Thumper
02-20-2022, 01:01 PM
… I’ll have my fat ass parked in front if the tv most of the day, watching the Daytona 500. Admittedly, I’m far from being the fan I once was. Heck, things have changed so much, it’s just not the same sport anymore. I really miss the old guys battling it out on the track. They came from the days you had to WORK your way up the ranks and build a name for yourself. These days, the 20 year old kids ditch their diapers, race go-karts for a few years, graduate high school and jump into a well financed team’s full-fledged Cup car. Ha! Cup car?? I’m showing my age. I don’t even know what they’re called anymore. Something else sucky? There was a day I could go right down the line of 42 cars and name the driver and team by just looking at the car number or color scheme/sponsorship. Now? I watched qualifying and when the announcer mentioned the driver headed out, probably 70% of the time I’d think, “Who??”
Oh well, I’ll still watch. Of course today will be the start of the “next generation” car. I’ve lost track, Gen-7 maybe? I have no clue. One GOOD thing (imho) is that the cookie-cutter car has finally changed. The Camaro looks like a Camaro, the Mustang looks like a Mustang and the Camry, actually looks like a Camry! One BAD thing? The qualifying times are the slowest they’ve had in the past 55 frigging years!!! WTF? That’s progress? Man-o-man, I’m so glad I grew up in the days of the Chrysler 426 Hemis, Ford 427 and 429’s, Chevy 427’s and even Pontiac’s Super Duty 421. Ok, so I’m a dinosaur, but nostalgia is fun sometimes. I always wonder how much fun those old engines would be if they’d been subjected to the same development the smaller displacements have been subjected to.
Oh well, I have my munchies, adult beverages and recliner ready for the show. I’ll just have to keep the names straight. Heck, tbh, I don’t even know who to root for these days. :(
Oh well, I’ll still watch. Of course today will be the start of the “next generation” car. I’ve lost track, Gen-7 maybe? I have no clue. One GOOD thing (imho) is that the cookie-cutter car has finally changed. The Camaro looks like a Camaro, the Mustang looks like a Mustang and the Camry, actually looks like a Camry! One BAD thing? The qualifying times are the slowest they’ve had in the past 55 frigging years!!! WTF? That’s progress? Man-o-man, I’m so glad I grew up in the days of the Chrysler 426 Hemis, Ford 427 and 429’s, Chevy 427’s and even Pontiac’s Super Duty 421. Ok, so I’m a dinosaur, but nostalgia is fun sometimes. I always wonder how much fun those old engines would be if they’d been subjected to the same development the smaller displacements have been subjected to.
Oh well, I have my munchies, adult beverages and recliner ready for the show. I’ll just have to keep the names straight. Heck, tbh, I don’t even know who to root for these days. :(