The Race Card in play ( will it go round in circles) ?

[Cotton1]

I lived in Indianapolis for most of my childhood and only went to the race twice, but we would always have a cookout in the back yard and listen to it on the radio. One year, around 1970, our neighbor, broadcaster Charlie Brockman who was the President of USAC at the time, gave me a ride to the track in the pace car. Graham Hill was my favorite driver; win or lose, he always gave really funny speeches at the awards banquet.

Jim Clark and Graham Hill were the bad asses of the bad themselves in F1 with limited stints in Indy Cars.

The rear engine Lotus cars they piloted revolutionized Open Wheel
Racing

. My father and I used to go to the Indy 500 when I was young back in the 70's. I've been to Daytona, Talladaga , Charlotte Motor Spwy , Bristol, Gateway and Watkins Glen .

[Cotton1]

I don't do racing.

The Drivers : It's a very interesting slice of life. The edge is life to some . These drivers are beyond any level of reaction, processing, , reflex , eye to hand coordination than we can even comprehend. Mix that with world class specific talent, bravery , determination and you have a pro driver


The cars : the other stars of the show .

Brutal horsepower yet super lightweight , some F1 and Indy cars used to have via " ground effects " enough downforce, suction to drive upside down on a ceiling - literally . A "Ventura Tunnel " under the car was what provided the means .

For safety reasons they are no longer allowed to compete


Said that to say this . Those cars still have close to enough for that.

The cars are a mix of math, geometry , aerodynamics etc.

If you've never been live it's a hard sport to love.

However, once you've been as a spectator you suddenly figure out why races like Indy bring in 300,000-400,000 on race day .

Pardon my lack of brevity

[Cotton1]

Not all motorsports fans watch only for the sometimes gruesome and horrifying crashes.

Some watch for the minor incidents as well.

[Standing Wolf]

Not all motorsports fans watch only for the sometimes gruesome and horrifying crashes.

Some watch for the minor incidents as well.

The idea that people watch auto racing for the crashes is an often heard insult to race fans that I've heard my entire life. I'm sure that some people are like that, but I know that when I was growing up in Indy a major crash was cause for concern, not excitement, on the part of everyone I knew, and if someone got seriously hurt it put a severe damper on everybody's enjoyment of the event. As for the question of how anyone can enjoy just watching cars go around in a circle for hours - millions of people watch golf.

[jigglepete]

Never understood what people saw in oval track racing, until I was invited to Loudon Speedway...now I understand the appeal completely (still not a fan though).

Anyhoo, that being said;

Q - How do you escape an angry mob of NASCAR fans?

A - Turn right!