Explain NASCAR to me please
Discussion
vrooom said:
Trying hard to remember how exactly I first got interested in NASCAR. I think it was from sitting up late of a Saturday night when ITV used to show delayed highlights. I can remember seeing Richard Petty's huge Daytona crash, so presumably 1988 or thereabouts, which would've made me 14. Think they used to show CART as well. Sounds daft, but the thing that always fascinated me was that each car had its own livery. For someone raised on F1 from about 1982, that seemed exotic somehow. I tend to dip in and out of the oval races now, but the road courses are always a must watch for me. There's that tradition of the "road course ringer" that always appealed. Like I said before, actually find the Nationwide level more interesting, as it has that mix of up and coming drivers, those slightly past their prime but still pretty capable and those pulling double duty.
Interesting thing about the 'road course ringer' is that I can't remember one winning a race. Not for years anyway. Montoya does well on the road courses. Boris Said is a perennial.ringer who always flatters to deceive. Ex Aussie V8 champ Marcus Ambrose has won a NASCAR race on a road course and lost another by switching off his engine mid caution while leading to save fuel only to be unable to restart. But, regulars such as Johnson, Gordon, Edwards & Stewart excel at turning right too.
Crafty_ said:
^ The fuel was in the fuel lines.
NASCAR mandated the size of the tank, but they didn't mandate the size or length of the fuel lines. So, as it was a grey area he took advantage and installed far more fuel line that was much wider than required, this meant the car could hold more fuel, which meant another lap or two before stopping.
When it was found it was thrown out, Smokey protested, asking where in the rule book it said he couldn't do what he'd done. It didn't wash, the car was still deemed illegal.
I`ve seen a story where the roll cage was used as fuel lines!!! Some of the rule fiddling stories in the old days are hilarious and part of NASCAR folk law. NASCAR mandated the size of the tank, but they didn't mandate the size or length of the fuel lines. So, as it was a grey area he took advantage and installed far more fuel line that was much wider than required, this meant the car could hold more fuel, which meant another lap or two before stopping.
When it was found it was thrown out, Smokey protested, asking where in the rule book it said he couldn't do what he'd done. It didn't wash, the car was still deemed illegal.
I've been enjoying NASCAR for the last year - and went to Homestead-Miami to see the final race of the season
It was absolutely brilliant - atmosphere etc. was great - and costs are aimed at the working man unlike Formula 1.
A commemorative program (20+ glossy pages) and 1/64 model - £8 !!
If you love things American the food served at the races is great too - nothing better than a pulled pork roll and a cold bud...
Once you understand the rules, and if you appreciate the more down to earth approach to motor racing - you will love it
http://s243.photobucket.com/albums/ff57/samares/Miami%202012/?action=view¤t=MVI_1276.mp4 The sound of V8 (from my crappy camera)
Dean.
It was absolutely brilliant - atmosphere etc. was great - and costs are aimed at the working man unlike Formula 1.
A commemorative program (20+ glossy pages) and 1/64 model - £8 !!
If you love things American the food served at the races is great too - nothing better than a pulled pork roll and a cold bud...
Once you understand the rules, and if you appreciate the more down to earth approach to motor racing - you will love it
http://s243.photobucket.com/albums/ff57/samares/Miami%202012/?action=view¤t=MVI_1276.mp4 The sound of V8 (from my crappy camera)
Dean.
JontyR said:
Some facts I have read...not sure if true or not.
Each major team has a different chassis tuned to each track on the circuit.
The wheels are different sizes on each side to allow for the banking.
Since the most recent revision of the COT about four or five years back the cars are a lot less track specific (Daytona and Talladega excepted) and the same car might be used on multiple tracks in a season.Each major team has a different chassis tuned to each track on the circuit.
The wheels are different sizes on each side to allow for the banking.
Pretty sure the wheels are the same size but the tyres are different diameters (called the "stagger") on ovals.
