Tag: green

pontiac_logoThe Pontiac brand is being put out by General Motors. Is this a move of logic by General Motors or is this a pressure move from the Federal Government which stands to take over more than 50% of GM stock in cancelling a chunk of bailout debt? Pontiac is a “performance” brand name with a history of muscle cars, sports cars and racing heritage. The current administration is certainly waist deep in “green” cohorts and may not want to have a controlling interest in a brand known for burning rubber and turning fast laps. Is Pontiac really losing money or is it a show of “green” power? Currently, Pontiac power plants and car models are running and winning on the track. Just recently at Virginia International Raceway, a Pontiac powered Daytona Prototype won the class in the Bosch Engineering 250. On the same track running with the DP class, a Pontiac GXP.R won the GT class. Pontiacs are selling. They are out on the road with their split grills and diamond point logos. So the question remains…  are they really losing so much on the showroom floor? More so than other brands…?  Really?

1969 Pontiac GTO "The Judge"
1969 Pontiac GTO "The Judge"

The historic Pontiac GTO has been a staple of muscle cars since it was introduced. Now, General Motors is ready to throw it in the ditch and keep Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac and Buick. Buick!? Are you kidding? Think… Can you remember the last time you saw a Buick on the road? What is it that says keeping Buick and dropping Pontiac makes sense? Is the bottom line on Buick really so fantastic? Is the bottom line on Pontiac really so dismal? Is this a “business” decision or is this a mandate from a government being lead by a man who was driving a Chrysler 300 up to the point he announced a campaign and politically embraced “climate change” verbage with the purchase of a hybrid to show how “green” he could appear to be?

2009 Pontiac G8 GXP
2009 Pontiac G8 GXP

Pontiac is not the only brand in line with the scrap yard. Hummer is on the list. Why anyone wanted one of these toned-down military knock-offs in the first place was amazing. They make Pontiac look “green” as country meadow! Saturn is on the list to go. Really? Saturns have a pretty good reputation for dependability and economy so why would they be out there on a limb? Saab is GM owned but they don’t want it any longer. Saab has always been a niche luxury sports car with a loyal, but smaller, following. Saab has, however, made some good moves with styling and performance but perhaps was too little, too late.

The questions concerning Pontiac just scratch the surface. The economic turn down has made the magnifying glass turn on every aspect of modern business. Larger questions remain. Right now, as things stand to continue to go downhill or could swing towards growth, a large question concerns trust. How much do we trust those that are telling us things are bad and drastic measures must be taken? How much do we know about the coincidence of chopping performance cars off just as those that push the “green” agenda gain access to those in power? How much is real and how much is manufactured? Time will tell. When it does will we realize we’ve been duped or saved?

ARCA Racing under way February 7 before NASCAR Bud Shootout
ARCA Racing under way February 7 before NASCAR Bud Shootout

Speed Week begins today. The NASCAR Budweiser Shootout is tonight. Will you watch? How about the “Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200” ARCA Series race that runs earlier in the afternoon? Maybe – Maybe not…? Yes, but only because it is on and part of the day of racing tied to the Shootout…? No…? 

Here’s the thing and I think it is important right now. It is no longer OK to just be a NASCAR fan or an INDY fan or a Grand-Am fan. It is time to embrace auto racing as a “whole package”. That means tuning into a race you might have skipped over in the past. That means packing up the car and heading out to some of those Saturday night races at the local oval. It also means showing support for these small teams and drivers that work the 40 during the week so they can run 100 laps on the weekend. It is time to become a RACING fan. Why…..?

Well, look around and get an eyeful of what is going on around you. Those folks in Washington, DC are about to sign off on what they are calling a “stimulus” package. Jimmy Dean has sold less pork in 40 years than the Democrats have packed in this thing in just two weeks. It is not just the bloated cost of wasteful Government expansion that we, as motor-sports fans, should be concerned with. There is a lot of pay-off money going to the so-called “green initiative” special interests for backing these nutjobs that have the nerve to call themselves “concerned” as leaders of our Country. Billions of dollars are going to “climate change” (formerly known as “global warming”) researchers and you can wager your Pit Pass that the “researchers” getting the cash are more concerned with agenda than fact. There are billions going to “renewable” energy research and development meaning bio-fuels and electrics. On the surface, that is a fine goal. However, look behind the curtain and you see the cost to convert crops to fuel is hardly easy or cost-effective and is not likely to be without huge subsidies. Not to mention the inflation of other by-products as more growers turn to selling for fuel rather than food. Hybrids and electrics are being developed and being forced onto the marketplace by growing Government mandates on MPG minimums. On the surface, again, a fine idea. However, nobody is talking about what to do with discarded batteries at the end of their run or the environmental impact of creating batteries in the first place. Billions of dollars of “stimulus” are going to wind and solar research. Fine. Billions are going into initiatives to force companies to go “green” or be “green friendly”. OK…  But here is THE question. If the goal is to get us away from dependence on foreign oil, why is there no real investment in this “stimulus” on finding, drilling and developing our own oil? Oil that we know exists. Oil that we can get to. Oil that is available to fuel our economy while also funding much of this “research” they are forcing our deficit dollars to pay for. Where is it in this bill, Mr. President? The answer is that it is not there because it upsets the very people they are paying off with our money.

But what does it mean to us as “racing” fans? It means that billions of our tax dollars are being spent, and given to, people that hate and loath the sport of motor racing. They look at it as a big waste of fuel and a stain on the “environment”. They see all of us as un-educated rednecks with bellies full of beer and trailers surrounded by junkers on blocks. They do not see the innovation from the sport that has made every modern car on the road safer and more efficient. They do not see the college degrees, the engineers, the artists and talented from all ways of life in the garage or the stands. All they see is cars going in circles spewing filth in the air.

That is why it is time to support your sport. Go to the local track. Watch a race series you might otherwise skip over. Grow the numbers, grow the support, grow the sport. They will come after the sport of motor racing. It is only a matter of time.  They will legislate it out of existence by making it harder and harder to operate. They have a mission to force everyone to live within the parameters they set. And don’t be fooled into thinking it is “for our own good”. It is for their consolidation of power.