BBWTK - NASCAR racing (why?)

[Bluebandit]

Can someone explain to me why NASCAR racing has made it so big in the USA? From my uneducated point of view, oval track racing seems very limited both for the drivers and the spectators. What is there to do?
- hold the right foot flat to the floor (or occasionally ease off a little),
- don't need to brake unless entering the pits or avoiding a crash,
- only turn left on two bends in the track, each with the same radius,
- don't change gears once up to speed

It seems to me that it is a competition only to see who can get the combination of the most horsepower and a good left-turning car set up on the day.

Surely any other form of motor racing has to be more exiting than NASCAR? Just about every other type of motorsport racing involves brakes, gears, and turning.

[Mr_Mike]

While I admit it's not the most entertaining thing to watch on tv u gotta remember there cars are doing nearly 300kph. Driving a banked circuit at 150kph yeah u just mash the pedal an go for it. But at 300 shit is crazy there is a lot of team work with drafting and pushing to get cars to the front.
It's huge in the southern states just look at the crowds and the money the drivers make is unreal Marcos Ambrose wins mayb one or two races a year ( usually the circuit tracks) yet he makes more in one race than he would make in an entire season of V8 Supercars.

[66]

but seriously, understand the sport and you'll see why its difficult.

car's don't behave well at 300km/h like bikes do. these aren't aero masterpeices like F1. they are 3400 (?) pound bricks. they are big cars.
driving, and touching at that speed, interacting, planning, drafting, pushing and passing is an artwork.

besides, how epic would it be to see 40 cars nose to tail, 2-3 wide, thunder past at over 300km/h? tbh, that's something i'd like to see at Daytona or Talladega.

[shan]

I would love to see a race live,
the sound alone would be awsome .

Dude, watch a few races , see what really going on.
It's intense .

[66]

think about it like 125cc/moto3 gp racing.

how you navigate the track is inconsequential. its how you interact with the competitors that matters.

[Mr_Mike]

I used to have the same opinion but after it started airing on One HD I started watching it more and you start to see the tactics. Watching a brick pull out from behind another car at 300kph get buffeted by the wind and start sliding sideways and not just spear into the wall is pretty impressive.
Also the banked tracks are something stupid like 30deg, that is a fucking steep angle to drive on.
And the money!!! there was one race I was watching, usual 300 laps or something at 150 laps the race leader won $500k, at race end the race leader again won another $500k and if it was the same leader for all 300 laps the driver won a further $500k. So a possible $1.5mil from one race!!!

[Professor Redfern]

Read the Stigs Autobiography, he sums it up really well. I had the same opnion as you until I read his book, I still dont care about it but I understand why the drivers like it.

Personally I much prefer Monster Jam.

This is the greatest vid ever.

[Bluebandit]

Thanks for the comments. Flicking past it on tv obviously isn't enough. I'll have to watch it for a bit longer.

Sounds like it would be something that would be good live, possibly better than F1 live as you can see the whole track.

The tv doesn't convey the 300kph very well, as they don't look to be going that fast.

[Bluebandit]

..and thanks for the top ten finishes clip 96. I see what you mean about them pushing cars through.

[TROUBLE]

I listened to an Interview with Dick Johnson and he said the grid is decided by who turns up to Church first on a Sunday ...

[boeman]

Gangsters started the sport when they would race their getaway cars.

That is all I know of the sport.

[Hamster]

Gangsters started the sport when they would race their getaway cars.

That is all I know of the sport.

NASCAR's earliest days forever connected to bootlegging

[GreenMeanie]

NASCAR has evolved over the years to what it is now. Designed for the television audience, much the same as our Super V8s.
Back when it was racing, prior to 1982(as a guess) the Detroit moguls took it very seriously and went all out to try and win.
What won on Sunday, sold on Monday.
Now the bodies have to be identical in size, shape and weight. All the running gear is identical etc etc etc.(Sounds like Super V8's).
The days of Chrysler building Richard Petty a NASCAR are gone. Chrysler loved it, the Chrysler fans loved it, the Chev fans hated it, the Ford fans hated it and the promoters hated it. So the rules changed.

My first NASCAR attendance was 2003 at Talladega and I was lucky to have the royal treatment. I was in the pits during scrutineering and was horrified to see them lift a template off the top of a Ford and place it on top of Geoff Gordon's Chevy Monza! What? How can that be?

Yep! The bodies have to be identical. It is quiet amazing to see how 3D transfers can fool the eye and make the brain think, "Yep, that is a Monza" and it is totally different than that Ford it is sitting beside.

And for something as rediculous or more ridiculous..........

During the fuel crisis of the mid 70's, the powers to be shortened the Daytona 500 to 400 miles to do their bit.
Yeah, right! To me that is bloody ridiculous.

[shan]

Ahhh bootlegging
such a noble trade, running contraband in high performance anything has always sounded fun.
for a whie at least.

[Crobbo]

Squeezing ~700HP out of a 5litre side valve engine is what impresses me.