57 reasons why Continental Tire Sports Car Series > NASCAR

So yesterday, I watched the Circuit of the Americas race on SPEED (the GS and Street Touring Race). In my mind, from a spectator's perspective, this is what racing ought to be. IMHO, here's a few (no, I probably won't actually get to 57) reasons why:

1. Right turns.

2. Actual racing, and passing.

3. No DW.

4. Miatas, Boxsters, Mustangs, Camaros, etc. (wait for it) that actually look like Miatas, Boxsters, Mustangs & Camaros.

5. Cars don't look like stickerbombed bars of soap w/wheels.

6. No Danica Patrick.

7. Circuit of the Americas.

8. Lime Rock, Mid Ohio, Mazda Leguna Seca, VIR.

9. The ability to see, during the race, different lines taken between Miatas and Camaros.

9b/10. Miatas and Camaros racing on the same track, at the same time.

1. No Camrys.

2. In theory, you could probably bring an ordinary street car 90% of the way to the race cars you see racing.

3. Never heard "drafting partner" all day.

4. In interviews, drivers appear to be "average Joe's", not self inflated Bob Costi.

5. Drivers actually answer questions in interview, don't spend 30 seconds "Sponsor Bombing" the interviewer.

There's more, but this post is probably long enough already . . .

I liked the last lap pass of the two Miatas getting by the BMW. They were really quite evenly matched, the Bimmer could out run them on the straight and then they would catch back up in the curvy parts. Good stuff.

Good racing means Speed won't show it again.

I guess since I don't get Speed I won't worry about it too much.

What's so wrong with a Camry? It's OK to like cars that don't fit the typical description of a sports car.

I agree with your list except for Danica. She'd be a draw now matter what series she races in.

They should rename the Speed Channel as the Mostly About NASCAR Channel.

TR8owner wrote: They should rename the Speed Channel as the Mostly About NASCAR Channel.

Oh, it's getting a name change, alright..

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20130305/nascar/130309912

Don't forget the SOUND of the Aston Martins.

kazoospec wrote: 13. Never heard "drafting partner" all day.

They mentioned that in reference to the miata's being able to do that to somewhat keep up with others down the straightaways. You must not have paid very close attention to that part.

yamaha wrote:

kazoospec wrote: 13. Never heard "drafting partner" all day.

They mentioned that in reference to the miata's being able to do that to somewhat keep up with others down the straightaways. You must not have paid very close attention to that part.

Alright it was good, fun racing. Its possible I may have overlooked something I would have normally found annoying just because I was enjoying the race and the coverage. I assume it came up when the two Miatas were working the Beemer in the last few laps for the ST lead. Its also possible, though, that I may have missed a lap or two during a nap.

Also, thought of a few more:

-The sounds, especially at re-start, and not just the Aston Martins. Its not the NASCAR sounds bad, its just so much better to hear 6 or 7 distinctive engine notes running wide open all at the same time.

-Cool sponsor/car combos. Continental tire series has the "Rum Bum Porsche"; NASCAR, the "Home Depot Camry".

-If you consider its roots to be the old Trans Am series, I think the Continental series is much truer to its roots than NASCAR. If it were really to take off, it has the potential to reignite the "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" formula that used to be part of NASCAR.

BTW - don't get me wrong, I don't hate NASCAR. I just feel like its become incredibly flat as a spectator sport.

Don't forget:
- Can walk right into the garages and pretty much anywhere else you want to go for the same $19
- If you had $75k you could rent a ride for the season
- rain tires
- mixed classes
- mixed drivetrains
- nobody notices pays much attention to driver skin color because half the field ain't from here and a couple even have boobies and nobody gives a berkeley as long as they pay for the ride
- local cautions (no reason to berkeley up a whole lap over a couple cars in the grass )
- Drunken hillbillies with german accents!

If you knew the expense it took to build a Conti car...

