NASCAR drivers -- how 'good' of drivers are they really?

[JulesMaximus]

Um, you just proved his point. He's always better than all his teammates, but doesn't chalk up the wins because he lacks the equipment.

In addition: nascar drivers didn't grow up driving nascar. Many of them came up through the spint car series (which is open wheel, thank you very much), local dirt track series, and many of them race in the road-race 24 hr series as well (which is certainly not an oval).

Saying that F1 drivers are better or Nascar drivers are better is a generalization at best, and simple out-and-out Nationalism at its worst.

Actually, I proved my point. Alonso really is that much better...as was Michael Schumacher.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Montoya has F1 background, road courses.
Johnson was rookie of the year in SCORE offroad racing.
Robby Gordon did full seasons in CART, which had road courses as well as having done Baja.
A.J Allmendinger raced Champ cars.
Marcos Ambrose raced V8 supercars in Austrialia, winning the championship twice.
Scott Speed raced in F1.
John Andretti raced in CART.

...so that's 7 of the 43 cars that raced on Sunday. I can probably pull up more but I think you've already been proven wrong.

Just look at the field when they race on the 2 road courses Nascar races on each year and who dominates. Those are the really good drivers in neckcar.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Just look at the field when they race on the 2 road courses Nascar races on each year and who dominates. Those are the really good drivers in neckcar.

Again, you fail.

Top 10 Nascar road course winners, all-time:

1. Jeff Gordon 9
2. Bobby Allison 6
2. Richard Petty 6
2. Ricky Rudd 6
2. Tony Stewart 6
2. Rusty Wallace 6
7. Dan Gurney 5
7. Tim Richmond 5
7. Darrell Waltrip 5
10. Mark Martin 4
10. David Pearson 4


Where are all the specialists who only race the road courses? Where is anyone but regulars? I did like you asked...I looked at who dominated the road courses. Same guys who dominated the rest of the tracks. And if you go farther into the standings, it's still dominated by the regulars.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Boris Said raced full time in the truck series in 1997 and 1998. He finished 16th in points in 1997.

And despite being brought in as a 'ringer' for road courses in Nascar, he's never won one. I can't remember the last time a ringer did win. Maybe in the 70's.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

don't nascar drivers only know how to gas, go in circles, and make left turns? how boring. and doesn't sound like they'd make any better daily drivers than me being a nascar racer.

 

[Kirby]

don't nascar drivers only know how to gas, go in circles, and make left turns? how boring. and doesn't sound like they'd make any better daily drivers than me being a nascar racer.

Do you have to work to become so stupid? Or is it something your mother cursed us with?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Again, you fail.

Top 10 Nascar road course winners, all-time:

1. Jeff Gordon 9
2. Bobby Allison 6
2. Richard Petty 6
2. Ricky Rudd 6
2. Tony Stewart 6
2. Rusty Wallace 6
7. Dan Gurney 5
7. Tim Richmond 5
7. Darrell Waltrip 5
10. Mark Martin 4
10. David Pearson 4


Where are all the specialists who only race the road courses? Where is anyone but regulars? I did like you asked...I looked at who dominated the road courses. Same guys who dominated the rest of the tracks. And if you go farther into the standings, it's still dominated by the regulars.

What did I fail at? I said look at the winners of the road courses...those are the really good drivers in neckcar. Turns out I was right.

 

[BenSkywalker]

He'd have to learn how to make right turns too

Stewart won the USAC triple crown in '95 and won the IRL championship in '98, he may know how to turn right better then you seem to think

 

[LOUISSSSS]

Do you have to work to become so stupid? Or is it something your mother cursed us with?

its something i passed to your mother, to pass onto you.

 

[zmatt]

Before he died Dale Earnhardt Sr. Took some classes from a track to prepare for le mans (a dream of his). I don't think NASCAR drivers are any less talented than any other drivers, it's just a different skillset. NASCAR is very much about tactics. you are in a ring going very fast you have to time your drafts and make strategic movements to get to the front. It is very different than other forms of racing which have more dynamic tracks. I'm sure the better NASCAR drivers coudl make the move to other classes of racing, its all about learning the game.

having said that I still think NASCAR is boring as hell. Le Mans is cool for the tech, but entertainment and overall fun WRC has my vote.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Montoya is racing in Nacar now as is Scott Speed both former F1 drivers. Montoya took a while but is doing damn good now. Speed is stinking up the track.

Like most series there are Nascar drivers that would kick ass in any kind of car you put them in. And a lot of them do run in other series including road racing series for fun and do well.

Don't forget, Tony Stewart started as an open wheel driver too.
While NASCAR seems like an easy thing driving in a circle and all. Think about driving down the highway to and from work everyday, now do that at 200MPH and no one has turn signals or brake lights.

 

[boomhower]

don't nascar drivers only know how to gas, go in circles, and make left turns? how boring. and doesn't sound like they'd make any better daily drivers than me being a nascar racer.

The same thing can be said for F1. You can watch a whole race with maybe three passes after the first corner. You may find watching oval racing boring but at least you can see some passing. Personally I really enjoy watching both series.

To answer the OP, we will never know. The closest is going to be JP. It has taken him three years to become competitive. This has been his best year in points but he hasn't won a race this season. If he has won an oval race it is only one. I don't think we will ever see a NASCAR driver get a competitive F1 ride.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Montoya hasn't won on a circle track yet at least in cup. I know he ran some ARCA races and may have won there but I'm too lazy to look it up. He has one win on a road coarse and it was a gas mileage win I believe in his first year. Montoya has been really impressive this year especially when you take into account that he isn't driving for one of the top teams. He was in position to win a few times on circle track this year.

 

[boomhower]

Montoya hasn't won on a circle track yet at least in cup. I know he ran some ARCA races and may have won there but I'm too lazy to look it up. He has one win on a road coarse and it was a gas mileage win I believe in his first year. Montoya has been really impressive this year especially when you take into account that he isn't driving for one of the top teams. He was in position to win a few times on circle track this year.

EGR may not be considered a top team but they have all the technology available to them as the Hendrick's and Roushes. When they bought Ginn they got all the toys, 7-post shaker rigs etc. With their alliance with Childress in the engine shop they are just as competitive there. What they are lacking is driver talent. Truex has never been a top tier driver.

 

[marincounty]

Montoya was a hack F1 driver that was basically booted from the series because of bad behaviour. I believe that F1 drivers are the best in the world. Maybe Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart could drive one successfully.

Don't forget when CART Champion Michael Andretti went to F1, LOL, he was a complete disaster. I think he wrecked before he completed a lap in his first three races.

Apparently the F1 cars are so light and twitchy, mere mortals can't seem to drive them.