Is NASCAR Really This Easy? We Hope Not!

NASCAR is not that easy. Ask the plethora of racing champions from other series that have tried and failed miserably in NASCAR. There have only been a few drivers in history that have made the switch and have been successful.

There's a lot that comes in to play that people don't necessarily always see. The draft is the biggest - even things such as side draft and knowing how/when to use it can be the difference between winning a race. On bigger tracks like Talladega/Daytona where 43 drivers are running inches from each other at 200mph for the whole race, a LOT of skill is required to race in the pack and not wreck yourself an everyone cause even shifting just a few inches all of a sudden could cause a massive wreck. Moving in the pack is even harder.

I use to be a person that thought it was just all about driving in circles, but when you actually pay attention to the sport, you gotta give these guys credit where it's due because it's more difficult than most people think.

Some food for thought: whenever NASCAR drivers have swapped series with another driver (promotion, etc.), the NASCAR drivers have typically either won the race or finished in the top 5 or top 10. I have yet to see a driver from another series finish even in the top 20 in NASCAR.

— WickedRabbit (View Profile)

Posted on 8/22/2007 4:54:27 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

NASCAR is definitely easier than F1 and Rally. And karting. And DTM. And LeMans. And ..

I never really liked NASCAR, but it should be respected.

— SevorbeupstryIsBack (View Profile)

Posted on 8/22/2007 5:29:59 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

I was thinking the same thing ...
I HAS TO BE a joke, right?

— rg12345 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/22/2007 11:11:28 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

It is.. LOL!

— Agent009 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/23/2007 8:25:36 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Stop it already with the holier-than-thou posts Utah Kid... People are are sorts of things on this site but it's nearly as irritating to see you question their political correctness all the time.

— Threepoint1415926 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/22/2007 9:49:11 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

NASCAR is about precision. Think about it 200 laps with a line that only varies a few inches through out the race. every mistake is monumental.

Road racing is a different animal all together is is a series of turns with mistakes at each corner. The best lap time are those with the least amount of mistakes.

Both take tremendous skill and discipline.

— Agent009 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/23/2007 8:28:06 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

I think we miss the point when we compare NASCAR to F-1; totally different.
Is NASCAR that easy- I don't think so.
Is F-1 easy- absolutely not.

— AdmiralT20 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/22/2007 6:48:00 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

People are just jealous of Toyota's success in NASCAR so now they claim it is an easy sport. Just wait until Toyota dominates F1 and Le Mans! Punks!

— david989 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/22/2007 8:27:08 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -5   

Gordon swapped cars with two different F1 drivers on two occassions for a promotion (charity or something) racing event. He finished 2nd in both I believe. Dale JR and Kasey Kayne (?) finished 2nd/3rd in their first ever Lemans event. Tony Stewart and Jimmy Johnson are prime examples of people that can drive the wheels off anything. They've been champions in virtually every series they competed in.

And whoever made that comment about not being able to drive a "lesser" vehicle is retarded when you think about racing. Regardless of how well your car handles, a "true" driver can drive the guts out of anything and can adjust. Blaming equipment for piss poor performance just goes to show how easy other sports *cough* F1 *cough* have made it on their drivers that when you actually have to get your ass up on the wheel and handle they can't cut it. Now I've seen great drivers from EVERY series win races with poor cars... those are the better drivers imo. If you can't cut it because you're stuck on easy mode, don't blame the equipment...go get some skill.

— WickedRabbit (View Profile)

Posted on 8/23/2007 1:20:32 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon have represented the US very well in various international events though. the only other americans on the same plane as nascar drivers are Travis Pastrana and the Andretti family.

— nembogt (View Profile)

Posted on 8/23/2007 9:30:06 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

"Most of us can agree that NASCAR gets little respect from the racing community" We can??? That's a bit of editorializing, is it not?

— 1970toyotamarc (View Profile)

Posted on 8/23/2007 3:09:54 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0