falling out of love with nascar

I'd never heard of 'touge' before DUN24 mentioned it earlier. I had to Google it but I'm still not quit sure I understand it or how it differs from time trials or old-fashioned street racing. I don't 'get' drifting; it just seems like a waste of rubber to me. Maybe if someone knowledgeable would explain it to me. I assume it's competitive, but how do you 'win'? First guy to wear through his tread?

A touge is usually a race that takes place on a mountain road. Since the roads are typically narrow a certain style of racing evolved in Japan. Two cars will go down the mountain one behind the other, if the lead car pulls away from the following car he is declared the winner. If the following car manages to pass the lead car he's the winner. If both cars go down the entire course and there is no clear winner the race is re-run with the running order swapped.

Drifting/power-sliding was often used on those roads because there were so many hairpins. The lead car could effectively block the entire road by doing it. Eventually drift racing became a thing all its own. I don't really care for it but "pro drifting" races are judged on a point system. Two cars will go through the course similar to the way a touge-style race would be run. There is a judge at every corner that gives points for entry/exit/style. The cars go through the course twice swapping position for the second run. The winner is the one that manages to get the most point over the two runs and I think they go a third time if there is a tie.
 
NASCAR ..........IT'S NOT A SPORT, IT'S A WAY OF LIFE!

ROLL TIDE! Born a fan, die a fan.....Tide Football IS life.
 
I don't really care for it but "pro drifting" races are judged on a point system. Two cars will go through the course similar to the way a touge-style race would be run. There is a judge at every corner that gives points for entry/exit/style. The cars go through the course twice swapping position for the second run. The winner is the one that manages to get the most point over the two runs and I think they go a third time if there is a tie.
Judging and style points? No thanks, not for me; judging falls outside my definition of sports. If there isn't a specifically defined objective scoring system, I'm out. A race winner is the one who gets there first, regardless of how cleanly he exits the turns; a touchdown is 6 points whether you dive from the 1 or high-step from the 40. Who knows if one judge had a bad omelet that morning while another was having "successful spousal relations"? Gymnasts, figure skaters, etc. are definitely athletes, but when judging determines the winner then you're talking about arts, not sports.

One twit's opinion.
 
NASCAR ..........IT'S NOT A SPORT, IT'S A WAY OF LIFE!

ROLL TIDE! Born a fan, die a fan.....Tide Football IS life.
Phyliss, is that you? :p

Maybe someday I'll understand how a team named after an algae bloom has an elephant as it's logo. :D

But then, I don't get why the local university has a chicken for a mascot to honor illegal animal fighting. "It's tradition; that makes it okay!" - "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Weasel Stomping Day"
 
I've been a fan for 27 years. This is the first year I just don't care

I watched daytona but skipped last two races

these are some things I miss about the sport I loved

1)Season long sponsors. I miss the fact that companies would sponsor a guy for a whole year. Nowyou got 4-5 companies sponsoring. yes i understand because its expensive, but i just miss the fact that when you thought of your driver you instantly thought of the sponsor to

examples--gordon- dupont/ bobby labonte-interstate, rusty wallace-mille,r earnhardt-goodwrench, mark martin-valvoline, harry gant-skoal, kenny schrader-kodak, ernie irvan-kodiak, davey allison-havoline

2)i miss alcohol and tobacco being a huge part of nascar. i know the government and their tobacco regulations but it went so well with the sport

like most races had alcohol as a sponsor or something car related that made sense for nascar

heres some races from 1993

gm goodwrench 500, pontiac excitement 400,motorcraft quality parts 500,winston 500,budweiser 500,champion spark plug 500,miller 400, slick 50 300, die hard 300,bud at the glen,goodys 500,ac delco 500, hooters 400

i mean those names just scream nascar and racing and a good time compared to names like this

the profit on cnbc 500,duck commander 500,camping world rv sales 400, go bowling.com 400,oral-b usa 500, bank of america 500

3) i miss the season long points. yea this new playoff is sort of exciting but points no matter anymore. it use to be a huge deal to finish in the top 10 but does anyone care now?

