Another reason to let the big 3 burn

[codymac]

Originally Posted by evotell

"If I wanted to see the same shape but different colour items going round and round I'd flush a packet of Skittles down the toilet."

I've always said that if I wanted to watch a bunch of hillbillies running around in circles, bumping into each other, I'd just head to the closest Wal-Mart.

[...m...]

Originally Posted by cory1000

Also, its not just driving in circles anymore, they are starting to add in road courses..

...seriously, NASCAR's adding road courses?..that could make things interesting...

[badhorse]

Cory's right. There is no reason to be so negative. Nascar is not my favorite form of motorsport but those guys are good racers. Stock cars have a lot more in common with pro-sportscars than most people think.

Nascar mechanics, drivers, engineers ect, are highly skilled and most could and many have worked in other of the top racing series in the world. Running a big V8 at 9000 rpm for that long is incredible or think of the suspension running a 3400lb car through a banked corner at 180 mph+ . These guys and girls are good and deserve to be respected. The races at the big speedways is not what it once was, but watch a Nascar road race or a short track race with an open mind on tv sometime. It's good racing.

Let's not turn into the negative minded people we too often encounter regarding motorsports. Stay positive.

[BRTHTAKR]

"If I wanted to see the same shape but different colour items going round and round I'd flush a packet of Skittles down the toilet."

I have to say, that is really funny.

Ever been to a 'real' wrestling match? The crowd is an amazing show. They believe that stuff is real, and can be very interesting for someone with an interest in anthropology. NASCAR is quite similar in that respect.

Being able to see the entire track from your seat does really help the sporting aspect for a spectator. At a road race it is very hard to have any idea of the standings, and you miss nearly all the wrecks too.

Everyone really should attend some of these. By all means, if you can ever get the chance, go to the Bristol Tennessee night races. The spectacle and experience are undescribeable.

It does take some amazing talent and focus to do what those guys do at the top level. Edge of traction at 200mph for hours is impressive, in some way.

Now, I really don't care if I ever see anything about NASCAR ever again, but it does provide entertainment to a lot of people who could really use some entertaining. It's a big world.

[serpent]

i'm not a fan of nascar and dont really care about it, BUT i do respect the drivers, mechanics and the cars. Its not easy to go around a circle 500 times with speeds of 180mph +/-.

[cory1000]

Originally Posted by ...m...

...seriously, NASCAR's adding road courses?..that could make things interesting...

Not adding....have already added. They run on Infineon, Watkins Glen, Montreal and Mexico speedway...

[Stormy320]

Originally Posted by cory1000

gottta love the narrow minded people of the Lotus community...just because you dont "get it" or dont "like it" doesnt mean that its bad...get off your high and mighty horse, its snobby people like you who make the whole Lotus community look bad...

Also, for anyone that says that its not real racing and all you have to do is turn left...I will put up the money for you to drive in the first race of the season, if you win, you keep the million that you win, if you dont, then you pay me a million out of your own pocket... come on, its easy, its not real racing, who is ready to sign up today for such a guaranteed win then??

Well said.

No one answered my question. You might change your mind if you actually go to one of these.

Some of you guys bashing this sound so stupid. After all you're driving a toy go-kart that you call a car.

I'm not a big fan either, but I'm smart enough to respect the drivers and teams involved.

[Rugbyduck]

Originally Posted by cory1000

It has 75 million fans who purchase over $3 billion in annual licensed product sales...

...who can't afford dental work and swap food stamps for #3 beer signs to decorate the walls of their trailer "homes".


I appreciate the roots where it all began. Backwoods moonshine getaways and then later to the beaches. Bring NASCAR back to that and I'd watch! All it is now is a bunch of corporations throwing money around to MAKE money off of "Cletis". I think you have missed the point. These are not car enthusiasts and the drivers have now become entertainers. Didn't you see Talladega Nights? AND as far as the majority of the left coast goes...we don't recognize NASCAR as a sport.

[Green Hornet]

"If I wanted to see the same shape but different colour items going round and round I'd flush a packet of Skittles down the toilet."

Man - that's funny

[DarkLotus]

Originally Posted by cory1000

That is just stupid....


NASCAR is the No. 1 spectator sport is the USA
It is the 2nd most watched "sport" in the USA.
It holds 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the U.S
It has 75 million fans who purchase over $3 billion in annual licensed product sales

Hmm...

I refute your first point thusly: As of the Watkins Glen race on 8/12/07, NASCAR ratings were down down 9 percent from 2006 and 20 percent from 2005. As of 2007, NASCAR was averaging a 4.7 rating, or about 8 million viewers. For the 2007 Super Bowl, the rating was 42.6 or an average of 93 million viewers. The World Series' ratings, like NASCAR's, have been dropping. Game 1 of the 2006 WS got a rating of 8.0. That's 42.7 for the 2007 Super Bowl versus 8.0 for the first game of the 2006 World Series versus 4.7 for the NASCAR season using numbers I could find from 2007.

