GolfHos

You guys are so good at explaining things whenever I have a question that I thought I'd ask another one. 

What's so great about watching a car go around in circles 500 or so times?  Yeah, NASCAR.  I don't understand what's so interesting.  Now, I need all of you that enjoy watching a car go around in circles hundreds of times to tell me what you enjoy about it. 

Now, start explaining.

MOST sports sound stupid when one explains them:

 'Well, you hit the ball from here to that hole over there, and the person who hits it the fewest times wins'

WTF is that?

I take it you've never been to an automobile race live and in person? There really is no way to explain it unless you've seen it up close. It's like 'explaining' ****. I can 'Describe' it, but one can't really 'Explain' the appeal.

First of all, let's understand that ALL automobile races consist of 3 things: The beginning, the middle, and the end, which sounds simple enough, but it's a starting point.

The Beginning:

In most American racing, the grid starts in a pack, and all 20 to 43 of the cars are attempting to be the first ones to get to a space that will only hold 2 or 3 of them at a time. This actually goes on for a few laps, because there are almost always faster cars in the back that SHOULD be in the front, so they have to sort that out.

The Middle:

This is the part people refer to as 'Driving Around In Circles' which is true enough, but what's really going on is that drivers (and teams in NASCAR, IRL, F1 and even most short tracks) are looking for places on the track where they can pick up a few hundredths or tenths of a second by altering the line they are running, adjusting the car to run a different line, etc, etc as well as trying to make sure they are in a position to get to the end without anything breaking or having some dip*feces* named 'Busch' run into them.

Now, if everything goes right, you might get to be up front at

The End.

This is the part where you've sorted the car out, and drive up somebodies ass to try to force them to make a mistake, or you put the knowledge that you've spent all day getting to drive around a few folks on a line they haven't seen work yet.

It's WAY more complicated than that, really.

Until you've seen 25,000 horspower hauling ass into the first turn in a pack that only 4 or 5 guys or going to come through in any kind of position, heard the noise, and smelled the smells in person, you really can't begin to appreciate what it's all about.

Because it's all about 43 guys trying to be in first place.

It sure sounds like a bunch of guys driving around in circles. ;)

Yeah, it's a bunch of guys driving around in circles. But only 1 of those guys is in first place, and the other 20 to 43 of them are trying to chase him down. Believe it or not, somebody usually does.

It's because it's what you love, Ricky. It is who you were born to be. And here you sit. Thinking. Well, Ricky Bobby is not a thinker. Ricky Bobby is a driver. He is a doer, and that's what you need to do. You don't need to think. You need to drive. You need speed. You need to go out there, and you need to rev your engine. You need to fire it up. You need to grab ahold of that line between speed and chaos, and you need to wrestle it to the ground like a demon cobra. And then, when the fear rises up in your belly, you use it. And you know that fear is powerful, because it has been there for billions of years. And it is good. And you use it. And you ride it; you ride it like a skeleton horse through the gates of hell, and then you win, Ricky. You WIN! And you don't win for anybody else. You win for you, you know why? Because a man takes what he wants. He takes it all. And you're a man, aren't you? Aren't you?

I was just thinking about this very thing not too long ago.  About the time I got out for the first 9 of the year.  I've even written down a few sentences about it. :D



Nope, never have.  Unless you count the guys that race up and down our street, that is. ;) 



Okie-dokie, seems like a good place to start.



This must be the first part that I miss.



Now this must be the part I that I always come in at and can't watch more than 5 minutes of without wondering who can sit and watch the whole thing.  Who's Busch?



This is the other part that I always miss.



Would it be similar to the exciting rush of being on a motorcycle, feeling the wind on your face going down a stretch of highway - only a lot faster?

Thanks, maybe the next time that I am flipping through channels and pause for a moment I'll be able to understand why some people like it. 

Frankly, I'd take watching MotoGP over golf on TV every time.  Jockeying, feints, drafting, head games, riding a machine at the very edge of control ... the level of competition and activity is well above whatever is going on in a golf tournament.

lol - but that's probably the best explanation I've heard. 

All you need to watch is the last 1/2 of the last lap. ;) :D

I never see any of that stuff - only them going around in circles.   What's drafting?  By head games do you mean, the decisions the drivers would be making or something else? 

Bingo.

Nat., it's a "race".  The body of it may be as you described, but the goal, or the meat of it is no different than any other.

But how am I supposed to know when that is? 

Switch channels, when the final pairing putts out on 17.

Okay.


'Nother question.  How long is the beginning stage?  How long is the end stage?  The middle is the majority, I'm sure, but what about the others?

Would I miss the end of the golf tourney then?

Noop. ;D

Then maybe I could try that suggestion. :D

What I usually do when I watch NASCAR or IRL (I don't go in for much road racing, but I catch a few F1 races every year) is watch the first 10 or 20 laps, then 'check in' every 10 or 15 minutes, and try to watch the 25 laps or so.

ALWAYS the last 10.

Most local tracks only run 20 to 50 lap mains, so a Sprint Car main at Skagit or Elma takes about 5 minutes on a 3/8 mile track.

