What's most interesting about NASCAR?

R

Rusty Hart

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Hi
Thanks for the replies to mmy query about controversy subjects in NASCAR ... please keep them coming.
As a means of getting to know NASCAR I've started a blog (www.fansofnascar.com) where I'll be posting articles largely for the Aussie car racing fans. It would be great if forum members could let me know what subject matter they think would be of greatest interest both here and also in the USA.
Stock car racing in Australia has a big following. Interestingly, this month, Nissan said it will field four cars in the Aussie’s V8 Supercar Championship starting in 2013.
If you're not familiar with the series, it’s Down Under’s equivalent to NASCAR. And until Nissan’s gambit, the competition has been strongly fought out by only two makes, the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore from General Motors.

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I think what's most interesting about NASCAR is the car itself. 3400 lb, 800+ HP, low downforce, conventional suspension cars with no driver aids like you find in F1, Indy, V8 Supercars and others.
 
It's interesting that Nissan and Mercedes are getting involved in a pushrod series but skipped nascar.
 
The most interesting thing about NASCAR is the free camping area at Talladega. Camping out there for a weekend and seeing things go relatively crime free (not counting substance abuse and intermittent indecent exposure of course) renews one's faith in civilization.
 
I think what's most interesting is the business side of things and the demands that are put on the drivers off of the track. I also find the technical side of things very interesting.
 
Matthew2470 said:
I think what's most interesting is the business side of things and the demands that are put on the drivers off of the track. I also find the technical side of things very interesting.
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Well, that should be a big draw down under.
 
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Thegroundpounder99 said:
I think what's most interesting about NASCAR is the car itself. 3400 lb, 800+ HP, low downforce, conventional suspension cars with no driver aids like you find in F1, Indy, V8 Supercars and others.
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I have to go with this also—large/heavy "stock" cars with relatively small tires compared to small/light open wheel cars with huge tires. Both require a considerable amount of skill but driving a big "stock" car through a turn at a high rate of speed can be like driving on dirt because of the way the car slides around. Many of the best drivers in the sport today used to race on dirt before getting to the top series. And in contrast to most forms of racing contact is generally accepted in stock car racing because the cars are built to withstand superficial damage whereas open wheel designs can have major problems with even slight spoiler damage.
 
By far the fans in my opinion. There are many sports out there with a huge fan base but I don't think that there are any that are as devoted as the average NASCAR fan. Thousands of avid fans show up and camp at the track a week or more in advance of the event. This is not the case with any other sport that I can think of. The NFL doesn't even draw in nearly as many fans for a given event with the exception of the Super Bowl. These are Super Bowl plus type crowds every week of the season. These mini cities of fans not only support their favorite driver, they support the local economy through their time spent in the area surrounding the track.
 
ozz said:
They are apparently still running quad o/head cams etc but resleeved back to 5 ltr & detuned to 650hp.
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OHC? I thought SV8 mandates pushrods. I guess the rule change opened the door. It's funny how nascar fans insist that only pushrod V8's are real "stock" engines these days. :rolleyes: Just another reason the younger generation finds nascar irrelevant.
 
FenderBumper said:
OHC? I thought SV8 mandates pushrods. I guess the rule change opened the door. It's funny how nascar fans insist that only pushrod V8's are real "stock" engines these days. :rolleyes: Just another reason the younger generation finds nascar irrelevant.
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I don't think the majority of the younger generation even knows the difference between a push rod or an over head cam engine. If it's not a computer, i-phone, i-pad, or a video game, then they don't seem to be very interested. Take notice that I said majority... not all.
 
A good intense race , nothing else compares.

Consider the spring race Martinsville last year (not the finish).
The way Gordon stalked Jimmie and set him up during the last long run. Working through the traffic, keeping the heat on and setting up the ultimate pass. No bs bump and run just intense smart racing, and I am probably one of Gordons biggest critics.

Or how about the Watkins Glenn last lap, or Brads spring Talladega last lap, that was predestined by his dream and Fenders pillow talk. Or the Craven/Busch finish.

That with smell of the race cars and the heat of spontaneous moments when a real race happens, the only reason to invest the time.

As for the buisness side screw them, I hope they choke on their cigars, I seriously despise their plastic souls. Yea eff em....
 
