OK, so I just got TVUPlayer and therefore a way to watch live NASCAR races on the Speed channel.

Being English, I have little understanding of NASCAR outside of Talladega Nights, Cars, and NASCAR videogames. I've read the Wiki article on the NEXTEL Cup too.

As I've seen a few NASCAR posts here I figured someone could possibly give me a basic explanation of this year's (I think) NEXTEL Cup season?

- How far through the season is it?
- Who are the drivers to watch?
- What have the 'big events' been this season?
- Anything else I need to understand to watch NASCAR

Thanks in advance!

Quote from TiJay :

OK, so I just got TVUPlayer and therefore a way to watch live NASCAR races on the Speed channel.

Being English, I have little understanding of NASCAR outside of Talladega Nights, Cars, and NASCAR videogames.

As I've seen a few NASCAR posts here I figured someone could possibly give me a basic explanation of this year's (I think) NEXTEL Cup season?

- How far through the season is it?
- Who are the drivers to watch?
- What have the 'big events' been this season?
- Anything else I need to understand to watch NASCAR

Thanks in advance!

you forgot the "is" in your subject line.

and the answer to your last question is "beer" (but if you are outside the USA, you should probably try light beer if you want to be authentic).

Hehe, that's a matter of opinion. I'm approaching NASCAR with an open mind and I'm prepared to give it a decent chance as I heard it can provide some good racing.

Serious answers are also welcome

Info on the races/season etc is all on Nascar.com ... I used to watch every whole race until Nextel took over and the last few old school stock car drivers retired. The 'car of tomorrow' has been the final nail in the coffin for me so I'll not be watching the highlights any more, but don't let that put you off

Quote from TiJay :

- How far through the season is it?
- Who are the drivers to watch?
- What have the 'big events' been this season?
- Anything else I need to understand to watch NASCAR

- Round 5 was last week in Bristol iirc.
- I keep on watching Montoya, Jeff Gordon, Earnhardt Jr. and some others.
- I guess Daytona was big. I liked Mexico city too, Montoya owning the whole field (shame about his crappy overtaking maneuvers).
- Try to read somethings about car techniques. Like loose, tight, slip stream/tow, aero loose, that kind of stuff.

Most important thing is doing some other stuff wile watching the races, because watching 3 hours of tv is kinda boring. I usually do some chores and put the tv on high volume

is Jeff Gordon still in nascar ?

Quote from 11SuLLy11 :

is Jeff Gordon still in nascar ?

He's even 1st in the nascar nextel standings

Quote from TiJay :

- How far through the season is it?
- Who are the drivers to watch?
- What have the 'big events' been this season?
- Anything else I need to understand to watch NASCAR

Thanks in advance!

1. as said round 5 at Bristol was finished(car of tommorow's first race)
2.Montoya, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, & Mark Martin(was leading points, but is only racing part of the season).
3.Bristol, Daytona, only big things so far.
4.Car of Tommorow looks like a British GT car from 1975(not that a British GT car is bad). Also if a tiny little spin happens it seems there's always a 4 lap caution. And expect 95% of the cars to pit if there is a yellow flag, then they start the race off pit road, which is really really really close & interesting. If they don't pit under a yellow flag, chances are they pitted under another yellow flag before. Also when they have the Green flag(caution over), then white flag, then checkered, it's really close.

that's pretty much my extent of things.

Quote from TiJay :

- Anything else I need to understand to watch NASCAR

Understand that before Fox bought the Speed channel, it was much like Motors TV. Now it is mainly NASCAR and stupid automotive reality shows. That really burns me, as I used to be able to watch worldwide auto racing, like BTCC, WTCC, WRC and V8 Supercars.

Understand that because the SCCA were full of rich, tight assed elitists in the 1950's, road racing is virtually non existent now, whereas NASCAR actually paid the drivers to race, like in Europe. Horror of horrors!

Understand that for most part, NASCAR does not have the...elan of other racing genres. I will let you make your own conclusion on that statement. Though it appeals now to a broader audience of various social and fiscal backgrounds, rather than Southern rednecks like it used to.

Understand that you must drink Miller Lite or Bud Lite. Lots of it. Throw out your Boddingtons, Harp and Newcastle. The upside of drinking all that pisswater beer is that next day you will have some truly magnificent farts.

Quote from TiJay :

OK, so I just got TVUPlayer and therefore a way to watch live NASCAR races on the Speed channel.

Being English, I have little understanding of NASCAR outside of Talladega Nights, Cars, and NASCAR videogames. I've read the Wiki article on the NEXTEL Cup too.

As I've seen a few NASCAR posts here I figured someone could possibly give me a basic explanation of this year's (I think) NEXTEL Cup season?

- How far through the season is it?
- Who are the drivers to watch?
- What have the 'big events' been this season?
- Anything else I need to understand to watch NASCAR

Thanks in advance!

About 30=36 races goes to November.
Watch for Jeff gordon #24, Jimmie Johnson #48 Dale Earnhardt Jr #8 and a few others (#20, #9 and others)
New CoT (Cars of Tomorrow)
When they say hes tight his car is trying to go up into the wall, when they say Loose hes spinning out IE:failing a drift lol.

Also one thing to note:The number 20 car is Tony Stuwart...hes a jerk in racing.

