NASCAR vs. Open Wheel?

Just one more reason why I cannot stand NASCAR.

 

Seems like there's a lot of speculation (one might say mudslinging) toward NASCAR in that article without a lot of fact to support it.

 

Maybe ChampCar should lobby for a ban on push rods and rocker arms. That would end the tractor (aka Nascar) racing. Remember...real race cars don't have doors. Just because the cowboys welded them up don't mean they ain't there.

 

Mickey Mouse dinky-toy race?

The only dinky toys are those pathetic antiquated sh*tboxes NASCAR use to go round and round in circles.

NASCAR are the laughing stock of motor racing worldwide (of course they wouldn't know this, the ignorant rednecks think they're at the centre of the universe), and they feel threatened by street races because they're too retarded to do anything other than turn left.

 

In one corner, we have nascar, an american-based billion-dollar enterprise RULED by one man, and what he says goes............. in the other corner, we have F1, a european-based billion-dollar enterprise RULED by one man, and what he says, goes......... ding-ding....

 

So if Champ Car sold itself to the IRL, in the other corner we would have another American based potential billion dollar enterprise ruled by one man, and what he says goes.........hmmmmmm, three healthy race series for the race fan to pick from, choices, finally.

The article is suggesting that the co-owner of the Phoenix Suns does not have the political clout to make this race happen? Something beyond NASCAR interference smells here.

 

In one corner we have a sport watched by Americans (about 300 million of them if everybody would watch it). In the other corner we have a sport watched by about a billion non Americans.

F1 is simply the most watched sport in the world. Bigger than Soccer, bigger than the Olympics and bigger than any US sport.

And that is just a quantitative comparison. Lets not even discuss qualitative aspects as we all know where that ends.

Like most American sports, NASCAR is a US only phenomenon.

 

Go NASCAR!!!!!!!!!!

 

Actually, per Sports Illustrated and other sources, soccer, primarily World Cup events, has a greater viewership worldwide than any other sport. F1 is relagated to third during Olympic years.

NASCAR is growing in popularity in Europe and Japan. A good friend of mine living in a small village one hour south of London actually kept all his cars outside so he could park the Waltrip Western Auto Chevrolet in his one car garage. In England they even have a series using NASCAR style American cars on ovals. So good or bad, there is a rapidly growing facination with NASCAR outside the USA.

 

I once went to a party with a new girlfriend and as I was resigned to drinking in the kitchen with "the lads" whilst she had tea and crumpets with the ladies it was most amusing to listen to the motor racing discussion, where her uncle was amazingly winning his argument as to how Nascar was technically far superior to Formula One given the relative speeds that each car travels...had to bite my lip big time. Girlfriend came in at one point, listened for a few secs, looked at me and said "is he talking a load of bo**ocks (=rubbish)" - I just smiled...(I work around motor racing).

 

Singular not plural i.e. "NASCAR style American cars on the oval." (we only have 1 and it dosnt get much use) - I quite like NASCAR as a spectator sport but its a bit silly having an Oval in a country where it rains most of the time in my opinion (and where the weather is totally unpredictable).

 

Oh, ASSCAR? Sorry, not a WWF fan, thank you.

 

not much for any oval racing, boring.....
the ONLY time I'll watch NASCAR is when they're on circuit courses, love watching 'em fling those big cars around.

 

A few years ago I visited the Goodwood Festival of Speed and enjoyed the presence of all these great ancient race cars. To my surprise they had a handful of NASCARs as well and people loved them. I felt strange, here I travel across the Atlantic to the craddle of motor racing and what do I get to see? The stuff we have at home and people cheer for it.

I agree there is a growing fascination with it, but wouldn't really call that a fanbase, but probably more like supporting the unusual, unknown. I know they do 1/4 mile drag racing in Germany, but that doesn't mean the NHRA is expanding into Europe.

Don't get me wrong, I kinda like NASCAR (a recent Ferrari mag actually featues an article from me about driving one). But on a global scale, it just doesn't compare to F1.

 

And this has been discussed a billion times, the cultures of the continents are so different you can't really compare the two, and this also encompasses what we do for 'fun'.
You just can't say one is better than the other, we each have our different tastes, for me, I don't care for nascar - but my reasons for that are the fans, I just don't care to be crushed into a grandstand all day long sandwiched in the middle of people all wearing black t-shirts of a driver that has been dead for five years.......
.
To me, I'll take a Can-Am series, or a TRUE Trans-Am series (sorry - but the 'Trans-Am series' of the '80's was NOT Trans-Am), and the old F-5000 series of the late-60-s thru the mid 70's.

