There were a couple of interesting quotes in that article.
"O'Donnell said he isn't concerned that NASCAR is becoming too predictable. He insists the sport is different than Formula One because it takes into account the needs of all parties, from the track owners, to the teams, to the sponsors, to the fans"
This might be true. Bernie and the travelling F1 circus uses strong arm tactics and brutal sanctioning fees to completely bully promoters and tracks, and even countries. It feels like there are no partnerships there and that Bernie will pull out of anywhere if he is offered more money somewhere else, even if it means disenfranchising huge swaths of the traditional fan base. He feels he can do this because F1 is so far above other motorsports that the fans will continue to follow it. I think he is mistaken and sooner or later his and the FIA's (read Max Mosely) antics will alienate enough people and teams that they will feel the impact.
The other quote that caught my eye:
"When asked how close the sport is to a crossroads – and more precisely, how close it is to becoming like Formula One, the kind of boring, follow-the-leader racing guys like
Juan Pablo Montoya came to NASCAR to get away from – Evernham opened his eyes wide and spit out, "We've passed the street signs. The crossroad is coming." "
They are talking about whether or not NASCAR is at the stage where a couple of teams dominate and it gets boring. I think he is positioning himself to get concessions from the league. I think this is very typical posturing, like what we get out of Audi and others in ALMS.
The "side by side" racing and Montoya comment comes from the writer. I really had to giggle about this. Contrived side by side action isn't the same as side by side racing for one. And secondly, of course there is side by side racing. It is oval track racing. It is the nature of the beast. It is a legitimate selling point for them, but the value of that has to be determined by the fan. Like David Hobbs has said in the past (and in a not very politically correct way) One pass in F1 is worth hundreds in NASCAR. I tend to agree. And the Montoya comment is just funny. The guy is a racer. He left F1 for NASCAR for two reasons. The first was money. The second was the chance to prove himslef in another form of racing. Yes, he has said that it is because there is more "racing" in NASCAR than F1, but what I really think is that he was saying there is less politics in NASCAR.
As F1 has proven this year, and many times in the past, teams wax and wane. The rise to power and stay there for a while... maybe a long while, but eventually something comes around and shakes it all up. I think there is a possibility of 4 or maybe 5 really competitive teams next year. It is all a question of the level of commitment and the financial backing, just like any other type of motorsports (and baseball since that was mentioned too).
NASCAR has to deal with their growing pains. They don't necessarily have to deal with teams that are dominating currently. I think that will change over time. If they put in rules aimed at slowing down one team, how do they justify that since they all use the same car now? Just look at Football or any other pro sport, teams have dynasties. And then they crumble. The same happens in motorsports.
NASCAR vs F1 Interesting Read 
