Trying to figure out what people find exciting in open wheel racing. There is no door to door at 200 mph. granted the open wheels go faster but there is little actual racing. How often does an open wheel race end side by side? Convince me open wheel racing is better. Tell me what I’m not seeing. Until then…go Nascar.
Depends on where you’re racing. On an oval, sure, nascar’s cool. But Gran Prix’s got plenty of thrills. Kinda hard to see the whole circuit, tho.
Peace,
mangeorge
I only know two things;
I know what I need to know
And
I know what I want to know
Mangeorge, 2000
I think that all oval racing is boring. Road racing; be it GT1, BTCC, or Forumla One; is much more exciting. It requires much more driving skill. Watching guys go in circles from a few hours, with very little shifting, is not my idea of excitement.
You watch the big boys come out of turn 4 headed for the finish door to door. Nothing more exciting in racing. Who needs to shift? You telling me it doesn’t take skill to race in a pack at 190 mph?
Enough about watching. What style of racing would you rather drive?
For me, road racing. Hands down. Doing all that illegal stuff you’ve wanted to do since you got your 1st car. Cool. 
Peace,
mangeorge
Oh yeah, and a couple of things oval track fans shouls be ashamed of;
IROC and Pickup Truck Racing. 
Peace,
mangeorge
Well, I’m an equal opportunity racing fan. I like it all, and am not at all bored watching cars going around on an oval track. I’ve been to NASCAR and Indy/CART racing, and I love it. In fact, I’m going to the Grand Prix of Miami tomorrow. They recently moved the Grand Prix out of downtown Miami, and onto Homestead Motor Speedway which is an oval track. I must say that I did prefer the Grand Prix on a street circuit, but as a fan at the race without a TV, the oval track can’t be beat. You just don’t get a very good view of much on a street circuit, unless you’re up in one of the buildings watching from above.
As for the people that put down racing, all I have to say is that chances are, you’ve never been to a race IRL. If the race is boring to you on TV, you’re just not realizing that the camera following the cars makes them look like they aren’t going very fast. Go to an actual race, and you will quickly gain appreciation for the sheer lunacy of entering a turn at 200+ mph speeds. You hear AND feel the cars as you snap your neck trying to keep sight of them as they literally fly by. I can convert anyone into a racing lover simply by taking them to a race, and I have done so many times, in fact, I’m taking a virgin to the race tomorrow!
I’ve been to all sorts of races ranging from professional to amateur and have always had a good time. Although its great to see the big boys fight it out in NASCAR, it always a great thrill to stop by the local amateur track and watch the figure-8 racing. Yes, for the uninitiated, that IS a figure-8 track with an INTERSECTION, and NO, there are no traffic lights!
But this being Great-Debates and all, I guess I have to choose a favorite type of racing and tell everybody why my favorite is better then their’s. In that case I would have to choose the CART circuit, with F-1 racing coming in close seconds only because I don’t get much of that locally.
When it comes to balls to the wall, pure outright racing, gimme the more skilled drivers, faster cars, and better tracks of open-wheeled racing over the one-upmanship and poor sportsmanship of NASCAR anyday. Don’t get me wrong, I do like NASCAR, but with all the blocking, teaming up against the underdogs, and general unprofessionalism it can sometimes seem more like wrestling and less like racing. But that’s just my 2 cents.
Oh. BTW, I decided to not even dignify the OP’s comments about “little actual racing” since that’s just patently ridiculous.
As for the lack of door-to-door racing, well DUHH, there are no doors. There IS plenty of side-to-side action in open-wheel racing, but the drivers DO prefer to actually pass other cars instead of strolling together side by side, blocking anyone else who may want to pass. If that’s what you like to watch, I can set up some grandstands along a lot of the highways around here and you’re sure to get your fill of that. You may even see me behind them, flashing my high-beams trying to get them the hell outta the left lane!
But those IROC races where all the drivers have identical cars are great! You really get to see how great of a difference driving skill makes. That one about a year ago with Earnhardt Jr. & Sr. bumping each other at the end to finish neck & neck was a classic.
Oh, sure. Like watching a football game with just the quarterback and receiver playing on each team. :rolleyes:
Just kidding. Auto racing is fun. It’s one of the few sports where most of the fans can actually imagine themselves participating. (Well, sort of.) Haven’t seen a figure-eight race in years. Do they still have jalopy races, where the “average joe” can compete against the neighbors? My brother-in law used to do that. It was a blast to watch.
My post was directed at the OP, who really should broaden his experience a little, and have some fun. 
Peace,
mangeorge
The local races around here in South Florida can range from the jalopy races you referred to, to races with some pretty sweet late-model cars that really make you feel the drivers pain when they wreck 'em up. It’s not like in the pros where they have all these sponsors paying them gobs of cash so that they can afford to wreck. That’s why sometimes the amateur races can be even better for that on-the-edge element.
I prefer NASCAR, and a couple of my good friends prefer open-wheel. They call me a redneck, I call them elitists.
I tend to agree with the OP’er - the action level just doesn’t seem to be there a lot of the time in open-wheel (at least F1). I say that despite this year’s Daytona 500, which may have been the most boring race ever run.
The opportunities for side-by-side racing and passing are so infrequent in F1, and to me, that’s what makes racing exciting.
And mangeorge is right: the truck-racing thing is a little silly. (It did, however, provide the coolest crash I’ve ever seen – Geoffrey Bodine’s this year. Wow!)
“Nothing is so firmly believed as what is least known” - Michel Gyquem de Montaigne
For me, ralley racing is the ultimate in fun and excitement. Sure it’s hard to televise the event but there is nothing like being in it. It’s absolutely the craziest on snow and mud. Driver and navigator working together and making split second decisions… as the kids say… it’s da bomb!