SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
The Fine print: The following are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
Journal by Runaway1956
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImLVzQdKIQ8
Just some good old boy who knows cars. Enjoy!
This discussion was created by Runaway1956 (2926) for logged-in users only. Log in and try again!
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
I think that I shall never see
A billboard lovely as a tree.
Indeed, unless the billboards fall
I'll never see a tree at all.
-- Ogden Nash
(Score: 0, Flamebait) by Woodherd on Tuesday April 18, @10:38AM (2 children)
Stock car racing is really just a consumer level sport, with, um, stock, you know, cars. The only appeal is that some red-necked hillbilly morans will git themselves all scrunched in a bunch. Rather watch the Hillbilly Swamp Tractor competitions. At least the gators get something out of it.
(Score: 1) by dalek on Wednesday April 19, @10:11PM (1 child)
We get it, aristarchus. You don't understand stock car racing. But you really shouldn't be so quick to criticize what you don't understand.
Let's talk about NASCAR, which sanctions the highest levels of stock car (and truck) racing in the US. I'll ignore the part about NASCAR not actually using stock cars, because that's beside the point.
Those cars drive very differently from what's used in open wheel racing. The cars in Formula 1 and IndyCar, for example, handle much better than stock cars do. If you want a direct comparison, look at a simulation of how well a Formula 1 Mercedes is able to handle the turns at Circuit of the Americas versus a car from NASCAR's Cup Series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvZqp94f2m8 [youtube.com]. The stock car is a big, lumbering beast compared to the Merc. In order to make the turns at COTA, the stock car can't carry nearly as much speed. Both cars are pushed to the limit, but the stock car has to go slower through the corners because it doesn't have good handling.
Before you claim that stock car racing is easy, it's not. Plenty of Formula 1 drivers have tried NASCAR. Earlier this year, former F1 world champions Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen drove in the Cup Series race at COTA. They didn't finish particularly high in the running order. Both of their cars were prepared by good teams and should have been capable of good finishes. Button's car was prepared by Stewart-Haas Racing even though it was officially a Rick Ware Racing car. Raikkonen's car was a Trackhouse car. Last year, Ross Chastain won at COTA in a different Trackhouse car. The issue wasn't the cars. It's that a different skill set is required for stock car racing than in open wheel racing.
Despite what you say, drivers in other racing series take NASCAR seriously. For example, seven time Formula 1 champion Sir Lewis Hamilton [wikipedia.org] has attended NASCAR races and said he wants to drive in NASCAR at some point.
Try watching the GEICO 500 on Sunday. It's at Talladega Superspeedway, which is a 2.66 mile oval with 33 degree banking in the turns. It's NASCAR's fastest track. The cars are down on power at superspeedways for safety reasons. The aerodynamic drag is severe at the speeds at Talladega. As a result, the draft is very powerful, and cars tend to drive in big packs to maximize their speeds. If you look back in the pack, the air is very turbulent, and the cars back there are very much on the edge of losing control. You'll often see two or three lines of cars going around the track, and drivers make very quick moves to go from one line to another to advance their position or block other cars. The cars are very close to each other, going around the track at speeds in excess of 190 mph, where the cars are on the edge of spinning out and drivers make split-second decisions to move between lines. It's surprising they don't wreck way more often than they do. Driving stock cars is difficult and requires a lot of skill.
I watch NASCAR because I like motorsports. I watch F1, IndyCar, and IMSA as well. They are all very challenging, and stock car racing requires a different skill set from other forms of racing. There's lots of appeal for anyone who appreciates the difficulty and skill to drive a stock car well. But I wouldn't expect you to know any of that, which is why you make ignorant generalizations.
By the way, I was, indeed, responsible for spam modding you in another journal. You earned it.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest just whinge about SN.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Tuesday May 09, @04:15PM
Wow great post. I just stumbled onto it and it's too late to upmod.
Nice balanced overview. I dislike the people who love to argue this or that is "better"- at least in entertainment. I have a serious car nut friend who pretty much only watches F1. He's always saying how much F1 cars are faster than Indy. Sure, if car's power and speed is your thing, that's great, but people shouldn't knock Indy or NASCAR because they don't understand those types of races and the challenges and driver skillset.
I watch racing here and there. I also like drag racing, and if I had more time and $ I might actually race. There is _nothing_ like watching / hearing (please protect your ears!) a top fuel / funny car (nitromethane fuel) race in person. Really any ICE car race in person is pretty exciting. I've only been to a few races live. I couldn't believe how loud NASCAR was in person. Same for Indy cars, but it was a hilly road course so it was bursts of loud when the cars went by.
I'm not a big fan of restrictor-plate racing. I watch some races and I fully understand the reasons for it, but it seems like other safety measures would be better, and let the drivers have some power back for passing and maneuvering. I admit I haven't given it enough thought to have any suggestions.