This is a sport I don't understand at all. Can any racing fan tell me what's enchanting about racing? When it's on TV I tried to watch it and see what it's about, but all I see is cars go round and round and round--I'm not recognizing any beauty (such as seen in sports emphasizing using the body), technique (the actions in racing seems rigid and limited, there are only so many things the cars on screen will do, at least to an observer), dynamics, strategy, variety. Basically, I need to know what the enthusiasts see that I couldn't that they liked.

Originally posted by Dio Seijuro
When it's on TV I tried to watch it and see what it's about, but all I see is cars go round and round and round

You're not watching the right kind of racing, for one thing. NASCAR is pre-packaged drivel for people that want their racing simple. You're right - oval racing is pretty damned boring.

If you get the Speed Channel, tune in some time when the Speed Touring races are on, or even better, the Japanese Touring Car Championship. Those are held on "road" courses where there are lots of turns, both left and right. You get to see cars blocking each other into the turns, waiting until the last instant to brake so that they can get to the turn first, cars losing control because they're in the corner too fast, cars bumping each other, etc. It's great - much more interesting than NASCAR.

Take in a World of Outlaws sprint race. 150 mph on a half mile dirt track running wheel to wheel. If you can't get any excitement out of that then tune back in to your sychronized swimming and call it a day.

Maybe you should ask NEM what he thinks of it:p

I would suggest that you start following the World Rally Championship or the MotoGP (bike) scenes. In my opinion they are the most TV-friendly kinds of racing. However, to be a racing enthusiast you have to be able to recognize the skill and the technoligigal aspects of the sport in general.
My opinion, share it.. or don't.

WRC is awesome - I love it! I like Grunholm. I've never been able to get into MotoGP, but it is pretty intense. Accelerate too hard, you flip over backwards. Brake too hard, you flip over frontwards. Corner to hard, you fall over. Yipes.

physics, aerodynamics, science, technology and engineering. they are all key subjects in any type of moptorsports. there is more to it then you actually see. it is all behind the scenes that you dont see.

Dirt is for racing. Asphalt is for getting there.

try drag racing on dirt, it does not work that well

physics, aerodynamics, science, technology and engineering. they are all key subjects in any type of moptorsports. there is more to it then you actually see. it is all behind the scenes that you dont see.

If it is as you said, then none of the intricate things can be observed, for example, on TV, even if I posess such knowldge. Then, for what reason would I want to watch it?

Also, how significant then is the driver's skills? And are you able to directly observe such differences in skills between drivers on TV? All I see is that one car is somehow beating another car, but how it did it I could not tell. Therefore I am not able to savor the beauty, you see.

my kids like going to the races. the sound, the excitement, the wrecks and the cool cars they see. my oldest wants a dragster and she is only 11 years old. they understand very little but they like to see who wins. my wife gets into it also. as for i, the pure power, speed and acceleration. ok, to gain a understanding of motorsports is to have a basic fundamentals of how a automobile operates. how each component works in relation to each other. another way to try and understand is go to a race and watch what is taking place. see who is in front and who is lapped traffic. i will write more on the subject tommarrow

go to www.circletrack.com they have all sorts of tech info in there archive folders. ranging from aerodynamics to chassis set ups to behind the scences at some of the bigger shops. to try and explain a bunch of details would take a very long time. but what you dont see is the long hours the crews put into getting redy for the races. thedifferent tracks that they are practicing during the week. the location that they have to travel to. the many different parts, machinery, people, time, and money. people ranging from janitors all the way to mechanical engineers. it is a very big business. i hope this gives you a little more insight.

I see. Thank you for providing the information. Unfortunately it looks like I won't enjoy racing after all...I'm more interested in the atheletic aspect of a spectator sport than technological. Obviously my opinion does not change the fact that it's a fun sport.

its ok, glad i could help. i hope you can go to a local track just for fun and enjoy the show they put on. take it easy and have fun.

My $0.02: What is so exciting about watching cars drive around in a circle? (Oval, actually.) I can do that anytime, in a crowded mall parking lot. Sure they don't go 150 mph, but tape it and then fast forward and you get the same experience! :D

the wrecks and the last 20 laps.

Originally posted by big worm
the wrecks and the last 20 laps.
Crowded mall parking lots have wrecks too. Granted, not very spectacular ones (unless you think dents are spectacular)...

that is true also. i have friends that race and i build there engines for them. last year they won two features races and gave us the checkered flags as a show of thanks.

Most of you are saying that the more exciting races are those that are on dirt tracks, dynamic tracks. More rugged cars and tracks. More extreme type of racing. That seems to make sense. And so I really wonder why the most popular are the boring oval repetitive ones such as NASCAR?

Originally posted by Dio Seijuro
And so I really wonder why the most popular are the boring oval repetitive ones such as NASCAR?

Marketing, I think.

yes lional, marketing has alot to do with it. the owners spend roughly 20 mil for the first car they own. the 4 to 5 car teams spend around 100 mil a year. some maybe more and some maybe less. the sponsors would like to see a return in their investment. then it goes from there. just like they do in all types of sports.

Originally posted by Dio Seijuro
Also, how significant then is the driver's skills? And are you able to directly observe such differences in skills between drivers on TV? All I see is that one car is somehow beating another car, but how it did it I could not tell. Therefore I am not able to savor the beauty, you see.
Lets take one type of racing to answer this, lets say IROC(only because the cars are equal and setup the same) If the skill of one driver was not much of a factor then there would be alot of races ending in a big knot of metal as they ran into one another. Skill is a large factor in racing, most drivers(f-1,champ,cart,indy and nascar) are in very good shape and that shows on the track. It takes quite alot of stamina and strength to navigate a vehicle at near and over 200mph with heat ranging up to 150 f for up to 3.5 hours. So I would say that skill and physical conditioning counts.

Originally posted by LionelHutz
Marketing, I think.
Nascar got me hooked on racing 37 years ago. I watch all types of racing and love it. It is one competition that pits(no pun intended) 43 or so drivers and cars against each other. Not many other sports can say that. Ovals can be exciting as long as you are watching it for the competition, watching a driver weave his way to the front against odds and then pulling off the win. Like bigworm said the last 20 laps can be exciting but I do not watch to see wrecks.