Why is NASCAR more popular than Formula 1 racing in America?
I watch both (If it's got a motor in it racing something else with a motor in it, I'm gonna watch). But there are several reasons. First, of course, is that NASCAR has its roots in America. Second is brand identity ( the introduction of Toyota really threw us hardcore fans into a tizzy) as well as car design. We can identify with the car. NASCAR is also more popular than Indycar. Fourth is the perception of competitiveness. F1 tends to run single-file after the first lap and you can almost always tell who the winner will be soon after that. Fifth, the winner in F1 seems to be determined more by who the vehicle chassis builder is than driver skill and that remains constant through the season (Lewis Hamilton is, truly, a great driver. But are his skills really that much better than Raikkonen or Vettel?). Sixth is the attitude of the governing body toward the fans. The new management of F1 has a lot to overcome o n Egglestone's attitude about fans in general and especially young fans. In NASCAR, France feels fans are paramount and many rules have been changed or created to keep fan interest. Seventh would be comparative cost of attendance. Eighth is approachability of the drivers themselves. NASCAR makes every effort to make drivers accessible to fans whereas F1 caters to the wealthy and powerful. I'll quit with that, though I could keep going. Even if F1 made a serious attempt to gain a footing in the US, it has a lot to overcome to capture the American race fan.Out of curiosity I did a quick check of 1 piece of memorabilia popular with American favor fans-the diecast cars. You can get a 2017 Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe's for $59.99. A 2017 Scott Dixon Target will cost you $69.99. And if you want a 2017 Lewis Hamilton souvenir? Open you wallet a bit wider. $199.99. A guy can't AFFORD to be a hardcore F1 fan!
Putting an F1 driver in a rally car and a rally driver in an F1 car, who would perform better?
This is a great hypothetical!I think given time, they would both be as good as each other. That is, a Top F1 Driver would be a top Rally Driver, and a top Rally Driver would be a top F1 driver. Both sets of drivers have staggering reaction times, and instinctive understanding of how a car handles.While I suspect the best F1 Driver would be more likely to be Rally Champion than the other way around (I think F1, with its staggering money, generally attracts the higher talent), I don’t know for sure. I could make a strong argument that the greatest driver of all time, across all codes, was this man:(Nb: I could argue that, but I wouldn’t, because I think Jim Clark is the best driver ever. I don’t know what it is about Scotland that makes people drive fast!)What I do think would be true is that the rally driver would have an easier time getting up to speed with F1 than the other way around. A key part of rallying is listening to a co-driver. Not exactly a skill an F1 driver has (listen to Hamilton moan if the engineer gets on the radio at the wrong time). A more major problem is F1 drivers don’t know how to do a Scandinavian flick (excluding F1s Finnish drivers, who I assume slow themselves down coming along the birth canal by kicking their back end out in the opposite direction coming into the turn!)Could Hamilton learn to do that? Of course he could, but I contest it would take longer to get world class at that, which is an essential skill in rallying, than it would take a top rally driver to get used to just how late you can brake in an F1, and just how much speed you can carry through the corners.So, long term, I think an F1 driver would do better in rallying than a rally driver would in F1.But the first race? My money would be on the rally driver.
If you lose control of your car and it is starting to spin, what are the best things to do to gain control back and avoid a crash?
Jeez. Everyone here is answering as though your car is already in a deathspin and nothing you do will matter.First…if you do get in an all-out spin, it doesn't really matter what we tell you. When your car starts to spin out, instinct will take over, and it will all be over by the time your rational brain kicks in. Fortunately, instinct usually tells you to slam on your brakes, and if you have anti-lock brakes that's fine. (If you don't, you should go to an empty parking lot and practice pumping the brakes until it becomes second nature.)That said, when you feel yourself START to lose control, steer against the spin. That is, if your car starts spinning to the left, steer right. Don't panic and turn the wheel as far as you can; just try to steer back to the center. Because… You will immediately start sliding in the other direction and will have to steer back again. Be ready for it! You may even sway back and forth a few times, usually a little less each time. If you didn't oversteer, you may be able to recover.If you go into an all-out spin there is not much you can do to stop it, but if you did the above you might have at least slowed your momentum a bit.
Whose better..Richard Petty or Dale Earnhardt Sr.?
Both were pretty good...but I'm gonna say Earnhardt was the best despite only winning the Daytona 500 once. And to the moron lower down on this page that says Jeff Gordon is better, you need your head examined. Gordon doesn't even come close to the success that Earnhardt and Petty have accomplished...combined.
What is the difference? Sprint car, micro Sprint car and midget. What do they race more in the midwest?
Sprint cars use a rocker arm American V8 for power. Sprints run on asphalt or dirt, with wings or without wings, and engine rules range from steel block 305 c.i. to all aluminum 410 inch, 900 hp monsters. They weigh around 1,400 lbs so have a better hp to weight ratio than a formula 1 car. Midgets look the same but have a shorter wheel base and weigh around 1,000 lbs. They use 4 cylinder automotive racing engines pumping out around 400 hp. Midgets usually race without wings but ARDC and another group in the N.E.sanction winged midget shows too Mini-sprints are the same size as a midget, but uses a Japanese bike motor. Usually the size limit is either 1,100 or 1,200cc. Micro sprints are slightly smaller than mini-sprints and use either 750 or 600 cc bike motors with the 600's being the fastest growing class in the sport. There are also 250 cc and 125 cc classes. The mini-sprints are big in NY, PA, NJ, IN, IA, OK. Great class, affordable, and big car counts everywhere. Hope this helps. If I can give you more specifics in your area, use my e-mail contact.