I am very very proud of Nascar right now. this weekend the Nationwide series and the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car series were both at Circuit Gille Villenueve in Montreal, Canada. well, the skies opened up during the Nationwide race. normally, they would have called everyone in and hid under their war wagons (pit boxes) until the rain went away, but this time they pulled the cars in, put brake lights, windshield wipers, and rain tires on them, and let them continue racing. I am really surprised that nascar wasn't afraid of a little water, but I am impressed that the sanctioning body for what is unfortunately the premier racing series in america actually let their drivers run in the rain, at least until it started absolutely pouring. I wonder how many of the younger drivers in the sprint cup series would have started complaining about the conditions, had it rained at one of the two road courses the sprint cup cars run at and nascar threw them a set of rain tires and a windshield wiper? I like nascar as much as the next guy, but it is a bit pathetic when a country's premier racing series is managed in such a sissy/protective way that at the first sign of inclement weather they stop the race and wait it out, even if it is on a road course. I am glad to see that nascar is at least taking a step towards changing that precedent.
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Nascar goes Racing in the Rain...
- Thread starter Slyp Dawg
- Start date
I was amazed when I heard about it.
I think they should also start incorporating more technology into the cars like the other forms of racing.
Carbs? When was the last time a carb-equipped vehicle rolled off an assembly line and was destined for the American market?
Shoot, think of how interesting a race would be if drivers could change fuel settings like the Indy cars.
There's tons of tech that could be used in NASCAR that isn't.
I think they should also start incorporating more technology into the cars like the other forms of racing.
Carbs? When was the last time a carb-equipped vehicle rolled off an assembly line and was destined for the American market?
Shoot, think of how interesting a race would be if drivers could change fuel settings like the Indy cars.
There's tons of tech that could be used in NASCAR that isn't.
Stormin2u
I wanna be Dave
This was not the first time the trucks have run rain tires and wipers before and Nextel did a demonstration race in Japan a couple of years ago on wet weather tires. So don't get your hopes up to high their still getting over the car of tomorrow (COT) changes that will hold them for at least a decade.
Mad Scientist
RCC Addict
Disappointing, isn't it? :|
binaryterror
I wanna be Dave
Like turning right and then left? Oh wait they do that, just very slowly.
I find is very sad and maybe very American that our sissy nascar drivers won't run in the rain. It's a closed wheel closed cockpit car...and is supposed to be based on STOCK vehicles. Now F1 is open wheel and open cockpit and will run in all rain conditions...heck they seem to have fun doing it!
Honestly NASCAR and SCCA or GT class racing are all about the same nearly...yet as you point out NASCAR is years behind in technology and of course running on real courses.
Stormin2u
I wanna be Dave
The speeds are there but what's disappointing are all the cookie cutter tracks that have been built lately in what NASCAR calls the new markets. I will always enjoy the older tracks that have history and character but I'm sorry but the new tracks are just boring.
montana.matt
RCC Addict
:ror:I'll take SCCA Club or Pro racing, F1 or IndyCar racing any day over NASCAR. NASCAR is a joke. It takes little talent to turn left all day long:roll:
As far as racing in the rain, there's no reason NASCAR can't run in the rain. I was involved in SCCA Escort World Challenge racing and then Trans Am racing 10+ years ago, and sometimes we didn't have a choice to not run in the rain (especially WC endurance races).
Nascar drivers are sissies because they don't risk their lives driving 1.75 ton vehicles @ 200 MPH, on 12" wide tires, in the rain?
BJoe
I wanna be Dave
I think the '90 Caprice wagons were still carbed!
I do wish thet were still racing stock cars or atleast stock bodied cars instead of these tube framed jelly beans............
montana.matt
RCC Addict
Yes....
If everybody else can race in the rain, why can't NASCAR? Track conditions generally dictate how hard these guys will push their cars. Of course some will wreck, but that's just another form of Natural Selection:roll:
some of the problem too is Nascar cant adjust a car from a computer and i hope they never get to that point.
F1 to me is FAST but its also who can sink the most $$ into the car. Montoya even said it when he came to Nascar, Formula you just drive the car after your team does whatever it is they do. The computers tell them what to do.
I know this isnt 20 years ago when the cars actually looked like what you bought but just getting back from Pocono's yesterday you still cant beat the grunt of man handling a car.
I do miss the old days though .... pass in the grass, helmets thrown, drivers having 2 clean circles around their eyes and dirt everywhere else.
You can call them poosies for not racing in the rain or for only turning left, thats fine. Think about it this way though, all of you that only crawl ..... how do you think the Touring Car and Oval racers look at you? You go slow and climb over things and sometimes at a snails pace. How hard is that? :lol:
Everything looks easy from the outside, pull your belts down and grab that wheel, its a lot different then 90mph on the highway. "thumbsup"
BTW, speaking of Carbs ...... when was the last time you saw a RWD Focus or Taurus? Its just a Nose clip now that matches production cars, everything else if ideas and innovations.
F1 to me is FAST but its also who can sink the most $$ into the car. Montoya even said it when he came to Nascar, Formula you just drive the car after your team does whatever it is they do. The computers tell them what to do.
I know this isnt 20 years ago when the cars actually looked like what you bought but just getting back from Pocono's yesterday you still cant beat the grunt of man handling a car.
I do miss the old days though .... pass in the grass, helmets thrown, drivers having 2 clean circles around their eyes and dirt everywhere else.
