Quote:
Originally Posted by Dean
I disagree with both of you, but don't really want to have this discussion for the umpenth time. You like F1 and I and others like NASCAR. If you honestly think yesterdays race was determined by luck, great for you. I saw strategy, teamwork, competition and skill.
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I wasn't really trying to rehash the F1 vs. NASCAR thing. I know F1's got it's own set of issues, it's really the opposite extreme of NASCAR. My point was that watching the Daytona race, I just didn't see racing. Ten years ago, I was a huge NASCAR fan... and while the restrictor racing had a large element of luck to it back then, you would consistently see the same few people who were artists in draft that would take the wins. Newman's win came because he lucked out to be at the head of the line with the #2 car there to push him. Kurt Busch even said after the race his strategy wasn't to help out his teammate specifically, he was just going to push Newman if he ending up in front. I didn't see anything during the rest of the race that would indicate the 12 car deserved the win.
I guess my point is that there was a ton of hype about the new car and the more open restrictor that was supposed to bring back the old Daytona. I just didn't see it. I saw a spectacle, not a race (very impressive that gopher cam). I saw cars that were too equal and too limited, to the point where driver skill wasn't a factor outside of whether or not they could keep from crashing into each other... i.e. the cars all looked at 8/10s the whole way around, ensuring that even the crappiest drivers had a chance to be at the front. Sure there were a few good saves, and some not so good saves, but all in all, it just felt manufactured. Especially the debris cautions that magically occurred whenever the cars got strung out (which NASCAR has been notorious about doing for years). Someone should tell FOX that they ought to put the debris on camera every time there's a caution for it. It would help the credibility of the event.
I guess I'm mostly just disappointed because I had high hopes for the new season, but it turned out to be just more of the same, IMO. I'm not trying to knock anyone for liking NASCAR, I'm just not seeing the attraction to it myself anymore. Maybe Cali will be better, but that race tends to be one of the more boring ones of the season, IMO. Unless Mikey's on fire and climbing out the roof or something.
I'll likely tune in for Bristol, Sears Point, and the Glen this season. Bristol's all about luck too, but at least it's never boring, and the road courses let driver talent show through.