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Pony car wars heading to NASCAR

06/16/2009, 10:23 AM

By Drew Johnson

The Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger have re-sparked the pony car wars on the streets of America but that battle will soon move to the tracks of NASCAR. The Mustang and Challenger will reportedly be coming to the Nationwide Series in 2010.

According to Fox Sports, Ford and Dodge will be switching over to their pony cars with the Nationwide Series switches over to the Car of Tomorrow in 2010. Although the modern NASCAR stock car has lost all roots with what’s actually in the showroom, the Mustang and Challenger will reportedly closer resemble their road-going counter parts.

“Ten-fold better than a Cup car,” an unnamed NASCAR official said of the new Nationwide Series cars.

Although Ford and Dodge will be making the transition to pony cars, General Motors will not be campaigning its new Chevrolet Camaro.

It remains to be seen just how close the new models will look to the factory cars they are named after, but it sounds as if they will have more in common than some decal headlights. NASCAR could use a shot in the arm right now – as ratings and attendance are down across the board – and the pony car wars could be just the ticket.

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06/16, 10:24 AM

posted by:

bigs4610

ive never understood why the pony cars were not chosen to be in the series

and yet GM says no.
why not?

06/16, 10:30 AM

posted by:

masonicangel

Because GM sucks

06/16, 10:35 AM

posted by:

MercMark

Stock Cars should be STOCK cars, not a paint job on a fiberglass shell.

06/16, 10:40 AM

posted by:

CADDY-V

I know a bunch of people that would get back into NASCAR if they took toyota out. That would be one way to get more people back into the sport.

06/16, 10:41 AM

posted by:

johnnycanuck

NASCAR has so lost touch with its roots over the last few years the series should be advertised on the side of milk cartons. This will go a long ways to remedy that and I hear rumors there are also changes coming to the COT in the big show. By making all the cars virtually identical they’ve essentially taken the manufacturers out of the picture and that is wrong. Yes everyone has their favorite driver but in the past those allegiances were forged just as much through what they drove as well as how they drove it.

Funny though, there’s no mention of Toyota’s pony car.

06/16, 10:47 AM

posted by:

JakeK66

Yeah JohnnyC, I have this strange and funny feeling the only other manufacturer with a Pony car will be showing up soon with there own Nascar team…..

Hyundai Genesis Coupe here we come!!!!

06/16, 11:13 AM

posted by:

05Z88Path

Unless they return to their roots and offer race cars based on production cars (not just decals), then it make no difference what they call the car. In my opinion the old saying, “Race on Sunday, sell on Monday” shouldn’t apply when the cars have 0% mechanically shared components. Get back to your roots NASCAR!

06/16, 11:41 AM

posted by:

HoosierHero

Yes NASCAR, please get back to your roots so I don’t have to see that crap on ESPN and other channels. Put them on the Mullet Channel where they belong.

06/16, 11:45 AM

posted by:

JakeK66

LOL @ Hoosier

You know in the STL “Hoosier” is slang for a redneck/yokel with a mullet who watches Nascar?

06/16, 11:49 AM

posted by:

wbent

I have always been disappointed when they moved from rear wheel drive platforms to Impala’s, Taurus’s fusions etc. They need to go back to their roots and hold a certain precentage of stock content…..if you as a manufacturer don’t make a rear drive platform…..you don’t race. Started watching WRC instead

06/16, 12:04 PM

posted by:

Jon Luc

wbent, isn’t the Impala a rear wheel driven car? LOL

06/16, 12:06 PM

posted by:

92GTA

What’s the deal with all the Toyota haters?! I’m a GM/Mopar guy but I respect Toyota for a quality product and heck, they build more cars in America than almost any other “US” car company!

I do think GM is missing the boat on this one :(

06/16, 12:12 PM

posted by:

bigs4610

@wbent
agreed

06/16, 12:22 PM

posted by:

shaver

I have no love for Nascar but this makes too much sense, and the cars need to have some resemblence to the “stock car”.

06/16, 12:31 PM

posted by:

Me

MerkMark, the body parts are sheetmetal as fiberglass is not light enough when it’s thick enough to withstand the deflections at speed.
JonLuc, the Impala is no longer rear wheel drive (since it was caprice based).

06/16, 12:32 PM

posted by:

Me

sry, since it stopped being based on the caprice.

06/16, 1:09 PM

posted by:

RaineMan

Bah… NASCAR is a joke. I don’t know why they even bother to name the vehicles after production cars anymore… there are 0 parts in common.

Though… on the flip side. Am I going to be able to get a NASCAR edition Mustang GT with the front splitter and humongous rear wing?

06/16, 1:14 PM

posted by:

A4

Impala hasn’t been rear drive in a solid 10 years

06/16, 1:32 PM

posted by:

biff152

92, Toyota does NOT build even close to as many cars in this country as the others (except Chrysler).

People don’t care about Nascar because it’s not cool to race a car decaled up to be a 4-door grocery getter family sedan. GM will follow suit in a year or so.