That is not counting the Olympics, or the Soccer World Cup which don't happen annually, but have even higher draws...

Football therefore is the #1 spectator sport in the USA.

I refute your second point with the aforementioned paragraph's rating for baseball's world series. Baseball is therefore the No.2 most watched sport in the USA.

For your third point, please have a look at Wikipedia's results: List of sports attendance figures - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Yeah, a Humongous track will have more seats, and will therefore have more available for attendance. For example, take a look at the attendance of these events from 2008.
1) BCS Championship Game 2008, 79,651 people
2) 2008 Super Bowl, 71,101 people
3) NCAA Div 1 Lacrosse Championship, 48,443 people
4) World Series, Game 5 2008, 45,940 people
5) NCAA Div 1 Basketball 2008, 43,257 people.
While your point is true, it is invalid, simply because if these sports had more seating, they'd have more attendance. The Brickyard 400 has 400,000 seats. The Super Bowl had 93,000,000 viewers, and people paying thousands upon thousands of dollars for 1 of the 71,000 tickets.

75 million fans????? There are only 300 million people in the USA. Are you trying to say that 1 in every 4 people is a die-hard nascar fan? There is absolutely no way that is true if they're only pulling in ratings of 8 million viewers.

[evotell]

This is Motor Sport

WRC

Ford WRC

Group B

Pikes Peak

[thruthefence]

Ya think Lotus would have been what they were ( or 'are' depending on your point of view ) if Jim Clark hadn't been turnin' left at Indy, back in '63?

[Green Hornet]

evotell - GREAT CLIPS

Those guys are amazing. I think any of us riding in the back seat (if there were one) would be missing many different types of bodily fluids by the end of the run worth it though - wow.

That definately is motorsport - thanks -

[Amarao]

Originally Posted by cory1000

Again, thats your opinion...opinions are like a$$holes, everyones got one....

We sometimes wonder why people post stories of getting their car keyed, spit on or rude comments yelled at them for no reason, its because of the "im better" attitude that people like you have that make all Lotus owners look like stuck up snobs. Yes, its a bunch of cars driving around in circles, but that doesnt mean that there is no skill to technical aspect to the sport... Also, its not just driving in circles anymore, they are starting to add in road courses..

That's right it's my opinion, and I won't be made to feel bad about it either. You or anyone else can think I'm a snob or whatever you want because of it too. I couldn't care less.

It's when people think their opinion of someone gives them the right to damage/destroy property that it crosses the line. Some people need to learn it's ok to disagree with others, it's not the end of the world, and it doesn't require the destruction of property or violence.

[badhorse]

Thanks for the videos evotell. A little off topic but a great addition to the thread. I am a big fan of rally.

I forgot how fast the group B cars were!!! The "Killer bee's " may have been the scariest most extreme race cars ever.

Rally drivers are a breed apart. I've gone karting with our rally team a couple times. Those guy's are brutal on track, but You have to love em!!
Here's a link to a couple of their video's. Ken Block Video Player Check them out.

Nice to be young, I guess. Now please excuse Me if You will, I have to watch the videos again!!

[ransackman]

I'm all game to let NASCAR go, even the drivers must get bored.
There must be skill involved and I'm sure some of the drivers(I'm guessing) know how to drive, dont they miss racing for real rather than bumper car racing?

[Monsi]

There is some sort of mental disorder that all race car drivers have... and rally drivers have the most severe cases of it...

there is no denying those guys are F-ing crazy... we just haven't come up with a name for the disorder yet

[JimK]

It's interesting to hear some of the open-wheel drivers talk about stock-car racing. It is a unique skill set to drive such aerodynamically challenged and skittish cars 200 mph and bump-draft eachother. All I can say is I don't hate the sport as much as I did 5 years ago. Not my favorite form of motorsport but it's better than golf or basketball.

[waydui]

Never thought I'd stick up for NASCAR, it's not my kind of racing, but I have to give some respect and admiration to the drivers.

What brought me around was seeing how many Formula 1 and open wheel drivers came to NASCAR and haven't won a thing!! These guys are supposed to be among the best drivers in the world.

There's Juan Pablo Montoya, Jacques Villeneuve, Scott Speed, A.J. Allmendinger, Dario Franchitti, Sam Hornish Jr. Except for one win by Montoya, it's been a tough go for these guys.

NASCAR may only turn left most of the time, but it's still racing and it's still not easy.

Cory, I won't take that bet, I'll end up owing you...

Regards,
Wayne

[LotusLacer]

Originally Posted by Monsi

There is some sort of mental disorder that all race car drivers have... and rally drivers have the most severe cases of it...

there is no denying those guys are F-ing crazy... we just haven't come up with a name for the disorder yet

I think you came up with it already 'F-ing crazy'