The constant rules changes could be interesting to some, or confusing to others.
Also the inconsistent application of those rules, As in how penaltys are handed out. Nascar claims a drivers past does not effect penaltys but we all know better-Example Jeff Gordon at Phoenix last year compared to either one of the Busch brothers had one of them done that. And no I am not defending the past actions of Kurt and Kyle.
I find the people (fans) most interesting.
Greg pointed out the best part, A good intense race.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
By far the fans in my opinion. There are many sports out there with a huge fan base but I don't think that there are any that are as devoted as the average NASCAR fan. Thousands of avid fans show up and camp at the track a week or more in advance of the event. This is not the case with any other sport that I can think of. The NFL doesn't even draw in nearly as many fans for a given event with the exception of the Super Bowl. These are Super Bowl plus type crowds every week of the season. These mini cities of fans not only support their favorite driver, they support the local economy through their time spent in the area surrounding the track.
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Yep, I'm pulling a new 29' camper from Pensacola Fl. to Eldora speedway, 831 miles= 14/1/2 hours to go to a truck race that is recognized as a third tier of the sport. Its also a dirt track with few amenities and I understand that our tickets entitle us to sit in lawn chairs or on blankets on the grass and we will love it. The diversity of the fans, from bootleggers to corporate bigwigs, are a breed unto themselves. Interesting? Hell yes. What fans of any other sport would go to those lengths to attend a third tier team event. Absolutely none. I'm proud to be a race fan and so are all of the other fans I know.
 
Classic Earnhardt women deluxe with their 3 nipples!!!
 
Long gone but inspireing and unforgettable: Reading old Stock Car Racing magazines.
Bergrens (sp)crew knew how to tell a story.
Living in SC as a boy never allowed me to ever see the Northeast modified scene, or the ASA when both of them were in their hay day or their golden ages. But SCR could tell me a lot about it, in incredible detail.

When Ritchie Evans, Freddie Desaro, and Charlie J (drivers I never saw in person) died, I knew it was a terrible loss. Thanks to SCR.
 
I agree with what has been said about the over-powered, under-tired cars. But NASCAR is slow to allow for technological advancements to the cars. For example, they just recently went to Fuel Injection (CUP only) even though it's hard (impossible) to find any vehicle today that uses a carb. Same for the 4-speed manual trans.

But the variety of track types that the series is run on is always a strong attraction. Many dislike road courses, many dislike destructor plate races and most feel that there are too many 1.5 mile "cookie-cutter" tracks on the schedule. About all seem to agree that short tracks are the core of NASCAR and should continue to be a featured form of NASCAR racing. But the schedule requires a driver to be well-versed in all types of conditions in order to achieve greatness.

But the most appealing thing about NASCAR is the attachment to the HISTORY OF THE SPORT. Most hard-core fans know about Petty, the Allisons, Fireball Roberts, the Wood Brothers, Junior Johnson, etc. and hold them in the highest esteem!

Then there are the Earnhardt fans...:)
 
FenderBumper said:
Nooooooooo.....that's not good enough. Have it printed on your coffee mug.
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robbybee said:
But the most appealing thing about NASCAR is the attachment to the HISTORY OF THE SPORT. Most hard-core fans know about Petty, the Allisons, Fireball Roberts, the Wood Brothers, Junior Johnson, etc. and hold them in the highest esteem!

Then there are the Earnhardt fans...:)
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Which driver(s) today do you think will reach the status these guys did?
 
Bobw said:
Which driver(s) today do you think will reach the status these guys did?
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Good question! The game has changed since the time that the Legends competed. Today's drivers are polished and molded to fit the corporate sponsorship requirements that come with big-money contributions.

I don't know that many current drivers would be comperable to the trail blazers who went before, but most certainly Gordon and Johnson will be future HOF inductees.
 
Fans 100% Not only are they just interesting in terms of what you can see at a race, everybody is just happy to be there. Never have gone to race worried about what colors I am wearing and how I will be treated (unlike an NFL game) and everyone is there to just have a good time.

