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Happy Daytona Day


maddmaxx

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61st Daytona 500 is today.  I've seen at least part of every one.  Early on that consisted of 1 or 2 15 min segments in black and white on ABC's wide world of sports.  Some were viewed in a teletheater setting watching on the giant screen.  I've been to the speedway on numerous occasions along with the associated museum.  I've gone around the track in excess of 150 miles per hour average (lap 2) and there's a right rear tire from a Rusty Wallace race car in my workshop waiting to be turned into some sort of coffee table.

But I've never been there for the actual race.  :wacko:

Like the super bowl this race dominates the entire area surrounding it.  When I was in Orlando on or about the weekend of the race, parking lots at hotels would be full of tractor trailers with spare race cars and parts that didn't fit into the speedway.  I flew out one Friday on the weekend of the race and the airport was full of people coming into Orlando from all over the country.  

There are better places to be for races during the NASCAR season, but the hype and spectacle make this one special.

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Actually, for a track like Daytona, probably the best seat in the house is on TV.  At the track, it's so big that you tend to miss things because you are looking somewhere else or because the action is a mile away behind a tower or building.

Nascar, the business, has brought technology to the track.  You can rent a tablet like display that is linked to everything going on during the race.  You can watch from inside a car or listen to the drivers, all while being at the live race.  IMO the best part of actually going to the track is not the race, but all the surrounding stuff that's going on.

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6 minutes ago, Further said:

 

6 minutes ago, Further said:

She may want an umbrella boy....

I told her she can have a umbrella boy. Than I can have a umbrella girl. 

8 minutes ago, Further said:

Can't WO46 hold an umbrella and shimmy around a sidecar ?

If she does it right she can use the umbrella to help slow us down going into the turns.

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24 minutes ago, BuffJim said:

What’s up with the stages?  Haven’t watched much lately and haven’t seen this format. 

I personally think that NASCAR would be more interesting if they would drag a knee when going through the turn. Or have the monkey hanging out with their shoulder sliding on the track. 

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23 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

This is the downside of Daytona.  The speed is so high and the cars are so close together because of the drafting technique that when an accident happens at 200 mph there is no way in hell that anyone behind can stop or even slow down. 

Are you kidding? This is the upside to Daytona. Heck, the upside to NASCAR.

Who in their right mind would think less crashes in a NASCAR race is a good thing????

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9 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

I'll take racing fans for $200.  Those crashes have been known to kill. Serious fans don't enjoy that.

Yep - the racing fans are just watching for the "racing".  :D

No one cares about the crashes. Or talks about them. Or rewinds them. Or watches just the crashes (and maybe the final couple laps).

Me, I'm a "pit" sort of guy. I fast forward to the pit stops.  That's where the real race is won! That's lost on most folks, though.

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7 hours ago, Razors Edge said:

Yep - the racing fans are just watching for the "racing".  :D

No one cares about the crashes. Or talks about them. Or rewinds them. Or watches just the crashes (and maybe the final couple laps).

Me, I'm a "pit" sort of guy. I fast forward to the pit stops.  That's where the real race is won! That's lost on most folks, though.

sigh.

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