But with more open wheel drivers going into NASCAR, its making things more interesting. Throwing a road course at them every once in awhile lets different drivers shine. Its good for the sport.

I swear Nascar will never be able to please some people. First they claim its not racing because "they only turn left." Then they are upset when they schedule a road course event because its somehow desecrating the track.

I used to be a Nascar hater....then I started watching it. I am not ashamed to say that I enjoy watching it now. I look at it in the same light as Baseball. The game itself is pretty boring, but with good commentators, stats and strategy it becomes interesting.

 

I used to be a Nascar hater....then I started watching it. I am not ashamed to say that I enjoy watching it now. I look at it in the same light as Baseball. The game itself is pretty boring, but with good commentators, stats and strategy it becomes interesting.

I'm not hating on NASCAR - I just don't like them at Road America. Heck I've been to their races. I don't dislike ovals - I grew up on them. Dirt track or let it be American open wheel - its a strong unique American tradition style of racing. It comes back to tradition and my love for American open wheel that makes me feel this way. Plus I truly do feel that NASCAR well be NAPCAR at Road America. Road America have watched cars go 200 MPH down the back straight - I bet you the Nationwide cars won't even come close to that.

 

I don't watch oval racing... But I would watch left and right turns. And to add to Maxximtl, I would never say that oval racing isn't racing, it takes trumendous skill to do what they do. I just find it boring to watch.

I am happy to see another road course thrown in.

 

This should be interesting. I'm thinking that if I'm able to make it to the race, I will be going, more out of curiosity, since I have yet to make it to a Nascar race of any type.

Mike

 

Yuck! My stomach is churning too.

The track needs to keep revenues up, so they've made a "deal with the devil" to pay there bills. It's just sad, it's a great track. Those cars are a joke on a road course... too heavy, not nimble, too much power for the left turn suspension... road courses need finesse, NASCAR vehicles show anything but finesse.

One thing for sure, they better mount a whole bunch of cameras on the exit of the "wilderness straight", there will be ALLOT of what people watch NASCAR for going on there.

 

The track needs to keep revenues up, so they've made a "deal with the devil" to pay there bills.

No Max Mosley was not in volved and F1 is not running at Road America. I dont know where this came from.

Plus why are the bills they have to pay over there? Wouldnt they keep their unpaid bills in their accounting office?



Hevean forbid that a well known series races at the sacred cow of North American tracks... Sheesh. It sounds like a great idea to me. Historic track, fairly evenly matched cars, national TV...

I dont know about you guys but, that sounds like WIN to me.

 

THIS JUST IN!!!

Close minded people make a post on an internet site because for one weekend out of the year some place they love is doing something they dont approve of.

 

You have no idea of how strong tradition is in motorsports do you? For many it is a time of mourning because I love American open wheel and to see NASCAR take another track for us because of the idioticy of the state of the IZOD Indycar Series makes me sad. As I said NASCAR did a great move for themselves and I'm sure many Wisconsinites well appreciate. As for me losing the Milwaukee Mile AND practically any chance that American open wheel well return to Road America is devastating.

For nearly the past 15 years I've seen the rise of NASCAR destroy American open wheel one track at a time and if that was disheartening enough it was due to American open wheel's own selfishness that this partially happened.

So you call me closed minded? No sir - you are closed minded for making such a statement which you well never understand. You have no idea of tradition, motorsports, or what tracks mean to certain people. Ask people in California what Long Beach and Laguna Seca means to them. As NASCAR fans what Bristol and Daytona means to them. As American open wheel fans what Indy and Road America means to them. Your ignorance drives me nuts.

As I said, I gave NASCAR their respect and I gave Indycar my disrespect. Its sad that people can't read beyond 2 sentences in a post.

 

The link...

http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/nns-series-to-race-at-road-america-in-2010/

Its not NASCAR's fault - its just business. I do blame American open wheel for taking AOW racing from Road America and it could be a long long long time before the upper levels of AOW well ever touch Wisconsin soil again.

So it sounds like good business and AOW are what really make you vomit?

But...hey....I understand your feeling........I have just quit hammering on NASCAR for quite some time now. Business and the people speak.

Kind of like when I was honestly upset at that prospect of a Cayenne from Porsche.

