by Nathan Hook

Created on: November 12, 2008   Last Updated: December 20, 2008

Nascar and Formula One, two of the world's most lucrative racing leagues. One, rather Euro-centric, yet with broad appeal throughout the world, and the other a rather grass roots American based form of racing with hordes of loyal fans. There are some similarities: the huge cash earnings by the sports owners and promoters, the very real driver skills, the ridiculously high speeds and the high potential for death or injury. In reality however, the two forms of racing differ considerably, due to the nature of the vehicles and the types of tracks they race on. Which sport is better really comes down to a matter of taste.

Nascar has it's origins in early American road racing and the exploits of bootleggers during the prohibition era, who would drive their modified vehicles hauling alcohol and trying to avoid arrest. The franchise began officially in 1947 when mechanic and driver William France Sr. recognized the need to regulate and amalgamate the permeations of semi-organized racing into a single, more coordinated body. To this day, the France family still have controlling interest in the Nascar franchise's policy and decision making processes.

In essence, Nascar gives the appearance of being a fairly grassroots affair. Although the cars are hardly "stock", being stripped down for racing and various safety demands, they more closely resemble their road going cousins than the purpose built and prototype machines of Le Mans racing. Not only are the cars' exteriors fairly rudimentary, but so too are the interiors. Analogue dials, switches, limitations on engine power, suspension systems, and traction control devices, all contribute to a much more rudimentary, and some would argue authentic, form of racing. The theory behind this concept is that driver skill should determine outcomes rather than technical aides giving some drivers an edge. Nevertheless significant testing occurs in frantic form prior to the racing season, but unlike many other forms of motor racing, testing times are severely limited. This reduces the teams' ability to fully get to grips with a track's individual set up needs and further evens the playing field.

The schedule for Nascar is fairly grueling, comprising some 36 races over a 41 week period, where most of the races will be conducted on ovals of less than two miles in length. The races can feature in excess of 40 cars and as mentioned, the intense limitations on design modification makes for dramatic racing, since cars must tailgate in the slip

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