I can see myself getting and over this one.

Anyhoo, I don't get it, it is the MOST BORING form of motorsports out there IMHO, and yet it has a huge fan base. Three hours of watching a car turn left around an oval track is 3 hrs to much for me.

I think other forms of racing, from F1 to World Rally Car, are far more demanding of both driver and car. I'm not saying that the NASCAR guys aren't skilled, but I have a lot more respect for the skills of F1 and WRC drivers than I do for the NASCAR guys. I also think they are far more entertaining for the spectator.

I guess the fact that it's Ford vs. Chevy is a big draw for some, but the fact is, due to the rules of NASCAR, neither manufacturer is allowed to produce a "better" car or one with an advantage, if they do, they change the rules to slow them down again. I don't care for that part either. I guess the flip side is the dominance of certain teams in F1, where the real race is often for 2nd, but at least it promotes competition between manufacturers.

The only other thing I can think of is that people watch it for the crashes, they are definately spectacular, and MOST of the time, the driver walks away unharmed. That's kinda like watching a football game in hopes that you'll see the next Joe Theismann injury though, kinda creepy.

I don't mean to insult anyone that likes NASCAR, everyone has their likes and dislikes, I'm just trying to understand why the networks are in a bidding war over it.

ON EDIT: I understand why the networks want to cover NASCAR ($$$$$$$$), that's not the point of the post, I was using it as a metaphor for the popularity of NASCAR.

Waxy

 

well the fan base is so extremly large even if it is boring i hate nascar compared to other forms of racing but its an american thing its almost as big as foot ball and base ball and they dont have multiple races on sunday one race one tv station gets the rights to brodcast and all the viewers get to watch one channel so i see why the broadcasters want the rights
but why people like to watch some one go in circles ovals or even a box with only left hand turns is beyond me

not saying that it dosent take skill to drive 180+ and maintain control but not near the control and concentration that f1 or lemans does and they do 180+ in the straights

but to watch a race in person is a whole different story you can see most if not all the track in a nascar race where on a road course you can only see portions of the track so yeah nascar is fun to watch to some degree because you can see all of the action all of the time but to watch on tv nascar vs. f1 (or lemans) i choose the latter


-Kevin

 

I don't mean to insult anyone that likes NASCAR, everyone has their likes and dislikes, I'm just trying to understand why the networks are in a bidding war over it.

Waxy [/B][/QUOTE]

You answered your own question bud. Nascar has a huge fan base and that translates into megabucks.

As to why anyone likes watching it, who's to say? Everyone doesn't like the same thing. Personally I love playin golf but wouldn't give you a dime to watch it on tv. It's about as much fun as watching paint dry.

The networks are about money and ratings. They could care less whether it's exciting.

My $0.02 worth.

 

Waxy,
I live about an hour from Talladega. As a kid (70's) I'd go with my dad and watch practice and time trials. I have been to a bunch of NASCAR, ARCA and Busch races there. Also, been to Atlanta and Charlotte. I used to be a big fan of Winston Cup racing. I started losing interest for two main reasons:
restrictor plates and the advent of the mega team / mega marketing racing climate.
I just don't care for Nascar much any more. I do NOT belittle it. It does make for some very exciting racing. But, having watched super speedway races w/out restrictor plates and seen what those cars and drivers can REALLY do, it just isn't the same any more.
The other (non restrictor plate) tracks actually make for better racing IMHO.

Winston cup racing is fun to watch, just not fun enough for me to watch all the time and keep up with any more.
A similar thread came up a good while back. I remember there was a lot of respect for two main forms of racing:
World Rally Cup
Superbike / Formula One riders.
I think Nascar is more popular largely because it is cultural - especially when you understand its roots. American guys, racing V8 Fords, Dodges and Chevys in a circular track environment. How much more "American" can you get?

Ask any guy you know who Earnhardt Jr is and what does he drive.
Then ask them who Neil Hodgson, or Troy Bayliss is.
Get the picture?

(OBTW Hodgson just won the opening race of the 2003 World Superbike Season, riding a Ducati 999)

 

if i ever have to explain nascar 's popularity to somebody, i dont even try anymore. in my experiance, you either love it or hate it and no amount of talking to somebody about it is gonna change their mind. take em to a race though, that might change their mind. oh, the reason the networks are fighting over broadcast rights is because nascar is this countries' biggest spectator sport. that means more people watch nascar races than the other sports.

 

I race a stock car so I'm kinda biased but I do like oval track racing. And it's not as easy as it looks. I do also however feel that watching 3 hour NASCAR races can be boring. I quite often watch the beginning, a bit in the middle to see what's happening and then the end. As for the argument that the cars aren't "stock" anymore does that really matter? At least they are still Fords, Chevs etc....cars that I can relate to.
Anyone that thinks stock car racing is boring should check out some good Saturday night small track races.
I personally feel that F1 is incredibly boring. Two passes in a whole race? The car that starts at the front wins most of the time. Boooooring. The cars, if you can call them that, might as well be radio controlled for all the things the teams can do to them from in the pits. A positive thing though is that over the next couple years they are going to allow less of that.
I also think that drag racing is majorly boring however I do love looking at the cars to see the technology and workmanship that goes into them. And I think John Force does awesome interviews. He's a real character.
WRC racing really impresses me. It looks like it would be a blast!
We have lots of loggers around here that drive F350 crewcabs just like the rally drivers drive their cars

 

Waxy,
It's just a matter of "to each their own."
I've taken some laps in a Winston Cup car(No, I was not driving) around Charlotte and we only did about 135 mph. However, the straights are pretty calm but as soon as you hit the bank, POW, the car slams down and tilts to whatever the banking there is.The world is at a crazy angle, you cannot see the straight in front of you. You can actually FEEL the back end of the car SLIDING around, back and forth. It's hotter than July in Georgia in there and I only took 3 laps!

