Darell Waltrip. Nascar Champion - over 800 races, 84 wins, 390 top tens, 59 poles, just in the nascar sprint cup series. Here he is, riding in a V8 Supercar.
NASCAR -- Because going in a circle fast in a stock car takes "skill."
Seriously, Rally, F1, LeMans, and pretty much any other type of widely-watched Motorsport makes NASCAR look like utter shit. I simply cannot understand why it is so popular.
NASCAR -- Because going in a circle fast in a stock car takes "skill."
No, but driving in a circle as fast as is physically possible takes a great deal of skill. There's lots of criticism you can level against NASCAR, but the skill of the drivers is not one of them.
NASCAR -- Because going in a circle fast in a stock car takes "skill."
No, but driving in a circle as fast as is physically possible takes a great deal of skill. There's lots of criticism you can level against NASCAR, but the skill of the drivers is not one of them.
I suppose, but I don't believe that those drivers are nearly as skilled as their F1 counterparts. I should justify that; I'm just not certain that I can equate the skill of someone who rarely if ever breaks 200MPH in his/her career and races in a circle, with the skill of someone whose average speed is near 200MPH in any given race, where the layouts of the tracks and conditions are constantly changing and cornering can consistently generate 5G of force.
Imagine if there was a Street Fighter 2 tournament. Regular old SF2, with only 8 characters to choose from. It's still a tournament of skill, and it's still well above what normal people can deal with. That's NASCAR. A SSFIV, Capcom vs. SNK2, or a third strike tournament, those would be more like F1. Another level entirely.
I suppose, but I don't believe that those drivers are nearly as skilled as their F1 counterparts. I should justify that; I'm just not certain that I can equate the skill of someone who rarely if ever breaks 200MPH in his/her career and races in a circle, with the skill of someone whose average speed is near 200MPH in any given race, where the layouts of the tracks and conditions are constantly changing and cornering can consistently generate 5G of force.
I feel like there's definitely a disparity there.
But both are cornering near their respective limits of grip. You'll get no argument from me that a F1 car is a technically superior race car. A NASCAR is twice as heavy with tires half as wide, even if they had awesome suspensions (which they don't) they'd never be able to compete. But getting any car to dance on it's limit of adhesion, corner after corner, lap after lap, is quite the feat of physically prowess and skill.
No, but driving in a circle as fast as is physically possible takes a great deal of skill. There's lots of criticism you can level against NASCAR, but the skill of the drivers is not one of them.
I won't argue that NASCAR drivers are not skilled, but I would argue that V8 Supercar drivers are More skilled - They're taking a similar sort of car, and then blasting it at similar speeds, around a regular track rather than an oval.
I really don't understand why only turning left somehow makes cornering "easier."
It's not a case of Only turning in one direction making it easier, it's a case of This
Compared to This
And despite that being two long turns to 23 varied ones, that doesn't even show the full picture - For example, it doesn't show that corner 14, The dipper, is a sharp turn on a steep hill, and it's very easy to flip it coming through there, as many have, or that Hell corner is generally taken at over 100 km/h, often with three cars abreast. Sure, you have to have skill to fly around a NASCAR track at the average speeds they go at(well, averaged across all tracks, of course, since the averages by track vary from 130 to 300 Km/h, but the V8s will cover that entire range on a single track), but it takes more skill to go round a more complex track at the same speeds.
Actually, if you want to get an idea of what NASCAR cars look like on normal tracks, the Nationwide series ran Road America, the baby version of Watkins Glen, and the very same circuit that F1 runs in Montreal, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. I'll try to find Youtube links later, but I'll summarize: they go about a half to 2/3s the speed of their open wheel brothers because NASCAR cars aren't really built for anything but ovals.
Actually, if you want to get an idea of what NASCAR cars look like on normal tracks, the Nationwide series ran Road America, the baby version of Watkins Glen, and the very same circuit that F1 runs in Montreal, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. I'll try to find Youtube links later, but I'll summarize: they go about a half to 2/3s the speed of their open wheel brothers because NASCAR cars aren't really built for anything but ovals.
