nascar que

[vash]

first thing. i dont have a opinion at all about NASCAR. but supes post made me curious. i dont watch it, know the drivers or anything, sponsors, nada, nothing....

what is the beef with NASCAR? why do so many diss it? i dont get it.

cliff

[304065]

I don't know why people don't care for NASCAR.

The cars are loud, fast, and incorporate a tremendous amount of technology and engineeering to try to gain a small advantage. Probably not a little cheatin' goin' on, also.

They have something like 2000 races a year across the country, and there's a huge fan draw. It is enormously popular.

I think the only thing one could say is that the lack of road-course circuits (with a few exceptions, one being Watkins Glen, but they don't go down into the Boot) makes the driving seem to be just making left turns. But I think it takes significant driver skill and cojones to drive around an oval three wide at 180 MPH.

Also, have you ever been a spectator at a Porsche race? It's like . . . nothing nothing nothing CARS nothing nothing nothing CARS nothing nothing nothing- you don't get to see much of the action from a fixed point in the stands. There are a few excpetions otherwise, however, notably, Gingerman Raceway, which allows a fine view of the whole course from the stands, albeit a short course.

I think Superman is merely attempting to reinforce his significant personal insecurities by likening opponents of his political viewpoints to NASCAR fans. For a long time, NASCAR was associated with poorer areas in the Southern USA, and it took on a stigma as being for hicks. Superman, because he believes that he is more intelligent than everyone else here, is using this as a form of shorthand insult.

You can see how far it gets him.

Have a good weekend Cliff! Stay outta trouble. . .

[SteveStromberg]

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[RickM]

I had no opinion regarding NASCAR.

However, I went to the Pocono 500 this year with a few work colleagues as we sponsor two cars. I have to say it's as John described. Loud and pretty exciting. While there were some hicky type I was surprised at the caliber of people, overall.

We were a few rows up across from the start/finish line and watching the pit crews in action was cool.

[jm951]

NASCAR does have it's roots in the rural south and not a few of the early guys were part time moonshine runners. The races are generally run on an oval paved track with banked curves so the cars can get up the high speeds and still afford a good view from the stands. The early days saw Detroit getting involved with "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" being the mantra. Start adding in advertising, sponsorship, and a bit of showmanship, and you have an event that draws a large crowd. They do run a couple of road courses, but that's not the norm.

Why I don't like NASCAR, even though I grew up very near the World 600 in Charlotte? Boring racing for the most part, even though the pit crews can put on a show, the crews in F1 are much more finely coordinated IMHO. The technology of the cars has moved far away from anything resembling what's sold in the showrooms and the "rivalries" among drivers look to be a motorsports version of WWF to me. Some folks like it, I don't care for it.

[jrdavid68]

That's all well and good, but where do Bush and Kerry stand on the NASCAR issue?

[KFC911]

Originally posted by jrdavid68
That's all well and good, but where to Bush and Kerry stand on the NASCAR issue?

Well, as far as I can tell, Bush never showed up for the race, and Kerry kept changing his mind about who he was pulling for I'm soooooo glad it's Friday....

[}{arlequin]

I do like the origins of NASCAR, ie.: couple runners sitting around on a weekend bragging how many cops they out ran the night before. Next thing you know, they are comparing and racing their own rides against each other. What's not to like?

The roundy round does get tiresome, but when they do hit a road course, there's some really exciting racing going on, a-la BTCC! What's more fun than trying to watch skilled drivers control a large, heavy, powerful rear driver?! If it was at least 1/2 and 1/2 road course to oval ratio, it would be great. The problem is, like mentioned above, that you can cram a lot more spectators into a huge grandstand than at Lime Rock, Laguna or anything else, really.

(I think besides Indy, Homestead, Daytona, Phoenix and Colorado are the only other tracks w/ large grandstands b/c of the oval. That would be a good start.)

Another problem is with lack of European teams. I'd love to see an Opel, Alfa, Maserati, Jag, etc bring in their big coupe silhouettes for racing. Then again, we don't have anything running in the Euro touring series either.

The rules and limitations, although Draconian, really do provide close competition. Too bad about the dizzy spells...

[dd74]

The same thing is wrong with NASCAR now as what was wrong with soccer moms in 2000. Both are/have been politicized.

Other than that, as a sport, NASCAR is pretty dull. Oval racing is a yawner.

But when you get the NASCAR drivers on a road course - especially with the likes of Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace and Boris Said, that's fun...

[Superman]

If you go to a NASCAR event and sit down below, wear a hard hat. Those folks spill more beer than most of us drink. According to some reports, NASCAR events are popular among folks who want to drink beer and get loud.

[on-ramp]

what about the crashes? isnt that why people go? to see the crashes?

[jm951]

How would you know Superman? Ever been there?