4) i miss bob jenkins, benny parsons, ned jarrett

no one could compare to them. they talked ot the fans like they were actual fans and knew the sport. they weren;t talking down to us like larry mac explaining what loose or tight is for the 500th time. they werent coming up with stupid catchphrases like dw. they didnt have these stupid graphics or pre race shows

5) i miss nascar not caring if they were accepted by mainstream america or if it was considered cool. oh so you think nascar is full of hicks who get drunk every night? thats fine

6) i miss the drivers that looked like a mans man, guys that looked like they would get under the car and help the crew. guys who didnt always wear sunglasses and a hat. guys who would wreck the car and hop out and get right to work. guys that looked like after the race theyd go to the local bar drink some beer and shoot the bull

7) i miss the danger of the sport. i dont want anyone to die, but the great thing about nascar was the danger. the fact that these guys were hitting the wall at 180 plus. guys racing in the summertime in the south getting out of the car looking like they just went through the toughest battle ever. now we get competition cautions, all this fancy in car cooling stuff and all that

8) i miss the nicknames. "the intimidator" "handsome harry" "the ice man" the wonder boy" "swervin irvan (yes thats mean)" "mr. excitement" "the silver fox" "the king"...sure theres still some "smoke" "the outlaw" "wild thing" "rowdy" "the closer"

but then you get ones like "cousin carl" which is blah

i m sure i have more if i could think of it but tahts just some

The Lord created heaven and earth and after he had done so, he gazed down upon his creation and said “it is good”. Next, the Lord created man and once again, gazed down upon his creation and said “it is good”. After that, the Lord created woman and once again, gazed down upon his creation and said “it is good”.

After a while, the Lord noticed that life for man (and woman) had become boring and uneventful. Because of that, he created NASCAR so that mankind would have something to bitch about. After creating NASCAR, the Lord looked down upon his creation and said “it is good”.

After a while longer however, he noticed that there were some who weren’t bitching about NASCAR and their lives were still boring and uneventful. Because of this, he created Kyle Busch so that people would have something besides NASCAR to bitch about. Once again, he looked down upon his new creation and said “it is good”.

Shortly thereafter, the Lord noticed that there were still people who weren’t bitching about either NASCAR or Kyle Busch and their lives were still dull. For this reason, he created Danica Patrick so that still others would have something to bitch about.

This time, the Lord gazed upon his creation and said “between NASCAR, Kyle Busch and Danica Patrick there should be plenty for all of mankind to bitch about!”
 
Judging and style points? No thanks, not for me; judging falls outside my definition of sports. If there isn't a specifically defined objective scoring system, I'm out. A race winner is the one who gets there first, regardless of how cleanly he exits the turns; a touchdown is 6 points whether you dive from the 1 or high-step from the 40. Who knows if one judge had a bad omelet that morning while another was having "successful spousal relations"? Gymnasts, figure skaters, etc. are definitely athletes, but when judging determines the winner then you're talking about arts, not sports.

One twit's opinion.

^ this
 
The Lord created heaven and earth and after he had done so, he gazed down upon his creation and said “it is good”. Next, the Lord created man and once again, gazed down upon his creation and said “it is good”. After that, the Lord created woman and once again, gazed down upon his creation and said “it is good”.

After a while, the Lord noticed that life for man (and woman) had become boring and uneventful. Because of that, he created NASCAR so that mankind would have something to bitch about. After creating NASCAR, the Lord looked down upon his creation and said “it is good”.

After a while longer however, he noticed that there were some who weren’t bitching about NASCAR and their lives were still boring and uneventful. Because of this, he created Kyle Busch so that people would have something besides NASCAR to bitch about. Once again, he looked down upon his new creation and said “it is good”.

Shortly thereafter, the Lord noticed that there were still people who weren’t bitching about either NASCAR or Kyle Busch and their lives were still dull. For this reason, he created Danica Patrick so that still others would have something to bitch about.

This time, the Lord gazed upon his creation and said “between NASCAR, Kyle Busch and Danica Patrick there should be plenty for all of mankind to bitch about!”



LOL ...................... best post ever IMO
 
Hate the rules, not the sport. If it ain't stock car racing then it's to sterile for me, kind of like watching spacecraft race.
 
Hate the rules, not the sport. If it ain't stock car racing then it's to sterile for me, kind of like watching spacecraft race.

I am finding that there are more and more folks like you who are tolerant of whatever Nascar does as long as the engines fire and the cars go counterclockwise. It is a win win for both the fans who feel that way and for Nascar.
 
