Me again... NASCAR is more exciting than FI (more crashes,etc.). F1 w/ open wheels are disaster when 2 wheels touch slightly at 200+ MPH. Ever watch a LeMans race when a car tops a hill, catches air and flips backwards at 200 MPH ? When it lands, there is a big dent in the ground.

 

I remember that Mercedes(?) that did that flip a few years back in Europe. That was unbelievable.

Indy car racing from the 70's and 80's was the best racing I ever saw in person. Mears, the Unser bros., Johncock, Andretti, Foyt, those guys were amazing racers and put on amazing shows at the 500

F1 has the best drivers buts puts on the worst show. Something needs to change there to get my attention again.

 

Montoya is off to a promising start

====================

Montoya lands on podium in stock car debut
Racing series ARCA
Date 2006-10-06 (Talladega, AL)

By Linda Przygodski - Motorsport.com

Juan Pablo Montoya's official reunion with Chip Ganassi Racing kicked off at Talladega Superspeedway. Montoya made his first start in a stock car since he left Formula One for the No. 42 Ganassi Dodge in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series.

The transition to a stock car was pretty easy for Montoya - he grabbed the outside pole for the ARCA Food World 250 and passed pole sitter Bobby Gerhart on the first lap to lead his very first stock car race.

"I think it was fun, but I think it was a third of the fun I will have in the Cup car here," said Montoya. "

Montoya led until lap 10, when Gerhart made the pass to grab back the lead. Montoya was hanging tough in the top five until he made his first pit stop in a stock car; things didn't go so well and the lengthy stop forced him to 20th.

Montoya worked his way back up to the top ten when was hit sustaining minimal right front damage during a melee on lap 36 that caused the third yellow. He restarted 31rst, the last car on the lead lap.

With 31 to go, Montoya had worked his way back to 12th. A caution, the day's fourth, slowed his progress. After pit stops, Montoya restarted sixth with 25 laps left to be completed.

Montoya quickly shot to second and announced to his crew to tell Steven Wallace (who was leading) that he was going to stay in second spot until 1- 2 to go and then "all bets were off".

Unfortunately, Montoya did not get his chance. With 14 to go, ARCA officials called the race because of darkness, giving Frank Kimmel his first career restrictor plate race and leaving Montoya in third.


0.056

 

Yeah it was a Mercedes CLK-GTR that flipped at Le Mans. IIRC, Mark Webber (current F1 driver) was one of the two drivers who's car flipped.


IMO, F1 definitely has the best drivers along with the best drivers. I went to the USGP in 2004 and I can say it is utterly mindblowing. Everything else is just slow and boring.

 

I like the LeMans style racing best, but there's not enough of it to be absorbing.

I watch every F1 race and I find it absolutely riveting, but you have to understand all the nuances and strategy.

Rally drivers imo have to be very talented and very versitile and my be the best of the lot.

Certainly there is a lot of talent in NASCAR, but it bores me because it seems like WWF in that there is so much hype. That and it is so over-regulated. The cars are all exactly alike and the rules so tight that the only creativity is confined to cheating.

Driving a race car takes talent, but it also takes opportunity. Which is why there are so many second generation drivers. You almost have to grow up with it to get enough seat time to find out if you're good.

That said, I think that a top driver from any of the different disciplines, given adequate practice could adapt to other types of racing pretty well. And we all know that if you have ten equally talented drivers running it's the dominant car that wins in most cases. That's clear in F1, with Ferrari having been the dominant car for so long. I think that there are several other drivers, if they had been lucky enough to have Schumacher's ride would have done as well has he has, or nearly so. But Michael has a mean and ruthless streak that adds to his edge.

 

WOW....
I watch every F1 race and I find it absolutely riveting, but you have to understand all the nuances and strategy.

We agree on something...


I also watch everyone!

 

There is always common ground to be found.