"What is the Purpose of RACING?"
#31
02-13-2012, 07:31 AM
I would love to go see a race, but honestly the regulations to slow the cars down ruin the whole experience for me. Commercial racing like the early days of NASCAR was to hammer out the problems with new technologies. Whoever could go the farthest the fastest on the least amount of fuel had a good shot at winning. The less pit time needed, the more distance they could cover. Tires, brakes, suspension, cams, carburetors, exhausts, even body aerodynamics played a huge part in all this, and there were some major leaps in technology. Then it was decided they were going a little too fast, so everyone had to run a GM designed 358 v8. No more overhead cam FEs, no more hemis, just the one engine. Then they got those going too fast, and along came restrictor plates. Still too fast, so here comes the car of the future. Now everyone has the same car, with the same engine, just different decals. Pointless.
NASCAR did push some interesting advances in safety, and some of the elements of cars used there do show in modern road cars, but really the best thing they could do would be to make manufacturers go back to stuff that can be bought off the showroom floor.
The best racing to be had is a rally, dirt tarmac or ice/snow doesn't matter. Incredible to watch.
NASCAR did push some interesting advances in safety, and some of the elements of cars used there do show in modern road cars, but really the best thing they could do would be to make manufacturers go back to stuff that can be bought off the showroom floor.
The best racing to be had is a rally, dirt tarmac or ice/snow doesn't matter. Incredible to watch.
It really bothers me to see a driver/team run for an hour and a half to build up a 3 second lead, then have it taken away and the 34 cars "still on the lead lap" put nose to tail due to some mysterious "debris on the track".
And the last 10 laps of these races has become comical. No different than the NBA or NFL where the rules change in the last two minutes to make the ending more dramatic, NASCAR (The WWF of Motor Sports!) looks for reasons to have a 3 lap sprint to end the race. The guy that sets his car up for the long-haul and dominated the race is doomed in that sprint. All to add "excitement".
Clowns....
#32
02-13-2012, 08:33 AM
I would love to go see a race, but honestly the regulations to slow the cars down ruin the whole experience for me. Commercial racing like the early days of NASCAR was to hammer out the problems with new technologies. Whoever could go the farthest the fastest on the least amount of fuel had a good shot at winning. The less pit time needed, the more distance they could cover. Tires, brakes, suspension, cams, carburetors, exhausts, even body aerodynamics played a huge part in all this, and there were some major leaps in technology. Then it was decided they were going a little too fast, so everyone had to run a GM designed 358 v8. No more overhead cam FEs, no more hemis, just the one engine. Then they got those going too fast, and along came restrictor plates. Still too fast, so here comes the car of the future. Now everyone has the same car, with the same engine, just different decals. Pointless.
NASCAR did push some interesting advances in safety, and some of the elements of cars used there do show in modern road cars, but really the best thing they could do would be to make manufacturers go back to stuff that can be bought off the showroom floor.
The best racing to be had is a rally, dirt tarmac or ice/snow doesn't matter. Incredible to watch.
NASCAR did push some interesting advances in safety, and some of the elements of cars used there do show in modern road cars, but really the best thing they could do would be to make manufacturers go back to stuff that can be bought off the showroom floor.
The best racing to be had is a rally, dirt tarmac or ice/snow doesn't matter. Incredible to watch.
#33
02-13-2012, 09:42 AM
Oddly, the only thing that NASCAR doesn't "handicap" (i.e. balance) is the driver. There are strict controls over weight, height, width, contour, fuel limits, etc. over the car to make everything as equal as possible. But no adjustment for the driver. The teams seek out the guy that's 150 pounds to drive a 3,400 pound car. A driver that weighs 250# has absolutely NO chance to drive in NASCAR's top circuit due to his own weight adding about 3% to the overall weight. That's a handicap that few, if any, can overcome with any regularity.
