[Spridgets] Racing in Australia

[Rick Fisk]

On Jul 10, 2012, at 8:33 AM, Tncarnut1 <tncarnut1 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> I will also allow that there is skill involved in keeping a dinosaur
balanced on the edge lap after lap. It is just a skill that pales compared to
what is needed on a road course.

If there is so little skill needed and it's so easy to drive in Nascar then
why haven't most of the hot shoe road racers who have gone on to Nascar never
done very well?

Juan Pablo Montoya won the F3000 Championship, the Cart Championship, multiple
F1 races, the Rolex 24 (several times), etc., etc.  But in Nascar he has won
at Watkins Glen, at Sears Point, and Mexico City -all road courses.   Never on
an oval.  Marcos Ambrose won the Australian V8 Supercar Championship twice,
driving courses like the one in the video that started this discourse.  He's
been competing in Nascar for six plus years now and his only win so far was on
a road course.  But no ovals (where you only have to mash the gas and turn
left).  And then there's Danica......   :-)


> Also, since when is a Camry RWD and powered by a pushrod V8? Or many of the
other 'cars' in the field for that matter?

Who gives a rat's patoot if there is no such thing as a street Camry with a
pushrod V8 and RWD?  I'll wager that none of the race cars you enjoy watching
are street cars either.  What difference does it make if there is no real
world counterpart?  Racing is racing.  If Toyota wants to spend the money to
take part in Nascar for the advertising benefits then more power to them.  And
yes, there is a lot of money involved.  Nascar fans spend big money.


> Everybody is obviously welcome to watch whatever they want, I just have
trouble accepting that you should manipulate weights and manufacture cautions
in order to orchestrate photo finishes where lesser teams have an even chance
to beat beter ones.


What does the "manipulate weights" thing mean?  All Nascar race cars go
through tech before a race and the top five after the race.  They have to meet
minimum weight limits and specs on how much each side of the car weighs.
Suspensions can be adjusted during pitstops, but not weights.    Manufacturing
cautions to orchestrate finishes so lesser teams can be more competitive?
Really?  I must have missed that race.  :-)

Bottom line - if you don't like Nascar don't watch it.

Rick