Who among us does not like Nascar?

Most importantly, why?<

I should actually respond to this too.

Basically, it goes like this; throughout the history of racing, team owners have looked for ways to make money in ways other than merely the race purse. After all, there's no guarantee of winning, and no guarantee of getting paid. Unless you scratch someone's business on the side of the car. There's always been sponsorship in motorsport; whether it be factory teams at Le Mans or Indy, or some car dealership on the Beach in Daytona, to Craig Breedlove's Spirit of America having a Shell symbol emblazoned on the side. The Winston Cup and other major sponsors were the first to enter around the 70s (Pepsi, Levi Garrett, Budweiser, Wrangler, etc), and the number and types of sponsors has changed as the sport moved outside of its traditional southeastern US roots to a national audience.

The management of NASCAR itself also tries to cater to its audience, which is, for all intensive purposes, the Red State America (TM). Taking points away from a driver for cursing on national TV isn't a whole lot different than being threatened with banishment from the game for complaining about referees, so really its not NASCAR that has itself changed; its everything. Hell, ever watch Premier League? I have a strange hankering to get a wireless deal with Vodafone, all of a sudden...

Does Juan Pablo Montoya count?

I don't think it's out of line to say that people watch football for the big hits and hockey for the hits and fights too (or else ESPN has been completely wrong for 20 years). Basketball and baseball are low-contact/no-contact sports, so people watch for the big thrill there - a monster dunk or a monster home-run (also: bench-clearing brawls). The majority of people watching a sport, any sport, don't know much about it - they aren't hardcore, into the sport for its pure essence, etc..

Notice that the more weight he gains, the worse he does. By the time he hits 250, he'll be racing for Minardi.

Eep!

There's a huge difference, as I pointed out above. You can fine Jeff Van Gundy all you want, but his punishment won't actually affect the points earned during the game. It's not like Dwayne Wade can earn a technical foul for saying "shit" on camera, after the game.

This difference is what makes NASCAR seem so candy-assed.

using these shots as an example, I wouldn't say fat *yet*. But maybe by Malaysia.

I'd say telling him that if he does it again he'll be removed from the sport permanently is being slightly harsher than knocking off 20 points in an individual sport.

I wonder if something like this has ever affected tennis or cycling?

Was your point that F1 is physically demanding? I don't doubt that, but isn't the main reason why there aren't (m)any fat drivers that a car with less weight in it goes faster?
Racing around in an oval, making only left, banked, soft turns is lame.

Not interested, sorry.
Don't give a shit about wrestling, either.
-- The Sensational Sulk

I also tend to tie these things together, assuming you mean WWF or whatever fake wrestling is called now. Of course that's not to say they're equivalent, whereas racing is a sport that doesn't interest me but I can respect on some level, etc. etc. I just imagine there is a significant overlap in the audience/culture that, again, probably repulses me more than it really should.

I'm a big sports fan and participant, but it's hard for me to appreciate the athletic factor involved in motor sports, and I find the spectacle of NASCAR to be both dehumanizing and dull. The comment upthread about "corporate logos going around in a circle" pretty much sums up my experience of trying to sit through a televised race. It's sport devoid of personality and athleticism, with the emphasis instead on equipment and finance, the two aspects I find least interesting.

In an abstract sense, I guess, you can tell there's a human operating the machine and appreciate the skill of the driver, but you can't see and viscerally experience what he or she's doing. I know people who are really good at video games, or who can operate a drill press with great skill, but I don't find it entertaining to watch them do it.

DING DING DING! All of ILX to thread! Seriously? "Repulsed?" It's just a bunch of cars going around in a circle.

I bet there is a significant overlap of people that "hate" the WWF but, like, totally LOVE Mexican wrestling because it's just so CAMPY!

Don't like it? Don't watch it. hat0rz.

It's like that Chappelle skit: when you pass someone on the freeway you just yell "Gordon!"

It most certainly is. Its basically like running a marathon. NASCAR is fairly demanding as well. Oh sure, there's some 50 years olds out there too, but people play hockey till they're 45.

>No way!! Is each race seriously just left-turns and straightaways for hundreds of laps? Unbelievable. They ought to make a companion "bagging groceries" game, where if you avoid crushing the tomatoes for eight hours straight they give you a raise.<

NASCAR sim racing is a huge deal. Papyrus' sims have a cult around them (as do the related Grand Prix Legends and Indycar Racing series of games). Its actually pretty damn entertaining. Then again, I think RPGs are complete wastes of time, so what do I know?

Some threads on Ilx have one of these too, don't they?

-- Amateur(ist) (amateurist@gmail.com), May 31st, 2005.

they take a big dose of claritin before the race.

My thoughts/questions were always about the more obvious and icky bodily functions.

-- milozauckerman (wooderso...), May 31st, 2005.

but actually that's something I've wondered about all sports. Surely there's been a time when the quarterback just suddenly has to go with 3:15 on the clock down by 7.

