P
PettyBenson
Guest
Hey all! I been working hard recently at school. Here is my latest paper that I did for my writting class. We had to do a persuasion paper, and the only topic I could think of was racing so here is my paper for you guys and gals to read if you would like to.
Warning its was 4 pages long printed, so its gonna be long
Tell me what you think! I got a 91% on it!
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Jason Craig
Persuasion
March 29, 2004
The overlooked series
What is the second most popular sport in the US today behind the NFL? You might think it’s either the NBA or baseball, but it’s not. According to USA Today, the second most popular sport in the US today is automobile racing with, NASCAR being the most popular series in the US and second most popular in the world behind Formula One. But why is NASCAR so much more popular than what I believe is the best and often overlooked United States racing series in the world, the Indy Racing League IndyCar series?
Many racing fans think that NASCAR is the best racing in the world and there is nothing wrong with that, I am a big NASCAR fan myself. A few reasons why they might think that is because in NASCAR they race a total of 38 weekends a year and have events held in over 20 states across the United States from as far north as New Hampshire and as far south as Daytona Beach, Florida. NASCAR also runs from coast to coast from California to New York. NASCAR also holds their races on a variety of tracks from the half mile oval in Bristol, Tennessee and Martinsville, Virginia, to the two and a half mile super speedways in Talladega, Alabama, and Daytona, Florida. The car manufactures in NASCAR are all domestic manufactures such as Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge. A couple other reasons why NASCAR could be more popular is that the fans are able to get closer to the drivers and teams and feel like they know just about each driver. Another reason that NASCAR fans like the series as much as they do is because there are not anyone but Americans in the series. The fans are also able to buy items such as T-shirts, hats, and die-casts to show there love for their favorite driver. That’s just a few reasons why millions of people love NASCAR, as well as a few reasons I do, but why do I feel the IRL is overlooked in the realm of United States Auto Racing?
Many of the reasons why NASCAR is so popular could very well be why the IRL is so overlooked in the sports world today. The IRL, for example, does not race as frequently as NASCAR does. The Indy Racing League only races 16 races a year and are all spread apart, making it harder to follow the series when there is a month break between some of the races. The bad part of the tracks the IndyCar Series races at is that they are all similar, and those are the race tracks NASCAR runs at as well. The IRL has three manufactures in the series and only one, Chevrolet, is a domestic manufacture; the other two are Japanese manufactures, Honda and Toyota. The drivers and teams are not as easily available as the NASCAR drivers, and only about half of the drivers are American, both which turn fans away from the series.. The merchandise for the IndyCar drivers is harder to find because they are not in high demand so they are not manufactured in high numbers. With all that being sai, why do I still think the IRL IndyCar Series is the best form of racing around?
First, the cars have to look fast. The IRL cars sit low to the ground and have long sweeping lines, which those lines makes the car look like I’ts going fast even just sitting still. In NASCAR the cars are much more square and stand much taller than the IRL cars.
Secondly, a big part of racing is the speed of the cars. In NASCAR, on their fastest race track in Atlanta, Georgia, run an average speed of about 190 miles per hour. On the other hand, the IRL IndyCar Series at their fastest track, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, runs an average close to 230 miles per hour. A way to put that in perspective is that in one second the IRL cars cover the same distance of 2 football fields.
The third and most important reason why the IRL is a much better racing series is just that, the racing. At those tracks that I mentioned the IRL and NASCAR both run at the IRL puts on better races. At tracks like Texas, Chicagoland, Homestead, Michigan, California, and LasVegas, NASCAR’s top five finishers normally are separated by 3 or 4 seconds. At the same race tracks is where the IRL shines where most of the finishes between the top five would be less than one second behind the winner, and if they run three football fields in one second, that means about five cars in a 300 yard distance. In 35 of the 85 IRL IndyCar Series events the margin of victory has been less than one second. Most of the IRL finishes in recent years have come down to a photo finish between two drivers, once even three drivers came to the line side by side by side. Yes, NASCAR does have a few good photo finishes, but it is only a fraction to the amount the IRL races have.
What else makes the IRL better than NASCAR? It’s the Greatest Spectacle in Racing-- the Indianapolis 500-- held every Memorial Day weekend. In 2004 the IRL will hold the 88th Indianapolis 500. The month long event builds on all the history and drama from the past 88 years, and when you step up into the stands and see the track, you just feel privileged to witness part of an amazing part of what soon will become part of history.
Those are just a few of the reasons why I believe the IRL Indy Racing Series keeps getting overlooked and why I think more people should give this racing series another look this year, you won’t be disappointed. I am not saying just ignore NASCAR but just give the IRL a chance; it may grow on you like it did me. A few years ago I did not even know what the IRL IndyCar Series was.
