OT: Daytona 500

[Fishy]

Not really a racing fan, but as a novelty on a Monday night, I'll watch.

Three observations -

1) Given by often I have heard her name, I'm pretty sure Danica Patrick is racing. Or at least she was. Then she crashed. Then the guy in charge of PR for NASCAR killed himself.

2) You would think people who drive for a living would be able to make it five miles before all crashing into each other.

3) A Scientology commercial ran early on in the race - not sure I've ever seen one before. Found it interesting.

 

[tzznandrew]

Not really a racing fan, but as a novelty on a Monday night, I'll watch.

Three observations -

1) Given by often I have heard her name, I'm pretty sure Danica Patrick is racing. Or at least she was. Then she crashed. Then the guy in charge of PR for NASCAR killed himself.

2) You would think people who drive for a living would be able to make it five miles before all crashing into each other.

3) A Scientology commercial ran early on in the race - not sure I've ever seen one before. Found it interesting.

Be careful about your Thetan level. The evil lord Xenu wants you to be unhappy.

Unrelated, The Onion:

With NASCAR's Most Exciting Race Over, NASCAR's Season Officially Begins​

 

[partial]

The only fun part of nascar is the crashes and maybe the last 3 laps of a race. Have they realized they can make right turns yet?

 

[UConnMike04]

I actually went to this last year. My friends are big into it, I went to spend a few days in Feb at Daytona Beach. It was a free condo that a friend's fam owns, just had to deal with this for one day. Not a fan, but pretty bad ass to see in person.

 

[husky99]

Not really a racing fan, but as a novelty on a Monday night, I'll watch.

Three observations -

1) Given by often I have heard her name, I'm pretty sure Danica Patrick is racing. Or at least she was. Then she crashed. Then the guy in charge of PR for NASCAR killed himself.

2) You would think people who drive for a living would be able to make it five miles before all crashing into each other.

3) A Scientology commercial ran early on in the race - not sure I've ever seen one before. Found it interesting.

this is all you need to know

 

[BlueMAB]

195 mph around a 2.5 mile course doesn't translate well on TV. If you want to appreciate it, see it live. Stand 30 feet from the track while 40 cars go by at 195 mph with less than 2 feet between each car. You may not become a fan, but you'll gain a new respect for what they are able to do with those cars

 

[Fishy]

Just do not stand next to the big yellow thing filled with jet fuel.

Those seem combustible.

 

[jleves]

better yet, don't let Montoya drive fast under caution - he doesn't do it well under green.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

I feel bad for the announcers..they had to fill about 4 hours of rain delay yesterday and now they are doing play by plan on cleaning a track.

 

[partial]

They should take a page from Spanish soccer commentators and throw out a random 'gooooooooooaaaaaaal' to wake people up.

 

[Fishy]

I think this was a gambit to increase beer sales on site.

 

[HuskyFan16]

fishy thats actually what makes nascar so great, you can bring your own coolers into the track

 

[partial]

This thread reminds me of an idea I had earlier, and by idea I mean literally copying something I saw on TV. Mystery Sports Theater 3000. It's so good I wish I could like my own posts.

 

[TRest]

I was interested enough to try to tune in yesterday before the rain delay. I figured Danica would crash early so I would have to see the start. Let's just say the studio crew and the sideline reporters make Fox NFL Sunday look like mensa members.

 

[Fishy]

Thank God this happened down south where the hayseeds actually have an idea of what to do if a jet engine explodes on their driveway. They're just handy that way.

If that happened in the northeast, the race would be postponed for 27 months while we commissioned a new track to be built right next to the one that caught fire.

And on the broadcast team, I agree. As I have often thought to myself when I watch Hubert Davis, if Fox isn't getting about eight tax breaks for employing the Waltrips, someone has some explaining to do.

 

[Dann]

been a crazy night for the 500. bout to go back racing here. going to be interesting with gas strategy coming into play.

i realize most here are not fans but i'm a casual fan. grew up on/around randy lajoie. now i root somewhat for joey l. ct boys all day!

 

[Northbound]

I was involved with NASCAR professionally for about 1o years. I looked at it at first as a bunch of redneck jerk offs driving in a circle but my appreciation changed about these guys, what they do and how they do it. There are levels of appreciation - TV, live at the event, sitting on the pit box and driving a car (and I don't mean that petty experience crap, more like the racing schools that many of the younger guys now go to). It's a very visceral experience and touches all 5 sense when your at the race. To go that fast that close is amazing and to do it and concentrate for 4 hours adds to it. Hell, I can't make it through a movie because my attention span is so short.

I also got to know some of the guys personally, so my opinion may be colored by those relationships.

 

[Palatine]

It's like dump truck racing. Big, unwieldy vehicles that crash every time they actually try to race.

Q. What has a thousand legs and five teeth.

A. The front row at a NASCAR event.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I was a fan for years as a kid. Then got out of it. Now I'm slowly going back in. Couldn't stand the tandem racing last year.

Northbound has it right. To appreciate the sport, think of it the way you think of marathon runners or the biathlon. This is a test of concentration, skill and endurance. Think about your stress level on a crowded highway when everyone is bunched together and tailgating at 75. Now more than double the speed, and do it not just for 30 minutes of commute time, but several hours.

Palatine, you must be a Formula 1 fan. What good is it that they go around curves if there are no lead changes? And of course, last night, a vaunted F1 driver managed to blow up a truck and his car.

 

[suzyq]

Just do not stand next to the big yellow thing filled with jet fuel.

Those seem combustible.

It's very fortunate that thing wasn't in front of the grandstand when the Columbian Clusterf u c k smashed into it. That would have been extrememly ugly. Guy has about 1/4 mile in all directions to put his car anywhere but in the driver's door of the the truck ( the bright yellow one with all the flashing lights, BTW )and he nails it perfectly.

 

[prankster]

Whenever a thread on this board even mentions NASCAR....the elitists start coming out of the woodwork, denigrating the sport.

So few seem to be willing to give credit where credit is due.

NASCAR has been an incubator for automotive and technological research. It is a virtual testing lab for full scale evaluations of technology and innovation. Important questions about what happens when this or that is done with an automobile, at high speed are answered, in real time, every year.

Take last night, for example.

That nagging question: "What happens when you crash a sedan, at high speed, into a jet engine?"

Answered!

 

[progrocks]

Montoya, at his best, was better than every other driver in that race. Check out some of the stuff he did at Williams against Schumacher, or youtube his q lap from Detroit when he drove in CART. Now he is just fat and content. I do not know what he could have done about that though, both the Ganassi cars had major issues by the end of the night.

Circles are boring. Excited for the real racing season to start in Australia in a few weeks.

 

[Waquoit]

Whenever a thread on this board even mentions NASCAR....the elitists start coming out of the woodwork, denigrating the sport.

So few seem to be willing to give credit where credit is due.

NASCAR, like your "elitest" comment, is bullsh!t. It's closer to the WWE than any other competitive sport. Even Jack Arute admits that it's 80% sport, 20% show. I think it's less than that. How else does Danica Patrick win the pole position?

 

[prankster]

How else does Danica Patrick win the pole position?

MUST.........NOT........POST........PORNOGRAPHIC..........ANSWER.........

 

[mets1090]