Informal Auto Racing Survey

[slog]

Hi,  I’m just trying to get a rough swag on people’s knowledge and interest in Auto Racing.  It’s purely for my own interest in wondering about Formula 1 exposure in the United States.

1)Have you ever watched a Formula 1 race on TV or in person?
2)If so, when?
3)Have you ever watched a NASCAR (Nextel Cup) race on TV or in person?
4)If so, when?
5)Can you name 5 drivers from either series?

Thanks

[stray]

No to all.

Just interested Baja and off-road stuff here.

[Wolf]

1) Yes (TV only :( )
2) Last Sunday
3) No
4) n/a
5) Alonso, Raikonen, Massa, Fisichella, Ralf Schumacher, Barichello...

Yeah, I follow F1 and watch it whenever the race is not in some weird ass timezone :)

I'm not in the US tho :P

[slog]

I know F1 is big outside of the US, but I'm trying to gauge interest within the US 

[Signe]

I watch every F1 race, although sometimes I fall asleep if they're on at crazy times, too.  Righ never falls asleep.  I can name all the drivers.  The last Nascar race I actually watched was the one Montoya won.  I forget the name of it.  I've caught a few on TV, they don't usually hold my interest.  I can name five drivers but I know nothing about them.  I pretty much watch all the Champ car races and some of the IRL, too.  I can name most of the drivers for both.  I also enjoy Le Mans (I've never been, but Righ has), Touring car, and some others.  I try not to miss the MotoGP races, either.  Rossi is the cutest thing on the face of the earth.

We used to go to a lot of races before we moved to the US.

[slog]

I watch every F1 race, although sometimes I fall asleep if they're on at crazy times, too.  Righ never falls asleep.  I can name all the drivers.  The last Nascar race I actually watched was the one Montoya won.  I forget the name of it.  I've caught a few on TV, they don't usually hold my interest.  I can name five drivers but I know nothing about them.  I pretty much watch all the Champ car races and some of the IRL, too.  I can name most of the drivers for both.  I also enjoy Le Mans (I've never been, but Righ has), Touring car, and some others.  I try not to miss the MotoGP races, either.  Rossi is the cutest thing on the face of the earth.

We used to go to a lot of races before we moved to the US.

So you are a transplant to the US from Europe?

[Signe]

I watched motorsport before I moved, since I was pretty young, actually.  Living in Britain just made watching and attending the sorts of motorsport I enjoy easier.  I think I was ten or eleven when I saw my first event and became addicted.  I've been hooked ever since.  Luckily, I married a man who was also hooked, even long before I met him. 

[SnakeCharmer]

1)  Yes, only on TV

2)  Been a little while.  Not an F1 fan, though I do appreciate the tech in the cars and the drivers skill

3)  Yes, both  (I live in Alabama :P).  Have seen several races at Talledega, Atlanta Motor Speedway. 

4)  Couple weeks ago (TV), couple years ago (Talledega)

5)  I'm ashamed to admit how many I can name - probably around 15. 

Not much of a NASCAR fan these days.  Driver skill is being diluted to marketable faces. 

[Sky]

1. Yes, in person.
2. In the 80s.
3. Yes, both. In person usually from the pits.
4. The 70s and 80s.
5. Bobby Labonte, Richie Evans, Lou Lazarro, AJ Foyt, Richard Petty

My dad used to race in nascar locally, as well as the (more fun) pirate tracks. He was racing stocks, but I've seen tons of modifieds as well. I've been to almost every track in NY (dirt and paved), been to Daytona a few times. Generally anything that's not a road course style (Watkins Glen) I've watched from the pits. At the Glen we'd walk around more to watch different parts of the course.

[Lantyssa]

1) Nope.
2) -
3) Nope.
4) -
5) I know the Ernhardts lived here. Paul Newman.  Um... I got three.

Edit: Now that I've read others, I've heard of AJ Foyt.

[WayAbvPar]

The only motorsport I ever watch is the annual Seafair hydroplane races on Lake Washington, and that is more out of tradition and hopes of seeing a boat sail into the troposphere than any real appreciation for the sport.

I would rather pound my genitalia to a frothy red foam with a mallet than watch a car race on TV. I must admit that I am mildly intrigued by racing video games, however.

[Samwise]

No to all.

[Stormwaltz]

No to all. Sorry.

[bhodi]

No to all.

[Rasix]

1.  Yes. TV.
2.  Don't remember the exact dates. Been a while, best guess is 2 years ago.
3.  Yes.
4.  Last Daytona 500 I was at a friend's house who's into autoracing.
5.  Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Waltrip, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne (I watch Sportscenter)

On a related note, got to ride in my dad's friend's M3 when he did some laps (they consider the tier he's in still defensive driving classes) at Firebird in Phoenix.  I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

[Ravandor]

1) No.
2) -
3) Both.
4) Few weeks ago (Atlanta on TV); about a decade ago (Pocono in person)
5) Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, David Ragan (I watch too much NASCAR)

[RhyssaFireheart]

1) Yes to both. 
2) In person at the inaugeral USGP at Indy, whenever that was.  Been years and thought it was boring (WTF!?! No passing?).
3) Yes to both.  Husband is a HUGE Nascar fan, can't avoid watching races on TV.
4) Been to the Brickyard 400 once.  Dozed off because I find Indy Cars at Indy much more exciting.  I prefer Nascar on TV.
5) Probably know far, far too many names from Nascar.  Find F1 incredibly boring even though I like Indy/Champ Car series when I get to see them.

[Abagadro]

I watch NASCAR all the time. Was going to go to the Vegas race this year because I was down there that weekend but it was too $$$$$.

