For NASCAR supporters and fans...

[Terwilliger]

What makes it interesting? What makes it worth watching (either in the stands or at home on the television)? What's the challenge that makes it some kind of sport?

No, I don't think much of auto-racing, but I'm interested to find out why those who do like it think so much of it.

[Renew Deal]

1. OK

I like the tracks, the cars, the drivers and the excitement. I don't go out of my way to watch it, but I do watch before baseball season starts.

It is a reat event live. I have been to one race. It was in Sonoma california. It's exciting to be there. The fans are into it, there are lots of attractions, like getting into a real car. There's BBQ. I have heard that a Nascar race is a life changing experience. I don't know if I would say that, but it is a great way to spend one sunday in the summer. I live in NY so there aren't races really close. I would have to do to PA, DE or maybe NH.

It is a physically challenging sport. The drivers need to be in great condition to stay focused throughout the race. They are sometimes flying at over 200 MPH. One mistake and you have a wreck. It also takes skill to pass. The pits are where the race is won. It takes organization, skill and physical ability to get a car fueled up with tires fixed and repaired in 14 seconds.

Hope this helps. You should go out to a race if it ever comes to your town. It's a fun way to spend a sunday afternoon.

[toddzilla]

2. booooooring..

i've been to oval races.. *YAWN*


you want auto racing.. watch this clip. These guys could sleep through a nascar race and win it.


http://www.eden.rutgers.edu/~chriseng/WRC2003/wrc-2003.wmv

[Red State Rebel]

37. The Secret of Nascar is to make it personal...

Just watching random cars drive in an oval would be boring. You have to have someone to root for. Whatever the reason, once you choose a driver that you align yourself with, it becomes a whole new ball game.

I went to high school with Rusty and Mike Wallace - I've watched them race since we were all 16 or 17 years old. I root for them each and ever race (Kenny Wallace and Kenny Schrader too).

I've been to Bristol, Martinsville and Indy to watch NASCAR races and it is fantastic live - not to mention the party of camping out at the track.

[Terwilliger]

3. yeah, I've had experience with races

the more interesting Formula 1 stuff at that

I just don't think much of it, and as a liberal, I think the emphasis on measuring how well some monied sponsor can fine tune some car, and then have the drivers make perfect moves as they lap a track 500 times as anything other than a total waste of time and energy

But, hey, I guess that's just me.

[LastKnight]

4. im not a nascar fan... because...

its the same thing all day long... left turns, blah blah, i wanna see somone mix it up one day, and once he gets to a corner, turn RIGHT and see how many cars he can take with him. i dont want anyone to get hurt, just i wanna see something other than cars wasting gas

-LK

[Norbert]

5. I've been a racing fan all of my life.

Watching racing on TV, even with all the innovations and camera angle, still doesn't do it justice. You have to attend one to fully appreciate the racing experience.


I'm not as big of NASCAR fan as I was but I will still watch it. I think it was a little more fun when the stock cars had the engines cubic inches on the hood instead of a big name sponsor. I find it a little troubling that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has become the hier to the throne of NASCAR racing. He has the pedigree and a handful of cup wins in his career while Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, who started within the last few years, keeps piling on the victories.

I would much rather take in a good sprint car race. These guys run a full program full of qualifying, several heat races and a feature usually in the amount of time it takes to run a NASCAR Nextel cup race. The feature even in sprint car racing may take as little as 11 or 12 minutes to run. I find the driver talent in a sprint car is a bigger part of the equasion than in a stock car. Indy cars? Pfffft! That is just point-and-shoot kind of racing but it's fun to watch too sometimes.

I watch NASCAR mainly because Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne came from the sprint car ranks and I like to see them do well. Stewart also kind of makes the NASCAR big-wigs a little nervous with his attitude, which I find amusing.

You don't like racing and I'm okay with that. It's not everyones cup of tea. Golf and NBA puts me to sleep but I realize sombody likes it.

[Terwilliger]

7. True enough

not trying to denigrate the race-car fans...but...

it's gasoline and mechanics...I don't know...it just seems so far removed from something I would call interesting, but, to each his own

[Renew Deal]

8. And fat chicks in halter tops

[Terwilliger]

23. is there something wrong with fat chicks?

elitist much, Bleach?

