Road Racing: will it ever reach NASCAR popularity?

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I've talked a lot about NASCAR in other threads, and would like to know if anybody thinks Road Racing can ever gain as much fan support as NASCAR (I'd like to think so :) ). Either with current racing series, or better yet, a new type of road racing. Brock Yates has writen a few articles considering new road racing cars, w/out all the downforce. They'd be either FR or MR, all w/ NA V8s and would compete together. He wrote that by keeping it simpler (like NASCAR) it would keep costs down, and make it more interesting. Perhaps a new racing series with these types of cars could bring more fans?
 
Considering that NASCAR is really only popular in one country while there are many many different motorsport series over the globe that can be called road racing, I would say there are far more road racing fans than there are NASCAR fans. You would only have to look as far as Formula 1 to see how popular road racing is.
 
I whole heartedly agree with you. Likewise, soccer (football) is the most popular sport in the world overall. Maybe I didn't say it, but I meant in the U.S. specifically. I'd like to see road racing reach the commercial success that NASCAR has.
 
Schrodes
Considering that NASCAR is really only popular in one country while there are many many different motorsport series over the globe that can be called road racing, I would say there are far more road racing fans than there are NASCAR fans. You would only have to look as far as Formula 1 to see how popular road racing is.
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yeah I was gonna say, you can't compare the two because one isn't even racing. :dopey:
 
I've heard the term, "NASCAR has the best racing in the world, and WRC has the best racers."
That came from a NASCAR driver, and I think I agree with him. I'm most certainly not a NASCAR fan by any means, but I understand where he's coming from. In a NASCAR race, pretty much anyone can win. Everything is so equalized, it's ridiculous. But that's what makes it so competative. NASCAR is popular because everyone, more or less, has a chance, and the cars are bruisers. It's not one tap, race over, like formula 1 or the other open wheel series.

I really don't know, though. I love road racing and I think it would be seriously popular if things were as competative as nascar.
 
In my opinion...

The NASCAR series is widely considered the best tin-top racing in the world, not only due to the closeness of racing but the crowds it manages to pull in. Asking any series of road racing to set up in the US and compete with that kind of institution is asking a hell of a lot.

NASCAR is crude and brutal - and that's what people generally like. While there are great feats of engineering that go on to get a NASCAR on the track, the crowd just see a roaring engine bolted inside a rollcage with panels attached so sponsors have somewhere to put their stickers (and a loose nut behind the wheel).

Open wheel racing, while popular, has always been a more technical sport. This means it will always alienate a part of the viewing public who don't fully understand all the aspects of the race.

Therefore the best way to compete with the NASCAR would be to look at the number 2 and 3 tin-top series from around the world; German DTM and Australian V8Supercars. Adapting one of these series to suit the American public would be the only way to give NASCAR a run for its money.

I think NASCAR is possibly too popular to be successfully challenged. It is a winning formula and only a major stuff up could see it loose its crown in the US.
 
Just FYI, NASCAR does have races on actual road courses. The most recent was held at none other than Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA.
 
Wait, wait, wait..."offroad driving"? That conjures up images of WRC...how does that apply to NASCAR? They always run on tarmac. O_o;
 
No not that off road driving obviously. but speaking of that the only skill they'd have compaired to WRC is to do donuts and even then at least WRC don't hit the wall in the process. :dopey::rolleyes:
 
You'd think that, and that's true of several of the drivers, but there are a surprising number of them with a lot of road racing experience. Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Scott Schumi (I think that was his last name) all come to mind. Especially Gordon; he DOMINATED at Infineon.
 
Nope sorry... nascrap drivers do nascrap because that's all they're good for. Look at Dale Earnart Jr. setting the corvette on fire, IN PRACTICE during ALMS. :dopey: :rolleyes:
 
Oh, come on, everybody has accidents. :sly: I'm afraid you're just going to have to see it to believe it, because I doubt I can say anything to convince you. I will tell you this, though-I'm actually NOT a NASCAR fan, but that Infineon race was one of the best races I've watched. 👍
 
VIPFREAK
Nope sorry... nascrap drivers do nascrap because that's all they're good for. Look at Dale Earnart Jr. setting the corvette on fire, IN PRACTICE during ALMS. :dopey: :rolleyes:
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Yes, let's blame the driver for the fire. Schumi (my favorite driver, so don't get on me ok) has had his cars catch on fire too.

BTW, you can always tell the good drivers because they always win the road course races. Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart come to mind...

BTW having been to both the USGP and the Coca-Cola 600, I have got to say both are really fun in different ways. I like NASCAR because it's accessible... I live not too far from Lowe's, but the USGP was a big adventure with over 25 hours of driving involved. I would love to go to another NASCAR race just as I would another Grand Prix.
 
I think when Leigh Diffey was really covering road racing events when he was a Speed Channel regular, he was on "WindTunnel with Dave Despain." I think when Mr. Despain asked the Australian about road racing's popularity in the States, I think Mr. Diffey said that it would be impossible for road racing to at or above NASCAR's fanbase. I don't think it's possible, even though I love the biggest road race in the world- the Le Mans 24 Hours.