#34
02-13-2012, 01:35 PM
I do watch NASCAR because there aren't many other choices for american racing that is televised. But to be honest,the real racing is in the DIRT,pavement is just for getting there!! not many regulations,and the driver's have a lot of control over where they can run on the track. I love my local dirt track and the ones that are within a couple hours drive away. I frequent them often,at least once a week!!
#36
02-13-2012, 01:47 PM
Of all the "sports" out there, it's the one that most people can most easily identify.
No one envisions himself as a 7' center in the NBA. Only a few deluded individuals think of themselves as being able to throw a football 60 yards and hit a dime. Most guys have tried hitting softballs and baseballs and know that if the the gun in front of you can throw it 90 MPH it's gonna hit the catcher's mitt, not the bat and it's certainly not gonna carry 400' into dead center field.
But drive fast? Every overweight, beered up redneck can drive fast.
No one envisions himself as a 7' center in the NBA. Only a few deluded individuals think of themselves as being able to throw a football 60 yards and hit a dime. Most guys have tried hitting softballs and baseballs and know that if the the gun in front of you can throw it 90 MPH it's gonna hit the catcher's mitt, not the bat and it's certainly not gonna carry 400' into dead center field.
But drive fast? Every overweight, beered up redneck can drive fast.
#37
02-13-2012, 04:27 PM
Locally, I live 26 miles away from Knoxville and even though don't get to go much the outlaw sprint cars make nascar look like children playing in the sand box. I haven't been interested or watched nascar for even longer then I don't watch football. Basically when nascar went away from using STOCK cars modified to race it lost the Stock car part and became boring.
But everyone seems to think racing involves going in circles or something. What about going fast in a straight line. And once again Dirt is even better. I know a lot of guys that run drag cars and brag about 60ft times etc, yet we were turning 200ft in a little over 3 seconds at around 100mph IN MUD.
Coarse now I just try to keep it fun and refuse to get into any points races so have an older car that I play with when it's just fun nights at the drag strip.
So the answer is, to spend your kids inheritance or have fun.
But everyone seems to think racing involves going in circles or something. What about going fast in a straight line. And once again Dirt is even better. I know a lot of guys that run drag cars and brag about 60ft times etc, yet we were turning 200ft in a little over 3 seconds at around 100mph IN MUD.
Coarse now I just try to keep it fun and refuse to get into any points races so have an older car that I play with when it's just fun nights at the drag strip.
So the answer is, to spend your kids inheritance or have fun.
#41
02-14-2012, 08:01 AM
Good Gawd I'd have thought on a (mostly) American-manufactured truck site the question "why do we race?" wouldn't even need to be asked! 
Any new product can get a boost in sales by demonstrating it performing to extreme levels. Add in a huge factor of easy identification spectators can form with a favorite brand or driver and competition is afoot---its simply human nature, biology and evolution at high RPM's and speed!
Yeah sure some smart guy figured how to make a boat load of money from semi-crazy men who'd do it for free anyway---every driver interview I've read all admit the thrill can't be topped, the money and fame just part of it. After all there's probably 1,000 or more hobby racers for every professional well funded team out there---no money or fame there.
As long as someone is willing to do something "extreme" there will be those lining up to pay for the privilege to watch. Whether its from an easy chair at home or rubbing shoulders at the track there's a market and its filled quite nicely these days.
Why do we race? Because we can! What's the purpose of racing? Who care?
Any new product can get a boost in sales by demonstrating it performing to extreme levels. Add in a huge factor of easy identification spectators can form with a favorite brand or driver and competition is afoot---its simply human nature, biology and evolution at high RPM's and speed!
Yeah sure some smart guy figured how to make a boat load of money from semi-crazy men who'd do it for free anyway---every driver interview I've read all admit the thrill can't be topped, the money and fame just part of it. After all there's probably 1,000 or more hobby racers for every professional well funded team out there---no money or fame there.
