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Car Racing for Dummies
Dec 06 2007 by Courtney Messenbaugh
12/6/2007
New Fan Lays Out the Basics of Popular Sport
As the newest addition to the Mother Proof team, I am also the dumbest; I'm not nearly as well-versed as my colleagues about automobiles. These ladies even know a thing or two about racing, whereas all I know is that Ashley Judd is married to a guy who races cars for a living.
So, without further ado, I give you here the official, no-relation-to-the-people-who-make-those-big-yellow-and-black-books "Car Racing for Dummies," or as it may later come to be known, "NASCAR Demystified, Plus a Little Info on Other Kinds of Racing." Think of what a hit you'll be at all those holiday parties this year!
It seems appropriate that NASCAR is the first type of racing we'll be learning about. After all, it is the most popular form of car racing in the United States. NASCAR stands for National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. Call me dumb — oh wait, I already did — but I never knew that. My husband rolled his eyes when I mentioned that to him, as if to say, "Everyone knows that." Whatever.
Anyhow, initially "stock car" racing meant participants drove regular old cars that hadn't really been modified from their original factory configurations. In effect, it was kind of like taking a car off the lot, giving it a slick paint job and rolling up to the starting line. Of course, nowadays that couldn't be further from the truth. The cars raced now are modified in all kinds of ways to make them go faster.
As you may have deduced from Will Ferrell's "Talladega Nights," NASCAR seems to have roots — and a strong following — in the southeastern U.S. I won't lie; the image I had of NASCAR involved Billy Bob and Toothless Trudy cheering on a bunch of rednecks yahooing around the track. Turns out, I have been plain wrong. You see, NASCAR has more than 75 million fans who purchase billions of dollars worth of licensed paraphernalia each year. These fans are so brand-loyal that more Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR races than any other sport. I happened to see an interview with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson (two of the best NASCAR drivers ever, from what I have gathered) the other night, and those two men certainly altered my view of what NASCAR is. In fact, they were so humble, well-spoken and easy on the eyes that it made me want to watch a little NASCAR next weekend. Their Southern twangs were even kind of sexy. I could totally get into this.
Another type of racing you should know about is Formula One, or F1 as I like to call it. This is done in single-seat cars designed especially for high-speed driving. You might know this type of racing by the term Grand Prix, which is the name for the series of races that constitute an F1 season; that includes the glamorous races you may have seen on TV around posh European cities. If supporting this kind of racing equals international travel, sign me up as a fan! When discussing F1 at your holiday parties, you might want to reference Michael Schumacher's unprecedented five consecutive championships with his trusty Ferrari from 2000 to 2004. That will show your peers that you know a lot more than you appear to, and certainly a lot more than they do.
The last thing I'll mention for this edition is the Indy Racing League. You know this because you've heard of the Indianapolis 500. This is essentially the American version of F1. The Indy 500 is held annually over Memorial Day weekend and is rumored to be loads of fun to attend. As part of the fun, Florence Henderson — that's right, Mrs. Brady — sings "God Bless America" before the race each year. Nothing says fast cars like Carol Brady.
To bring things full circle, I've learned that Dario Franchitti, Ashley Judd's hubba hubby, was an Indy Car champion and just recently signed a deal to compete in the NASCAR series. He'll be the first European to join the series full time. If it's good enough for Ashley, it has to be good enough for me. A new car-racing fan has been born!
User Comments
Courtney, I’ve been a race fan for 40+ years and you’ve got your priorities mixed up. Nascar is to racing what the World Wrestling Federation is to wrestling.
Forget about it!!
Open wheel racing is where it’s at and the Indy 500 is the pinnacle of open wheel racing. Did you watch Dancing with the Stars??? Helio Castroneves will be in the Indy 500.
Come and see for yourself.
Living in the heart of NASCAR country, I can understand how you would be swayed by the hoards of advertisements presented by the monolith. NASCAR is little more than a staged Hollywood show to entertain. There is very little real racing going on, except maybe for the likes of Tony Stewart, who is one of the very few “real” racers in NASCAR. Tony can race anything, including Indycar.
If you want to enjoy racing to its fullest, go to “grass roots racing” with the Midgets & Sprints and then to the Indy Racing League, where real speeds and wheel-to-wheel, smoke puffing from tires racing will take you to the next level. In NASCAR, you are where you are. There is no where else to go; you’re not at the top, you’re not at the bottom, you’re just somewhere in oblivion.
The greatest spectacle in motorsports is the Indy 500. The pinnacle of motor racing.
Well heck, you guys have me convinced - Indy Racing will be my next racing endeavor! Truth be told, I didn’t have enough publishable space to get deep into the Indy and thought the Flo Henderson aspect was funny (though I’m sure quite relevant), maybe that’s another article after I attend next year…(crossing my fingers someone lets me go!).
Can I also just throw my two cents in for Le Mans? I went to the ALMS race in Utah last spring and had a BALL.
http://www.motherproof.com/2007/06/american-le-man.html
I have an idea: let’s all just show up at Glen’s Indy 500 party. No clue who he is but heck, he offered and who are we to turn him down?
Speed GT and Touring car are more “stock” than NASCAR. Production based Acuras, Mazdas, BMWs and Audis.
They usually run the same weekend as a ALMS race, (road courses mostly) but because they are sponsored by a specific network they don’t get much coverage.
Remember: “Randy” Probst is the driver, “Jeff” Probst is the guy on Survivor,,, and they are NOT related.
Chief Mama, I guarantee that if you show up at Glen’s party, you’ll never forget it. It’s at the corner of Camp and Brew right across from the famed speedway and has had such spectacular folks from all management facets of the speedway, teams, media, and race fans from all over the world. It’s a party you’ll never forget.
Chief Mama and I went to Indy last year and mostly got wet (http://www.motherproof.com/2007/06/rainy-days-at-1.html). I think a redeeming Indy experience is in order!
That’s right - we were there last year. How’d we miss the Camp and Brew? Too busy ‘working’ apparently…
I agree with Sara Lacey…If you like Dario Franchitti, then you’ll love his ALMS racing brother Marino!!! ALMS offers a more upscale, european racing style..a little more high end that NASCAR.
love me don’t hate me
We at http://www.carbroker.org believe that it is a very nice and informative post about Car Racing for Dummies.
You seem like an intelligent lady. You really should gravitate toward the Indy Car series rather than napcar.
I understand your puzzlement about Flo Henderson and racing, but there’s a whole lotta history and pageantry to the Indy 500, that you can’t appreciate unless you’ve studied it or been a part of it. I urge you to consider going in 2008. Contact me if you need any assistance with that. I’m co-founder of a big party that I bet you’d enjoy. Check out http://CampAndBrew.com
Merry Christmas