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Watching Daytona 500,I still don't get the attraction.

ruready4somefootball

ruready4somefootball

Heisman Winner
Nov 10, 2003
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I'm retired now, so I don't mine wasting a little time, and I decided to give it an honest attempt at viewing, because a couple of guys I used to work with, love the sport. I still don't see how they can draw 150,000 fans to see the red neck merry go round,lol. Sure, it's dangerous,fast, and the drivers have to have a pretty big set to go 190 mph with another car a few inches away from you. I get all that. To spend 3 hours waiting basically for the last 3 or 4 laps is beyond my attention span. Watching 4 guys change tires real fast to me is a waste of time,I'd rather they be working at Pep Boys so I could get on with my day faster. Talk about global warming,how much pollution do these events cause..
 
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ruready4somefootball said:
I'm retired now, so I don't mine wasting a little time, and I decided to give it an honest attempt at viewing, because a couple of guys I used to work with, love the sport. I still don't see how they can draw 150,000 fans to see the red neck merry go round,lol. Sure, it's dangerous,fast, and the drivers have to have a pretty big set to go 190 mph with another car a few inches away from you. I get all that. To spend 3 hours waiting basically for the last 3 or 4 laps is beyond my attention span. Watching 4 guys change tires real fast to me is a waste of time,I'd rather they be working at Pep Boys so I could get on with my day faster. Talk about global warming,how much pollution do these events cause..
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Go to a Race, Like anything else there's nothing like being there. It is an exciting sports event to witness. I go just for the green flag starts, if ya ever go you'll know why.
 
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Been there, done that, and other than the "party" itself I found it as boring as I find it on TV. Much prefer Formula 1/Grand Prix style racing.
 
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Like a lot of "alternative" sports/competitions, the more you know, the more interesting it becomes. Learning to like different things sometimes takes an investment. You aren't just going to tune in to golf, auto racing, cycling, soccer, etc. and think WOW! that was so exciting. But if you want to get into it, you will find yourself appreciating it a lot more.

Also, if you want to give Nascar a try, start by watching some short track races. Watch Martinsville or Bristol. Races like Daytona, Talladega, and the other "super speedways" are all about top speed. More often than not, they are boring. It just so happened todays race wasn't...it was a really exciting finish.

Along the same vane, if you have a chance to go (and I have always said experiencing a race, once, should not be missed), go to Dover, Delaware. Do NOT go to Pocono. Pocono is an awful track to see live racing.
 
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AreYouNUTS said:
Been there, done that, and other than the "party" itself I found it as boring as I find it on TV. Much prefer Formula 1/Grand Prix style racing.
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I always find this interesting, as I am the exact opposite. I have tried real hard to like F1, but I just find it boring as hell. F1 is all about the cars, and once a particular maker makes a faster car, they win damn near every race, like Mercedes right now. Its all car. And while I get that they "don't just go in circles," I don't really find the road courses any more interesting when there are so few passes, and some tracks only have a couple areas you even can pass.

I like the bumping and passing
 
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Used to be a bit more interesting when the cars that they drove were actually made out of many parts of the cars that were in showrooms. Now the only things that many of them different from each other are the decals.
 
RUMBA-JK said:
Used to be a bit more interesting when the cars that they drove were actually made out of many parts of the cars that were in showrooms. Now the only things that many of them different from each other are the decals.
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Well that's important. Once you learn a little more about the sport, you'll come to realize that some of those decals are worth another ten to twelve horsepower.
 
ruready4somefootball said:
I'm retired now, so I don't mine wasting a little time, and I decided to give it an honest attempt at viewing, because a couple of guys I used to work with, love the sport. I still don't see how they can draw 150,000 fans to see the red neck merry go round,lol. Sure, it's dangerous,fast, and the drivers have to have a pretty big set to go 190 mph with another car a few inches away from you. I get all that. To spend 3 hours waiting basically for the last 3 or 4 laps is beyond my attention span. Watching 4 guys change tires real fast to me is a waste of time,I'd rather they be working at Pep Boys so I could get on with my day faster. Talk about global warming,how much pollution do these events cause..
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Lol....I've driven past Dover SW and Daytona SW. That the closest ill get to a Nascar race. MLB can't start soon enough
 
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There is an audience for everythong. Curling will one day take over the land.. My geeky 13 year old nephew is into competitive Pokemon competitions. You would not believe the attendance.
 
Is the driver from Talladega Nights in this race ? That guy was awesome !
 
As bagarocks said, go to a race before you criticize. Its kinda like how ice hockey is much better live, but NASCAR is way more intense on your senses. The rumble through your body and overhwelming sound during a restart, the mixed smell of cars spitting out exhaust and rubber tires and fuel are like nothing you ever experienced before.

And for those who say they just go round and round, yeah its true. But each time I just kept laughing inside thinking wow, these are some crazy f@$&ers to be going that fast that close to another car.

Not for everyone, I get it, but check it out you may like it.
 
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The finish was exciting, but I found it funny that they drove 500 miles to make their move the last 1/2 mile,lol. Out of 42 cars, the top 15 were within 1 second of each other,please, there was basically no change for 3 hours!
 
If there's one track That I would say go to It would be Charlotte. Fantastic mile and a half track, best track I've been to. With all the garages or complexes of the Race car owners within an hour of the track.
Pocono I like, yea ya don't see the whole track but its a fun place to experience Nascar.
 
I'm not a fan - but, until you've actually watched it live, it's hard to make a real call on it. Take some time in the near future and go to Poconos, Delaware or Bristol. My company once sponsored a car (huge waste of $ if you ask me - but whatever) - you get a totally different perspective when you see this stuff live - or go over several days - there's actually a lot of strategy in fine tuning the car and the qualifying - the sound, the smell, the way you feel the noise shaking the ground - all things you miss on tv.

