In praise of Nascar fans....

[catnhatnh]

...sometimes on this sight I have seen the condemnation of Nascar fans.For whatever reason some posters here be they southern-averse or internal combustion-averse or merely sports-averse seem to find an echo of support for denigration from like minded souls.Lets take the denigrations one by one.
Is it a "Southern Sport"...no it started there.In the 50's that WAS the base, but with tracks in places like Michigan,Chicago, and Loudon (NH), with national coverage and crowds of up to a quarter million on site per race, I would argue it has grown past it's base.
Is it a waste of gasoline? The cars involved (43) average 5 to 6 miles per hour WHILE MAKING up to 850 Horsepower! Cheap math problem-43 cars times 500 miles divided by 6 miles per gallon=3584 gallons of gasoline-divided by 200,000 fans on site (not counting television viewers)= 2.29 oz of gasoline per fan...IE: enough to idle a standard vehicle for under 10 minutes.In short if you have IDLED your car outside a coffee shop more than twice this year while you picked up your morning fix, you have wasted MORE gasoline than I have for 2 Major Sporting events I have seen this year.
There is a community that takes easy shots at ALL forms of pro sports.They are relatively small but gain backers in each attack depending WHICH SPORT THEY ATTACK. I don't suppose I'll ever catch the thrill of lacrosse or even world cup soccer.Mark Twain called golf "a good walk spoiled".But instead of buying into stereotypes, I'd like to see DU posters say to themselves "to each, his own"...

[crispini]

1. Yes, but it makes for much less entertaining flame wars.

:evilgrin:

[graywarrior]

2. I have a friend in NH who is a Nascar fan and until last election

was a-political. Listening to me run my mouth about the Satan Bush tuned her into what was really going on. She and her husband ended up registering as democrats and voting for Kerry.

She also turned into a loudmouth Bush basher and until this day she cannot be shut up.

[Oeditpus Rex]

3. Cheap math?

Don't you mean "fuzzy math"?
On second thought, that ain't fuzzy. That sucker's a go-rilla. :spank:

[Search Party]

4. Thank you for this post,

I am a huge racing fan (not NASCAR, dirt track mostly) and DU does itself a huge disservice in slagging this group. Bush propaganda machine rolls into a NASCAR race and suddenly it's, "fucking redneck NASCAR idiots." I travel to 10-15 different tracks a year. Just like the rest of the country: Bush Haters, Bush Bots.

People are people are people.

[ohio_liberal]

41. I've been saying for months here...

There are plenty of NASCAR fans who vote for Dems. Just because the NASCAR sanctioning body is Republican doesn't mean all it's fans are. And really, if the fans were all Republican voters would George Bush really need to bring Pickles and AF1 to Daytona for a visit? Hell no, he's stumping for votes.

[Mr_Spock]

48. From my experience you're right, they are only like 75% Repuke

It's totally dominated by Repukes when I go the the track - patriotic platitudes over the PA system, reciting religious text, the announcer calling himself a redneck, flag waving dick heads everywhere. It's dominated by Bush voting rednacks - like it or not.

[catnhatnh]

51. Horseshit...

opening ceremonies aside.....you sing the nonsense I hate...

[Mr_Spock]

52. I had to live with it

I witnessed it. Are you calling me a liar?

[catnhatnh]

55. Nope

your perception is your own...Did it seem red....maybe,any race over 100,000 attended and all involved with opening ceremonies were how many???

[catnhatnh]

42. DAMN...

...Don't scew up my rant with FACTS that most don't know...Most here would NEVER get the relationship between nascar and seat belts...the fact that the most important safety improvement of the century came from these "drunken rum runners" would choke many..

[AirmensMom]

5. Don't forget the gas that the fans use to get there.

Make sure to figure in how long they sat idling while they were waiting to get in and how far they drove to get there. You'll come up with a bigger number that way.

[catnhatnh]

11. Bigger than say...

...A Patriots vs Buffalo game? Now multiply by (how many games) per weekend?

[AirmensMom]

43. Did you hear me sticking up for football?

[catnhatnh]

45. Yeah,but then...

...you have to say ALL non-emergency/replenishment trips are wasteful....and that alone will get you hammered..

[Mika]

29. Don't forget all of the testing laps, on and off season..

.. include the thousands of hours of motor testing, as well as the gas the crews burn to and from, as well as the fuel the corporate jets burn delivering the VP race fans, the track jet dryers, etc etc etc..