[Bunk]

Canadian answer -

Never watched a complete race, but parts of some open wheel races ( I never remember which open wheel circuit is which, and which ones still are running) as my roommate was a diehard fan. NASCAR - might watch for two minutes if I was flipping the channels and saw a race starting, just to see if they all crashed together in to a giant Katamari like ball.

Never live - walked around the Vancouver Indy track a few times.

Moore, Tracy, Fitipaldi, Andretti (all of em), um... I've pobably already mixed together circuits here. (and Moore is dead)
Oh yea, Danica Patrick - she has boobs.

Petty, Unser Jr, Rayhall, Newman?, um... I'd recognize the names of course.

Only auto racing I've ever attended live is Drag Racing, as my dad still competes. Probably the only man alive to do a 12 second quarter mile in an AMC Pacer on a regular basis.

Going to Vegas the same weekend as the NASCAR race was one of the oddest experiences I've ever had. I thought diehard hockey fans had a tendency to dress up stupidly...

[Signe]

Never live - walked around the Vancouver Indy track a few times.

Did you win?

[Abagadro]

Oh, I should mention that I've seen lots of local drag and short-track racing, just not ever one of the major series. Larry Miller just build a big spammy new race track out here though and is trying to get some big time races out this way, but nothing so far. Very nice complex though.

[NiX]

Canadian answer

That really is the canadian answer. I too wait for the Katamari flameball of doom to happen at the beginning of each Nascar race if I happen to see it on TV.

I do watch Superbikes on occasion. I'm oddly fascinated by the aussie/brit commentators and how fucking excited they get.

[Righ]

Expat Brit - expect skewed results.

1) Yes
2) I think just about every race since 1977, but a few before that when in Britain on holiday. First F1 memory is of Jackie Stewart winning in Zandvoort when I was 7.
3) Yes
4) Not as religiously, but its alright.
5) Ferrari - Raikkonen, Massa; McLaren - Alonso, Hamilton; Renault - Fisichella, Kovalainen; Williams - Rosberg, Wurz; BMW - Heidfeld, Kubica; Honda - Button, Barrichello; Toyota - Schumacher, Trulli; Red Bull - Coulthard, Webber; Toro Rosso - Speed, Liuzzi; Super Aguri - Sato, Davidson; Spyker - Albers............. Sutil

yay... no cheating there - had to think hard to come up with Sutil tho :)

NASCAR... Earnhardt Jr., Martin, Wallace, Burton, Gordon - at a push I could probably name around half the current Winston cup drivers. Maybe. :)

[/quote]

[squirrel]

Canadian answer

That really is the canadian answer. I too wait for the Katamari flameball of doom to happen at the beginning of each Nascar race if I happen to see it on TV.

I do watch Superbikes on occasion. I'm oddly fascinated by the aussie/brit commentators and how fucking excited they get.

Nah I'm a canadian, I've seen Montreal F1 twice, Silverstone, Barcelona and Adelaide once each live. And i watch as many as I can on TV.

Alonso, Raikenen, Button, Hill, Villeneuve, Montoya, Schumacher, Fischella...

RIP Ayrton Senna   

[Azazel]

As an Aussie who lives in Melbourne (hope of the Australian Grand Prix ...I'm outside of your area of interest.   

[Murgos]

Oh, I should mention that I've seen lots of local drag...

I always suspected that about you.  Your clean cut caveman lawyer image isn't fooling anyone around here.

[Signe]

I like drag racing, too.  I used to even watch Pinks until those cartards started pissing me off.

[slog]

Thanks All,

I was trying to gauge F1 awareness in the USA.  I'd have to say it's pretty low.

[Strazos]

1) Yeah, in bits, casually.

2) Randomly

3) Yes, in bits.

4) Randomly. My friend's father is really into it, so I tend to notice it on their TV when I am over on the weekends.

5) I could probably get maybe 5 from NASCAR, but I don't really care enough to try. I hate NASCAR.

[Righ]

I was trying to gauge F1 awareness in the USA.  I'd have to say it's pretty low.

I would imagine that f13.net is not an ideal place to find a representative population of petrolheads, or even a representative population of 'average Americans'.

[slog]

I was trying to gauge F1 awareness in the USA.  I'd have to say it's pretty low.

I would imagine that f13.net is not an ideal place to find a representative population of petrolheads, or even a representative population of 'average Americans'.

It's not like I"m going to do a phone survey or anything :)

[Righ]

So do you watch F1? Are you looking forward to the first corner in Bahrain with Massa vs. the boy Lewis? Massa reckons he won't give Hamilton the room to get the better of him this time, Hamilton reckons the line could be tricky with the sand but that he'll have the start to try and claim the first corner.

[Yegolev]

1) On TV.
2) Unknown, couple years ago?  It's hard to find.
3) On TV.
4) Last Daytona, watched a few laps.
5) Hmm...
F1:
Emmerson Fitipaldi
Mario Andretti

I am totally drawing a blank for some reason, probably because you asked me to name them.

NASCAR:
Dale Junior
Mark Martin (is he still racing?)
Dale Jarret
Dick Trickle (still racing?)
Tony Stuart
Kyle Petty
Jimmy Johnson
Ricky Bobby

Also drawing a lot of blanks here for some reason.  I keep thinking "Boris Said" but I don't know if he is racing NASCAR anymore.

EDIT to point out that Indy is not the same as F1.

[Signe]

Emerson Fittipaldi?  Mario Andretti?  It's been a bit longer than a couple of years, I think.

[Yegolev]

Yeah, really.  I am still drawing a blank on the names I heard last time I watched.  It was probably some 2005 race in Madagascar, or Tokyo.  Like I said, it's hard to find and Indy doesn't count.