NASCAR

[Monkeywrench]

I love how people discount technology in Nascar.. it's even funnier when it comes from British car owners :wink: . This article puts some things into perspective

https://www.epi-eng.com/piston_engine_technology/comparison_of_cup_to_f1.htm

As far as drivers go, on average yeah, the F1 driver is better than a Nascar driver. But the top Nascar guys, I think have every bit of talent as the F1 guys. Their talent has been refined on ovals vs road courses, but it's still there.

As for guts, I'm going with Nascar..
Most of the Nascar guys cut their teeth in sprint cars which have relatively equal power/weight of an F1 car, but they're on dirt, no runoff, and are in tight packs. Charging into a corner at 180mph (talking about tracks like Dover, Atlanta, Texas, etc), with nothing but a concrete wall at the edge takes guts (then do it 2-3 wide). With the exception of Spa, every F1 track looks like a paper clip when viewed from above with vast runoff areas.

Refinement.

40 car fields seperated by .1-.3 of a second. F1 level budgets, and talent (a lot of former F1 engineers in the Nascar circles), and stable rules means all their money is going into refinement. F1 sees new chassis designs every year, and the field isn't separated by much more.


I'm not a Nascar fan by any means, but I can respect it.

 

[aeronca65t]

I sort of wish NASCAR would run more road courses.......I think it's fun to watch them in twisty venues.

I like watching Boris Said racing NASCAR at the road courses. I wish I could drive The Glen as good as he does.
Also, he has a neat sense of humour and has all those "Said Fans" with the crazy wigs and stuff.

I know that he and Jeff Gordon actually know how to right-foot brake and have other "road-racy" skills. Maybe some others do too......I don't follow it that much.

One thing I absolutely dislike about NASCAR racing is the strategy of intentional bumping used to spin out other drivers. I know it happens in all racing, but it seems especially prevelant in NASCAR.

Gordon is another great driver, but many of the NASCAR fans seem to dislike him....maybe because he's sort of a Kalifornia Kid.
I guess he likes some British stuff: he owns a Hawker 800.
Also, he does the best burnouts.

OkElgZ0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"> </embed></object>

 

[Monkeywrench]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]One thing I absolutely dislike about NASCAR racing is the strategy of intentional bumping used to spin out other drivers. I know it happens in all racing, but it seems especially prevelant in NASCAR.[/QUOTE]

I guess you don't watch much BTCC or Aussie V8 Supercars .


Found these..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2ukPLX7iIw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ-eaTa8um4

on the qualifying lap, you can really see him sawing at the wheel through the last corner, incredible stuff. Absolutely on the edge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIMEYv5-kgg
I love how the Nascar boys bump draft their way through to the lead at the entrance of a corner.

 

[GeeBee1]

I like watching Boris Said racing NASCAR at the road courses.

Nial

Why do you always hit home with me?

Pat

 

[swift6]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]One thing I absolutely dislike about NASCAR racing is the strategy of intentional bumping used to spin out other drivers. I know it happens in all racing, but it seems especially prevelant in NASCAR.

I guess you don't watch much BTCC or Aussie V8 Supercars .

[/QUOTE]

No joke, Aussie Super cars and BTCC really show you that "Rubbin' is Racin'" is not just a good ol' southern boy concept.

 

[aeronca65t]

Fair enough. If that's what floats your boat, that's fine.

But for me, motor racing is a non-contact sport. Close quarters for sure, but not with intentional contact.

I get the fact that there will always be some accidental contact....that's inevitable.
But when contact among cars becomes the modus operandi, I'm turned off.

I don't like demolition derby either. :laugh:

 

[bgbassplyr]

Well, I live square in the middle of NASCAR territory, and used to know some of the drivers in the old days. I lived 3 doors from John Holman, 10 from Cale, and drove by Holman & Moody every day for 4 years going to work.

But I was a sporty car guy and racer' and had very little respect for those who only turned left. That is until I entered an event where the SCCA was to be a 'curtain raiser' for a Grand National (cup race today) race at Bowman Gray stadium in Winston Salem, NC. The track was a 1/4 mile flat, narrow (a lane and 3/4's wide) asphalt around a football field. The outer edge of the track was a 10' high stone wall with bleachers beyond.

Well, the sporty cars practiced and practiced and the fast qualifer was a Lotus Seven at about 17.5 seconds. Then we all sat back with smirks on our faces to await the stock cars.

This was when Richard and Buddy, et. al. were young (1965), and they came out to warm up, practice and quailify. Erase the smirks, 'cause them good ol boys warmed up in under 16 seconds, and the pole was in the middle 14's. And these were real STOCK cars! I watched them all come out of the turns ,sliding, and place the cars 2 to 6 inches off that stone wall, without ever touching it.

Having been on that track less than an hour before, and having found out how hard it was to control the car on that track, I found myself humbled by what I was seeing. From that day forward, I have had the greatest respect for the NASCAR drivers and the skill it takes to do what they do.