Thanks guys, most helpful

Quote from TiJay :

OK, so I just got TVUPlayer and therefore a way to watch live NASCAR races on the Speed channel.

Would just like to add that, hopefully, you also have FOX because if you dont, I dont think you can watch the cup races with Speed Channel. I know you can watch qualifying, practices, and most (I say most because I am watching one on FOX now) Nascar truck races on the Speed channel. But I am almost positive you cannot watch the Nextel Cup races on Speed channel.

Hehe, thanks. I just saw the schedule and realised that. They're showing pre and post race on Speed as well as the truck series.

However, I also have FOX on TVUPlayer so I'll watch the Nextel Cup race on that. At whatever 1:30pm US time is in the UK.

Five usually show a 1 hour of the race competely ad-free in the early hours of the morning, you could just record that. I say an hour of the race rather than an hour of highlights because it seems whoever edits it just picks 6 completely random 10 minute clips and sticks them together. Their IRL programs the same.

Fives V8 Supercars is better though and they used to show the TGP

If you get NASN you get it mostly ad-free, and can watch the in-car feeds while the US gets ad breaks ...

FWIW, FOX only carries the first half of the season for Nextell Cup. NBC carries the second half and they switch back and forth season to season with the Daytona 500 (first and biggest of the season.)

Actually this year it changed, after the dover race (the first one) it is on TNT for 6 races, then ESPN for 6 races, then ABC for the rest of the races. They really screwed it up this year with having it on 4 different channels (5 counting the All-Star race which is on Speed). BTW all the Busch races are on ESPN and ABC.


http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2007/data/schedule.html

there are 3 NASCAR serieses:
Nextel cup
busch cup
craftsmen truck series

each runs different cars and tracks

this weekend is martinsville. http://www.nascar.com/ for more infor on NASCAR

NASCAR is trying a new "saftey" car that is safer that the old one. the new one's called hte Car of Tommorrow(COT) it took NASCAR 5 years to put out.

Drivers I watch:

Jimmie Johnson
Jeff Gordon
Tony Stewart
Earnhart Jr.
Montoya
Denny Hamlin
and others I forgot

BTW my favorite NASCAR tracks to come:

Talledega (wreaker central)
Martinsville
Infinion RC
Watkins Glen RC
Michigan
Homstead
Atlanta.

Races are usally on sundays on FOX TV at 11:30 AM pacific time

Thanks for the help guys.

Why is American TV so complicated? Race series never repeatedly change channels during a season over here. I'll get my head around it one day

Quote :

I say an hour of the race rather than an hour of highlights because it seems whoever edits it just picks 6 completely random 10 minute clips and sticks them together.

Yep, it's because of this I just could not watch another Nextel Cup race. The five editing room floor is filled with all the incidents, passes, and interesting bits of the race that the editor didn't understand.

What they actually put into the broadcast may aswell be watching a CCTV camera over a rush hour junction just off the M25.

Dull dull dull dull waste of frigging airtime.

Quote from ajp71 :

Fives V8 Supercars is better though and they used to show the TGP

They also show IRL and A1. But I recorded the A1GP and got a load of f*cking Quiz Call :slap: :chairs: :mad: :splat: :chair: :grumpy: :thumbsdow

Quote from Vain :

How can it be authentic when it is tasty?
I know a brewery that makes bad beer, but it can't compete with american beer.

It's like football, really. They can't play proper football and so they call a completely different game football. And then can't make proper beer, and so they call dishwater beer. Cultural differences...


Vain

The Americans have the fastest beerdrinker, in the world. He`s called "the Fox" (Information from "The Man Show")

Maby it`s because of the "bad beer" that he swallows half a litre, in a second

Quote from TiJay :

Hehe, thanks. I just saw the schedule and realised that. They're showing pre and post race on Speed as well as the truck series.

However, I also have FOX on TVUPlayer so I'll watch the Nextel Cup race on that. At whatever 1:30pm US time is in the UK.

That would be about 19:30 GMT,

Also one thing you gotta know is:The prerace show goes on for usally 30 mins to 2 hours depending on the race, then the actuall thing starts.

Quote from TiJay :

Thanks for the help guys.

Why is American TV so complicated? Race series never repeatedly change channels during a season over here. I'll get my head around it one day

Because we only really have 4 networks. ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX. I have 200-300 channels on my satelite and they are all owned by those four networks. In the past, it was FOX and NBC sharing the season half and half. Speed Network is owned by FOX as is a channel called FX which airs some of the races. NBC owns TNT, thus airs some of their coverage on TNT. Then there is ABC, which owns ESPN, thus if they are going to cover NASCAR, then they will air some on ESPN. It's probably the lesser watched races that are aired on the affiliate channels because there is some other sportcast or show that would net higher ratings on those days.

Quote from alland44 :

The Americans have the fastest beerdrinker, in the world. He`s called "the Fox" (Information from "The Man Show")

Had! The Fox is no longer with us. :tombstone: He's gulping beer with the ultimate beer guzzler now.

Watched the race up until the rain (well, half watched while Dr Who was on) and it's actually quite good and easier to follow than I thought.

My money's on Jimmie Johnson for the championship but I'd like Jeff Gordon or Dale Jr to win.