Now the regular WC guys do this at 189 mph! For 6 hours! It takes enormous stamina, because the nerves are on edge, your adrenaline is pumping, and on top of what the other drivers are doing, you have to pay attention to what your car is doing.

Nowadays the drivers have cool suits, water,and power steering. The real drivers were Cale, Richard, David Pearson, LeeRoy, Fred Lorenzen, etc. They had nothing like the drivers now do.

I have raced dirt track before (driver/owner)and even at those low speeds, driving a stock car is a handful for 25 laps. I can't imagine 200.

Now F1 bores me. Space-age cutting edge technology with foreign drivers. Races in faraway places. Ear-piercing squeal of Honda's? It just doesn't work for me.

I could imagine that rallying would be fun.

I've also drag raced (driver/owner) and nothing beats the pure rush of MASSIVE torque and horsepower. But it's over so fast. The other good thing about it is that if you win, no one shows up in your pit with a tire iron. (It's a Southern thing.lol)

I don't get into WC racing anymore for exactly the same reasons Brian stated. Seems like even the toliet paper in the rest rooms is "Sponsored." Plus, I don't like the way NASCAR treats the Ford contingent. I say, "let'em race, and may the best car and driver win."

Some people do find it boring. I will NOT watch golf, soccer, rugby, F1, tennis, baseball, or bowling. On the other hand, I really only like the last 25 laps of a WC race.lol

But dirt track? Late models and Thunder and Lightning? Man, that's racin'!

To each their own!

Chuck

 

Here is my 2 cents

watching F1 or indy on tv you see the top 3 cars for the entire race, these cars have so much ground efects they have to weld the man hole covers to the road.

Watching WRC cars you see all of the cars drive through the same mud hole.

Watch nascar and you see at least 20 cars in the frame and at times 40.

Dont get me wrong I watch all the racing I can and dont care what type of cars they drive. The daytona 500 draws 300,000 fans to the race much bigger than any other sporting event

 

I like watching the last 5 laps of a NASCAR race. People say its Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge. But how can you tell. They all look alike. They all have to fit under the same template. They all have to run the same type equipment on their cars. I liked it before the restrictor plate days. I think it would be better for NASCAR if they have a run what you bring class. The only inspections should be for safety equipment. To me its boring watching a bunch of lookalike cars running bumper to bumper hoping for a yellow flag to gain a spot on track. If they didn't prominently display their manufactors name you'd have a hard time telling the Fords from the Chevy's and Dodges. I miss the days of the Superbees, Impalas and Galaxies running . Guess that tells my age. Oh no, next year they will have Toyotas also. Who will drive the first Toyota? Gordon !!

 

What does NASCAR stand for? It used to be "Stock Cars". Shucks, with all the aerodynamics having to be the same now, all the cars look the same. They are nothing near stock. You can't tell a Ford from a Chevy from a Dodge.

It's gone to the mega-bucks route. Like all sports now, it's the money. The networks pay big money to air the races. Drivers are committed to hours and hours of promoting their sponsors weekly.

I think NASCAR has lost all it's excitement of the builder's coming up with stuff to make the cars better. It is now just a cookie cutter operation with different names painted on the bumpers.

 

I'm a big NASCAR fan, especially the Craftsman Truck Series, but I also miss the days when races were won because one team had built a better car on that particular day. These days, the money has priced the one owner, one car teams out of the market pretty much, especially in the Winston Cup Series. The old idea of "Race on Sunday, sell on Monday" does'nt seem to apply anymore.

Another 'stock car' series I like is the ARCA/ReMax Series. It's sort of a minor league NASCAR, but money has'nt priced the little guy out of it yet. A lot of the ARCA drivers are guys who work regular jobs and go racing on the weekends.

 

I love nascar just for the pit stops. come on i wana see a indy team change 4 tires with 20 lugn nuts and carry 2 gas cans to the the car and be done in under 30 seconds. I'd like to see some wimpy foreigner try that one. And manually lift the car of the ground one side at a time. The major thing i hate about those indy cars is that if they slightly touch something they compleatly disintegrate. Yo can sin a cup car at 180 smack the wall and give the team 20 min and they are out there running again for points. Know thats a strong car.

 

How does being a "foreigner" make someone a wimp?

 

My in-laws are totally into the whole NASCAR scene. They wear the t-shirts, jackets, caps etc... They scrounge around on ebay for the hot-wheels cars and trading cards. Now, I don't think there's anything wrong with that, I just don't get it. In fact, I really couldn't care less about any kind of racing.

 

The best racing I ever saw was a 250-lap enduro on a wet clay track in Georgia, where our shop used to race. When a car got hit & stopped moving, it got left there to be an obstacle. Great fun.

As far as NASCAR, as much as I love being at the track, nowadays it costs too much for me. I'll watch it on TV and save the $$$. (Upside: when Gordon wrecks, they show it over and over and...)