NASCAR -- Sport or Spectacle?

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ASLuser101

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NASCAR fans, so tell me exactly what is it that attracts you to this "sport?"

Over the weekend the population of Earth was amused at the end of the latest NASCAR race when one of the losers deliberately rammed the winner(?)'s car in the pit area, hopped out and started throwing punches at the driver who was still strapped in his seat!!

I'm still trying to understand NASCAR, a "sport" that is still mourning a hero named "The Intimidator". One would think with a name like "The Intimidator" he got what was coming to him -- hardly stuff legends and heros are made of.

So, what is it about NASCAR that fires you up?
 
what? no NASCAR fans here??!! hmm . . . this forum is even better than I thought! :-o
 
i hate nascar...really HATE it. all you do is just watch the cars spin. thats it? you pray someone get crash? i believe this is redneck's sport...but sadly, my dad who's a spic, he loves to watch.
 
I do like NASCAR. Seem more adventure and witness "high risk" sport. Just watching cars spin around, see reporters bug on every driver especially Tony Stewert #20 (now he finally learn how to control his temper).

In my opinion, I like NASCAR better than horse/dog racing. Poor animals have to run for us. So, I rather humans have high motitivate to drive for us to enjoying watch.
 
Ohhhh that was the Jimmy Spencer/Kurt Busch feud that just got worse last Sunday at Michigan since Busch rammed off Spencer in Bristol, TN in 2K2 to win his 1st race. Well Spencer has to sit out this Saturday night's race at Bristol.


Saturday night at Bristol.....It gets so much FUN driving at night on a track that is only 1/2 mile long for 500 laps u gonna see a lot tempers fly at Bristol more than Daytona.


NASCAR feuds nothing new after all It's like the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry except the bats n balls are traded for a 700 hp Monte Carlo.


Anyways I consider NASCAR and auto racing in general a sport cause of a few factors like having to drive a HOT car (temps get to around 80-110F INSIDE the car with no AC), drive it with no automatic tranny, other aggressive drivers that would make a LA traffic jam look pretty civilized and keep ur car in one piece and try to finish the race.

But NASCAR got nothing on the World Rally Championship drivers and navigators cuz the rally drivers take their cars thru dirt roads at speeds up to 150 mph with spectators just standing a few inches from danger! Plus the rally drivers run the cars on PUBLIC roads on way from one stage to the next stage.
 
I love NASCAR, it's a fun sport to watch how they drive, get aggressive, etc.. yes i consider it as a sport, why? The pit crews do their actions changing tires, based on time and speed.. Crew Chief tells the driver what to do etc.. should pass, should pull over for pit stop. driver listens to direction, drive and hoping not to spin or crash, change shifts, push gas, brakes, changing windows.. Soo i consider it a sport because a human does their actions to success the race.
 
When I was living in the States, I used to follow and watch NASCAR races on tv and at Sears Point whenever they came to town. I liked barracking for Dale Eardhart (3) and Jeff Gordon (24). (I even saw Jeff Gordon in person just a couple of blocks from my mum's home in Santa Rosa...he's such a short bloke! :shock:
God bless Dale Eardhart. His son has followed in his father's shoes by racing as well. I wish him well.
 
But now since I'm in Australia - I watch other types of car races as I don't always catch NASCAR on tv on time. :mad: Oh well...that's life! ;) I watch v8 Supercars (Holden vs Ford) at Bathurst and Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, South Australia....these days, I find myself watching motorcycle races as well -- SuperBikes and MotoGP
 
scuba sez: " The pit crews do their actions changing tires, based on time and speed.. Crew Chief tells the driver what to do etc.. should pass, should pull over for pit stop. driver listens to direction, drive and hoping not to spin or crash, change shifts, push gas, brakes, changing windows.."

me: okay, that's a persuasive argument for calling NASCAR a sport. but still, who watches for 200 laps hoping no accidents happen and that the best team wins? Aren't you all secretly hoping for wrecks and, ahem, intimidating behavior. Doesn't that make NASCAR more like the WWF?

ps: horse racing and dog racing isn't much of a sport either IMO.
 
