NASCAR 2007

[Soundy]

My buddy crewed with a CASCAR team a few years back, and we did a website for them. I went to several races in BC and a couple in Calgary for photos, including a race here on Indy weekend. Watching a race from inside the oval on the edge of the pits is a whole other WORLD.

I'll dig up a few pics for ya...

[Solar Max]

Looking forward to it.

[CatsEyes]

I wish I had had enough time to call into the Team this afternoon. They were having a discussion on whether golf and racing were sports. Buddy calls up and says racing is definitely not a sport because the car does all the work, and the driver doesn't need to do anything. If that's the case, pal, drive on down to California for next Sunday's race, hop into one of those 3400 pound, 850HP bad boys, start your engine, get up to 190mph, and just sit back and let the car do the rest. After all anyone can do it right? If it's just the car doing all the work? While you're sittin back relaxing letting the car do all the work, make sure it knows to avoid the 42 other cars that are driving around there at the same speed. And I really hope that you're power steering or brakes don't go on the car, or that the tire doesn't go flat, because then you have to muscle the car off the track, before one of those 42 cars puts your car into the wall. And I hope you've bulked up there, buddy, because you can expect to lose at least 10 pounds a race, just sitting there doing nothing. Gimme a break. I'm issuing a challenge. To all of you who think that racing is just 43 cars driving around and around and wrecking, I challenge you to watch the replay of the Daytona 500 on Thursday. If that doesn't convince you, go to a race. Most of the people calling in to the Team were speaking out of ignorance of the sport and I would imagine that none of them had watched a race or been to one. They're just using what the hockey mad Canadian media tells them about the sport and form opinions from there. I don't expect everyone to like the sport, but I would expect people to form opinions based on experience, not second or third hand hearsay.

[Canuck_4_Life]

I believe that both are sports, in the same way poker is one.

To me, NASCAR is a team effort. You need your entire crew, including your spotter to aid you as you're locked into your restraint. However, I believe it to be more of a test of your mental ability to stay sharp, knowing that 1/8" could determine whether you win the Daytona 500 or lose it. I don't doubt the physical strain that these drivers are put under during a race. G-forces, debris on the track, other drivers, your own communication radio. I may not see the attraction is paying money to see a giant blur, you have to appreciate these guys for risking their lives, so that whatever family they have can lead a good life, even if they don't see him for most of the year.

As for golf being a sport, there are so many physical and mental aspects that go into the golf swing, I don't see how people can't call it a sport. Like Nascar, 1/8" determines whether you make the 25ft eagle putt to win, or you end up in a playoff and lose.

[Soundy]

As promised to SolarMax, a few pics from my first time in the pits at a stock-car race: CASCAR West SuperSeries opening race of the 2002 season at Vernon's Sunvalley Speedway, with Wheeler Boys, Team 50 Pink:


Entering the pits during practice...


Ready for qualifying!


Team Pink (major sponsor was Owens-Corning, makers of Fiberglas Pink, hence the color scheme, including pink hair streaks for everyone!)


Pre-race weigh-in at tech row.


Wheeler down the back straight under the lights...




A couple headshots.

All pics were shot on film and then scanned to CD by the lab. The tended to over-process a bit (grrr).

[Soundy]

A few from the Canada 200 race at Western Speedway in Victoria...

[TheLionKing]

I believe that both are sports, in the same way poker is one.

It is ? Then checkers must be a sport. Perhaps it's a demonstration sport at the Beijing Olympics. :lol:

[Soundy]

Race day, MOPAR 500 weekend, Race City, Calgary (photos are badly over-compressed small versions from the stupid one-hour lab):



The autograph hounds are out in force before the race!


Here we go racing...


Into the pits...


Back racing!


Engine troubles...


And that will put an end to the day :(

[Solar Max]

I believe that both are sports, in the same way poker is one.

