Is it bad to actually like NASCAR?
 

???? Discuss.

No. It's a USA only form of motorsports that is part of our history. It takes an amazing amount of skill to do what they do and not kill everyone on track.

Does it bug the begeez outta me that they only turn in one direction? Yes. Does it bug the begeez outta me that when they have a road course they call in the F1/ Endurance drivers? Yes.

I don't think it's bad. My problem is that every car is the same. You can't tell if it's Toyota, GM, or Ford plus there is too much marketing thrown in my face. I watched when Dale Earnhardt Sr. was racing. R.I.P. I think the Ford Fusion nascar got me intrigued again.

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Amen LsX.

Yes it is. If I were president gays could marry and NASCAR fans couldn't vote.

[QUOTE=ZetaVI;154203...My problem is that every car is the same. You can't tell if it's Toyota, GM, or Ford plus there is too much marketing thrown in my face... [/QUOTE]

The marketing doesn't bother me, but calling it a Toyota or a Ford because of a fiberglass shell does. I realize NASCAR is not the same as stock car racing, but I would have renewed interest in it if they really did still run modified stock, or at least the powertrain was provided by the manufacturer/sponsor and was modified from stock.

As far as just turning left, well, that doesn't bother me either. What I would like to see though is in every type of racing, after every pit, you had to change directions around the track! Two lane racing, yea, that's the ticket.

NASCAR is a hell of a lot more fun to watch than F1 these days, IMHO

see, nobody cares about the gays. :lol:

Personally I have nothing against NASCAR. I'm just glad that my Snuggie, Oxyclean sponsored posts could bring you this message today. It was pretty hard out there, and we had to fight pretty tough, but Snuggie and Oxyclean really helped us out.

Its not bad, in fact I actually like it too when I don't have anything to watch lol. Its not easy being in that extreme heat temperature for such a long time. And the constant gforce at 190 mph and massively banked tracks and being inches away from each other

^ Don't get us started on how NASCAR is now trying to ruin sports cars with their spec prototypes... At least they're not as ugly as they used to be.

What are your comments on the '2 car tango'?

an excellent opportunity for a pileup? :happy0180:

Is it bad to like NASCAR? No.

Do *I* like NASCAR? Also No.

I don't like how NASCAR *actively* squashes innovation. Teams spend a considerable amount of the development budget making their innovaions LOOK like they're old tech. I know the old tech is cheaper. But NASCAR is no more relevant to today's cars than F1 is. It's just the other end of the pendulum swing. But I do enjoy watching F1 because development is encouraged, even if a new tech is banned later. At least it'll see some races, and possibly an entire season before it's banned.

There are many more things I don't like about NASCAR that add up to a general dislike of the whole thing.

So if NASCAR floats your boat, go ahead and enjoy it. I just won't be up for discussing the weekend's race.

I never said I don't like NASCAR :burnrubber:

I tried to watch it when I moved back to North America in '09 and learn the cars and teams, but in the end it just seems to be a bunch of jockeying about for 180 laps and then 20 laps of racing at the end.
I certainly don't believe they cannot drive, but I prefer watching F1, ALMS, and touring car series instead.

the problem with nascar, for me, is that the races are just too long. i cant remember the last time i watched an entire race. instead i just tune in at the end.

imo the most entertaining races are in BTCC/WTCC. with 2 sprint races, it makes things interesting. and then you get to do it again shortly afterwards.

Founded by the France family as well.

Plus:

http://www.grand-am.com/news/index.c...=229&cid=50843

I find it boring to watch, but I wouldn't say it's bad to like it. Everyone likes different things, some people love drifting, to me it's kinda like NASCAR, it's only fun to watch when people hit stuff, but I don't consider it bad to like drifting either.

I will say that circle track/NASCAR and drag racers I've seen described as having little talent and the sport being easy.. people who say that are smoking a lot of crack IMO.

It's another form of competition, so it has some merit.

However, you won't catch me watching much of it.

Let's face it, aside from the occasional debris-spewing crash, risky pass, or the thrill of seeing a pit strategy pan out or fail, there isn't much to get excited about.

