So today while I was flipping through the channels I decided since not much was on I would watch a Nascar race. I started watching it from the beginning and well didn't get too far. I tried to have an open mind but some things really got to me!

-The first 33 laps the car were single file and no one was passing because of some new rule that said they couldn't, huh? The announcers even said that race today was pretty boring!

-It's like the drivers are just packed together tight following the guy in front of him and even bumping once in a while.

-What's all this pit strategy? There is a speed limit on pit row? Change 4 tires at a time for what?

-All the drivers have big name sponsers but yet you can't see them while they are racing and you can't go meet the drivers in the pits!

-ABC or some other big time TV station devotes many hours to this race every Sunday and no one really watches the whole thing, do they?

- 188 laps is way too long for a race! What do the fans do at the track during this time? What if the races have to go to the bathroom? Do they wear a diaper or something? Why are they always talking on their headsets to their pit crew- just let the guy race and make his own decisions already!

-Do Nascar fans really go to the race to watch the racing or do they just go to hang out, eat food and drink beet? I think the tickets are really expensive too!

-Their sponsor is Sprint of all companies! What a slap in the face to us sprint car fans! We need to big sponsors and TV time!

-As much as I wanted to watch the entire 188 laps of Nascar racing I didn't make it that far! I feel asleep at around lap 33!!! I didn't get to watch the rest after I woke up, but I don't really think I missed much!

July 11th (GSC)- Going to Santa Maria Speedway for the 
1st time! 

Winged sprintcars = the fastest and most exciting 
racecars on dirt! 

if you have never seen a cup race and know nothing of it or about it, don't understand it, and can't comprehend it, who's fault is that? you are going to get on here and bad mouth something you have no knowlege of because you don't understand it? this is not personal and i really am not trying to be rude to you because i know you are a race fan and a level headed person from seeing you post here. if it is not your cup of tea, move on. if you are interested in learning about that type of race that is fine, but don't knock something just because you don't understand it. you are familiar with sprint car racing and understand it. there are others that aren't and don't. the woo world finals will be televised live on speed channel next sat. how many people who might turn to it will react the same way you just did for most of the same reasons?

there was no rule that said no one could pass. they told drivers not to bump draft in the corners. if you want to know what bump drafting is, take your car out on the highway. then when you are running 65-70 mph run it into the person in front of you and send them forward. that is bump drafting. you can see why they didn't want the drivers doing it in the turns, at 200 mph. but the cars are so closely matched that pushing each other helps you go faster. the race today was kind of boring, you picked the wrong one to watch if you are not a usual follower of that sport. the drivers were all packed together. they have the cars so close in performance that they can't get away from each other. they restrict them on power at the big tracks because they go so fast that when they crash they have the potential to go into the stands. just to let you know...that would be bad. you are not the only person that finds this upsetting. both the going in the stands of the cars as well as having to restrict them.

pit strategy? to long to explain. it is different for everyone. pit speed limit? yes. they are trying to keep from killing or really hurting the guys over the wall working on the cars. they used to just come down pit lane wide open 15 or so years ago, but it just got too dangerous and someone was killed. almost all major series have pit lane speed limits. they change 4 tires because they wear out. when you get new tires how many do you put on your car? DUH! also new tires are faster than old ones.

you can see the sponser logos on the cars when they are racing and you can get passes to go in the pits to see the drivers when they are not actually racing.

the laps are so much because it is an enduance race, not a sprint race. even though Sprint is the sponser. does that help?! yep the racers pee their pants if they have to. but since it is about 120 degrees inside the cars they mostly sweat the water out. the drivers are talking with their crews to help them understand what is happening around them and what the plans are for the race as it unfolds. there are some decisions that are not up to the driver to make on his own as he only sees and knows what is happening where he is and not everywhere on the track. they are also trying to help each other figure out how to make the car better as the race goes on and things change.

fans go for any of the reasons you think. you pay as much for a woo show as some pay for a cup race. although some tickets are expensive as well. bought tickets to a major league sporting event lately?

i can't help you with the falling asleep part. but since you did fall asleep and didn't actually see most of the race, how were you able to make such an astute observation of the event?

hope that helps.

to indy and beyond!!

The last NASCAR race I attended was the 50th running of the Daytona 500 in 2008. The most positive thing I can say is that I admire the drivers for their skill, courage and patience.

I agree with you Sprintcakelly, that NASACR racing is the most boring 3 to 8 hours you can imagine at a race track… if you are there to watch racing. If your into pit strategy, super human tire changing, fuel conservation, coordinated team uniforms, beer, energy drinks, miles of t-shirt trailers or the very latest in sunglass fashion then this is an amazing form of racing,

Watching ugly cars with horrendous paint jobs parading around single file even at 180 to 200 mph is still boring after about the first 20 minutes of it. It's no firkin wonder 50% of the attendees drink themselves stupid by the midway point of the race. I guess there's the crash fest at the end to wake everyone up so I guess it has that going for it, if that's your fancy. And I can tell you this with 100% certainty, it's not only the drivers that pee their pants at a 500 mile race. The lines at one Daytona port-a-potty can out number the entire attendance at a Sprint Car race!

NASCAR racing takes too much patience. God bless Sprint Car racing!

Nice post ricci49. And I also agree with Sprintcarkelly and its my guess that Buzz missed her point. I think she was doing some creative writing (having a little fun) and maybe wasn't desrving of a lecture on the fading craze of stock car racing. Buzz takes NASCRAP (taxi cab, door slammer, tin top, rolling billboard or whatever) racing a little too seriously.

"Ralphie, Senor, muchas gracias por una mas cerveza"  -
Scott Daloisio @ the PAS

that is why they call it "napcar". You watch the 1st 50 laps, then take a nap and watch the last 10. Asphalt is for gettin' to the track, dirt is for racin'!!!

