Who among us does not like Nascar?

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.

yeah, sweet tea is like $5 at these things.

yeah, sweet tea is like $5 at these things.

But it is GIGANTIC.

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2159456640&size=l

That's < sixteen cents an ounce.

Love the passion.

Must-read: ʝ@y§ki'5 §!LLЧ §ea§on

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 recall Gordon spinning of his own accord. I was sad for him, but I also find it hard not to like Tony.

Kasey is all right. He is a logger's son from the Northwest.

his hometown, less than an hour from Seattle, is the last you pass through before entering the forested/deforested Cascade foothills on one of the routes to Mt Rainier, and the farm fields to the immediate Northwest that lie on top of a giant old volcanic mudflow are of great picturesqueness, particularly in early morning hours

Of the Evernham drivers, I prefer Elliott Sadler. He has a charming and bizarre Virginia accent.

it is an interesting accent, isn't it. also, the inventor of rabbit release.

sounds kinky

That's rapid release, Elliott.

I occasionly watch NASCAR on TV. Never been to a race although I did attend an IRL race last year at the Mid-Ohio track. It was fantastic. Bring in as much beer and food as you can carry and sit on a hillside in the sun all day. Good times. I'll probably go to the AMerican LeMans series race there this summer which is my preferred choice of racing leagues.

i kind of liked mark martin. i always wondered how much shit he got for driving the viagra car.

it's kind of creepey how they work their corporate sponsors into every sentence they utter, tho

it's kind of creepey how they work their corporate sponsors into every sentence they utter, tho

it's a total dealbreaker, as far as watching NASCAR on TV

who among us does not like mark martin?

i forgot about that jayski site. will be useful going forward.

Rules Changes for 2008:

...

Pit Road: Teams can't roll tires back to the pit wall during a pit stop.

?????

Because Darrell Waltrip.

dw otm, if one of those despite-yourself likes for me. I am not looking forward to ESPN again on the back half of the season.

Outside tires that have been removed from a vehicle during a pit stop can no longer be free-rolled from the outside of the pit box to the wall. The tires must be hand-directed to the inner half of the pit box before being released.

It's a pit road safety measure.

Compare Ryan Newman's crew free-rolling the tire perfectly

with the 25 and Jimmie Johnson's crew doing it horribly.

Hand-directing is what Smoke's pit crew is doing in the upper right in the second video.

Some of the tire men kind of dribble the tires like a basketball. We'll see how they apply the new rule to that.

And for fun, here's a cake of Jeff Gordon hitting the wall at Pocono:

http://www.mattkenseth.com/FOTW/2007/06/Gordo20063.jpg

Dale Earnhardt was my favorite driver when I was little, back when he drove blue & gold.

I'm going to start calling you The Intimidator.

oic, i thought they were mandating that the right-side tire-changers stay in the outside of the box until the car left?!

And for fun, here's a cake of Jeff Gordon hitting the wall at Pocono:

;__;

I have started to notice racing jackets of the quasi-Mitchell&Ness sort on still-youthful men of the African-American persuasion lately. There's someone in my office building with a 24 jacket, and the other night I saw someone with the Gilliland M&M's in the subway.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/anneschroeder/0208/Revving_the_engines.html

Jimmie Johnson hanging out with Pelosi? Is he testifying or something?