Motorsport World Wide

[Unchainme]

Just curious, how is Formula 1, V8 SuperCars and Le Mans viewed in non-US countries?

In the US it's kind of shown that NASCAR is the supposed king, but the quality of racing has really declined in recent years.

just curious how the rest of the world views motorsport.

[motherchicken]

Just curious, how is Formula 1, V8 SuperCars and Le Mans viewed in non-US countries?

In the US it's kind of shown that NASCAR is the supposed king, but the quality of racing has really declined in recent years.

Formula One and Indy car racing would be bigger here if there were more Americans driving in those series. I watch Formula One sporadically and there are rarely any Americans driving. Indy cars used to be king here but now they are all powered by foriegn engines.
I think Nascar fucked up when they started allowing Toyotas to compete in the Sprint cup and Nationwide series when Toyota doesn't even offer a v-8 in a car. In the truck series they have Hondas and they don't come with v-8s either. I don't have a problem with them having a Japanese name plate. A lot of Japanese cars and trucks are made here to avoid huge tariffs if they make them there and ship them here. They lost a bit of their redneck base by allowing these cars in but It doesn't appear it was too bad.
I don't see a decline in the quality of Nascar racing at all. I do see the absence however of the Nascar Superstar. The Dale Earhardt, the Ricahard Petty, The AJ Foyt. Jr, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are about the only guys racing that the average Joe can name from their picture nowdays. And none of them are as popular as Dale Sr and King Richard were a few years ago.
There are some out there that think Nascar is declining because the cars are too equal and there aren't as many wrecks as they'd like. It's all about the driver and the set up now. The cars are all basically exactly the same. And they don't tend to go out of control as often. Drivers can spin out and not crash if they don't hit another car close by. The wrecks still happen. Two weeks ago at Talledaga only a handfull of cars avoided the big one on the last lap.

[Unchainme]

I don't think it had to do with a lack of american drivers, rather than just a perfect storm of clusterfuck that came out of the mid-90's.

I think it all had to do with Bernie getting pissed that he lost Mansell in 94, and the fact that the IndyCar Series was starting to challenge Formula 1 for the international market share. The rumor is he whispered into Tony George's ear about wanting to race F1 in a potential combined series at Indianapolis, and George bit on it, created his own series, alienated CART, and all but destroying American Open Wheel Racing.

NASCAR on the other hand was indeed growing in terms of respect. They very wisely hitched their wagon to ESPN when they were in their infancy, and thankfully by the mid-90's, the network was beginning to hit their stride. And, so was NASCAR. Petty, Earnhart and Rusty were becoming big stars, and yes, Gordon, after being ignored by both F1 (test drove), and IndyCar/CART, came over and made what was once a regional sport, national.

When CART/IRL split up in 96, NASCAR just picked up the ball and ran with it. Leaving that sport forever playing catch up to the point where they are just now very slowly digging themselves out of the hole that was created.

NASCAR really had grown by leaps and bounds, but I really think it sadly reached it's peak in 01 during the Daytona 500, when, unfortunately they lost their biggest star. That day still sends ripples throughout the series in my view.

I also think that what they did after Matt Kenseth's championship was pretty idiotic. The Chase to me takes away from the importance of races at Daytona, Charlotte and Darlington which are often their biggest races. Taking away dates from traditional tracks and giving them to places like Fontana and Kansas were also quite stupid on their end. The simple solution would have been to place a greater emphasis on wins.

[motherchicken]

The chase in Nascar needs to go bye bye. It was a bad idea.

[PETE'S BROTHER]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar...223829832.html

my buddy called me livid that they would do this to him

[twonabomber]

Used to watch V8 supercars when I had the dish. Not every week, but it's cool.

The IRL/CART thing was just dumb. The Cleveland Grand Prix was a great race. The split was the beginning of the end.

Starting to get into rock racing...see if you can find King Of The Hammers somewhere. We drive slower than that on the local trails, which is different for me since I'm used to doing 0-60 pulls and doin' 100 on the freeway...building a dedicated trail rig too.

[clarathecarrot]

As you mentioned in the first post. I am guessing the by the statement, The Rest Of The World ...you mean anywhere outside of Ohio..?

How do you view ....another statement make cornfoosed me ....perhaps some veiwing device..?

I am cornfoosed?????...where else is there, other than, where you are than, The Rest Of The World..?

