F1 driver Kimi Räikkönen to the NASCAR

[rpm]

When Formula 1 outdraws NASCAR you can start telling me how F1 more popular. They run 20.... oops, 19 races?
NASCAR runs 40 Sprint Cup, 34 Nationwide Series and 25 CW Truck Series races this year. That's 99 races vs 19.

[saggs]

Then there was Gordon matching Montoya's lap times in Montoya's Williams on the Indianapolis F1 course... ... Montoya tried Gordon's car, with far less impressive results.

You greatly exaggerate here my friend.

From Gordon's own website.  

After one practice lap, Gordon followed with nearly seven laps at speed. The traction control, barred in NASCAR but legal in F1 racing, was put to good use by Gordon coming off the corners. He went off course, albeit briefly, on his first speed lap under braking on the infield straightaway but was turning consistent 1:17 (one minute, seventeen seconds) laps by the end of the run.

To put Gordon's laps in perspective, the pole at last year's U.S. Grand Prix was 1:10 while the slowest speed in the field was 1:13. Montoya then turned a few more laps in Gordon's Chevrolet, clocking in less than a second slower than Gordon's fast lap on the Indy road course during preparations earlier in the day.

They say Montoya was less then a second slower then Gordon in the stock car.

Meanwhile Gordon's best lap in the F1 car was a.................... 1:16.7
Montoya's qualifiying lap for the US GP that year was.............. 1:11.4


5 seconds is an eternity in racing fast laps, with the 107% rule Gordon's lap would not have even qualified for the Grand Prix.  I don't know where you got that Gordon was "matching Montoya's lap times in Montoya's Williams on the Indianapolis F1 course" it's not even close.

Not ragging on Gordon at all, I admire his skill, I probably couldn't even get an F1 car (or NASCAR) around a single corner without dying.  This was after all just a publicity stunt, and I'll bet the FIA folks told him to not push to hard for fear of crashing a multi-million dollar race car.  I'm sure if he dedicated himself to it he could be competitive in F1.  Just saying you kinda misrepresented the facts there.

PS:  I do like Gordon better then Montoya by far though, no matter what sport.  That Montoya guy is a class A Jerkwad. 

[Debrody]

Btw...
The only team i could imagine for Kimi is the Red Bull. Mark Webber is just about to retire 
The Vettel and Kimi would be world-beating in one team.
This wont happen... but hope dies last.

[Kazaa]

My, my.... The nose-in-the-air crowd likes to bash the NASCAR drivers, I see.

Maybe they might recall back in 2002 when Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson represented the USA in the Race of Champions. They won the Nation's cup, with a field containing no less than 6 F1 drivers. Moreover, they were driving cars they hadn't even seen until a couple of days prior, in a completely foreign format. Then there was Gordon matching Montoya's lap times in Montoya's Williams on the Indianapolis F1 course, never having driven an F1 car previously, and with less than 45 minutes of seat time. Montoya tried Gordon's car, with far less impressive results.

NASCAR has come light years from the redneck days... The fields are loaded with very good drivers, who have won in many different disciplines. Sprint cars, Midgets, Off Road, Indycar and road racing. Johnson has won 5 NASCAR championships in a row. No one else has won more than 3 in a row, and that happened only once. Gordon has four championships to his credit. F1 drivers have not been successful in NASCAR to date.. Montoya has the best result, but still can't win away from a road course.

On the other hand, we live in a country where Larry the Cable Guy's tour draws bigger crowds than an F1 race... But, that doesn't mean the top tier NASCAR drivers give up anything in talent to the F1 geeks... They don't. Just a different form of equally difficult motorsports.

I remember watching Jeff Gordon drive that Williams F1 car, the expression on his face once he pitted and removed his helmet was priceless.

BTW, the F1 cars back in 2002 had both launch and traction control, today's cars are much harder to drive now that all driver aids have been removed from them. Also, Jeff Gorden didn't even downshift in the William's, the on board computer did it for him.

[Kazaa]

When Formula 1 outdraws NASCAR you can start telling me how F1 more popular. They run 20.... oops, 19 races?
NASCAR runs 40 Sprint Cup, 34 Nationwide Series and 25 CW Truck Series races this year. That's 99 races vs 19.

Do you know how much logistics is involved to move a whole race series around the world?

As far as popularity goes, just look at the viewing figures...

[moot]

F1 is one car class - if you're comparing to NASCAR you ought to pick only one class.

[Melvin]

Popularity? Viewing figures?

Face it, the rest of the world is hung up on soccer and F1.







Here in the states, we be a bit more sooophisticated. We gots all kinds 'o crazy jammys to entertain ourselves. Like not-so-stock cars that only turn left.

[-tronski-]

i agree, however I feel hes going from the most prestigious of racing types to an every day joe shmoe racing type. I'm not sayin NASCAR doesn't take skill or ability, but goin from F1 to NASCAR is like going from driving a car to ride a bicycle. its completely different.

Actually F1 & Nascar are very similar, both rely on Aero and race management. I think Raikkonen can be easily dispirited, and it'll be interesting to see how he copes

 Tronsky

[DREDIOCK]

This guy can't do NASCAR, he has too many teeth in his head.

(just kidding NASCAR fans, I never understood NASCAR)

 

Me neither. But you seem to understand its fans perfectly

LOL

[sunfan1121]

NASCAR is much more physically demanding. Some NASCAR races are go for 500 laps, how many in F1? I think the most I've seen was around 80.

[MiloMorai]

There was lots of empty seats at Bristol for the Cup race.

I find both F1 and NASCAR Cup racing not that entertaining any more. Usually fall asleep.

F1 races are ~200mi in length.

[DREDIOCK]

There was lots of empty seats at Bristol for the Cup race.

I find both F1 and NASCAR Cup racing not that entertaining any more. Usually fall asleep.

F1 races are ~200mi in length.

LOL I liked F1 when they still looked like cigars with wheels.

To be fair with my opinion of nascar.
I think its another thing that the corporations ruined.

I'd be far more impressed with the sport if it were back to stock cars. And those cars were stock as they came from the factory or at least only allow stock factory parts with some modifications done to the original parts allowed but no outright swapping of stock parts for aftermarket parts

[Masherbrum]

NASCAR is much more physically demanding. Some NASCAR races are go for 500 laps, how many in F1? I think the most I've seen was around 80.

No way in hell.   

[ACE]

NASCAR is much more physically demanding. Some NASCAR races are go for 500 laps, how many in F1? I think the most I've seen was around 80.

Nascar is demading but F1 is much more harder to do with all those Gs your pulling both ways.  I would say its equivalent to Nascar with those laps.

[68ZooM]

you cant compare Nascar to F1 two totaly different leagues, cars, racing styles, car designs, drivers... all the F1 drivers that have came to Nascar have come up short and are just average drivers, nothing special from any of them