Go ahead and price the required shock package for those cars. Tires aren't cheap either. And a lot of the drivers are worse than anything you find on the NASCAR circuit, cause 80% of them are pay-to-play drivers.

It was an exciting race to watch and listen to.

We were up close and personal to a very wide variety of cars and got to talk to drivers, mechanics and owners alike.

I'll have to agree with you 100%.

racerfink wrote: If you knew the expense it took to build a Conti car... Go ahead and price the required shock package for those cars. Tires aren't cheap either. And a lot of the drivers are worse than anything you find on the NASCAR circuit, cause 80% of them are pay-to-play drivers.

Penske dampers: $7k-13k JRZ dampers: $4-7k Koni Dampers: $1k -13k

Conti tires: $900-1750/set of four

Pay to play: Awesome if you have the scratch and pretty much like all other forms of racing, even F1 if you are a real baller. Nobody thinks Esteban Gutierrez is getting paid to drive that car, do they?

Trans Am: What NASCAR drivers wish they were doing if only it paid good coin

Hoop wrote: What's so wrong with a Camry? It's OK to like cars that don't fit the typical description of a sports car.

Because Top Gear would tell you not to like it...

In reply to kazoospec:

Nah, through the race itself.....even long before the bimmer caught them. Anyone catch the fact that bmw started from pit lane?

Why do people always say this is better than NASCAR and that is better than NASCAR? Guess that is what happens when you king of the hill.

I am so sick of this crap. Why are people always trying to polarize the world of motorsports. That is the last thing we need.

4.In interviews, drivers appear to be "average Joe's", not self inflated Bob Costi.

Ohya and this really is is horse E36 M3. Have you met any of the NASCAR drivers? Do you really know them? WTF is wrong with people?

I think I am becoming a grumpy old SOB but is it me or is this is just juvenile.

In reply to dean1484: I'm with you. While I like road racing and Indy cars, I still love NASCAR. All forms have their hillbillies and snooty drivers. Who cares! We all love racing and should quit complaining about NASCAR and their cookie cutter cars. I dig V8 Supercars and for years they had two makes. How about Daytona Prototypes, they may have a few engines but can you really tell without the stickers? They have two or three chassis? What I like to see is larger fields. Kinda boring to watch a class race with 10 cars in it. I can't wait to see how this road racing merger gets pulled off.

dean1484 wrote: Why do people always say this is better than NASCAR and that is better than NASCAR? Guess that is what happens when you king of the hill.

This is not a recent thing. NASCAR has only been appreciated by a select few since the 60's for sure and maybe even before then.

And I'm petrified about this road racing merger being pulled off. NASCAR does what's best for them and they've been known to dumb things down to make it simple enough that the little folk can understand it and to have more drama for TV.

Already there's talk of at least one more competing series. I'm for it!!

You don't want all your eggs in one basket.

My .02, i was a NASCAR fan back when i wasn't old enough to drive. I thought it was really cool to see cars that looked like what mom and dad drove to work battling it out on sunday afternoon. I loved King Richard but really didn't mind when David Pearson out drove him cause he was cool too. But that was back when the racing was more important than the TV deals and the sponsorship tie-ins. Today's NASCAR is pretty much like any professional sport where the bottom line is what drives the show. The racing has changed, the drivers and cars have changed, the whole world has changed, because this is entertainment, and the entertainment industry has demands that the "Racing" industry didn't have to deal with. 40 years ago nobody cared about the nielsen ratings of Martinsville.. Martinsville wasn't even on TV as a live race. It pleases me that Grand Am gives the NASCAR drivers a chance to show their skill, because it really does take skill to pilot a 3500 pound aerodynamic wonder with 65 Chevy C10 underpinnings to a race win. Having said that, i really don't watch NASCAR much anymore because the racing has taken a back seat to the show, and if there weren't things like manufatcured cautions and the mess that was the COT there would be only one or two teams that would dominate the sport, much like Formula 1 deals with.. Anyway..Rant over..

dean1484 wrote: Why do people always say this is better than NASCAR and that is better than NASCAR? Guess that is what happens when you king of the hill. I am so sick of this crap. Why are people always trying to polarize the world of motorsports. That is the last thing we need.

