OK, I opened my mind as far as I could, and forced myself to watch some of the Daytona 500. I'm sorry (to any NASCAR fans out there), but I just don't get it. Without making any disparaging comments about the fans and their stereotypes, here's what I observed:
1. They only go around in circles. No curves, combinations of curves, elevation changes (other than the banks), etc.
2. The driving positions are comical, with the steering wheel inches away from the drivers' chests. There must be a reason, but to me, it looks weird.
3. The "driving" seems to be all about the strategy surrounding drafting, pit stop management, fuel management (which ties into drafting), and the like. Of course, much of this is common in any race class, but in NASCAR, this stuff seems to completely overwhelm the actual
driving.
4. And finally, I was amazed to find that the "corners", such as they are, aren't taken at all like they are on road courses, starting from the right edge of the track (in the case of a left-hand turn, which is all they have), clipping the apex at the interior of the corner, and then accelerating back to the right edge of the track. No, the cars on the outside stay on the outside during the entire corner, and those on the inside stay on the inside. Wha? Racing with no apexes? Bizarre. In fact, they might as well have had the race on a 500-mile stretch of straight road, with pit stations along the way, for how meaningless the corners are.
I'm sure there's a lot of skill involved, given how competitive it is to get a top ride in NASCAR, but it's definitely not my cup of tea. In fact, after watching Daytona (as much of it as I could take, anyway), I suddenly feel a strong urge to attend this weekend's Grand-Am race at Circuit of the Americas.
