What do World War II and my father have to do with the state of NASCAR’s future and my choices in life? I’ll tell you what… everything! I recently went to the 2009-2010 auto show in New York to see what my new car options are for my next purchase, let me tell you, it’s not pretty. The next day, I turn on the tube to get some NASCAR coverage (I grew up in the shadow of Pocono Speedway), and it was pretty damn ugly there too.
Auto choices for the son-of-a-veteran
You see, my father was a WWII veteran, actually a navigator on a B-24 Liberator, and one of the few “rules” he had for us was that we while we didn’t have to always buy Fords like he did, we did have to refrain from buying cars manufactured by an “Axis” power and buy from the “Allies.” Seemed simple enough, after all, the U.S. and the Allies won that war and did it supported by superior manufacturing capability and capacity. All those GM labels, Chrysler brands and Ford-Lincoln-Mercury cars plus cool imports like Land Rover, Jaguar, Mini, Peugeot, Aston Martin, etc. gave me many great choices when I first hit the car market in the 80s. I could honor Dad’s wishes and still tool around in any of a dozen sweet rides I liked. (more…)