Not defending it - but there really is a whole culture to this thing... I agree, at times - it seems like a huge waste of time until the final 3 laps-- but how is that different than basketball where nothing really matters until the final 90 seconds?
 
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Like any sport if you don't have a rooting interest than its going to suck. I loved Nascar when I was a Rusty fan bit not so much after.

I was rooting for Truex Jr as he is NJ boy and I used to play golf with his dad
 
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Agree with the OP...redneck merry-go-round...[roll]
 
ruready4somefootball said:
The finish was exciting, but I found it funny that they drove 500 miles to make their move the last 1/2 mile,lol. Out of 42 cars, the top 15 were within 1 second of each other,please, there was basically no change for 3 hours!
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Part of the interest in racing (and this is really true of any racing) is that if you are paying attention, you will know who has the fastest car and who is faster than who. Often, for one reason or another (crashes, pit stops), that guy won't be in the lead. So its really exciting trying to watch that guy reclaim the lead as the race winds down, and watching the guy with the slower car try to hold him off.

Earnhardt Jr. had one of the best cars today. He was in 4th when he wrecked with 30 laps to go. The guy who won today was in 4th place 2 laps from the end. The guy who was in the led today with 2 laps to go nearly wrecked his car trying to block the eventual winner.
 
ruready4somefootball said:
The finish was exciting, but I found it funny that they drove 500 miles to make their move the last 1/2 mile,lol. Out of 42 cars, the top 15 were within 1 second of each other,please, there was basically no change for 3 hours!
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I find it funny that you had to use bold letters to make a crappy point
 
And Michigan State waited until the last 48 seconds to score the winning touchdown against Rutgers. And why did Indiana and RU have to score over 100 combined points just so we could kick a FG and win by just 3 in the last 1 seconds? And baseball you could sit there for 3 hours watching guys hit a ball with a stick and run around for 6-8 seconds every 5 minutes at times. And at the end the score could be 1-0. Exciting.
 
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I refuse to watch these incredibly bigoted events - I can't believe they're allowed to discriminate against professional drivers who are good at right turns.
 
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Have never watched one race on tv. Have been to 5 Nascar races in person. A nice time. You check out the cars, pits, memoribilia trucks, get a little food and watch the end of the race. For me it's an outing not a passion.
 
used to love NASCAR... when restrictor plates came in.. it kinda lost it's touch.. and now that Jeff Gordon is retired.. well i'm out

now it's all race for the chase.. bull$hit... just race to win.. no point crap
 
mal359 said:
Pocono is a blast, Cabbagehead.
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Sure. Don't disagree. But it sucks for watching a race. What other tracks have you been to?

I have fun at Pocono, and Pocono is actually pretty cool for a super speedway because of Turn 2, bu my point is, if you want to check out Sprint CUp for the first time, absolutely, PLEASE do not go to Pocono. Go down to Delaware. The difference is night and day. Dover is probably one of the best tracks to see a race, and it is right here.
 
Ole Cabbagehead said:
Sure. Don't disagree. But it sucks for watching a race. What other tracks have you been to?

I have fun at Pocono, and Pocono is actually pretty cool for a super speedway because of Turn 2, bu my point is, if you want to check out Sprint CUp for the first time, absolutely, PLEASE do not go to Pocono. Go down to Delaware. The difference is night and day. Dover is probably one of the best tracks to see a race, and it is right here.
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Dover, Pocono, NJMP for ARCA, and NHMS. I might go to Bristol this summer.

You're right about Dover.
 
I live in the area some of the year...it pumps Millions into the local economy....happy for that
attended once(mostly for a free BBQ promotion)
its a right winger ho-down
once was enough
 
I've been to Pocono, Dover, and NHMS around here, and after going to Daytona, it's like comparing Cowboys Stadium to your local high school football stadium. The experience, the amenities, the viewing angles, the race action, the whole Sprint Zone in the infield for the pre race, it's really incredible.
 
NASCAR is interesting in that they being their season with their version of "Super Bowl." Who watches any races after this one? The season will go on till November and unless someone gets run over for being stupid or dies in a crash, this sport is dead for most of us.
 
I never had any interest in any racing until I went to a NASCAR race at Pocono. I absolutely went nuts for it. People told me if I loved it there,go see a race in Delaware. That was it, I became a huge fan for life. Haven't seen a race at Bristol,but stopped on the way to the Birmingham bowl. A security guard let me walk along the track for a few minutes. The place is AWESOME !!!
 
WhiteBus said:
Like any sport if you don't have a rooting interest than its going to suck. I loved Nascar when I was a Rusty fan bit not so much after.

I was rooting for Truex Jr as he is NJ boy and I used to play golf with his dad
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His dad was quite a racer as well. Used to watch them both race modifieds at Wall Stadium. Which, by the way, is an excellent, low cost/minimal time investment way to see if live racing will appeal to you. Warm summer night, cooler full of beer and subs, couple of buddies, good times.
 
ruready4somefootball said:
I'm retired now, so I don't mine wasting a little time, and I decided to give it an honest attempt at viewing, because a couple of guys I used to work with, love the sport. I still don't see how they can draw 150,000 fans to see the red neck merry go round,lol. Sure, it's dangerous,fast, and the drivers have to have a pretty big set to go 190 mph with another car a few inches away from you. I get all that. To spend 3 hours waiting basically for the last 3 or 4 laps is beyond my attention span. Watching 4 guys change tires real fast to me is a waste of time,I'd rather they be working at Pep Boys so I could get on with my day faster. Talk about global warming,how much pollution do these events cause..
Click to expand...
Everyone is waiting for the next big wreck. Even the drivers agree is the reason for watching the race according to Darrel Waltrip
 
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