What's Great about NASCAR?

Revman

Revman

Denny beat your favorite driver....again!
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I've been tempted to post this for some time, and now that the offseason has everything slowed down, I decided to go for it. We post endlessly about what is wrong with NASCAR, so what is right?
 
To be fair you can do this with any sport and barely come up with five reasons.

It's background noise on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Occasional dramatic finish.
Easy to find on tv.
Going to the track is a better experience than other sports. Outside drinks allowable, c rate entertainment before the race, exhibits, etc
 
The live experience is like no other. The sounds, the smells, the feeling of the field screaming by. There really isn't anything that compares to seeing an auto race live in the sporting world.

The Cup grid has as much talent as any series in the world. No doubt these guys are some of the best on the planet, and with so much depth the competition is as tough as it can get. When the winningest driver goes to Victory Lane only five times in thirty-six races that says a ton.

The racing itself is close, some of the closest in the world. Not many series out there have the sort of side-by-side, door-to-door racing NASCAR can offer.

And of course, it's cars going fast and racing each other.
 
So here's what got me into this sport over the past year.

#1 A lot of good people like it, so I like it. It's part of the culture in the Carolinas and if you don't follow it you're missing out.

#2 the atmosphere at the track on race day- It's like college football for the summer months. Beats the living pants off baseball.

#3 Car culture - If you like cars NASCAR is probably the best in motorsports at embodying everything great about them. Fast speeds, hard racing, contact between competitors. Plus the cars are still at least relatable to road cars.

#4 The human factor - Far more so compared to other motorsports, NASCAR puts a premium on driver skill over superior engineering. Not as much as I'd like, but still far more than, say, F1. This extends to the whole team as well. How many races this year were won and lost on pit road? Or with a bad strategy call from the box?

#5 Drama - call this the "WWE factor" if you'd like, but I don't find it gimmicky at all. I love it. Seeing the passion and anger in the drivers as they battle for sweet victory is awesome. I don't care that it leads to wrecks sometimes. EVERYBODY who has every driven has gotten road rage at some point. Seeing it play out on track just makes this sport all the more relatable.
 
Going to a race is one hell of a great experience itself, but getting a pit pass and experiencing all the action up close is unbelievable. You're so immersed in everything. No other sport or form of entertainment even comes close in this aspect. Nascar is miles ahead of anyone else.

Nascar has always done a great job of providing race fans with a top notch experience and exposure to all the action. For this alone, they deserve a ton of credit.
 
Well now... I just googled Sam Posey doing one of those epically great F1 forerace intros... and it's really forebad for us.

I couldn't find a Nascar one.....
 
There are a lot of great things about Nascar, I need a little time to list most things I like and even then I will forget something.
 
I think the racing is still solid. I'd like to see if there's any sort of increased interest if Chase Elliott and/or Dale Jr. start winning races.
 
I like it because:
NASCAR is an all AMERICAN Sport started by an average American guy.:salute:
40 Bad ass naturally aspirated 800 HP push rod V-8 hotrods, show up 37 points paying weekends a year to do battle for a CUP Trophy.:salute:
There is not another sport watched live (at the track) that is more exciting. IMHO:salute:
The best long distance high speed race car drivers in the world compete in this series. :salute:
Most of the drivers in this sport are very giving in their charitable programs and also helping young guns in lower series get a chance.:salute:
You see the Drivers with their wives and children pre-race and if they are the one that day, also in Victory lane. :salute:
The drivers in this series put their hand over their hearts during the National Anthem, bow their heads during prayer and are proud to be Americans.:salute:
 
Love the variety of tracks...Superspeedways...short tracks...road courses....
Love the personalities.
 
I really like Martinsville and Sears Point plus the Glen, Richmond and Bristol can be really good too. I like the Southern 500 from Darlington on Labor Day and races like we saw from Atlanta earlier this year.
 
I love the cars. Just love them. In Phoenix, I would just stand there and stare into the engine bay. Got down on my stomach to see the rear end housing. They would pop the wheels off, and I would run over there to see the assemblies. I really didn't know what I was looking at, but I was learning. Some of the JGR guys and TRD guys were explaining stuff to me. Bliss. Just so damn cool to me.
 
