Road Racing: will it ever reach NASCAR popularity?

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Oh please... don't join "close racing" and "crashes are spectacular" in the same sentence! They shouldn't be conjoined in talking about the best racing in known space. NEVER EVER should they be factors. I'm not going to say a race series is good (or even bad) because of crashes. Especially avoidable crashes aren't even exciting or smart. So don't give me that "just racin'" bull. Road racing doesn't need crashfests to be exciting. And if 99.99% of American race fans of all race love crashes to make racing exciting, then let me be that 0.01% bastard that rather not see or praise bigtime crashes.
 
Thank god road racing isn't at a level to where half the cars crash even BEFORE a restart even gets going. It's sooooooooo hard going in a straight line let alone right hand turns you know. You gotta have a lot of practice at that ****. :dopey: :rolleyes:
 
yes nascar is boring as hell to watch and yes most fans aparently watch just hoping to catch a good crash or pileup...
I wish nascar had more road races? i cant remember the last time i've ever seen them on a track with turns to the left and right.
 
NASCAR goes to Infineon and one other one. I remeber a few years ago they went to Japan to race on one of their courses. But the reason I don't mind watching NASCAR is because the racing action is pretty intense. There is a lot of passing, which makes for exciting action.

And as I said before, you aren't a true racing fan unless you can apperciate it all. Me I'm a drag racing fan, but many people hate drag racing.
 
BlazinXtreme
NASCAR goes to Infineon and one other one. I remeber a few years ago they went to Japan to race on one of their courses. But the reason I don't mind watching NASCAR is because the racing action is pretty intense. There is a lot of passing, which makes for exciting action.
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Yeah, that's when it's on the other side of the spectrum, most entertaining... because you get to watch the idiots catch big air and then head straight into a wall 40 feet off track. :dopey: Better stick with them right handers, them left turns are tricky. :lol: :rolleyes:

BlazinXtreme
And as I said before, you aren't a true racing fan unless you can apperciate it all. Me I'm a drag racing fan, but many people hate drag racing.
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damn... I guess I just have too high of standards :dunce:
 
NASCAR goes to the state of New York to race at Watkins Glen. I think this is the boost Jeff Gordon needs to place higher in the Chase for the Cup. J. Gordon once won five consectutive road races. Then too, NASCAR racers race the Daytona Prototypes and stuff at times. If America's most popular motorsport is what it takes to boost road racing in America, then so be it.

As a side note, if Jeff Gordon does well in endurance sportscar racing, I'd sure like to see him in either LMGT1 or MAYBE LMP1.
 
For me personally, road racing is a thing of skill and grace. The way professionals manipulate a machine around a road course, at or close to the machine's limit, leaves me in awe. I admire man's ability to be one with a machine, while driving at the limit, through a series of individually unique twists and turns. Unfortunatly, I don't agree that you must like all types of automotive racing. To me its not just the kind of courses that people race on, but also the machines that are being raced. To me, NASCAR is boring, both because of the oval tracks, and the race cars that use old technology. I respect other peoples' decisions to follow NASCAR, but it just isn't my cup of tea. I'm sorry, but I don't even like watching NASCAR when they race on a road course. This is because I know I could be watching more sophisticated machines on the exact same course. With a live rear axle, and boring bubble looks, the "NASCARs" just don't interest me. Maybe if they started a new series in NASCAR, where they started to incorporate the new RWD cars that the big 3 are selling in the showroom currently, using closer to STOCK cars. I'd watch it if they'd do it like they used to, with cars that are slightly modified from stock. I would find that much more interesting.
 
Do we honestly want road racing to become as popular as NASCAR? Do we really want a thousand TV shows that say basically the same thing over and over and over? Do we really want to see a bunch of puff pieces about some road racing driver hanging out with celebrities or doing a softball tournament? Do we really want road racing drivers to become as commercially-driven as NASCAR drivers, so much so that they become bland, politically-correct corporate robots? No, thank you.

Having said that, there is no reason why road racing can't become more popular in this country. What other series could boast about having a grid that includes Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Corvette, Viper, Aston Martin, etc.?

There are several things that need to be done in order to increase the popularity of sports car racing. First of all, we have to consolidate the sanctioning bodies. This alphabet soup of sanctioning bodies is doing no one any good. Second, I believe the GT classes are the way to go. The prototypes (ALMS and GARRA) have to go. GT racing is the way to go because: 1) Manufacturers want to race what they sell. 2) Casual fans know a Ferrari from a Porsche, but don't know a Dome from a Dallara from a Crawford and don't care. 3) Any team could buy a Viper or Corvette and compete, so if the factory teams pull out, the series doesn't collapse.

Have one series with a couple of GT classes on the best road circuits in North America. Have a combination of endurance and sprint races. Make the race cars closer to street versions (current GT2 rules would be great for all classes), but give the cars lots of horsepower and little grip, so they look fast. Develop and showcase the young American talent alongside the best from around the world. Make a festival out of the races. Do lots and lots of promotion in mainstream media outlets, promoting races and congratulating winners.

Really, there's no reason why road racing can't become at least the second most popular form of racing in America.
 
