Nascar v CART

[bobdrummond]

A discussion at work about the pros/cons of US racing. I love US racing, and in particular CART Champ Cars. Lamenting the migration of spectators and sponsors to Nascar Winston Cup/Busch, I suggested that although it can be entertaining, Nascar races are a little too long, with suggestions of WWF type "manipulation" of late race yellows, etc. I'm glad that Nascar is taking the fight to more mainstream sports such as NHL, NBA, NFL, etc.

P.S, Did Ted Musgrave sort anything out for 2000, Whats happening to Dave Marcis, and How did Ricky Rudds auction go? Any unusual purchasers

[Joe Fan]

CART is a good product for the money. The series does have decent talent in it but the top American driving talent now migrate to NASCAR and the top international talent to F1. This means that CART has quite a few drivers that are good but wouldn't be the creme de la creme in either NASCAR or F1.

From my personal experience, NASCAR Winston Cup is with out a doubt the better of the two entertainment-wise. This doesn't mean that CART sucks it is just that NASCAR Winston Cup racing is more exciting in my opinion. I have been to Atlanta once and Daytona twice and the Daytona night race was the most awesome racing spectacle I have ever seen. Stock cars are more visually impressive because of their size at the same speed as a Champ car. I noticed this when I stood down by the fense going into turn 1 at the Madison, Illinois CART track compared to Winston Cup cars going into turn one at the Daytona track.

As far as the "WWF" comparisons, this is always echoed by the critics of NASCAR. NASCAR does seem to be inconsistent with some of their rulings and yellow flags but no form of motorsports is fixed. Formula One has even had a few critics who have claimed that the series is fixed especially after the barge board fiasco. But the bottom line is that there is just too much sponsorship money in most series for this to be allowed.

We also have some other good racing series here like the NASCAR Busch Grand National series, the IRL, World of Outlaws sprint car series, USAC sprint car series, the American Le Mans sports car series, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series, the SCCA Trans-Am sports car series and NHRA drag racing (if you like 300+ mph quarter mile runs) plus a few more.

Also the American Speed Association (ASA) stock car series is a decent non-NASCAR sanctioned stock car series that is improving.



[This message has been edited by Joe Fan (edited 16 January 2000).]

[Lee Roy]

I enjoy both CART and NASCAR, and attend races held by each series.

I enjoy the CART races because the equipment is more exotic, and I like the speed on short tracks. I have been attending races at Nazareth since 1995, and I like the fact that a driver can make up a lot of track in a short time if his competition balks.

I enjoy NASCAR racing because the people involved, much bigger personlaities and interesting stories in NASCAR. I also enjoy the brute force of the cars. Races are longer at a NASCAR event, but then they have to be. There are no warm-up sessions or support events on race day, the race is it. There is an element of endurance involved with a NASCAR race. And, a NASCAR race is an EVENT. The crowds and people camping out at a NASCAR race is mind-boggling.

As far as the WWF nonsense goes. Bob, just remember that Roger Penske, Carl Haas and now Cal Wells (big CART owners) will have to have "bought in" on it. It is nothing but fans of other series suffering from "NASCAR envy".

NASCAR's management is, by far, more effective than CART's. That gang of fools is driving CART into the ground. When I saw my first CART race at Nazareth in 1995, it was one of the best races that I have ever seen. If the race this year is as bad as last year's (due to CART mis-management), I'll forget about that race in the future, and probably CART altogether.

Also, Zanardi's abject failure in F1, and rookie Montoya's pasting of the CART field this year (I was at two of his wins) makes me feel that the CART talent pool is pretty shallow.

[bobdrummond]

Lee Roy, I understand what you're sayin', but my WWF allegations concern the governing body of the sport, emphatically not the team owners. I have as much respect for the likes of Robert Yates, Jack Roush and the Hendricks' as I do for the Ron Dennis' or the Barry Greenes of the world. I agree that new managment for CART is required, though I notice that even the NHRA drag racers are experiencing similar problems to CART. **** management and absconding sponsers aplenty.
As regards the relative success or failure of Alex Zanardi and Juan Montoya, all I have to say is that, without a shadow of a doubt, Zanardi is one of the best racers around. For sure 1999 sucked, but I attribute that 100% to the car and the team. Most of the most talented drivers in F1 (Villeneuve, Hill and Schumacher) have slated the grooved slicks and narrow tracked cars as undrivable. I have no doubt that in another era, Zanardi would have enjoyed more success. As for Williams' part in his travails, think Frentzen in '97/'98.
See ya!!