Stupid huh? Like golf? I'd rather watch paint dry. How about the NTA(NBA)(that's the National Thug Association). You've just got paragons of virtue there now don't you? If they're not twirling around loaded shotguns, these tattoed up overpaid millionaires are trying to break Wilt Chamberlain's record for sleeping with the most women they're not married to. And what do they get paid for? Running 90 feet and putting a ball through a net? That's not a sport!!
This is how the race goes:
It starts, cars get lined up according to how much money their sponsors gave them to engineer a faster car, the drivers with the most sponsorship money win, the ones without that money lose- no matter how good or bad a driver they are.
Well not necessarily true no is it? You've got drivers out there that do finish in the top 5 or ten without having the bigger sponsor. Look at the top ten finishes over the past five years. If what you said was true, the exact same ten men would be at the top of the Winston Cup points every year
So, between the first lap and about the 25th lap, the field gets sorted out along those lines, then, you can just turn off the t.v., and come back 5 laps before the end of the race and it'll be virutally the same line- up.
Well been a while since you watched racing has it? The fact is that Daytona and Talladega both use restrictor plates for the exact reason to make the semblance of what you say happens not to happen. That's right. To cause more lead changes and to keep the cars bunched up they instituted restrictor plates at these tracks. Also MHO what helped to cause the wreck that took Earnhardt's life
The race has eliminated driver skill AGAIN and put complaining advertisers who want all that money they spent to sponsor a driver seen as many times around the circle in the first 5 or 6 cars. Don't want people being distracted by a change in lead or a competitive race- no sir- just have 'em stare right at those hoods and see the sponsors name over and over and over again.
Well again you're wrong. If you'd bother watching the race after the first 25 laps, FOX especially spends time on the races back in the middle of the pack. And they talk about a slew of drivers, not just the top 5 or 6. But again this is coming from someone I can see hasn't watched that much racing
An example- last year at the qualifying races for the Daytona 500, there were 21 lead changes in just 50 laps- last year the playing field was evened out with a more equal aerodynamic requirement, so that the race was based MORE on driver skill than anything. This year, they changed the aero package back- its back to the old crap of making it about advertisers who pay the most- there were only 4 lead changes in the qualifying races.
And the dang race was only 50 laps!! Also take into account with the new safety packages, all the issues with the Fords haven't been ironed out. And considering Ford has over 40% of the field, you might think that's why there weren't a lot of lead changes.
Over the winter, NASCAR was threatened with sponsors removing their sponsorship of cars if they couldn't get a return on their advertising investment according to the amount of money they invested in "the hood" per times seen going around in the camera in a cricle.
Really now? That's why even with the economy the way it is you still have new sponsors coming in talking about how GOOD a return on investment this sport is? Well of course if you don't watch the race, I wouldn't imagine that you watch the shows about it either. FOX covered this exact issue Saturday night and the only cars losing their sponsors were the ones affected by the economy like Kmart
So, now, instead of the races being about driver skill, its about BORINGLY watching a car sponsored by whoever paid the most for their hood advertisement via sponsorship, go around in stupid, single-file, unsportsmanlike circles for hours on end.
Like you've never listened to the drivers knocked out of the race or the winner. They mention the sponsor more than the announcers ever could. It's just one of them deals
NASCAR has become a joke. I'm watching one race this year- the Daytona 500. If the guy in the back of the pack doesn't have the opportunity to work his way up to the front using driver skill, there is no reason for me to just sit there for three hours watching a hood ornament saying "DuPont" or "Budweiser" or "Napa" on it go around in circles and no, or, little, driver skill is allowed to be exhibited for the sake of the brandishing the most expensive hood ornament advertising on t.v..
Do me a favor, don't watch
Used to race. Loved it. Watched every Winston Cup race last year except the Brickyard 500.
Reason I watched every race I could last year was because, as you apparently don't know- the AERO PACKAGE introduced last year made the cars less important than driver skill. Human skill is what makes a sport. It really pissed off the drivers and teams who for years past were better at marketing their business advantage to "hood commercials" to sponsors than more skillful at driving- which is the heart of a "race"- a competition.
So, this year, with incredible complaining from sponsors over the winter that the teams and cars with the most money invested into advertising traffic for their sponsors weren't getting a return on their investment comensurate with previous year's exposure of name recognition, NASCAR CAVED to sponsors rather than maintain and improve the more competitive, driver skill oriented races that was the hallmark of last year.
Sure, the car itself ALWAYS plays a substantial role in the race, but last year's aero-package placed more emphasis on driver skill, and boy did that piss of advertisers/sponsors who had invested under the previous years of - just throw the money into the car and hire a driver that won't wreck the thing as he passes.
Business- including advertisers/sponsors don't like their return on investment being toyed with. Let the fans be bored, who's gonna know it's all about the car.
Perhaps you should have paid closer attention to Michael Waltrip's comment yesterday--- making a note to people at home about the new aero package this year that creates this boring, stupid, non-competitive "race", Waltrip said: "Hey you people at home, the guy with the fastest car is the guy in front."
Who cares who's driving it or how much skill they have if its all about the car, the engines for which are sealed for secrecy of design by their makers--- boy that's really seeing some competition on the tube on Sundays...
NASCAR has gone back to being a joke.
And get a clue, when its at the billions of dollars level, it's a business. If you want to make believe it's something more now, be my guest.
I've been in the thick of racing. The sponsors did NOT want the boat rocked and they got their way- it's back to considering how many people they will loose between the start of the race and the end watching, versus the amount of money they pony up for their hood ornament. There are people who literally pencil out the cost/benefit ratio on this.
Now, I'll tell you again what's going to happen at the Daytona 500. The first 25 laps will seperate the fields into well financed cars and not so well financed cars. You automatically and obviously expect that every car in the field can blow and engine, split a tire, loose a hose, burn up an ignition system, drop a tranny, etc. So, the playing field is altered by those things for certain. Add in wrecks, and that generally alters the ability of a good driver to be competitive if if messes up his aero or some other crucial function.
Outside of that, after the 25th lap or so, when the tires set in, and mind you, it might be sooner today than 25. They had rain y'd and that washed much of the rubber build-up off the track, it's a sunny day, track will heat faster, rubber will wear faster, a clean track will take the seal off the rubber real dam quick, so somewhere arounf the 25th, it'll get sorted out, the lead group will set-out in single file, the race is essentiully over. Come back when its the 5th lap and I guarantee you, barring some incredible fluke or accident, the winner will be who was in the top 5 at the 25th lap, and in between the 25th and the last lap, there will have been maybe 4 or 5 lead changes between that group- forget pit stop lead changes from those staying on the field- that as you know doesn't matter.
So, there' the race for you. When it's all over, you can argue with me to your heart's content with all the rationale, reason, and earnestness you believe is in you- it'll be just as I said... and it's real simple- its back to car and not driver, and you might as well read the obits today and cross the names out of your phone book for entertainment.
That ain't racing- that's advertising....