Why do so many people watch NASCAR?

[annabanana]

... for the crack-ups of course.

[UnrepentantUnitarian]

1. I think it may be all those "left turns."

(They're all closet liberals.)

[rzemanfl]

2. The same reason most of us are going to watch the debate

tonight.

[MarkInCA]

3. For a moment I wondered why you would ask that

Great comparison.

:thumbsup:

[Curtland1015]

4. To justify their mullet?

[chitty]

5. Acronym.............

Non Athletic Sport Centered Around Rednecks

[IntravenousDemilo]

6. Yes, they're hoping that someone will be killed. I've never quite understood it myself.

I figure a lot of the same people go "sport" hunting for the same sick, limbic-brain thrill of watching something die. And they'd probably bring popcorn to public executions if we still had them. Quite a culture of death we have here.

[Danmel]

7. Too see someone crash and burn

Kinda warped if you think about it
I think driving fast is like sex- doing it yourself is fun, watching other people do it is just tawdry

[DainBramaged]

49. No one crashes and burns any more. They have on-board fire bottles, BIG ones

so you FAIL.

[doc03]

8. Why do people slow down to see a auto accident?

[npk]

12. Because if you are driving too fast you can't get a good look at the wreck.

[opihimoimoi]

9. Hardly any thinking required??

[RoccoR5955]

21. YOU try driving a car at 150 or more MPH for three to four hours,

THEN tell me that there is no thinking or athletic skills involved.

[opihimoimoi]

29. The question was::: WHY do People WATCH......????

i wuz jus answering da question.....

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

34. You try body slamming Andre the Giant.

Professional wrestling is a highly athletic sport enjoyed by very intelligent people.

[olegramps]

78. You have to be kidding

Maybe in good health and dumb enough to go around in circles for three hours while a bunch of red-necks get stoned on beer. No wonder George likee NASCAR, it suited his mentality. I went to one race in my life and that was because we had a hospitality tent at the race which was held in Denver. The only thing that people wanted to do was to eat and get drunk. What a wasted day and wast of the company's money. I forgot, my brother and I went to watch the drag strip cars, now that is the pits. We left after an hour or so.

[iamthebandfanman]

10. heh, no clue

i think its pretty boring myself...

i kinda like to watch the last few laps...
but theres noway i could sit through 500

[WCGreen]

11. It's all about the Moonshine...

And to see just how many sponsors a man can plaster on himself and his car...

Up and coming star from Nashville, Tenn, Peter Goesinya, sponsored by Viagra...

[The Traveler]

13. Because there is art to it

Because that kind of driving does indeed involve a great deal of skill and near super human reflexes. You are strapped in behind hundreds of horses in 120 degree heat while being subjected to acceleration, deceleration, and vibration ... it is also surprising physically demanding.

Gran Prix and CART drivers are even more skilled ... those conditions require actual super human reflexes ... a recent article I read claimed that more people have been in space than behind the wheel of a Gran Prix class racer. I wonder if that is true ... it quite possibly is.

Add to that the sound of it. Ever been to a race? If you have, you know what I am talking about. If you haven't, you don't.

Finally, there is the craftsmanship that it takes to build up these cars and keep them racing. A lot of NASCAR fans are wrench turners of a sort ... ranging from folk who change their own oil to folk who build their own engines. And so they have an extra appreciation for the pit crews and mechanics, the race strategy that adjusts to degrading condition of tires and equipment, and all that stuff.

Me, I can't bear to watch NASCAR on TV. Christ, it bores me to tears. (And I'm one of the people that changes their own engines.) But actually going to a race is an entirely different experience. Not one I need to repeat a whole lot in my life ... I might never do it again. But glad I've done it a few times.

Not everybody's cup of tea ... but threads like this leave me wondering why people feel they just gotta thump on the NASCAR crowd?

Trav

[DainBramaged]

15. They do it because they just can't suck enough

:toast:

Having been to HUNDREDS of NHRA (as a PARTICIPANT) and NASCAR races, and hundreds of baseball games in my life, I'd rather sit and watch a race than watch football or baseball. And I get so sick of these folks who just like to throw shit against the wall and then run away and don't answer in the thread.

[WCGreen]

16. use to go to the local speedways and watch my buddy's race...

But when they had the NASCAR on the radio down Nashville way, I kinda said Huhhh...

