Not to start any more flaming... Nascar is as much about racing as WWF is to Boxing or no rules fighting (UFC?). It's a SHOW. Like VEGAS. Yes WWF is physical, yes they use real fighting techniques, yes contestants can get hurt. In it's pure form it's even an Olympic sport. It's still a SHOW. I won't be surprised if a Vegas Casino decides to build a Nascar track on it's premisses.
F1: Been there, done that. Championship battle on Caesar's Palace parking lot. Now THAT is classy...nott.
It's OK for you not to like Nascar. Really. It is. But to claim that it isn't racing is just your biased opinion and in no way accurate. F1 is as much about "show" as any other sport. Sexy grid girls. Military fly-overs. Manipulation of qualifying formats to be more TV-friendly. Track design that prioritizes VIP amenities over actual race-ability. And let's not forget the Nurburgring GP, where nobody other than international sensation ****DRUMROLL PLEASE**** Boris Becker was a trophy presenter! So, while I can appreciate your favoritism of F1, you really need to take a more objective look at the issue.
Oh. I forgot about the bi-weekly parade of C- and D-List celebrities paraded up and down the starting grids, mugging for photos with drivers and pressing palms with BernieCo. That's not about show?
that steering wheel thing cracked me up. You know why F1 has a uber complicated steering wheel? because they don't have dashboards to mount all those buttons on. If they did, it would look like the "$20" dollar wheel that nascar uses. This thread is stupid.
Only if you fit the NASCAR wheel sideways into the cockpit. That thing is big enough to fit an oil tanker.
F1 was built on being a show. It was built on glamour, the sexiness. Do you think they would still be racing in Monaco if Monaco isn't what it is today? As for the technology stuff, I want racing, not a spaceship. NASCAR is mainly about the drivers, not vice versa in F1. I love both series for what they are, but it is entertainment first, racing second.
I agree, but I don't see the point of this thread. People will watch anything (ESPN is televising poker every time I look up at the screens at the gym - pasty fat morons playing cards, live!) I don't get it, but life goes on.
As a big fan of F1, and any road course racing, I do not care for Oval racing. Even when NASCAR came to the Glen it was fun to watch. From a financial standpoint you cannot laugh at how well NASCAR is doing. One of the reasons for this that the drivers and teams are approachable! When was the last time you had 5 min talk with any driver from F1. While the drivers may not seem to be as socialy sophisticated, they are down to earth guy's and is a bit refreshing in the racing world. I give credit to anyone who straps themselves into a vehicle going 150MPH+. If you don't like Oval fine....but don't bash it!
Lets see the funding for each team. I recently heared on tv that Ferrari spends almost 1bill on F1 a year. Im geussing a Nascar team doesnt spend more then 45 million. Actually real people own nascar teams. Sports stars, Businessmen, and many others own nascar teams. Pretty soon theres gonna be a thread bashing on drag racing too. But you gotta give a car respect that can run a constant 200mph for over 400 miles. Plus how many times have you seen Schumi at walmart, my uncle and my dad had a 20 minute chat with Bill Elliot back in the 80's when he was winning. Try doing that with Schumi or Montoya.
There's another factor to this. I'm willing to bet that a great number of those who bash Nascar have never seen it in person. I'd also be curious to know how many of you became real racing fans because of that first visit to the track, either as a child or later in life. The truth is that, regardless of which racing series you're talking about, most racing on TV is boring to the uninitiated. You need to see it up close, hear it, feel it, smell it. Live racing really taps into all the senses. And I think when you watch a race on TV, those senses are re-awakened. In person, a Nascar race has a thundering power to it that can blow you away. Stand along the catch fence at Daytona's tri-oval as 40+ cars freight-train past at 180 mph, nose to tail, and tell me with a straight face that it doesn't impress you.
Well said. I never saw them live, but went to Daytona one day and just toured the track: Looking down from the top of the banked turn makes you instantly realize how brave these guys are. From their seats perspective they basically drive straight into a wall at full throttle trying to dodge each other. Not for the faint of heart.
I agree with you about seeing it live. Most people cannot afford to bring the whole family to an F1 event. I spend over $2K for a few day's in Canada each year. It's the same for major legue sports...too expensive for the average guy to bring his kids. NASCAR is for the whole family esp the price. I would rather have a kid grow up on NASCAR and keep motorsports alive in this green / left wing country who would ban the whole sport for enviornmental reasons.
On a recent Bush series comercial one of the drives said "Im not racing for money im racing to race" Something many F1 drivers dont know about. Many nascar drivers grew up on dirt tracks which is also a very exciting event. I suggest every one should see a dirt track race because you could be watching the future of nascar on that track.
I disagree completely. You have to earn your Superlicense to drive a F1 in a real race. And you don't get that license without having worked your way up the ladder. And you don't get up the ladder unless you're a racer to the bone. Having said that, I agree some F1 racers who are past their zenith sometimes add another year for the $$$. Piquet, Patrese and Irvine come to mind. But they remain the exception.
The ONLY problem I see with NASCAR is that they have taken away the identity of the individual brand of automobiles. If I did not know the sponsor, I wouldn't be able to tell what kind of car it is as they drive past at 190MPH. I love F1, I travel the world to watch F1 cars go around race tracks finding even time trials to be exciting. The lack of side by side competition really does not bother me. To me, its poetry in motion. I remember watching news reels of drivers like Lorenzo Bandini, Jim Clark, Stirling Moss, and wondered if I would ever see them in person. But I also remember listening to radio broadcasts of drivers like Firebal Roberts, Jim Lorenzen, Curtis Turner, and hoping I would be able to see them race. If I want side-by-side exciting racing, I go to Daytona and watch those cars being man handled 3 cars wide at 190MPH for 500 miles, damn fun and emotionally exciting. I am not embarrassed to admit I really like NASCAR. Like another poster stated, if you never been, you have no idea how much fun it is. If there were no NASCAR, or BTCC, or DTM, I am afraid that F1 alone would not be very satisfying, especially with the ridiculous rules this year. At some point you want to see cars race side-by-side, banging doors. Stop with these really stupid and arrogant bash NASCAR threads. You have to be an idiot to start one and need to find something constructive to do with your life.
All good arguments. Sounds like an american chef on an international cooking forum begging the cooking community to try a Big Mac with the promise that it will awaken some wonderful senses if they did. Let's face it, like McDonald, NASCAR is popular, cheap and once you've had a bit of it, you realize how unappetizing it becomes.
I would definatly not call it cheap just beacuse the teams dont spend 500 million a year doesnt make them cheap. "Race on sunday sell on monday."
That's becoming a growing complaint about F1, too. I miss the days when the cars didn't look like spec-chassis.