Yer #'s seem a little low, considering.


Anyway.. :hi:

[TlalocW]

6. I have no idea what you're talking about...

They average 5 to 6 miles per hour while making up to 850 horsepower? What does that mean?

TlalocW

[catnhatnh]

13. It means that FUEL ECONOMY is one of the most important factors...

...in racing.ANY crew chief in Nascar would cut off his left testicle to get a 1/4 mile per gallon lmprovement in fuel economy.You HAVE to enter the corner at nearly 200 miles per hour-but if you can do it AND save fuel you will win the championship...

[TlalocW]

17. Well, couldn't that extra 1/4 mile per gallon be made up

By reducing weight, which can be contributed to by cutting off the left testicle of the driver?

TlalocW

[moggie]

18. Very slow but very noisy race? n/t

[TlalocW]

19. Flaming tire goes into the stand...

Really, really slowly... Still manages to take out one guy too drunk to move.

TlalocW

[cynatnite]

7. I hate NASCAR

I hate racing in general. There seems to be no purpose to it other than some insane need to race a machine as fast as physics will allow. It's boring and repetitive.

It has nothing to do with politics. I think racing sucks. :P

[catnhatnh]

22. And you're welcome to hate it...

..the point is that many of us will have divertisments that most other find worthless/wasteful/stupid. But on the other hand, I don't criticize those whom dedicate themselves to cross-stitch/beanie baby commerce/australian rules football...on this site,Nascar takes a beating and is often used as a pejorative and as far as is possible within my powers I will resist this.

[rabbit2484]

26. Just as repetitive as any other sport

[Mr_Spock]

46. And we needed to know this...

why? }(

[meganmonkey]

8. I live in Nascar land right now

I guess the MIS is near where I live, because traffic got really crazy in my itty bitty town a few weeks back, and there were neighbors with signs that said 'Honk if you love Nascar' and people honked. Oh, did they honk...Oh gawd that drove me crazy.

But then I think about what the small towns used to think when Phish came to town with hundreds of dirty hippies camping everywhere and blaring music and getting wasted and I figure I can't complain.

:shrug:

Some of mistermonkey's family is waaaaay into it. I don't get it, but I am learning. Just like they don't get me, but they're learning.

[catnhatnh]

58. "Kay Megan...

Tell me about living near a race...which track is MIS?

[meganmonkey]

59. Michigan International Speedway

In Brooklyn, MI. It's about 10 miles away from my house, and the interstate is on the other side of my house. So a lot of people went right past on the way there...

On edit: There is a day care center about 1/4 mile from my house and the land around it (maybe 2 acres) was filled with RVs for several days. They were the ones with the 'honk if...' sign.

Other than the traffic it didn't really effect me.

[CBGLuthier]

9. It's just more of the same old South Bashing

That is a hobby for some at DU. Everything that seems connected to southerners is suspect. Hell, one guy even argued that cornbread sucks. :-)

I guess they all secretly believe Bill Clinton was born up north and only pretende to be Southern. No wait, that's someone else isn't it.

[mcscajun]

28. Cornbread sucks?!!? How *dare* he!?

I'm a born and bred Northeasterner, and I'm gonna tell ya' - cornbread - Good Cornbread - is Fantastic!

Definition of Good Cornbread: it's gotta have More Cornmeal in it than flour, period. Anything else is paste. :)

[MadHound]

10. I don't care whether or not a person likes NASCAR

Personally, I find it rather boring, and I'm a gearhead.

However I do find the waste of fuel rather obscene, and the pollution generated rather revolting. You do know that those cars out there are using 105+ LEADED octane don't you. Thus, the crowds surrounding the track are getting dumber and dumber with each and every event that they attend.

But hey, to each their own. All sports have the good and bad points. Golf puts massive amounts of pollutants and chemicals into the groundwater. Football is nothing more than Napoleonic warfare brought to a grid-iron. Etc. Etc. Ad nasuem.

The real obscenity I find about all major professional sports is the amount of money that is paid to atheletes, and the amount of money that floats around any major sporting event. Let's take some of those obscene amounts of money and spend on something other than a game. It is amazing that a grown man whose profession is to play a game for half a year makes more than teachers, who are entrusted with raising and socializing our children. A sure symptom that our society's priorities are out of whack.