[Curtland1015]

17. There's probably an art to putting babies on spikes too.

Weighting each baby in your hands. Judging wind and velocity. Tossing the baby JUST RIGHT so that it hits the spike head first. It would likely take YEARS of practice and dedication to become skilled at it. To learn the SCIENCE of "baby on spike tossing".

But that wouldn't make it any less stupid and unwatchable.

[quantass]

22. Now that my friend is absoultely HILARIOUS!!!

:rofl:

[The Traveler]

42. The same comment could be issued against ballet

And I like ballet. Go to the Atlanta ballet a lot more than I go to NASCAR.

Snarky comment. Guess communication is not your objective here. Peace.

Trav

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

54. Most people don't go to ballets for the crack-ups.

Just sayin'

[The Traveler]

69. Of course not ...

The broader point is this ... allow me to ramble a bit.

I loathe opera. It bores me to tears. I have a limited capacity for hiphop. I love heavy metal. I love Beethoven, Mussorgsky, Bach. These are matters of taste. I will not come to a judgment about your character based on your agreement or disagreement with my tastes in these matters.

Similarly in sports ... I love football. Find baseball tedious. Can sometimes watch basketball. Again, these are matters of taste.

But I didn't play football for very long. I climbed rocks for 25 years. (Joint injuries and age finally shut that down.) I still race sometimes. These pursuits have brought me great satisfaction and introduced me to the best friends of my life.

So, like, why the fuck are you people judging that? Because, frankly, the entire assertion that race fans watch races because there are crashes reveals an ignorance of racing, the people who do it, and the people who watch it. Sure, the risk element is part of the appeal ... for both the spectator and the participant. But there is also appreciation of the vast array of skills one must assemble to put together a racing team.

Ya know, I am not suggesting that you like it. Merely that you let go of your superficial categorizations of people that you don't even know.

Trav

[RoccoR5955]

85. Nah, when I go to the ballet, I go to watch them break their legs. n/t

[quantass]

19. Thanks for the explanation...Honestly, prior to your post i NEVER, for the life of me...

could ever figure out why ANYONE would watch NASCAR....But from your explan. i think back to this one guy i knew who was obsessed with nascar games and i just realized that he too had an appreciation for the underthehood stuff to his own cars.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

20. Acceleration?

Heh.

[The Traveler]

44. Ever push a car through a turn at 130 mph

which is low speed for these guys?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

48. A really, really wide, steeply banked turn?

Heh.

[Ikonoklast]

66. I've done it on two wheels at Daytona, Charlotte

250GP racing.

At 155 mph that ribbon of asphalt gets real skinny.

Try it with another rider two feet off your back wheel going into the back chicane, at WOT.

You try it some time, Skippy, and get back to me how easy it is.

You have nothing to add except your apparent ignorance of the subject.

As per your usual.

[The Traveler]

73. "At 155 mph that ribbon of asphalt gets real skinny"

You. Do. Not. Lie.

Trav

[DainBramaged]

76. It takes REAL BALLS to drive Daytona, Charlotte or any NASCAR track

and skill to keep off the wall at Charlotte. Thank you for adding perspective.

:toast:

[The Traveler]

71. Give a try

Just don't twitch or mis-time it at all or any one of a number of real horrible things will happen to you.

My wife did ballet. She blew her knee out during a rehearsal. Those moves require skill and courage .... because if you fuck them up you will get hurt and quite possibly have your career end in a millisecond. That's what happened to her.

But when she danced, she made it all look so effortless and easy.

Good drivers are like that.

Trav

[RoccoR5955]

28. BINGO! I even go to the local dirt track every Friday night in the Summer.

It's great. The kids go on the track after the race, and have their picture taken with the winner. It's an inexpensive night out. Most local tracks are only $5 or $10 for adults, and a lot let the kids in for free. Food is local and cheap. I went to a local track near Dover Delaware one night, the night before the NASCAR race, and some of the NASCAR drivers were there. I even think Tony Stewart won one of the races. They had crab cakes for three bucks! It was an exciting, entertaining inexpensive night out. Sometimes, it's even funny, the way that some drivers pass others on the track. I personally hate the crashes. People can get hurt, and no real race fan wants that.
If you never have been to a local track, try it. It's cheap fun for the family.

[The Traveler]

39. Local tracks are a lot of fun

and sure are a lot cheaper. Damn, have you priced tickets lately?

[RoccoR5955]

82. I gave up my Dover tickets...

...which were in the last row just in front of the start/finish line, when they got to $150. We have had them for almost THIRTY YEARS! Our seats got better and better until about ten years ago we got these prime seats (I think the previous owners of them died). They were the best seats in the house. But that was the breaking point. We sent the track a nasty letter with it as well. Now they can't fill all the seats at a lot of races any more.