I am finding that there are more and more folks like you who are tolerant of whatever Nascar does as long as the engines fire and the cars go counterclockwise. It is a win win for both the fans who feel that way and for Nascar.
Well, 'fan' is short for 'fanatic'.

Seriously, what are the alternatives?
  • You can walk away; those people probably stop talking about it and don't show up on forums as much.
  • You can watch additional sports, but you don't need to drop this one to do that.
  • You can keep watching this, tolerating the rules changes. You either think the racing is entertaining despite (because of?) them, or hope the next set of changes will make it better.
I'm in the 'entertaining despite all the changes' group.
 
Thanks as I was a die hard fan of Harry's. You make a good point about seeing tomorrow's drivers as I have seen Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, John Andretti, Ryan Newman, David Stremme and Tony Raines run at short tracks or other series in Indiana before they became famous. I used to watch David Stremme's parents, Lou and Cindy, race when David was a very young pup. Cindy Stremme always drove a pink car and she was good.

Same here, in fact I raced against many of them. Carl Edwards when he raced dirt modifieds, Justin Algiaer when he ran late models and modifieds, Also still run against guys like Tony Stewart, Kenny Wallace, Kenny Schrader, Dillion Boys, David Stremme and the Reutimann's. Stremme is a pretty good shoe in a dirt mod. He won one of the races down in Florida this year and then sold the car right after the race. Pretty impressive.
 
Well, 'fan' is short for 'fanatic'.

Seriously, what are the alternatives?
  • You can walk away; those people probably stop talking about it and don't show up on forums as much.
  • You can watch additional sports, but you don't need to drop this one to do that.
  • You can keep watching this, tolerating the rules changes. You either think the racing is entertaining despite (because of?) them, or hope the next set of changes will make it better.
I'm in the 'entertaining despite all the changes' group.

I never suggested there needed to be alternatives and said it was a win win for NASCAR and the fans who are like that. Nascar can change the series as it sees fit and tolerant fans don't make an issue of the changes and enjoy watching. Sounds like the perfect scenario to me.
 
Same here, in fact I raced against many of them. Carl Edwards when he raced dirt modifieds, Justin Algiaer when he ran late models and modifieds, Also still run against guys like Tony Stewart, Kenny Wallace, Kenny Schrader, Dillion Boys, David Stremme and the Reutimann's. Stremme is a pretty good shoe in a dirt mod. He won one of the races down in Florida this year and then sold the car right after the race. Pretty impressive.

How interesting and I bet you had a great time.
 
Absolutely. Everyone of those drivers got to where they are by being good. When you raced them you knew you were running with the best.
 
Phyliss, is that you? :p

Maybe someday I'll understand how a team named after an algae bloom has an elephant as it's logo. :D

But then, I don't get why the local university has a chicken for a mascot to honor illegal animal fighting. "It's tradition; that makes it okay!" - "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Weasel Stomping Day"

? Phyliss? No........sorry :) Could tell how the elephant "Big Al" came to be, but this is NASCAR.
 
I used to like it when the world of outlaws guys showed up at the track, you could feel the tension in the air.
 
? Phyliss? No........sorry :) Could tell how the elephant "Big Al" came to be, but this is NASCAR.
"Phyllis from Mulga", a 'Bama fan, is a regular caller to some of the ESPN Radio programs. She may be a little bit ... partisan? Fanatical? Foamin' at the mouth rabid? Let's go with the last one.

Here's a representative sample. Google the terms 'ESPN' and 'Phyllis' if you want more, although I can't imagine why. One serving is more than I can eat.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/10/alabama-fan-paul-finebaum-rant

She's not unique. You'll find these over-dedicated folks in all areas. It was your 'Tide football is life' comment that brought her to mind. You probably say it jokingly; she apparently has nothing else. But that type shows up in NASCAR too.
 
I used to like it when the world of outlaws guys showed up at the track, you could feel the tension in the air.

Oh yeah it's tense for sure. I always looked forward to it and so did my crew. We knew we were up against big money and big talent, but being local we knew the track and had pretty good equipment too.
 
Yep, we would see all kinds of fresh equipment, paint etc on the locals cars. Hillenburg started at the track at 15 and soon he was on the world of outlaws circuit and he would show up and Kinser would be there sometimes. Good nights for sure.
 
I am finding that there are more and more folks like you who are tolerant of whatever Nascar does as long as the engines fire and the cars go counterclockwise. It is a win win for both the fans who feel that way and for Nascar.

