I have friends who love Nascar racing. I personally do not share their enthusiasm. I used to really enjoy watching Nascar, back when they ran real stock cars. I like high tech racing, where the cars, and the drivers are pushed to their limits. In my opinion, Nascar is the lowest tech racing out there. They don’t even use overhead camshafts, which Alfa Romeo was using before WWII. I understand the reason behind a lot of it is to keep costs from skyrocketing, but to race with what is almost 100-year-old technology, especially with the engines, is totally unappealing to me. I have always loved almost all kinds of racing, and can appreciate what goes into each type of race. When I was a kid, drivers would compete in the Daytona 500, the Indy 500, and Formula One races, and they were giants among men.
What surprises me is the number of people who watch Formula One and still enjoy Nascar. But hardly any Nascar fans will even consider watching Formula One. They say it’s boring because there isn’t enough passing. Here is a small list that I’ve compiled to do a side-by-side comparison of the two series. This is not meant as a slam against Nascar. If you love Nascar, I can appreciate the fact that you like racing. Maybe this list will fire up your curiosity and you will tune into a Formula One race and decide for yourself.
| Nascar | Formula One |
| Rolling start | Standing start |
| Lots of passing on every lap. | Passing requires setup and execution, could take several laps. |
| Ford, GM, Dodge and Toyota (only American makes were permitted to race until 2004) | Ferrari, Mercedes, BMW, Renault, Toyota, Honda and Privateers: Williams, Red Bull, Scuderia Torro Rosso, Super Aguri and Force India |
| 2 road courses and 34 ovals | Up to 19 races per season: all world class road courses |
| 5.8 liter V8 produces 750-800 hp and revs to 8,000 rpm | 2.4 liter V8 produces 750-800 hp and revs are restricted to 19,000 rpm |
| Car must weigh 3,400 lbs (1542 kg) | Car and driver must weigh at least 600kg (1323 lbs) |
| 43 cars start the race | A maximum of 24 cars can start the race (12 two-car teams) |
| Single car qualifying- each car has 2 laps to try to qualify as high as possible on the starting grid. | 3 ten-minute qualifying sessions. Slowest 6 cars are regulated to last 6 available positions. All cars must make a qualifying run in every session until eliminated. |
| Races are postponed or canceled due to rain | Race rain or shine. The only time a race will be postponed is if the medical helicopter cannot fly. |
| Tracks are all in the United States with most in the South | For 2008, there are 18 races in 17 countries (2 races in Spain) |
| Very few technological advances: carburetors, push rods, cast iron engine block, 2 valves per cylinder, etc. Cars can be reused for multiple seasons. | Super high tech: every team hires the best engineers they can find in multiple fields, including the aerospace field. The cars are advanced and updated from race to race. Cars are designed from the ground up every year. |
| Banked corners to help the cars steer | Cars experience up to 4 g’s under acceleration, up to 5 g’s under braking and through turns |
| All cars are required to match the same silhouette template | Teams are given design restrictions but other than that, they are free to run any design within the rules |
| 30-35 seconds is considered a good pit stop (4 tires & fuel) | 7-8 seconds is considered a good pit stop (4 tires & fuel) |
| Point system is unnecessarily complex | Top 8 finishers receive points for both driver and constructor |
| Intentional contact is tolerated, expected and sometimes encouraged | Intentional contact is prohibited- driver could be disqualified, driver and team could be penalized. |
| Average audience per race is about 30 million in 150 countries | Audience estimated at anywhere from 200-500 million per race in over 200 countries |
| Minimal downforce on cars to enhance drafting and passing | Aerodynamics produce enough downforce at 100 mph to hold the car to the road if the road turned upside down |
| Drivers race for money and points | Drivers race for points only |
| Top drivers can make over $7 million a year | Top drivers’ salaries can exceed $20 million a year |
| You can see the whole track if your seat is high enough up, at some of the tracks | Track layout limits most spectators’ view of the entire course |
No comments:
Post a Comment