If this make Road America more revenue, then that is only a good thing in the world of vanishing venues.....

 

it still amazes me people hate nascar "cuz its a stoopid, left turn only, ******* only sport" I don't enjoy watching nascar on tv, i have been to 4 races and even an indy race at dover. its pretty enjoyable. plus i would go as far as to say that maybe 1-2 people on this entire possibly have enough talent to drive one of those cars and complete a race let alone be competitive. driving a 3500lb cage with some flimsy steel on it at 185mph in bumper to bumper traffic for 4 hrs is not an easy job by any means. especially when those cars float along the track almost the entire time.

like i said i'm not a fan but it just amazes me that people have no respect for one of the hardest forms of racing out there

i think SynthGT got it dead on

 

Well based upon the "greats" you should be pumped. The roadcourses have brought the best of the best in the world for about 5 years. Ya the cars are close to a spec type car, but man to watch Juan, Ron, Haywood, Martin, Stewart, Johnson, and all the other world class racers go at it is a treat!

BTW Johnny, and Randy have not been able to get rides- thats pretty competitive

 

I am totally for this--in fact I'd love nothing more that to see the Cup cars at RA. The road-course races are my favorite of the season...and RA lends itself to the design of NASCAR cars pretty well.

Seeing a car that is 'out of its element' becomes a bigger testiment to the driver...and say what you want, but NASCAR does put on an entertaining show.

I'll be there...

As for the Milwaukee Mile--yeah that is really sad. But the fact is that open-wheel racing is a shell of what it once was in the US today...and that has alot to do whith what happened at the Mile. NASCAR always drew well there, but not so much for IRL/CART et al...And if RA has the chance to draw an event like this--well its good for the track, its bottom line and the economy of Wisconsin. It would be a bigger shame for the state to lose race entirely--at least we have RA to 'pick up the slack' until the MILE situation sorts itself out (maybe after we get a new Governor).

 

I'm all for it... love NASCAR on road coarses!

 

Then I dont understand why you are all butthurt.

Is Road America not going to hold any other races during the year? Are they going to be a sole NASCAR track?

It sounds like they are just taking over for one race and then moving on.

 

As I said you have to understand history, tradition, and the love/hate relationship between stock car and open wheel fans. Once you understand this then you'll understand everything though you may not agree with it.

NASCAR has stolen so many tracks from American open wheel its not even funny. Loudon, Phoenix, Michigan, and Fontana to name a few. All those tracks were made for and even made by open wheel but have then been transformed to NASCAR tracks. To "lose" another track to NASCAR is unthinkable - mostly a historically rich road course like Road America.

You must also realize that the past few years attendance has been dropping dramatically since the pullout of American open wheel just a couple of years ago. I went to an ALMS/World Challenge race a couple of years ago and the attendance was a disappointment. Road America is a open wheel track first and a sportcar track second in my opinion. To have the tin tops try to replace open wheel is nearly a slap in the face to many fans.

At the end, it is all business. This "hate" though isn't really hate but passion for what was and what's coming. I'm glad for Road America and I'm sure it'll draw well but I know there well be many that well turned off by this but they'll be replaced by others who love this.

 

The comment was about "finesse". How much "finesse" do you think it takes to throw a 3500lb stock car around a road course with 800hp?!?

Jesus...some people are never happy...and make no sense at all! So in order to be interested, you'd rather watch a 120hp Miata race around Road America!?! Come on!

It's not about lap times. It's about testing the drivers skill in a car "that was never made for a road course". If it was about lap times...even the Mazda Miata would be slow compared to a shifter kart at Road America.

 

The comment was about "finesse". How much "finesse" do you think it takes to throw a 3500lb stock car around a road course with 800hp?!?

Eh... what do you know about it? Nothing. You've never driven a NASCAR and neither have I. But I know of many, and have driven a few, cars that would drive away from a NASCAR on a short-straight road course.... I can tell by watching.

