Among those of us diehard Nascar fans out there, we've noticed a decline in the environment of the sport. (Yes, it's a sport) One big clue is the large number of empty seats in the grandstands at each race. Some venues have even removed sections of seats so the stands don't look so empty. But what's happening that's causing people to withdraw from watching Nascar? I've been doing some studying over the years and I've come up with eight solid things Nascar is doing that is taking the fun out of Nascar and causing people to alienate.

1. Computerized engine

Just like with cars that you and I drive, the engines contain computers that operate all the electronic switches and mechanisms in the car. Power windows, power door locks, navigations systems, and even transmissions and all connected to the computer. In terms of stock cars, the computer will not let the driver over-rev the engine. All the driver has to do is put their foot on the peddle and the car goes fast.

In older stock cars, the engines did not have computers and the driver could over-rev and blow up the engine if they didn't shift at the right time. These computers take the fun out of Nascar because drivers are less responsible for their driving. If they lose, they could blame it on the computer not operating correctly. Meanwhile, the driver simply sits in their car, hits the throttle, and goes. Where is the skill of racing? There is no more.

2. Exhausting moving to opposite side

In 2017, there was talk of stock car manufacturers redesigning the cars to have the exhaust pipe on the opposite side of the car so they wouldn't be so noisy for spectators. Seriously? The noise and feel of the loud, rumbling engines is a major part of the Nascar spectator experience! If it's too loud, we wear earplugs! Making the car exhausts quieter is just ridiculous!

3. Safety flaps

If you watch a race closely, you'll notice flaps on the hood of the car fly up whenever a car spins out. They were placed there years ago to prevent the cars from spinning out too much. If you look even closer to the stock cars, there is a clear air foil on the rear window of the car, running vertically on the left side. Not once have I ever head the commentators talk about this air foiler.

Also, the fact that it's clear makes it seem like they are trying to hide it. Surely, this is to prevent the car from spinning out as well. I understand people want drivers to be safe, but this is simply taking the sport out of Nascar. If drivers have the proper skill, they will be able to race their car without the added safety guards. And besides, wrecks are what the fans love to see! A race with no accidents is just plain boring!

4. Staged racing and points

The old school Nascar I grew up with was a straightforward race from the first lap to the last, every weekend. Whoever had the skills to make it to the end was the winner. For the past couple years or so, Nascar has done "staged racing," meaning they divide the race into 3 stages and give the drivers a chance to slow down and pit between stages.

Additionally, drivers can earn points during the race and whoever has the most points at the end of the season wins the big trophy. This basically means the race is no longer a true race. Drivers race for short periods of time to grab as many points as they can. They're not looking for the checkered flag anymore. How is that a race?! Where is the fun in staged racing? It's not in Nascar, I can tell you that much.

5. Poor broadcasting

When I first began watching Nascar, every so often the broadcasters would have "Crank it up" segments where the broadcasting channel turns up their volume as loud as possible and everyone at home turns up their TVs as loud as possible. It gave the feel of being right in front of the stock cars.

Nowadays, I turn my TV and surround sound up as loud as possible during the "Crank it up" segments and I can barely hear it! I'm sure some government official made some law about quieter broadcasting, which would explain why watching Nascar from home is no longer fun. Yet again, the fun has been taken out of Nascar.

6. Advertising Overload

Every time I watch a Nascar race at home, I am bombarded with advertisements. Drivers are required to hold a bottle of Coke when they're on camera (and make sure the logo is directly facing the camera), Geico always has their "restart zone," and commercials play over the best parts of the race.

I've lost count of the times Fox has cut away from the race to play commercials at the exact same time a wreck happens. Perhaps, if Nascar brought back the fun of racing stock cars, more people would attend races and they wouldn't need so many sponsors! They wouldn't have to remove seats, either!

7. Non-aggressive drivers

To put it simply: No aggression, no balls to win the race, no wrecks, no drama, no fights, NO FUN!

8. Does Nascar own anything?

Seems to me like the advertisers and sponsors own more of the Nascar corporation than Nascar does. This means that Nascar isn't even truly Nascar anymore. And what does it mean when Nascar is no longer the good old school Nascar? No fun!

Dear Nascar, please bring back Nascar.