Darrell Waltrip recently pined for the NASCAR of old (and by old, we mean roughly 2000), lamenting about the many changes that the sport has undergone in recent years. And apparently, most of you agree with old DW.

Here's what some of you had to say ...

slambeau: I haven't watched NASCAR in ages!!!! Why? Because I can't relate. They call it 'stock car' when it isn't. If NASCAR would keep at least the car bodies entirely stock it would allow the viewers to identify with what they would find at car dealerships and at the same time 'slow down the field'. Let's get back to old skool racin'!!  Radar09: I've been going to NASCAR races for over 50 years but my days of going are over, the changes made with "lucky dog" "freeze the field" "green white checker" "The Chase" and now COT. Next will be all teams using the same cylinder heads then comes leasing vehicles from NASCAR and turning them in at the end of the race. Great future huh, way to go Brian France I bet "Big Bill" is rolling over in his grave. thorn69: Yes I totally agree with DW. NA$CAR has forgot its root. NA$car slammed the door in the face of its core fans. You know the ones. The guys who would go to every race. Now they dont go at all. The COT is going to be the final nail in the coffin for NA$CAR. Thats too bad Brainless Brian has drove the sport off the road and into a ditch.

Chris: I agree with DW, racing should be racing and that's not what Nascar is giving us fans anymore. It is conforming to big business and it is really starting to make me not watch or go to the races anymore. Yeah - I understand that change is part of any sport as it grows but come on Nascar has added so many new rules in the last three years that anyone that has followed the sport over the last 10 years is sick of it and that is why they are losing fans. Last year at my office we had a weekly fantasy pool with 15 people that would pick drivers and would win based upon how their picks did - this year we only had 4 people because the other 11 thought that the chase was stupid and they had given up on nascar. Yeah that's only eleven people but based upon TV viewer ship and attendances being down it's a trend that will continue until the changes stop and we go back to racing like it used to be - beating banging and fighting for every spot on the track - no free passes or win's decided by where you were when the caution lights came on.sinisterftw: Its all quite simple you see. There are reasons behind all the changes NA$CAR has made. Most of the reasons are green and come in many denominations. I will give you some examples.

Change #1 Debris Cautions
Reason Gives the cameras an opportunity to fit as many sponsers as possible into a tight shot.

Change #2 No racing back to the Start/Finish lin.
Reason Slows the cars down so that sponsers can get quality camera time.

Change #3 Lucky Dog
Reason Lucky dog car sponsers pay an additional fee for having their brand in an isolated shot as it moves around the field.

Change #4 Finishing races under green may require additional laps ( Green/White/Checkered)
Reason Sponsers are apparently paying by the lap and NASCAR can squeeze a few more greenbacks out of them by adding laps to the end of the race.

Unfortuntately, NASCAR continues to drive (pun intended) away its fans through selfish regulating of a once beautiful sport. There are many ways NASCAR could have approached the safety of the sport without making the types of changes they have made and continue to make. Win on Sunday, sell on Monday used to be a driving factor in NASCAR, but now they aren't even using "Stock" car bodies only stickers. I will have to check perhaps Chevy decal sales have increased due to their track success, who knows.

As far as the television commentators, wow its like watching a whole group of John Maddens call a race. Could they be any more obvious or redundant over a three hour period?