I watched the daytona 500 on sunday. mostly out of curiosity partly out of boredom. I like the fact that the cars are restricted, unlike formula one, so that the driver is usually the deciding factor in race results and not the size of a teams budget. there is a lot of interesting stratagies as far as forming aliances as to benefit from drafting versus breaking those alliances to win the race.

however this nascar is so fucking redneck. just listening to these good old boys makes me want to chew off my own face. the sponsorships and endorsments and complete saturation of any available space for marketing use really pisses me off. shit, they even had a southern baptist preacher come out and lead the whole stadium in a prayer to jesus asking him to protect their racers. I could never imagine something like that happening before a football game or anyother sporting event. then again they are just a bunch of good old boys.

crap (WF 10 for having potential)

I grew up in Daytona Beach.

Much like Phish, NASCAR fans are a better part of the reason I hate it so. "Speed Weeks" = teh suck.

CRAP

Cars can turn right too.


CRAP

Indiana is infested with rabid NASCAR fans. There's a motor sports only (meaning that's the only kinda TV stuff shown inside) bar not far from where I used to work outside of South Bend (which is also the home of Ryan Newman, one of the top 10 finishers on Sunday, so maybe that's part of it...). Not that I mind the racing, though I think restrictor plate racing is stupid and like the smaller tracks and especially the road courses better than Daytona and Talledega.

The rabid fans, though...so freaky. Totally like rabid Phish "phans". I was at my bank on Thursday and the teller was asking if anyone knew the results of the warm up race that was going on (like real people care about that...). Then she said she hoped she'd get home in time to catch the rest of it, because more than one person in line knew there was a rain delay. She said she planned on spending all weekend in front of the TV, what with the Busch race on Saturday and all...

And really...Bon Jovi performing before the race? Everyone surrounding the stage knew all the words to the songs that got played (you could see 'em singing along), and I don't think I'd ever heard any of 'em before. And the overly patriotic and God-centric foolishness...fer cryin' out loud start them things and get rolling, I ain't got all day!

600+ horsepower are cool, but the super fans can get bent....

I spent my formative years in Charlotte, NC, so I have spent a fair amount of time watching NASCAR racing. These days, I casually follow the series until the AMA superbike, AMA motocross, MotoGP, and baseball seasons start. Then NASCAR gets the boot. Maybe if Sundays were 35 hours long I'd keep following NASCAR all year.

I wouldn't try and sell NASCAR to anyone. Any event that has Confederate flags gracing the infield is going to turn off most people I know, to say the least, for good reason. I hear that behavior has been banned, but I'm guessing no one is going to forget about it anytime soon.

But there are good reasons why it's popular. The drivers are among the best on the planet. Some of the engineers and designers in its history are geniuses by any measure, especially Smokey Yunick. The racing is close, maybe too close for my preference.

So NC, but I understand a crap rating for some elements of the fan base.

endofanera, I imagine that Bike Week can't be too fun when you are a resident, but some of my fondest childhood memories were spent at DIS. Thanks for putting up with it. I'm really looking forward to bringing my daughter there. The 500 sounds like it's too much of a mob scene for me, though.

Andrew K. Dumpster wrote:shit, they even had a southern baptist preacher come out and lead the whole stadium in a prayer to jesus asking him to protect their racers. I could never imagine something like that happening before a football game or anyother sporting event.

Hey Andrew K. Dumpster,

I'm sorry to tell you that people have been trying for years to introduce prayer at public high school football games.

And just listen to the compelling arguments for organized prayer at football games:

"The loudspeakers are paid for with our tax dollars, so we should be able to use them as we wish," Jackie Nelson, a Santa Fe resident, said from the stands Friday night. "If other groups want to pray that way, let them put their Buddhas or their wooden statues up there and pray to their dead gods."

What is this need to impose prayer on everyone, God guys? Why so much ignorance and hostility? What is wrong with you?

Seriously. What is wrong with you? Why do you constantly pull this shit?

Thanks,
BRM

I live in the UK, I am an absolute motorsport nut, I have been involved in motorsports (rallying mainly) all of my adult life, I am obsessed with cars.
NASCAR is not a motorsport, merely another US interpretation on a sport (ala Baseball, American football, Basketball etc..)

CRAP - Possibly with a lightly toasted waffle

I quite surprized this topic can even be up for debate.

CRRRRRAP!

evolu wrote:NASCAR is not a motorsport, merely another US interpretation on a sport (ala Baseball, American football, Basketball etc..)

You limey shyster bastard. This slander will not be forgotten.

Lazybones wrote:

evolu wrote:NASCAR is not a motorsport, merely another US interpretation on a sport (ala Baseball, American football, Basketball etc..)

You limey shyster bastard. This slander will not be forgotten.

Which part of that wasn't a statement of fact?

Slander, schmander....bring it on