how do i prove to my friends it takes skill to be a nascar driver?

Question

They say that they can make left turns easily and say its bad for the environment. i need help. i get made fun of saying it's easy and i dont bring it up. whenever people walk past me, they say isn't nascar a stupid sport loudly and its gets me sort of mad, not fighting but arguing. it's so annoying. i say, and it's my opinion, that some aspects of racing are more difficult than football yet some aspects of football are harder than nascar. and they get mad.

Answer 1

the best answer i have ever been able to come up with when someone starts that line with me is "if its so easy why dont you go out and make millions of dollars doing it like (insert fav driver here)."
then i offer them a ride in my backup limited late model for a night to see if they really think its that easy. no one has take me up on the offer yet.

Answer 2

You need to get use to it. And watch out what you are saying. There are round ball only sport fans and then there are others who like most any kind of sport.

In your main question you talk skill and then your follow up it seems to lean towards physical ability.

First of all I would not compare one sports to another sport of any kind to begin with. Football in no way is comparable to racing on ovals. I believe the drivers are athletes but maybe not as beefed up as a football player. A driver is more of a distance runner or tennis player.

I have friends who think that a NASCAR driver is not an athlete but a golfer is. Go figure that one out. I don't get into discussions about this any more.

There are some that there whole purpose in life is to give others a hard time. You either like enough to let them rag on you and you rag back or find new friends if this subject means this much to you.

Skill is another thing. Most drivers have great skill. They have too to drive at the high rate of speed for so long. There are a few tracks that they do this side by side for most of the race.

I am not too sure how much skill in a combined group does the footballl player have and besides a footbal player runs a play and then takes a break for three or four times longer than the play was. They have time to think about there next move and then it is a plan all wrote out for them.

Chose your friends better or get use to it.

I could compare keep going but I need to go to work.

Answer 3

Usually I just let them wallow in their ignorance but if that doesn't work, I ask them what is it about a sport they love that makes it a sport or difficult to do.

Then whatever the reply is I say it's the same with NASCAR but more difficult at 200 mph.

Ask them if they realize that the heart rate and respiration of a driver during the event equals or surpasses that of any other athletic endeavor. Equivalent to a kickoff return man after a 90 yard return.

Ask them how many G's a quarterback endures on a hard sack, then state a driver can endure 20 times that in a meeting with a wall.

Find a little track somewhere and rent it. Usually can get one for a couple of hours for a few hundred dollars and invite them to take their street cars around it as fast as they can in a group. Ask them to prove how easy it is. If having to sign a waiver that says if they kill themselves the track bears no responsibility doesn't convince them, maybe cracking up their ride will.

If they are on an environmental kick, just say NASCAR is doing the best it can to use up all that nasty oil. The more NASCAR races there are, the sooner we will all be riding the propane powered bus or the electric light rail to watch "moonshine" powered NASCAR races.

Answer 4

Well, if you consider the F1 and other open wheel drivers who came over to NASCAR, only a few have been successful. The latest F1 champion, Juan Pablo Montoya has been in NASCAR for a few years and has only won two races, both on road courses. I can't recall a NASCAR driver who went to F1. So if anything I think NASCAR takes more skill than F1. As far as the road course argument, NASCAR has had "road course ringers" participate in the two annual road course races forever. But nobody except a NASCAR regular driver has ever won a road course race. So the skill needed has to do with managing the ill-handling NASCAR stock car rather than being able to maneuver around a road course.

Answer 5

dont let them get the better of you, nascar is a difficult sport...the drivers have to train for endurance for those long races, driving and handling a car going those speeds is something that may look easy to your friends, but have any of tham ever tried it? Bet not! Until they can come up with something that proves you wrong, leave it alone, you know what you are talking about. Enjoy your races.

Answer 6

Nascar drives have to have talent to steer a stock car around the track case in point take the Coke 600 that is a 5 to 6 hour races of keeping your mind focused and make snap judgment at 180 mph when there are racers wrecking in front of. The best way to make non believers are take them to your local dirt track or asphalt track tell them to go as fast as they can for about 10 laps. After the hit the wall they will believe. That's how I did one of my cousin. I took my late modified car to our local dirt track strap him in and today him to give me 10 laps as fast as the car could go. He didn't make turn 1 when he hit the wall at 150 mph.

Answer 7

NASCAR is more of a sport than cheerleading and baton twirling. Sports take skill, talent, and a certain amount of guts. Tell your friends to get into one of the cars, maintain it around the track at upwards of 200 MPH without crashing too bad, and then say it's not a sport.

Answer 8

Get them to use one of those hairtrigger steering wheels and drive a race on playstation or online against other people. Then tell them to imagine doing it for real in 160 degree car for 3 1/2 hours at 180+ mph while their body is whipped up with centrifugal force and they dodge other cars let alone improve their position and stay out of trouble. While talking to and listening to their crew chief and spotter. And getting on and off pit roads without incident.

Bad for the environment?? So is driving regular cars, smoking (for people), pesticides, logging, factories, blah blah blah.

And in football, they're not likely to die anytime or at least go for a spin and endo 11 times while their car skeletons around them. Or get tboned by 2400 lbs of speeding car.

Answer 9

Ignore them.They want to prove they are know it alls and they will argue the point with you nomatter what you attempt to say.
And it takes a lot more skill to turn "left" and maintain your speed.I've driven Talladega and it is a rush but you have to pay attention to hit the marks tu make the best turn.
Enjoy yourself enjoy racing.

Answer 10

When you drive NASCAR you need incredible are strength and you need to know mental skill about how you're car operates. You need to be in really good shape. In a typical race you can lose up to 30 pounds. If you don't keep hydrated you could pass out. I would say convince them that even if they tried they could never make it in a race. Sorry I am not that much of a help.