Maybe, you want people from Siberia to comment from the other side of the world..?

Maybe, you would like me who lives a couple states away from Ohio to comment on how I feel about watching Lemans style racing that is taking place in a country other that America that is being broadcast over to America and I am in America watching it from here ..but it is there...and how I feel about, The Rest Of The world..?...from here...while it is there ...i am cornfoosed once again.

Dear World ..where are you..?

Are you here or always there...?

Maybe, I should have passed on the brown acid..?

[twonabomber]

See if this works...

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[PETE'S BROTHER]

Legendary Formula 1 commentator Murray Walker has confimed he has been diagnosed with cancer.

The 89-year-old said he had a form of lymphatic system cancer, which was diagnosed during tests after a fall in which he broke his pelvis last month.

"They've caught it incredibly early. It's treatable, the doctors say my condition is mild and I'm very hopeful," Walker said.

[PETE'S BROTHER]

trucks racin' a dirt track tonite, hopefully cool

[PETE'S BROTHER]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/eldora-...3--nascar.html

[chefcraig]

trucks racin' a dirt track tonite, hopefully cool

The qualifying heats are underway on Speed Channel as we speak!

[PETE'S BROTHER]

that was fuckin' fun!!!!! very cool

[chefcraig]

An absolute blast! Here's hope it becomes a regular part of the schedule.

Then again, with only FOX and NBC covering all of the races with the new tv package, you have to wonder where they are going to broadcast them. NBC has it's sports channel, and FOX has FX and it's own sports channel coming up (which is rumored to replace SPEED on most cable systems, a shame), so who knows how things will work out, particularly when the NFL season starts and baseball winds down.

[PETE'S BROTHER]

they covered bristol for sprints, nationwide cars maybe...

[twonabomber]

An absolute blast! Here's hope it becomes a regular part of the schedule.

Then again, with only FOX and NBC covering all of the races with the new tv package, you have to wonder where they are going to broadcast them. NBC has it's sports channel, and FOX has FX and it's own sports channel coming up (which is rumored to replace SPEED on most cable systems, a shame), so who knows how things will work out, particularly when the NFL season starts and baseball winds down.

SPEED has sucked for a long time. Too many reruns and too much NASCAR.

One of the only channels I miss since cancelling DirecTV is Velocity. Decent car shows, with a few reruns from all the Discovery channels.

[chefcraig]

The only caveat being baseball (in theory) ends in October, while NASCAR finishes up in November. Still, that's one hell of a lot of territory to overcome, along with the trucks, Nationwide, Sprint and the occasional ARCA race. ARCA would not be a loss really, since they don't even bother throwing cautions for them guys.

[PETE'S BROTHER]

Marty Smith -- Reporter, Writer

What Eldora taught me ->

1. Austin Dillon (@AustinDillon3) is a better driver than he gets credit for. Wednesday night he earned considerable street cred on a backwoods dirt road.
2. Kyle Larson (@KyleLarsonRacin) is better than advertised. Even Darrell Waltrip (@AllWaltrip) noted that Larson is "one of the most impressive wheelmen I've ever seen." High praise.
3. Tony Stewart is one of the most powerful men in Motorsport -- Globally.
4. Less -- speed, seats, laps (fame?) -- is indeed more. See Denny Hamlin's (@DennyHamlin) tweet during the race: "100mph sliding or 200 mph stuck?.. Nuff said."
5. In Steve O'Donnell, (@ODSteve), NASCAR corporate has a gutsy visionary who is willing to listen to fans and embrace the sport's roots, and able to facilitate what he learns for the betterment of the industry and its investors. The politics O'Donnell negotiates are countless. His disposition and genuine conviction is driven by his viewpoint as a fan. It is quite refreshing. If the Daytona brass cultivates what it planted at Eldora, Wednesday just may have been a watershed moment.
6. Dirt racing just received a substantial boost in the national consciousness. Wisconsin point guard Ben Brust (@BenBrust) an avid Kevin Harvick (@KevinHarvick) fan, tweeted during the race, "I have to find a local dirt track! This is awesome!" It seems impossible, but Eldora was the first dirt experience for many NASCAR fans.
7. The world still loves an underdog who'll throw The Bird at the establishment. Norm Benning!
8. There's something wonderful about not racing for points.