I mostly like Nascar, but
 

Yesterdays Daytona 500 was mostly a snooze fest. Seems everything is down to the last 10 minutes. Oh well nobody forced me to watch it.

I watch a handful of Nascar races every year, I look forward to the start of the season.
I think it ended up being the Daytona 544 or something like that after all the last-lap wrecks. Good thing the weather was dry, we'd still be waiting for the finish.
There were WAY WAY WAY too many commercials.
And finally the idea that you need someone to crash into your back bumper to move you forward is absolutely insane. I texted my friend at the end, "Least satisfying finish ever." For all of the reasons.

I was happy to see Travis Pastrana finish well, though. I like that guy.

He and Jimmy Johnson. Both bike champs I think

It was a conservative race. Seems like the new emphasis is to preserve points. Finish, not wreck. Didn't work out for many innocents like Jimmy. Or Kyle Larson who was there at the end. And then his end.

I like NASCAR and the science involved. Most races play out as races. Daytona and Talladega have jumped the shark. Remove the restrictor plates and install a chicane like at Charlotte. Just not so abrupt. Indy makes a good race (sort of) as they can't drive wide open. And they don't dare bump too much.

I think tearing down Fontana to build a 1/2 mile track is stupid. 5/8ths to 3/4 would be better. IDT there's a 3/4 mile track on the schedule. But I digress.

Richmond is 3/4

Cool. I sorta like Richmond. If they could make it a true oval I might like it better. Maybe someone ought to try having the pits outside the track (at a track that size or larger). Have to be a low line track.

The Mrs. has been thinking about moving to north GA (Chattanooga) area and she has invited me to come along. We'll see. But, if so, I look forward to seeing some short-track Nascar and certainly some Saturday night GOBs races at the local tracks.

Personally, I haven't really been a fan since Richard Petty was ripping up the track. Seemed like a big deal back then. Of course, I was probably 6-9 years old...

Once was a fan, and did watch the race yesterday, kind of. They lost me with the segment racing. Nothing to generate some energy by having multiple finishes but why is there the prolonged caution. Let them keep racing. I know it gives a chance for commercials. May watch a couple over the year but only after recording and fast forwarding past the silly cautions.

I wanted to watch the last 10 minutes...tuned in at the end, then another end, then another.

What a Goat Rope: Overtime?

They were driving like teenage boys with whiskey and car keys (RIP PJ)...no one "won".

I could fix this in two, maybe three foop swells:

- Make the big auto manufacturers build their own damn race cars...I am not interested in decals. They can sponsor teams with couch money. There is no "personality" of cars in the sport, which is what built the sport. It is unwatchable. I do Daytona like I do golf: Majors only and golf is more compelling. That is sad.

- 10 laps or less to go, any wreck cuts the field in half...thanks for playing: survivors, you get finish money based on video. The back benchers are detritus anyway. I don't care if there are two cars racing at the end. At least it is a race not a yard sale.

- Like some of the above mentioned, some guy spins into the infield, no debris on the track, race on.

Haven't watched golf in a long time, but I do remember how the game slowly builds to a crescendo at the finishing hole. The final hole (or a sudden death) keeps you on the edge of your seat; the time you invested that afternoon in front of the tv usually has a big payoff, but you have to involve yourself in the game. Yesterday's finish was a giant letdown. The announcers couldn't even generate any excitement for the winner.


I love the idea of cutting the field in half the way you described.

super speedways really show the rot that is modern nascar.

the spec car though has so far lead to such better racing than in the past. i support the move.

Y'know what any true hardcore racer is gonna do under those rules?
He's gonna "check' and take out half the field several times.



I did watch and listen for a bit from an "in car camera"(As advertised) of Kevin Harvek. It had a long run of just showing a camera out a back bumper while in yellows for what was probably segment racing, or yellows for something I couldn't see. It got started for a little, they all floated throttle around the track, then it went yellow for reasons I couldn't see. Repeat a few times, and I shut it off.

Ultimately, NASCAR want's to limit the speed to limit the potential crash forces.

It’s like football, I’d rather go to HS football game on Friday than an NFL game on Sunday.

Yeah, the quality of the game won’t be as good but it’s more accessible and fun getting behind a truly local team rather than some hired guns.


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This video, which was posted on BaT the other day, is about 100 times more interesting than a modern NASCAR race:

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More commercials than racing…

I agree that the racing in stages did it for me.

That pretty much applies to all TV racing venues these days...

I liked most of it. 40 cars in a pack at 190 mph is exciting to me. I hated the last 20 minutes, rubbing is racing but crashes I hate. I guess we watch from different points of view.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u2JkDDWzJn8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>