Now, that said, do I care for what NASCAR has become and the way they dictate everything from cars to drivers and beyond? Not much. And every year I say I'm not going to waste a saturday or sunday watching the circus go roundy round, but invaribly I find myself glued to the tube, and will probably watch them 'till my toes turn up.

Can't stand little Bush, but that SOB can drive a car. I mostly pull for
Carl, and the young drivers are just like the old guy's were when they were that age. Every thing changes and somehow remains the same.

Back to the cave now.

 

[scoutll]

the young drivers are just like the old guy's were when they were that age. Every thing changes and somehow remains the same.

Back to the cave now.

I think you are probably right. I didn't much care for Rusty, Dale, Darrell and Ricky Rudd in the early 80's, and the same with Jeff Gordon, in the early 90's.

 

[Gray_Cat]

Just an addendum to my earlier post: I would love to see Danica kick bu** in nascar - that would get my attention again! Until then, I'll stick to the open wheel cars....
Roy

 

[Hap Waldrop]

I came from a Nascar background, my dad was involved in Nascar from the very beginning, he was there the day Bill France pitched the idea to start Nascar. I grew up with some of the old time Nascar drivers coming and visting at dad's business, Tim Flock, Joe Eubanks, Buck Baker, and Benny Parsons just to name few. On our family spring vacations to Florida every year, a stop at Smokey Yunick's shop was always on the menu, dad was part of the orginal Hudson Hornet factory effort, same as Smokey and they were old friends, I can remember as just a youngster, maybe 6-7 years old, being a little knucklehad running around Smokey's shop playing with his dogs as dad and Smokey caught up on old times. Dad had a fleet of car haulers, and often our driver made trips into Florida, not many people knew this but at Smokey's they worked and repaired everything including helicopters and semi trucks, so anytime one of our trcuks laid down, Smokey would go get it and have his guys fix it up for us, getting our drivers back on the road.

I grew up with Ronny Hopkins Jr., Nascar most respected chassis builder, and I've watch as Ronny has become the go-to guy for chassis needs, if you don't have Hopkins Engineering chassis parts or front end on your cup car, you in the back of the pack. Ronny, and I when we were just in our early 20's, worked on fabrication stuff with me on my road race cars, and I would help him with mechanical stuff on his hot rods and VW rail buggys, Ronny even built the custom trailer I hauled my Huffaker MGB on.

You know we have to be opposite from our dads right? So I took a liking to import cars, which my dad hated and then I started road racing MGs, he never liked the idea of me racing a roadster. So in 1990 I decided to give circle track racing a try,I started off by buying a front running turn key Charger class car, dad used to love to tell folks I raced in the class that was one above specatator I eventually got Ronny to build me a super late model. With dads connections I had all kind of Nascar royalty, giving me free stuff and deals , Cale Yarborough sold me a set of heads for dang near free, David Pearson a set of rods and pistons. I only lasted in short track Nascar racing for a season and a half, never won a event, but had my share of top 5 finishes. I could see two things wrong with Nascar, it took way too much money to do it, and it just wasn't as fun as road racing, so I gladly returned to road racing.

When folks who have never circle track raced evaluate the sport, they think , how hard can it be, you just turn left, but the truth of it is set up is everything and if you are just a few one hundredth slower a lap than the pole sitter you are a lap car in a 50 lap race, it's a tough sport and takes big time skills to be good at it and a buttload of money, I totally respect those guys and fully understand how good the really good are, but road racing is still way more fun. Oh and my Nascar short track buddys were always were so jealous when I'd tell them I had won races at Daytona

Am I a big nascar fan, not really, but do I respect them, you better believe I do.

 

[UltimateQuestion]

Personally, I love all forms of racing. Sportscars, Formula Cars, Indy Cars, Champ Cars, Rallye Cars, SCCA, Sprint Cars, Midgets, Silver Crown, Stock Cars, Airplanes - If it goes fast, I'll watch it and would love to race it. Must be my Hoosier blood! Speaking of Hoosiers, gotta go with Tony Stewart. Smoke can drive anything from a Sprint to an Indy Car to a Stocker or a Daytona sportscar and drive it fast!

 

[swift6]

Slight re-direction of the thread....

Can you believe that McMurray's dad left the race early to "beat the traffic"? Talk about having the joy of victory ripped from your hands, head and heart.

 

[bugimike]

Personally, I love all forms of racing. Sportscars, Formula Cars, Indy Cars, Champ Cars, Rallye Cars, SCCA, Sprint Cars, Midgets, Silver Crown, Stock Cars, Airplanes - If it goes fast, I'll watch it and would love to race it. Must be my Hoosier blood! Speaking of Hoosiers, gotta go with Tony Stewart. Smoke can drive anything from a Sprint to an Indy Car to a Stocker or a Daytona sportscar and drive it fast!

100%!! I'll watch nannies racing prams if there is no better racing going on!

And I like Smoke too, along with Robby Gordon, they are good at just about anything they get behind the wheel of!!