Which will you pick?! lol Feb.26 (GMM) An American motor racing personality has accused F1's Bernie Ecclestone of being repeatedly "foolish". Eddie Gossage, the president of the Texas Motor Speedway, has blasted the F1 chief executive for scheduling this year's US Grand Prix on the same November date as the major NASCAR Sprint Cup race in the same state. "I absolutely think it's foolish," Gossage is quoted by the AP news agency. "I can't say I was surprised because Bernie Ecclestone does a lot of foolish things," he said. "It's just not smart," said Gossage. "There's 52 weeks in the year. But that was the only weekend that Formula One could make it work in Austin? Give me a break." ------- Them be hate words y'all. lol.
As a fan of both, and a season ticket holder at TMS, I'm highly irritated. F1 wins this year, but if it's another boring race (likely!), I'll be gone in 2015
It seems funny to Me that the NASCAR people seem to be getting their knickers in a twist about this situation whereas the F1 people are not overly concerned! Personally I can't see what the big deal is. The vast majority of NASCAR fans don't get what F1 is all about anyway and so don't really care, and the vast majority of F1 fans are from the rest of the World rather than the USA and so don't really care that much about NASCAR. Yes a few fans may have to choose between one or the other, but on the whole, there is no real reason why they can't run on the same day! - It's not as though both circuits are going to be half empty due to both series running on the same day! It all sounds to Me as though the NASCAR people have an overinflated opinion of just how important they are in the World of Motor-sport! (Either that or they suddenly see F1 as being a genuine threat to them for some reason!).
I couldn't imagine that NASCAR and F1 are in competition. To me, they are not on the same market and appeal to different audiences.
It's not F1's fault that NASCAR has a race every weekend from February to November. They have 36 races a year, missing one live isn't a big deal. There are also 2 races in Texas, there are races in neighboring states, so could also go to any of those. ''Up it's own ass'' springs to mind.
While I respect the NASCAR guys - its hard racing.... I would not even consider it a competition between the series... the customer base is vastly different. if you like racing - and nothing else going on - NASCAR can be fun... but with F-1 in the USA - NASCAR takes a back seat. there is always another race coming around.
I find it amusing everyone is looking at this as a F1 vs NASCAR thing. The issue is, there are two large events, with a partially shared audience happening 200 miles apart. And I hate to say it, but I think it is the F1 race whose attendance will suffer. If you are trying to build a brand, you don't do it by going head to head against the big dog. I know people here like to talk about how much larger F1 is, but that is worldwide. I am going to go out on a limb here, and say in Texas and the rest of the south there are 10 NASCAR fans for every F1 fan. Sure 80% of the NASCAR fans couldn't care less about F1, but that 20% that might be interested will likely go to TMS and not COTA. COTA is the only entity that will suffer from this, TMS will get a good show, F1 will get its money, and COTA will have to spend more in advertising because for the general population in the US, F1 is a bit sport (like soccer). F1 has two options, cater to those who already like F1 (like us on these boards) and not grow in the US, or attempt to reach the US market and build marketshare (which won't happen by competing on the same weekend near a NASCAR track). There are boat loads of money to be made if F1 gained popularity in the US, but I keep getting the feeling that Bernie's heart isn't in making it popular over here. Maybe he is afraid the US TV market would demand too much control? (The Olympics are held ad odd hours on host countries so NBC can bring in the viewers, don't doubt the power of American Broadcasting money). End of Rant
Bernie's response, my emphasis added; Love it! NASCAR is a 'domestic series'...... I'm a little disappointed he didn't call it taxicab racing! Cheers, Ian
We are interpreting that based on the remarks exchanged with the media. I think as some have already mentioned, most of us here don't get our knickers in a twist over it and enjoy both F1 & Nascar. The vs confrontational aspect is purely between him & bernie.
IIRC it was our very own Napolis that initially posted this comparison between the two. NASCAR; Image Unavailable, Please Login
As someone who has been to both, even though I am (or used to be) an F1 type, Nascar is as impressive in person as F1. Maybe even moreso! They go 3 abreast in turns inches away from one another at speeds equal to F1 straightaways. The drivers are amazing, the engines and handling are amazing. The sound is also amazing. It's apples and oranges in a slight way but not with one higher or better than the other just equal but apart.
My points was (perhaps poorly stated in my initial sentence) that this is a Texas Motor Speedway things versus Circuit of the Americas. I doubt any NASCAR track president would complain about COTA being held on the same day except TMS. I get that NASCAR has a 36 week schedule, so the off weeks are rare, but the week before is Martinsville and the week after is Phoenix, I doubt either of those tracks would have made a mention had Bernie shifted things a week. I am not an international logistics expert, but it sure looks to me like the US and Brazilian GPs could have been swapped, or Bernie could have asked NASCAR to adjust their schedule.
get real would ya, theBRIGADE: Photos of dirty hot Nascar girls and models : theBRIGADE I'll take the best looking domestic girls over any eurpeein/3rd world conglomerate.
