Why NASCAR is More Than Just Hillbilly's Turning Left

We’ve got something different for you in terms of motorsport this week: NASCAR

As an American motorsport fan, I grew up around the world of NASCAR and to the naked eye it can just appear to be a bunch of guys going left really fast, but here is why it’s so much more.

They race more than ovals.

NASCAR has recently expanded its horizons in terms of the tracks they run on with races like COTA and Watkins Glen being staples of the calendar and the newly announced race through the streets of Chicago. These races on non-traditional tracks show that these guys can in fact turn right despite the usual stereotype.

2. Even on ovals the racing is more than it seems.

Despite the simple layout of an oval, the racing is far more complex. Picture this: you are on a 2 lane motorway with 39 other cars, simple so far, right? Now imagine you are all separated by less than 20 cm from bumper to bumper, it’s getting a little harder now, isn’t it? Now, imagine you are all travelling at speeds exceeding 180 mph and there’s a steep banking coming up and you need to maintain speed without colliding with the cars around you while two different radios scream in your ear. Now you’re beginning to see why it’s more than just a left turn. Do all of this for 100+ laps while trying to overtake with no braking zones.

Source: Autosport.com

3. Ovals come in all shapes and sizes

Not every left turn is created equally, on the NASCAR calendar the oval races range in size from .25 miles to 2.7 miles with everything in between. These different sized ovals make the strategy of every race different, on the bigger ovals, you can pack race which means drafting with a “pack” to build momentum and stay at speed while conserving fuel, and at the smaller ovals its all about outbreaking your rivals and picking up speed out of the corner all while trying to keep your car out of a wall which are right on the side allowing for no mistakes.

In reality, I can’t make you watch NASCAR, but I greatly encourage you to at least give it a shot, you might find it to be an action packed, competitive Sunday activity to put on when Verstappen is 7 minutes ahead.