NASCAR Cup Series in St. Louis

BuildItStLouis · PostMay 04, 2022#12022-05-04T14:26+00:00

How has nobody brought up this topic yet? This is HUGE for the sports and economic world of the region! 4 days of racing and events going on in the city and at World Wide Technology Raceway expected to bring 70,000+ people to the track and $60 million to the area.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/economy ... uis-region

PostMay 04, 2022#22022-05-04T14:30+00:00

I've already got 8 tickets for the race for me and the boys to have a helluva weekend!

PostMay 04, 2022#32022-05-04T14:31+00:00

Here's the full weekend schedule. The haulers' parade down BPV is gonna be sick! https://explorestlouis.com/event/nascar ... s-weekend/

dweebe · PostMay 04, 2022#42022-05-04T14:58+00:00

Yesterday they were grading/moving dirt around in what used to be the grassy area between the south parking and 55/70. My guess would be more parking for the NASCAR race.

sc4mayor · PostMay 04, 2022#52022-05-04T15:23+00:00

See the WWT Raceway thread.

RockChalkSTL · PostMay 04, 2022#62022-05-04T17:10+00:00

I consider myself to be an avid sports fan, but I’ve just never managed to get into NASCAR or any other racing format. I can remember as a young kid hating it when ESPN would cover or discuss NASCAR events. I’d change the channel to ESPN 2 or ESPN News.

But now I’ve got a two-year-old son that is flat-out obsessed with cars. Cars, cars, cars; everything is cars. He even got up out of bed a few nights ago to slip into my room, wake me up, and tell me, “Queen, now.” Translation: I want to watch Speed McQueen (of Disney’s Cars).

So now I’m wondering if I’m approaching a point where it would be good to give NASCAR, Formula 1, or another format a try for his sake.

Perhaps 2022 is not the right year to take him. I don’t know. I’ve never been to a race, and I’ve never paid attention to one on TV, so I don’t know how appropriate it is to bring a two- or three-year-old child to one of these events, especially a NASCAR event where 70,000+ fans will be there.

Would anybody have suggestions or words of advice for a novice when it comes to racing and involving kids?

BuildItStLouis · PostMay 04, 2022#72022-05-04T17:32+00:00

For starters, I'd say tuning into a race would be a great start. The broadcasts for both NASCAR and F1 are always really well done and I think the kiddo would enjoy it.

Races are really expensive and not to mention extremely loud for hours on end (even with earplugs) so maybe wait on attending a race unless you both really want to go to one. Every NASCAR track does a really good job of making the atmosphere kid-friendly and there are tons of things to do besides watch the race, it's pretty much a weekend carnival in every way.

I myself was always a huge baseball/football/hockey fan and never desired to get into NASCAR because I never understood the point of going in circles for hundreds of laps, but during covid when it was the first sport back, I watched a race and learned just how much strategy and skill goes into the sport and how grueling every race is on the drivers. Thanks covid LOL. Just like baseball or golf, the more you learn about the sport, the more there is to love about it! Now I can't get enough of it! What also drew me into NASCAR rather than F1 is the diverse schedule. NASCAR races on ovals, short tracks, and road courses unlike F1 which only does road courses. The drama and potential playoff/championship implications involved with every race also got me hooked, not to mention the fact that just watching 3,600 lb cars going 190 mph is totally badass.

My advice would be to just look up the schedule and watch a couple races at different tracks like Sonoma (road course), Daytona (superspeedway), Bristol (short track), or Kansas (intermediate) and see if it sticks with you guys.

Enjoy!

shadrach · PostMay 04, 2022#82022-05-04T18:23+00:00

RockChalk (from a fellow Jayhawk...)

For a while we had some clients who sponsored NASCAR drivers so I went to a handful — Gateway, when they had the (then) Busch Series plus Michigan (MIS) and Daytona twice for the Nextel Series.

I went because I had to. I'm a football/baseball/hockey guy. NASCAR? Nuttin' but rednecks and racin'

But, my first race ever at Gateway — it was pretty awesome! There's something about the green flag after a caution (wreck) and all those tightened up cars roaring back up to 170! It's visceral, it's loud. If you like Blue Angels and airshows, you'll probably like racing. It don't think broadcast does it justice—you need to see the whole track to get context (and the sound/vibrations) It gets hard to know the leaders/position by eye when things get stretched out. Don't worry about, just go with the flow.

