Someone explain the appeal of NASCAR to me

[methodtim]

Taking shovelhd's suggestion and running with it...

So I don't know if this is going to start a huge flame war or not, but heck, let's talk about it anyways. Someone please explain the appeal of NASCAR to me. Don't get me wrong, I love sports of all types, motorsports included. I love watching all sorts of competetive events. I find myself enjoying rally racing and road racing a lot more than I enjoy watching the same vehicles go in a circle (OK, oval, whatever) for 500/600 laps. What I find myself wishing for during the NASCAR races that I do watch are crashes, and that's never a good thing. Please note that I do realize NASCAR has a few road races per season (the last one being a week or two ago) and I DO enjoy watching those. It's just the sheer repetition of watching the same cars circling the same oval over and over has made NASCAR completely unappealing to me.

Opinions wanted.

[LadyRidge]

Originally Posted by methodtim

Taking shovelhd's suggestion and running with it...

So I don't know if this is going to start a huge flame war or not, but heck, let's talk about it anyways. Someone please explain the appeal of NASCAR to me. Don't get me wrong, I love sports of all types, motorsports included. I love watching all sorts of competetive events. I find myself enjoying rally racing and road racing a lot more than I enjoy watching the same vehicles go in a circle (OK, oval, whatever) for 500/600 laps. What I find myself wishing for during the NASCAR races that I do watch are crashes, and that's never a good thing. Please note that I do realize NASCAR has a few road races per season (the last one being a week or two ago) and I DO enjoy watching those. It's just the sheer repetition of watching the same cars circling the same oval over and over has made NASCAR completely unappealing to me.

Opinions wanted.

Honestly?? I think you just answered your own question. We're a morbid breed. WE stop or slow down when there is an accident on the road, we stand up and scream, "OH YEAH" when the Steelers smash the Browns, most of us want to see the cut you got on our arm after you sliced it with a 8 inch carving knife!! Go figure.

[flymuck]

Yeah, the old "go fast, turn left" routine doesn't do it for me either.

[Perkolater]

Originally Posted by flymuck

Yeah, the old "go fast, turn left" routine doesn't do it for me either.

Me either, which explains why I am a ChampCar and F1 fan not an IRL or NASCAB fan.

[hiPSI]

F1 baby! While I love all sports, from marble shootin' to "curling" to track and field and and and...I love motorsports. Boats, planes trains, whatever. But to me and my warped thinking, the object of a race is to win it. Whether it's bicycles or power boats. I usually only watch the "fastest" of a type of competition, since they could kill anyone in the lower classes. So, following my line of thinking, which is the fastest vehicle around a track? (Drag racing don't count) I think it's F1. Imagine a F1 BAR HONDA against Jeff Gordon in his Chevy. Funny isn't it! So, who's the fastest? F1 in my opinion. So what if it costs a zillion dollars to make a car...apparently someone has the money and is willing to compete and see who is the absolute fastest.

[shovelhd]

If all you've ever seen of NASCAR is what you've seen on tv, then I understand your position. It's a lousy sport for tv, especially network tv with all these green flag commercials.

You need to watch all of the cars on the whole track. On tv, all you see is the group they're focused on. You won't see the guys on the edge about to wipe out the pack but save it at the last second and keep going. You don't get a feel for what it's like when they all tromp on the gas, with the stands shaking, the wind blowing, and your ears exploding. You can't listen to your favorite drivers on the scanner describing what's going on from inside the car (in descriptive language that can't be broadcast on tv). You won't hear race control, describing why a driver was black flagged, or dq'd. You won't see who's going to be first out of the pits, or is having trouble in the pits, unless it's one of the three in the split screen. You won't hear which driver is PO'd at another driver for brake checking him on the restart like Tony did last week. You won't have to wait for the crawler on the screen to go though 43 cars to find out where your driver(s) are, because it's all on the pole in front of you, in real time. Finally, you won't get to meet some of the nicest, most courteous, most friendly strangers you'll ever meet, enjoying a sport that we all love.

If I took you to Bristol, TN, and you still didn't get it, then it's just not for you. Things happen so fast on that track, you're exhausted by the end of the race just watching it.

You don't have to go to Nextel Cup race to get a feel for it, either. You can get a taste of it at your local short track that runs the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series. If you'd enjoy a little more speed, check out the modifieds, sportsmans, and if you want a methanol induced rush, check out the super modifieds. 800hp in a 2000 pound offset chassis that burn the tire all the way down the straights. When they hook up right, they launch like a rocket out of the turns. They make Nextel Cup cars look slow.

I've been a NASCAR fan since 1987, and the sport has changed so much over the years. Some things are better, and many things are not, but I still love it.

[Perkolater]

I've been to the Daytona 500 when I lived in Florida, and now that I live in Indianapolis I have been to the Brickyard 400 (twice, the first one and one other one when a friend from Florida wanted to go), the Indy 500 (14 years in a row and counting.) and the USGP F1 race (All of em). I also go to several champcar (formerly known as CART) races each year and for my money there is simply no comparison.

In my opinion NASCAR races are simply boring. The cars are huge, slow and lumbering compared to the open wheel cars. The whole "rubbing is racing" bit is BS in my opinion too. It takes more skill NOT to run into the other cars in order to make a pass then to simply ram them out of the way.

I do give NASCAR credit, they are a marketing machine and they seem to have the market cornered right now.

I do take a scanner to the track and agree that watching on TV leaves out a huge part of the experience.

[25 Year Honda Owner]

Go to the spring race in Talledega and you will understand what it is all about. Renecks, beer, cars that go fast, noise, and the worship of #3. It has become virtually adictive to some and is spreading beyond the southeast. A few years ago who would of thought of a bunch of good ole boys racing in places like Chicago Phoenix?

[LadyRidge]

Originally Posted by 25 Year Honda Owner

Go to the spring race in Talledega and you will understand what it is all about. Renecks, beer, cars that go fast, noise, and the worship of #3. It has become virtually adictive to some and is spreading beyond the southeast. A few years ago who would of thought of a bunch of good ole boys racing in places like Chicago Phoenix?

#3?? I thought Jeff Gordon was #24 and #1.

[shovelhd]

He may be #24, but he's not anywhere near #1, he's 13th with 5 races left. He's fighting for his life to make the Chase.

NASCAR, Champ, IRL, and F1 all race on ovals. Is it the oval or is it the car?