Warning its was 4 pages long printed, so its gonna be long
Tell me what you think! I got a 91% on it!
=====================
Jason Craig
Persuasion
March 29, 2004
The overlooked series
What is the second most popular sport in the US today behind the NFL? You might think it’s either the NBA or baseball, but it’s not. According to USA Today, the second most popular sport in the US today is automobile racing with, NASCAR being the most popular series in the US and second most popular in the world behind Formula One. But why is NASCAR so much more popular than what I believe is the best and often overlooked United States racing series in the world, the Indy Racing League IndyCar series?
Many racing fans think that NASCAR is the best racing in the world and there is nothing wrong with that, I am a big NASCAR fan myself. A few reasons why they might think that is because in NASCAR they race a total of 38 weekends a year and have events held in over 20 states across the United States from as far north as New Hampshire and as far south as Daytona Beach, Florida. NASCAR also runs from coast to coast from California to New York. NASCAR also holds their races on a variety of tracks from the half mile oval in Bristol, Tennessee and Martinsville, Virginia, to the two and a half mile super speedways in Talladega, Alabama, and Daytona, Florida. The car manufactures in NASCAR are all domestic manufactures such as Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge. A couple other reasons why NASCAR could be more popular is that the fans are able to get closer to the drivers and teams and feel like they know just about each driver. Another reason that NASCAR fans like the series as much as they do is because there are not anyone but Americans in the series. The fans are also able to buy items such as T-shirts, hats, and die-casts to show there love for their favorite driver. That’s just a few reasons why millions of people love NASCAR, as well as a few reasons I do, but why do I feel the IRL is overlooked in the realm of United States Auto Racing?
Many of the reasons why NASCAR is so popular could very well be why the IRL is so overlooked in the sports world today. The IRL, for example, does not race as frequently as NASCAR does. The Indy Racing League only races 16 races a year and are all spread apart, making it harder to follow the series when there is a month break between some of the races. The bad part of the tracks the IndyCar Series races at is that they are all similar, and those are the race tracks NASCAR runs at as well. The IRL has three manufactures in the series and only one, Chevrolet, is a domestic manufacture; the other two are Japanese manufactures, Honda and Toyota. The drivers and teams are not as easily available as the NASCAR drivers, and only about half of the drivers are American, both which turn fans away from the series.. The merchandise for the IndyCar drivers is harder to find because they are not in high demand so they are not manufactured in high numbers. With all that being sai, why do I still think the IRL IndyCar Series is the best form of racing around?
First, the cars have to look fast. The IRL cars sit low to the ground and have long sweeping lines, which those lines makes the car look like I’ts going fast even just sitting still. In NASCAR the cars are much more square and stand much taller than the IRL cars.
Secondly, a big part of racing is the speed of the cars. In NASCAR, on their fastest race track in Atlanta, Georgia, run an average speed of about 190 miles per hour. On the other hand, the IRL IndyCar Series at their fastest track, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, runs an average close to 230 miles per hour. A way to put that in perspective is that in one second the IRL cars cover the same distance of 2 football fields.
The third and most important reason why the IRL is a much better racing series is just that, the racing. At those tracks that I mentioned the IRL and NASCAR both run at the IRL puts on better races. At tracks like Texas, Chicagoland, Homestead, Michigan, California, and LasVegas, NASCAR’s top five finishers normally are separated by 3 or 4 seconds. At the same race tracks is where the IRL shines where most of the finishes between the top five would be less than one second behind the winner, and if they run three football fields in one second, that means about five cars in a 300 yard distance. In 35 of the 85 IRL IndyCar Series events the margin of victory has been less than one second. Most of the IRL finishes in recent years have come down to a photo finish between two drivers, once even three drivers came to the line side by side by side. Yes, NASCAR does have a few good photo finishes, but it is only a fraction to the amount the IRL races have.
What else makes the IRL better than NASCAR? It’s the Greatest Spectacle in Racing-- the Indianapolis 500-- held every Memorial Day weekend. In 2004 the IRL will hold the 88th Indianapolis 500. The month long event builds on all the history and drama from the past 88 years, and when you step up into the stands and see the track, you just feel privileged to witness part of an amazing part of what soon will become part of history.
Those are just a few of the reasons why I believe the IRL Indy Racing Series keeps getting overlooked and why I think more people should give this racing series another look this year, you won’t be disappointed. I am not saying just ignore NASCAR but just give the IRL a chance; it may grow on you like it did me. A few years ago I did not even know what the IRL IndyCar Series was.