Mulsanne
Do we honestly want road racing to become as popular as NASCAR? Do we really want a thousand TV shows that say basically the same thing over and over and over? Do we really want to see a bunch of puff pieces about some road racing driver hanging out with celebrities or doing a softball tournament? Do we really want road racing drivers to become as commercially-driven as NASCAR drivers, so much so that they become bland, politically-correct corporate robots? No, thank you.

Having said that, there is no reason why road racing can't become more popular in this country. What other series could boast about having a grid that includes Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Corvette, Viper, Aston Martin, etc.?
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Duh... YES damn it!

Luckily only nascrap is gay enough to do something like that. :dopey:

Nah... damn it, I want to see some ****ty ass production car that I see everyday on the street. :rolleyes:

Mulsanne
Really, there's no reason why road racing can't become at least the second most popular form of racing in America.
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It's not already? What is then? :dopey: Oh yeah... dirt racing whooo... hoo.. I mean yehhhhawwww... :rolleyes:
 
THe only reason why NASCRAP is popular is because of the uber crashes, going around in circles for a kazillion laps is not entretainment. 💡 :rolleyes:
 
The secret( s ) of Nascar popularity ?

1 ) Brightly coloured cars that looks like the ones the average US citizen can see on the street ( with a lot more stickers of course )
Hey, that serie features only American cars, so it must be the best right ?

2) The yellow flag used when the slightest fly **** is droped on the track so that after 199 laps more than 50% of the field is only a few seconds apart.

3) The crashes , they even have a special word for it: the big one

4) Unsophisticated rules and strategy that the average joe can understand

5) Unsophisticated technology so the average spectator is not lost in a sea of technical details. He/she knows right from the beginning that all the cars are equals.

6) They race almost every week-end

7) The drivers respect the fans and are not locked in their ivory tower.


But I have to admit I really enjoy Nascar at Watkins Glen
 
I caught Nascrap highlights during a Champcar race. One guy bumped the car in front and then the other guy retaliated (clearly on a replay) and in the process took out an "innocent" car. :rolleyes: WHY!? WHY?! is this called racing!?!?

NasCrap = Stupidest

Champ/IRL = Stupid

BTCC = Stupid but funny entertaining

Trans AM = Slow

DTM = Dynamic

ALMS/LeMans = Hardcore

F1/WRC = Amazing (WRC traction wise)
 
Roo
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.
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Roo

You need to have Sky, Motors TV on channel 413 has coverage of the following


ALMS/LMES
BTCC (a lot more live races that ITV!)
Champ Car
NASCAR
V8 Supercars
DTM
Super GT (JGTC)
Lots of different rally series

Now thats just the regular major stuff, they also show a lot of the rounds of the British GT series (was watching the last round from Silverstone yesterday) and British F3.

Take a look Motors TV

Easily the best way to watch motorsport in the UK.

Regards

Scaff
 
I wouldn't call today's F1 parades amazing...

Now F1 from the late 70s - early 90s was amazing.

When want to see some real open-wheel racing, I'll take Champ Car (which races on airport tunways, ovals, road courses, and city streets) over F1 every time.

I also happen to love NASCAR as much as Champ Car. Nothing like seeing 43 cars go at it on road courses, short ovals, speedways, and superspeedways.
 
This past Saturday was racing at Bristol, or as it's more commonly called, "Thunder Valley." NASCAR's all about real racing, in terms of anything-goes action. So in case some of you non-Americans don't know about American short track racing, let me tell you.

In most "short track" events, they are mostly tracks under 1 mile. A whole lot of cars compete. Usually with short tracks, there are usually lots of cautions (like this past Saturday at Bristol) and hot tempers. The key to winning is usually to try to work on taking care of your car while not getting into big trouble. Your brakes are being overworked, and have to be cautious. Or for the rest of us- what's in this kind of racing for the road racing guy/girl?

Like I said, a lot needs to be done to completely convert most American fans into road racing fans. It's more like trying to convince American people that series like the English Premier League (for example) is real football. I hope I'm not offending anyone, but usually here in America we are more like taking foreign concepts and modifying them completely so that Americans will like it better. Then too, we like to have our own brand of things. Much like America has the NFL and Australia has Australian Rules Football (some good action, don't get me wrong). I don't know. It just means a lot to try to actually bring viewers to the TV to see great road racing and perhaps make it the most dominant brand of racing in America. Amid this off-topic talk, road racing can be more accepted among the mainstream, but it will take some work. Only thing I can probably see happen is if NASCAR and IRL stars compete in bigtime races. Hey, if that's what it takes, so be it.
 
Biased turkey: "7) The drivers respect the fans and are not locked in their ivory tower."

This is one of the biggest misconceptions NASCAR has going for it. That statement may have been true ten years ago, but today you have to be a CEO in order to get anywhere near the drivers at the track. It's almost as bad as Bernie's paddock fortresses.


My thought is, why try to "convert" the NASCAR faithful when there are so many more people out there that we could bring in? If road racing were to unite under one sanctioning body and come up with one set of easy-to-follow classes (ditching the "prototypes" and focusing on GTs is the best option, IMHO), then we could bring in so many new fans. These are the Volvo or BMW driving, upper-middle-class people who have discretionary income, who are technically savvy (most, if not all using computers and technology at work) and care for more European things.
 

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