Auto Racing.......A Student's Opinion

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Crashing - Sometimes Exciting, Sometimes Deadly

Race fans like crashes. That's a given. Most will tell you, however, that the carnage of motorsports is not their main motivation for attending the races that they do.

But here's a question for you: how many times have you seen the crowd rise to their feet and gasp when a car hits the wall? How many times teh excitment of the race risen as two drivers beat door-to-door on the track?

Well, that is fine in NASCAR, but it is deadly in Formula One. As you can see in the above animated picture, when a Formula Car crashes, the other drivers and fans become very worried....

The Sanctioning Body's Role

Here is a graphical representation of the primary role of a sanctioning body. It is that of Big Brother.

More disucssion of this will come on the next post.

NASCAR: Hero or Zero?

NASCAR is the most watched form of auto racing in America. Why so? It's fast, it's intense, it's easy to understand, and - most of all - it's controversial.

We see drivers fight, we see drivers curse, we see drivers push and shove and pout and even use their cars as weapons. And why is this good? Because it attracts fans.

The best way to describe NASCAR: Reality TV on four wheels at 180 mph. Who wouldn't want to watch that?

The authors of this blog aren't going to say that NASCAR is grotesque, cheap, taxi cabs driving around in circles. You might think this strange seeing we lead the blog off with a high-tech Formula One car, and most F1 fans hold this opinion.

But we don't restrict our tastes. We love all types of racing. NASCAR just caters to a different crowd; one that is VERY large. And that is positive for motorsports in general.

Next week we look at the history of motorsports, and how it relates to the current form of the sport

NASCAR: For the Masses

Let me begin by saying that this blog will not be a comfortable home for NASCAR fans. Yes, I know, when someone says "auto-racing" or "motorsports" almost every American thinks, "Oh yeah, those cars that go in circles." But all one has to do is take a trip overseas to realize that NASCAR does not epitimize motorsports.

Our facination with NASCAR is only eclipsed by that of European's to Formula One. F1 is one of the most watched sports in Europe besides their "football." But there's a valid reason for this. Let's look at a quick comparison.

F1 cars reach G forces of a fighter pilot. NASCAR cars reach G forces of an ice-cream stand. When an F1 car crashes, it can cost up to a million dollars to repair. When a NASCAR car crashes, the team beats out the sheet metal, and the race continues. F1 cars are assisted by the most advanced technology on the planet, including stability control, traction control, and engine management systems. NASCAR cars are assisted by the crew chief touching his tongue to the spark plug and saying that it's working.

But there are also solid reasons for the proponents of NASCAR. We will here those in our next blog. Farewell for now.

What We are About

New to Racing for Dummies? Well you are not alone. So are we! This groundbreaking new blog that you are reading is making its debut on the World Wide Web today. We are really excited, but you - as content consumers - should be too.
We will be providing the ins, the outs, and the whys of motorsports for you stick-and-ball sport fans. Forget Payton Manning or Shaq. We have Jimmie Johnson and Michael Schumacher.
If any of you were ever curious about the driver's suit instead of the football jersey, this is your home. Welcome.