[Oeditpus Rex]

14. I used to consider pro athletes' salaries

the biggest sports obscenity as well, but after I got hip to team owners shaking down local governments to build them new stadia, I relegated salaries to no. 2.

[AirmensMom]

16. I agree.

My daughter lives in NASCAR country. She says she knows people who have mortgaged their houses to buy race tickets. Now that's dumb!

:banghead:

[wuushew]

12. Chess or book reading are more noble pursuits

I look at this country a weep at what it calls civilization. I don't see the appeal of pollution, noise and nearly lethal levels of alcohol consumption.

Hey to each their own right?

[Search Party]

15. Quit generalizing,

I read books, I write poetry, I go to dirt track races, attend concerts, lectures, watch guilty pleasure t.v., ride mountain bikes, do volunteer work.

To each his own. Geeeeez, and we wonder why we lose elections? Writing groups of people off only one of the reasons.

[wuushew]

20. How does my white tower elitism effect Joe Smoe at the ballot box

Is he here reading my distaste for his hobby? Is this emotional issue going to make him forget about Iraq, the state of the economy or social security? If I have to censor myself for the sake of the others in politics is that anything to be proud of?

[QC]

21. Quite right, my good man!

These plebeian entertainments are most unseemly!

[catnhatnh]

25. Great, Oh Noble one....

...why can we not ALL be more like you? Oh yeah-it's a different philosophy that requires conformity, isn't it?Oh yeah, A lot of those authors who produce those books you seem to worship are driven to WHAT when they consider the human condition...Oh yeah-DRINKING

[firefox]

23. Watching a race is a good excuse to drink beer

I live near Charlotte and I always wondered why people would sit in the hot sun and burn themselves for any reason. Thank goodness they finally got around to night racing.

But there is a NASCAR mentality to a lot of people. It is their world just like soap operas are to some. It becomes their conversational currency and it is currency I do not accept just like talk of soap operas.

But, I accept people like what they like and so what. I just do not want to be bored with it.

[catnhatnh]

60. Let's take it by the paragraph

Para 1 has something to go with the past.
Para 2 involves how as nascar fans how stupid we are.
Para 3.BUT that's Okay....

[firefox]

24. dupe, self-delete

[Tikki]

27. Well, here ya go...

It's a NASCAR culture thing. War, Bush rah, rah....

I watch with the sound off.

Tikki

[Lugnut]

30. NASCAR fan here

:hi: We can't forget the PA tracks some of which have been in existence longer than I have. It's good to know that there are at least a few NASCAR fans here. :)

[Elwood P Dowd]

32. Yep, NASCAR has been racing at Pocono for over 30 years

and they pack in over 100,000 each race.

[catnhatnh]

37. Ah Bless ya...

...since you caused me to post this...I would like to see one poster with a math background compare the fuel usage to-oh, I dont know....how about the cost to run US1 down to New Orleans and environs 5 times in the last week...

[Elwood P Dowd]

31. John Kerry was at the NASCAR race in New Hampshire Sunday

I think he even participated in the pre-race driver's meeting. They race in Dover, Delaware this weekend. Will ole' Joe show up there?

You're right about NASCAR no longer being a southern sport. 100,000 show up at New Hampshire. 150,000 attend the races in Michigan. Over 250,000 go to Indianapolis. 8 of the top 10 drivers come from northern states or the west coast.

[Lugnut]

33. Also

There are currently more drivers from locations other than the South on the Cup series roster.

Good question about ole Joe. If he doesn't show up he'll be missing a great race. :)

[Ikonoklast]

36. One of the latest "concerns" about NASCAR

was from the southern fans and how much more widespread the demographic of race fans as well as drivers and team owners has become. They are afraid of losing their racing roots based in "southern culture". As NASCAR is now a huge enterprise and very lucrative, sponsors are all for a larger more geographically diverse audience; the spread north began many years ago, (Loudon, Pocono, Michigan, Watkins Glen) as well as the push west.

[ohio_liberal]

40. I love racing!!

NASCAR has the best drivers, but it's not the best of all racing series IMO. It's so sanitized now. :(

[ohio_liberal]

38. Ack! He was standing with Kurt Busch!

That did not help people like John Kerry :evilgrin:

[hippiegranny]

34. what's your point?

this looks like lounge material

[WilliamPitt]

35. How can anyone hate a sport whose main strategy is

"Drive fast, turn left"?

