Every sport known to man has its share of evergreen arguments--debates that seem to have been going on since the dawn of history and seem destined to continue until the end of time. Some examples: Would baseball be better off getting rid of the designated hitter? Should college football institute a playoff? Does golf really count as a sport?
For you gearheads who found this blog, there's another argument that could go on forever: Should NASCAR be racing on road courses?
For the non-gearheads out there, road courses are those that require drivers to turn both right and left, as opposed to the "oval" courses, which demand turning in one direction only. In the Sprint Cup series, NASCAR uses two road courses: Watkins Glen in central New York and Infineon Raceway in northern California, which will host its annual stock car spectacular on Sunday.
NASCAR is quick to tell you that it has been running road races since the very beginning, and many people enjoy the racing that these tracks produce. Others think that road courses should disappear from the schedule altogether, especially if some teams are going to pull their drivers in favor of road "ringers."
But there are plenty of reasons to keep the roads on the roster.
For one thing, NASCAR's open-wheel cousins have no problem asking its drivers to demonstrate skill on both oval and road (and street) tracks.
For another thing, shifting gears from Michigan International Speedway's 2-mile oval to Infineon's 2.5-mile serpent of a course can't be that much more traumatic than shifting from Talladega's 2.66-mile restrictor-plate special to Martinsville's half-mile "paper clip," as the Sprint Cup drivers will have to do in October during the Chase.
Besides, every reporter who can be cajoled into riding on a road course end up saying things like "This was a thrill like no other."
When was the last time you said that watching a pitcher bat?
Showing posts with label road racing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label road racing. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
The People's Facts - Toyota/SaveMart 350
You, the Internet, have until Thursday night to vote in the polls on which drivers should start for the People's Pitstop in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race. To help you make your decision (and here's a hint -- Casey Mears would not be a strong candidate), we have some information about this season's first road trip, so to speak.
Track basics: Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, is the first of two road courses on the Sprint Cup schedule. This course is nearly 2 miles long and contains 10 turns, many of which violate the NASCAR cliche of "drive fast and turn left."
By the way, the "350" in this race's name refers to kilometers, not miles. For those of you who don't feel like converting, this race is 217 miles, or 113 laps.
Recent winners: Kasey Kahne (2009), Kyle Busch (2008), Juan Pablo Montoya (2007).
Who wins here a lot? It probably won't surprise longtime NASCAR fans that Jeff Gordon leads active Sprint Cup drivers with five victories in California's wine country. (Yes, that's "wine," not "whine.") What might surprise you is that second place belongs to Tony Stewart, with two. No other active driver has more than one win here.
What's with the new faces? Every year, NASCAR teams get nervous that their drivers may not have what it takes to qualify on a course where they have to turn left and right. That's why, in addition to the "road course specialists" trying to make the field of their own accord, you'll see several hired guns getting into the cars of some established NASCAR teams. The goal: Keep the oval driver in the top 35 (with the guaranteed race spot it ensures). Yes, this means you'll see and hear a lot about Boris Said over the next few days. No, that doesn't mean he's any closer to getting a full-time NASCAR ride. Sorry, Said-heads.
If you're eager to learn more about the fantasy aspects of this track, you can click here to download Yahoo Sports' excellent preview. And don't forget to vote.
Track basics: Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, is the first of two road courses on the Sprint Cup schedule. This course is nearly 2 miles long and contains 10 turns, many of which violate the NASCAR cliche of "drive fast and turn left."
By the way, the "350" in this race's name refers to kilometers, not miles. For those of you who don't feel like converting, this race is 217 miles, or 113 laps.
Recent winners: Kasey Kahne (2009), Kyle Busch (2008), Juan Pablo Montoya (2007).
Who wins here a lot? It probably won't surprise longtime NASCAR fans that Jeff Gordon leads active Sprint Cup drivers with five victories in California's wine country. (Yes, that's "wine," not "whine.") What might surprise you is that second place belongs to Tony Stewart, with two. No other active driver has more than one win here.
What's with the new faces? Every year, NASCAR teams get nervous that their drivers may not have what it takes to qualify on a course where they have to turn left and right. That's why, in addition to the "road course specialists" trying to make the field of their own accord, you'll see several hired guns getting into the cars of some established NASCAR teams. The goal: Keep the oval driver in the top 35 (with the guaranteed race spot it ensures). Yes, this means you'll see and hear a lot about Boris Said over the next few days. No, that doesn't mean he's any closer to getting a full-time NASCAR ride. Sorry, Said-heads.
If you're eager to learn more about the fantasy aspects of this track, you can click here to download Yahoo Sports' excellent preview. And don't forget to vote.
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