Coming up:

10/21-22:  Trophy Cup @ Tulare (CA)
11/5-11/7: Bud Oval Natiionals @ Perris (CA)

well not as bad as i expected for a racing forum that slams repetedly other forms of racing. i didn't miss the point. kelly it seems doesn't have insight into even the most basic aspects of nascar racing. that's fine. yet she feels it was nescessary to get on here and make comments on something she seems to know nothing about. kelly you have picked up a bad habbit from reading other slam posts on here. you seemed to me to be above that. i don't take nascar too seriouly. i agree the race yesterday was for the most part a snooze fest. also the tracks and races addressed here can be the most boring tracks and races to witness the sport at. my point is, i watched the F1 race (or at least some of it) my opinion of F1 is not much better that kelly's is of nascar. it doesn't interest me, i don't really understand it, and i could really care less about it. that doesn't mean i had to run to the computor and bad mouth it. hey, we all have different tastes, and i respect kelly's right to have hers. if you want to talk boring, in my opinion, lets talk world series. that is 3 plus hrs of boring times 7. nothing happens for 90% of the time. yet i didn't run out and start making negitive comments about it.

i don't care and it doesn't bother me what she thinks of nascar (or you for that matter), i wasn't giving a lecture on the fading craze of stock car racing. i was giving an opinion of the rising craze of bad mouthing things unfamiliar, unknown and uninteresting to you. i just tried to point out my opinion of posting negative comments on something you don't have any knowlage of and it seems have never seen before. i also tried to give her a perspective on things and provide her information that she seemed to be lacking. if that is over your head, so be it.

to indy and beyond!!

Buzz

Thanks for the nice work you do bringing the behind the scenes pit action to the average fan but... of all the posters that you are going to take issue with on negative posting, you pick sprintcarkelly! She was trying to have a little fun with NASACR on a "Northern California Sprint Car " forum.

She's the peace keeper around these parts.

hey, i have nothing against kelly. from what i have seen in the past she seems to be quite a nice person. can't i have a little "fun" back? hey maybe kelly had a bad expierince with nascar this time. they will be in AZ soon at the mile there. smaller track, closer non restricter plate racing. kind of like stoga compared to chico in s sense. maybe kelly will try to watch a bit of that and also maybe have someone offer her some insight to the sport. then she might be able to have a bit more to base her opinion on. she still might thinks it sucks. that's up to her.

"She's the peace keeper around these parts." yup, that's why i thought it was strange she came down to our level! lol. i don't mind being the A-hole that prods her to climb back up out of reach. lol.

to indy and beyond!!

opps i thought it was a free country....... i agree 100 per cent with kelly..,it is her OPINION.....hell she is alot smarter than me she figured out in one sunday what took me years of watching to figure out

Yes, you do a very good job Buzz, as does Bruce Velo providing some very interesting interviews for us race fans. Because of your work, I now feel better acquainted with some of the drivers, car owners and promoters. For that I am grateful. And you may be surprised as to what I know about the tin tops - that you seem to love. Didn't mean to hit a nerve there. Anyway have a boogity, boogity day now Buzz- yeah hear! Peace. BTW, I enjoyed your post Kelly!

"Ralphie, Senor, muchas gracias por una mas cerveza"  -
Scott Daloisio @ the PAS

yup and if someone has the right to give their opinion, we all have the right to give our opinion of it!

don't think for a minute that i didn't know what would happen for me responding to who i responded to. but i was willing to take the flack to ask her why she would bad mouth something she didn't know anything about.

to indy and beyond!!

man it's gonna be a long hard winter lol one year for Xmas my x surprised me with nascar tickets for both of us (3 days )and hotel Sam's town( 5 days ) and a special dinner with some of the drivers in Vegas and i could see the track from our room, god i loved her so i did not have the hart too tell her it was killing me absolutely killing me that the WoO where running the bull ring at the same time and i could see the lights and the dust rising from the track at night.i would have traded all 3 nascar tickets for some WoO tickets and I'm not that big on the WoO-----i just drank myself to sleep and when we got home i told her i did not think we where compatible after all she was a jeff gordon fan and she had no idea who the 'preacher' was----ok now buzzzzzz nascar and sprint cars running at the same venue one track dirt one track asphalt at the same time where do you go -----WHERE DO YOU GO ???????????

gee i don't know, with a name like buzz rightrear what do you think? lol. but you can be sure i wouldn't be holding up a sign bad mouthing the other series. i thought it was cool to stand in the pit stands at vegas and watch the drags. i remember wanting to go to the cup practice before the woo at vegas but everyone else wanted to go casino hopping. you guys can gang up on me all you want for saying my piece. it is nothing compared to what i go through on some of the liberal political sights! lol. they give me good practice.

to indy and beyond!!

LOL ... sorry Buzz.... but that's some pretty good stuff there.

hey it's all good.

to indy and beyond!!

WOW!!!!!!!!! buzz lay off the fumes buddy!

I'll take the Winston Cup races from Dega back in the 70's and you can have the present-day FRANCECAR! Boring ! It is an opinion.

Watch replays of the late D. James Kennedy on Sunday and find them more exciting than the robot drivers and their cars in Brianville!

WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF YOU IS NONE OF YOUR 
BUSINESS!

On the West Coast it was Jack McCoy and Ray (?) Elder. Memory fades here...

"Ralphie, Senor, muchas gracias por una mas cerveza"  -
Scott Daloisio @ the PAS

Hershall McGriff!

I think he drove a NASCAR race this year. (I still call it Winston West!)

WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF YOU IS NONE OF YOUR 
BUSINESS!

Oh man, Leon. That's a name from the past!!! Am just old enough to remember MGriff & Winston West.....................