[Renew Deal]

30. No

I was just giving you a visual.

[rolodomo]

6. I'll watch it...

I admit I have a prejudice against watching ball and stick sports. Daytona is o.k. but I like the short tracks better. The element of danger and the mechanical aspects of the sport make it interesting for me.

If you ever sit down and watch a Nascar race I recommend the Bristol night race. On television it is sanitized. In the stands it is a spectacle. The noise is overwhelming and a burning smoke drifts up from the track into the stands. Frankly it's a bit disconcerting.

I do like Formula One more however. In Nascar it is a little bit too buddy buddy. In Formula One I sense more thinly veiled contempt among the drivers and teams. That increases the desperation level and makes it more interesting to watch. Plus the drivers really have to drive on the edge lap after lap on a road course to hang with the leaders.

[Heyo]

13. As a NASCAR fan...

.. and I think I can speak for other fans...

.. to say that we are already used to the "cars going around in circles all day" comments...we've certainly heard that before.

There definitely is more to it than that.. there's alot of strategy invloved... drafting, pit stops, etc....

I mean.. if you don't like it.. you don't like it..

But I can tell you this for sure.. it grows on you.. and can do so quickly...

I used to be one of the ones who had the typical "left turns all day" mentality...

Until I started watching because I had some friends and family members who watched it..

And now I rarely miss a race, and am SO excited about the Daytona 500 and the start of Sunday racing.

It's hard to explain the appeal to a non fan, but trust us, there's alot more to it than left turns....

The cars are so even nowadays, that it's almost all about strategy and all about drafting on the longer tracks...

Personally, I love everything about NASCAR, right down to the paint schemes.. this is one sport where corporate advertising goes hand in hand with the sport and adds alot to it...were it not for that, racing wouldn't be the huge success and the stunning spectacle that it is...it costs each team at least a hundred grand to get out and race a NASCAR event...

This weekends race is a restrictor-plate race, because it's at Daytona which is a 2.5 mile superspeedway. A restrictor plate (used at 2 tracks, Daytona and Talladega, the longest ones) restricts the amount of fuel that goes into the carburetor and limits how fast the cars can go.

"Why on Earth in a RACE would you want to limit the speed of the cars?"

Well, at these 2 particular tracks, they are so long that and have such long straightaways, that the cars could go way too fast.. to the point where safety of the drivers and even the fans becomes an issue... A Winston Cup car (actually it's NEXTeL Cup now) can easily get up to 225-230 MPH at Talladega or Daytona if left to it's own devices... drivers have died in the past.

The restrictor plate does 2 things.. limits the cars to about 195-200 MPH which helps keep the whole thing from going out of the range of reasonable safety, and it also evens up the cars so strategy comes more into play.. If they were unrestricted.. the cars may get really strung out the first half of the race and there won't be as much actually neck and neck racing. The cars are almost exactly the same in terms of speed on restrictor plate races, so the biggest thing at these tracks is drafting, which has to do with the way the cars cut through the air, and the way other cars affect the air's effect on your car. 2 or 3 cars in a pack are a good deal faster than a single car by itself... people team up to get to the front, etc.

And there's always having a favorite driving and the rush of watching him win, the agony of watching him spin out and crash...

My personal favorite driver is Ryan Newman (#12, ALLTEL Dodge, www.ryan12newman.com)

So to the guy who mentioned Newman earlier in the thead... :toast:

Too bad he has to start in the back of the field, having changed engines after qualifying.

Hope this helps some of the non-fans understand our obsession with left turns. :D

Heyo

[rolodomo]

16. Good points...

I'll be watching the race. The Ryan Newman site is well done. I'll follow him during the race. I'll probably be rooting for Gordon though. He really impressed me when he jumped in that Williams F1 car at Indy and within a few laps was within one second of Montoya. He also likes to race rally cars which also impresses.

[Heyo]

17. Right on....

Jeff is my second favorite...

I'm also a Jimmie Johnson fan....

But I've had my eye on Newman since his first Winston Cup race... and I am just SO impressed with him..

If it wasn't for all the bad luck he had last year, with about 5 DNFs, he would've won the championship I think....

He's consistenly in the top 5 or top ten, unless some catastrophe happens as did very often last year....

