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  • barnca

    Feb. 5, 2011 4:13 p.m. barnca Reader

    which would you chose and why?

  • aussiesmg

    Feb. 5, 2011 4:30 p.m. aussiesmg SuperDork

    Yes

    Really if you have a car do both

  • NickF40

    Feb. 5, 2011 4:32 p.m. NickF40 Reader

    aussiesmg wrote:

    Yes

    Really if you have a car do both

    exactly, ding ding, or use the same car

  • 93EXCivic

    Feb. 5, 2011 5:13 p.m. 93EXCivic SuperDork

    Does LeMons require a bit more "creative" decorating.

  • JoeyM

    Feb. 5, 2011 5:21 p.m. JoeyM SuperDork

    ....and the penalties are different. With chumpcar, the guys who get the people's curse might be able to keep racing.....if they bring enough money to outbid everyone else when their car is auctioned, that is.

    If you can't bear the thought of your car getting crushed, chumpcar is probably better.

  • JThw8

    Feb. 5, 2011 5:23 p.m. JThw8 SuperDork

    JoeyM wrote:

    If you can't bear the thought of your car getting crushed, chumpcar is probably better.

    Crushing is extremely unlikely anymore at Lemons since the rules change.

    The defining difference as I see it

    Do you want to do "real" racing - chumpcar

    Do you want to have a stupid good time and run a car on the track while you are at it - Lemons

    Chump takes itself slightly too seriously for me and rubs me the wrong way but it fills a void for alot of folks.

  • turboswede

    Feb. 5, 2011 5:30 p.m. turboswede SuperDork

    Chump car is a race where a party breaks out.

    Lemons is a party where a race breaks out.

    There is no peoples curse in Lemons anymore. Chump car will only auction your car if you're cheating very, very badly. Otherwise, both series will just add penalty laps to penalize cheaters (or in the case of Lemons, those that can't bribe well)

  • btp76

    Feb. 5, 2011 5:37 p.m. btp76 Reader

    I've done both. I like the LeMons people much better. There are things I like about Chump. Do both. Pick a favorite.

  • Feb. 5, 2011 6:12 p.m. Nashco SuperDork

    I've done both. I like Chump Car much better. There are things I like about LeMons. Do both. Pick a favorite.

  • Feb. 5, 2011 8:02 p.m. CarRacer New Reader

    Whichever track is closer to you. Both series are similar but have a few distinctions. I've run both and had a good time at both. If you just want to have fun and pass a few cars you'll enjoy yourself in either series.

  • barnca

    Feb. 5, 2011 8:10 p.m. barnca Reader

    lemons is coming to nhms.... ;;but i kinda like chumpcar.. a friend of mine wants to do up a car... so we will see... and im only 20 minutes from nhms.

  • Xceler8x

    Feb. 6, 2011 8:58 a.m. Xceler8x SuperDork

    I've done both.

    Lemons is a fun if frustrating experience. You get the same competition with crap can cars so that's a riot. But you have to put up with frustrating, and in my experience, inexplicably assigned penalties with Lemons.

    Example: Our car gets t-boned by a mustang. We have some sort of hours long penalty. We told the officiator the story. No dice. Mustang continues to race. Frustrating? Yes. Took some of the fun out of it? Yes. This is one example. There were others.

    Queue the guys who start up with "You brought it on yourself!" etc BS. We, at the time, were polite and humble because we knew the judges get all high and mighty if you even start questioning their decisions. Even if you're right. After this incident we did talk sh!t and let them know how we felt. Prior to this we were choir boys. We figured if we were going to get penalized we might as well get penalized for doing something as opposed to being penalized for doing nothing.

    Chumpcar is a fun, fun time. They're racers and treat the event as such. Minimum BS for us there. No penalties for having our car hit by another. Chump is run professionally and well. I'm sure some people have had a bad experience there but I haven't. Hell, maybe I'm the outlier for Lemons? Either way, my experience is what it is.

    I'm the diametric opposite of Jthw8. I'll race Chump but I won't race Lemons. I like the seriousness of it in that I feel that the organizers of Chump want to see you on the track. While I wonder if Lemons is too busy thinking up creative penalities for pit side amusement.

    My team won the IOE twice before anyone starts up with any "You don't KNOW the Lemons way" sillyness. We get it and we're evidently good at it. We just want to race and not get sidelined.

    ..and Lemons fills every race so there is no reason to change their officiating format for me. They're making cash each race. Their events are wildly popular. From the standpoint of a popular racing series, making enough cash to operate, and make it worth it...they're doing a lot right.

  • Curmudgeon

    Feb. 6, 2011 9:16 a.m. Curmudgeon SuperDork

    Only done LeMons but had a blast each time. I no longer take my racing as seriously as I used to and I don't really care to hang around those who do, therefore the 'Halloween meets gasoline' thing is my #1 objective.

    So if it's as serious of a race as it's being made to sound then for me Chump Car might not fly. I have some buds going to Rockingham and I'll pick their brains when they get back.

  • Toyman01

    Feb. 6, 2011 9:43 a.m. Toyman01 SuperDork

    Curmudgeon wrote:

    Only done LeMons but had a blast each time. I no longer take my racing as seriously as I used to and I don't really care to hang around those who do, therefore the 'Halloween meets gasoline' thing is my #1 objective.

    So if it's as serious of a race as it's being made to sound then for me Chump Car might not fly. I have some buds going to Rockingham and I'll pick their brains when they get back.

    What do you mean "don't take racing seriously". We came in 10th.

    Having only done Lemons I can't comment on Chump Car. But I'm with the Curmudgeon. Taking a Lemons race seriously will only piss you off. If you are more into the fun and hanging out with a bunch of fun people, Lemons is great.

  • WilberM3

    Feb. 6, 2011 9:44 a.m. WilberM3 HalfDork

    barnca wrote:

    lemons is coming to nhms.... ;;but i kinda like chumpcar.. a friend of mine wants to do up a car... so we will see... and im only 20 minutes from nhms.

    if this ends up happening or you need more people to motivate it happening and you need another wrench/driver/spectator let me know. i'm in school at nhti now but i'd love to get involved and my schedule probably wont hurt too bad.

  • JThw8

    Feb. 6, 2011 10:01 a.m. JThw8 SuperDork

    Toyman01 wrote:

    Taking a Lemons race seriously will only piss you off. If you are more into the fun and hanging out with a bunch of fun people, Lemons is great.

    Exactly, we like to think of Lemons more as BABE rally for beginners. Its all about the people you meet and the fun you have.

    Lemons is just shorter and the cars all go round in circles instead of out on the highway.

  • The_Jed

    Feb. 6, 2011 11:43 a.m. The_Jed Reader

    Speaking of LeMons, are any GRMers attending/competing at Autobahn October 8-9?

    The wife and I will be spectating for sure.

  • sergio

    Feb. 6, 2011 11:59 a.m. sergio New Reader

    I've only done LeMons, because the races are really close and our car is street legal. Taking all the glass out to compete in ChumpCar is not an option. The car sits outdoors 24/7.

    I've been to one Chump race as a spectator. Everyone I talked to was having a good time and liked it. Most that had run both series liked ChumpCar better. Less black flags and no theme required.

    So it seems like which ever series is closer is the one to race in. Lemons does put on more of a carnival atmosphere and the theme part must be done or they are more likely to penalize you for a lame theme.

  • tuna55

    Feb. 6, 2011 8:28 p.m. tuna55 Dork

    I loved Lemons. I don't like taking anything seriously...

 
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