The 2022 running NASCAR, IMSA & other racing things thread

It's going to come eventually, but the average NASCAR fan just hawked and spat.

 

I just don't see it working. No one who goes for Cup qualifying on a Saturday morning will want to stick around and see a bunch of electric cars that'll displace the Buschfinitywide cars. I'd also imagine going electric would kill off 80 percent of the Xfinity teams.

 

I've watched a few of the F1 electric races. It reminded me of the electric slot cars from childhood.

Whizzzz! Wheeeee! Rurrrrrrrr!

If they want to go ahead and kill NASCAR, switching to E would do it.

 

If they’re smart they’ll do it on different tracks than the main series, or at least different weekends. Think of it as a brand extension to try and reach fans they don’t have now. If I knew the average NASCAR fan was unlikely to show up, that would make me more interested in sampling it.

 

Think how exciting those pit stops will be. Driver jumps out, plugs in his car, goes for pancakes and coffee, picks up some Slim Jims and a Big Gulp for the rest of the race ...

 

It’s the new Mobil Economy Run!

 

OK, Chris made me laugh. But I will continue with the thought I had prior to his post, that this discussion seems to be ignoring the primal appeal of all auto racing -- let's see who's got the fastest car. If technology can create EVs that are the fastest racers out there, audiences will inevitably drift to them and more importantly, so will manufacturers, sponsors, etc. NASCAR may be a cultural identity for its fans, but if EVs are out there dusting combustion engine cars, they will accept them. I am old enough to recall an earlier version of this technological battle, the struggle of the front-engined Offenhauser Indy cars against first, Parnelli Jones' turbine car (which was very quiet, BTW) and then the rear-engined cars modeled on F1. The Offy guys tried to depict themselves as defending a way of life, but as soon as the rear-engined cars won more races, they completely vanished.

 

— 30-minute races, one each on Saturday and Sunday… perhaps it appeals to some of the retired Cup guys who want to mix it up for a sprint race.

— Specs in the leaked doc call for cars making speeds currently reached on track. I’m skeptical about that, but Gee is right — they get that part down, they’re most of the way there.

— As a prelude to the main shows, they could work I guess. Doesn’t IMSA have like 391 support series that run timed sprints each race weekend?

— I watched some of the New York GP for Formula E. I’ve seen and heard worse. I’m sure CBS did something to enhance the noise.

 

Or the car pits, four jacks raise it a la F1, the pit crew hotswaps battery packs and whoosh, it's gone.

Electric drag cars already exceed 200 mph.

 

Imagine electric car races, but with advertising laws of two generations back. How many millions would Winston pay for shots of drivers going into the Sunoco to get a carton while waiting for a charge?