Alexandre Augusto Leite
São Vicente (Brasil)

And it’s very debatable that a bunch of guys in full plate metal armor (lol) are really taking any risk at all. Also considering that they have an entire team for each type of play… Full contact you say? Watch that mental guys doing Rugby. Now that’s the only “real” form of football (tho, they don’t use their feet )

I enjoy football the same as american football, that is, just the finals, and IF I manage to put myself on the lamentable situation where I’m in a bar and everyone else is watching the game. That is so you realize I don’t pretend to offend any sport at all. Same with nascar, I insist it wasn’t meant as an offense. But certainly a sport where no one bashes (american football pun intended) at each other would be very boring indeed.

Oh, and thank you for your best wishes, that’s very gentlemanly from you. Not like the american football guys at all. Best wishes to you too

Personally, I like soccer about as much as I like NASCAR-not much. I could also easily say soccer is nothing more than a bunch of guys kicking a ball around, and that the only real form of “football” is the American-rules, full contact sport featuring 11 guys in pads and helmets slugging it out with a pigskin. However, I understand many other people are huge soccer fans- especially on this blog- and would never think of degrading such a sport in any way. Best wishes on your posting, and enjoy your F1 and football.

Ditto my friend, I’m embarased how ignorant and immature some of my F1 friends can be. NASCAR and F1 are like Football and Baseball ……. entirely different games played with a ball. For a football fan to call a baseball fan “stupid” (and worse) only indicates what the football fan really is! (and visa versa)

Good people have the ability to enjoy BOTH without critizing the other. Concerning the intent of the article……..there is a LOT F1 could learn from NASCAR but I suspect Bernie is the chicane in the works.
He seems far too intent on making money through promotional fees and TV rights and hasn’t put in enough (if any) effort in retail marketing. Have hope, someday Bernie and MadMax will be history ……………….

All racing seen through the lens of TV and heard through the voices of asinine analysts is diminished. See it live, and your perspective may change.

Well done Robert.

That is because the overall field is more competitive than a F1 field.

In any given NASCAR field there are at least 20-25 possible winners, while F1 only has about 4 (2 each from two teams – McClaren and Ferrari).

The ‘randomness’ makes it exciting and less predictable. Not very many cars win from the pole in NASCAR while in F1 it is usually the pole winner that wins the race, meaning the real race is on pole day and not on race day.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like F1 but I think in recent years the fields have become less competitive and the excitment that F1 once generated in the days of Senna, Prost and the like,has been lost (at least to me anyway) because of the smaller fields and the dominance of one or two teams and unless there is a mechanical failure the winner is usually one of the cars starting in the front row – more than likely from the pole.

On the NASCAR exitement issue, I don’t really enjoy the endless turning and passing either. I just find it interesting that nearly all of the F1 fans here in my area that I know are also devout NASCAR fans. Many of them seem to root for the powerhouse teams- Ferrari and then one or more of the Hendrick drivers in NASCAR- so perhaps there is some common trend in that mix.

And if they can’t drive several series now, as before, it has to be because the increasing complexity and demanding situations that a F1 race has.

Here we only get nascar advertising on cable, not on local tv (mexico).

@Steve K
Of course we’re arrogant. We’re F1 fans! But please don’t take any ofence from us.

@the limit
Well, you can bet the response from that fan would be something like: YEEEHAAAW

@Gman
Please don’t take it in the derogatory way, consider this: this is a sport, and passion has to be involved. You’re going to tell me you never called names at your rival football team? It’s the same thing. Alphonso, Don Pedro Montoya (and that would mostly be an offence to me, I’m mexican), The German Cheating *******, and Nascrap.
I’ll try to limit myself, but you also try not to be offended by something that is not meant as an offence to anyone.

@Keith
No! You have it all wrong! I’m saying quite the opposite, I don’t want F1 to become more like Nascar! All the contrary!

NASCAR has only taken what made those sports great then and continued the growth in terms of marketing. That’s where F1 really needs to focus.

One thing I always hear about on the US broadcasts, the US market is the largest for most, if not all, F1 manufacturers. Yet due to stringent TV rights, you won’t see any local coverage, highlilghts, or even an announcement of who won the race, for even the US race on the local network news. However it doesn’t matter where you go in the states, almost all local news networks will report about the NASCAR race, even if it was held on the other side of the country.

The other big marketing problem, when the race was held at Indy, unless you lived within the area, the only advertising you saw for the upcoming race was on SPEED TV. Might as well be preaching to the choir.

All I’m saying is, loosen up the TV restrictions and allow the media to market your sport for you by allowing more access to highlilghts and interviews. How can you sell a product when you refuse to completely offer it? F1 can’t sell itself on it’s name alone anymore, there’s too much competition.

This is why NASCAR has turned some backyard bootleggers into a multi-billion dollar sport. Give the fans what they want and more will follow with money in their hands. That’s the only thing I’d like to see F1 take from NASCAR.

As far as drivers competing in other races, I understand the contracts. But it might be time to quit all the crappy PR and maybe do a little more fan interaction to show some personality. This was a big reason I was sad to see Montoya leave F1.

This is a short comment, thanks to my current severe case of the man flu, but, if I can gather my energies as I wake, I might attempt a post on the subject later. There are things I want to say but just cannot summon the will power at the moment.

No promises, mind you…

I’m surprised how many people are reacting and saying F1 cars should become more like NASCARs (Haplo, Brakius) – because Robert didn’t say they should do that.

Nor do I think the number of races NASCAR drivers do on a weekend has anything to do with the amount of skill involved in driving a NASCAR. The reason F1 drivers don’t do other races on F1 weekends (or most of the rest of the time) is entirely to do with their contracts, as we discussed here.

Gman – Red Bull are rebuilding the A1 Ring, there’s been a rumour it will hold DTM races soon.

Steve K, you’ve got an excellent theme going- here’s a toast from a local boy to your mention of Pocono! The funny thing about NASCAR vs. F1 is that here in my area, I do know a solid number of racing fans who eagerly follow both series, and spend all say on Sunday tuning in to both NASCAR and F1, plus the Indy races. Most of us on here obviously prefer F1, and i’m not an avid follower of NASCAR, but both series of racing are entertaining, and they both have pluses and minuses. And in my observations, there’s a good number of Americans who eagerly follow both.

Halpo, I am in no means trying to moderate anything here, but as a humble suggestion, perhaps you should consider refraining from the phrase “nascrap.” Perhaps you may not like it- I’m not a big fan of it myself- but in my book, It’s just disrespectful to those on here who do take an interest in it.

Some of these views may appear arrogant, I admit, many openly admit their disdain for NASCAR, but you are on a blog to a rival series to NASCAR. You cannot expect hardcore F1 fans to turn around and applaud, put down their Ferrari flags in exchange for #88’s.
These are the fans of a rival organisation, you cannot force feed them or preach them NASCAR, if F1 is their sport of choice.
Try talking to a hardcore NASCAR fan in some small town in Florida about F1 and you’ll get the same response, and it’ll be in the negative.
Let’s not kid ourselves here, America has given the world many great things, but NASCAR isn’t one of them.