NASCAR Fans Are Very Loyal To Their Favorite Car Brands – But Why?

May 8, 2012 By 26 Comments

The Hudson Hornet won three consecutive NASCAR Manufacturer Championships from 1952-54 and became one of the most popular car brands among the fans.

Brad Keselowski’s victory in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway was a milestone for several reasons.

Keselowski won his second race of the 2012 season. It was his sixth career win. And it was the second time he has won at Talladega.

But perhaps the more notable achievement transcended Keselowski’s personal victories and statistics. It was the first time a Dodge won at Talladega since 1976 when Dave Marcis last brought one home.

This past weekend I had a conversation with a fellow NASCAR fan I had just met. He inquired nearly immediately about my favorite car manufacturer in NASCAR.

I had no answer.

He pressed me by asking what cars I drove. I explained that regardless of what was sitting in my garage it held no bearing on my allegiance to one specific manufacturer.

But for many in our sport it does, clearly.

Over the years I have witnessed this definitive loyalty for one car manufacturer over another. Car window stickers showing a popular character from the comics urinating on a car manufacturer’s logo often made me giggle but, inwardly, they confused me.

This seemed to be an overly venomous means of showing one’s brand loyalty.

In my family over the years, there were always numerous makes of cars in the garage, some daily drivers and others brands of which most had never heard – if they weren’t car enthusiasts like my father.

Car manufacturers all held something positive for my dad, so I never thought in terms of one being better than another, like many who follow NASCAR faithfully do.

Being a Dale Earnhardt fan since the inception of my NASCAR fandom I have been conditioned to think of myself as a Chevy supporter.

But I really can’t claim that whole-heartedly. It’s just not in my genetic make-up.

Like the drivers who strap in their race cars each week for my entertainment and enjoyment, I root for all the manufacturers. I have no favorites.

All of my research indicates that Ford was the first true stock car manufacturer, at least when it came to racing. It was the favorite among most of the moonshiners who later turned race car drivers.

From the late 1930s through the 1940s car owner Raymond Parks and his No.1 mechanic Red Vogt owned and worked, respectively, on Fords. Vogt was a virtual genius wrenching on the cars and gained a far-reaching reputation for his efforts.

Parks as owner and Vogt as mechanic won two back-to-back championships with Red Byron in 1948 and 1949. The 1948 title was in the Modified class. In 1949 it was in the Strictly Stock class that was the dawn of a new era for NASCAR.

Richard Petty won the Winston Cup championship in 1975 and helped Dodge claim the Manufacturer Championship for that season. It broke Chevrolet's hold on the title, if for only a year.

The championships went to Oldsmobile in 1950 and 1951. Hudson captured the next three years, 1952-1954. Chrysler won in 1955 and Ford bounced back in 1956 and1957. Then Chevrolet flexed its muscle from 1958-61.

It was Pontiac in 1962 and Ford from 1963-1969.

The 1970s began with Dodge, then one for Plymouth, and then Chevrolet captured 1972-1974. At mid-decade, 1975, Dodge broke the Chevrolet dominance that the General Motors product  quickly resumed by 1976-1980.

Buicks found a winning combination in 1981-1982. But Chevrolet reclaimed the title from 1983-1991.

Ford celebrated in 1992, Chevrolet took the championship back in 1993, and Ford wrestled it back in 1994.

From 1995 to 2011 Ford and Chevrolet bandied the title about with Ford winning in 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2002.

Chevrolet has the most manufacturer championships with 35. The next closest is Ford with 15.

The addition of Toyota into the manufacturers’ fray created a huge uproar amongst the old guard in NASCAR. Many couldn’t and still many cannot accept a “foreign” manufacturer into their sport.

But, like it or lump it, Toyota is experiencing great success in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series.  Since 2007 Toyota has captured 42 wins. Many agree it is only a matter of time before Toyota wins the championship.

With the depth of competition in the current season, all of the manufacturers are making a strong showing.

I still can’t claim loyalty for one manufacturer over another, but I do enjoy learning why others feel strongly for their manufacturer of choice.

So please do this writer/NASCAR fan a favor and tell me your reasons for championing the manufacturer in NASCAR that you do, and, if applicable, why you fervently dislike others.