The "worst" I ever had it was at Charlotte for the BofA 500 in October a couple years ago. I had on a Ryan Newman Hat (before I went full Kes) and told the people why I cheered for him and I drove X amount miles to see him race blah blah.
Lap 2 of the race he gets loose and crashed right in front of all us in turn 4 and had a group of people just trun around and laugh at me in good spirit. Freaking newman...:mad:
 
Hey, Rusty! I don't know if anyone's pointed it out yet, but the new Chevrolet SS used by Chevy teams this year is based on the Commodore.

What I find most interesting about NASCAR is that, compared to other motorsports, the cars are technologically less sophisticated. I think that puts more emphasis on driver talent and less on automotive engineering.

Another thing I like is that there are no 'team orders'. Teams do not specify which driver is the primary, and other drivers on that team are not expected to yield to him. Indeed, some of the best moments are when teammates are racing each other with no holds barred. As someone else pointed out, a couple of years ago teammates Johnson and Gordon scratched and clawed their way around Martinsville. Two of the biggest names in the sport banging like sworn enemies; and Gordon has partial ownership of Johnson's team!

The 43-car field is larger than most other series. I think only LeMans starts more cars on a regular basis. A larger percentage of them are competitive than many other series.

As a fan in attendance, I appreciate that most of the races are on ovals. While some say that isn't as much of a challenge as road courses, it sure makes it easy to see all the action. This is especially true on the shorter tracks; 12 of the races are on tracks one mile or shorter. I'd like to see a few more road courses, but there is nothing else in sports (any form of sports) like Bristol. 43 cars on a half-mile track (800 meters) banked at 30 degrees running 120mph / 190kph; imagine racing around a soccer field or a rugby pitch. And the NASCAR Sprint Cup races are longer on average than many other series (most are at least 400 miles), so I get more laps for my money when I go. The US-based Indy car series runs on a wider variety of tracks (ovals, purpose-built road courses, and street courses), but I don't know if any other series runs on more different tracks in a season. Oh, and the 36-race season itself is longer than any other.

I know sports fans everywhere are friendly, but I've never run into a bigger bunch of people more willing to literally give you the shirt off their back. I've had complete strangers park beside me, and the first words out of their mouths are, "Hey! You wanna beer?" I've participated in buffet lines set up between half a dozen adjoining families, swapping food like it was a family reunion, none of whom had anything in common thirty minutes earlier. I've trusted total strangers with my food, my camera, my grill and cooler; I've watched over purses, hundreds of dollars worth of souvenirs, and even children. I've gotten jump starts for dead batteries and have pushed cars out of ditches. It's like the commercial said a couple of years ago: "Spend the weekend with 100,000 of your closest friends."
 
FenderBumper said:
OHC? I thought SV8 mandates pushrods. I guess the rule change opened the door. It's funny how nascar fans insist that only pushrod V8's are real "stock" engines these days. :rolleyes: Just another reason the younger generation finds nascar irrelevant.
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Yeh, it's strange because Chev & Fords are still running push rods at this stage,
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Hey, Rusty! I don't know if anyone's pointed it out yet, but the new Chevrolet SS used by Chevy teams this year is based on the Commodore.
.

I know sports fans everywhere are friendly, but I've never run into a bigger bunch of people more willing to literally give you the shirt off their back. I've had complete strangers park beside me, and the first words out of their mouths are, "Hey! You wanna beer?" I've participated in buffet lines set up between half a dozen adjoining families, swapping food like it was a family reunion, none of whom had anything in common thirty minutes earlier. I've trusted total strangers with my food, my camera, my grill and cooler; I've watched over purses, hundreds of dollars worth of souvenirs, and even children. I've gotten jump starts for dead batteries and have pushed cars out of ditches. It's like the commercial said a couple of years ago: "Spend the weekend with 100,000 of your closest friends."
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Sounds like Australia:)
 
ozz said:
Sounds like Australia:)
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C'mon up! I'll take you to Darlington.

Based on your current avatar, I guess you'd like to be in Austin even more than I would. I've got family three hours from that track, but I won't be able to get there.
 
Nascars dress code for trophy queens is the most disinteresting thing in nascar. In a league with a nuns outfit or Taliban girl gear and both will flash more forbidden ankle. An upside world that defies the natural idea of glamorous cars, danger, and smoking hot women being in same event. Perversion at it's worse
 
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