4.In interviews, drivers appear to be "average Joe's", not self inflated Bob Costi.

Ohya and this really is is horse E36 M3. Have you met any of the NASCAR drivers? Do you really know them? WTF is wrong with people? I think I am becoming a grumpy old SOB but is it me or is this is just juvenile.

why can't people just accept that road racing and stock car racing are two different animals and not have to bash the one that they don't like to show how much more awesomer the one they do like really is?

the top NASCAR series that are on tv every weekend are the ultimate version of what hundreds of thousands of people see at local 1/4 and 3/8 mile bullrings all around the country... F1 is the ultimate version of the karts at the local cart track... the Continental Tire series is the ultimate evolution of the local autocross... Top Fuel is the ultimate version of the local bracket races.. WRC is the ultimate version of a typical episode of the Dukes of Hazzard... drifting is ballet in cars..

why is it so hard for people to like what they like without the need to justify it by tearing down something that is more popular? if you don't like NASCAR, don't watch NASCAR... and all the time you spend bad mouthing NASCAR could be put to better use watching and/or doing the form of racing that you do like.

People always seem to forget that there was a time when NASCAR ran almost exclusively on road courses......its just they aren't best for stacking fans in the seats and television.

My only gripe is that they have had a history of shunning innovation.

My point is why are people always bashing nascar? I think Drifting is to F1 as Figure skating is to hockey. But you don't see me starting threads saying 57 ways why f1 is better than Drifting?

The point is that people like all forms of motorsports. Hell I get entertainment watching the lawnmower races on MAV TV. Why are people so hell bent on bashing NASCAR. Yes it is the WWE of motorsports. Sure you can put on your tin foil hat and assume that NASCAR creates cautions to tighten up the field with 15 to go. So what. It is what it is. Get over it.

Anti-stance wrote:

Hoop wrote: What's so wrong with a Camry? It's OK to like cars that don't fit the typical description of a sports car.

Because Top Gear would tell you not to like it...

Have you driven a new Camry??? It is terrible.

When I said I don't hate NASCAR, I really meant it. I even watch it on occasion. My point was I think the Continental Tire is onto something here. Perhaps a few general observations would have been a better way to put it. 1. Standardization, when it's achieved by everyone working off from exactly the same formula, is boring. Balance by allowing teams to reach the same approximate level of performance from different directions (different platforms, engines, drivetrain setups, etc.) is a much more interesting approach IMHO. 2. "One line" racetracks, no matter what their shape, are terrible for spectators. Unless, that is, they came only to watch one 180 mph mistake destroy $10,000,000 worth of machinery. Standardization has an inherent tendency to make tracks "one line". 3. The amount of money that flows through NASCAR has created problems. I'm not even saying all NASCAR drivers are Bob Costi. A lot of them are, however. Paying people obscene amounts of money to do things can and often does "Bob Costify" even otherwise decent people. What's more, the obscene amounts of money sponsors must pay makes it obligatory for their names to be plastered everywhere and mentioned repeatedly in every conversation. (FWIW, I hate stadium sponsorship deals in other sports for the same reason) Maybe they are decent guys, maybe shooting pool or talking racing with them would be a hoot. If so, that doesn't come through when all you ever hear is "I'd like to thank crew of the Chevrolet, Lowes Home Improvement, Hanes Underwear, Juji-Fruit, Bass Masters, Lucas Oil, #28 Chevy SS with the awesome Goodyear Tires and Rousch Racing engine." (Looks down at uniform to see if he/she missed anybody)

All of this may be inevitable, and maybe there's nothing NASCAR can do about it. Maybe they are what they are and that's it. Its just that to this race fan, for the reasons stated here and above, they are quickly becoming irrelevant, and I'm not sure they have to be.