NASCAR=National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing...what so stock about it??

 

Back in the early days when NASCAR was first started, the cars were pretty much "stock" cars. I know that now there is pretty much nothing on them that is stock anymore, so the association name doesn't really fit. But it did in the beginning, and the organization kept the name.

 

There is obviosuly a lot of skill in racing at 200mph that clsoe to a cement barrier. BUT it is boring as ****e to watch. Rally, F1 etc - now we are talking. Guees it's a giveaway that I'm from across the pond!!

 

You have to actually get tickets and go to a NASCAR event (whole weekend) to really appreciate everything that goes on there. There is so much more about NASCAR weekends than just the race itself. Also if you are basing your being bored on watching NASCAR on TV then I can understand. Please go to a weekend (this includes Busch, Winston Cup, and all the other activities that there is to see and do on a NASCAR weekend.) You may change your mind. IF NASCAR IS SO BORING, THEN WHY IS IT THE MOST POPULAR SPORT IN THE US? It has more following than NFL, NHL, Soccer, NBA, MLB, etc... Explain that!

 

No, NFL is still America's sport. You'll have to toss a link to back that NASCAR claim.

I appreciate NASCAR more after playing EA's NASCAR video game. It definitely involves more than turning left. Though I've never attended a race, I'm sure it's more exciting than watching on TV.

I'm not dissing those driver's skill, but CART and Indy drivers have it a little harder. They should quit calling 'Stock' car racing or simply race cars people can buy (like before the 80's). It's cool watching WRC on Speedvision, then go get some grubb with the same looking car .

 

Not no, but HELL NO.

 

only because of its roots and the envoronment at the track..

otherwise its laden with racism and remember...its driving in a circle...how innovative


Sorry about the double post

 

Wow, old thread. It is great to see so many people are race fans of some sort. I've had the pleasure of attending an event for every major form of motor sport found in the US in the last few years. I've had a great time at all of them. I've been to NASCAR races (Atlanta, Talladega, and Pheonix), CART races (Mid-Ohio and Long Beach), IRL (Atlanta and Indy pole day), ALMS (Petit Le Mans and Sebring), Grand Am (Daytona 24 HRS), NHRA (US Nationals and Northwest Nationals), AMA (Raod Atlanta) Unlimited Hydroplanes (Seafair) and each of the US Grand Prix in Indy. Did I miss anyone? My point is you can have a good time at anyone one of those events. Find a type of racing you like and go out and support it.

I personally favor road racing. I like the difficulty of the tracks, I love racing in the rain and the fact that it is not as big as NASCAR and you can still get into the pits and meet folks and see the cars. My wife (yes I'm really lucky that my wife likes racing too!) and I love F-1. My mom and dad are into NASCAR. Mom says it is because she can see the entire track and since it is on every week there is an ongoing story line to follow. I took my sister, who is a huge Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan, to the 12 hours of Sebring and she loved it. If you think NASCAR sucks, but you've never been, then you should go see it for yourself. If you think the world revolves around NASCAR, then I challenge you to go check out other forms of racing.

As far as Toyota and Honda and NASCAR; the reason that NASCAR is afraid of them is not because they come from the Land of the Rinsing Sun. The reason is money. GM, Chrysler and Ford get great bang for the buck in NASCAR. The money they put into it is relatively low compared to the marketing gain. I can't remember where I saw the numbers (I'll post them if I find them), but each of the big three spend less on their total NASCAR Winston Cup program than one of the top Formula 1 teams spends for a year of running. Everyone knows that Toyota (the world's largest carmaker, remember) is willing to spend whatever it takes to win in NASCAR. Can you imagine what that would do to GM, Ford and Chrysler? They're hurting for money as it is. Not only that, but word is that Toyota would supply sealed motors and possibly entire cars to the teams. The teams would race them, but they would not build them. What would that do to the Roush's, Hendrick's and DEI's of the world? If Toyota did it right, and I imagine they would do it right, it would crush them.

Sorry for the long post!

Best wishes,
F86sabre

 

Toyota will be in the craftsman truck series next year and in Nextel cup in 2005. I cant wait.

PS...I hope Montoya stops Schumachers *** in driver points this year. F-1 RAWKS!!!

 

Montoya could do it. I would love to see Williams pull it off. I actually almost got ran over by Frank Willaims at Goodwood this year. I said hi, he said hi. It was cool.

Best wishes,
f86sabre

 

never liked them!

 

If the stock cars really are "stock" cars, then why do they all have RWD? The last Monte Carlo, Taurus, and Intrepid I saw were all FWD.

Nascar is headed to spec car racing(same bodies, different engines w/same displacement). Nascar does not embrace the modern technology available, they are stuck in the past, pushrod engines with carbs (go find one of those on a showroom floor), and no data acquisition software.

I do not dispute the skill needed to drive the narrow tired, heavy cars around, but the racing itself cannot keep my interest.

Jason
Roundy round, YAWN!!!

 

Wow, this is extremely old thread.

There is no way that NASCAR has more popularity or rating than the NFL. Next come basketball, baseball, and hockey (well, there might be a strike/lockout soon). NASCAR is knock off hockey very soon, and they have benefitted greatly after CART/IRL debacle. Those fans flowed into NASCAR. If CART hasn't split, they would have held off NASCAR. Look at history.

 

cupOZnj,

Obviously, you don't read your links.

"Restrictor plates were implemented in 1988 following Bobby Allison's crash into a retaining fence at 210 mph (338 kph), which endangered hundreds of fans. Also in 1987, Bill Elliott set the track record by running a lap around the track at 213 mph (343 kph). Some believe that if restrictor plates weren't used, NASCAR cars could race on super-speedways at speeds in excess of 225 mph (362 kph) due to the improved aerodynamics of the cars over the past decade.

While NASCAR officials contend that restrictor plates are needed to prevent high-speed crashes like Allison's, many drivers complain that restrictor plates are the cause of multi-car accidents. Restrictor plates reduce speed by about 10 mph, leaving the field of more than 40 cars bunched tightly as they race around the track at 190 mph. If one of these cars crashes, it usually causes several other cars to crash along with it."

Big Dale paid the ultimate price in his belief that restrictor plates are stupid. Like I have said, Wallace, Elliot, Martin, and few other big names don't believe in restrictor plates.

You of all know that Big Dale was never a big fan of restrictor plate races. AS for Awesome Bill, after the intro of restrictor plates, he was never the same racer again. He's still a contender at Michigan, but that's it (years of experience of chassis setup notes).

If NASCAR really want to drop or concerned about speed, they can be easily done by dropping displacement from 7.0 to 6.5 or even a 5.7L . . . it's not so tough. There are tons of parts.

 

Show me some info to back that up. General Motors is the world's largest carmaker by a still considerable margin. Toyota may be rapidly gaining ground, but they haven't become number one yet.

I could very easily see Toyota and Honda becoming more then competitive in the NASCAR scene (if they were allowed in), but I could also see the homegrown grass roots American crown crying foul and the rule books being changed to favor the American makes.