5150 Cruiser wrote:Rodimus Prime wrote:I can't answer in terms of stock cars vs. open wheel, because I never cared about open wheel. I don't hate it, I just never saw the appeal. The cars seem too flimsy and they're pretty much all the same. NASCAR stock cars, though near identical in construction, all look different and unique. It makes for a lot less bland visual experience.
Really? I don't see how you can claim every open wheel car looks the same but each nascar has its own individual look. I guess i'm speaking more along the lines of F1 than cart or indy. F1 cars clearly have differentr wing planes and designs based on each teams interpatations of the rules. I just don't see how Nascar is any more unquie car to car than F1 or any other form of open wheel racing.
OK, I wasn't clear or maybe I mixed the words a bit. I was referring to the outside of the car. NASCAR racecars are basically rolling billboards. As soon as you take a look at the hood or the style and color the numbers are painted on the sides and roof, you know exactly who's driving the car, who the owner is, and most likely their history during the season or even going back years. In construction, NASCAR gives the teams a template which they can use to build the cars, so all the cars are pretty much the same. The differences on race day come from a team's ability to adapt to changing race conditions and the driver's instincts during the race. I would think it's the same way in F1. If the completed car doesn't pass inspection before the race, it must be fixed and put at the end of the starting line. Then, as soon as the race is over, NASCAR officials immediately inspect the car again. If infractions are found, then penalties are heavily levied in terms of chempionship points for both the driver and owner as well as monetary fines, and possible suspensions for crew members. 1 thing they don't do, which I believe they should, is that if the winning car was found to be in violation, the team should be stripped of the win and it should be given to the runner up, provided that car met all the guidelines.
On the surface, it looks like a bunch of rednecks driving around in a circle. Anyone who says and believes that is just plain ignorant.
I agree that it more than just that. BUt i guess its just watching them going around in a circle that i have a hard time watching.
Well, as you said, to each his own. I won't try to force it on you or anything, you tried it, it didn't stick. Moving on. It's not for everyone.
It takes a long time, perhaps even the course of an entire season (36 races) to understand all the things going on. The drivers themselves are actually a small part of the entire operation of a race team. Though they do the most crucial part on race day, that's all they do, besides maybe public and sponsor-related appearances. Racecars get built from scratch depending on the track style (of which are many) the race takes place on. You can't take a car to Bristol that you took to Talladega.
Oh i get whats going on. Everything you said about the drivers is true of any form of motorsports. Its a team effort for sure. Most cars in any fom of professionsl motorsports gets torn down and completely rebuilt for each track. ANd if it rains and your on a dry setup, your screwed. That reminds me, does Nascar race in the rain? NOt being smart just honestly asking.
Well, they race through a light drizzle, but that's it. If it's anything heavier than that, they stop the race, pull the cars onto pit road and cover them, as well as the pit equipment. Then when the rain stops, the trucks with huge jet dryers behind them go out and dry the track. NASCAR pays very close attention to the weather, and if the rain comes down hard and they can't finish the race, 1 of 2 things will happen: if the race is past halfway point, it is called, and whoever is lucky and smart enough to be in the leader position is awarded the win. Or, if the race is less than halfway, they lock everything up and start again the next available day. usually it's the next day, but there have been 1 or 2 rare occasions where the rain and thunderstorm was so severe, they had to wait an extra 2 or even 3 days. But I think that only happened once or twice, and a long time ago.
When I lived in Europe, I used to watch Forma 1 racing, as that's what was televised there. I knew nothing of NASCAR or even IndyCar, they were an exclusive sport for America. I don't remember much, but I am familiar with the Andrettis and Nigel Mansell and the like. But I quit watching in the mid-90s when I moved to the United States, and a couple of years later familiarized myself with NASCAR. I didn't dive in head first, I watched a race here and there, and in 1998 I actually watched the entire season from start to finish. Imagine, my very first NASCAR race was the Daytona 500 won by Dale Sr. At the time, I didn't understand the significance. But I got to watch the Intimidator for 3 awesome years, and even though he was on the back end of his career anyway, and NASCAR began reigning in the driving style for which he was known, it was still great to watch a true driver do what he does best. That's 1 of the reasons why I like Kyle Busch so much, he reminds me of Dale Sr., the way he drives. Or used to, until NASCAR clamped down on him and a few others due to sponsor pressure. I'm nto saying Kyle is perfect, far from it, but he is a lot of fun to watch behind the wheel. That's why it pisses me off when he gets cheated out of hard-earned wins by punks like Keselowski and Harvick, who couldn't muster enough talent between them to match the talent in Kyle's pinkie finger.