Blib said:
Interesting thing about the 'road course ringer' is that I can't remember one winning a race. Not for years anyway. Montoya does well on the road courses. Boris Said is a perennial.ringer who always flatters to deceive. Ex Aussie V8 champ Marcus Ambrose has won a NASCAR race on a road course and lost another by switching off his engine mid caution while leading to save fuel only to be unable to restart. But, regulars such as Johnson, Gordon, Edwards & Stewart excel at turning right too.
Boris Said has won in Nationwide, but you're right, I can't recall people like Ron Fellows ever winning. Ambrose has done very well indeed and it will be interesting to see if any more V8SC drivers make the switch, as the two series aren't exactly poles apart.
No problems, I've only really been watching properly the last few years, so its just what I've picked up along the way.
Gratuitous pic of "the good ole days", just because. #43 Was Richard Petty's race number, his team still run the number today, he has a long association with STP Motor Oils, so almost all of his cars ran in blue/red livery.
I have no info on this car, probably a replica, but I think I need it in my garage!
Some trivia:
Burnouts after winning a race are permitted, well, pretty much mandatory actually
Either doing donuts or driving the up to a wall and just flooring it until the tyres pop.
About 20 years ago there was an owner/driver called Alan Kulwicki, he entered what is now Sprint Cup (called Winston Cup at the time) in 1986 with no sponsor, an old racecar and a borrowed pickup to haul it. He struggled to make ends meet, but he was there "living the dream" as they'd say. As always fans were drawn in by his underdog spirit.
In 1992 he won the championship. His party piece upon winning was to do the victory lap around the track the wrong way, it became known as the Polish victory lap.
Tragically Kulwicki never got the chance to defend his title, he was killed in an aircraft crash in early 1993, but the legend lives on. Brad Keselowski (also of Polish descent) has made Polish victory laps. In 2011 Tony Stewart also did it when he won the championship, the first owner/driver to do so since Kulwicki some 19 years earlier.
There are lots of drivers in todays NASCAR and frankly I don't know that much about most of them, but a few names to keep an eye on:
Brad Keselowski - 2012 Sprint Cup champion, driving the #2 car for Penske. He owns his own truck team. Brad got a bad rep when he moved up to Sprint Cup, an ongoing feud with Carl Edwards saw lots of incidents, one resulting in Edwards being launched in to the catch fence. Critics called him "krashalotski", eventually the incidents calmed down. In 2012 he broke his leg in a testing accident at Road Atlanta. He was soon back in the car though and a string of race wins followed, he seemed to come of age.
This year he just got better and better, it was a close battle in the chase with Jimmie Johnson but Brad pulled it off. He's a prolific twitter user (@keselowski), worth following. With his winnings he wants to buy a tank and when asked what he'd like to do next replied "Well I've always wanted to date someone famous" and then said he's got a pretty big crush on Jennifer Love Hewitt...
Jimmie Johnson - drives the #48 for Hendrick. The only thing this guy does wrong is win too much, he won 5 championships in a row 2006-2010, the only driver ever to do it in NASCAR history. He's a damm good driver and with crew chief Chad Knaus makes for a seriously formidable opponent. He and Knaus work extremely well together, they just seem to be on the money with annoyingly regularity.
Dale Earnhardt Jr - drives the #88 for Hendrick. Sometimes known as little E he is the perennial favourite of most fans. To be honest in the last few years he's not had much success, he won in Michigan this year after 143 races without a win.
Tony Stewart - drives the #14 for Stewart Haas Racing. Tony is x1 Indycar champion and x3 sprint cup champion, he basically lives to race. I read somewhere he's done 95 races this year.. NASCAR, dirt track, midgets - he's always in something. He owns a dirt track called Eldora Speedway in Ohio. He's got the nickname Smoke, initially because he'd spin up the tyres on the exit of corners, then in Indycar he had a habit of blowing engines. He's got a pretty dry sense of humour and has been known to screw with interviewers who ask humdrum questions. After Talladega in May this year he gave some interviews : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UjbugjIAxc Some journalists just didn't understand, those that know Tony had a quiet chuckle to themselves.