It is ? Then checkers must be a sport. Perhaps it's a demonstration sport at the Beijing Olympics. :lol:

Have to agree. Poker and checkers are games, not Sports.

Great pics, Soundy! Good to see the ol' Skoal Bandit turned as he did so often in other venues. He was good at that.

[Rammer]

I believe that both are sports, in the same way poker is one.

It is ? Then checkers must be a sport. Perhaps it's a demonstration sport at the Beijing Olympics. :lol:

I don't understand the hangup with trying to qualify motor"sports" as a legitimate sport to those who enjoy it. Lets face it, it will never be considered for an Olympic sport because the real variables of the sport are not in the human, but in the technicians. While other sports rely upon inovations that brings out the best performance of a human, the motorsports are often forced to par down in order to keep everything on a semi level playing field, driver is secondary.

I respect that the drivers of toady involve themselves to the degree that tehy do now, as they are for the most part fit, but I would bet that they would fall far into the background on any Olympic event in comparison to athletes of our top four professional sports.

Besides I am too concerned about having that oval image ethced into my plasma TV screen sitting on 3 hours of a guy turning left. J/K sort of.

[OrangeShoes99]

I wish I had had enough time to call into the Team this afternoon. They were having a discussion on whether golf and racing were sports. Buddy calls up and says racing is definitely not a sport because the car does all the work, and the driver doesn't need to do anything. If that's the case, pal, drive on down to California for next Sunday's race, hop into one of those 3400 pound, 850HP bad boys, start your engine, get up to 190mph, and just sit back and let the car do the rest. After all anyone can do it right? If it's just the car doing all the work? While you're sittin back relaxing letting the car do all the work, make sure it knows to avoid the 42 other cars that are driving around there at the same speed. And I really hope that you're power steering or brakes don't go on the car, or that the tire doesn't go flat, because then you have to muscle the car off the track, before one of those 42 cars puts your car into the wall. And I hope you've bulked up there, buddy, because you can expect to lose at least 10 pounds a race, just sitting there doing nothing. Gimme a break. I'm issuing a challenge. To all of you who think that racing is just 43 cars driving around and around and wrecking, I challenge you to watch the replay of the Daytona 500 on Thursday. If that doesn't convince you, go to a race. Most of the people calling in to the Team were speaking out of ignorance of the sport and I would imagine that none of them had watched a race or been to one. They're just using what the hockey mad Canadian media tells them about the sport and form opinions from there. I don't expect everyone to like the sport, but I would expect people to form opinions based on experience, not second or third hand hearsay.

The morning guys had the same debate, however it was clearly tongue in cheek and designed to get a rise out of Nascar fans and to promote discussion. Obviously it worked. 8)

Obvioulsy the drivers are athletes both mentally and physically. Some people just find it a bore. To each his own.

[Soundy]

Obvioulsy the drivers are athletes both mentally and physically. Some people just find it a bore. To each his own.

Yeah, it would just be really great if these tools that find it boring, actually found it boring enough to not bother even coming into the thread, let alone posting how boring they find it. Obviously it can't be THAT dreary, if you feel the need to comment on it...

I know, I know, dare to dream... there's a guy on another board I'm on that seems to feel the need to interject into just about any subject how "gay" that topic is... never anything constructive.

[CB123]

Just out of curiosity, how many Nextel Cup events have you been to?

:lol: im assuming thats a rhetorical question.

[Solar Max]

No, it wasn't.

You see, I haven't been to an NHL game in years, so I feel I have no basis on which to criticize the NHL. I can only judge the pre-lockout NHL, not this present one, because I haven't attended any games since then.

Since you were so quick to judge NASCAR Nextel, I can only assume that you have indeed attended races recently.

[CB123]

Since you were so quick to judge NASCAR Nextel, I can only assume that you have indeed attended races recently.

ahahah again, you know the answer is obviously no because of how I talked about it earlier. So I will classify that as a second rhetorical question :lol: