For anyone who knows me, you will know that I am Formula One, through and through. I wouldn’t even say that I am a fan of motor sports in general, because that would be a lie. Most of it bores me, and I find it hard to get interested.
There is just something about Formula One that has always had me interested and keeps me glued to all ongoings like a vise grip.
Check out the F1 page and you will see me sitting high as not only Community Leader but as the No. 1 writer, so it’s fair to say I know my stuff. I would consider myself, in your view, as the Adam Amick of Formula One. Sorry if anyone disagrees with this comment, but I am trying to make a point here people.
My perception of NASCAR wasn’t a very good one for a number of reasons. I travel to the U.S. pretty much every year for a family holiday, sorry family vacation and this is where is begins.
Whenever I was over there I would tune in on a Sunday to catch a big NFL game, and occasionally NASCAR would be on one of your 10,000 channels that you seem to have, and I would maybe watch it for a small amount of time.
It didn’t ever really take my fancy because nine times out of 10, the race would be under a caution and it was quite dull, so I would switch channels.
I now understand that a caution can fully turn the race on its head, as much as a safety car can within my beloved sport of Formula One, bunching the field back together, waiting for the moment that the SC comes in and the pack can peel off again. It’s the ultimate test of any good driver. To see if he can handle the situation and come out on top of such a situation.
Of course, NASCAR has its fair share of prejudice, where people will say that it’s just turning left. People will say that it’s a sport loved by rednecks, and people do call it boring. Obviously, I had heard all of these remarks and it just put me off further.
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I had no interest to watch it.
I had caught the odd highlight show on NASN over here, but it still hadn’t really quenched my thirst for this sport because we all know that highlight shows only give you the best bits, and even then you don’t understand the kind of anticipations building up to or surrounding the particular occurrences, so it’s just quick hits of excitement and that's it.
It wasn’t until I visited an M&M’s store, I don’t know whether it was in Las Vegas or Orlando, I can’t quite recall, but in the store there was Kyle Busch’s No. 18 car. I must have spent a good 20 minutes just looking at this car, inside and out, just looking at the technologies and the huge differences between NASCAR and F1.
The next couple of reasons for my intrigue might make you chuckle a bit, but hey, it helped you gain another fan from it, so you can’t mock it. I watched two movies, and no, one of them wasn’t Days of Thunder. Instead, one of them was Talladega Nights—The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and the other, the Disney Pixar box office smash Cars.
I can see you laughing, but it was the latter that had the most impact. I watched the extra’s on the Blu-ray disc and it showed all the research they did on this at different tracks with different cars, and it really ignited a flame inside my head that was growing and growing the more I watched.
So, with my interest getting higher and higher, I thought it was about time I caught a race. Oh great, there is one on, but hang on, I have to wait up until 4:30 in the morning to see it till the end.
TOTALLY worth it. I wasn’t disappointed viewing my first full race, I don’t know how NASCAR usually goes off and what most would consider a ‘GREAT’ race, but in my opinion, this one had everything. And what a great finish. I was on the edge of my seat and thoroughly enjoyed it.
F1 could learn a thing or two in terms of broadcasting from NASCAR for example:
- The constantly updating ticker along the top of the screen, constantly showing the gap from the front-runner.
- Better pit stop comparisons, in terms of who went quickest.
- The indicating of cars, of course we fans know who they are but new viewers won’t.
- When indicating the cars it shows the revs and the mph of the car indicated.
- Some VERY interesting camera angles, which could certainly be utilised.
Of course, the sports are incredibly different, so these changes might be a bit of a nightmare to coordinate because the tracks are a lot more complex, and setting up certain things may be an impossibility.
I don’t know, but I do know that the sport could be a whole lot more interesting than it already is should we take a few pointers from NASCAR.
That was my first NASCAR experience and to be fair, I enjoyed it. I could be getting just as obsessed with it as I am with F1. Will I be watching again? Oh yes, for sure, I am going to become a bit of an armchair late-night fan. In fact, I am back out in the U.S. again in October, so I will hopefully be trying to catch a whole race, or at least get into a NASCAR store/restaurant?