I was talking in relative terms. Relative to open wheel cars, NASCARs are sluggish, overweight and clumsy. They require more power than finesse to handle, relative to what it takes to drive an Indy Car or any of the various Formula Cars. Just watch the pitiful way NASCAR drivers saw the wheel back and forth to find their grip point, that much wheel movement in an open wheel car would have the guy darting all over the place. :lol:

Hitokiri makes the point about how the tracks will compromise and make changes to accomodate the cash flow NASCAR will bring, due to the slack-jaw interest of the American public for BIG things. (Big cars are what we've been sold on in America, and in the past I've driven some "big" cars... 383 w/6 pack Road Runner, 428 Shelby GT500, 390 Mercury Montery... but it's clear that smaller, more nimble cars are capable of so much more driving. I always preferred them). The problem for Road America will be when they decide to alter the track to accommodate the heavy bulks of the NASCARs. I expect the first to go will be the hairiest corner, and to some the most interesting corner (Canada Corner), because they won't be able to get around it at greater than jogging speed, or without damaging something. NASCAR might as well put their most trigger-happy yellow-caution-light guy right there. Snore... Boring! I'd rather watch drifting, at least they don't stop that every lap.

 

And did you ever think that these tracks are going to NASCAR because not as many (American) people are interested in open wheel?

 

Bingo and that is sad truth and maybe that's why it hurts. I remember when in the Midwest American open wheel was king and stock car was an after thought. Once Tony George split open wheel and opened up the gates of Indy to stock car - it was all but over.

It is what it is though. I'm glad Road America is finally doing SOMETHING big to boost up their attendance and money which has been dropping the past couple of years.

 

Stolen... funny.

Upset about this... funny.

Hollering about people "not understanding", when clearly you aren't understanding the other side of the coin.... HILARIOUS.

 

Hollering about people "not understanding", when clearly you aren't understanding the other side of the coin.... HILARIOUS.

Enlighten me sir. What do I not understand? I'm actually giving NASCAR a lot of respect for their move though I am not happy about it.

"Because I'm not feeling it doesn't mean I"m hating" - Rapper Common Sense

 

Ok then...what does "lose a track" to NASCAR mean then? Will the track itself change?

I am trying to understand from your perspective.

 

Actually yes - the tracks themselves do change. Look at Indy. There have been changes to make it more NASCAR friendly and even other tracks like Fontana and mainly Michigan have changed to make the banking more friendly to NASCAR. Indycar's run best on flat oval tracks which Fontana is while NASCAR is use to more banking like Daytona. Why do think Indycars never run at Daytona? Not only because NASCAR wouldn't allow it but Indycar drivers would kill themselves with that number of banking.

Plus many of the tracks that I mentioned before are under the power of the France family which also controls NASCAR. These tracks are not friendly towards Indycar on many angles (though they do get a long at some other tracks) and this is how it usually begins. NASCAR is invited to a track, they run at track, and track belongs to France family - end of story.

I've seen this before. Again I don't blame NASCAR for this and again I do agree that Indycar is to blame as well for their lack of leadership.

 

Hitokiri,

So you are angry cause Izon Indy will not be racing at R. America? You arent upset about NASCAR racing there if Indy still raced there right?

 

Actually I was angry back in the day because NASCAR came to Indy. I was also angry when NASCAR came to the Milwaukee Mile (though I did attend a couple of races). So it's more of a sibling rivalry then anything. Would I be happier if IZOD Indycar was still running at Road America - heck yeah. Would that mean I wouldn't be upset at NASCAR coming to one of my favorite road courses in the whole world - no.

 

That last thing is what you need to remember.

If Road America doesn't have income, it could go away all together, and I know you don't want to see that.

I for one, will happily watch the drivers muscle those big bricks around another road coarse.

 

Tu--a racetrack is a racetrack is a race track. They are all businesses and all have a bottom-line that they need to be cognizent of. To have an oppertunity to host and event that will draw 100,000 spctators is good for the track and is good for the local and the state's economy. Period.

No one stole anything--those other tracks simply took advantage of the situtaion that is racing in the US right now. Stock Car (NASCAR) racing has do alot to market itself and as such is quite popular. There are die-hard open wheel fans like yourself that may cringe at the idea of this, but I assure you that hosting a popular series like NASCAR will only help the track at Elkhart Lake. Maybe it will even allow the track to afford upgrades (like permanet garages etc.) that may someday lead to something like the USGP being there--on a proper road circuit...that compares well to any in the world.