I checked, Cedar Lake Speedway isn't too far from St Paul, and they have a VERY good selection of racin', from hobby classes all the way to Outlaws sprints...

http://www.cedarlakespeedway.com/2007_schedule.aspx

If it was me, I might have to check out July 14th (ASCS 360 Sprints, Late Models, IMCA Mods and Super Stocks) for 15 bucks.

The Beginning, The Middle and The End are different almost every time...

How long is a string?

What's a main?

My summer is pretty much booked activity-wise - and that's before I add in any time out on the golf course - so i don't think I'd be able to make it out.  But thanks for looking it up for me.

A string of what?

Kite flying string.

How long is it?

Shorter than a ball of yarn. :D

Um, I don't know.  And that's how a race is, too?

I have to go for now, but I'm going to check in for the answers tomorrow for sure. 

This is the first that this subject has even piqued my interest.

Because you golf, I assume that you appreciate the lie the player has, the distance to the green, the wind, the difficulty of the hole location, the trouble lurking just off the green, the slope and pitches of the green, the player's current position, how many strokes behind/ahead he is, how many holes remain, ...

Well, there is a similar constellation of factors in other sports.

In motorcycle racing, each rider is getting the feel for how his bike is performing that day, based on setup changes made over the previous few days.  He's sizing up what he can do and where.  He's sizing up what his competition is doing and trying to guess how close to the limits of their machines they're performing at.  He's finding the fastest way through corners.  He's finding the most protectible line through corners, which is different -- it's the line that lets him hold off a challenge from another racer while still getting a good drive out of the corner.  He's finding out who has the top-speed edge on the straightaways.  He's doing all this, and he's also trying to hide his findings from the other racers, so they don't get a clear idea of his limitations.  And oh yeah, he's racing around the twisting track at the limits of his bike's performance envelope, braking as hard as he can before turns without locking up the front tire and crashing, hanging off the bike as he leans in turns as much as possible without levering the bike onto its side and sliding off the roadway into the gravel.

And there are ~45 laps like that, with increasing urgency on everyone to be leading when the finish line appears on the last lap.

(Drafting, btw, is tucking in behind another vehicle and riding in his slipstream.  Basically, letting him cut a hole in the air and riding through it.  It's why migrating birds fly in a V formation -- it's more energy-efficient for all but the lead duck.  In racing, though, the lead rider knows that and doesn't like being drafted.  (We'll ignore slingshotting.))

I'd like to see you try... ;)

Apparently, you just need to see it.  Up close.

That really applied mostly to the racing.. [sm_shock]

:o :o :o

I almost know what I'm doing this weekend.

Exactly.  I don't like motor racing at all but I know that there's a tremendous amount of appeal to it.  In fact, one of the reasons I don't get into it at all is an awareness of those who live and breath NASCAR.  I don't want that to happen to me.   :P

I don't like baseball.  I watch maybe the World Series and that's it.  It's a weird feeling watching a game and knowing the guy next to you is getting SOOOOO much more out of it. 

Now to the chuckle I have at the expense of the Rome Clones who trash on fútbol.  Even more so those who bitch about the lack of scoring in soccer - while wearing an Islanders jersey.   :-\ [sm_devil] 

All sports have their positives. 

Well, it doesn't take much to book my summer.  We are so busy with just keeping the household running smoothly - with ages from 87 to 3 - that about one activity a month outside of golf is about all that can be handled.  Plus, we'd like to schedule some family activities, too.  So, actually, I'm probably over-booked. 

Also, part of the reason I have my summer planned out this far in advance is that the young adults (~college age) at my church put out activity ideas over lunch this past Sunday - and the final schedule was given to us last night.

Guess that's why I asked.  It's not that I want to go all out for everything NASCAR, but I would like to be able to enjoy it.

Left turns roxorz, peaches.

Yep. ;D


Okie-dokie. 


Stop right there for a sec.  Motorcycle.  That's probably my favorite mode of transportation.  Okay, thanks.  Carry on.


See, now motorcycles I can relate to, and I think it would be safe to assume that a lot of that goes on in NASCAR as well. 


Oh, drafting... as in air currents, etc.  I guess I had football on the brain - the only thing I could think of is the NFL draft.  Interesting note that you start the sentence with birds and finish with ducks.  Birds/Ducks/Geese (why did I not just say fowl?) also take turns at being the lead fowl.  ('Nother fact about me, I love watching animals, fish, and fowl.  Love to study habitats, etc, and could sit and watch them for hours on end.)

Ignore slighshotting?  But now I want to know what that is! :D  Okay, we can ignore it if you say so.

I knew you guys could help!  You've taken the time to give me well thought out, informative replies, and used examples that I can relate to.  You've not only told me that there is skill involved but also showed me where it is, and if I keep these replies in mind the next time I come across a race, I think I'll be able to appreciate what's going on.  Thanks. 8)

I still don't know what a main is though.

A "main" is the MAIN EVENT. A lot of racing uses qualifying "heats" that determine start position and whether or not you qualify for the main event.  Some series such as sprint cars, have both an "A" main and a "B" main with the A main being the true main event.

(http://lochgarman.com/misc/main-event.jpg)

Are you a fan of Barbara? NTTAWWT

(http://www.duq.edu/facultyhome/fredbortz/KidSciBooks/lindar.jpeg)

I'm all verklempt :'( :'( :'(

For 2iron....

(http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40816000/jpg/_40816030_fawlty1.jpg)