About 6 weeks ago I discovered that the official NASCAR account on YouTube was publishing complete races from all categories of NASCAR racing. This enabled me to immerse myself fully into a genre of motorsport which is something I...

About 6 weeks ago I discovered that the official NASCAR account on YouTube was publishing complete races from all categories of NASCAR racing. This enabled me to immerse myself fully into a genre of motorsport which is something I haven’t been able to do for years. When I was young I would watch every live F1 race on the BBC. However recently here in the UK, the tv rights for full races has switched to Sky & so it is no longer free to view. In this current cost of living crisis, I don’t have the disposable income to spend on sky so that leaves me with 2 options if either a condensed race on channel 4 at some awful time of night or an 8 minute highlight reel on YouTube. Neither fills that void of a full race. So, this sudden discovery on YouTube of full races is something I have seized with both hands and dived right in.

Now I should start by saying that I am not a complete virgin to NASCAR, however it is fair to say that as someone who has only watched a handful of races and just lots of crash videos on YouTube, my understanding of the racing is minuscule. I, like most Brits, viewed NASCAR as driving round in circles. However the discoveries I have made into this sport with only 4 rounds if the season are amazing. I was going to hold off writing this blog until later in the season however I feel I must express my discoveries now & raise a few questions that I have. I certainly don’t understand everything yet and I will pose some questions in this piece, so please comment with your answers if you can help me out!

At time of writing this piece I have watched all races in the Cup, Xfinity & Craftsman series, up to the end of the Phoenix races. Atlanta is taking place this weekend.

So firstly let’s look at the positives. I love how close the racing is. I find it incredible how close you can get to the car in front & behind without causing issues, but at the same time how even the slightest of nudges will send a car off into the wall.

Secondly is the variety of tracks that this series races on. Starting with the “clash at the colosseum”, which on the face of it seemed like an event that shouldn’t work and one that the cars didn’t seem suited too, however the close racing was amazing and really got me hooked for the season. You then head off to the Super Speedways of Daytona & Fontana. Both of this places are huge. I struggle to get to grips with how big these venues are as we have nothing in the UK to relate them too. Las Vegas is then smaller circuit, with less banking, but not seeming to have a lower top speed on the cars & then finally Phoenix which completely blew my mind, mainly with the racing lines cars were taking through the elbow.

So, to dive a bit deeper into that Phoenix track. My head tells me that the shortest distance travelled around a circle is going to be the quickest. However I found it amazing that a car that stayed on the banking could make it to turn 1 at the same time as a car who cut the corner through the elbow, even if they entered that part of the track side by side. I get that transitioning from the banking to the flat and back into the banking is going to kill some speed, but judging by the sparks coming off the skirts of the cars, drivers weren’t lifting at these moments. The amount of car control that was shown in these moments was insane.

So onto a few things I either don’t understand or just concern me. You will see these all follow a very similar theme!

Firstly pit stops. These, as with any form of motor racing, can make or break a drivers race. This is a team sport and especially when it comes to NASCAR. Now I think it’s a great spectacle to watch the crew members going over the wall with all their equipment, jacking the car up and making adjustments. However I can’t help but feel that crews are missing a trick here. Why does such a heavy duty Jack need to be used & it’s on wheels so why does it have to be carried? Surely there is an opportunity here for a team to use a lighter weight Jack which would then save time on pitstops??

My second point of not understanding also relates to pitstops. In the second race of the cup series this year at Daytona, the commentators made a big deal about the manufacturers putting their cars at the same time. For those if you who don’t realise, there are 3 car manufacturers in NASCAR. Ford, Toyota & Chevrolet. Why is it such a big deal for all the Fords to put on the same lap? Part of me wondered if the fuel tanks were different sizes however watching other races it doesn’t seem to matter. Surely each pit crew have their own tactics and so all Fords pitting together seems just a bit weird.

Thirdly, another pit related issue. This one though is more of a concern than an misunderstanding. In this day & age of health & safety, where pit crews where every item of safety gear possible. Cars having to stay below a certain speed coming in & out of pit road (and the number of penalties handing out for exceeding this shows it is closely monitored), how is it that cars are allowed to reverse down pit road if they leave their pit box and discover there is a problem. This amazed especially at Phoenix, where pit road wasn’t even straight & halfway through the second stage one car reversed around the bend back to its pit box. Surely this is an accident waiting to happen??

So I suppose I should finish this blog with a few predictions for the season. I plan to do a couple more blogs about the season so it will be interesting to see if any of my thoughts come true.

Firstly, I’m going to predict a good season for Christopher Bell. He has impressed me with the way he can move through traffic & keep his nose clean. I’m expecting great things from him moving forwards.

Staying with the Cup series, I really home that Cody Ware has a good season. He hadn’t been mentioned one yet in any of the races by the commentators. Such a shame for this small team who are trying to put together a good car & a bit if airtime for their sponsors would certainly help.

Into the Xfinity series and I am really excited for this one. I find I am able to relate more this series, partly because a lot of the drivers are seemingly new this year but also because they are learning the tracks just like I am expecting a four way fight this year between Sammy Smith, Chandler Smith, Austin Hill & Kyle Sieg.

Finally the Craftsman series. I love these trucks. The flat bed at the back with the additional crumple zones makes them really fun to watch. Daniel Dye is my pick from this series. He has a great truck under him. He has got unlucky in this first 2 races, being in promising positions & just not being able to close out the race with a solid finish, however I’m sure he will come strong soon.

It’s amazing how you discover places through watching sport. Whilst watching the Xfinity series race at Las Vegas, it was mentioned that Chandler Smith was from Talking Rock in Georgia. This meant nothing to me so I google mapped it. I was amazed to find that this tiny little village was home to a brewery which is based inside a railway carriage. This is certainly something I will have to try & research further as Georgia is still one of the states I need to drink a beer from for my regular blog!

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