I'm no fan of nascar but you have to admire what they are doing with the technology they are given,

I was recently privy (last week before vegas) to a sprint cup car that got strapped to a chassis dyno, the team needed to sort some Fuel injection settings in the nifty new Mclaren ECU, hearing that motor and seeing what they actually make to the wheels on ethanol was definitely inspiring, I've seen plenty of cars turn the rollers, but none that did so with such a prominent torque curve across so many R's and it did it gracefully if that word can be applied here, 9600 rpm didn't seem any more hectic than 4500 to that motor....the motor was only 359 cubic inches, I've seen plenty of 4-500 inch motors try really hard to make half the HP at the wheels this thing made...

I'd share the number but I'm still waiting to hear if the team even wants people to know it got strapped to a chassis dyno...

Why not mention the dyno numbers and not mention the team/car?

I don't think it a bad thing to like NASCAR.
For me its the races are too long to watch. So when I hear the hype from Speed or ESPN on NASCAR, I'll just wait to check in on the highlights later.
And don't really have a problem with anyone liking it either.

I personally prefer F1 and BTCC over NASCAR.

Once again, why not mention the numbers and not the team name/car number. If there were legal nondisclosure issues, the OP would have already known this and not brought it up. If he didn't have to sign any documents about nondisclosure he would know this.

The fact that they let an "outsider" in to their holy confines makes it appear that they didn't really care. Once again, why not mention the numbers seen on the dyno and not mention the team name. It isn't like we can take the number of 800whp and say, "Oh that must be car #4. What a bunch of dumbasses...."

If it floats your boat, go for it. Personally, I don't find NASCAR very exciting. I'd rather watch go kart racing any day for pure racing excitement. Plus you get to see the future big hitters at the beginning of their careers.

I wish they would televise 24 Hours of LeMons and ChumpCar. Those would be a blast to watch.

V8 Supercar, British and German Touring Car, and of course WRC all need better visibility in the US. Personally I think the Touring Car racing would strike a chord with US viewers more since they bash sheetmetal so much.

I love the Top Gear explanation of Bathurst:
Once a year, it's an event where Australian fans of Ford and GM get together to drink beer and have a fight. And sometimes a car race happens.

No, neither is being a devout NASCAR fan. We all have different taste and opinion. Bashing them is a pointless exercise in unjustifiable hate.

Now what about fuel economy competitions? ;)

Allch Chcar you better watch out, people are coming after you :slap:

Even better to just goto one of the races :)

no way. WRC is doomed. unless of course they bring back the lax regulations from the Group B days. right now WRC is as boring as F1 imo.

The only reasons I don't like it is because it's always the only thing SPEED shows on tv, and a lot of the people who watch Nascar down south aren't gearheads or racing fans but just some brain dead idiots waiting for a crash.

My only real issue with NASCAR is that it takes all the good drivers and attention away from the motorsports that really deserve it. Because of NASCAR, Rally America or any other grassroots US racing league will never be successful and we will never get F1 or WRC TV coverage. Other than that though, I have no problem with NASCAR and I usually watch the races. People who say it's boring because it's just turning left don't have the slightest clue what they're watching. Fortunately there is bittorrent so I can't really complain, and SPEED does show F1 now.

The problem with WRC is the difficulty in televising it since it covers so much distance. I don't think it's dying as they are seeing more and more manufacturers entering the sport. The other issue is Sebastien Loeb. He's too good. Everyone else races for second.

I enjoy F1 quite a bit. The thing is, you can't JUST watch the races. The race is only half the event. Watch Qualifying and put the televised practice on in the background while you're doing something else. The practice is good for catching up on changes since the last race and any FIA drama going on. Qualifying is essentially F1 TT. It's a great format and really enjoyable to watch. And with the combination of KERS and DRS, there is tons more passing in the race and leaders need to work at keeping their position. That and keeping up with the technology and innovations is really enjoyable.

This year, I can't wait for F1 to see if the Ferrari and McLaren have closed the gap with RBR. And if so, can Vettel stay on top or will he self-destruct like Hamilton did? 2014 is going to be great to watch. Tons of new tech and new changes, which means opportunity for new and creative interpretations of the technical regs. Should be fun! :)

I agree. If I sit down to watch a NASCAR race, I'll generally fall asleep, and wake up with 20 laps and 3-4 yellows to go.