The 2011 Championship that he won showed some great ability. He got in to the chase, but hadn't actually won a race all year. As team owner he decided a change was needed, so sacked his crew chief Darian Grubb, but they agreed to see the year out. The chase started and they won the first few races. Into the final race there was just a 3 point gap between him and Carl Edwards, in the press conference Edwards was doing the schmoozy PR bit, Stewart was asked what he'd do for the title, "Anything, I'd wreck my mom for a championship" was the reply
I think he meant it too !
In the final race he needed to lead a lap, lead the most laps and win the race to get the championship.. early on he had to make a couple of very early pit stops due to debris damaging the grille, he was 40th (out of 43) and a lap down. On the radio he calmly said "They're all gonna look stupid when we win this". And thats exactly what he did, making 76 passes to do so. Awesome.
Kyle Busch - Drives the #18 for Joe Gibbs Racing. He's got his own truck/nationwide team. Talented, a bit harded headed sometimes. Some people will tell you they've never seen people that can drive a car like he can. I'm not really sure if its bad luck or maybe a lack of smart thinking but he doesn't always get the results. Last year in trucks Ron Hornaday hit his truck, it was a clumsy move but not intentional, typical feeder series stuff. For whatever reason Busch saw red and wrecked the other truck, very uncool. He very nearly lost his Sprint Cup seat over that, in the end Joe Gibbs managed to appease sponsors and agreed with NASCAR who "parked" (banned) Busch for the next weekend from all races.
Kurt Busch - Kyles older brother. Where do we start with Kurt ? first of all he has won a championship, so he can drive ok.. but over the last few years he's had serious anger management issues, the guy just goes bats
t crazy.
At the end of 2011 he was caught giving journalists a pretty foul mouthed tirade of abuse that was unwarranted. It wasn't the first time either. NASCAR sees that sort of behaviour as damaging the image of the sport and will penalise anyone who does so. In the end team owner Roger Penske decided he'd had enough and fired him. This year he drove the #51 for Phoenix Racing and the #78 for Furniture Row racing. The issues and outbursts have become less common, but they still happen.. just check youtube but keep in mind they are NSFW!
Carl Edwards - drives the #99 for Rousch Fenway racing. As mentioned had a feud with Keselowski a few years ago. Nearly won the 2011 championship. He's savvy, pretty smart and incredibly good in front of the camera - PR mans dream. Known for doing back flips off of the car as a victory celebration. He's had a miserable 2012.
Trevor Bayne - drives the #21 for Woods. Only runs a partial schedule due to money, which is pretty sad - Woods is the oldest team still in NASCAR, these boys have been around since the 50s. Bayne is the stereotypical clean cut kid and I think has the talent to make it. Again he's a PR mans dream. He drives in nationwide too. Pulled off a huge feat at winning the 2011 Daytona 500 at his first attempt, he is the youngest driver ever to win the race at 20 years and 1 day old. Later in 2011 he contracted an illness that was eventually found to be Lyme Disease - he missed several races and there were even concerns over eyesight and mobility at one point. He's fully recovered now and will run a full time Nationwide schedule alongside a part time schedule with Woods in cup.
Maybe some of the other guys can chip in with the drivers that they follow ?
Gratuitous pic of "the good ole days", just because. #43 Was Richard Petty's race number, his team still run the number today, he has a long association with STP Motor Oils, so almost all of his cars ran in blue/red livery.
I have no info on this car, probably a replica, but I think I need it in my garage!
Some trivia:
Burnouts after winning a race are permitted, well, pretty much mandatory actually
Either doing donuts or driving the up to a wall and just flooring it until the tyres pop. About 20 years ago there was an owner/driver called Alan Kulwicki, he entered what is now Sprint Cup (called Winston Cup at the time) in 1986 with no sponsor, an old racecar and a borrowed pickup to haul it. He struggled to make ends meet, but he was there "living the dream" as they'd say. As always fans were drawn in by his underdog spirit.
In 1992 he won the championship. His party piece upon winning was to do the victory lap around the track the wrong way, it became known as the Polish victory lap.
Tragically Kulwicki never got the chance to defend his title, he was killed in an aircraft crash in early 1993, but the legend lives on. Brad Keselowski (also of Polish descent) has made Polish victory laps. In 2011 Tony Stewart also did it when he won the championship, the first owner/driver to do so since Kulwicki some 19 years earlier.