Am I converted? Unfortunately not. F1 is the No. 1 sport for me, and it will always be that way. Sorry guys.
Ben, Over and Out!
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about 1 month ago
Im sure ive read this somewhere Already Today !!!!!
Joking Mate , Good to see it back .
Lets see how many people get your humourous nature ! you make good points anyway , the arrow that points to the cars To Tell Us Who is Who In NASCAR is awesome .
Ill Start The ball Rolling .
POTD And some stars .
Do I Hear Any Advances On 5 Stars and POTD ??? :-)
from about 1 month ago
Aw thanks mate, I appreciate that ... Just hope that the Nascar crowd aint a tough one !
about 1 month ago
Hey Ben , The POTD Thing Isnt Coming Up , Are You Editing It ?
It Was There a Minute Ago And ive Not Used My POTD Yet !!!!!
Ill Keep Hold Of It Anyway until i Can Use It On Here >
from about 1 month ago
Nope mate ... I aint edited it ... Keep trying ! Thanks again mate.
about 1 month ago
Welcome to the crowd, Ben. Glad you're feeling like you may have learned something.
If you get the opportunity, I highly recommend digging into the history of NASCAR. Its very telling how this sport grew out of guys running illegal whiskey from lawmen down back country dirt roads.
Which begs an interesting question: How did NASCAR, a primarily oval-track series, grow from a "profession" of running on winding country roads? See my point?
The first organized races were on oval dirt tracks plowed in fields.
So one might wonder why didn't they run on some form of road course? Interesting to ponder.
Last night's race had another thrilling finish. The winner was the same, but that was in question from about 20 laps to go until the final lap. Carl Edwards showed he could pass Kyle Busch (and did so twice in the race) but had a tire go down. Jimmie Johnson got around Kyle, only to lose the lead on the penultimate lap.
from about 1 month ago
Aaahhhhhh back in the Moonshine days hey ? Heard all about that actually ... Didnt realise that was the beginnings of NASCAR ?
I actually might look into it, I am really interested as to how it all began ...
Jimmie Johnson was unlucky I thought ... Until that last caution with like 6 / 7 left to go he was looking a shoe in ... Even the commentators where backing him ... Then BAM, engine failure, caution and then to be fair some pretty sweet driving from Kyle ... Amazing stuff !
Thanks for your comments mate.
about 1 month ago
See Ben nothing To Worry about .
The NASCAR Crowd will love the fact a Die hard British f1 Fan is taking an interest in their sport .
I am very interested in NASCAR It Intrigues me , i Just Cant Sit For All Them laps , it Dwarfs an f1 Race In Terms of distance .
And there are so many cars That after 50 laps i Completely lose who is where in the pack .
However i love the camera thats sat on the barrier , when 20 cars fly past at break neck speed that sound is awesome .............vroooooom !!!! I also like to try and see How Montoya is gettin on .
I am starting to watch It More And More And hopefully one day ill be able to have a fluent conversation on NASCAR .
And this artcle doesnt Ruin your repetoir ben . it wont harm your "image " Mate. trust a brother :-)
from about 1 month ago
Agree with you completely mate ... There is a LOT of cars to keep track of ... Plus the races are pretty mammoth, great fun though, if they are all like the ones I watched last night then I will be making sure I watch it all. Thanks for supporting me matey, really apprecate it. I trust a brother !
from about 1 month ago
good to see - you are open to anything new Bennie -
am with you however, NASCAR is fine -
but its like the bastard child of f-1 ... sure, it has things we can learn from, but lets call it what it is, it great for racing, but am techno-phile, so you know which way am leaning towards
we have 500 people working for one car, millions of dollars more budget for one of those ....
its interesting - but from a technical standpoint ... no mate, sorry ...
loved the piece though - I always do
from about 1 month ago
Cheers mate, but dont worry, nothing can replace my love for F1, not even my woman, ha ha !
about 1 month ago
I must say that I am opposite you, Adam in terms of F1 and NASCAR. NASCAR can have its boring races and some unforgettable ones. I think the year was 2001, but anyways, the spring Darlington race was unforgettable. A true classic IMHO. There was also the '98 Daytona 500 (for obvious reasons to NASCAR fans). I think it would be a treat for you to fly over and see the night Bristol race. That is something to behold firsthand. It would be like sitting at a football match between Arsenal and Manchester. Youtube should have classic race video posted and you could possibly see some of the all time best races in the history of NASCAR. I would also recommend watching the video of the 2001 Pepsi 400 at Daytona. I can guarantee that if you saw the entire race knowing what transpired at Daytona for the 500, you would also have tears in your eyes if you saw the way the #8 was driving on the track. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was driving like his father and won the race.....and then the party ensued on the infield. My neighbors were celebrating in the streets with my family and many others....it is truly a special moment for me. Welcome to the dark side of racing
POTD and 5 stars
from about 1 month ago
Wow ... That all sounds great ... I am definately going to check those races out for sure ... I am excited about getting to know this sport more. Obviously last night wasnt an epic race but was it at least considered a good race in terms of NASCAR ?
Thanks for the rating and POTD, appreciate it !
from about 1 month ago
Yeah, it was good. The other races that I talked about had some real big developing drama in the closing laps. I am not sure if you know how big Dale Earnhardt Sr. was, but in NASCAR terms, he was like Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher combined.....truly larger than life. I can think of a few other races that were great. Ebay should have some ESPN videos of 100 greatest NASCAR moments, although I am not sure if they would play over there.
BTW, the British GP should ALWAYS be held at Silverstone. Just a little love from the redneck American.
from about 1 month ago
Oh cool ... So I wasnt dillusional because it was so early in the morning over here, I am glad what I considered to be a good race actually was a good race !
Yeah I have heard of Earnhardt, doesnt his son race now ?
I am certainly going to start looking into the history and start to look for a few of these DVD's ... I will just run them off my PS3 because thats region free and should run anything ... Plus I am over in the US again in October so I might pick up a few then.
As for Silverstone ... Thank you so much mate ... Appreciate that its not just us narrow minded Brits who think this but its a world wide opinion ! Glad of your support !
from about 1 month ago
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is driving the #88 and I recommend finding a Walmart near where you are visiting. The one by my house has those videos for 5 dollars US. Silverstone just has that mystique of putting on some good races. I also must say go Lewis, bring it home!!!!! Beat the pants off Ferrari!!!!
from about 1 month ago
Yeah there is a massive one just 10 mins down I4 from our Villa ... Not far at all ... Great, I will check it out !
Thanks for the US support to get one over on Ferrari, nothing better than seeing a red car fail, ha ha ha ... Dont tell any of the Tifosi though, they will lynch me, ha ha !
about 1 month ago
Hey Ben, hope this doesnt mean that your going to abandon us in the F1 community? Dont make a habit of this please. Great write up as usual man, I just hope these NASCAR dudes pick up on your vibe as we do back in the F1 community. Keep up the good work big man. POTD and 5 stars for you sir.
from about 1 month ago
Nah ... Ha ha ... I am sticking to my roots, just had to talk about my experience from early this morning ... I felt it for a moment man, ha ha ... Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the stars and POTD. Awesome.
about 1 month ago
I like all forms of motor sport. What made me a Nascar fan was some free tickets to the then Busch series race and Winston Cup qualifing race at the late Riverside International Raceway. A road course! It was the sounds and smells that hooked me. I have never experienced anything quite like the start of a NASCAR race in person. 43 V8 powered race cars slowly coming to the green flag and then VROOOM! Off they go. You don't so much hear it as you feel it.
I would argue the whole moonshiner mistique. The reality was that there were some shady promoters in the racing buisness. They would take off with the purse after the stands were filled but befor the race was over. The drivers wouldn't get paid. NASCAR was formed to deal with this sort of thing and to standarize the rules. Sure some of the drivers ran moonshine during the week but it's not like the moonshiners funded NASCAR. I think it was more a matter of the same kind of people who loved the thrill of hauling ass and moonshine for big profit at great risk were the same kind of people who would like and do well at hauling ass on a track at great risk for some cash. Not great cash but no risk of prison time so it balanced out.