In order for road racing to completely explode in America, millions of racing fans will have to find a way to be convinced that road racing is better than NASCAR. In the mainstream, you'll keep hearing of American racing fans loving things like your local Saturday night "short track" racing. America's love of racing is about as different as any other place. Europe has great series such as the British Touring Car Championship, Formula 3, GP Series, Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM), and even the Le Mans Endurance Series. In America, the majority of racing fans are into World of Outlaws, ASA, USAR Hooter's Pro Cup, Champ Car, Indy Cars, some like Formula One, and let's not forget NASCAR. We are just unique with our racing as much as Australia's wonderful Australian V8 Supercar Series. The majority of racing fans you'll see in America who like road racing are mostly the underground, non-mainstream types like on these message boards. In my message board experience, this is about the friendliest message board I've been on in which hating on NASCAR doesn't really get you into any trouble.

Somehow, NASCAR overshadows all kinds of racing in America and around the world. Some will say that the kind of sideways action on "dirt" tracks and close stock car race deals far exceed anything in Europe or Japan. In order for the fanbase to exceed or meet NASCAR's will take a lot of work. A WHOLE lot of work. I love the American Le Mans Series, as it's perhaps one of the best racing series attracting all sorts of talent around the world. Porsche's going to race later this year and full-time next year. Mazda got its first LMP2 win at Mid-Ohio. The ALMS won it all at Le Mans this year. Still, people would rather see NASCAR or something that's oval racing. To me, I'd rather watch the ALMS than Grand-Am, simply for the international appeal and tough challenge. Seemingly, more people would see Grand-Am or NASCAR. It will be tough to draw America to road racing.
 
Elegy
You'd think that, and that's true of several of the drivers, but there are a surprising number of them with a lot of road racing experience. Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Scott Schumi (I think that was his last name) all come to mind. Especially Gordon; he DOMINATED at Infineon.
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Jeff Gordon dominated? I didn't follow the whole race, but it would make sense that if any NASCAR driver would excel at road racing it would be him. However, I though I heard that his transmission had problems, same with one of his teammates. Forget about the differences in driver skill between NASCAR and the wide variety of road racing groups. It seems to me that the NASCAR cars themselves aren't made as robustly, to weather the task of road racing. Sure they can take hits from all sides from other cars, but their mechanical internals are not up to par with the REAL road racing machines.

In my experience, most NASCAR fans have little understanding of the challenges of road racing, or for vehicle dynamics. They understand horsepower, drag force, fuel, and tires. I'm not questioning the intelligence of people of this sort. I'm saying that I've experienced many people who just like the thrill of speed, and the kind of entertainment that NASCAR provides. Circle tracks are better for people who want to see the whole race from one seat in the stands, like going to any other sporting event, football, baseball, etc. Road racing is far more complex, you either enjoy the complexity, or you don't.
 
All I was saying earlier was that road racing may never reach NASCAR's fanbase. NASCAR's fanbase is even more incredible than any other motorsport, sometimes even many other American sports. As a fact, many more people usually fill up seats at a NASCAR event as opposed to an NFL game or even some college football stadiums like Neyland Stadium (Tennessee Volunteers) or Buckeye Stadium (THE Ohio State Buckeyes). To me, this is completely conditional. A whole lot would have to be done. You talk about that I didn't asnwer the question, well I'll make it clear in this post:

As of right now with the state of NASCAR vs. road racing in America: no, it will not overshadow NASCAR's fanbase.

If I talk more crap than answer simple questions, then I hope this post solves that problem.
 
I like Nascar and I like road racing but I don't think road racing will ever reach the popularity in the U.S. like it has in Europe and Japan.
 
356C
Jeff Gordon dominated? I didn't follow the whole race, but it would make sense that if any NASCAR driver would excel at road racing it would be him. However, I though I heard that his transmission had problems, same with one of his teammates. Forget about the differences in driver skill between NASCAR and the wide variety of road racing groups. It seems to me that the NASCAR cars themselves aren't made as robustly, to weather the task of road racing. Sure they can take hits from all sides from other cars, but their mechanical internals are not up to par with the REAL road racing machines.
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Actually NASCAR changed their gear rules this season. The cars could no longer run in overdrive like they did in previous seasons. So all the teams had to build new transmissions with new gear ratios. Hendrick Motorsports (Jeff Gordon's team) had trouble with their new transmissions in the race.
 
As for road racing's popularity in the US...

F1 used to be popular back in the late 70s/early 80s when they held 2 - 3 races in the US.

CART/IndyCar (before the split) was also popular in the 80s/early 90s. CART/Indy Car even gave F1 a run for its money (worldwide) back then.
 
passing in a roadcourse= u gotta earn it
turning left for 1000 laps=zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
also, shouldntbe wrc or alms can be called stock racing since they have more similiarities with their real stock counterpart, as for nascar i cant even see working head/taillights or wipers.....

i would watch more nascar if they add more roadcourse to their schedule. luv to see those bricks roadracing.
 
