I think with an inferior arcade-like physics-engine oval-driving would be pointless.
but neither real life nor LFS have an inferior physics-engine. I get the impression that most of the bashers here don't drive at all in RL or never got close to the limits in real life.
imagine bolting down a straight heading towards a bend, your car weighs as much as a family-sedan, you're going ridiculously fast and you traded all your downforce for speed on the straights. braking or even releasing the throttle in such a situation will pump a lot of adrenaline thru your body (if you're not already brain-dead) as the car gets unstable in an ugly way.
in your back are 10 other cars so you have to stay on the edge... with 2 mph less you can make the turn quite safely, but with 1 mph less 5 of the 10 cars will pass...
Of course, if the oval is soooo big that you can shoot an SS without any downforce thru all the bends at topspeed, it's pointless and you might aswell model a freaking long piece of autobahn. But any bend that forces you to just back off a bit after a high- or topspeed-section will make it exciting.
Finally, I wonder again why some people would bash certain suggestions (and oval relatet content is certainly not to be compared to spinnerz, NOS and bodykits) that aim to enhance LFS. It appears to me like a "nooooooo, I want the devs to implent MY whishes first"-attitude. I have no other explanation for this.
Ah, yeah. Just wanted to leave a comment about comparing F1, Rally, NASCAR etc...
Is F1 so much racing? Hasn't it become just a big marketing platform? For me F1 one is as much about racing as American Idol is about music. No offense though - it can be enjoyable from time to time, but it sure isn't the best example for "real" racing.
Rally? Yeah cool, man and machine fighting nature... or a path thru it. I LOVE rally-
driving , I love how they fix their crooked suspension with a rubber mallet. But hey, is rally a good example for "real" racing? Is a rally-driver a good race-driver? In the end there's no overtaking, and overtaking is a crucial part of motor-racing, isn't it.
Dudes, it's about taste, really! If you don't like heavy stockcars on ovals, leave them in the garage, but don't spoil the others' fun... or take the stockcar for a lap in South City. Might be fun.
Open your minds.
+1 for oval-related stuff (incl. stockcars of the late 60's / 70's)
+101 for any additional car and tracks