He and his crew cheif some some smart folks... I am anxious to see him race tommorow.. however my hopes are not that big for Newman for tommorow.. while I'd like to see him win, I think he'll really come in to his own once we get into some 1.5 mile ovals.... never know though, I may be surprised! (finger's crossed)

-Heyo

[jmowreader]

21. You remember the Bristol race where Earnhardt...

turned around Terry Labonte on the last lap, right?

Did you also know that the Tennessee State Police came to the track, loaded up the entire 3 crew and took them to the airport so they wouldn't get killed? Even the Earnhardt fans were pissed over the end of that one!

[Heyo]

28. Yeah, I think I remember that...

I remember Kurt Bush doing it last year on the last lap to I can't remember who... Jimmy Spencer maybe?.. I forgot..(also it either Bristol or Martinsville)... he got a LOT of flak for that... that kid better chill out this year...he's already got a bad rep for this early in his career

-Heyo

[ConcernedCanuk]

9. Detroit Metal, luv the noise, the power of souped up V-8's

.
.

Usta go to a wee oval track around here, hang around in the pits, so close to the fence that you'd get RUBBER in ur drinks if you didn't cover them !

Years ago we use to be able to camp and party inside Mosport, so it's sort of a "memory" thing now -

Nuthin' like a 3-day party with thousands of car-crazy people !

But that was long b4 DWI's, DUI's were much of an issue - -

(sigh)

[hippiechick]

10. Imagine a chess game at 180 mph ...

n/t


:hippie:

[DemBones DemBones]

19. It's what I like about driving on

crowded highways at ridiculously high speeds (think Atlanta.) It's an addiction to the game and speed. And racing is safer, since idiots get on the highways and cause wrecks, you have to contend with semis, vans you can't see over or around, etc.

[Old and In the Way]

11. Instead of HP and speed, they should make the prizes value

energy efficiency and technology that supports this.

Make them run the Daytonna on 1 gallon of gas....now that'd be interesting.

[imax2268]

14. Well...

to be honest...I'm not as big of a fan as I used to be...but it's not just going around and around and around to the left..

you have the crew which must make decisions based on the shape of the track that day, the weather changes...hot or cold, humid or dry, tire pressures, whether to loosen the car of tighten the car during a 10second pit stop...

Then you have a driver who has to make desicions on when and how to pass the person in front of him, while keeping an eye on those behind trying to pass him...keeping the car straight while taking a turn on a banking that will want to send the car right into the wall...knowing when to draft and when to hit the gas and go for it...one little slip up and you can be left behind in a heartbeat...all at speeds exceeding 170+ mph...

I personally would love to see how it feels to be riding someone's bumper at 170+ miles an hour...

[Old and In the Way]

15. Exciting for sure......but with Peak Oil just around the corner, it's a

shame that we aren't awarding conservation/efficiency strategies.

[DemBones DemBones]

18. Peak Oil is going to change everything.

It's sad, and not least because driving is really fun. It was wonderful to be as carefree as we all were in the fifties and early to mid-sixties. Drive anywhere you liked, only worry about mileage so you could save money. Kids riding on the lowered tailgate of the family station wagon, though only at neighborhood speeds. I was never that scared of The Bomb -- being a kid, I figured the grown-ups would take care of me. And to think that we all lived through decades without seat beats in cars, crash helmets for motorcycles, knee pads for skating, etc. I was a tomgirl and it's a miracle I never got myself killed or even badly hurt.

[Terwilliger]

24. How DARE you ask "moderates" to live up to your leftist standards????

:D

[Norbert]

12. They do have a series called Formula Lightning

They look a little like wingless Indy Cars but they have electric power. They are fun to watch but I do miss the noise of the piston driven engines.

[arewethereyet]

20. as with any sport, you have to come to understand it to appreciate it

if you don't understand it, cricket would seem like the dullest thing in the world. those of us who understand the game LOVE it. and its a bad thing that the short form of the game ONLY lasts all day.

clearly there is a lot more to NASCAR than left turns. I also appreciate the other forms of racing such as road racing that are a little more accessable.

just because its a little more work to appreciate doesn't make it bad.

[Terwilliger]

25. cricket takes skill

I'm sorry...I know driving a car is tough work, but, given that most racers have a support team of 20...I don't think much of the strategic and physical challenges of a drive in a circle...180 MPH just means that if they do wrong someone can die

NASCAR is about the points system anyway, which means the whole thing is a "horse race" like some other things.