How stock is an ALMS car? I've never seen an Audi R8 in my high street, or a Panoz in a Tesco car park. Nascar doesn't have working lights or wipers because they don't need them. The tracks are genrally small enough to be fully lit by those huge stadium light gantry things, and Nascar never runs in the rain, so why bother putting them on the car?

We don't get much Nascar coverage over here, although I do enjoy watching it. There's no DTM or Aussie V8 coverage at all (I'm not aware of it if there is) which is a shame. My favourite tintop racing is the BTCC - probably still would be even if I knew more about DTM and the V8s. You can get away with a lot more bumping and paint trading in the BTCC than you can in Nascar, merely because in the BTCC you won't be doing more than 130mph anywhere (and only then on a long straight, or at Thruxton) whereas in Nascar, where they're nudging 200mph, a small contact can result in a big accident.

I doubt road racing will ever achieve Nascar levels of popularity in the US, because - as has already been mentioned - road racing is more complicated than driving in an oval in more or less identical cars. There's also a lot more cars on the Nascar grid - 43 - than on a road course (this year's BTCC only has a 14 car grid). "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" works for the Nascar manufactuerers, and it's easy to relate to a Taurus winning a race if you drive one than an open wheel car or an ALMS car.
 
True race fans can apperciate any kind of racing wheather its NASCAR or Champ Car. I personally can't stand watching any motorsports on TV since I get tired with any of it pretty quick, but I still follow all the racing action. I can tell you my favorite NASCAR team just as I can tell you my favorite ALMS team.

Racing is racing, it's all the same concept. If you hate one form how can you say you like the other. It's all the same concept. Drive fast to get to the head of the pack and cross the line first.

By the way since you never specified a year...here is a RWD Monte Carlo.

1983_Chevrolet_Monte_Carlo_SS.jpg
 
like i said, i like watching nascar on infineon and watkins glen. if they add more roadcourses, ill try to watch it too. the only oval i could watch is the craftsman truck series (i find it a little bit more entertaining than nextel cup)
 
On one version of "WindTunnel with Dave Despain," Mr. Despain announced the results of an FIA fan poll about what they want to see most in racing, and sure enough, it was about passing. I disagree and here's why.

People like to make the distinction that everything in racing is easy. Even when I raced against my brother's friends at Houston Indoor Kartzone locally, even I know that outside of Gran Turismo, racing is for real. It isn't just "put me in a car and win." I can't believe that "more emphasis on driver skill" got the lowest vote. Some of the best drivers turn left and right. And in the sense of Formula One, F1 cars aren't NASCAR stock cars. F1 cars are more fragile at speed. You **** up your car against someone else, you're likely out of the race.

That brings me to the road racing popularity question. Road racing is much different from ovals. Not every road course is Eldora, Daytona, or even Indianapolis' oval. Each road course is different from Lime Rock Park to the Nurburgring Nordschleife. Passing is tougher in road racing. Or as Jimmy Spencer once said:

(not exact quote) "If I were in charge of race tracks, I'd convert road courses into bomb-testing facilities!" -NASCAR Nextel Cup racer Jimmy Spencer, a.k.a. "Mr. Excitement"

Road racing is more technical, and to me, more fun. I even enjoy NASCAR road racing. To me, I think people who understand that racing isn't just four turns and three-wide racing, these are the people who really APPRECIATE racing for what it is, especially road racing. But then, maybe road racing has a distinct audience for a reason- because road racing is a completely different animal.
 
There are major problems with today's Formula 1 cars.

1) Too much dependence on aerodynamic grip. It's impossible for the trailing car to get good grip if it gets too close to the lead car.

2) Aero-grip is much more expensive to acheive than mechanical grip (which is why only Ferrari, McLaren-Mercedes and Renault have a shot at the Constructors title).

That's why today's F1 races are pretty much parades. Battles for the lead (on-track) rarely occurs. Lead changes only happen when the lead car crashes or suffers some mechanical failure.

That's why I prefer Champ Car over F1. The cars are much more equal and on-track passing isn't such a rare occurance.
 
I just want to dispel a common myth: Not all NASCAR superspeedway courses are the same. Some are perfect ovals, some are tri-ovals (triangles with rounded edges), one's nearly an actual triangle (Pocono, I think), and some are shaped like the letter "D". There's also a lot of differences between venues in terms of the banking angle in the turns. It's not really a substitute for the complexity of a road course, but these differences are enough to require serious changes in the way the drivers run the course.
 
Schrodes
Considering that NASCAR is really only popular in one country while there are many many different motorsport series over the globe that can be called road racing, I would say there are far more road racing fans than there are NASCAR fans. You would only have to look as far as Formula 1 to see how popular road racing is.
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Agreed, just because its popular in the US doesnt mean the rest of the world likes it.

That being said I think Indy, F1 and MotoGP are very popular around the world.

As far as just in the US i would have no clue as i dont live their, Id say indy would be the best bet of road racing becoming more popular than nascar, one reason nascar so popular is the close racing and one can come from 10th to 1st in onl 2 - 3 laps, plus the crashes are spectacular.
 

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