I would strongly recomend to anyone who is a fan of motorsports to attend a NASCAR race. Bristol would be a great first race but good luck getting tickets. Just a look at aerial photos of the place tells you that it would be a great place to see a race.
from about 1 month ago
Noted ... I will do my best to get some tickets somehow ... In the same vein may I suggest to you getting to an F1 race if you havent seen one before ... If you think 43 NASCAR's sound good try 20 F1 cars ... You will need new underwear for sure. Thanks for your comments matey.
about 1 month ago
Hey ill Support a Brother , Besides great journalists can switch subjects or sports and still create a good solid readable article , i know you love f1 tho . but hey look at adam , he writes NASCAR And F1 and we even get a racing roundup from across motorsport , so there is nothing wrong with you branching out ben .
I Will be doing My thing On Manchester united and stuff to do with football once the new season starts . i jst didnt wanna do the champions league final report because everyone watched it .
oh and on the NASCAR thing im sure ill get up to speed with it all soon .
and arent you glad you put this back up ? how many POTDs has it got you ????
from about 1 month ago
Thanks mate ... I will have to wait and see how it spans out, for now I will stick with what I know and maybe just quietly research NASCAR for now ... Ha ha ... Maybe soon I will dip my feet in the world of NASCAR !
As for the POTD, yeah I had a few ... Ha ha ... I guess I just got lucky !
from about 1 month ago
ah now, I see where you rcoming from mate. I write about footy too, but I am waiting until august 15th to do my opening day predictions. I don't see the point of writing til then. I did a play-by-play of the CL Final, that got me nearly 2000 reads so it was a success.
your stuff on the reds should be good mate.
from about 1 month ago
Ohhhh Football ... Do you think If I write about my team it will get much publicity, ha ha ha ... I think not ... Come on Hartlepool United, you be sure to keep an eye out for them this season ! See what I have to go through in comparison to you guys !
from about 1 month ago
oi, I'll have you know I support my local team too. Ebbsfleet United, went to wembley! haha. I had to sit through a 6-0 thrasing from charlton on saturday!
Hartlepool, ooooooh you have a hard season lool.
from about 1 month ago
Yeah axactly ... You went to Wembley, we dont even know where Wembley is, ha ha ha ... You have it easy as a fan of both the Reds and the Ebbs, its all success for you aint it ...
about 1 month ago
Great piece Ben! I've been a NASCAR fans 17 years and... well, this even makes me want to check out an F1 race. Once again, very nice job.
from about 1 month ago
Cool, cheers Jen ... You should check out an F1 race ... Its one of the most exciting seasons we have had in a while ... Times are good for us right now ... Check it out, you wont be disappointed !
about 1 month ago
i agree 100%, ben. im a nascar fan, and i have trouble watching a full race. but everything that you said, with more stuff, adds to the experience of me sitting down for a couple of hours to watch this. great article
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Alan, glad you enjoyed ... I can now finally appreciate NASCAR after many years of just thinking I know what its going to be like from word of mouth !
about 1 month ago
yes michael im a very passionate red and ill be making my predictions and all the rest of it , i did primarily come on here to write on f1 , but then i realised it was for any sport . lets just say i wont be a success with the man city , chelsea or liverpool fans :-) .
Ben you could do reports on hartlepool , people will still read them , i will , any fan of football on the whole will read any article . when i used to buy a certain Sunday newspaper i used to read the whole football bit Including all the lower leagues and non - leaguers . i say do it articles on the pool !!!
from about 1 month ago
We will see ... I might do ... I just dont think there will be an audience for it !
about 1 month ago
yeah no worries . maybe ill do articles on each division , who knows !!!!!
from about 1 month ago
Ha ha ha ... Well you best be wary on what you write about the mighty Pools ... I would hate to have to write a counter article to set a record straight !
about 1 month ago
Im sitting on the same fence as you there Ben, I have a slight interest in NASCAR and have watch one or two races (though not in full) basically just to see how Montoya is getting on. But its not a boring as many it out to be. I particularly like to watch the pit stops. They are so different to F1, i just cant understand why they do one side at a time [tire changes]... Maybe they could take a few things from f1. great article though.