Bush_in_2004! said:
scuba sez: " The pit crews do their actions changing tires, based on time and speed.. Crew Chief tells the driver what to do etc.. should pass, should pull over for pit stop. driver listens to direction, drive and hoping not to spin or crash, change shifts, push gas, brakes, changing windows.."

me: okay, that's a persuasive argument for calling NASCAR a sport. but still, who watches for 200 laps hoping no accidents happen and that the best team wins? Aren't you all secretly hoping for wrecks and, ahem, intimidating behavior. Doesn't that make NASCAR more like the WWF?

ps: horse racing and dog racing isn't much of a sport either IMO.
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myself do hope there's no accidents. but accidents happen which can be a little thrill as long the driver's fine.

Do you consider track a sport? since human racing is sport? it's same as horse racing, dog racing, and nascar racing.
 
I am with everyone who loves or watch NASCAR and agree with what they are saying...

Ok tell me why do people watch Football or Hockey? People jam the stadium to watch Hockey because it does involve fighting! so tell me is it a sport or spectator?

Believe me, NASCAR is now fastest growing sport event today! I have been watching them for decade!

People do die in sports no matter what kind of sports!
 
WaterRats13 said:
But now since I'm in Australia - I watch other types of car races as I don't always catch NASCAR on tv on time. :mad: Oh well...that's life! ;) I watch v8 Supercars (Holden vs Ford) at Bathurst and Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, South Australia....these days, I find myself watching motorcycle races as well -- SuperBikes and MotoGP
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V8 Supercars!!! woot! that what Winston Cup should have been! Full stripped bodies, fuel injection, cars that look close to what u can pick up at the dealer instead of racing with ANCIENT technology, bodies that doesn't look like a street car, the Front-Drive to Rear-Drive conversions. If NASCAR adopted the V8 Supercars rules in here, I guarantee that it would grow more cause the cars will at least LOOK like u can buy one off at the dealer's lot.

I played the V8 Supercars on "Pro Race Driver" (the USA version of V8 Supercars Driver) on my PS2 last January and loved running thru Bathurst but the Adelaide track was :crazy: heh. I mostly ran Craig Lowndes's Falcon XR8 in the game. Plus I watched some of the V8 Supercars coverage on Speed Channel and it was freakin' awesome than the average NASCAR day at the Watkins Glen/Sonoma road course tracks.

Wish we Americans had the Holdens and Falcons plus the V8 Supercars racing, but not to worry, the Holden Monaro is coming over to the USA as the Pontiac GTO for 2K4.
04_00094_1.jpg
 
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Boult said:
I am with everyone who loves or watch NASCAR and agree with what they are saying...

Ok tell me why do people watch Football or Hockey? People jam the stadium to watch Hockey because it does involve fighting! so tell me is it a sport or spectator?

Believe me, NASCAR is now fastest growing sport event today! I have been watching them for decade!

People do die in sports no matter what kind of sports!
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yeah one of our guys in football team Vikings died couple years ago. RIP Korey Stinger, died druing practice
 
B, yes, professional hockey is a spectacle, like the WWF.

scuba, track requires practice, training and discipline, just like you outlined for NASCAR.

Other forums of racing like NHRA may truly be a sport because the bully factor doesn't fit into the outcome.



Still, why the heck is someone who was nicknamed "The Intimidator" who was out-inimidated to death a hero? I don't get it.
 
"Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively"

This is a defination of the word "sport" according to www.dictionary.com

NASCAR has it's rules, for example, They aren't allowing to get out of bounds to pass a car, hit a car on purpose in order to get pass next poistion, speed limit on pit roads, no seriously damaged car.

there's plenty of rules for NASCAR.

As for Physical activity as i explain in the other post above.
 
sablescort said:
V8 Supercars!!! woot! that what Winston Cup should have been! Full stripped bodies, fuel injection, cars that look close to what u can pick up at the dealer instead of racing with ANCIENT technology, bodies that doesn't look like a street car, the Front-Drive to Rear-Drive conversions. If NASCAR adopted the V8 Supercars rules in here, I guarantee that it would grow more cause the cars will at least LOOK like u can buy one off at the dealer's lot.

I played the V8 Supercars on "Pro Race Driver" (the USA version of V8 Supercars Driver) on my PS2 last January and loved running thru Bathurst but the Adelaide track was :crazy: heh. I mostly ran Craig Lowndes's Falcon XR8 in the game. Plus I watched some of the V8 Supercars coverage on Speed Channel and it was freakin' awesome than the average NASCAR day at the Watkins Glen/Sonoma road course tracks.