There are lots of drivers in todays NASCAR and frankly I don't know that much about most of them, but a few names to keep an eye on:
Brad Keselowski - 2012 Sprint Cup champion, driving the #2 car for Penske. He owns his own truck team. Brad got a bad rep when he moved up to Sprint Cup, an ongoing feud with Carl Edwards saw lots of incidents, one resulting in Edwards being launched in to the catch fence. Critics called him "krashalotski", eventually the incidents calmed down. In 2012 he broke his leg in a testing accident at Road Atlanta. He was soon back in the car though and a string of race wins followed, he seemed to come of age.
This year he just got better and better, it was a close battle in the chase with Jimmie Johnson but Brad pulled it off. He's a prolific twitter user (@keselowski), worth following. With his winnings he wants to buy a tank and when asked what he'd like to do next replied "Well I've always wanted to date someone famous" and then said he's got a pretty big crush on Jennifer Love Hewitt...
Jimmie Johnson - drives the #48 for Hendrick. The only thing this guy does wrong is win too much, he won 5 championships in a row 2006-2010, the only driver ever to do it in NASCAR history. He's a damm good driver and with crew chief Chad Knaus makes for a seriously formidable opponent. He and Knaus work extremely well together, they just seem to be on the money with annoyingly regularity.
Dale Earnhardt Jr - drives the #88 for Hendrick. Sometimes known as little E he is the perennial favourite of most fans. To be honest in the last few years he's not had much success, he won in Michigan this year after 143 races without a win.
Tony Stewart - drives the #14 for Stewart Haas Racing. Tony is x1 Indycar champion and x3 sprint cup champion, he basically lives to race. I read somewhere he's done 95 races this year.. NASCAR, dirt track, midgets - he's always in something. He owns a dirt track called Eldora Speedway in Ohio. He's got the nickname Smoke, initially because he'd spin up the tyres on the exit of corners, then in Indycar he had a habit of blowing engines. He's got a pretty dry sense of humour and has been known to screw with interviewers who ask humdrum questions. After Talladega in May this year he gave some interviews : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UjbugjIAxc Some journalists just didn't understand, those that know Tony had a quiet chuckle to themselves.
The 2011 Championship that he won showed some great ability. He got in to the chase, but hadn't actually won a race all year. As team owner he decided a change was needed, so sacked his crew chief Darian Grubb, but they agreed to see the year out. The chase started and they won the first few races. Into the final race there was just a 3 point gap between him and Carl Edwards, in the press conference Edwards was doing the schmoozy PR bit, Stewart was asked what he'd do for the title, "Anything, I'd wreck my mom for a championship" was the reply
I think he meant it too !In the final race he needed to lead a lap, lead the most laps and win the race to get the championship.. early on he had to make a couple of very early pit stops due to debris damaging the grille, he was 40th (out of 43) and a lap down. On the radio he calmly said "They're all gonna look stupid when we win this". And thats exactly what he did, making 76 passes to do so. Awesome.
Kyle Busch - Drives the #18 for Joe Gibbs Racing. He's got his own truck/nationwide team. Talented, a bit harded headed sometimes. Some people will tell you they've never seen people that can drive a car like he can. I'm not really sure if its bad luck or maybe a lack of smart thinking but he doesn't always get the results. Last year in trucks Ron Hornaday hit his truck, it was a clumsy move but not intentional, typical feeder series stuff. For whatever reason Busch saw red and wrecked the other truck, very uncool. He very nearly lost his Sprint Cup seat over that, in the end Joe Gibbs managed to appease sponsors and agreed with NASCAR who "parked" (banned) Busch for the next weekend from all races.
Kurt Busch - Kyles older brother. Where do we start with Kurt ? first of all he has won a championship, so he can drive ok.. but over the last few years he's had serious anger management issues, the guy just goes bats
t crazy. At the end of 2011 he was caught giving journalists a pretty foul mouthed tirade of abuse that was unwarranted. It wasn't the first time either. NASCAR sees that sort of behaviour as damaging the image of the sport and will penalise anyone who does so. In the end team owner Roger Penske decided he'd had enough and fired him. This year he drove the #51 for Phoenix Racing and the #78 for Furniture Row racing. The issues and outbursts have become less common, but they still happen.. just check youtube but keep in mind they are NSFW!