-- milozauckerman (wooderso...), May 31st, 2005.

all athletes are secretly CYBORGS

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/?qid=20071119084732AA963dD

jesus christ somebody get the fucking tubgirl out of here I had managed not to see that for 8 fucking years on the internet fuck fuck fuck

Same here :(

nice going gabbneb >:[

hahahahahahahhaha so awesome. I forgot you started this thread gabberz.

http://www.citycynic.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/nascarlateshow9.JPG

Still a candy-assed "sport".

http://www.citycynic.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/nascarlateshow3.JPG

I got your useful right here.

Have you ever been to a race?

Yes. The Crown Royal Presents The Jim Stewart 400 and the Ford 400.

What is it like?

Very commercial and decadent. It has a bread & circus/GTA/low-budget/post-apocalyptic ambience. It's pretty great if you know the story lines and rent a scanner.

The air is horrible. It's a blend of burning rubber, evaporating gasoline, beer and dodgy festival food.

The tailgating areas and the Circus of Merchandise surrounding the track are like a "Warriors"-type gangbang/pow-wow with all the fans and their dogs decked out in their team's stuff. There is great hipster/Bipster fashion.

The fans are really nice. They are so folksy and Southern.

Are some tracks better than others?

Yes. Fan favorites are probably Darlington a/k/a the "Lady in Black" a/k/a the "Track Too Tough To Tame," Bristol and the restrictor plate tracks, Talladega and Daytona. The drivers seem to like Richmond.

Pocono is regarded perhaps as the most boring track a/k/a "The Triangle Too Tedious To Tolerate." There were a bunch of D-shaped ovals built around the same time that are called the Cookie Cutter Tracks

There are two road courses now, Sears Infineon in Sonoma and Watkins Glen. They also ran a Busch race on a Montreal road course last year. The road course races are very different and the teams sometimes sub road specialists for the usual oval track drivers.

(BTW, the "team" is actually the team running the car. The driver is really only one member of the team. Alan C. is OTM re: the athleticism involved in driving. The pit crew work is very physically challenging. Some pit crews include retired NFL players, college athletes, etc. doing the various roles.)

Do you have a favorite driver?

Yes. Martin Truex, Jr.

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http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/71717293.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF193875DCB1DD8387ABB8DAD4074B0FF60CCA40A659CEC4C8CB6

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Also, how did we get from simple "stock-car racing" to the corporate acronym/honorific?

We didn't. NASCAR is just one brand/sanctioning body for a particular stock car racing series. There are others.

NASCAR is fairly unique in that it is the only major sports acronym that can be pronounced as a word instead of pronouncing each letter.

It stands for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, in case you were wondering if cars were involved.

Is there something a little or more than a little creepy about how the image of the enterprise is manufactured, and the related restrictions placed upon the personalities?

No.

Most importantly, why?

Because Darrell Waltrip. Because aerodynamics and science. Because the running order banner at the top of the screen is nice and soothing, like the stock market ticker.

Because a lot of it is smart and funny. Williard's Garage gives star ratings to the invocations, flyovers and national anthems. The commercials are good. Because the organization is more committed to diversity than any other sport I can think of.

Even some New Yorkers like it:

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/08/14/nyregion/spitz600.jpg

is it pronounced NASS-CAR or NOZ-CAR?

The former.

Or unless you are, peut-être, Formula
"Un" crossover Jacques Villeneuve.

http://images.askmen.com/men/celeb_profiles_sports_60/67_jacques_villeneuve.jpg

or P. Carpentier? or, peut-etre, I. Vandebosch? maybe I should start a club with ES for graduates of my high school who like le nascar and a certain band. I could speculate about why Tony looks a tad uncomfortable there but I imagine there are numerous situations in which he would like that. poor Tony.

I had considered a Pocono venture for my first time, but perhaps instead I will make it to the Monster Mile in the fall? or, in an alternate universe, perhaps the TK 500 over Labor Day? I've sort of been in denial about the air, which could be a problem.

Martin Newsted, Jr., huh? a quiet, Northern boy. and well-improved this year. but what about that nice kasey kahne?

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races06/features/lipton-group.jpg

Tony Stewart won that race ^^^^, Watkins Glen, in ironic fashion. He is known for spinning people out. Watkins was one of the super-rare instances in which perfectionist Jeff Gordon had the race won, and he just beat himself. Tony had fast car all race long and cruised past Gordon on the last couple of laps. I don't think Tony looks uncomfortable. He is probably taunting the 24.

Kasey is all right. He is a logger's son from the Northwest. The ladies sure love him and he makes funny commercials. I like Dodge but the 9 had a bad car for most of 2007. Of the Evernham drivers, I prefer Elliott Sadler. He has a charming and bizarre Virginia accent.

Fontana in the fall would be okay. Last year at Fontana there was a live seal in a tub in the corporate village. If you know Fontana, you will understand that this is ridiculous.

Pocono has a reputation for rain delay. If you go to Dover, try to get a view from the enclosed walkway that goes over part of the track.

Any of them would be unique and interesting. They appreciate your business.