You can call them poosies for not racing in the rain or for only turning left, thats fine. Think about it this way though, all of you that only crawl ..... how do you think the Touring Car and Oval racers look at you? You go slow and climb over things and sometimes at a snails pace. How hard is that? :lol:
Everything looks easy from the outside, pull your belts down and grab that wheel, its a lot different then 90mph on the highway. "thumbsup"
BTW, speaking of Carbs ...... when was the last time you saw a RWD Focus or Taurus? Its just a Nose clip now that matches production cars, everything else if ideas and innovations.
Wait a second here,
Computers tell a formula 1 racecar team what to do? Really? The Formula one racecars are the most innovative, advanced and fastest road vehicle around a closed circuit. It is not because some one asked a computer what to do. The engineers that design the vehicles are highly sought after and switch from team to team more often than the drivers. It is a very naive statement to say that the state of formula one today is because of computer technology. It is because the greatest engineering talent in the world is employed by the formula 1 manufacturers.
NASCAR is booring because they drive in circles all day long. Sure it takes a driver of reasonable talent and medeocre brain power to keep it out of the wall, but I do not hold a NASCAR driver in the same light as I would a formula one driver or someone who competes at the 24 hours of LeMans.
Someone said "Nascar drivers are sissies because they don't risk their lives driving 1.75 ton vehicles @ 200 MPH, on 12" wide tires, in the rain?" Every time a racecar driver goes on track they risk their lives. But you do realize that in a 24 hour race they race in the rain, and in the middle of the night. Imagine going down the Mulsanne straight at 200+ MPH, in the rain, in the middle of the night.
The purpose of racing to me is to try new ideas in a competitive environment. Lots of the new ideas eventually migrate into the production automotive world in your daily driven street car. I have a hard time believing that a vehicle that is rule driven to use older technology is contributing to a more fuel efficient, less harmfull production vehicle.
Computers tell a formula 1 racecar team what to do? Really? The Formula one racecars are the most innovative, advanced and fastest road vehicle around a closed circuit. It is not because some one asked a computer what to do. The engineers that design the vehicles are highly sought after and switch from team to team more often than the drivers. It is a very naive statement to say that the state of formula one today is because of computer technology. It is because the greatest engineering talent in the world is employed by the formula 1 manufacturers.
NASCAR is booring because they drive in circles all day long. Sure it takes a driver of reasonable talent and medeocre brain power to keep it out of the wall, but I do not hold a NASCAR driver in the same light as I would a formula one driver or someone who competes at the 24 hours of LeMans.
Someone said "Nascar drivers are sissies because they don't risk their lives driving 1.75 ton vehicles @ 200 MPH, on 12" wide tires, in the rain?" Every time a racecar driver goes on track they risk their lives. But you do realize that in a 24 hour race they race in the rain, and in the middle of the night. Imagine going down the Mulsanne straight at 200+ MPH, in the rain, in the middle of the night.
The purpose of racing to me is to try new ideas in a competitive environment. Lots of the new ideas eventually migrate into the production automotive world in your daily driven street car. I have a hard time believing that a vehicle that is rule driven to use older technology is contributing to a more fuel efficient, less harmfull production vehicle.
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binaryterror
I wanna be Dave
Montoya left F1 because of his lack in driving skills left his teams lost as how to set up a car. He could drive 1 fast lap and never complete a race as successfully or he'd just be lost on a track trying and no matter the change the teams made, he never drove it.
Montoya also left before the newest rules on engine sizes and RPM, along with no traction control allowed.
Believe me though, more is learned in F1 racing about technology and building cars than in NASCAR. NASCAR's technology hasn't moved since the 90's when they left the stock car racing for what they do now.
Stormin2u
I wanna be Dave
I may not like the cookie cutter tracks that's one thing and sure they have lots of technology that isn't being used for many reasons one is the cost, but "sissy" is a little to far out of for me. :shock:
I agree with Robbs analogy if you think about it running near 200 mph with 43 other cars in a pack in one big ass bomb of a car on itty bitty tires running near 500 miles every weekend from February - October certainly isn't for sissies IMO.
heh yeah Montoya was a bad example .... my bad, he cant drive in a circle either. :ror::lol:
ElChupacabra
Rock Crawler
Id rather watch the American Le Mans series over NASCRAP any day. Restrictor plates? Seriously? The cars TOO fast?
Mayhem Eng.
I wanna be Dave
They looked slow before the rain hit.:roll:
bob1961
I wanna be Dave
yeah but did you hear about next weekend at the glen if it rains?....they will have tires for the nationwide race but not the cup race....what are the cup guys to good to race in the rain?....i'd like to see reckless kyle bush slide all over the place :lol: ....................bob
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binaryterror
I wanna be Dave
Yeah "Car of Tommorow" means they still havent found a way to install Wiper Blades or lights. I mean come on what kind of stock car racing in the world do lights and wipers become a system not even thought of.
The idea of windshield wipers was originally done in 1903. It became a standard feature in 1916 in all US models.
Cars of Tommorrow? Or should it be Cars of Yester year?
BritCrawler
Pebble Pounder
Speaking as a motorcycle racing fan, who's watched Superbike and MotoGP road races in conditions with half an inch of water on the track surface (and more in places), all I can say is 'whoopdee bloody doo'. Then again the AMA won't let the US Superbike series run in the rain either.
NASCAR is like F1, it's stopped being interesting because they sucked all the danger out.
NASCAR is like F1, it's stopped being interesting because they sucked all the danger out.