Carl Edwards - drives the #99 for Rousch Fenway racing. As mentioned had a feud with Keselowski a few years ago. Nearly won the 2011 championship. He's savvy, pretty smart and incredibly good in front of the camera - PR mans dream. Known for doing back flips off of the car as a victory celebration. He's had a miserable 2012.
Trevor Bayne - drives the #21 for Woods. Only runs a partial schedule due to money, which is pretty sad - Woods is the oldest team still in NASCAR, these boys have been around since the 50s. Bayne is the stereotypical clean cut kid and I think has the talent to make it. Again he's a PR mans dream. He drives in nationwide too. Pulled off a huge feat at winning the 2011 Daytona 500 at his first attempt, he is the youngest driver ever to win the race at 20 years and 1 day old. Later in 2011 he contracted an illness that was eventually found to be Lyme Disease - he missed several races and there were even concerns over eyesight and mobility at one point. He's fully recovered now and will run a full time Nationwide schedule alongside a part time schedule with Woods in cup.
Maybe some of the other guys can chip in with the drivers that they follow ?
Edited by Crafty_ on Friday 14th December 17:26
Edited by Crafty_ on Sunday 23 December 19:01
I’ve become rather fond of NASCAR. Started watching the Busch Series on Motors TV, found that entertaining, then watched Cup full time from 2006. There is a level of excitement and raw emotion that you simply don’t see in other motorsports. A lot of the races are manipulated with cautions, I don’t care, that’s the way I like it.
If there’s no racing going on, “debris” cautions mysteriously get thrown. But it’s better to foster than racing than to watch nothing happening. The double-file restarts have added a whole new intensity to the racing. When everything was single file, it was exciting. Now, the restarts are insane. They are sometimes four-wide when the pack reaches turn 1 – no other series has that craziness.
There have been exciting Cup races this year. Watkins Glen, Bristol night, Texas fall and Kansas fall were all superb races. Sadly, too many races were unusually strung-out with little happening. I think 2012 was an off-year.
However, the heavily revised cars for 2013 should see much better racing on the faster 1.5 mile “cookie cutter” tracks. The 2013 cars just look WAY better than the original Car of Tomorrow. The COT was an ugly blob – these new machines look like proper stock cars.
My favourite NASCAR racing is on short tracks. There is nothing like watching a 500 lap brawl around Martinsville or Bristol. If you’re so used to road course racing, there is some technique that is transferred to short tracks, like the heavy braking into turns. The payback and flared tempers at short tracks isn’t to be missed.
Cup Series is on Premier Sports (subscription), second-tier Nationwide is on Motors TV, and the third-tier Truck Series will be shown on Premier Sports in 2013 (a mix between of live and highlights for the Truck Series).
On a side note, the Nationwide Series is making its debut at Mid-Ohio, and the Truck Series is going back to road course racing at Mosport. These heavy beasts around these road courses should make for highly entertaining viewing. After all, just Youtube “NASCAR Montreal” for a glimpse of the crazy crap that happened when the Nationwide Series ran at Montreal between 2007 – 2012.
If there’s no racing going on, “debris” cautions mysteriously get thrown. But it’s better to foster than racing than to watch nothing happening. The double-file restarts have added a whole new intensity to the racing. When everything was single file, it was exciting. Now, the restarts are insane. They are sometimes four-wide when the pack reaches turn 1 – no other series has that craziness.
There have been exciting Cup races this year. Watkins Glen, Bristol night, Texas fall and Kansas fall were all superb races. Sadly, too many races were unusually strung-out with little happening. I think 2012 was an off-year.
However, the heavily revised cars for 2013 should see much better racing on the faster 1.5 mile “cookie cutter” tracks. The 2013 cars just look WAY better than the original Car of Tomorrow. The COT was an ugly blob – these new machines look like proper stock cars.