There are also pleanty of fans like me--who just like good racing--a good 'show'--and will look at anything to find it. It does not matter if the Nationwide cars are 10 seconds faster or 10 seconds slower than the SCCA WC cars--they are not racing each other and the times and records are all relative. Along those lines, I'd expect the NNWS cars to be quite fast. RA is not a 'handling' course like Sanoma. It is 3 very fast straights and 2 very hard braking zones connected by some interesting turns.

I have driven three races at RA (SpecRX7)--I have many laps there and know it well. Trust me, the track will lend itself well to thsese cars...and they will put on a very enjoyable show.

 

:lol:

Same old ****, different day.

 

I'm confused, what's being lost? :dunno:

Did an open wheel weekend get the boot for this? I tried reading the article but it says my browser isn't supported and being at work I don't get to upgrade by choice.

I'm not a Nascar fan in the least but I don't see ANY downside to having a Nascar event at Road America.

I can tell you one thing though, it'll certainly show which drivers have the most skill and the biggest balls.

Turn 5 and the Kink will weed out the less than skillful/brave pretty quickly. I also don't see these cars being short on speed at all.

With the long straights they should be able to play with gearing and really tear up that track, the big issue is going to be brakes as R/A is notoriously hard on brakes.

As long as they don't mess with the vintage/historic weekends and as long as they don't screw with the track itself then I say more power to them. :thumbup:

 

I'm confused, what's being lost? :dunno:

Did an open wheel weekend get the boot for this? I tried reading the article but it says my browser isn't supported and being at work I don't get to upgrade by choice.

I'm not a Nascar fan in the least but I don't see ANY downside to having a Nascar event at Road America.

I can tell you one thing though, it'll certainly show which drivers have the most skill and the biggest balls.

Turn 5 and the Kink will weed out the less than skillful pretty quickly. I also don't see these cars being short on speed at all.

With the long straights they should be able to play with gearing and really tear up that track, the big issue is going to be brakes as R/A is notoriously hard on brakes.

As long as they don't mess with the vintage/historic weekends and as long as they don't screw with the track itself then I say more power to them. :thumbup:

There wasnt anything in the article that Hitokiri posted which suggested NASCAR gave IRL the boot from R. America. Hitokiri mentioned that IRL did pull the R. America event from thier schedule though. Then he blames NASCAR for that happening.

 

Request for a facepalm smilie to be added to the list of available smilies.

 

Hey, you'll LOVE going to NASCAR races.. what a hoot!!! Yes, it's a circus but so are all the open wheel races I've been to (Monaco, Hockenhiem, and Monza).

Look on the bright side...

When NASCAR shows up the facilities and infrastructure improve dramatically. The race surface and safety of the course will be modernized and the track management skills will improve so they will be able to handle any type of race.


PS: If you enjoy drag racing or 1/4 mile dirt tracks or motorcycles or rally racing or hill climbs or Baja or any other type of racing EXCEPT NASCAR then I think you got a problem.

 

This may sound a bit odd. But with the decline of open wheel in the US and NASCAR's I can do anything attitude. I think they should merge the two together. Run it the same as they do now with spec oval racers and add spec open wheel cars. Run 50/50 road racing and oval tracks. While running the same driver in both cars with no substitutions like they do now. Get the best of both worlds and would realy let the best talant shine!

Now this will probably never happen. Cause there are to many bull headed people out there like my self that hate either form of racing (for me nascar). To let the two merge together. But I do think this is the only way that both forms of racing will survice in the future.

 

Actually many fans thought this would happen. There were rumors that the France family was thinking about buying the Indycar Series and running it as their own. Unfortunately this wouldn't work because what would end up happening is the France family destroying the Indycar Series and making it sure it'll never rise again.

Now the idea of NASCAR running 50/50 or running old CART formula of running 1/3 1.5+ ovals, 1/3 short ovals, and 1/3 road courses - this would interest me. Then again unfortunately NASCAR doesn't want to go this route because ovals are their bread and butter and the tradition and history won't allow them to do this. If NASCAR would make a COT that ran well on road courses and still ran impressive times on ovals - this would destroy American open wheel, bring more respect to the series on a worldwide scale, and maybe even bring peace on Earth.

 

:lol:

 

:what: