Any Nascar fans

[fastcaterham]

Out of interest are there any nascar fans on here??

[blueST]

Yep. I'm there every Monday on Five US then Midweek Motorsport on Radio Le Man for a bit of light hearted quality analysis.

[absolutely]

I watch it now and again on SKY Sports.

I support Dario, thats the main reason and it is quite exciting watching it as a sport too!

[steve y]

yep big Nascar fan here wtch it every week (even endure the 2nd worst announcer after James Allen at the SKY studio to watch) big Tony Stewart fan

[fastcaterham]

Ahh so there are a few, always been into it but become really keen to the point of religiously watching every cup and nationwide race now. I was just surprised nobody seemed to have mentioned nascar at all on here.

[blueST]

I've watched it on and off for a few years but I don't have Sky so have to make do with the 1 hour highlights. I took more of an interest since I started to listen to Midweek Motorsport on the web, they talk about NASCAR quite a bit, but from a european spectators perspective.

The best thing I've seen so far was the All Star race at Charlotte a few weeks ago. The one where the cars had the rear axles about a foot out of line with the front so it looked like they were going everywhere sideways. Apparently NASCAR had to tell the teams to stop doing it as they couldn't get the cars in the inspection ramps!

[fastcaterham]

BlueST - Tell you what some of my mates do is watch it stremed on sky sports website. Apparantly all you need is a sky customer code or something like that so I'm sure you could just ask your mates and somebody would be willing to tell you theirs to use!
The all star race was one of the best so far, I can see pocono this weekend being a bit boring though I hope I'm proved wrong!

[blueST]

fastcaterham said:

BlueST - Tell you what some of my mates do is watch it stremed on sky sports website. Apparantly all you need is a sky customer code or something like that so I'm sure you could just ask your mates and somebody would be willing to tell you theirs to use!
The all star race was one of the best so far, I can see pocono this weekend being a bit boring though I hope I'm proved wrong!

Just had a quick look. Unfortunately it's not be. The Sky customer has to be someone who has Sky Sports, and subcribes to multiroom. The real nail in the coffin for me is that it wont run on my Mac, PC only.

Thanks for the tip anyway

[thunderbelmont]

fastcaterham said:

Ahh so there are a few, always been into it but become really keen to the point of religiously watching every cup and nationwide race now. I was just surprised nobody seemed to have mentioned nascar at all on here.

Give us a chance.... (to mention it on here).

There appears to be a lot of interest in the UK and Europe, but other than a couple attempts to run something like it over here ASCAR has all but died (I know, I race in it), and CAMSO is rumbling on in Belgium (it's based on a 1/4mile oval at Warneton, hardly NASCAR, but American stock cars just the same), it's never really got off the ground properly. What it needs is for NASCAR themselves to come over and do it properly. Then it's a case of getting people's heads around it.
There's a French guy trying to create something called the All Stars V8 Cup, but that keeps changing direction and I just don't think it'll happen.
Jochen Mass tried to create something called ASCE, but that failed (wanted too much money!).

ASCAR could revive if there was enough interest from people to buy/run cars that already exist (over 30 in the UK). The cars are closer to CoT under the skin, as they're designed to do everything from short ovals to superspeedways AND road courses. We're all working getting out on road courses right now (as we have no oval dates at Rockingham). I've driven one around Cadwell Park, and it was great fun! A very capable road course chassis indeed!

[blueST]

I did see ASCAR in the very early days (maybe before their first season?). They did some demo runs at Rockingham when they held the Coys Festival there a few years. What other circuits do they run on? I don't know of any other ovals in the UK except the small ones used for traditional british stock car racing.

Rockingham is a very impressive venue, but it seems to me like it was too much too soon. We could do with a few small/medium sized venues. Do you think Rockingham is just too big for the events it is holding? I got the impression that unless it was packed out, the atmosphere would be a bit lacking, which puts people off going back. But it's a long time since I was there. If they could somehow convince NASCAR to brng a Cup race, like they do to Japan..... What about the prospect of either a double eader with that place in Germany of alternate between the two. Maybe it was built around the time of Mansell in Indycar and if that level of interest in US racing had been maintained, maybe things would have been different.

The other barrier is getting new fans. For something that on the surface appears simple (and boring to many), oval racing takes quite a long time to get your head around. The frequent cautions bore the uninitiated. I now know that Daytona is as different from Charlotte as Spa is from Monza, but to the European layman they're all the same. The cars all look the same but they are probably just as different as a McLaren from a Ferrari under the skin. With the growing trend of foreign and single seater drivers in NASCAR maybe Lewis will retire there in a few years and give the casual fan a reason to take notice.

Edited by blueST on Sunday 8th June 14:42

Edited by blueST on Sunday 8th June 14:43

[entropy]

NASCAR in the UK?

A pipe dream. Would love to see it but it would never work.

Our best weather is the summer and that's the middle of a hectic NASCAR schedule - which is hectic enough as it is.

Shame about the V8s but I enjoy seeing the Pickup trucks at the Rock. Very similar to watching a plate race - close competition and quite a bit of bump drafting!

What you really need is the F3s persuaded to run the oval.

Mansell did great things for Indycar but you've got to hand it to Gil de Ferran and the Brazillian boys, not to mention Dario Franchitti and Dan Weldon (I know he didn't race F3) for sticking two fingers up at Europe and made a go of it in America and oval racing.

[scubiedoo]

blueST said:

I did see ASCAR in the very early days (maybe before their first season?). They did some demo runs at Rockingham when they held the Coys Festival there a few years. What other circuits do they run on? I don't know of any other ovals in the UK except the small ones used for traditional british stock car racing.

The cars have been changed to their road course spec, and are running at Brands indy (15th June & October 25th, 25th), Snetterton (august bank Holiday and Nov 1st & 2nd) Pembury (6th 7th Sept) Mallory full circuit (28th September). There is also going to be a demonstration pitstop challenge at the farnborough Air show.
Unfortunately no Ovals this year, we are hoping to get some rounds back at Rockingham next year.
I'll be racing one at Brands for the first time.

[blueST]

Is there any oval racing at Rockingham these days?

[satchbot]

Fan here!

[thunderbelmont]

blueST said:

Is there any oval racing at Rockingham these days?

Only the 2L bumblebee Pickup Trucks.

We (ASCAR) got stabbed in the back last year and were not given any dates for 2008.

If I put in some earplugs, wear my best ear defenders plugged into a loud radio listening to Radio Local, I can watch the PickUps, otherwise, they give me a headache. Love the racing, great close racing, but hate the farty noise.

[fastcaterham]

I've never actually been to an ascar race as rockingham was the other side of the country to me although I'm planning on going to the pembrey meeting later in the year. I can sort of understand why Rockingham never really took off along with having a rough idea of all the politics involved from reading posts on ten tenths I think but you thunderbelmont but can't quite understand why the current v8 series isn't more popular. Surely the budget to run them isn't that much compared to a lot of club series now all the big money names and teams have gone and If there are around 30 cars in the UK it seems mad people arn't using them. I'd love to race one but currently my budget only allows me to stick to karting although out of interest why does nobody rent drives in the series? Surely that could increase numbers albeit only in the short term.
Also thunderbelmont why don't you like CAMSO, I've been tempted to go over and have a go on one of their drive days and stay to watch a race but but I'd be interested to hear why you don't like it?

[thunderbelmont]

fastcaterham said:

I've never actually been to an ascar race as rockingham was the other side of the country to me although I'm planning on going to the pembrey meeting later in the year. I can sort of understand why Rockingham never really took off along with having a rough idea of all the politics involved from reading posts on ten tenths I think but you thunderbelmont but can't quite understand why the current v8 series isn't more popular. Surely the budget to run them isn't that much compared to a lot of club series now all the big money names and teams have gone and If there are around 30 cars in the UK it seems mad people arn't using them. I'd love to race one but currently my budget only allows me to stick to karting although out of interest why does nobody rent drives in the series? Surely that could increase numbers albeit only in the short term.
Also thunderbelmont why don't you like CAMSO, I've been tempted to go over and have a go on one of their drive days and stay to watch a race but but I'd be interested to hear why you don't like it?

We know reasons why it's not more popular:

1. Very late announcement of dates - most people had already committed to whatever they're doing.
2. The dates are generally rubbish. The BRSCC threw the VSR's a bone to give them another chance to revive. The last to dates were given my MSVR who have been very supportive. We joined forces with the VSR's in Feb because the BRSCC wouldn't give us any dates at all.
3. Lots of "2001" stories of the cars not working very well on road courses, since nobody had tried one since 2001.
4. The BIG one - MONEY, or the misconception that you need a BGT/BTCC budget to run one. They're not cheap, but they're far from expensive to run.
5. National A licence required
6. They're big and intimidating

If you want to buy a drive - you need a Nat A - talk to Colin White at CWS, or Duane Kidd at Revolution Racing. A lot less than you'd think!

Now CAMSO....
I gather you are aware of what it is. Short Track offset chassis "Late Model" cars (crate motor V8's - 2 speed gearboxes, etc..) running up to 16 cars at a time on the 1/4mile oval at Warneton, Belgium.

If I wanted to race on a 1/4mile oval, I'd go to Northampton - it's only 45mins away, not the other side of the channel. If I wanted to race a V8 on a 1/4mile oval, I can do Brisca F1, or V8Stocks, or similar for a lot less loot.

But I don't, and neither does anyone else in the series (want to do CAMSO with or without our cars). It has been mentioned, in fact discussed at some length, but the concensus is no, we don't want to do CAMSO. We want to do what we do. We would like to do some more rounds at Rockingham. The Mallory Mile is a possibility too, subject to a test and deciding that it's safe.

Still a long way to go this season. According to the two series co-ordinators (John Clarke for the VSR's, and Duane Kidd for the V8's) there are 18 entries for Brands next week, and that number may still grow.

Sadly, I won't be there as work has kept me away from my car, and it's nowhere near ready. Job has to come first.

[fastcaterham]

Fair enough thanks for the insight thunderbelmont and good luck getting your car ready for events later in the year!

[onomatopoeia]

fastcaterham said:

Out of interest are there any nascar fans on here??

Yep, watch both races each weekend (Nationwide on NASN, Cup on Sky), my preferred form of motor racing to watch these days. Pocono was a bit of a snoozefest to be honest but it often is. Most exciting move was the 31 and the 88 battling for 4th near the end of the race. Still, Infineon in a fortnight which is a load of fun as those cars are a triumph of horsepower over any kind of grip which tends to show up on conventional (non oval) racetracks.