About 4-5 years ago, I caught the Tony Stewart benefit dirt track race on SPEED. Had all the top drivers, and they ran heat races to a final. It had bumpin' and rubbin', V8 thunder, and all the slideways action you could ask for. It was THE BEST circle track racing I could remember. I wish they would go back to 20-30 lap 1/2 mile dirt ovals. That would be perfect.

NASCAR might be more entertaining if it was a series of shorter sprints...

Not sure.. But it might help.

I don't have anything in particular against the drivers and I recognize that it takes a whole lot of skill, but I absolutely hate the sport for what it does.

Because of NASCAR, I am unable to watch the forms of motorsport that I actually care about. F1, Rally, everything is bumped off of TV for NASCAR races. And they all look the same - a bunch of cars going in a circle with the occassional pile-up (which I am convinced is the only possible reason anybody would want to watch it in the first place).

It's visually uninteresting, repetitive to the point of nausia, there's no difference between the cars, and it keeps me from watching things that are actually cool. I suppose that means I'm disgusted by the fans too, since they're the ones who are keeping it so popular that everything else is bumped off the air.

I'll never understand why anybody would enjoy it - why would you care about a motorsport that has nothing to do with any car you can actually buy, that has the exact same thing happen during every race? I honestly can see absolutely no appeal in it at all. I'd have more fun watching a hamster run on a wheel. At least I can take the hamster out of his cage and pet him.


This is all just my opinion of course. If NASCAR didn't prevent me from watching the things I actually cared about, I'd have no opinion on it at all, I'd just ignore it. Kind of like drifting...I think it's ridiculous, but it's not so popular that it disrupts the things I actually enjoy.

Then again, this is coming from a guy who thinks it's hilarious that grown men would devote so much time to watching SOMEBODY ELSE play football. Makes no sense to me....either does loyalty to a team. You're not on the team...why do you care? You have nothing to DO with the team...why do you care? The sport has no practical application to your life....why do you care? Obviously my way of thinking is not the majority way.

NASCAR is like that....why root for a driver who's driving a vehicle that is functionally identical to every other car on the track, and has nothing to do with a real car that you might own? The only real difference is the driver.....and I'll never understand rooting for a particular athlete. Did the other athletes kick your puppy or something, that you don't like them equally? I mean, it doesn't involve you....where's the basis for caring about it?

NASCAR got it's start with illegal booze-running....and I certainly find it more entertaining to watch real-life car chases. Maybe they should just switch back to that.

One of the funniest South Park episodes ever dealt with the subject of Nascar:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnutXjBt6LU

Seems like a formidable sport requiring mental and physical toughness but it's simply not appealing to me. It has the least visual dynamics compared to other motorsports as far as I can tell. Oddly, NASCAR reminds me of speed skating which is one of my all-time favorite Olympic events to watch!

Drifting is pretty dynamic. But even with that, I've never felt compelled to make efforts to attend an event (though some friends love the atmosphere, noise and smells).

IMO:

Isle of Man TT > MotoGP/World SBK > formula 1 > indy > drifting> nascar

nothing is more exciting than MotoGP or SBK if you ask me. let's face it, sure, nascar driving isn't "easy" like most say, but I also wouldn't consider it nearly as hard as taming a 200hp monster on two wheels while bumping elbows with other riders easily hitting 190mph and then getting on the brakes like no tomorrow until you rip through a turn at 80mph dragging your friggin elbow on the ground

http://youtu.be/QVXc29ZgutI

Nope. Nothing wrong with liking NASCAR at all. And while I don't care for it, I'm not a dumbass. I can see it takes skill. Blasting around an oval at 100+ mph in a RWD car for hours on end has to be mentally and physically draining.

But I have to say that I absolutely HATE the way they advertise the sport -- commercials tend to show a fair amount of crashes (as if that's supposed to be the main appeal), victory donuts, and a lot of 3D NASCARS doing amazing arcade-like stunts on a roller-coaster course. Oh, I see! They're trying to make it look like that Speed Racer movie that came out a few years ago. Why? Because truth be told, it's not much of a spectator's sport. And for anybody trying to get into it, it's just too damn boring to watch. I've tried. I really have. And I've fallen asleep every single time. Maybe the length has a lot to do with it.

Bottom line seems to be that NASCAR is something that only appeals to the established, die-hard fan base who are knowledgeable on most of the drivers, and already know all the particulars of the motorsport itself.