My favourite NASCAR racing is on short tracks. There is nothing like watching a 500 lap brawl around Martinsville or Bristol. If you’re so used to road course racing, there is some technique that is transferred to short tracks, like the heavy braking into turns. The payback and flared tempers at short tracks isn’t to be missed.
Cup Series is on Premier Sports (subscription), second-tier Nationwide is on Motors TV, and the third-tier Truck Series will be shown on Premier Sports in 2013 (a mix between of live and highlights for the Truck Series).
On a side note, the Nationwide Series is making its debut at Mid-Ohio, and the Truck Series is going back to road course racing at Mosport. These heavy beasts around these road courses should make for highly entertaining viewing. After all, just Youtube “NASCAR Montreal” for a glimpse of the crazy crap that happened when the Nationwide Series ran at Montreal between 2007 – 2012.
Juan Pablo Montoya. He entered the Cup Series full time in 2007, and won in his debut season at Sonoma. Since then, he made the “Chase” in 2009 and had a great season despite no wins. Since 2010, the Ganassi team has struggled badly for consistently, although Montoya won a great race against Marcos Ambrose at Watkins Glen.
I always what Montoya could do in a better team. He showed what results he could produce in 2009. He came painfully close to getting oval wins at Atlanta and Loudon, but narrowly missed out.
It remains to be seen whether Ganassi can improve for 2013 with a revised car and Hendrick engines, otherwise, it’s a waste of a hugely talented driver.
I always what Montoya could do in a better team. He showed what results he could produce in 2009. He came painfully close to getting oval wins at Atlanta and Loudon, but narrowly missed out.
It remains to be seen whether Ganassi can improve for 2013 with a revised car and Hendrick engines, otherwise, it’s a waste of a hugely talented driver.
The end of the Las Vegas race was superb, seeing Stewart and Johnson in a dual at the final restarts.
Jayski is an excellent site for NASCAR news, rumours and pictures: http://www.jayski.com/
Jayski is an excellent site for NASCAR news, rumours and pictures: http://www.jayski.com/
Life Saab Itch - you mentioned Bristol being on your "must see" list - oh yes, you must!
I would recommend that you get a deal through one of the hospitality companies like Raceaway. They get good seats and it's a good deal. You can buy cheaper tickets and do it all yourself. We went to Bristol in March 2010 with Raceaway, had seats in the lap of the gods (Earnhardt Terrace), were fed and watered as well as ferried to/from the circuit back to the hotel (which they organised), we had a Nationwide driver come and see us too.
Take up the offer of the scanner/headset. It's the loudest place on earth! Makes F1 seem like an electric car race!
Typical attendance is 145000 for the Spring Race. The August race used to sell out a year before, though in these days of strapped budgets, you can get last minute deals!
I would recommend that you get a deal through one of the hospitality companies like Raceaway. They get good seats and it's a good deal. You can buy cheaper tickets and do it all yourself. We went to Bristol in March 2010 with Raceaway, had seats in the lap of the gods (Earnhardt Terrace), were fed and watered as well as ferried to/from the circuit back to the hotel (which they organised), we had a Nationwide driver come and see us too.
Take up the offer of the scanner/headset. It's the loudest place on earth! Makes F1 seem like an electric car race!
Typical attendance is 145000 for the Spring Race. The August race used to sell out a year before, though in these days of strapped budgets, you can get last minute deals!
Few "close finishes" in the truck series :-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IvGNNXXD6M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOU_ESwaSEQ
Nationwide at Montreal :-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZZnwApcipA
Strangeness at Iowa :-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tonqUmFDcDA
Big boys at Watkins Glen :-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoLqfhgFj-w
Crafty mentioned Tony Stewart's sense of humour and interview fun and games :-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZlD3Op5fkQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IvGNNXXD6M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOU_ESwaSEQ
Nationwide at Montreal :-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZZnwApcipA
Strangeness at Iowa :-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tonqUmFDcDA
Big boys at Watkins Glen :-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoLqfhgFj-w
Crafty mentioned Tony Stewart's sense of humour and interview fun and games :-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZlD3Op5fkQ
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