All-purpose open-wheel (F1, IRL) racing thread

Maybe NASCAR will sell to the Chinese and they’ll put some competent people in charge.

 

Describing a NASCAR event as "stage 4" is sadly accurate, at least in the medical sense.

 

Since no one cares to hear, I saw the Charlotte race as a guest of Wrangler in 1987 or so. Fell asleep in my denim-upholstered bar stool by mid-race. Too much excitement, I guess, from being in the pre-race driver's meeting.

 

I went to a driver’s meeting at Talladega around then. That was pretty interesting ... there was actually a bit of jawing going on. Are media members still allowed in those? If so, I suspect it’s far more formulaic than way back when.

 

It was accidental. I was in the garage and the doors closed and they started taking attendance. Also, there were two Charlotte races then, the other being the Schaefer 600?

 

The main Charlotte race used to be the World 600 (Memorial Day weekend). The four biggies were the Daytona 500, the Winston 500 at Talladega, the World 600 at Charlotte and the Southern 500 at Darlington.

The “second” races at those speedways were the Firecracker 400 (Daytona), the Talladega 500, the National 500 (Charlotte) and the Rebel 400 (Darlington). Darlington differed from the other three in its main race came later in the year than its secondary one.

 

The biggest gyp I ever saw involved Charlotte. At the 1994 Final Four, some organization (not the NCAA itself) had a media party at the speedway. The grabber was a promise we'd get trips around the course. Naturally, it was assumed that there'd be rides in a pace car or something, anything, above the highway speed limit. We got there to discover they had one of those Toonerville Trolley tourist buses going around at about 20 mph. I didn't even stay for a beer. The nerve of those people!

 

My closest friend did one of those NASCAR driving experiences at Charlotte. He said it was a helluva time. I’d love to do that, but the husband and father of three in me recoils at the waiver I’m certain they make you sign (and the fact that my life insurance wouldn’t pay in the event I bit the dust doing it).

 

Can we take the NASCAR discussion to the NASCAR thread?

Oh fine. I did one of those driving experiences at Indianapolis Motor Speedway a dozen years or so ago. It was a hell of a lot of fun. I didn't have the cash to do the one where you drive the car - I think that was like $500 - but I did have enough to get four laps on the course with a professional driver behind the wheel. I sorta felt like that was a pretty good deal since he got the car up into the 170s and had the passenger side about an inch from the wall. Really gave me a new perspective on the track.

A friend of mine did the driving experience and was about shitting himself when he got the car up to 100 mph.

 

Was just looking at Indy’s website ... you can do a 2-lap ride (in the rear seat) in an Indy-ish car for $500 now ... a 3-lap go behind the wheel of a real Indy car will cost you $1,000.

 

Did someone say "open wheel ridealong Father's Day sale?"

Mario Andretti Racing Experience- Fastest Driving Experience

zoom, etc.

 

I'd love to take a ride in the 2-seater. Not sure I would know what to do well enough to make a drive in the real deal worth while.