I just received my Molson Indy tickets in the mail and was wondering how many of you are fans of indy or F1 or LeMans etc etc. There's nothing like the scream of a 700bhp engine to make you drive like a banshee on the way home.

 

I'll admit, they're fast, but in the end "Rubbin's racin" which doesn't exactly apply to open wheel racers. Give me NASCAR any day of the week (preferably more than just on Sunday's and, God helps us all, moving from FOX to TNT/NBC in July).

And now, a word from our sponsor:
Maxima's rock! (gotta keep it relevant to the forum)

Ok, now that that's out of the way, here are the reasons I prefer NASCAR Winston cup over CART and IRL:

1. I can pronounce all of the drivers names, even though some of them sound fake but aren't (Sterling Marlin, D!ck Trickle, Hut Stricklin, Buckshot Jones, etc.)

2. Touching wheels doesn't wreck the car (well, at least most of the time)

3. The cars can take a licking and keep on ticking

4. Some very cool paint jobs.

Another word from our sponsor:
Hmmm... Y-pipe or suspension next? Who cares? Either way I go the other will still be on the to-do list.

Back to our program...


NASCAR WC compared to other sports:

1. Fan friendly. Anytime I can take my own food and beer in a cooler into the grandstand without it getting confiscated at the gate is always a plus.

1a. Accessibility. The drivers are always there for the fans to sign autographs (although with more and more corporate money pouring in, their time for this is becoming scarce due to "company" obligations) no matter whether they're on their way to the car or packing up their wreck after an accident. These guys are all CLASS ACTS!

2. Family oriented. They (NASCAR) really promote a family atmosphere and the driver's families usually show up at the races. I would trust any NASCAR driver to babysit my kid. Can't really say that about too many other sports.

3. Respect/Earn what they earn - Although most of these guys have multi-year/multi-million dollar contracts to drive, they don't get that handed to them right off the bat. They have to bust their @sses to get to the big-time and even then there's no guarantee (Just ask Kenny Wallace). They are all very humbled by the whole thing and are very grounded. Sure they have a temper tantrum once in a while but you'll never see a driver choking his crew chief or a driver going into the stands to punch somebody out. Plus, since the drivers have to work their way up, they're older and more mature than most of your first year draft choices for sports like NFL. Even the young guys like Casey Atwood and Dale Jr. have an awesome attitude and are extremely articulate.

4. The Fans - sure there are a lot of red necks but so what. They're loyal to their drivers (which, for the most part, don't switch teams every freakin' year like most other sports that have free agency) and the shere numbers they're getting at these races (which include women and children in the stands... going back to one of my earlier points, I'd NEVER take my son or nieces or nephews to Yankees Stadium or Giants Statdium) are just mind boggling.

5. And to those of you who say "big deal, these guys aren't athletes" and "all they do is drive around in circles, so what" I say this: You try sitting in a car that's 130+ degrees going 190+ MPH just inches from the cars around you for 3 hours and we'll see who the athlete is. Remember they had to pull Ricky Rudd from his car after a win (two years ago I think?) and more recently Bobby Hamilton and give them oxygen? The persistent G-forces alone are enough to make the everyman's head come unglued. As for the second point about circles, there's more to the excitement of NASCAR WC racing that what's happening on the track and that's what's going on in the pits. The strategy and fluidity of the pit crews have become paramount to success. Today's pit stops are high 14's where a few years ago 18's were considered awesome. The pit crew are athletes, too (although some of them look like they spend WAYYYYY too much time at the hot dog stand between pit stops).

Maxima's rule. Can't wait to see if the HID swap will become a reality.

Cheers!

 

But can they turn right? CART racing is superior to Indy racing because the cars turn right too. Laguna Seca, Long Beach, all amazing race courses. If Nascar raced on a road course more than twice a year I would be a far bigger fan.

 

MAXIMA QUESTION: I was thinking of getting a FSTB from Courtesy. Does it really make that much of a difference in handling?

RACING NOTE: Oh yeah NASCAR I've heard of that before
How I could I forget the CRANK IT UP feature on FOX. That rules!

 

Answer to question: Good God, YES!

Comment to Racing Note: Good God, YES!

How awesome is THAT thing? I crank up my surround sound when they do that and just about blow the windows and door off the front of my house.

Cheers!