Nice thing about WWT, is all the corners are at different radius, some loose, some tight. Someone with more knowledge than I, said this affects how the team calibrates their rpm whether they want to take the corners fast of in control. To that point, there was a lot of wrecks the night I was there. For a newbie who 'looked down' on the sport, it was a good time and I get why people like enjoy it. Been over ten years since my last race, I'm thinking about going.

framer · PostMay 04, 2022#92022-05-04T18:49+00:00

You gotta remember that racing is a team sport. The driver gets all the glory, but he doesn't do it alone. Mechanics, pit crews, spotters, race strategists etc. all play key rolls.

Black02AltimaSE · PostMay 04, 2022#102022-05-04T19:03+00:00

I don't have kids so I don't know about that part of it but I have found Formula 1 to be just right for me.

A. There are only 10 teams with 2 racers each so it is easy to keep track of the storylines.
B. The tracks are all unique so the races have their own character to them.
C. There is no refueling so the races are less than 2 hours long (barring weather or other extended delays).
D. The races are all on ESPN2, I think. If you have ESPN+ you can watch them on-demand after they have been completed.
E. ESPN+ also shows the practice sessions and qualifying if you want to get deeper into it.
F. Netflix has a series called Drive to Survive which can bring you up to date on what has happened in past seasons (in a somewhat over-dramatized reality TV kind of way). That show may not be as kid-friendly as the racing broadcasts. Can't remember if they bleep all the bad words, etc.

MarkHaversham · PostMay 04, 2022#112022-05-04T19:03+00:00

BuildItStLouis wrote: ↑
May 04, 2022
For starters, I'd say tuning into a race would be a great start. The broadcasts for both NASCAR and F1 are always really well done and I think the kiddo would enjoy it.

I read somewhere that in NASCAR the drivers compete against each other, and in F1 they compete against the track. That seems like as good a description as any to me. I subscribed to F1 during the pandemic to watch with my toddlers while we were stuck at home and then they spent the afternoon yelling "box box box!" as they raced their cars around the living room.

RockChalkSTL · PostMay 04, 2022#122022-05-04T20:38+00:00

Thanks, everybody.

I agree that tuning into a race on TV first probably makes more sense. It’s the noise that worries me more than anything for the little guy’s sake.

I don’t know much about track styles or what I should expect from any of these racing leagues, but it does appear that World Wide Technology Raceway’s track is considered “intermediate.”

Out of curiosity, how good is World Wide Technology Raceway as a racing venue compared to the locations on the NASCAR schedule? Are certain track styles more popular than others? Like, wouldn’t a short track have a more intimate, if you will, racing environment?

I have no doubt that it is far more complex than I’ve ever been willing to give it credit for. As a diehard baseball fan, it’s super common to hear someone say the game is as simple as somebody throwing a ball to somebody with a bat, when the truth is that it is so much more multifaceted and intricate than that.

One friend was telling me that he went to an event at “Gateway,” when it was still called that, and that he was able to buy some headphones that would allow him to listen to some of the crew chiefs or something like that. I didn’t know that an in-person racing experience could be that interactive.

dweebe · PostMay 04, 2022#132022-05-04T20:45+00:00

Yes, you can listen in to scanner/radio traffic. It's encouraged as they offer it online:
https://www.nascar.com/scanner

and publish frequencies for regular scanner:
https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.ph ... requencies

jshank83 · PostMay 05, 2022#142022-05-05T04:53+00:00

Black02AltimaSE wrote: ↑
May 04, 2022
I don't have kids so I don't know about that part of it but I have found Formula 1 to be just right for me.

A. There are only 10 teams with 2 racers each so it is easy to keep track of the storylines.
B. The tracks are all unique so the races have their own character to them.
C. There is no refueling so the races are less than 2 hours long (barring weather or other extended delays).
D. The races are all on ESPN2, I think. If you have ESPN+ you can watch them on-demand after they have been completed.
E. ESPN+ also shows the practice sessions and qualifying if you want to get deeper into it.
F. Netflix has a series called Drive to Survive which can bring you up to date on what has happened in past seasons (in a somewhat over-dramatized reality TV kind of way). That show may not be as kid-friendly as the racing broadcasts. Can't remember if they bleep all the bad words, etc.

The whole no refueling thing seems crazy to me. I know it’s because of safety reasons but it just seems weird still.