Revman said:
I love the cars. Just love them. In Phoenix, I would just stand there and stare into the engine bay. Got down on my stomach to see the rear end housing. They would pop the wheels off, and I would run over there to see the assemblies. I really didn't know what I was looking at, but I was learning. Some of the JGR guys and TRD guys were explaining stuff to me. Bliss. Just so damn cool to me.
Click to expand...
I know what you mean. I ran around like the proverbial headless chicken in the Bodine racing shop years ago. Stuck my nose into everything and under everything I could find. Came out about as dirty as anyone who worked there. It was not the pristine shops you see today --- it was a very small, shoe-string operation.
Saw the CNC machines at DEI cutting the heads for the engines. Drooled on the window of the engine building room there, too.
 
Name recognition ! You can name any participant and get a response. Everyone has an opinion. Just join a bunch of fans and say Kyle or Junior or Danica ....
 
They've put together the most competitive major racing series and runs more races than other series.
 
Raw power. Pushing everything and everyone on every race team to the edge looking for even the slightest advantage. The innovation, competitiveness and amazing engineering. When all of those things come together on race day it's an amazing spectacle.
 
Well.....
How your heart pounds when your driver is leading with 5 to go. Thanks Awesome Bill for many of those.
When your friends driver blows it and you can give it to him about it.
Earnhardt giving Mayfield the finger at Ponoco.
Rusty's fine with bags of change.
The emotion (not the crybaby stuff) from the drivers & teams.
There is alot of crap in the sport now, but I still watch . Thank God for Elliott blood.
 
20161223_164101.jpg
 
Really hard to know were to start.

First of all race day morning or whatever without the hype. There is something functionally beautiful about
pure no nonsense race cars. Raw bare bones essentials with every piece dedicated to making more speed. Even a bare or primered one looks great, in many cases I prefer it to fully finished look. A well built race car is like a GF that that couldn't look ugly if she tried.

Hearing them crank up the engines, watching the pace laps and sweeping to clean and heat them tires. By then you smell her perfume or the racing gas. It gets only better after the tires heat up.

The noise especially at a short track is the type of immersion that is freaking great. The moment is powerful enough to stop the rest of the world, it is just this moment and this race. Simply stated it is just too dominant and overwhelming for any other kind of noise that life offers, hence it is all consuming, nothing else matters or remains. Your body feels the violent sounds too, it flows through your body. Even watching a single car qualifying or practicing is great at a short track. Maybe even better from a sound point, you get the rhythm. Hearing two cars running bumper to bumper is even better, hearing the synced back pressure. The timing and trust between the two, makes you wonder how.
(*footnote at end of the post).

Long green runs are great too. The superficial stats aren't needed either, you don't have to have multiple passes or lead changes. They are good, but they shouldn't be to easy. Watching a trailing car stalk a leader is one of the best things ever. He can stay glued to him like white on rice, or he can just stay within sight. , more like slowing down to speed up. And it is a great mental game, a short run car has to try to get it now, and build up a big enough lead to handle the trailing car that may be a lot better in the late run. Or maybe a car that is slower on the stop watch is better off the corners and can keep the position.

And it is a real waste to freak out when that kind of battle is not going on for the lead. Because it is going on somewhere during the race, it might only be for 5th or 15th position but it is still great show.
^The short-sightedness of broadcasters to miss that kind of stuff is real shame. It is better seen by those present or in attendance.

The real racing is so better than the props or shenanigans, they are there for anyone that wants to see them. All of the above is painfully obvious, but I have to say that I think the best parts are often missed by many.

*Footnote about the intensity. I am all for growing the fan base, but I doubt that you will ever talk someone into being a fan, that isnt wired that way. And I wouldn't want to be dragged into something that is so demanding without already having the natural love.
So I just think races should be run right, and with a respect for it that can accept it for already being great. No disrespect intended for outsiders, we are just different and better off pursuing own passions peacefuly. Racing just does not lend itself to all of those needed compromises, it would have to become something totally different to win the masses. Not worthwhile imo.
 
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