 

 

 

 

Be Sociable, Share!
Filed Under: Featured Stories
  • http://www.facebook.com/RyanLeeSmith Ryan Smith

    We’re a Ford and Toyota family with an English Daimler SP250 racecar in the garage.

    • http://twitter.com/Chief187s Candice Smith

      But I’ve owned Dodges in my past…

  • Ccpd1

    Super read! Born and raised on Ford.Gpa loved Ford, dad had Fords, my first car was a Ford, I have Fords…it’s “learned loyalty”

  • Josh

    Ill run any car as long as it would get me in that victory lane at the end of the night! haha

  • j2allard

    I sort of get it,but not really. Over many years of buying cars I have seldom bought one brand over another. Now, brother Fred, is a confirmed Chevy guy. This goes back as far as his first new car a 57 Corvette, and included a 67 Z-28. Yes he was one of about six hundred who had to tell his local Chevy dealer what the hell a Z-28 package was. He almost was not able to order it as he checked off the A/C option. No deal said GM. So he had to have an after market unit installed. After all this was his Street Car not Racing Car!
    My antique cars I have owned have run from A to Z. Berkley , Allard, Crosley, Big Car,Midget, TQ and the list goes on.
    Dad

    • http://twitter.com/Chief187s Candice Smith

      I never realized that about Uncle Fred. We’ll have to talk even MORE racing at your next birthday dinner celebration at the house. Thanks for weighing in, Daddy. I love you!

  • Herb S.

    ‘Win on Sunday, sell ‘em on Monday’. That was a perfect slogan, back in the day when NASCAR race cars looked like the cars you could go out and buy. A Chevy race car looked like a hot Chevy. A Ford race car looked like a hot Ford. And so on.

    1978 was my first year as a NASCAR Grand National fan. Not only was I blown away by the racing, and the personalities, but I thought the cars looked and sounded incredible.As the next few years progressed, the cars got even hotter, especially the the superspeedway cars such as the Oldsmobiles that Cale, Donnie, Richard, Darrell, Benny, Buddy, and AJ, drove.

    As hot as most of the NASCAR race cars looked, to me, none was more bad-ass looking than the aforementioned Oldsmobile that they ran from 1976, through the 1980 season. The damn things looked like they were running 200 MPH just standing still. The King took the Daytona 500 in one in 1979, Buddy Baker in 1980. They dominated Talladega, too. Now, it depends on who you ask, what kind of Olds they were. Some say 442, some say Cutlass ‘S’. No matter, both had the same body, and all I knew was, I had to have one

    Eventually, I found a Cutlass ‘S’ with low mileage, in good condition but as you can see in the photo below, the paint on the hood was a little rough. I bought it, and I loved it. We had a blast in that car. It was absolutely the NASCAR influence that created that purchase, that brand ‘loyalty’. True, it wasn’t a new or pre-owned dealer purchase, but I was driving the NASCAR approved Oldsmobile I wanted.
    In my eyes, it’s been years since a NASCAR race car even remotely resembled a street car. I can only speak for myself, but I don’t see how people could be loyal to a brand that looks little or nothing like the actual product. I’m pretty sure that the infamous brand loyalty that was so prevalent with NASCAR fans, is not what it was.

    I don’t know exactly when the departure took place, but I know it really jumped the shark when NASCAR approved the Taurus. I was in disbelief. They are going to run the Taurus? You gotta be kidding me. The production model has four doors! What is this?

    Well, the automakers and NASCAR are partners in marketing each other’s product, and they always have been, so the move away from those hot looking Thunderbirds was clearly a marketing program designed to sell more of the Taurus.

    I still get a chuckle at the comments from Dale Earnhardt. He called the Taurus an “invented race car”, and “something you would rent at the airport”. I thought it was hilarious.

    Listen. I get it. Production car models do not look distinctively different anymore, plus the aerodynamic and safety demands of the sport had a lot to do with the changes. They just couldn’t run large production type bodies anymore. They needed to make the cars stick better, and stay on the ground, through aerodynamics.

    I became a ‘Stock Car Racing’ fan, in part because I liked ‘stock cars’. Today, NASCAR race cars mostly look the same to me, and for me, that has detracted a lot of the fun.

    So really, I no longer pull for brands, I just love good racing, and I have my favorite drivers, and team owners.

    • http://twitter.com/Chief187s Candice Smith

      I learned a ton from you, Herb. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this great comment!

