POLL**NASCAR: love it or hate it?

[mitt]

So what does decide the race?   Who has the bigger flux capacitor?

Seems like who sneaks through the big wrecks, or who is leading when the rain starts, decides the winner most of the time?

[MendoDave]

I like F1 Much better. And there is a strategy of course. Lots of aerodynamic things to fiddle with, tire selection fuel load etc. Passing is difficult on some tracks like at Monaco while other tracks such as  Hockenheim have good passing oportunitys. The "Pace Car" doesn't come out anywhere near as often in F1 as it does in Nascar either.

[95Monster]

I liked "Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."  That's about the only NASCAR programming I've watched in the last 10 years....

[Got Duc]

Oval Hater!

[sno_duc]

My $0.02's
Why do they call them stock cars..............when was the last time you could buy a carburated push rod V-8............forget about the doors not opening.
if you want to be stock...........the doors open and you're running a 24 valve dohc fuel injected V-6.
Like a lot of things, being there is a whole lot better.........top fuel just isn't the same on TV.
All that being said it takes a lot of skill to trade paint at 190mph.

[PizzaMonster]

Hey Hydra.  I did the Richard Petty thing at Las Vegas too!!     What a hoot!    

I'm not much of a NASCAR fan either but after doing 30 laps around Las Vegas in one of those cars I did get an appreciation for what's involved.  (I even managed to get a warning for getting in the other car's draft)    .  My adrenaline was pumping after it was over and I had a big grin on my face.  Feeling the front end start to push as you are coming out of turn 4 and seeing the wall getting closer was kinda cool.     I believe the instructor when he said any grandmother can drive those cars at 8/10ths but trying to go 10/10ths is a whole different ball game.  

I guess it's racing and there has to be skill involved in running fender to fender at those speeds but I'd rather watch F1 or a good sportscar race.

[He Man]

My $0.02's
Why do they call them stock cars..............when was the last time you could buy a carburated push rod V-8............forget about the doors not opening.
if you want to be stock...........the doors open and you're running a 24 valve dohc fuel injected V-6.
Like a lot of things, being there is a whole lot better.........top fuel just isn't the same on TV.
All that being said it takes a lot of skill to trade paint at 190mph.

Long live the small block chevy, LT1/LS1 +EFI.

Honestly NASCAR is probably FUN to drive, but its on the same line as watching golf. Love to play, hate to watch.

[PizzaMonster]

He Man...I forgot to say.  That video was priceless.      

Thanks!

[red baron]

Hey Hydra.  I did the Richard Petty thing at Las Vegas too!!     What a hoot!    

+1, I did Dover, Atlanta, and Daytona

NASCAR on TV is good for taking a nap. NASCAR in person is good for getting sunburned. That being said my SO loves it.

[hydra]

Hey Hydra.  I did the Richard Petty thing at Las Vegas too!!      What a hoot!    

I'm not much of a NASCAR fan either but after doing 30 laps around Las Vegas in one of those cars I did get an appreciation for what's involved.  (I even managed to get a warning for getting in the other car's draft)    .  My adrenaline was pumping after it was over and I had a big grin on my face.  Feeling the front end start to push as you are coming out of turn 4 and seeing the wall getting closer was kinda cool.     I believe the instructor when he said any grandmother can drive those cars at 8/10ths but trying to go 10/10ths is a whole different ball game. 

I guess it's racing and there has to be skill involved in running fender to fender at those speeds but I'd rather watch F1 or a good sportscar race.

pizzamonster, yes that was a lot of fun and i did walk away with more respect for the drivers. but i guess when i started the poll i had just finished watching (or rather FF) the commercials for nascar. maybe my low tolerance is stemming from all the hype... turning it into more than it is.

Honestly NASCAR is probably FUN to drive, but its on the same line as watching golf. Love to play, hate to watch.

he man, you're absolutely right 

[TiNi]

I liked "Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."  That's about the only NASCAR programming I've watched in the last 10 years....

his kids are hilarious! funny movie 

NASCAR on TV is good for taking a nap. NASCAR in person is good for getting sunburned. That being said my SO loves it.

don't forget the people watching is great at nascar 

[DucPete]

Usually I have some sort of reaction when someone has a blanket statement like, A is Awesome, and B sucks.

Stock car racing is just a different style of racing.  First of all it's decidedly American even though Toyota is now racing.  Who's to say what happens with how American it is in upcoming years. 
And the point that so many people seem to ignore (except for a couple) is that the cars are virtually the same.  There are only minor adjustments you can make to the cars, and those have their own tolerances.  There are some series where certain makes, like Ferrari, are always going to be close to the top because of technical superiority.  The story behind the Mclaren/Ferrari scandal shows that the technological difference between one team and another more or less MAKE the race. 
NASCAR is about who runs the best line again and again....   and again.  I'll admit that the race can be boring, but saying there's no talent or skill? 
To me that is more about real racing from a driver's perspective than who arrives at the track with the best machine.

Some of the races are exciting as hell, while others are like watching paint dry.  But if someone were watching MotoGP for the first time this year, other than watching Stoner and Rossi go at it last week, it's been fairly boring.  Stoner wins by 5+ seconds.  Or Rossi wins.   Not any more passing than what happens in NASCAR.  Perhaps less. 

Just because you think A is great, doesn't make B crap.  Saying that stock car racing takes no talent is rude and kinda trolling. 

[bdfinally]

I use to go to 6-8 nascar races a year, almost all of them with a pit pass. The reason I got out of it, was that it's the 800lb gorilla of racing, it sucks the air outta every other series in the US... Sponsor-wise, Hype-wise, and as witnessed by Speedtv's schedule coverage-wise. That and the new breed of corporate-huckster/driver left me...bored. That's why I'm scared by DMG's purchase of AMA racing.

[jbrizz]

I like it.  Would like to see more short track and road course races though.  I go to anywhere between 2 and 5 races a year and enjoy hanging out for the weekend.  I like the close racing, the passing, the speed and the sounds.  Love the sound of a  big V8.  I have to say that the sound of it is similar to my Monster.

I enjoy any kind of bike or auto racing...but have to admit the close racing and the amount of time the lead changes in the Nascar races have me hooked.

[metallimonster]

Usually I have some sort of reaction when someone has a blanket statement like, A is Awesome, and B sucks.

Stock car racing is just a different style of racing.  First of all it's decidedly American even though Toyota is now racing.  Who's to say what happens with how American it is in upcoming years. 
And the point that so many people seem to ignore (except for a couple) is that the cars are virtually the same.  There are only minor adjustments you can make to the cars, and those have their own tolerances.  There are some series where certain makes, like Ferrari, are always going to be close to the top because of technical superiority.  The story behind the Mclaren/Ferrari scandal shows that the technological difference between one team and another more or less MAKE the race. 
NASCAR is about who runs the best line again and again....   and again.  I'll admit that the race can be boring, but saying there's no talent or skill? 
To me that is more about real racing from a driver's perspective than who arrives at the track with the best machine.

Some of the races are exciting as hell, while others are like watching paint dry.  But if someone were watching MotoGP for the first time this year, other than watching Stoner and Rossi go at it last week, it's been fairly boring.  Stoner wins by 5+ seconds.  Or Rossi wins.   Not any more passing than what happens in NASCAR.  Perhaps less. 

Just because you think A is great, doesn't make B crap.  Saying that stock car racing takes no talent is rude and kinda trolling. 

Well said my friend, well said!