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A lot of what you've written resonates with how I used to think. While I don't find NASCAR very interesting, I no longer think of it as "turning left for a mil

A lot of what you've written resonates with how I used to think. While I don't find NASCAR very interesting, I no longer think of it as "turning left for a million laps", since track position (i.e. high, middle, low) is actually a subtle, tactical game. Also, as I'm sure you know, "turning", in any racing, is never as simple as just turning the wheel; race drivers also use the brakes and throttle to turn, and there's enormous subtlety in this. The skill in NASCAR (or IndyCar oval racing) is in carefully observing your opponents, and noticing the small mistakes they consistently make, which you can then, skillfully, convert into gaining positions. Having said that, I hate the way American broadcasters cover racing, and the biggest draw of NASCAR is absolutely the spectacular crashes, which I'm not a fan of either. So, it's not for me, but I do respect the drivers. Having said that, yes, FE has a long way to go before they are reliably producing exciting races. But they recently started racing on the same Monaco circuit layout as F1, and that race is reliably more exciting than F1's Monaco GP. If you watch no other FE races, ever, I'll nevertheless recommend watching the Monaco ePrix (dumb name), if only to see how good a race can be around those streets (something F1 will never demonstrate ever again).

robomartin 4y ago
I’ll look that up. Thanks. Having substantial on-track experience I think I understand. For example, I definitely use throttle steer to navigate something like the large sweeper at Big Willow while doing 140 mph. The wheel is not a good input for subtlety at speed. I don’t want to dump on NASCAR too much. I know there’s challenges and strategy. The culture of watching the races for the crashes is absolutely deplorable. Part of me can’t help but think that NASCAR reinforces the stereotype of the lazy American. Everyone sits around an oval stadium while consuming thousands of calories and watches the “race” for the carnage. I just don’t like it. Then again, I come here from a different culture. I don’t like what Americans call “football” (sorry, it isn’t). I played and I am into both rugby and real football. That is to say, there might be a cultural element to consider.

robomartin 4y ago

I’ll look that up. Thanks. Having substantial on-track experience I think I understand. For example, I definitely use throttle steer to navigate something like the large sweeper at Big Willow while doing 140 mph. The wheel is not a good input for subtlety at speed. I don’t want to dump on NASCAR too much. I know there’s challenges and strategy. The culture of watching the races for the crashes is absolutely deplorable. Part of me can’t help but think that NASCAR reinforces the stereotype of the lazy American. Everyone sits around an oval stadium while consuming thousands of calories and watches the “race” for the carnage. I just don’t like it. Then again, I come here from a different culture. I don’t like what Americans call “football” (sorry, it isn’t). I played and I am into both rugby and real football. That is to say, there might be a cultural element to consider.