedweeks in 2007 that nearly kept him out of the Great American Race.

Edge: Good old days. Said Waltrip after his 1976 Daytona 500 qualifying time was thrown out for using nitrous oxide: "If you don't cheat, you look like an idiot."