[BGCarrera32]

NASCAR is becoming the WWF of auto racing. From the Metallica blaring on the NBC intros to the stupid commericals with Jeff Gordon, to the 2 road courses a year thing; each race gets rather tedious. They only turn left, they don't run in the rain, they have sticker decals for headlights, and whenever I catch the end of a race someone is "winning" under caution.

I love how people root for the "Chevy" or the "Ford" car. As if they are anything remotely close to that. Granted real "stock" car racing at that level would not be safe...at least I can relate to sports car racing, Speed World Challenge, GT class, etc.

[dd74]

Yeah, I heard the NASCAR fans throw beer at each other and onto the track if they don't like the way a race is proceeding.

I've also heard they throw fried chicken bones at each other.

But did you hear it was Brittany Spears who broke up Jeff Gordon's marriage? (I just had to add a Hollywood angle...).

[VaSteve]

Originally posted by jm951
. The races are generally run on an oval paved track with banked curves so the cars can get up the high speeds and still afford a good view from the stands.

Is that really the reason for the banking?

[ronin]

Originally posted by Superman
If you go to a NASCAR event and sit down below, wear a hard hat. Those folks spill more beer than most of us drink. According to some reports, NASCAR events are popular among folks who want to drink beer and get loud.

cool, just like the DNC

[KFC911]

Originally posted by vash
you guys paint a very .... interesting picture. only nascar thing i ever saw was that lameass movie with tom cruise....i was sorry for the wasted time.

Yes they do, however, from my own personal experiences, it's not an accurate picture. I've been going to a couple of races each year for the last 15 years, and it's just NOT like that. I've seen WAY more dispicable behavior at college football games (...been to many more sporting events than races), out of control drunks, fights, etc. I'm not saying that there aren't some idiots at a Nascar race, but what's been depicted is definitely not the norm.

ps: Maybe in the "good ole days" that was the case, but going to a race isn't cheap, and most of you would be surprised at the demographics...(plus, chicks dig it !)

[dd74]

At its lowest, NASCAR crowds can't be any worse than drunk tourists seeing the "Blue Man Group" in Las Vegas.

[lendaddy]

The anger stems from the frustration over the low popularity of road racing in America. The people that truly hate it generally do so because they are jealous of the success and fan base for such a "low level" form of motorsports vs F1 or SCCA type racing. I dislike the lack of true drivers myself. I think over half the drivers have no business being on the track and only got their ride from the good-ole-boy connection, I.E. the Andretti guy, I mean come on find a sofo somewhere to drive!

Now the good part, it can be exciting. I went to Bristol and it was AWESOME! Also went to MIS and almost fell asleep. Short track is great Super speedway is gay for lack of a better word.

Guys like Superman dislike it because the wannabe intellectual crowd finds the fans an easy target to hurl their insults at, most of these involve the word "beer". Hey, it makes em feel better.

So no I'm not a fan but I won't turn down free tickets to a short track race, good racin is good racin

[dd74]

"Gay?" Is that why NASCAR is so "huge" in West Hollywood?

Anyway, you bring up good points. Fan base in NASCAR is so large because the sport has A LOT of personality. Name any driver - Gordon, Petty, Earnhardt, etc, and you'll find distinct personality.

Also, it's a multi-regional sport like baseball, football and basketball. It's not just a southern thing.

As well, it's a huge consumer based operation. NASCAR has more product than Disneyland, Disneyworld and Six Flags combined. That goes back to the plethora of drivers and their personalities. NASCAR is a multi-billion dollar-a-year entity.

NASCAR is also about other peoples' product: like in international cycling, where a cyclist becomes a rolling billboard, the cars in NASCAR are much the same.

The level of technology only on the outset looks crude. No, there's some serious tech stuff in those cars, but all within strict parameters. I have to hand it to a NASCAR crew for working at such high levels within so little wiggle room as what the sport offers.

And if the elite out there believe NASCAR is of a less level, they (NASCAR) is about as closed a society as one can get. I knew the daughter (and heir) of Hewland Racing Transmissions, who tried many, many times to get NASCAR to allow the Hewland tranny into the fray. After a while, they wouldn't answer her calls. And this is Hewland! What race car from Formula Ford to F1 hasn't had, at one point, a Hewland. In fact, NASCAR to me is more like football; each team has players with positions and a game plan; and more than not, a race is as much won in the pits than on the track.

Skill level of the drivers: don't be mistaken. These guys know how to drive. What's Dale and Dale Jr. doing in the LeMans series if they didn't know how to drive. Gordon has driven Indy cars, and I think had a try out in F1. All of them start off like F1 drivers - in karts, and work their way up.

But I do agree, some races are just tedious. I'd like NASCAR to go on more road circuits. But evidentially, they need a completely different car and chassis for anything but a left turn...