06/16, 1:44 PM

posted by:

JPLee

Honestly, I see it a BENEFIT to Nascar in having Toyota in it, in fact, by have Toyota in Nascar, Gran Turismo 5 placed Nascar in the game (Go google the E3 trailer now). But I do agree that Toyota needs a “pony-styled” car like a Supra to return and get into the series. I’m happy that the Mustang and the Challenger is returning. I can see GM kicking them selves in the butt after a year of two on not jumping into this quick enough.

Although, I don’t see why they wouldn’t jump in soon considering the other two of the big three have jumped in. GM is closing Pontiac after 2010, trying to sell Saab and Saturn hence the Hummer deal is still going through…..all negative news for them thusfar, a bit of good news would be nice.

06/16, 2:03 PM

posted by:

leftwingagenda

biff, where are your numbers from? i’d like to see a reference…i don’t have a dog in this fight, but the D3 make a lot of cars in canada and mexico i’d be interested to see how many are actually made in the states and compare that with honda/toyota/hyundai/etc…

JP, financially speaking, selling saab, saturn and hummer are good things, so i see that as good news…they make the company more streamlined and focused, and effort won’t be diluted among so many brands…so i don’t really take that negatively at all…the company went bankrupt after all…that was the bad news…this is all recovery stuff, so think of it as progress…

racing-wise, though, while i used to watch nascar when i was a kid, i stopped when things got a little too predictable…the constant sponsorship presence got old, too…drivers getting out of the car after a 500 mile race and saying pepsi a thousand times just got tiresome…i used to like the iroc series, where the drivers were *supposedly* given equally prepared cars, even though some always ended up faster than the others…we’re talking back in the 80s here, though…it would be interesting to see these retro cars raced in some kind of series, though, but who knows if that’ll be a flash in the pan or a long-term deal…

06/16, 3:03 PM

posted by:

spg900

CADDY-V , Was that an attempt at sarcasm or are you really a HICK ?

06/16, 3:08 PM

posted by:

HoosierHero

JakeK66 – Only 98% of Hoosiers are redneck/yokels ;)

06/16, 3:09 PM

posted by:

beatusmongous

The Summer’s Eve 500 cup.

06/16, 4:14 PM

posted by:

Silvy350

Leftwingagenda – what numbers are you using to dispute biff? Quit talking out of your a**. Google “American Automobile Labeling Act”, then you can see for yourself the numbers to prove that Toyota makes no where near as many of its vehicles in the US as either Ford or GM.

06/16, 4:16 PM

posted by:

Mutant@DCX

Nascar gofer cam, lucky dog, booggity booggity… that’s entertainment right thar, don’t care who u are.

06/16, 4:20 PM

posted by:

johnnycanuck

lol^^^

06/16, 4:26 PM

posted by:

yarddog82abn

Not to brag, but I’ve been racing since High School… on the track ;)

Today I find my self will rounded in all most any type behind the wheel motor sports.

Have said that, I will say that NASCAR is big business. Nothing wrong with that, but the agave Joe like me has NO-WAY, of competing in a sport that takes BIG $$$$ just to play. And that is just for the amateur/ semi-pro level.

If you want to see real stock cars, go to a SCCA auto cross track day, you can hang out and talk to driver, really check out the cars…

Unless you got the $$$$ to play in a “STOCK-CAR” series, it’s just another thing to watch on TV…

06/16, 4:28 PM

posted by:

Get Real

NASCAR became a joke when “stock” disappeared from the cars. A Taurus V8 with 2 doors was the biggest joke they had rolling down the track.

Little on the racetrack is real except for the motor you “could” buy and legally install in a pre-1975 smog car.

06/16, 8:34 PM

posted by:

Rafa LL

After all, taking a model to NASCRAP is just a matter of front lights stickers and glass fiber.

06/16, 9:00 PM

posted by:

AutoCritical

@johnnycanuck

Where is Toyota’s pony car? Where are any of their sports cars! They are in F1 apparently ‘learning’ things, I don’t see the ‘obvious’ relevance to what they’ve put into a proper sports car…

Perhaps toyota are planning something big to bring in some proper sports models…i say ‘proper’ in a very VERY loose way…

06/16, 10:25 PM

posted by:

Rodman

I agree with Get Real. The Stock Car in NASCAR has been a joke for yaers. Ever since the change to FWD in passenger cars in the 80’s. I’ve lost interest years ago. Their only hope is to return to their roots. If they start running “real” pony cars based on production cars, it might work. Like so much in this world it is all a sham, hype and spin.

06/16, 10:32 PM

posted by:

AFSOCSARGE

I hope this goes through it will be great for sale and I wish they would be closer to Stock Car that what they have now ! The COT is just a Decal Race that is what is wrong with NASCAR it is IROC without the International Flavor !
-Sarge

06/16, 11:13 PM

posted by:

1c3d0g

Well f*cking said, 05Z88Path!!! :evil:

 
 
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