Gee I guess you guys are right... nascar drivers in nascar-style cars on oval tracks, beating F1 and road race drivers... that DOES prove that nascar drivers are more talented drivers. Thanks for clearing that up for us all.

What was I thinking? I'm taking down my Senna poster and replacing it with dale earnhardt. Can anyone recommend a shop that does Chevy conversions on 993s?

 

Are you delusional?

None of us ever said nascar drivers are more talented than F1 drivers, but your opinions haven't really been based on facts, so why start now?

 

Pcar964 hears things through his own narrow filter. Jack Roush said in an interview that a Stock is one of the worst racing cars in the world and the job of his team is to make it go fast on a track whether it be oval or road course. If anyone has watched even a lap of Nascar on a roadcourse they would know it's not easy. The car doesn't want to turn going in, it wants to spin coming out, the brakes don't want to slow the car down going into the corner anyway, the tires are on 15 inch rims, there is no paddle shift, hell it's not even a short throw shifter...and on and on. Hell, my friend bought a used stock car to further his race career in Nascar west and he's coming from Formula Ford open wheel cars. I sat in this thing. You can't see a gyatdamn thing in any direction except rollcage and tubing. I really wouldn't want to race this car week in and week out but for a stock car driver or road course specialist or both to get in this thing and do anything quickly is amazing. Maybe Pcar964 you want to cut a pro driver a break and give respect where it's due. Compare that to an F1 car which is designed with the latest and greatest of technology available.

You know in the NBA some fools make the mistake of thinking the last guy on the bench who rarely gets in the game is some kind of scrub. However, if he is in the NBA and you are not, then the only scrub is you. Same goes for any sport. Pcar964 you just need to sit down and take a big gulp of STFU.

 

well that's an intelligent thing to say... I disagree with you, so I should shut the **** up?

By the way, big difference between NBA players and professional drivers. It costs about $100 to launch an NBA career ($70 for a pair of shoes, $30 for a decent b-ball - the rest is up to you, your hard work, and your talent). It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and an uncompromising commitment to have a chance at being pro driver, which either requires huge independant financial backing, or good connections, or both.

The idea that the top drivers in professional racing today are somehow the "most naturally talented drivers on earth" is absolute crap, and that applies to F1 as well. Only a miniscule percentage of people have the opportunity (starting at a young age) to pursue a racing career. So to make a baseless claim like "you're the scrub because you're not a pro driver," is ridiculous.

Furthermore, driving a racecar fast is not a terribly difficult compared to some other sports. The amount of "awe" some of you seem to have for these "superhuman gods of driving" is a bit much. Anyone who tries to build up the "black art" of racing by over-analyzing it, using fancy terms to describe it, etc., obviously doesn't have much natural feel. You could pick apart Arnold Palmer's golf swing inch by inch and make it hugely complicated... But to him, it's much more simple, he's just swinging his club.

rant over.

 

Oh that's too funny...no one here is in awe except you. Your arguements shift all over the place and you didn't just voice an opinion. You tried to argue points that were not based in any fact and you got slammed. The reason that you should STFU is not based on your differing opinion, it's based on the fact that you haven't a clue what you are talking about. You asked for proof and people posted links. You've posted nothing but an error ridden opinion trying to back up your first mistaken opinions. It's hilarious.. As for "awe" of drivers Aren't you the one with Senna posters up on your wall? Sigh...guess I did have a poster or two up on the wall when I was 15. Clown.

 

Just my opinion, so don't flame. Oval racing sucks and I don't care who drives and what kind of cars.
NASCAR develops no technology that I know of that trickle down to street cars; ABS, SMG, etc...
NASCAR is like WWF. Is NASCAR sanctioned by any international automotive group?
Why do they call it Stock car racing? There is nothing stock about them.
Someone said that NASCAR teams have similar budgets as F1 teams, show me some facts.
I have never raced on a OVAL but I guess it takes more talent to road race.
Are there any other high profile OVAL racing in the world? if not why? And please no IRL, CART etc...

 

You ask if there is any other high profile OVAL racing in the world....they say DON'T NAME THEM???

I'm not a fan either, but the drivers are not less talented, and aren't a bunch of scrubs that just happened to get lucky ,step on their johnson and fall into a several million dollar a year ride.

The argument was never about the developement, and I agree, its far from stock. When I was a kid, it was great racing. My Grandfather and his two brothers used to drive my Great Grandfathers cars to run moonshine after they go home from WWII......

Then race them on the weekend. We use to go to NASCAR races and watch Richard Petty, Cale Yarbourgh, Buddie Baker and others race STOCK CARS....That was great racing.


No longer though, that I agree with

 

I don't think any of us who are defending Nascar drivers are necessarily fans of Nascar racing, (except for maybe the road course events) Rather, we are simply trying to illustrate that a talented driver is a talented driver, whether he drives an open wheel car, a rally car, or even a stock car. Simple as that.

 

Hey folks-

Here's a list of publications showing that U.S. Fighter pilots, highly skilled trauma surgeons, and F1 drivers that have extradinory psychomotoir skills (not always cognitive):

-Higgins and Champion, 2001, Army TATRC Command

-Higgins et al, "Wheat fromn Chaff: Why Some Forumla 1 drivers are Superhuman". NTIS, Tech 203889.

There is a superhuman group of performers in these domains. Lump it or leave it - It is true (Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Schumacher, Senna). I will send you reports if requested.

-Gerry, M.D., Ph.D (Neuroscience, Ph.D.) (Ph.D., Computer Science)

 

Well said E6.

 

e6tme,
I never questioned the talent of the NASCAR drivers, I just don't see the challenge of OVAL racing of any kind. I'm not saying is easy at thoses speeds and with 3400lbs cars on skinny tires. Its just that my criteria / definition of auto racing is different.
1) A road race.
2) Improvement and development of new technology that we will eventually see in our cars.
3) Sanctioned by some international Automotive body like FIA.
and a few other things.
Calling NASCAR drivers talented is like calling WWF wrestlers talented athletes, true but what a wast.
Just my 2 cents.

 

What you or I consider to be legitimate auto racing is an entirely different discussion. But you say you don't see the challenge of oval racing then go on to acknowledge that it is not "easy at those speeds and with 3400lbs cars on skinny tires."

I personally happen to find oval racing boring, though I've been to one cup race at Fontana and the experience was entertaining.

You have a point, but there are worse ways of making millions of dollars ever year...

 

The DNA which develops successful F1 drivers knows no borders, Countries, or regions of the Earth.

Most of the top Nascar drivers who have risen to the top of their profession would also be the top drivers in F1 had they been born in Europe or South America.

 

Last time I checked US was still part of this earth.
I don't think so, the reason(s) they are driving in NASCAR and not in F1 is clear. Like e6tme says they are talented NASCAR drivers not road racers at that caliber that is also true the other way around not that the world would give a **** if F1 drivers could compete in NASCAR.

 

The reason they drive NASCAR is geographics, not skill on road courses.

Had Michael Schumacher been born in Alabama he would be a round de rounder, trading paint with the good ol boys winning NASCAR races, and the experts around the world would be saying he could never compete in F1.