Someone Explain Nascar To Me - I Just Watched Final 40 Laps And No One Was Passed

Oh yeah. one more thing. Explain teh teammate thing to me.

The 'teammate' in 2nd whom they thought helped block the Dale Jr from winning and ended up 3rd just gave an interview where it was clear he wasn't happy he didn't win.

rojo,

Does this mean you are a Gregory House fan?

NASCAR

not Nascar

I'd like to know this too.

I hate to say it, rojo, but you could say the same about a lot of great marathons. Think of Wanjiru in soloing in Beijing, or Emmanuel Mutai running away with it in London.

When I was watching Mutai solo to victory that year, my roommate (non-runner) came into the room, stared at the screen for a while, and said "seriously, you're just watching one guy run?"

The thing with running, and with NASCAR, is that if you know the backstory and what it means to see someone break at a certain time, it is pretty interesting. If you don't have that knowledge, zzzzz.

Which is why I'm always saying I wish runners dealt with the media better...but that's another thread.

I'm going to guess that you weren't drinking enough cheap beer.

I see what you are doing here. Because in a way, watching NASCAR is a lot like watching track. People who are ignorant don't understand kicking and other things like that. But you messed up the troll attempt by saying there was no passing in the last 40 laps. There was a ton of passing.

rojo wrote:

1) Was there any chance the leader would get passed on the final lap? Since I saw no passing at all in 39 laps, why would it possibly happen on lap #40.

2) There was a pass at the end as Dale Earnhardt Jr moved from 3rd to 2nd. Was that a big deal or do you only care if you win?

3) True racing fans, what do you think of the announcing? Are they really knowledgeable or just fools?

1) Yes, passes do occur on the final lap - drafting at 200 mph allows you sometimes to be 'slingshotted' around the car in front of you. But not always. Also exciting on the last lap: wrecks. People take crazy chances and sometimes take out the leader on the last corner. Races have been won sliding backwards.

2) Second is good for the season points total but not otherwise.

3) NASCAR announcing is a key to its success - the announcers are brilliant at creating/keeping the folksy southern good ol boy culture. Note how many announcers have southern accents and use regional figures of speech. that creates a self-reinforcing structure of culture that makes you feel like you belong.

that said, track fans might like formula one better - the technology is way better, the teams are international, and there is a more track-like culture of brains than NASCAR beer.

I'm from the Charlotte area and I'm a native. I don't follow the sport and I really don't like it. However, I may be able to help. Living in the area forces one to become familiar with the sport. It's a cultural thing. You can't avoid it. I'll try to answer your questions.

1. There was little chance he was going to be passed. He had a fast car (good set up for the track) and he was out front. He got clean air to run in, which is really important at Daytona. It also helped that he had a teammate (Biffle), who had a similar set up and ran well all night, that Junior had to contend with. Usually taking the high line at Daytona , just like "slingshotting" around turn 4 in track, is faster going into the finish but he did make the move soon enough

2. Finishing second rather than third is important for points in the Chase standings. I know it's the first race but every point matters. That's why there was so much jockeying and passing at the back of the field. 2, 3, and 4 are now tied in the standings because of laps lead and other factors. Earnhardt gained points in the last lap by finishing 2nd.

http://espn.go.com/racing/standings

3. They are knowledgable but I think they take their job way too seriously. Waltrip is a buffoon but they keep him around kind of like John Madden. He says stuff that's ridiculous and every once in a while he has good insight.

rojo wrote:

Once the racing started, nothing happened. The lead guy - Mr. Best Buy - stayed in the lead the entire time. No one from what I could tell was ever passed. THere were like 3-4 wrecks but no passing.

Clearly they need to take a clue from track. Paint all the cars the same color and remove the sponsor markings so the (hypothetical in the case of track) television viewer couldn't tell there was a lead change whether it happened or not.