      • Herb S.

        Thanks Candice! I enjoyed your article, as well.

  • Jeff P

    No, I like Jr, Tony and Mark M. I have had only 1 Chevy and never had a Toyota, in 50 years. I have a Ford and Dodge, now. Jeff P.

  • WKD2

    My 2 favorites drive Chevy

  • Tom Taubenheim

    I have always loved Ford because my Dad only drove Ford vans and pickup trucks (although all the cars we owned were GM, but they also needed a lot of repairs) My first car was a Ford. My favorite driver Matt Kenseth drives a Ford. Life is perfect. Now I have come to like Brad Keselowski as a driver too, but it kind of pains me to think he drives a Dodge, but knowing he is going over to Ford I am even more of a fan. Some of this is political and having to do with borrowing money from the government and some of it has to do with prior experiences of brands needing service by family and friends over the years, but the fact today is that most car brands are quite reliable, yes including even Dodge and….Government (oops I mean) General Motors.

    My wife loves Jeff Gordon (I know, somehow we are still married) but she does not care for GM at all simply because it is an American car versus a Toyota or Honda because of their well known reliability.

    So I think with the drivers there is some manufacturer brand loyalty by fans, but I’m not sure it is as strong as other sponsors of the driver.

  • Bigdog

     I’ve always considered myself
    more of a fan of the racing itself rather than a manufacturer or driver
    fan, but there have been times when a driver/manufacturer combination
    led me to favor that particular combination over another. David
    Pearson, to me, became synonymous with Mercury even though he drove
    them all, but my father sold Mercs during that time period. Cale Yarborough to me was always Chevy, although again, he drove them all, but I owned a Chevy then.
    Then there was Dale Earnhardt and Chevrolet, although I began as a fan
    of his when he drove an Oldsmobile, and later a Ford,and a Pontiac, all
    before he became the face of Chevy, but I owned a black ’88 Monte Carlo
    SS for many years which was directly associated with my being an
    Earnhardt fan. The last few years I’ve found myself favoring
    the Brad Keselowski/Dodge combination because I once again own a
    Chrysler product. The bottom line for me is that my NASCAR
    manufacturer loyalties directly relate to what is sitting in my driveway
    at that particular time, or there is some other life link to it, rather
    then sticking with one out of habitual allegiance.

  • LITTLE RED VOGT

    As is your usual paractice, Candi, you did very good annuls research for year to year change ups.  As a note for everyone these alterations in in Manuf.’s appearing in the Win Lists often have to due with the same thing as it does today –THE AMOUNT OF MONEY AVAILABLE BY THE MANUF./OWNER//SPONSOR and even now in todays Racing the Driver’s dollar contributions to the Season.  Do not doubt that FORD began to invest in my Dad’s and Raymond’s successes after they saw what popularity was achieved by them. I can and will attest to that – FIRSTHAND!!   LOL! The all important aspect of the Driver’s skills are not to be ignored but MONEY can and does buy this also.

    So things really have not changed at all in this now “so’called’Sport” — MONEY WAS AND CONTINUES TO BE THE “DRIVING FORCE” BEHIND IT.  In my humble view it can now hardly be called a Sport like ‘most’professional’Sports’ as  MONEY is the underlying dynamic.

    Some will recognize my name, others will not, and could care less – BUT – I have been in and around NSCRA/NASCAR racing almost since it’s inception and Candi is aware of this where many folks are not — and do not cae either — but she will understand my words here better than anyone.

    • http://twitter.com/Chief187s Candice Smith

      I do, Tom, and thank you for taking the time to add your valuable comments. I, as always, appreciate that. XO

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1115888687 Jeremy T Sellers

    Very interesting articles, and I certainly hope I have enough character space to include my response. 

