Nascar

[gnofg]

Nascar is very telling of the U.S. My brother works for Porsche USA and he thinls that Nascar cars are primitive in technology compared with the European racing. We use ancient technology for Nascar

[DrWeird]

1. It's a pretty dumbed down form of auto racing.

It's one step above drag racing.

[Stinky The Clown]

10. Drag racing .... the 4 second mechanical orgasm

[IrateCitizen]

2. I never thought that NASCAR was about cutting-edge technology

I thought it was about providing an extremely level playing field in which all the cars were virtually identical except for minor adjustments.

[gnofg]

3. combination

Racing should be a combination of the highest skill coupled with the use of our brain(best engineering). We consumers are the recipients of pushing the edge because we get the refined product which is safer. Any wonder why european cars are the most fun to drive. Try an audi quattro turbo for fun

[JHB]

4. It was never meant to be "high tech"

European racing was mainly developed by manufacturers pushing the state of the art, mostly running them on real roads.

The US non-NASCAR racing (indy cars and such) started pretty much the same way, except on closed oval tracks.

NASCAR developed out of back-road races between bootleggers kludging together what they had and making it perform.

Different traditions, all related, but still different.

[Harlan James]

5. Umm, listen

I attend NASCAR events in Irwindale California. I don't go because I particularly enjoy watching automobiles go around in circles, I go because my kids love it. They're very young, pretty wild, and they truly get off on all the noise and bother.

If you should ever go to one of these events, please check out the NASCAR dads. They're the ones sitting there in sunglasses surrounded by squirrely kids consuming cokes and revelling at the sight of some poor slob careening over the rail in a Dodge.

Believe me, most of the "NASCAR dads" I've talked to at these deals would rather be lying down on a hammock in the back yard reading a newspaper, or just enjoying the silence.

[MaineDem]

6. NASCAR is a show

They admit it.

There's nothing technologically-advanced about it. And the cars are all the same anyhow, regardless of what name is on the hood.

[Desperadoe]

7. European Racing??

You mean like Formula One, where they design cars to run at speeds up wards of 240 mph and then run them on road tracks where the fastest speed can only be attained on the short straightaways.....at best 140-150mph? What the hell kind of racing is that?

American racing is done on ovals as in Nascar, IRL and on occasion, CART where SUSTAINED speeds of over 200-240 mph are the norm. Are these cars high tech? You bet your ass they are.

European racing is all about seeing who can come in second to Michael Shumacker on some candy ass road track on the roped off street tracks of Bern or Munich. If those guys had to drive at Daytona or Texas or even Talladega they would be retired at 25 years old.

Nascar is a great sport that just happens to have some real assholes in it's fan base, not unlike the NBA and the NFL.

[apple_ridge]

8. NASCAR racing is a joke. Those morans don't even

have to shift more than a few times in a race. Road Rallying is probably the purest form of motor racing.

[donhakman]

9. Inauguration day

[MaineDem]

12. I totally agree with you

Rally drivers are the best!

[BareskinMatt]

11. Try this test...

Take your European hot mobile into the shop for a repair or tuneup and then take your Chevy for same. Compare the difference and get back to us.

Yes, the Porsche has higher tech just like my Yamaha four-stroke 1000cc 20 valve snowmobile that does not burn oil or make lots of noise is better than a two-smoke snowmobile that has some old timer Luddites up in arms. It's all about cost, affordable and acceptance.

We are getting there fast but sure.

[Socialist Dem]

13. some of the tech

is kept from advancing on purpose. NASCAR won't let teams use engines with fuel injection, and makes teams limit the power they produce. The engines are probably still stuck firmly in the 70s for the most part. The reasoning is it keeps the cost down. (supposedly also so the teams can't cheat as much). Add to that the dreaded restrictor plates used on the carbs to keep the cars from going over 190 at super speedways, and you see NASCAR wants to keep a more level playing field so they don't have a Porsche team with the huge bucks that can dominate for years and years.

There is more to oval racing than turning left.