OT- Anyone else hate Nascar

[Sean Pa Patriot]

The most over hyped sport,which I still dont think it is... It gets too much pub, for guys that do something you and I do everyday, get in a car and drive to work,school, or to Foxboro.. Hate it with a passion

 

[DaBruinz]

The most over hyped sport,which I still dont think it is... It gets too much pub, for guys that do something you and I do everyday, get in a car and drive to work,school, or to Foxboro.. Hate it with a passion

1st off, If you are going to hate something, I suggest you learn a bit more about it.

2nd, they do MORE than just get in a car and drive to work, school or Foxboro like you or I. They drive a car at 180-200 mph driving against 30-40 other drivers also doing the same 180-200 mph. You or I are lucky if we can make it to 55 MPH on the way to work unless you are not be part of the Rush Hour traffic then you might get to go 70 or 80 mph. But you sure don't get to go 180 mph. The adrenaline rush that they get is beyond comparison and its something that you nor I are ever likely to get to experience.

3rd, NASCAR is the single most popular spectator sport in the world. It blows away every other spectator sport easily. And that INCLUDES baseball and SOCCER. So, you should expect it to get publicity because that is what the public is watching.

4th, There is TONS of money in NASCAR. I mean TONS.

Lastly, before you reply, prior to the job that I have now as a Director of Manufacturing for a Virtual Racing simulator, I didn't understand much about NASCAR either. Since taking my job, I have learned a lot about NASCAR and other Auto racing in general. Like the fact that there are at least 3 different open-wheel racing leagues in the world. There are at least 3 different GT racing leagues including one that is owned by the same people who own NASCAR. GT racing leagues use "stock cars" but on street racing tracks similar to IRL and Champ Car.

 

[BelichickFan]

Although your description of it was silly (how about going to the park and throwing a football around, what's the big deal about Brady and Branch ?) yes, I hate NASCAR too.

 

[Alk]

The most over hyped sport,which I still dont think it is... It gets too much pub, for guys that do something you and I do everyday, get in a car and drive to work,school, or to Foxboro.. Hate it with a passion

If there was such a thing I would nominate this as funniest post of the week. I myself am not really a NASCAR fan but even I can realize that these guys are doing just a little bit more than "drive to work". It's okay not to like things but try not to look like a fool in the process.

 

[mikey]

3rd, NASCAR is the single most popular spectator sport in the world. It blows away every other spectator sport easily. And that INCLUDES baseball and SOCCER. So, you should expect it to get publicity because that is what the public is watching.

http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/06statab/arts.pdf

I find it hard to believe your assertion that NASCAR "blows away" every other spectator sports.

According to U.S. government statistics, it is not even the most popular spectator sport in America.

Considering the high expenses involved in staging the event, I doubt if NASCAR exists in other countries. (at least, I don't recall seeing any NASCAR in Indonesia or Kuwait.)

My impression is that NASCAR is an indigenous regional product, much like country music, pork rind and WalMart.


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[Alk]

Considering the high expenses inv... other open wheel leagues in other countries.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

Just my opinion, and I do know about the god awful sport I live near the pocono's where the inbreads come twice a yr , and act like idiots....
Sorry , Football, Ncaa Basketball MLB Golf, and even i would rather watch bowling over those cars that go round and round in a circle...

 

[BelichickFan]

Sorry , Football, Ncaa Basketball MLB Golf, and even i would rather watch bowling over those cars that go round and round in a circle...

How about Curling ?

 

[shirtsleeve]

Wooaa there... I happen to enjoy the hell outta NASCAR. Been goin' to the short tracks since I was a kid to watch what is now the Featherlite Modified division. The racing is the tightest, most gruelling racing of any type out there, save, maybe, motocross.

These guys are indeed going between 180 and 200 miles per hour. And they do it travelling door to door, bumper to bumper, and on every lap, they are so close they trade paint. Historically, what is now called the Nextel Cup cars averaged close to 225 mph under these same conditions at the larger tracks. They have since installed restricter plates in these cars to slow them down, in order to try to save lives (yes, drivers die every year in this sport). This has caused mixed results. For now the cars are even more tightly bunched for the entire race.

It is popular for a reason. And Yes, it is the most popular spectator sport in this country, though I do not know about the rest of the world.

I'd rather watch the Pats practice than watch a race, but I'd rather watch a qualifying day at Daytona than a Red Sox world Series.

 

[Alk]

Just my opinion, and I do know about the god awful sport I live near the pocono's where the inbreads come twice a yr , and act like idiots....
Sorry , Football, Ncaa Basketball MLB Golf, and even i would rather watch bowling over those cars that go round and round in a circle...

Ummm...lets be fair. I've seen some of the stupidest people in my entire life at football games. So lets not single out NASCAR fans as the only people who act like idiots when their favorite sport is in town.

 

[ayjackson]

nascar sucks, curling rocks....i could prove it, but i don't wanna

 

[SoonerPatriot]

3rd, NASCAR is the single most popular spectator sport in the world. It blows away every other spectator sport easily. And that INCLUDES baseball and SOCCER. So, you should expect it to get publicity because that is what the public is watching.

What exactly are you basing that on? What's the criteria?

Television ratings, ad and merchandising revenue would say otherwise. An estimated billion people watch the Super Bowl world wide every year. You really think a billion people watch the Daytona 500? Not even close. NASCAR doesn't even beat out the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl in this country in terms of viewers.