I like speed, but I also try to balance speed with the dollar it took to get there, and if you spend 300 million on a team to have a car go around a circuit 10 seconds a lap faster than a F-5000 Lola where the team spent $75,000, it just doesn't compute. To me, anyway.

I don't know how to stop ANY racing series from being ruined by money, the IRL was supposed to be an affordable series to bring american drivers into. Not anymore. As soon as Penske got into it, blam-o, costs went thru the roof, and to be fair, that started happening two years before he switched to IRL, but he really accelerated it.
I like Champp Car MUCH better than IRL, I just don't know exactly where it's going to fit into all of this just yet.

Looks more and more to me like the SCCA Run-Offs provide my favorite kind of racing these days.

JMO

 

I for one do not like watching races held on makeshift street courses. I was at the Champ car race in Houston and it just isn't fun to watch anything bouncing around on bad pavement encased by concrete barriers. Same goes for Long Beach. I'd much rather watch an auto race on a proper course like Laguna or Sears Point. Nascar or otherwise.

 

I too have read that NASCAR is growing a fanbase in Europe and Asia. With Toyota joining NASCAR next year, even more Asian fans will join the ranks. F1 could learn a lot from NASCAR marketing IMHO...NASCAR drivers are much more fan-friendly and that results in dedicated fans...it is my understanding that MS is a NASCAR fan, although he did say he that NASCAR racing was very dangerous and he was be too scared to drive that fast that close to a concrete wall...NASCAR is fun to watch tome.although I am a F1 fan too.

 

I think soccer blows away F1 on a consistent basis. By comparing a 22-race season with all teams competing in those races, to a soccer league that has several teams with each week having a host of games. The viewership per game may be smaller, but the market in general blows awa y the series. If I'm not miskating, Spain become F1 crazy only since Alonso joined and dominated. People in Europe and South America (Africa and Asia do?) live and by through their clubs. People enjoy F1, but I'm not sure they in general have the same passion as they do for their clubs.

 

Are you kidding me its hugh in mexico!

Thats why they make more money then any one else in autoracing also right? Lets see who also has more fan support. I personally think F1 doesnt give a **** about there fans and nascar has even devices to listen to the drivers and pit crew. Also nascar has 100k+ fans if im not mistaken some races even have 300k+ what F1 race does that beside Monocco?

 

300k x avg 50 per ticket = 15 mio
100k x avg 200 per ticket = 20 mio

And $ 200 for a F1 ticket is probably too low anyway.

The folks from Indy were very happy to have the F1 crowd over as they are known as spenders with deep pockets.

 

I do not think that NASCAR will ever be as popular in England or Europe in genteral, as F1. I do think that there will be an increasing fan base world wide because on TV it is the mose competitve form of motor sports. Other than series like the BTCC and its continental counterparts, no other form of racing has the kind of side-by-side unpredictable (except for the yellow with 10 laps to go) finish that NASCAR provides. Remember even at Goodwood, drivers such as Junior Johnson, and Bobby Allison and their respective cars were featured highlights.

I don't find oval racing any more boring that the typical road course event. In fact, I can't remember the last F1 race that had a finish like this year's Indy 500. Anyway, world wide, NASCAR is no threat to F1.

Now if only F1 would finally admit that the fan is the reason they exist, and add more fan friendly features LIKE MARKETING EXPERTS NASCAR have done, F1 would possibly surpass soccer in viewership. Oh well, when Bernie retires............

 

Ditto.

 

Nascar = round and round = zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

I can only enjoy the last 5-10 laps of NASCAR Nextel Cup races. Other than that, it's really boring for me. I think someone in a different thread put it in a good example. He said it's like musical chairs. The music plays as everyone goes round and round and round, but once the music stops (last 5 laps) everyone is fighting for position and there's actually something to keep you watching. Other than that, I don't watch the race because musical chairs for 3 hours isn't fun. I tuned to the Indy 500 to watch the last couple last, but I missed it by a few minutes and all I saw was Hornish being driven in a Vette.

Edit: Another thing I like about F1 is that the races are only around 1.5 hours. Not too short where I feel I didn't see enough and not too long where it got boring. NASCAR and IRL races are too long imo, 3 hours, are they serious? I also really can't watch endurance racing for this reason. Just way too much driving to keep me interested. I think I would get bored even if I was the one driving.