I Don’t Like Nascar, But I Still Miss The Action

I’m about to talk about Nascar. I know some of you will think awesome, while others are just here to see how badly I bash this classic American racing institution. But there’s a broader message in this article that applies not just to Nascar, but all types of motorsports. I’m going with Nascar because I have some interesting behind-the-scenes experience that I suspect will help shed light to the moral of this story.

Wait a tic - there’s a Nascar article on Car Throttle that claims to have a moral to the story? That’s the idea, but first, let’s get the requisite Nascar bashing out of the way.

I’m not fond of Nascar. With constant format changes, rules up the wazoo, and cookie cutter cars designed to run side-by-side until half the field crashes, Nascar is a mere corporate shadow of the gritty, honest, shade-tree, win-on-Sunday-sell-on-Monday fun it used to be. And since 2016 television ratings are tanking like the latest Top Gear series, I suspect my opinions are shared by many.

Also, it’s positively boring to watch. I could flush a ping pong ball down the toilet, or tie a bunch of Hot Wheels cars to the ceiling fan in my kitchen and have a better experience. Don’t actually try that, by the way. You’d be surprised how much damage a tiny toy car can do with a bit of momentum behind it.

But when you get right down to it, isn’t racing in general pretty darn boring to watch on TV? Sorry if I ruffle some feathers here, but Formula 1 puts me to sleep. Drag racing is even worse, especially Top Fuel where races are over in four seconds. And then you have endurance racing, where the challenge isn’t necessarily to go fast, but to just keep going. The real excitement happens in the pits with mechanics pulling off miracle repair jobs, but you never see such things on TV.

The only racing I can watch on the TV with some measure of enjoyment is touring car racing, but such events are hard to find in the States. And I’m bonkers enough for rally that I can enjoy watching a few stages if the camera angles are good. Even with these though, I’m bored enough after 20 minutes to change the channel.

So why do I miss Nascar? Because Nascar, like pretty much every other form of motorsports action, isn’t meant to be seen on the TV. It’s not a two-dimensional medium to be absorbed on a 50-inch screen. The best surround-sound stereo is still a laughable interpretation to what you actually hear at a race. Chicken wings, Cheetos and beer, while thoroughly enjoyable, are not the smells of racing. And I’ve had the opportunity in my career to experience Nascar in a way that only major manufacturer involvement and team sponsorships can provide.

Through those opportunities I didn’t just go to races, I sat with fans in exclusive pit road suites listening to drivers talk about everything from racing to cooking dinner. I toured race shops. I hung out with drivers in their RVs pre-race and post-race, talking about what happened. I attended driver meetings. I sat next to crew chiefs on pit road during races, 10 feet away from crews changing four tires and dumping 24 gallons of race fuel into cars in eight seconds.

I learned that Nascar isn’t some low-tech, simpleton series where drivers only turn left. Aside from the few road courses on the Nascar circuit, understand that these cars are quite heavy with prolific horsepower and not that much downforce. They’re racing on oval circuits wide enough for jumbo jets to land on. Ever been driving on a windy day and been hit by a gust of wind? Ever been overtaken by a lorry going a fair chunk faster than you? Imagine that force quadrupled. At 200mph. Surrounded by cars. The track may turn left, but these drivers are constantly sawing the wheel left and right to keep control.

None of this is conveyed properly through television. None of it.

It’s been a couple years since I was elbow-deep in Nascar. I still have no interest in watching it on television, but yeah, I miss the live action. And not just the access-all-areas, hot passes action. I’ve been in the stands with the crowd and it’s a completely immersive experience. Hearing the engines. Smelling the fuel and rubber. Getting down by the fence and actually feeling the cars go past. I can say the same thing for attending stage rally events. And NHRA drag racing events. And should the opportunity arise for me, I’m sure Formula 1 and endurance races would be just the same.

I don’t like watching Nascar, but I love the Nascar experience. And that’s the moral of the story. Don’t judge a racing series by what you see on the TV, because racing isn’t meant to be watched. It’s meant to be experienced.