[catnhatnh]

68. Great Reply

And yes I've turned wrenches. I gotta question your judgement that Grand Prix and Cart drivers are superior....a few have transferred and not been successful. Been there and watched for years...I enjoy it.

[The Traveler]

72. Different skills

Really, there are very, very few who are good at both racing formats.

Drag racers are often completely underappreciated, also. Think it's easy to keep 2000hp going in a straight line? Well, I'm sure you know it isn't. Different skills.

Trav

[DainBramaged]

14. You will never understand, but it's OK to just start a negative thread

you know NOTHING about.:eyes:

[Scout]

75. heh heh heh, good one

:rofl:

[RoccoR5955]

18. Hey, you forget that Paul Newman was a NASCAR fan.

And so am I. I take offense to that, and love auto racing. I have been a fan of ALL forms of motor sports for over 45 years.
I hate to see any accidents in a race. It's not what true fans go to see. They go to see fast cars, compete.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

23. Yeah, and Paul Newman had brain cancer.

That doesn't mean I want it.

[quantass]

24. Lol and Boo!

[DainBramaged]

33. WTF is the correlation? Holy shit that's just dumb.

[frylock]

87. well, that's what you come to expect from a dumbass

[Forkboy]

25. I don't get into, but this is silly.

Besides, in my experience it's the non fans that only tune in to the see the wrecks. The real fans actually appreciate the other aspects of the sport.

[QC]

47. Yes, but it gives us an opportunity to declare our superiority to the unwashed masses.

That has long been one of the most popular activities on DU. No matter how bad things might get, we are always up for slapping the hicks around a bit.

[Scout]

77. then we wonder why people think we're elitist snobs n/t

[TheKentuckian]

26. NASCAR=good ZZZZZzzzzz except its too loud

I think of it as a rowdy version golf. MOST people I know that get into are attracted by the wrecks or love one of the drivers for whatever reason that attracts one to a driver.

If I want to watch a race, I peep the ponies.

[bushisanidiot]

27. I'm a new NASCAR fan too. (Kyle Busch fan here.. cuz I like M&M's!)

my gf kinda got me hooked on it. I always thought it was boring and assumed, like several here, that fans only watched hoping to see an accident. But there's a lot more to racing than just going around in circles. I really had no idea there was so much going on between the teams, the pit crews and the drivers. If you take the time to learn about it, it is pretty exciting. The only thing is, the races are too long.. my gf and I usually take an hour snooze or so in the middle of the race and still have time to watch the ending. heh.. ;)

[erinlough]

30. Its kind of like the phenomenon of watching Bull Riding

I think the promoters of both sports are brilliant. They tell you all about the riders, or drivers in NASCAR, their families etc. They get into the particulars of the sport and time it so that it is exciting. I have always wondered who thought of promoting these somewhat obscure sports like they have in the last few years. Those guys should get some recognition.

[QC]

31. Because they are The Great Unwashed, bereft of taste or learning,

ignorant fools all, unlike we sophisticated and wise and oh-so-humble people assembled here.

[DainBramaged]

35. Those ignorant fools come from all States and ALL incomes and educational backgrounds

[QC]

45. Yes, but we are superior to them all.

Our taste in leisure activities make us their intellectual and moral betters.

:sarcasm:

[DainBramaged]

46. Oh yes, of course, of course, they are all meat eaters too

:hi:

[QC]

50. Once I saw one of them drinking coffee that was not Fair Trade Certified.

I asked him how he felt about Noam Chomsky and he had no idea of what I was talking about.

This proved so traumatic for me that I had to do an extra session with my analyst that week!

[DainBramaged]

53. Did a DUer run up and slap their hands?

[QC]

81. No, she just ran to DU and started a sniffily disdainful thread about his kind.

That'll show 'em!

[DainBramaged]

90. Probably never even lifted a hood

[Geek_Girl]

32. Car Crashes

nt

[bushisanidiot]

37. People watch crash up derbies for that stuff.. not NASCAR.

no one is rooting for someone to crash. you are dead wrong.

