Trying to watch the Daytona 500..., and just can't do it. They should call it the Danica 500 Options

[billh1963]

First of all I'm not a fan of NASCAR. But, even more importantly, it's all about Danica....just can't stand to listen to all the hype

[ClayPerrine]

NASCAR is not real racing. NASCAR is an entertainment industry that happens to use cars for the entertainment. That is evidenced by the mysterious "debris on the track" yellow flags used to bunch up the field. Now they have the cars so restricted the only difference between the Ford, Dodge, Chevy or Toyota is the badge on the front. When there are 24 cars within a half a second after 300 miles of "racing", I figure that it is all about the TV ratings and the money.

The same goes for Formula 1.


Real racing is when the good driver with the good equipment can win by a bunch of laps, or the medeokre driver can win with great equipment. Or when the racing team with the shoestring budget can pour over the rule book and find that one loophole that allows them to clean up on the track. Mark Donohue called that the "Unfair Advantage", and he was always looking for it.

Real racing is the guy with the old open trailer and older truck driving hundreds of miles to races with his race car. He is the driver, the crew chief, and the whole pit crew. He knows he will be eating cheap fast food and sleeping in his truck. But he does it every weekend he can afford to, because he loves racing. He wants to win, but knows in his heart that the guy with the bigger wallet but less talent will beat him. But he keeps going anyway.

Real racing is the woman who wants to race so badly that she is willing to give up a family, a spouse/boyfriend and friends because they say it isn't "Lady Like" to race.

Just for comparison, I would rather watch a little league game than the World Series. By the time anyone gets to that level of a sport, they are so consumed by the system that they are there for the money and fame, not for the love of the sport. Racing is no different. I won't attend a NASCAR race, but I will go to the 1.4 mile dirt track or the 24 hours of LEMONS races in a heartbeat.

Just my $.02.

[billh1963]

For those who read Peter Egan's articles he says as much.

I remember when I was around 10 we had a neighbor who raced an old MGB in SCCA races. He towed his car with an old station wagon. His equipment was old, his suit was old, and even he was old (to me at the time...lol). But, he did it because he loved it .

NASCAR is not real racing. NASCAR is an entertainment industry that happens to use cars for the entertainment. That is evidenced by the mysterious "debris on the track" yellow flags used to bunch up the field. Now they have the cars so restricted the only difference between the Ford, Dodge, Chevy or Toyota is the badge on the front. When there are 24 cars within a half a second after 300 miles of "racing", I figure that it is all about the TV ratings and the money.

The same goes for Formula 1.


Real racing is when the good driver with the good equipment can win by a bunch of laps, or the medeokre driver can win with great equipment. Or when the racing team with the shoestring budget can pour over the rule book and find that one loophole that allows them to clean up on the track. Mark Donohue called that the "Unfair Advantage", and he was always looking for it.

Real racing is the guy with the old open trailer and older truck driving hundreds of miles to races with his race car. He is the driver, the crew chief, and the whole pit crew. He knows he will be eating cheap fast food and sleeping in his truck. But he does it every weekend he can afford to, because he loves racing. He wants to win, but knows in his heart that the guy with the bigger wallet but less talent will beat him. But he keeps going anyway.

Real racing is the woman who wants to race so badly that she is willing to give up a family, a spouse/boyfriend and friends because they say it isn't "Lady Like" to race.

Just for comparison, I would rather watch a little league game than the World Series. By the time anyone gets to that level of a sport, they are so consumed by the system that they are there for the money and fame, not for the love of the sport. Racing is no different. I won't attend a NASCAR race, but I will go to the 1.4 mile dirt track or the 24 hours of LEMONS races in a heartbeat.

Just my $.02.