Does a hammer make stupid go away?

Michael Daly. Not gonna forget that name anytime soon I think. Ugh my head. I read this guys article and the overwhelming doses of absolute retardism are making my head hurt. I keep thinking his thoughts, what he wrote, and its like that hangover you only get with tequila and high bloodpressure stomping on your temples. I need a hammer.

http://www.catchfence.com/2009/sprintcup/06/20/the-worthlessness-of-road-racing/

The worthlessness of roadracing. Its catchy. Some other catchy gems in the body of the article, like: Driving a racecar and racing are not the same thing... or road racing generally lacks the sport's truely competitive moments... or road races are simply not racing.... or road racing is not the display of driver skill it gets hyped up to be because its not about racing, its only about technique and track position.

Wow. The last couple are making my head hurt again.

Feel free to peruse, but its like one of those knarley highway accidents you wish you didnt rubberneck to check out (or that 2 girls 1 cup stuff).

No no no. you need a shotgun to make stupid go away. Or was that to remove stuck lug nuts. Either way, it's worth a try.

its obvious the guy is an idiot. Bet he didnt know that Dale Earnhardt's dream was to drive a F1 car, but that goes along the line of road racing huh?

This might be the worst offender of all of the little "gems": "Passing is the core action of racing, and in road racing there simply isn’t a lot in the way of passing".

Passing may be the manifestation of the "core action" of racing, but it is merely the result of everything the author deems inconsequential. Is pit strategy not a part of racing? What about choosing the right line coming out of a corner, whether it's Turn 4 at Daytona or Oak Tree at VIR?
Talk about not being able to see the forest for the trees...

I will paraphrase that article:

Give me more of that driving in an oval for 3 hours, all this variety is making it hard for me to keep track of what is going on. When I go to the jukebox to play some George Strait or refill my Keystone Light I get all confused about what is going on. There are no 27 car pile-ups to let all the slow guys back on the lead lap either. Road racing sucks.

I want to meet this idiot and punch him in the face for being retard (oh sorry not p.c., person with special needs).

and they wonder why people make fun of NASCAR

Looking at his archives, it appears that he has had roughly 10 responses (including the recent one from Mr. Heath ) to his...uh...observations in the past year and a half.

Apparently there are not alot of people who read his stuff...or care enough to respond.

I absolutely agree with the author. More sports should be refined to the core essence of what they are about.

I think basketball would do very well to do away with any sort of formations and plays. We should just have the players shoot baskets. What it really needs is more slam dunk competitions. Baseball really doesn't need 9 people. The game is really just about the pitcher and batter, and that's all the sport should have. Does golf really need things like sand and water traps? I think not.

if the result of the hammer is fatal, then the stupidity goes away.

Wow!

neon4891 wrote: if the result of the hammer is fatal, then the stupidity goes away.

W3rd!

Ok, so I think what he is saying is that if you don't crash your nose into the car in front of you and wreck him, or put him into a wall, then you are not racing. I guess in his mind the most pure form of motorsport is a demolition derby. Maybe not, there's not a lot of passing in those either, but gosh, there sure is a lot of racing in a demo derby - just look at all the bent sheetmetal.

Before the interweb we all had opinions, but it was a lot harder to make a fool out of yourself by displaying yours to the entire world.

I wonder if his slot cars only went around in an oval too?

Im pretty sure i can remember quite a few Nascar oval races where the winning driver lead every single lap except maybe a couple when they pitted. Also every time i watch any part of a nascar race the commentators are talking about how its a fuel milage race. w/e. to me racing is racing, whether its roadcourse, oval, drag, figure 8, or state fair ground demo derby mud pit. I just like driving/watching cars going fast.

I hate to say it, but you can't fix stupid. All you can do is put it out of our misery. For that, the hammer works just fine...

i have a relative who's a nurse and he's quick to remind sick people in the family that "death cures all"

TJ wrote: Ok, so I think what he is saying is that if you don't crash your nose into the car in front of you and wreck him, or put him into a wall, then you are not racing. I guess in his mind the most pure form of motorsport is a demolition derby. Maybe not, there's not a lot of passing in those either, but gosh, there sure is a lot of racing in a demo derby - just look at all the bent sheetmetal.