And I'll wager soccer AKA futbol (much as I don't enjoy it) is a lot more popular than NASCAR in highly populated countries like China, India and Japan, not to mention all of Europe and South America.

If you're talking spectators in the stands, I don't even see how that argument works. I count 39 races on the Nextel Cup slate this year. You figure an average attendance of 175,000 fans, that's 6.82 million people per year who watch NASCAR races in person which is impressive.

But also consider that the University of Tenneesee, Michigan and Penn St. alone average about 100,000 fans over 5-6 home games each year. At those three schools a combined 1.85 million fans watch games in person each year. And that doesn't even count other schools like Notre Dame, Nebraska, Florida, Oklahoma, Florida St., Alabama, LSU etc. who have huge 80,000 to 90,000 stadiums and sell out every home game, let alone the rest of the usual players in the AP Top 25. More people from just 12 schools go to see college football in person than NASCAR races.

I respect NASCAR and the drivers have more stones than anyone else in sports, but to say it's the most popular spectator sport in the world is more bluster than fact.

 

[DarrylS]

I find NASCAR like Baseball or Basketball, too long only need to watch the last part of it. Aside from the NFL I get serious ADD when I watch most other sports, but think NASCAR needs our respect as it is a very dangerous sport played at high speeds while you might be getting bumped from behind.

 

[SaCaCh]

Sometimes I will watch the last 10 laps of a race if I hear it has some kind of importance, but thats about it. I am not a grease monkey, so learning about the quality of brake pads, and tire wear for 3 hours does nothing for me. As far as attendance goes, the racing people will pile in all the racing circuits and spin off races of the Nascar weekends in their "attendance assessment". Yet will leave out many baseball leagues when comparing said number to baseballs attendance.

 

[pats1]

:raises hand:

I hate it as well. In Florida over the weekend, I went to the Oldetown car show.


The only place I could find refuge from Nascar shirts, southern accents, confederate flags, and car super-enthusiasts (nevermind the good 'ol southern hand positions -- left hand cigarette, right hand beer) was Fred Marion's sports bar, with a wall full of Pats stuff.

 

[Willie55]

I always say I could get a lawn chair and a cooler full of beer and sit on the side of Route 495 and see the same thing as a NASCAR race. The only difference is is on 495 there's more road rage and a third of the drivers are drunk.

 

[CTPatsFan]

Nope. Love it.

When parking in the infield amongst $250-$500K RV's as far as the eye can see (when we go with my parents, certainly not in my league) I guess I have a slightly different view of NASCAR fans than many. I have gone to many a race and sat in the stands with the common folk (where I actually belong and usually do sit) and have found it to be no different than going to a NFL/MLB/college game as far as the people there. The only difference is instead of the allegiance being mainly with the "home" team and a few "visiting" team fans, you have the rooting base fairly well split amongst the 40+ cars in the field, obvious fan favorites aside.

The NASCAR fan base may be the most mischaracterized group of fans out there. It's really no different than any other sport. Just in NASCAR's case, the fan equivalent to the ones in the luxury boxes are down on the roofs of their rolling vacation homes actually paying attention to and cheering for their favorite car.

I won't say there aren't the stereotypical redneck fans who do more drinking than anything else, I've seen them. I did it when I was younger. Although technically I'm a swamp yankee. Rednecks are southerners. But as with most NFL venues, the track owners have gone to pretty great lengths to clean things up (with the same arguments pro- and con- when it comes to the atmosphere as we have with the Razor). Just as I've seen the the changes in Foxboro/Gillette in the Kraft era. I can still go to a Pats game and see fans who have gone way too far.

NASCAR has a strong following and it continues to grow. I've met many people over the years who you would never guess that they would be NASCAR fans. Stockbrokers, investment bankers, CEO's, lawyers, doctors, etc. It isn't the highest rated or ranked, but it is the fastest growing spectator sport with an incredibly loyal base. Who happen to have a lot of money to spend.

It's not for everybody. I love going to the short track races with my oldest son (8 yo). My daughter has no interest, but in another couple years I look forward to bringing my (currently) youngest son (son #3 is due in July). When they're older I'll bring them to some of the Nextel races. I think the family aspect is pretty unique. You regularly find generations of race fans, male and female, often all rooting for a different car.

The fact that it is so un-PC is just a bonus to me

Just wanted to add that the NFL/Pats are still #1 for me by far. NASCAR is a distant #2 and the Sox #3.

 

[Buddylove]

Love that argument

I love the argument that it's the highest attended "sport". Here is the deal it's at one location with 43 drivers at once not split up into 16 different stadiums like the nfl which still draws at least 1/3 attendance for just two teams.

 

[PATSNUTme]

Here's the child of a typical NASCAR family enjoying the race.

 

[CTPatsFan]

I love the argument that it's the highest attended "sport". Here is the deal it's at one location with 43 drivers at once not split up into 16 different stadiums like the nfl which still draws at least 1/3 attendance for just two teams.

The highest attended sport argument is incorrect as far as everything I've read. Fastest growing is a more likely argument.

True comment about the NFL and its attendance, but there is a tremendous regional draw to go along with it. Dale Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, et al. don't have their own "home" track which would be filled primarily with their own fans.

I was trying to think of an equivalent, hypothetical situation for the NFL but can't really come up with one. Closest I could think of would be 16 Pro Bowl games played in each of the stadiums for a season. But I don't think that's the example I was looking for.