Well, we should be seeing more exemplary lap times from Ferrari soon: Alonso: performance now the priority for Ferrari in F1 2014 testing Friday, February 28th 2014, 16:08 GMT Fernando Alonso believes that Ferrari should prioritise improving the performance of its F14 T during the final two days of Formula 1 pre-season testing before the Australian Grand Prix. The Spaniard had a busy day in the car as he worked on set-up options in the morning and then completed a race run in the afternoon, bringing his total for the day up to 122 laps. Alonso and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen have one more day of testing each before the first race of the season, and despite the laptimes on his race run catching the eye of some rival teams, the two-time world champion believes that Ferrari is not quite ready. Ferrari: Prancing or limping horse? "We still have two more days that are crucial for us in terms of performance," Alonso told reporters in the Sakhir paddock. "We really need to exploit the potential of the car. Tomorrow with Kimi and then on the last day we need to...we must have a smooth test and good days to arrive in Australia at 100 per cent. "I think right now we are missing something." Alonso tried to play down the significance of his race run, saying that while he was able to complete the 57-lap distance without interruption, he was having to manage a lot of issues with the car. "It was OK, we could have had a better one," he said. "We still had some issues during the laps. "We tried to compensate with some changes that you can do on the steering wheel to play a little bit. Fernando Alonso F1 Ferrari 2014 "On the other hand, we completed the laps without stopping in the garage and the car was running all the time, so I'm happy overall with the day." While Alonso wants to see more performance from his car, after he "found one setup that did work and two things that didn't", he believes that his and Ferrari's mileage so far leaves him in a good position. "On that side [mileage-wise] I'm happy with the position we are in," he said. "I don't know how we are in total laps for this winter but we will be one of the best teams and I am one of the drivers with the most laps. "That puts me in a position of advantage at the moment and hopefully I can use that as an advantage to arrive in Australia a little more ready."
It's definitely a different crowd, but in the US Nascar trumps all including Indy. Which is a shame. Even Funny Car is more popular than F1 in America.
Agree. I don't believe that F1 and NASCAR fans intersect for 90% of the fan base. I would imagine that both events will be well attended by its stable of fans.
I've been to F1, NASCAR, Indy and Sportcar racing...for the most part you're correct that the race day experiences are different but similar (I know, sounds like a contradiction). If I had to point out one difference among the series, it's this; F1 and LeMans/Sportscar racing are more about the car, while NASCAR and Indy racing are more about the teams. There is more variety and tech/aero innovation in the first two, which appeals more to me. Again, though, from a race day experience the crowds are certainly different, but racing is still one big weekend party.
Storm in a tea cup. F1 doesn't need Austin. It's a daft place to have a race. Surely there are more appealing US locations? The F1 calendar is getting way too packed as well. Some pruning would be good as last season showed- the season is already 3+ races too long.
I think a California race would be incredible for F1 & race fans. The celebrity draw from LA alone would bring F1 closer to the mainstream spotlight in USA. Don't forget all the "silicon valley celebs" w massive net worth. More exposure, the better!
We are mostly on the same page, but the cars are no less impressive in Nascar; " On June 9, at Alabama International Motor Speedway in Talladega, Wallace hit a trap speed of 228 mph in his Miller Lite Dodge. "We hit 228 at the end of the straightaway," he said. " I'll bet we could be running speeds up to 235 without the plates if we spent time doing some tweaking. " The officially recognized Talladega track record is Bill Elliott's 212.809 mph set in a qualifying run in 1987 The Cup cars from 1987 had appr. 680 hp on the flywheel (maxrev: 8100 -8200), today Cup cars with the SB 2 have more than 870-880 hp (the best engines) on the flywheel (maxrev 9600-10 000)" To think they don't have their aero worked out is seriously mistaken (appropriate soundtrack for this thread) [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G47EsulH7nM]bump-drafting at talladega superspeedway - YouTube[/ame] To everyone, sometimes it's amazing how insular places are. It's okay to like one thing more than another but to then make the leap that one is superior to the other is in this case fantasy. I sometimes expect more from people than I get. I was getting a good chuckle when of all people The Mayor thought he had been jipped by Chevy because his new C7 didn't rev right. He later realized big displacement US tourque monsters deliver their performance differently than little high revving euro engines.
I was trying to make a little joke. Sorry. Me too. All joking aside, it's all good. Any Motorsport is better than most other stuff IMO. Been there. Done that. Was indeed a great time. Also went up to Sears a couple of times when they were there. Bristol was a hoot - "Racin' the way it oughtta be" was the tshirt du jour! I don't think there was a solitary body panel left on the cars come the end. I don't mean 'without dents', I mean just attached! Fun stuff. 40+ cars on a half mile banked oval guarantees some fun. Throw in 30deg (?) banking and a 100k people and it was fun.... Not quote as impressive around Sears - they're a little too big for a road course like that IMO, but it was still a fun time. I know I sometimes come across as 'anti NASCAR', but mostly it's tongue in cheek. Certainly don't mean to offend anyone. +1 I wish they could get Laguna up to spec!..... Won't happen (there's too much local money in opposition), and I guess they'd to neuter it anyway, which we would be shame. Maybe Tilke could do something spectacular out in the desert somewhere..... While elevation change is good, there's some good 'airport' circuits still around. Cheers, Ian
