You know, before I got hooked on LFS, Ireally didn't know much about or really care for actual racing. But since then, I have learned quite a bit and somewhat understand and can appreciate the various aspects of racing.
I came across this goofy idea while playing N2k3 (get the whelen mod if you can ).

Well, notice when comparing F-1 racing to NASCAR that most people
generally think that the in NASCAR, the racing is mainly about the driver and in F-1, it's about the car?
Then if that is so, then how come NASCAR guys race mostly on vals and the f-1 cars are raced on road circuits? I mean if the racing was mostly about the car, wouldn't you rather prefer a long straight with nice banked big radius curves to get the most out of the car?
and if it was about the drivers, wouldn't it be more fitting for them to race on courses that required more in depth strategy that comes with road courses?
Think about it. If you wanted to, you could run a NASCAR race with the drivers standing in a tower somewhere with RC controllers.
But on an F-1 circuit, you can have the finest car in the world and not get anywhere because the driver has a two digit IQ.

Speaking of NASCAR, how long will it be before Mercedes, Volvo, Honda and Nissan have entries in it?

I personally don't think any of this makes any sense. You can't just state that one series is about the cars and the another about the drivers; where's the reasoning? IMO, any racing series involves the driver skill and the vehicle's pace. One is nothing without the other.

Quote from Racer Y :

Well, notice when comparing F-1 racing to NASCAR that most people
generally think that the in NASCAR, the racing is mainly about the driver and in F-1, it's about the car?

ive never heard that one before and in europe and here the oppinions are very likely to be the exact opposite

while obviously f1 isnt a spec series and therefore the car plays a major role in winning the drivers workload is significantly higher as well

Quote :

Speaking of NASCAR, how long will it be before Mercedes, Volvo, Honda and Nissan have entries in it?

well id guess it will happen round about the same day satan needs a winter coat

Don't say that, the U.S. is quite a big market every car manufacturer wants a share of... The question is if it would go down very well with the fans...

Quote from News flash :

NASCAR team found cheating!
A driver in the NASCAR racing series was found to have been cheating. The team had ground away the bottom of the footwell to allow the pedal to be depressed further, gaining the car a 2mph advantage.

It seemed funnier before I typed it...

Quote from Shotglass :

ive never heard that one before and in europe and here the oppinions are very likely to be the exact opposite

while obviously f1 isnt a spec series and therefore the car plays a major role in winning the drivers workload is significantly higher as well



well id guess it will happen round about the same day satan needs a winter coat

Really you havent heard people say that? I read that comparison on these forums even ....somewhere

Well actually auto racing is a team sport, no matter what type
I mean even with a top notch driver and perfectly designed car is nothing if the pit crew thinks Metric means a tool that's made in Japan

LOL Satan needing a fur coat? That's what they said about Toyota once.

Quote from bbman :

Don't say that, the U.S. is quite a big market every car manufacturer wants a share of... The question is if it would go down very well with the fans...

how would you go about selling a 5 link rear suspension if youre running a solid axle car in the racing series most of your buyers watch ? (i know its silly example most nascar fans wont even know the difference of but you get the idea that competing in f1 stands for being on the forefront of technological development while competing in nascar ... well it shows you can build conestoga wagons that go really fast in a circle)
not even dogbert could bs customers that much

The comment about NASCAR being about the driver and F1 being about the car isn't about the racing series, but about the spectators, I believe. When this comment is said, it is meant that the fans of NASCAR watch to cheer for the individual drivers where F1 fans are watching for the cars. The comment is about the spectator's view and not about the racing series itself.

Quote from Racer Y :

Speaking of NASCAR, how long will it be before Mercedes, Volvo, Honda and Nissan have entries in it?

They'd win tomorrow if they decided they wanted to but European brands generally don't want to be associated with the image that goes with a Nascar.

As an interesting side note given that underneath the cars are identical but run different bodies what engines do they run? I was under the impression they'd all be the same but surely Ford isn't running a GM block or vice versa?

They run whatever the car owner runs, which most car owners manufacture their own engines.

Quote from dawesdust_12 :

They run whatever the car owner runs, which most car owners manufacture their own engines.

So does Toyota produce some kind of prehistoric push-rod V8 just for NASCAR?

Quote from ajp71 :

So does Toyota produce some kind of prehistoric push-rod V8 just for NASCAR?

Nah, the just go to a junk yard, pick a engine, tune it and put it in the car.

That was just guessing, I actually don't know anything about nascar.

The NASCAR teams are limited to a 383 cubic inch (I think) engine block as well as limited in other areas with certain specs they need to abide by. Not all teams build their own engines. The best engine builders sell engines to the lesser teams. Hendricks, DEI, Robert Yates, Roush, and Childress are a few to name that build their own engines. I do know that Yates builds and sells engines to other teams, but not sure of the other ones.

I have no idea whether the engine blocks are all the same manufacturer, manufacturer specific, or completely separate from the manufacturer meaning entirely built by the race teams. Really, the only differences between the different manufacturers are the fact that they are backed financially by them. It use to be that the front noses were manufacturer specific, but I'm not sure that is the case any more. Engine chassis, suspension design, etc, are all dictated by NASCAR and are exactly the same for everyone. Stuff like spring rates, shocks, and gearing are all setup related and are done within a specific spec by NASCAR.

Quote from ajp71 :

So does Toyota produce some kind of prehistoric push-rod V8 just for NASCAR?

I guess a better term would have been Team Owner, not Car owner.