As long as someone is willing to do something "extreme" there will be those lining up to pay for the privilege to watch. Whether its from an easy chair at home or rubbing shoulders at the track there's a market and its filled quite nicely these days.
Why do we race? Because we can! What's the purpose of racing? Who care?
#42
02-14-2012, 06:39 PM
In looking at this all (at this point) it seems to indicate a state of utter BOREDOM with national car racing leages as they have been defined.
By doing the "All Drivers Must Have the Same Chance" domination with all of those rules - PURE INVENTIVENESS has been subsequently outlawed....
(Like the Class has to be taught so that the slowest student can still feel good about their doomed selves... THAT ISN'T RACING!)
AND THAT IS WHAT IS DESIRED THE MOST - isn't it? Or IS IT? I think it's STUPID!!!
WELL, WHO MESSED ALL OF THIS UP???
Why don't we have a totally OPEN racing bracket?
OUTLAWS ON DIRT are big news, and great racing.
I think it's time some of the promoters sat up and took a listen to the fans - just like the Brothers Harley did when they reclaimed their famous motorcycles!!!
~Wolfie, from the heart
Is there a race, possibly once a year - where you can bring whatever you drive and race on the "NuremburgRing"?
*Possibly the most fabulous and technical raceway on earth
By doing the "All Drivers Must Have the Same Chance" domination with all of those rules - PURE INVENTIVENESS has been subsequently outlawed....
(Like the Class has to be taught so that the slowest student can still feel good about their doomed selves... THAT ISN'T RACING!)
AND THAT IS WHAT IS DESIRED THE MOST - isn't it? Or IS IT? I think it's STUPID!!!
WELL, WHO MESSED ALL OF THIS UP???
Why don't we have a totally OPEN racing bracket?
OUTLAWS ON DIRT are big news, and great racing.
I think it's time some of the promoters sat up and took a listen to the fans - just like the Brothers Harley did when they reclaimed their famous motorcycles!!!
~Wolfie, from the heart
Is there a race, possibly once a year - where you can bring whatever you drive and race on the "NuremburgRing"?
*Possibly the most fabulous and technical raceway on earth
#43
02-14-2012, 06:50 PM
Well Dutch, in the mud racing circuit I ran in we had classes that had rules on power adders tires etc right up to the outlaw class. That only had safety rules. Roll cage, fire extinguisher, scatter blankets and rules about battery, and fuel cell placement (couldn't be in the cab or if in the cab had ot be in a SFI approved box)
Oh and they had the rule that it had to appear to be a truck of some kind LOL (I. E. no rails) otherwise it was run what ya brung and katy bar the door first one to the end wins.
You want to hear something funny on that though?
I actually got accused of cheating in outlaw class.
Talk about a sore loser.
Oh and they had the rule that it had to appear to be a truck of some kind LOL (I. E. no rails) otherwise it was run what ya brung and katy bar the door first one to the end wins.
You want to hear something funny on that though?
I actually got accused of cheating in outlaw class.
Talk about a sore loser.
#44
02-14-2012, 06:57 PM
Cargo Master
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Northeast Indiana
Posts: 2,654
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well Dutch, in the mud racing circuit I ran in we had classes that had rules on power adders tires etc right up to the outlaw class. That only had safety rules. Roll cage, fire extinguisher, scatter blankets and rules about battery, and fuel cell placement (couldn't be in the cab or if in the cab had ot be in a SFI approved box)
Oh and they had the rule that it had to appear to be a truck of some kind LOL (I. E. no rails) otherwise it was run what ya brung and katy bar the door first one to the end wins.
You want to hear something funny on that though?
I actually got accused of cheating in outlaw class.
Talk about a sore loser.
Oh and they had the rule that it had to appear to be a truck of some kind LOL (I. E. no rails) otherwise it was run what ya brung and katy bar the door first one to the end wins.
You want to hear something funny on that though?
I actually got accused of cheating in outlaw class.
Talk about a sore loser.