I read it as "racing = passing". And so if there isn't an opportunity to pass, you're not actually racing. A lot of road courses, and Infineon especially, have limited places where it's possible to pass. So, if you can't pass in a particular segment, you're not racing.

To me, having limited places to pass means drivers need to think well ahead and set themselves up for their next opening.

But, like I said earlier, if "racing = passing" then "basketball = shooting baskets" and field sports are just about scoring goals. And everyone knows that football and soccer games are only good while goals are being scored.

I tried to post a comment, I suppose whether or not it appears depends upon the moderators. I tried to be polite. Just in case the moderator is the reincarnation of Larry Nuber, here's what I tried to post..

"Those of us in the road racing community who actually appreciate what NASCAR has done as a sanctioning body will probably feel insulted by this article. We respect the fact that NASCAR has a stable rules package (which also allows more than two or three factory-funded teams to run up front), that it has made its drivers & teams more accessible to the fans, and that it has brought motor racing in the US to a standard of professionalism equal to that of any other form of racing anywhere else in the world.

It is interesting to read an opinion such as yours in the modern era, when NASCAR is wondering how to bring their wonderful blend of man & machine to markets outside of the US. The reality of the situation is that in the rest of the Western world (i.e., countries with racing fans who have money to spend on the sponsors’ products), it is much more difficult for the average person to obtain a license to drive on the street. They actually understand the “skill” required to drive on a road course, since they must demonstrate (at the least) a basic ability to use those skills in order to drive on public roads in the first place.

We in the road racing community in the US have attempted to meet NASCAR half way in this process. The owners of the Sears Point and Watkins Glen circuits have spent Cubic Dollars paving simplified pathways through their original layouts so that drivers with lesser ability in NASCAR might survive the event without achieving the DNF they so well deserve. We postpone your races when it rains. We do not schedule your races on road courses at night.

You claim the great NASCAR finishes on road courses (and IMO, most of the ones you mentioned were in the days before the road courses were “dumbed down” for continued NASCAR participation) are the exceptions that prove the rule. I disagree. To some of us, those races were the ones that actually showed the potential of what NASCAR could eventually become.

If “passing” is the only thing you care about, I suggest you go watch the horse or dog races instead. On the other hand, if you care about the automobile, and about those of us who race them, you should reconsider your opinion on road racing."

I feel dumber for reading that. I went back and read some of his other columns and he is consistantly an idiot. He managed to list eight pretty exciting races, some of them from years that only had one road race a year. I can list at least as many Daytona 500 or any other race that has been a snoozefest with one or two cars on the lead lap. The road races tend to be among the most exciting races of the year, With this years Sears Point coming right down to the end with 5 or more cars that could have won. It's too bad that anyone can proclaim themselves an expert on something on the internet and suddenly be taken seriously.

I feel alot better now after reading everyone's responses. That article not only made me dumber after reading, but it made me think that maybe thats the general consensus. I started thinking that I am surrounded by really stupid people all the time now, not just at work!

Just to let you know I had a "sit-down" with the hammer. I very briefly considered EastCoast Mojo's shotgun suggestion when the shakes were at their worst. After about 3 or 4 hours of staring at its round, cold, featureless face I came to the conclusion that its not my head that needs tenderizing, its MD's frontal lobe that could use a shiney new welt the size of a doorknob.

Sorry for making everyone dumber today. Read friedgreencorrado's response. It should help get anyone affected's IQ back up and over 70.

Yes. Aim the shotgun at the offending party, never at yourself. Remember, saftey 3rd.

Salanis wrote: But, like I said earlier, if "racing = passing" then "basketball = shooting baskets" and field sports are just about scoring goals. And everyone knows that football and soccer games are only good while goals are being scored.

Now I guess I understand where miniature golf came from ;)

Clem

EastCoastMojo wrote: Yes. Aim the shotgun at the offending party, never at yourself. Remember, saftey 3rd.

point - shoot - aim...thats my motto

i did post nd it seemed to work. I pointed out how big some other racing types are from around the world and what the SCCA has done somewhat. you will have to read it.