Only 52 1/2 hours until............The DAYtona 500!!!!!!!!!!!

[underpants]

http://www.daytonaintlspeedway.com/

WhoooooooooooooHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

My wife and I were practically ordered by friends of ours to come over and watch it.

The green flag drops at 2:00 PM

YeeeeeeeHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW

Our friends apparently are trying to convert us. I wouldn't bet on their success.

HOOOOOOOOOT DAMN!

[kick-ass-bob]

1. I just can't watch it. Bores me to death.

As much as golf.

And I'm from NC!!!

:wow:

[Justyce]

2. Isn't that the one where they

drive around in circles for hours? :boring: ;-)

[underpants]

3. I have been checking out some NASCAR message boards....

and it appears that the winning strategy this year will be -Drive fast, turn left.

You heard it here first.

[XNASA]

5. It might seem boring if you're not in tune to the nuances, I agree.

But there's a lot more to it than that.

[Red State Rebel]

24. NASCAR isn't just circles, it's personal - VERY personal

It's all about having a favorite driver to root for and watching for him, how he's doing, who is messing with him, etc.

It's almost like a soap opera on wheels.

[underpants]

35. An anecdotal story about that

My wife and I went to a party about a year and a half ago and it was nothing but NASCAR fans. Now these were NEW NASCAR fans not the salty oil stained old type fans (also they had all been cheerleaders in college-all of them it seemed) so this is an observation of that type racin' fan.

They didn't discuss particular races other than in general terms but they did discuss the personalities or personnas of the racers. It appeared to be all about images and the soap opera as you said. Our friends who we are watching the race with tomorrow were there and they jumped right in with the discussion. This seemed a bit odd to a "sports fan" like myself used to talking about strategies and particular plays or shots or at bats in particular games/matches and such.

BTW-the couple who invited us to watch tomorrow are #20 Tony Stewart (male) and #8 Jr. (female) fans.

Me? I don't really know I am just watching to be watching. This will be the second Daytona 500 I have ever watched all the way through-I forced myself to sit down and watch one a few years ago.

[Red State Rebel]

42. It's amazing the reasons some people pick a racer to cheer for

Women: he's cute!, Guys: he's tough!

I went to high school with Rusty and Mike Wallace so I've always cheered for them. I remember threatening to boycott Tide one year when Ricky Rudd was giving Rusty so much trouble :) Race fans are a breed of their own, thats for sure.

[jmowreader]

27. Racin's all about Pit Strategy

As goofy as it sounds, you win the race during your gas stops.

There are many elements to the fuel strategy. The most important: do you have enough of it? Needing to stop in the last few laps, when everyone else is out there running wide open, tends to make you lose races.

Did you get enough of the right kind of tires? Each team has two kinds of tires--stickers and scuffs. A scuffed tire has been bolted to the car and driven on for a few laps during practice to kinda wear it in; a sticker is a new tire with the factory sticker still on it. Some guys scuff half the tires they have and some just scuff a couple.

Did you make the right adjustments? A driver can't adjust his suspension while he's on the track, so it's possible to take a bad-handling race car and adjust it so it's worse--and he's got to stay out there for 50 laps or so and fight it.

Does your driver have enough ice? This is usually a concern in the summertime.

They televise the pit stops for a reason.

[kedrys]

38. Yeah, but where else can you see a 33-car pileup

and not be in the son of a bitch?

--George Carlin

[Red State Rebel]

4. Cannot wait!!!

I've been a race fan for over 30 years - I don't know what I'll do after Rusty retires this year.

[XNASA]

6. Mrs XNASA roots for Rusty too.

But I'm a #9 guy myself.

[underpants]

8. Awesome Bill from Dawsonville

Really, a NASCAR fan?

[XNASA]

11. I was a $1M Bill fan until he hung 'em up.

Now I cheer for his protege, Kasey Kahne.

But yes! I'm a NASCAR fan. I'm a car fan #1, but find NASCAR exciting. Though I must admit, I only like the superspeedways. I could care less about the road races or about short track.

There's a track not too far from where I live. Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet is only about 15 minutes away. Last year, my brother did the Richard Petty driving experience thing for his 40th BD. We all went out and sat in the pits and cheered him on. It was great.

[ScreamingMeemie]

15. Me too. I love doing things that go against even the pig headed

stereotypes here at DU. I love NASCAR. :hi: We used to get tickets to the Pit Terrace every year at MIS and it was a blast.

[XNASA]

16. You got that right.

It's impossible to be a Renaissance Man, or Women, when you're pigheaded.

:-)

[Zuni]

17. I with you on that

I may not be a Nascar fan, but I love going to gun shows and other displays of red neck culture

[underpants]

7. DAYTONA 500 NOTES Crash in qualifier shakes up Wallace

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2005/02/18/SPGSEBDOBN1.DTL

Daytona Beach, Fla. -- Rusty Wallace was caught up in the wreck that started when Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson got together in Thursday's second 150-mile qualifying race for Sunday's Daytona 500.