Im fresh to bleacher and its already got me hooked, like you Ben i followed a link on facebook.
from about 1 month ago
It is just the way that they have done things forever. By doing it like F1 and Le Mans, it takes the human element out of the pit stop somewhat, I think it is interesting how it is only 4 seconds difference between F1 and NASCAR on pit stops. Plus instead of having a center nut, NASCAR has five lugnuts on each wheel. I just like it like NASCAR, it just feels like it has a better human element to the race.
from about 1 month ago
Ha ha ha ... Welcome to the clutches of Bleacher, honestly man, this will become an obsession very quickly. But yeah I think the pit stops are very interesting, we could maybe adopt the pitstops in F1, where everyone dives in under a SC or a caution.
from about 1 month ago
Ohhhh this could become a big argument ... F1 vs NASCAR ... I am NOT getting involved !
about 1 month ago
No Mate , i treat every team with the utmost respect , except liverpool and leeds i hate them 2 :-) .
i have no Qualms with hartlepool so it will all be Neutral that i write .ill just say it as i see it .
ha ha mr Nauty writing a counter article on football , that i would like to see ha ha .
and billy welcome to this mad mad world :-) you will be 100% hooked in about a weeks time , it takes over most priorities . enjoy your time here mate .
from about 1 month ago
I know I know ... I know you wouldnt disrespect my beloved Pools ...
Hey I will have you know that if I was to write a football article it would be of the highest quality ... I have been following football a lot longer than I have F1, I am just more passionate about F1 ... So bring it on Mr Andrew, will be fun !
about 1 month ago
You need to stay away from roundy rounds Auty ... it'll make you dizzy and start spending money.
If you ever make it to Delaware, USA, I've got season tickets to the "Monster Mile" and I'll show you around the Casino too ... maybe some deep sea fishing or goose hunting.
from about 1 month ago
Ohhhh I love the Casino's ... Although when I was in Vegas I didnt actually gamble too much ... Infact hardly at all ... But I do have a healthy love of Texas Hold 'Em ... Me and the boys have a monthly game for cash in my lounge ... Its great fun, let it be noted that I havent lost yet ! Ha ha ha ! COME ON ! There goes my competitive streak again !
about 1 month ago
Hey Ben , i Dont Really hate liverpool .....too much . Ha ha .
And You like Texas Hold Em Huh ? Were Always Playing Cash Games , Its Majorly Addictive , its the adrenalin . I Got a Royal Flush in my Local Casino No Too Long Ago , and i Got everyone in the hand all-in , Result !!!! I Won 250 Quid Cash For it In My Hand , its some kinda Bonus they do . Had it of been our usual casino Though It would of been 250k Instead , But they was closed for refurbishments , im sure someone up there doesnt want me to be rich Ha ha .
Ive also had A Lotto Ticket And every number i had was the Very next number to the winning ones , and i mean all 6 numbers Mate , if ever ive felt like ending my life that was the time :-) .
Im in the middle of saving up to Play in The World Series Of Poker , i only need another 8 Thousand Quid Ha Ha .
from about 1 month ago
Sounds like you have had your fair share of good luck and bad luck mate, ha ha !
about 1 month ago
I Certainly Have My Friend . Mostly Bad Luck Ha Ha . I Can Take Defeat Gracefully Tho , Its What life is allllll About , My Day Will Arrive Im Sure :-) i Hope so anyway mate . How Much do you and your mates play For ?? What buy in . We just Play £10 Each Cash Games So as to Get More Games In , Time For Revenge Mua ha ha .
from about 1 month ago
£20 buy in winner takes all ... Thats it ... Love it ! Infact I must organise another soon !
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