I don't know if it does anymore, but in the '90s NASCAR Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) would race two road courses a year, one of which was the Glen.
they go about a half to 2/3s the speed of their open wheel brothers because NASCAR cars aren't really built for anything but ovals.
Again, twice the weight, half the tires. NASCAR was born from stock cars, and they actually used to be stripped down showroom cars. At some point they changed the rules so that they became tube frame race cars with the body shape of the showroom car dropped on top. This is one of the things that ruined the sport and American cars. The other thing is how, time and again, NASCAR makes rules that run counter to technological progress. That I feel is one of the key things that has ruined American cars and engines for decades. The American auto industry has only recently caught up to being anywhere near the rest of the world. In the 60's no one could touch the power output of our engines.
Again, twice the weight, half the tires. NASCAR was born from stock cars, and they actually used to be stripped down showroom cars. At some point they changed the rules so that they became tube frame race cars with the body shape of the showroom car dropped on top. This is one of the things that ruined the sport and American cars. The other thing is how, time and again, NASCAR makes rules that run counter to technological progress. That I feel is one of the key things that has ruined American cars and engines for decades. The American auto industry has only recently caught up to being anywhere near the rest of the world. In the 60's no one could touch the power output of our engines.
F1 cars have a lot less surface area for advertisements.
Again, twice the weight, half the tires. NASCAR was born from stock cars, and they actually used to be stripped down showroom cars. At some point they changed the rules so that they became tube frame race cars with the body shape of the showroom car dropped on top. This is one of the things that ruined the sport and American cars. The other thing is how, time and again, NASCAR makes rules that run counter to technological progress. That I feel is one of the key things that has ruined American cars and engines for decades. The American auto industry has only recently caught up to being anywhere near the rest of the world. In the 60's no one could touch the power output of our engines.
F1 cars have a lot less surface area for advertisements.
I want a car racing series that's like F1, but even crazier on the technology side. No limits on what you can do. Traction control and launch assist? A-okay. Ducted fans to hold the cars down? Cool. No rules about engaging your DRS. Nitrous oxide. More volatile fuels and unorthodox engine designs.
Cause an engine that's effectively seized solid at room temperature is not crazy enough. >_>
Plus F1 has a history of being WAY out there with their designs. From what I understand, most of the designs that are way out in left field end up not being used because they simply don't provide that much of an advantage.
That said I do want a racing series for 6-wheel cars.
From what I understand, most of the designs that are way out in left field end up not being used because they simply don't provide that much of an advantage.
They're bringing back turbochargers under the 2014 regulations.
I haven't actually gotten to see any of the F1 races this year, the only thing we did manage to watch was a significant portion of Le Mans (not having the Speed Channel makes spontaneous race-watching more difficult). Did overtaking become more common since they're allowed to use KERS ?
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Seriously, Rally, F1, LeMans, and pretty much any other type of widely-watched Motorsport makes NASCAR look like utter shit. I simply cannot understand why it is so popular.
I feel like there's definitely a disparity there.
I'd like to see Vettel and Jimmy Johnson go toe-to-toe at Talledega sometime though. It'd make for an interesting race.
Compared to This
And despite that being two long turns to 23 varied ones, that doesn't even show the full picture - For example, it doesn't show that corner 14, The dipper, is a sharp turn on a steep hill, and it's very easy to flip it coming through there, as many have, or that Hell corner is generally taken at over 100 km/h, often with three cars abreast. Sure, you have to have skill to fly around a NASCAR track at the average speeds they go at(well, averaged across all tracks, of course, since the averages by track vary from 130 to 300 Km/h, but the V8s will cover that entire range on a single track), but it takes more skill to go round a more complex track at the same speeds.
That said I do want a racing series for 6-wheel cars.