NASCAR thread

[Soufkackicustom]

I know some font think its racing....but I do, and so far have found Daytona rather entertaining.

The wreck at the end of the nationwide race was crazy..to see the entire front clip torn off and sitting in the grandstands was nuts. Then watch the driver pop out the car, walking around like " what happened". Glad as of reports right now the fans are all ok

[dysfunk]

I used to be one of the biggest NASCAR fans that you would ever meet. not so much anymore. i was a die hard Earnhardt Sr fan.

[Jarrett]

Who says NASCAR isn't real racing?

[dysfunk]

lots of people say that it's not real racing, because you're driving in a big circle.

What those people don't realize is that there's more to it than just driving in a circle. It's harder than it appears. Try holding the wheel while turning at 175+ mph, without power steering!


I just watched the wreck, holy crap.

Video:


Reports say that 28 fans were injured.

[alan lx]

I used to be one of the biggest NASCAR fans that you would ever meet. not so much anymore. i was a die hard Earnhardt Sr fan.

Me too. Its just not the same now.

[crazymikey]

Boring as hell to watch, but it has it's own skill set. NASCAR is a race of skill and tactics, different from many other motorsports.

Other forms of racing just require you to drive fast on a course and beat your opponents by outright speed. NASCAR requires timing, thinking, patience and perseverance. One slip up and you've lost the race. It's exciting because it's always close and in a pack. There is always action anywhere in the pack.

Most other circuit racing is quite spread out. Yes, road courses are more fun to watch races on, typically, but when the field is so spreadout and you only see one car going past at a time, it's not that exciting either.

No, I'm not a NASCAR fan by any means. Actually, I don't follow any motorsports for that matter.

[Soufkackicustom]

lots of people say that it's not real racing, because you're driving in a big circle.

What those people don't realize is that there's more to it than just driving in a circle. It's harder than it appears. Try holding the wheel while turning at 175+ mph, without power steering!


I just watched the wreck, holy crap.

Video:


Reports say that 28 fans were injured.

I have always liked NASCAR, then I got to sit front row at a race at darlingron. On TV it looks like a easy drive...but watching how sideways those cars come out the turns, and to do that perfectly, everytime at close to 200mph is insane. It's not like f-1 where a few power house cars take off and that's the end of all real competition...all the cars are pretty much equal..it's all about balls and skill. Like was said after the wreck by the drive that caused it " I didn't come here to finish 2nd...I blew it, if iam in the same spot in the 500, I'll do the same thing". Another driver said, "I saw the wreck, saw the finish line, and just layed into it hoping for the best..I already had a car on my hood, but the finish was right there"

[bassrock234]

So he destroyed roughly 100k worth of racing machine because he was going to lose? That's pretty smart

[alan lx]

I have always liked NASCAR, then I got to sit front row at a race at darlingron. On TV it looks like a easy drive...but watching how sideways those cars come out the turns, and to do that perfectly, everytime at close to 200mph is insane. It's not like f-1 where a few power house cars take off and that's the end of all real competition...all the cars are pretty much equal..it's all about balls and skill. Like was said after the wreck by the drive that caused it " I didn't come here to finish 2nd...I blew it, if iam in the same spot in the 500, I'll do the same thing". Another driver said, "I saw the wreck, saw the finish line, and just layed into it hoping for the best..I already had a car on my hood, but the finish was right there"

I haven't been to Darlington but have been to Talladega, Bristol, and both the Nashville tracks. Every red blooded American should go to Talladega and sit on the back stretch for the Friday thru Sunday racing in the spring. Esp. Saturday is a blast cause your already there close to where your staying and there is racing almost all day long. What I am saying, the atmosphere is what makes it great. If you haven't been, you should!!!

[dysfunk]

So he destroyed roughly 100k worth of racing machine because he was going to loose? That's pretty smart

He definitely had a push. That was not all his doings. Literally, if you were running nearly 200 miles per hour, and someone pushed the side of your car with their hand, you'd get loose and go around. That's physics.

Also, a big part of NASCAR is staying in the draft. Staying within the draft has got to be hard, You only have a small window to fit the car into for the slipstream. Anything can happen on an oval track! You can be first place the whole race and bam, you lose the draft or someone else catches a slipstream and you're dead last within a few seconds, assuming everyone is still running in a pack.

Three and four wide in a turn or even a straight away? That's crazy. Trying to maintain control with all those cars side by side. Pure insane.

[bassrock234]

I understand all that. I was referring to

Like was said after the wreck by the drive that caused it " I didn't come here to finish 2nd...I blew it, if iam in the same spot in the 500, I'll do the same thing"

[dysfunk]

I understand all that. I was referring to

Oh, i misread your typo. You said loose, you actually meant lose. I got you now! Carry on! haha.

[Soufkackicustom]

I understand all that. I was referring to

No, he destroyed it trying to win...he took a shot, and it didn't work out. Nothing is used off the car after the race anyways. They strip them back down to bare frame/roll cage. The cars are set up to run one track under one condition...and that's about it. Watch a race that starts during the day and ends at night. The ones that win those usally struggle to stay on the lead lap untill the sun goes down, then the conditions match the set up, and off they go like a rocket. Some are similar in say aero, and they will bring the same chassis to diffrent tracks. The science behind it is amazing... No gas gauge and the crew chief can tell you when your going to run out of gas...usually with in a few hundred feet. I live dead in the middle of NASCAR country ( hour out side of charolette) and have more than a few friends that work in NASCAR. The shop part if most operations rival NASA, and that's not stretching it. The cars are works of art....in their full mechanical glory. It's like grassroots meets the jetsons. You never hear of a computer failure...because they don't have any...a ignition box is about the extent of it... Hell there's more wiring in the cooling fans then their is in the car to make it run, and they figured out how/when to turn them on and off to drop lap times

[Soufkackicustom]

Just on sports center...the two critically injured fans have been upgraded to stable condition......so that's great news, and if you saw the wreck, a testment to how safe not only the cars are...but the tracks aswell.

I haven't been to Darlington but have been to Talladega, Bristol, and both the Nashville tracks. Every red blooded American should go to Talladega and sit on the back stretch for the Friday thru Sunday racing in the spring. Esp. Saturday is a blast cause your already there close to where your staying and there is racing almost all day long. What I am saying, the atmosphere is what makes it great. If you haven't been, you should!!!

Going to one is alot diffrent then watching on TV. Ive only been to darlington. So it may not be this way on a super speedway...but you'll have a hard time watching the race. If you want to keep up, you better have a headset listing to the radio. They are so fast, and after about 5 laps you have no idea who is racing who. But when the sound, the smell, the ground shakes, and in darlington, the wind changes. Fans are pointing at their favorite drivers, pointing at cars bumping, and you know when there is going to be a wreck....everyone is pointing in the same direction....and that's just the race. The tailgating, the pre race events...all that. Even if your not a fan, worth the ticket price.

I can't wait for the 500...new cars, new drivers, and the biggest race of the year. Iam ready to see how the gen 6 cars do, from watching the duels...looks like fun. But when the white flag comes out, and some of the worlds best drivers in cars for the first time ever....499 miles of experience.....it should be great

[Soufkackicustom]

Well the 500 is in the books, and it honestly played out about how I thought. Everyone was a bit scared to try and find a new line to race side by side. But when they did..it was a bit like the old days, where you could use the side draft to bust two cars apart. I think they reported a car at 202 mph on the last lap. And what more can jr do to win it again? I thought the move was gutsy and pretty damn good...just late. With what they know now, can't wait for talladega