Probably one of the most touching tributes to a retiring driver... Yes, I like the sport, and yes, I can see how some people would call it just driving in a circle. But I think NASCAR has one of the most diverse fan-bases as its not just two teams playing at once. Its individual drivers, owners and manufactures that add an extra layer to the competitiveness of the sport. Also, I'd like to see one of the nay-sayers go out in a pack of cars, at 200mph and not crash because I guarantee its more than just turning left (if it were so easy, no-one would crash). While I do like and enjoy the sport, I do have a few problems with it. This year it's mainly been, Toyota (It's a Japanese company no matter how you spin it), MSNBC (broadcasts are sub par and streaming sucks) and the sometimes inconsistent penalties.
Okay, I'm going to be absolutely honest, I am not a big fan of Nascar, but I'm a big enough fan to buy Nascar Heat 2 close to release day, even if I grew up with Monster Jam. I atleast knew what Nascar was like, especially when I saw it up next on SPEED (Does anybody else remember that?). Now, I don't believe I actually watched Nascar, nor watch it now, because I either don't have that channel or I'm too lazy to watch TV. Though, a few years ago, I know my father loved watching Nascar on TV, not as much as NFL though. As I wasn't the biggest of fans for Nascar, I don't know many driver or track names, except for the obviously popular ones. If I'm cruising around YouTube, and Nascar randomly comes to mind, I might as well watch a few compilations and such on it, but those are really, the only times I actually connected to Nascar. As I'm being honest for this post, some of the tracks do feel a little repetitive, but at the same time, like @Svpracer said, going 200 and sometimes above around a track like this, wouldn't be an easy task at all. The real only tracks I like are the road tracks, like Mazda Laguna Seca and Watkins Glen to name a few. In my eyes, I think the real thing that keeps watchers excited is the anticipation of what will happen next, and I can surely see that working. My only problem is, after 10 or so laps, if the race is pretty much clean the whole way through I might as well turn it off and see when Monster Jam is coming on. This was pretty much just a post from the sights of a really laid-back Nascar fan, but I am a lot more into rally, so its a little excusable, but if I was a lot more into it, I would probably have a similar story to everyone else.
I didn't say they were... But it doesn't feel american. NASCAR became what it was because of moonshine running down south. It thus evolved into body it is now with GM, Ford and Dodge competing for Monday sales. These companies, like the sport were grown here, in America. Adding a company that didn't have it's roots grown here just feels wrong. Not to mention that this past season was heavily "sponsored" by toyota... I'm not saying its a bad company, but I think much of the fan base would be happy (or at least not sad) to see them withdraw from the sport.