;)

[ohio_liberal]

39. There are road courses

;)

[DemReadingDU]

49. and open wheel racing

Grand Prix
CART
IRL

[catnhatnh]

56. Jesus William..

...I love your ass,but the main strategy is "drive 200 miles an hour and turn left" which takes it past our mainstream Walter Mitty dreams into a reality past high school dreams...the highset speed I've ever experienced (other than inflight) is about 140 on a bike.....picture the fastest you've ever gone....now picture doing that going into a corner..

[WilliamPitt]

61. I was kidding

I used to go to Lime Rock for the Memorial Day races when I was in high school. Saw Walter Payton race...and wreck. :)

[Mr_Spock]

44. Heck, I race and my hat says "NASCAR" on it

...but I am somewhat sick of all the rednecks here in NH who voted for Bush and love NASCAR. They practically had a mass service at the last track event I went to. "God Bless Amerka" and "I'm a redneck" (the announcer actually said this) "Let's say a prayer" etc... There was no end to the patriotic platitudes and preaching over the PA system. I just kept saying "SHUT THE FUCK UP!!".

I like racing, but don't you tell me there isn't a HUGE (or should I say HUGH!!!11) majority of the fans who aren't Bush votin' redneck morons - 'cause they are - been there, done that.

[Lugnut]

54. Maybe there are

I don't recall anybody saying there aren't any of your stereotypical "NASCAR fans" at races. Those of us who aren't are there too but I don't usually talk political ideology at the race track. :)

[catnhatnh]

57. Again I call horseshit...

....we VOTE blue and knowing your way around a V8 doesn't change that.What it really means for most race fans I can't say but for myself it means that at 14 I knew both how to overhaul a motor and that sometime it was more important not to overhaul a motor if a work stoppage was going on...My Dad whom you might perceive was a "motorhead" was also a union activist and you ought to bow to him,He worked on the ragged edge to help labor,and unless you belong to the "Higher Classes" you owe him something...one more "tool" that advanced labor...

[donheld]

47. We can't afford to alienate NASCAR dems

We need all the help we can get.

[OxQQme]

50. How about drag racing

There is a strong possibility that some of this racing technology trickles down to you and me. It would be interesting to see a hybrid class.

* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.

* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1-1/2 gallons of
nitromethane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the
same rate with 25% less energy being produced.

* A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to drive the dragster supercharger.

* With 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on
overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle.

* At the stoichiometric (stoichiometry: methodology and technology by
which quantities of reactants and products in chemical reactions are
determined) 17:1 air/fuel mixture for nitromethane the flame front
temperature measures 7050 degrees F.

* Nitromethane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.

* Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output
of an arc welder in each cylinder.

* Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After ½
way, the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow of exhaust
valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting
the fuel flow.

* If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.

* In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate
an average of over 4G's. In order to reach 200 mph well before
half-track, the launch acceleration approaches 8G's.

* Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have completed
reading this sentence.

* Top Fuel Engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to
light!

* Including the burnout the engine must only survive 900 revolutions
under load.

* The redline is actually quite high at 9500rpm.

* The Bottom Line; Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew
worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an
estimated $1,000.00 per second.

* The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.441 seconds for the quarter mile (10/05/03, Tony Schumacher). The top speed record is333.00 mph. (533 km/h) as measured over the last 66' of the run
(09/28/03 Doug Kalitta).

Putting all of this into perspective:

You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter "twin-turbo" powered
Corvette Z06. Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged
and ready to launch down a quarter mile strip as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line and past the dragster at anhonest 200 mph. The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment.

The dragster launches and starts after you. You keep your foot down
hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums
and within 3 seconds the dragster catches and passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter mile away from where you just passed him. Think about it, from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200 mph and not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1320 foot long race course.
__________________
All truth passes through three stages:
First, it is ridiculed;
Second, it is violently opposed; and
Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

[mitchum]

53. But it's still just watching billboards go around and around for 4 hours

but I don't understand spectators/fans of any sport :)
NASCAR is no worse than any other

[Blue_Tires]

62. it's just not real racing---that's my problem with it

for more realistic action, see F1, WRC, ALMS, any GT/Touring Car series, etc etc.

[eridani]

63. To me, car racing is a lot like bike racing--

--I can understand why people want to do it, but not why they want to watch it.