RockChalkSTL · PostMay 05, 2022#152022-05-05T14:13+00:00

LOL. I just noticed I called my son's favorite animated character "Speed" McQueen when it's actually Lightning McQueen. Not a good father moment for me.

Anyway, I have another NASCAR question because I'm curious. What determines whether a race is 300, 400, 500, or 600 miles? World Wide Technology Raceway, a first-time host, has just a 300-mile race. Is this because NASCAR wants to see how it goes? Or are there 300-mile races that are as popular and important to the sport as some of the longer races? I genuinely have no idea. I know next to nothing about this sport, so you can read my question as, "Is longer better?"

Also, I didn't realize that the NASCAR Cup Series had a playoffs system. Are the sites for the playoffs set in stone or do those change every year? Could St. Louis host a NASCAR Cup Series playoff round at some point in the future, or is that a long-shot for now?

shadrach · PostMay 05, 2022#162022-05-05T14:41+00:00

I know 3% more than the person who knows nothing—-but I think there’s a number of factors.

One, is endurance. As mentioned, it’s a team sport and a Motorsport. The goal is to get the engine to travel XXX miles in the quickest amount of time. 600 miles is a Herculean effort, too much strain, wear and tear and rebuild to do that all the time.

Second, track length. WWT is 1.25 mile. A 300 mike race is 240 laps. Daytona, a super speedway is twice the length, 2.5 with longer straightaways. You can do 500 miles quicker than at WWT.

Which is three—time. If cars go an avg. of 100mph (cautions, etc) a 300 mile race is 3 hours. Sitting through a 600 mile race in the blazing sun is a challenge, even for the most die hard fans (hence the lawn chairs on top of RVs in Talledega’s infield…and lots of beer)

With track layout, I doubt we’ll see anything longer than 300 miles. Personally, I like the smaller tracks/shorter races.

Can’t speak to your other questions, seems like so much had changed. There was/is a point system to determine leaders, champs. Not sure about playoffs or how that works.

RockChalkSTL · PostMay 05, 2022#172022-05-05T14:56+00:00

I think a lot of that makes sense.

My question was kind of inspired by noticing that Martinsville Speedway, the smallest track in all of NASCAR at just over a half-mile, hosts a 400-mile race. It made me wonder if the 300-mile race in St. Louis is kind of a trial to see how the market draws for the event.

shadrach · PostMay 05, 2022#182022-05-05T15:27+00:00

Possibly, hopefully. I’d like to see STL market do well and get more.

And Martinsville is like the Green Bay Meat Packers/Chicago Staleys of NASCAR.

jshank83 · PostMay 05, 2022#192022-05-05T15:36+00:00

RockChalkSTL wrote: ↑
May 05, 2022
I think a lot of that makes sense.

My question was kind of inspired by noticing that Martinsville Speedway, the smallest track in all of NASCAR at just over a half-mile, hosts a 400-mile race. It made me wonder if the 300-mile race in St. Louis is kind of a trial to see how the market draws for the event.

Martinsville I am pretty sure is 400 LAPS not miles.

Usually I think they go by miles in the number on the bigger tracks (Daytona 500) and laps for the number on smaller tracks. Whichever is bigger.

RockChalkSTL · PostMay 05, 2022#202022-05-05T16:03+00:00

Ok, ok, you're right. I just looked into it and the Martinsville Speedway race is 400 laps, not miles. The race is just 210 miles, though the race used to be 20% longer.

PostMay 05, 2022#212022-05-05T17:45+00:00

St. Louis, with a 1.25-mile track, will have a 300-mile race featuring 240 laps.

Out of curiosity, I checked to see what similar-sized tracks host. This is the first time I have ever researched anything about NASCAR. Whether a good thing or a bad thing, the ‘Enjoy Illinois 300’ will be the shortest race on this list by 18 miles. Wanting nothing but the best for St. Louis, I kind of feel like working this race up to 400 miles could be a good thing for the region. That, or World Wide Technology Raceway becoming a two-race venue. Or both.

I was shocked to learn that WWTR has 30,000 more seats than Kansas Speedway.