    Personally, I was a raised a Bow-Tie guy by both, my father, and step father.  I was brought up to appreciate the nostalgia of the Chevys from the late 50′s until the end of the muscle car era.  The 57 Bel Air, the awesome body style and power of the Impalas throughout the 60′s, and early 80′s.  My step father always had Chevy trucks as I do now.  I fully realize that Louis Chevrolet was an immigrant, but then again, at some point in our family tree’s life, so were we.  To me, it’s what America is all about as a man: horsepower, grime, and grit.  A Chevy fan feels that Chevrolet represents the working class, average Joe, and it’s something to be proud of. (As I’m sure other manufacturer loyalists feel)

    As a paramedic, our chassis are primarily Fords or Navistars for our ambulances.  In my experience, the acronyms you hear associated with Fords hold to be true more so than failure of any other manufacturer, well maybe besides Dodge (he he): Found On Road Dead, Fix Or Repair Daily, Flip Over Read Directions, F***** Over Rebuilt Dodge, etc.  I’m not a blue oval guy at all, but I do respect the yesteryear of this manufacturer, I just choose otherwise for a personal vehicle.

    I realize it is difficult, if not impossible, to find a truly 100% made American automobile nowadays.  However, I was very displeased upon the arrival of Toyota in NASCAR.  Very few sports are truly as “American” as they use to be, and for the longest time, NASCAR seemed untouchable by this movement.  Sure, you don’t have to tell me that Toyotas are made here in the U.S.A. but let’s face it, if profits weren’t going to their corporate headquarters in Japan, why would they bother even making the brand here?  Same for the visa/versa and all other foreign originals now being produced here.  With my tongue in cheek, Kyle Busch driving a Toyota makes my dislike for them that much easier!

    When I was a child, my grandmother had a Chrylser Cordoba, one of the biggest POS’s I can remember being in my family as far as cars went.  So Dodge was immediately out for me, and with their hay-day being back in the Petty era (which I have TREMENDOUS respect for), when they came back into NASCAR, it was something I just found myself with the ability to easily overlook. 

  • Terrie D. Parks

    Great article Candice.. I’m guilty of loving ALL makes and models.. I admit I’m partial to Chevys’ (I am a Big Dale Earnhardt fan)..Miss him.. And as with cars I like all the drivers too.. Growing up I always loved Pontiacs, Dodges – figured I’d own one of them before a Chevy.. Guess you could say I did.. But it was a 77 Dodge Power Wagon 4×4 pickup.. My first car was / is a 71 Oldsmobile, Cutlass.. As far as Toyota goes, I’m guilty of that too.. (Have a 1989 Toyota 4×4).. Over the years had different makes, etc.. But Love the old Fords too.. Guess I just love all cars and trucks.. Racing or not racing !…Thank you for sharing this article, and it was an honor to see that you mentioned Uncle Raymond Parks and his mechanic Red Vogt ! Well said Candice…
                                                                               Terrie Parks

  • underbird

    Most drivers are prima donnas and spoiled by the money and perks associated with today’s Nascar, so the machines are the real stars here.  As a 50 year Ford loyalist and stock car fan, I can tell you that Nascar certainly has a favorite,j and it ain’t my brand.  If you’ve been around long enough to remember an original 65 Fairlane, then you’ll know what I mean.

    I despise everything GM stands for.  Greed, corruption, graft, bailouts, poor management, generally poor behaviour by their drivers, and of course the lying, cheating, and favoritism allowed by Nascar for over 40 years.  I don’t clajim to understand it, but when it comes to GM and Nascar it has a rotten smell to it.

    So, you ask why we’re manufacturer fans… well most of us would rather push our favorite brand than to take a ride in another.  

  • Jjscaccia

    If NASCAR today was using V6 engines with six speed transmissions then I would not feel bitter about Toyota.  However, they are using high compression, over head valve 358 cubic inch V8 engines.  Something that Toyota never publically produced and was Detroit’s bread and butter. 

  • Kenneth Schraeder

    My favorite manufacturer is Dodge. But I have owned Chevy and Ford also. I do not buy the Japanese brands like Toyota.