Wallace's car was destroyed. And it hurt: "The 7 car (Dave Blaney's) got in the back of me and got me up in the air, but it was just bad luck. That was a hard hit. It was probably as hard as I've been hit in my life.''

[Red State Rebel]

23. I saw the pics - yikes!

I hate that he'll have to start in a back up car, but Daytona is really an endurance race - if you can stay out of trouble in the beginning then it boils down to whose car can keep going that long.

I personally hate superspeedways - watching people draft instead of race sucks! My favorite track is Bristol - then Martinsville.

[x-g.o.p.er]

9. YYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHAAAAAAAAWWWWWW

I hope Jeff Gordon wins.

[guitar man]

10. NASCAR

Non
Athletic
Sport
Created
Around
Rednecks :)

[XNASA]

12. He said while proudly displaying his Gov't Mule avatar.

:shrug: :-)

[guitar man]

13. forgot this

<says the okie tongue in cheek>

[ScreamingMeemie]

14. I used to bet on Bobby LaBonte every year in our family pool. He won for

me one year too...big time. But, my aunt kept the tally and since she is gone no one has the heart to carry it on. I think it's an enjoyable sport. :hi:

[underpants]

18. 48 HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!

WeeeeeeeeeeHAW

[underpants]

20. 45 HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!

:bounce:

[gtp1976]

19. Honest question.

Have you ever met anyone who actually liked Robbie Gordon? :-)

[underpants]

21. Um no

But then I really don't know who Robbie Gordon is. :shrug:

[jmowreader]

25. Robby Gordon is a pain in the ass

AJ Foyt at least used to own a NASCAR team. AJ said Robby Gordon was a good driver but he needed to have an operation and get his tongue removed.

Robby Gordon has driven for just about every car owner in NASCAR and he's been fired by all of them.

[gtp1976]

28. It just broke my heart that he missed the 500. LOL

Plus, Jimmy Spencer wins, then loses his race just now. :-)

[jmowreader]

37. I like Jimmy Spencer, for some reason

Jimmy's one of the Old School of NASCAR--the drivers who'll give you the Chrome Horn if you look at 'em wrong. He's crude, rude and socially unacceptable.

I really enjoyed the commercials from when Chip Ganassi was just getting into NASCAR--he's been a CART owner for years, and he added some NASCAR stuff to his stable. At the end of the commercial, you'd see Ganassi's three Target drivers--two elegantly thin European men, and fat slobby Jimmy Spencer.

I think he'll do well in Trucks.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

22. Boogitty

Boogitty, Boogitty!!

[libnnc]

26. I love Mikey Waltrip

can't help it. just do.

[Melynn]

29. NASCAR is back. Thank God!!!!!

I can't wait for the green flag. GO Junior GO!!!!!:bounce:

[Nitrogenica]

31. Is Jr. a Democrat?

is this the biggest secret in NASCAR?

[Melynn]

32. He says that he is a Republican and voted for Bush.

But he also says that he went and saw F/911 to see another point of view. So that indicates that Junior has a some what of an open mind. So just give it time, if Junior has a open mind it will only be a matter before Bush's antics pushes him in the Democratic camp. Or so I hope.

[Nitrogenica]

30. Here's what we'll see at the end of the race.

[DU GrovelBot]

33. ## PLEASE DONATE TO DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND! ##

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This week is our first quarter 2005 fund drive. Democratic
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your support.

[shesemsmom]

34. SO>>>>>>>>

BHD

[underpants]

36. 28 HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:beer:

[peekaloo]

39. stinky news from Florida:

http://www.wmnf.org/programming/news.shtml?ReportId=1646



Will Fox televise the pre-race "festivities". Not meant to sully this thread but this story has generated a LOT of hostility in Florida.




I hope they get their asses kicked.

[underpants]

41. First-NASCAR can't like this--- Second-They get to fly a plane?

I see that this group is trying to encourage what has become a myth of the NEW NASCAR. That is sad that people might feel that it represents the whole crowd. Are there racist there? Of course they are everywhere and in different degrees but NASCAR is far too professionally managed to let this go on too much longer. If this does go on much longer it IS because NASCAR leadership is letting it. They completely control everything associated with the races and the racetrack (The Richmond track is living proof). This NExtel connection is the catapult to send NASCAR to the next level-they now can market to the kids as there is no tobacco association any more.

Okay here is the real question. How in the world does some small operation or anyone really get to fly a plane over a huge crowd like that in this day and age? Someone explain to me how this doesn't have the security people messing their drawers (okay they might go out to the airfield to make sure everything is on the up and up but seriously!!!).

This is embarassing to everyone involved.

[Red State Rebel]

43. The problem with this is...

If you push drivers just to show more racial equality in the sport then people can end up dead. Rubbing fenders at 200 mph is to risky to experiment with. I don't care who is racing out there as long as they aren't a danger to everyone else on the track.

[BlondieK143]

40. GO JUNIOR!

:loveya: