Is anyone here a fan of NASCAR? I follow the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series (formally Winston Cup) and my favorite driver is Dale Earnhardt Jr. I've been going to the speedway in Loudon, NH every year since 1998 to see those races.
It's pretty easy to follow NASCAR, after all they do go in circles for all but a couple races each season. Seriously though, I used to watch it a lot. Haven't gotten into it this year. No real reason, it just hasn't been high up on the priority list.
It sure beats watching Michael Schumacher lead a procession through a road course. I prefer ovals, and judging by the numbers, so do the vast majority of motorsport fans in this country. At this point, i'm rooting for anybody but Hendricks drivers.
F1, even though I watch it, is sure as hell boring with Michael winning every damn race and none of the other teams even having a chance. At least with NASCAR...one driver/team isn't winning every damn week. Can someone explain the playoff part? OK I know the top 10 drivers will race in it and then a certain amount of other drivers that are within a certain point range...but what about the other drivers? Are they just done for the season?
I'm attending my first Nascar race this Sept at Loudon. Can't wait. Anyone have tips on what to bring etc? What is not allowed in the coolers?
I think you can bring beer there. I must warn you that unless you're riding a camper over there, you might have to leave early in the morning like around 5:00 AM so traffic won't be as big a problem. Also, there's a lots of loud, drunken hooligans in the trailer parks. It gets wild, trust me.
I'm planning to leave at 4 am. No use being late, it's not like they have one of these every night, like baseball. I'm not worried about safety in the lots. I'll probably be the most dangerous one there.
No, there will still be 43 cars starting the race and any car can win...but in the season-long standings race, only those who were in the top 10 after tomorrow (or within 400 points of the leader, which isn't anyone not in the top ten this year) will be eligible to win the championship. So, let's say you are in the top ten in standings after Richmond. Then, even if you finish last in each of the final ten races, you will still finish the season standings in 10th. The people who are #11 and back after tomorrow are racing the rest of the season for 11th place overall, even if they win every remaining race.
NASCAR docked Dale Jr. 25 points for saying "sh1t" on national television in a post race interview. NASCAR sucks. [/NASCAR docks Motterman 15 rep points] Bugger!
Yup. I'm not a fan of the organization. Especially how they changed the whole championship structure with no consultations.
Can you imagine this happening in other sports? Here's an analogy, Pedro Martinez utters an expletive after last night's game, and MLB responds with, oh yeah! , you just lost the game now chump. I love Nascar racing , but the organization is not well run.
I second that "damn" I've watched Nascar for years... although I think my interest has been withering, to an extent. I find a dozen things to complain about in every race that I watch, as a sport.
The Attraction of NASCAR Why? What's so great about it that makes it such a popular motorsport in America? I don't understand what's so good about a race that's almost exclusively on oval tracks. Tto me (an outsider) they seem to be bland and uninteresting, and provide no extra environmental challenge to the drivers. Our most popular motorsport here is the V8 Supercars series, which could be approximated to the Trans-Am series in the US. The varied road-style tracks with their sometimes tight corners and twisting lengths add a whole lot to the strategy, difficulty, and uniqueness of the races. It's one of the main attractions. The same could be said of many motorsports around the world. Please note that I'm coming from a position of absolute ignorance - I've seen only a handful of races on oval tracks in my life. I just don't understand what makes NASCAR such a popular series. Could someone enlighten me?
It's almost like NASCAR and the NFL read out of the same textbook sometimes. Endzone celebrations and driver smack talk are NOT bad things.
Re: The Attraction of NASCAR Stupid me should have put this in the actual NASCAR thread. Apologies to the forum Mods.
Re: The Attraction of NASCAR You're approaching the whole sport from the wrong perspective. NASCAR is to America what the EPL is to England-- it's not just a sport, it's a 38 week soap opera that engulfs you. That's what has happened to me, for sure. As far as the types of tracks that are ran, please be aware that the current Nextel Cup series does run on many different types of tracks-- short tracks, 1.5 mile ovals, 2.67 mile "super speedways", and 2 road courses. Personally, the more variety the better for me as a fan. But overall, the reason this event/sport is so popular is because it engulfs you and you are led to believe that you could be the driver...right down to the fact that they are driving "stock" cars who's engines roar in a way you think yours can.
Re: The Attraction of NASCAR Its popular because its simple racing for simple minds. Its not complicated, drive around in a circle, thats all. So for a fan at home watching it on TV, its easy to enjoy with a beer in one hand and your nuts in another. I tried to get into it awhile ago but gave up because it was so dumb. Not boring, but dumb. There was a day when there were not that many cars on the track and you could tell who the driver was by the paint job on the car, they were all different and unique, I.E. Richard Petty and the STP car. Now there are 50 or so cars on the track and many of the paint jobs all look alike. Well, when you can see the paint, now most of the car is covered up by numerous sponsor logos. Its popularity will drop someday though I would imagine.
Re: The Attraction of NASCAR Are you kidding? I've tried to watch it, and it's nearly impossible to tell who is winning (those nice little arrowed bubbles aside), and the rules and intricacies of yellow flags and pit stops are pretty hard for me - a casual viewer who does enjoy other motor sports - to understand. Not to mention, I can't understand what the announcers are saying most of the time, so it's hard to LEARN these things. Formula 1, now that's a lot easier to follow. I ask my 4-year-old son who is going to win, he says "Michael Schumacher", and he's right 75% of the time.