Wish we Americans had the Holdens and Falcons plus the V8 Supercars racing, but not to worry, the Holden Monaro is coming over to the USA as the Pontiac GTO for 2K4.
04_00094_1.jpg
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Woohoo...I'm surprised to find someone familar with the Holden Monaro...and playing that PS game -- I'm glad that Craig Lowndes moved from Holden to Ford -- I HATE Mark Skaife. My step son ADORES Skaifey. :P Pftth.
I agree that V8 supercars races are a lot better than NASCAR because of the track circuits -- not straight oval, circling in laps over and over and over. :applause:
 
WaterRats13 said:
Woohoo...I'm surprised to find someone familar with the Holden Monaro...and playing that PS game -- I'm glad that Craig Lowndes moved from Holden to Ford -- I HATE Mark Skaife. My step son ADORES Skaifey. :P Pftth.
I agree that V8 supercars races are a lot better than NASCAR because of the track circuits -- not straight oval, circling in laps over and over and over. :applause:
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Wasn't Skaife the one with the Kmart Holden?
 
sablescort said:
Wasn't Skaife the one with the Kmart Holden?
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Yeah, he's part of the Holden team. Although, he may be popular with the general Australian petrolheads who watch the races -- he's not that photegenic on tv nor is given a lot of lines when doing an ad for Holden. Craig Lowndes does more and appears to be a popular one. :P

Lowdnes used to be part of the Holden team until 2 years ago when he defected to the Ford team.
 
WaterRats13 said:
Yeah, he's part of the Holden team. Although, he may be popular with the general Australian petrolheads who watch the races -- he's not that photegenic on tv nor is given a lot of lines when doing an ad for Holden. Craig Lowndes does more and appears to be a popular one. :P

Lowdnes used to be part of the Holden team until 2 years ago when he defected to the Ford team.
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ah got it :)

I had been thinking what if someday the V8 Supercars drivers and the Winston Cup (soon to be Nextel Cup in 2K4 due to USA tobacco ad restrictions) guys got together at Bathurst for a real 500 mile race and the rules were reversed that the Aussies have to drive the NASCAR cars and the NASCAR boys take the Holdens and Falcons as their mounts and adopt the NASCAR pit rules (built-in air jacks inside the Aussie cars has to be taken out to equalize the field) plus V8 Supercars qualifying format. Also I was inspired by last June's F1/Winston Cup car swap between Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya at Indianapolis...so why not? heh!

gordonmontoya2-rg.jpg


Who would have the edge at Bathurst, the Aussies in the Cup cars or the Nextel Cup guys and their Holdens/Fords?

just food for thought 'cuz this year's NASCAR season points championship looks like to be a lock by Matt Kenseth since he got a 350 point lead on Dale Jr. AFAIK the NASCAR points system rewards consistency more than winning and gives out points all the way even to the last place car. The points on V8 Supercars award points only to the top 6 or 8 finishers (Im not sure)
 
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sablescort said:
ah got it :)

I had been thinking what if someday the V8 Supercars drivers and the Winston Cup (soon to be Nextel Cup in 2K4 due to USA tobacco ad restrictions) guys got together at Bathurst for a real 500 mile race and the rules were reversed that the Aussies have to drive the NASCAR cars and the NASCAR boys take the Holdens and Falcons as their mounts and adopt the NASCAR pit rules (built-in air jacks inside the Aussie cars has to be taken out to equalize the field) plus V8 Supercars qualifying format.

Who would have the edge at Bathurst, the Aussies in the Cup cars or the Nextel Cup guys and their Holdens/Fords?

just food for thought 'cuz this year's NASCAR season points championship looks like to be a lock by Matt Kenseth since he got a 350 point lead on Dale Jr. AFAIK the NASCAR points system rewards consistency more than winning and gives out points all the way even to the last place car. The points on V8 Supercars award points only to the top 6 or 8 finishers (Im not sure)
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Interesting...sure wish I would catch a NASCAR race on tv one day if I ever catch it on the right day! :lol: Most of the times, I'm normally watching the Superbikes and MotoGP because I have tagged Valentino Rossi to won this year's championship -- I know he's going to win, ha. Have you heard of Mick Doohan? He won the MotoGP 500cc class championship 5 consecutive years before he retired. ;) Rossi looks like he's going to be following in Doohan's shoes as he has Doohan as his manager!
Sorry...back to the point -- in NASCAR...hmm...is Darren Waltrip still racing? There's another Waltrip, but cannot remember his first name, :Oops:. What about Jeff Gordon? Has he been racing good or having an off period?
 
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