Dover Motor Speedway
1.000-mile track - 400 laps - 400 miles

Phoenix Raceway
1.022-mile track - 316 laps - 323 miles

New Hampshire Motor Speedway
1.058-mile track - 301 laps - 318 miles

Nashville Superspeedway
1.333-mile track – 300 laps – 400 miles

Darlington Raceway (2 races)
1.366-mile track – 293 laps – 400 miles
1.366-mile track – 367 laps – 500 miles

Texas Motor Speedway
1.440-mile track – 334 laps – 501 miles

Homestead-Miami Speedway
1.485-mile track – 267 laps – 401 miles

Charlotte Motor Speedway
1.500-mile track – 400 laps – 600 miles

Kansas Speedway (2 races)
1.500-mile track – 267 laps – 400 miles
1.500-mile track – 267 laps – 400 miles

Atlanta Motor Speedway (2 races)
1.540-mile track – 325 laps – 501 miles
1.540-mile track – 260 laps – 400 miles

Las Vegas Motor Speedway (2 races)
1.544-mile track – 267 laps – 401 miles
1.544-mile track – 267 laps – 401 miles

MarkHaversham · PostMay 05, 2022#222022-05-05T19:47+00:00

RockChalkSTL wrote: ↑
May 05, 2022
I think a lot of that makes sense.

My question was kind of inspired by noticing that Martinsville Speedway, the smallest track in all of NASCAR at just over a half-mile, hosts a 400-mile race. It made me wonder if the 300-mile race in St. Louis is kind of a trial to see how the market draws for the event.

It doesn't make any sense to me to host a race and then shorten it just to see how things go. It's not like the hourly track rental rate is a significant expense to NASCAR. I imagine it's decided by a balance of mileage/duration.

PostMay 05, 2022#232022-05-05T19:51+00:00

jshank83 wrote: ↑
May 05, 2022
Black02AltimaSE wrote: ↑
May 04, 2022
I don't have kids so I don't know about that part of it but I have found Formula 1 to be just right for me.

A. There are only 10 teams with 2 racers each so it is easy to keep track of the storylines.
B. The tracks are all unique so the races have their own character to them.
C. There is no refueling so the races are less than 2 hours long (barring weather or other extended delays).
D. The races are all on ESPN2, I think. If you have ESPN+ you can watch them on-demand after they have been completed.
E. ESPN+ also shows the practice sessions and qualifying if you want to get deeper into it.
F. Netflix has a series called Drive to Survive which can bring you up to date on what has happened in past seasons (in a somewhat over-dramatized reality TV kind of way). That show may not be as kid-friendly as the racing broadcasts. Can't remember if they bleep all the bad words, etc.
The whole no refueling thing seems crazy to me. I know it’s because of safety reasons but it just seems weird still.

I agree, although a few videos of people catching fire in the pits have convinced me that it's the right call.

F1 does suffer a lot from financial disparities between teams, moreso than baseball even. Also has a lot of spurious "Joe has great experience on this track on cloudy days" statistics, but not nearly as bad as baseball.

PostMay 05, 2022#242022-05-05T19:52+00:00

jshank83 wrote: ↑
May 05, 2022
Black02AltimaSE wrote: ↑
May 04, 2022
I don't have kids so I don't know about that part of it but I have found Formula 1 to be just right for me.

A. There are only 10 teams with 2 racers each so it is easy to keep track of the storylines.
B. The tracks are all unique so the races have their own character to them.
C. There is no refueling so the races are less than 2 hours long (barring weather or other extended delays).
D. The races are all on ESPN2, I think. If you have ESPN+ you can watch them on-demand after they have been completed.
E. ESPN+ also shows the practice sessions and qualifying if you want to get deeper into it.
F. Netflix has a series called Drive to Survive which can bring you up to date on what has happened in past seasons (in a somewhat over-dramatized reality TV kind of way). That show may not be as kid-friendly as the racing broadcasts. Can't remember if they bleep all the bad words, etc.
The whole no refueling thing seems crazy to me. I know it’s because of safety reasons but it just seems weird still.

I agree, although a few videos of people catching fire in the pits have convinced me that it's the right call.

F1 does suffer a lot from financial disparities between teams, moreso than baseball even. Also has a lot of spurious "Joe has great experience on this track on cloudy days" statistics, but not nearly as bad as baseball.

Edit: Also F1 keeps changing the laws of physics every year to fine-tune the competitiveness.

Black02AltimaSE · PostMay 05, 2022#252022-05-05T20:52+00:00

The financial disparities are an issue but at least there has been some shuffling of the deck this year with Ferrari taking Mercedes' place at the top.