[tedoll78]

22. Here's something to laugh at:

I find NASCAR totally boring, but I can play F-Zero GX on Gamecube all weekend long and find myself totally enthralled by it.

Go figure..

[Terwilliger]

26. at least you're working at your game

NASCAR fans sit and watch a spinning top

no wonder crashes enthrall the viewership

[Heyo]

27. I think the crashes are interesting.....

.. but because it shakes up the field...and in terms of who's in, who's car is damaged, and who's out... and the caution flag coming out shakes up the strategy...plus they do have some awesome wrecks in NASCAR..:evilgrin: at least one or two per week... thankfully the drivers rarely get hurt.

-Heyo

[Terwilliger]

29. rarely

but, I guess the activity is worth dying for

[Heyo]

35. Alot of people die.......

...doing what they love...

Mouintain climbers spend their lives climbimg mountaints, some may fall and get hurt or killed... but that's what they've aspired to and love to do. Same with fighter pilots, deep sea divers, etc.... people who do highly dangerous activites and accept the risk. Same with racecar drivers.. they know the risks.. these are people who have wanted and dreamed their whole life to sit behind the wheel of a Winston Cup car (Im still not used to saying Nextel cup)... and they well understand the risks... the safety measures used in NASCAR are extensive and extremely effective, I believe it is the safest form of auto racing..The chances of a skydiver, or someone angaged in some other type of daredevil-ish activity, getting killed is comparable to racing...why do people do those things?

The idea that someone would not follow their dreams, and not do something that they love, and that millions of people dream of doing, just because is it dangerous and you could get hurt.. is abusrd.... anything is dangerous, you could get hit by a truck.

You are safer in a NASCAR stock car than in any other motor vehicle on the planet... you should see the wrecks that these guys just walk away from without a scratch... week after week.

It would be a risk I would accept in a heartbeat...

.. try reading up on the death of Dale Earnhardt... it might shed some light on the other side of this..

-Heyo

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[BlueCollar]

32. there's a lot more to motor racing than meets the eye

for me...it's the excitement of watching a group of individuals compete in cars that are meticulously prepared.

As an airline mechanic I know what the ramifications are of an improperly prepared machine.

Every day we put an airplane on the gate we are proud of the work we've done...same thing goes for the cars on the track. The driver is convinced that his crew has done everything to ensure his safety and that the car will function as designed. Barring a component failure, it becomes a test of preparation and team skill.

At the end of the day, the best car wins or the team that has thought through the strategy comes out ahead. Maybe it's a pit-stop timing or maybe it's fuel or maybe it's tire choice...

It's not just NASCAR, it's motor racing in general...:-)

If that doesn't answer the question, then rent "TOP GUN" and watch the opening scenes on the deck of the carrier...turn up the volume!!!

I can't describe it any other way...

[Terwilliger]

33. fair enough

for some, the specifics make it interesting

I can imagine that machinists and engineers appreciate the challenge of honing an instrument that they created and calibrated.

[BlueCollar]

34. Beyond that though

there is a lot of "Brand" loyalty in the sport. Ford v GM for instance...

If you've never been to a race I encourage you to do so.

Motor racing is a fascinating dynamic..fan loyalty, engineering and mechanics, track design etc...the sounds, the sights, the smells

The other aspect is the sheer spectacle...just as 200,000 fans will crowd into the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro for a soccer game...

I've had the priviledge of attending both...here in Texas at the Texas Motor Speedway and the Maracana for a championship game between Flamengo and Fluminense...trust me...beats watching Golf any day...

[Heyo]

36. Amen to that....

It's tough to get a good idea of what a car going 200mph really looks, feels and sounds like from television. Although the race coverage is really cool because of all the in-car cams, the TV doesn't do justice to the sheer power of it...

I think the brake-rotor/shock cam is even cool... it's neat how on the night races at the short tracks, the brake rotors glow red hot because of the amount of energy they're absorbing... You can see it when you watch the car pass by... bright glowing red disk inside the wheel...as they're approaching the corner slowing down it gets super bright...

Just a neat little nuance of the short tracks..

Heyo