Rojo,

NASCAR isn't REALLY about racing. It's about macho-ism first and foremost. Loud engines, beer, fast cars, smell of gas and oil and burning rubber, beer, ladies in bikini tops with tramp stamps...oh, and beer.

Throw in the hatred the fans have for Ford or Chevy and then the hatred some have for people who can speak in complete sentences (Jeff Gordon) and you have just one big testosterone pissing contest.

I used to love hearing fans talk about how tough these racers were..."A normal man can't handle the Gs!!!!!" "Do you know how many Gs they pull when the go around a corner that fast!?"

So, I LOVE it that now there's Danica Patrick. A real shot to the manhood of many NASCAR fans for sure.

As with any sport it's understanding it. What is more boring than baseball if you don't get the importance of each pitch and what/why the pitcher is doing it.

Football is a bunch of guys flopping around and hugging each other if you don't know exactly what each person's role is in the play.

So what you're saying is track needs more crazy fires.

Flagpole wrote:

Rojo,

NASCAR isn't REALLY about racing. It's about macho-ism first and foremost. Loud engines, beer, fast cars, smell of gas and oil and burning rubber, beer, ladies in bikini tops with tramp stamps...oh, and beer.

Throw in the hatred the fans have for Ford or Chevy and then the hatred some have for people who can speak in complete sentences (Jeff Gordon) and you have just one big testosterone pissing contest.

I used to love hearing fans talk about how tough these racers were..."A normal man can't handle the Gs!!!!!" "Do you know how many Gs they pull when the go around a corner that fast!?"

So, I LOVE it that now there's Danica Patrick. A real shot to the manhood of many NASCAR fans for sure.

That's how it used to be 20 years ago. Now, it's very different. What you're talking about still exists but that's changing. But you're wrong about one thing. It is, at it's heart, about finishing first and racing. That's why people really can't stand Gordon and Johnson and all the pretty boys. Not because they can "speak intelligently". They like Earnhardt because he gambled he intimidated and he raced for the win. The pretty boys play the numbers games, settling for 3rd and the points rather than going for the win and risking finishing with a wrecked car and a 35th place finish.

Kind of like time trial marathon running. Go to a race where you have to race, not sit with your pace setters and collect a check.

Flagpole wrote:

Rojo,

NASCAR isn't REALLY about racing. It's about macho-ism first and foremost. Loud engines, beer, fast cars, smell of gas and oil and burning rubber, beer, ladies in bikini tops with tramp stamps...oh, and beer.

Throw in the hatred the fans have for Ford or Chevy and then the hatred some have for people who can speak in complete sentences (Jeff Gordon) and you have just one big testosterone pissing contest.

I used to love hearing fans talk about how tough these racers were..."A normal man can't handle the Gs!!!!!" "Do you know how many Gs they pull when the go around a corner that fast!?"

So, I LOVE it that now there's Danica Patrick. A real shot to the manhood of many NASCAR fans for sure.

Talk about a shot to the manhood... I have never read a more insecure posting in all of my life. You clearly do not understand NASCAR, and you come across as a weak dandy with that post.

So rojo is as big a NASCAR fan as Romney. Go figure.

http://www.infowars.com/romney-tried-to-play-part-of-nascar-loving-regular-joe-but-reminded-voters-what-a-clueless-rich-guy-he-is/

So can somebody explain how you hit a fuel truck during a caution?

rojo wrote:

1) Was there any chance the leader would get passed on the final lap? Since I saw no passing at all in 39 laps, why would it possibly happen on lap #40.

Rojo, refer to the final lap of the Budweiser Shootout from the week before at Daytona. Kyle Busch made an incredible pass on the final lap to win the race. So yes, there is a chance the leader will be passed. There is also a chance the leader will hold off the pass.

Flagpole wrote:

So, I LOVE it that now there's Danica Patrick. A real shot to the manhood of many NASCAR fans for sure.

What people unfamiliar with stock car racing don't realize is that women have raced in the sports top series plenty of times before. We don't have the problem with this that you seem to think we do.