Wait, what???????????????
 
She's not unique. You'll find these over-dedicated folks in all areas. It was your 'Tide football is life' comment that brought her to mind. You probably say it jokingly; she apparently has nothing else. But that type shows up in NASCAR too.

I never joke about Crimson Tide Football! :) In Alabama, when a child is born, and the Hospital Staff is filling out the Birth Certificate, the parent(s) must make one of the two listed declarations:
1) Alabama fan for life
2) Auburn fan for life
People take football serious here in Bama. :) NASCAR too.........anyone who has ever been to "Dega knows that there are two NASCAR Flags that fly........the NO. 3 and Junior's Flag. Sometimes they fly above the Confederate and US Flag, and sometimes not. ;)
 
... NASCAR too.........anyone who has ever been to "Dega knows that there are two NASCAR Flags that fly........the NO. 3 and Junior's Flag. Sometimes they fly above the Confederate and US Flag, and sometimes not. ;)
I blame the education system.
 
In Alabama, when a child is born, and the Hospital Staff is filling out the Birth Certificate, the parent(s) must make one of the two listed declarations:
1) Alabama fan for life
2) Auburn fan for life
I was born in Indiana, but as an Air Force brat I never lived anywhere more than 3 years. I couldn't tell you what cities are home to IU or Notre Dame until a few years ago, and still don't know were I wasn't brought up loyal to any college, and don't feel anything for any of the four (five? I forget.) I attended during the 15 or so years it took me to eventually get a degree. This sometimes leaves me confused by those who strongly support a school they never attended.

Frankly, as mystifying as NASCAR can be as a sanctioning body, the NCAA frequently turns my stomach.
 
I was born in Indiana, but as an Air Force brat I never lived anywhere more than 3 years. I couldn't tell you what cities are home to IU or Notre Dame until a few years ago, and still don't know were I wasn't brought up loyal to any college, and don't feel anything for any of the four (five? I forget.) I attended during the 15 or so years it took me to eventually get a degree. This sometimes leaves me confused by those who strongly support a school they never attended.

Frankly, as mystifying as NASCAR can be as a sanctioning body, the NCAA frequently turns my stomach.

bob knight ....indiana bb ?? :D
 
bob knight ....indiana bb ?? :D
My parents left Indiana before I started school. It wasn't until a few years ago that I bothered to learn where in the state IU is located. I only learned last year that Notre Dame is at the north end of the state. I can't tell you anything about Purdue. My only loyalty to IU is that I regularly read a web comic that's set there, but it could just as easily take place at almost any college.

I don't care for basketball anyway. That's partially because I don't know most of the rules, and mostly because the last '5 minutes' take longer than 3 G-W-Cs.
 
I was born in Indiana, but as an Air Force brat I never lived anywhere more than 3 years. I couldn't tell you what cities are home to IU or Notre Dame until a few years ago, and still don't know were I wasn't brought up loyal to any college, and don't feel anything for any of the four (five? I forget.) I attended during the 15 or so years it took me to eventually get a degree. This sometimes leaves me confused by those who strongly support a school they never attended.

Frankly, as mystifying as NASCAR can be as a sanctioning body, the NCAA frequently turns my stomach.

This.

I've never understood how universities went away from being learning centers first with sports as an extracurricular to sports teams that happen to have classrooms on their facilities.

I think loyalty to a school is built through going to school there, living on campus and having it be your whole world for 4-5 years. That's probably why I am loyal to my undergraduate alma mater but could honestly care less about my law school alma mater.
 
She's not unique. You'll find these over-dedicated folks in all areas. It was your 'Tide football is life' comment that brought her to mind. You probably say it jokingly; she apparently has nothing else. But that type shows up in NASCAR too.

I never joke about Crimson Tide Football! :) In Alabama, when a child is born, and the Hospital Staff is filling out the Birth Certificate, the parent(s) must make one of the two listed declarations:
1) Alabama fan for life
2) Auburn fan for life
People take football serious here in Bama. :) NASCAR too.........anyone who has ever been to "Dega knows that there are two NASCAR Flags that fly........the NO. 3 and Junior's Flag. Sometimes they fly above the Confederate and US Flag, and sometimes not. ;)
How'd ya like that Sugar Bowl? ;) #GoBucks
 
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