[DainBramaged]

43. Do like I do, crash them into a red X! Then they don't waste brain space.

[Geek_Girl]

74. I know people that watch Nascar for that too.

nt

[TexasObserver]

36. Because watching golf requires understanding math.

[RoccoR5955]

83. Oh? And figuring fuel mileage, and drafting effects in a 400 mile race does not? n/t

[PresidentObama]

38. It and FOX News is Republican TV. That and COPS.

[Willo]

40. Reminicent of ABC's Wide World of Sports intro nt

[DainBramaged]

41. Let's see, what does DU hate so much?

American cars? Check

Auto Racing? Check

Sports? Check

Making a profit? Check

Unions? Check

Guns? Well yeah, there are good reasons

Meat? Check

Coffee that isn't 'fair traded'? Check

Any fast food restaurant? Check

Olive Garden? Check

Did I miss anything that the holier than thou crowd would create a thread about?


Oh and go to the "Motorsports Enthusiasts" group, and see who spends ANY time there.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

51. lulz

I really don't think you've got much business calling other DUers "holier-than-thou."

[DainBramaged]

52. Goodbye

[greguganus]

79. You forgot Wal-Mart. n/t

[DainBramaged]

80. I hate them too.

[frylock]

55. to give elitists like yourself something to bag on..

because everything you like is better than everything else. have any more dumbass questions? :eyes:

[DainBramaged]

56. Notice this is a typical 'hit and run' thread

I was FREINDS with many of the most famous people in motor sports for years, you can't believe how wonderful they were, and how many are DEMOCRATS.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

58. Actually, it's a thread about the VP debate.

Don't you love the sound a good joke makes when it goes over somebody's head?

[vanderBeth]

59. I'm glad somebody got it.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

60. Well, it is a NASCAR thread after all.

It's not like the VP debate joke was painted with bright colors and festooned with product placement.

[frylock]

89. good jokes don't require explanation..

and apparently i'm not alone in trying to understand wtf this "joke" is all about. but i'm just some dumbass peckerwood nascar fan, so it's any wonder i can even operate this here internets machine.

[cherokeeprogressive]

57. To piss off intellectuals?

To anger those whose definition of recreation is a shady tree and a good book? To upset judgemental people who think they should be the arbiters of good taste? To exasperate anyone who can't understand that some people just have different likes and dislikes?

I'm thinking there could be any number of reasons, none of which you addressed in your OP.

[SIMPLYB1980]

61. NASCAR is exactly like politics to me.

Pick a driver you like, pick a driver you hate. Then talk shit about both of them with your buddies while you praise your guy as much as you can. And alcohol, lots of alcohol.

[RoccoR5955]

86. Actually, I don't have any favorite driver, and I have been a fan for 40 years.

It takes real physical and mental skill to just finish a race, let alone win one. There is teamwork involved also, in the pits. An awful lot of races are decided in the pits, and who ever has better pit strategy, and a better pit crew will win.

And as far as personalities and politics, drivers run the gambit of liberal, conservative, and everything in between. Heck, once I remember Dale Earnhart Jr. saying that he and his crew were looking forward to seeing Fahrenheit 911. I also remember Jeff Gordon saying that one of his favorite musicians is Herbie Hancock, a jazzman.

It's not all redneck, alcohol, and country music.

[Name removed]

62. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DainBramaged]

63. Why do you 'fear' motorsports fans?

[crossroads]

64. You don't have to think!

Same thing over and over again! Thats why Repugs love it - after all, they just can't get enuf of a bad thing... like voting for * over and over! They can't think for themselves!
CR

[President Decider]

65. People watch NASCAR because they love watching 600HP engines getting 2 telephone poles to the gallon

Damn green tree huggers!

[DainBramaged]

67. 900 hp (you're about 12 years behind)

Even the Nationwide (Busch) engines get over 700HP

[codjh9]

70. It's boring as snot! Roundy-roundy-roundy (said by a former MX racer here)... I

think the only appeal is these idiots wish they could drive their own vehicles that fast on the freeways - as if they're not going fast enough already.

[Stump]

84. I like NASCAR...

and I never really thought a whole lot about why. I do know the first time I saw a race live at Charlotte and I watched those cars break loose at close to 200 MPH, it was as an exciting sports moment as I've ever seen. But hey, I'm a big fucking redneck who likes to hunt & fish and spend a lot of my time outdoors. I also like classical music, fine dining, and have a college degree...okay, I'll stop now. ;-)

[spanone]

88. same reason they watch any sport.

[Baclava]

91. Same as any sport - - if you don't have a horse in the race - - who cares who wins?

Who would go to a footbal game between two teams you don't like?

Actually, nascar is a lot like football....you go for the great parties as much as for the actual event.


Get off the couch and live.