Many people think NASCAR is just driving in circles here's where they're wrong. Not a single NASCAR track is a circle and only 5 cup tracks are standard ovals. Tri-ovals and quad ovals are more challenging then you think.
As you can see no turn is the same thus each corner has a different line and speed which makes strategy crucial for these tracks. Some feature progressive banking which allows for multiple lines to be run while others have banking that increases until the middle of the corner and decreases as you exit the corner. Also some have tighter corners than others which means more downforce and higher speeds.
Did you know these tracks were this challenging?
I think most people on this forum would agree that racing on ovals is not easy.
I just think it's boring to watch. :)
In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :
Is F1 entertaining for you?
Can you expand on the subject a bit? I thought you were going to explain why tri/quad ovals are a challenge? Or was the headline a question that you would like answered?
In reply to WonkoTheSane :
I did explain
SpeedwayFan said:
In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :
Is F1 entertaining for you?
Welp, we've been down this road multiple times.
SpeedwayFan said:
In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :
Is F1 entertaining for you?
Not lately. It used to be. Still better than watching Oval track racing like NASCAR.
In reply to jharry3 :
Nascar has actually gotten more interesting and the schedule this season had 6 road courses and next season nascar is gonna race in downtown Chicago so it seems like there morphing into a more general motorsport
In reply to SpeedwayFan :
All the intentional wrecking and "rubbing is racing" is is what makes me not interested. I don't buy into the "if you can't get around someone, move them out of way." There is literally no other form of motorsport where that is considered OK.
Which is why NASCAR, to me, is the WWE of the motorsport world.
z31maniac said:
In reply to SpeedwayFan :
All the intentional wrecking and "rubbing is racing" is is what makes me not interested. I don't buy into the "if you can't get around someone, move them out of way." There is literally no other form of motorsport where that is considered OK.
Which is why NASCAR, to me, is the WWE of the motorsport world.
Come on, you mean to tell me that nobody in BTCC or V8 Supercars will put their bumper to someone?
jmabarone said:
z31maniac said:
In reply to SpeedwayFan :
All the intentional wrecking and "rubbing is racing" is is what makes me not interested. I don't buy into the "if you can't get around someone, move them out of way." There is literally no other form of motorsport where that is considered OK.
Which is why NASCAR, to me, is the WWE of the motorsport world.
Come on, you mean to tell me that nobody in BTCC or V8 Supercars will put their bumper to someone?
...or J.P. Montoya in an IMSA prototype. 
jmabarone said:
z31maniac said:
In reply to SpeedwayFan :
All the intentional wrecking and "rubbing is racing" is is what makes me not interested. I don't buy into the "if you can't get around someone, move them out of way." There is literally no other form of motorsport where that is considered OK.
Which is why NASCAR, to me, is the WWE of the motorsport world.
Come on, you mean to tell me that nobody in BTCC or V8 Supercars will put their bumper to someone?
Not anywhere like they do in NASCAR. Nor do either of those pull that stuff at nearly 200 mph.
ShawnG
MegaDork
10/19/22 4:27 p.m.
Just flush skittles down the toilet.
z31maniac said:
Not anywhere like they do in NASCAR. Nor do either of those pull that stuff at nearly 200 mph.
What's the last Cup series race you watched?
I'm a recovering "sports car racing is the best"-elitist. I came to VA to go to a school that was based around short track cars. The speed and durability of those cars is impressive. The level of technology and effort to go fast within NASCAR (at all levels) is significantly higher than people give it credit for. We had a discussion in my engines course about an article comparing Cup engines and F1 engines. Obviously, the F1 engine was numerically more impressive but the key points were that the Cup engines had higher mean piston speeds and would likely outperform F1 engines if they were not limited to a "stock style" block rule.
jmabarone said:
z31maniac said:
Not anywhere like they do in NASCAR. Nor do either of those pull that stuff at nearly 200 mph.
What's the last Cup series race you watched?
I'm a recovering "sports car racing is the best"-elitist. I came to VA to go to a school that was based around short track cars. The speed and durability of those cars is impressive. The level of technology and effort to go fast within NASCAR (at all levels) is significantly higher than people give it credit for. We had a discussion in my engines course about an article comparing Cup engines and F1 engines. Obviously, the F1 engine was numerically more impressive but the key points were that the Cup engines had higher mean piston speeds and would likely outperform F1 engines if they were not limited to a "stock style" block rule.
Where did I bring up technology of the cars? I didn't. That's why I already said "we've been down this road before." I don't care for the antics in NASCAR and never have.
And if modern F1 turbo cars weren't limited by the fuel flow rate, they would be dramatically more powerful. Remember BMW had 1.4L turbo 4 cylinders in the mid-80s, based on a production block, making 1400hp in qualifying trim and nearly 900 for races.
You failed to answer my question. Barring short tracks and road courses, what was the last Cup race you watched where you saw someone (in the front half of the field) use their bumper to make a pass? The level of aero on these cars now, they don't even need to use their bumpers.
My points about technology were in reference to other haters of NASCAR who just assume that dinosaur tech driving in circles can't be that hard, not necessarily you.
In reply to jmabarone :
Bro I didn't think a thread about how hard tri ovals and quad ovals are would turn into a discussion about aero
GRM threads are like a box of chocolates
jmabarone said:
You failed to answer my question. Barring short tracks and road courses, what was the last Cup race you watched where you saw someone (in the front half of the field) use their bumper to make a pass? The level of aero on these cars now, they don't even need to use their bumpers.
My points about technology were in reference to other haters of NASCAR who just assume that dinosaur tech driving in circles can't be that hard, not necessarily you.
Don't need to, because I've never cared for the antics in NASCAR. Not sure how many times I need to say I've never cared for NASCAR. But you can keep repeating yourself if you like.
https://nascar.nbcsports.com/2022/10/11/nascar-fines-cole-custer-suspends-his-crew-chief/
In reply to z31maniac :
The only antics in NASCAR have emerged recently mainly the next gen and the rules and penalties that came with it
In reply to SpeedwayFan :
Yeah, they've never stood on the track and thrown helmets at the other cars, get in to fist fights, etc.
It's WWE for racing fans. But I've made clear where I stand, so I'll bow out of this thread.
In reply to z31maniac :
What do you expect to happen when you put the guys that do dumb stuff on a dare in an 800HP V8 powered machine going 200?
What I don't understand is why anyone cares what others like. Some people like F1, some people like NASCAR, some like WRC, some like drag racing. Etc. I'll watch any auto racing before I watch anything else on TV. But, I only follow F1 and Indy regularly.
I can go through why I don't watch other events, but does it matter? I'm not their audience. Nobody on this board can make changes to formats to make it more interesting. And, TBH, my time is limited and I don't have the ability to spend and entire weekend watching racing. (Memorial day weekend with the Indy 500, Monaco and the Coca Cola 600 doesn't count). So, changing the format or trying to explain why a different series is better is a worthless endeavor.
I appreciate people's passion about a certain race series, but only if they appreciate that it's not everyone's passion.
-Rob
In reply to rob_lewis :
For the record I made this thread to explain how the tracks are challenging and it just devolved into an argument