  • Gwarren5

    Great article Candice….NASCAR built it’s empire on the brand loyalty of their fans. The founders of our sport realized and capitalized on the public’s love affair with their automobiles. Fans flocked to the tracks to watch cars or cars they coveted compete against one another. Cars they could identify with. The same makes and models that they themselves drove everyday. Fords, Chevys, Chryslers, Hudsons, Oldsmobiles and the list goes on and on.The major manufacturers took notice and “Win on Sunday , Sell on Monday” was born….
    I’m a middle aged “baby boomer”, 2nd generation race fan. I attended my 1st NASCAR race in the mid ’60′s and like many of my contemporaries , I inherited my allegiance to a particular brand from my Father. My Dad was and is a ”Mercury Man”;always drove Mercurys and drives a Lincoln today, So, I became a” Ford/Mercury Man” too. My Dad and I, rooted for the Holman Moody Fords and the Bill Stroppe and Bud Moore Mercurys, driven by Fireball Roberts , Fred Lorenzen , Darel Dieringer And Joe Weatherly. Those drivers and teams were “our guys”. If Fireball or Darel couldn’t win , then it was Fred or Joe, or vice versa, as long as a Ford or Mercury won.We would revel in their wins and lament at their loses.I also became fascinated by the men that built, worked on and tuned
    those race cars.I would dream of the day that I would be part of a Southern 500 or Daytona 500 winning crew.A dream that I would later realize in adulthood.
    My story is probably the same as a good many race fans when it comes to brand loyalty when they first became NASCAR fans. However, as our knowledge an appreciation of the sport grew , we came to respect the other manufacturers and the men who drove the Dodges, Plymouths, Chevys and such; realizing that all the manufacturers are dependent upon each other for the sport to thrive and survive.
    Todays NASCAR, as we all know , is very much different from “Our Father’s NASCAR. Time marches on. The cars themselves are far removed from the more period stock cars
    that represented the various manufacturers of a bygone era.Chalk it up to the evolution of racing.I have to agree that the current NASCAR racers lack the identity to their respective
    manufacturers that they once did.This has, I surmise, caused an erosion of brand loyalty among a great many fans.I also think NASCAR has gone through a period of promoting the drivers as ” The Stars” of the sport and deminishing the role of the cars to some degree.That’s just my opinion and it comes from someone who remembers when the race cars were also ” stars”of the show in their own right.I believe this ” identity crisis ” is one of several factors that have led to some decline in the sport over the last several years.
    The” good news”, at least from my point of view, is that NASCAR has taken steps to restore some of the identity to the race cars with the current Nationwide Series cars. I think the Mustang and Dodge Challenger have character and are good looking race cars.The 2013 Cup cars will also be step in the right direction.Hopefully the fans will agree and manufacturer brand loyalty will get a boost.
    Today, I have a career in motorsports and my brand allegiance is dictated by the manufacturer that helps pay the bills for the team I work for and that’s the way it should be…but every once in a while when I see and old original vintage Holman Moody ,Bill Stroppe , Bud Moore or Wood Brothers car , I become that” Ford/Mercury Man” again.  
     
     

    • http://twitter.com/Chief187s Candice Smith

      Thank you for this fabulous response, Gray! I never cease to learn things from my readership. 

  • Kennyy1963

    Being from “old school” 50′s,60′s 70′s..I gringe every time a “foreign” car wins a race.. I had an uncle named Bass that drove in the 1959 Daytona and i was embarressed for the family when he drove an Edsel..i was 15 then and still shaking my head now…

  • vito

    although it is true Chevy was only one of many,,but ask yourself if GM wasn’t a huge part? just ask “Smokie”

  • vito

    ford fans love to dig GM fans as we love to jab them {Hatfield & Mackoys} at the end of the day any real “CAR GUY/or GAL” can see the advantages & shortcomings of each others manufacture..{Mopar loves it cause while bow tie & blue oval are arguing,,,BRRRMM hear they come} true racers dont care the manufacturer or if the driver is white /black/greenw;purple pocodots..man woman ..hermoferdite..we just want to see a good race!! irregardless!
    hope i didnt offend!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Charles-Wayne-Jackson/100001571717761 Charles Wayne Jackson

    Nascar has a lot of car fans…been going since 1963….for a lot of us …its about the car…not the driver…back in the day….it was really important…the car was first..driver second…..Nascar thinks everyone is a driver fan…thats wrong…most car guys and gals have left nascar…..its a hudge fan base….just diffenent hobbys,,  old car shows etc….Pulling for the brand of car is no different than other sports…if the quarterback leaves say Dallas Cowboys or Panthers…do most still pull for the quarterback????..no most pull for the team…same for Nascar….its just seems in Nascar you are only allowed to dominate with Chevy…and past history of Nascar failing to even it up has caused a lot of car fans to leave…..you say you pull for Earnharht…..if he changed brands of cars. say Ford..would you still be a fan of his???

Print This Post Print This Post