Why Not Olympic NASCAR?
Tuesday August 12, 2008
The summer Olympic games are held every four years to celebrate the dedication, determination, abilities and sportsmanship of the world's great athletes. The swimmers, runners, cyclists, gymnasts and other participants in the current Olympic games certainly embody these lofty ideals.
As I watch the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games I am left wondering why aren't there any motorsports in the Olympic games? NASCAR features teamwork, endurance, precision, strategy and many of the other attributes that make up the world's other great sports. Why not Olympic NASCAR?
Comments
I am a huge fan of NASCAR but I think you need to think past our Boarders and remember that much of the world has no idea what you are even talking about. I know this from living 15 years out off of this continent. Although NASCAR is a or possibly The Great American Sport, in the global world of auto racing, the Formula circuit has NASCAR beat by a mile.
I wouldn’t worry about Nascar being in the Olympic games. The way it’s going, Nascar, as we know it now, will no longer exist. This is not a world sport, it is a Country sport, therefore, it would not qualify anyway.
I have often wondered about that myself. I mean the drivers have to have endurance. Maybe it is just a southern thing but its growing due to young good looking drivers such as Dale Jr. Who knows maybe by 2012 it will be.
Hands down the dumbest thing I have ever read out of you, and thats saying a lot cuase you post some stupid stuff from time to time.
I agree with Jason. What an idiotic thing to even suggest. Whatever you’ve been smoking, you need to quit.
Yeah I agree with u guys this dude is smokin somethen. I don’t even think the idea of nascar in the olympics is even possible that dude is an idiot
It is a local sport,indeed….
But we could work it into the Olympic Venue along with Middle Eastern Camel Races, Southern USA Greased Pig Runs and the favorite in the city of San Francisco…Nude Leap Frog!
Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em!
I should have been more clear. Obviously this would never happen in a million years and if it did it would more likely be SCCA - style racing.
My intention was just to suggest that NASCAR drivers and teams are athletes too.
How about Olympic IROC?
When I look at the olympics I see individual achievements for their efferts.Yes there are teams but they are all there at the same time playing their sport were as nascar and car racing you have many outside elements outside the human conditioning that also factor in this sport.Just a thought.
All I can say is that About.com must be really desperate for help.
I thought that Olympic Sports was non profesional players. (except I don’t know how they ever got the NBA involved). If they were to have some sort of racing offered and NASCAR drivers were allowed. I don’t think that the sponsors would allow their driver away from the points race to Participate.
My two cents worth.
Nascar Olympics would be great but do we really want to watch the races 12 hours after NBC delays it? NBC Sucks! They are the worst part of Nascar. FOX rules in my book.
Mr. McCormick, it’s an interesting idea. Hey, Joe, every “sport has outside elements outside the human conditioning.”
Guys, you don’t think that Curling is an international favorite sport, do you? Yet it is in the Olympics.
Glen Harmison, professional athletes are allowed in the Olympics. Where have you been all of these years? The U.S.A. use to only send non pros, but to level the playing field with countries who paid all of the costs involved for their athletes, starting in childhood, for instance, the U.S.S.R., our country decided that we should allow our best to have a chance to compete, also. Hence, professional basketball players are representing our country. Would you descriminate by not sending our best players?
I’m not using spell check, Glen, but you might want to learn how.
Kenseth 17fan, I agree that NBC is the worst. Years ago, they ended the coverage of a Nascar race to show a repeat of an episode of “The Munsters” and once, they did the same thing to show a golf game. Now, there’s a “sport” I don’t enjoy watching. Is golfing an Olympic sport? Still, if Tigers Woods could represent us in the Olympics, I would be thrilled for him to have the opportunity.
Mrs. D… since you like criticizing people (Glen’s spelling) maybe you SHOULD have used your spell check yourself. Or possibly stop pointing out other people’s errors. It’s not Tigers Woods.
Maybe instead of Nascar racing, they should just have pit crew chalenges in the olympics.
NASCAR by itself cant be an Olympic SPort. However if you give people the same equiptment and racers from all series are allowed to compete (Sounds familiair) then it could work.
However, there is still something out there in motorsports thats kind of the olympics for them. A1 GP features teams from countries all over the world like the USA, Lebanon, Canada, Ireland, Britain, China, and many others. Thats the closest auto racing has come to olympics
If it’s motorsports you want, why not Rally? That’s pretty much world wide and a blast to watch.
I can’t get pasted the expenses that one would incur hauling the necessary equipment all over the world. YIKES !!! It’s bad enough when they went to Mexico or Canada, just imagine going all the way to China !!!
Okay, let’s have a playoff between the top twenty five race cars and their crews after the regular season is over, say two weeks after. Have the race at a large track in Florida, Alabama, Indiana, etc., with a large enough purse to attract the race fans from all over the country. Make it 400 to 500 miles long, any errors by a driver or team could cost them a lot.
Hey, David, I said that I didn’t enjoy watching golf. Hence the typo - which I doubt that spell check would correct, as “tigers” is a word. Thank you for the correction, David, but I’m afraid that you missed my point, which is, even though I do not watch golf , which perhaps explains my typo, I wrote that “if Tiger Woods could represent us in the Olympics, I would be thrilled for him to have the opportunity.” I didn’t say that I would watch him golf, just as you might not care to watch a Nascar race. I just want Tiger Woods to have the opportunity if he so chooses. I want our best athletes to represent us and it doesn’t matter to me if it’s in golf, curling, or Nascar. Sorry if I didn’t make my point clear to you in my last comment.
What a ridiculous thought … Next thing maybe the Nathans Hot dog eating competition…
Olympics has more than enough sports we dont need any more …
Maybe a quilting competion to help the older folks … or how about a fishing contest, or drinking contest, you might win this one..
Typical woman… has to have the last word. The point I didn’t miss was your petty, nit-picking criticism of another contributor which causes me to think you may have issues. Needlessly pointing out the errors of others serves no purpose whatsoever and hints at feelings of inferiority. Knocking someone else to make yourself feel a bit superior doesn’t say much for character, either.
tsk! tsk! tsk! children, children, lets play nicely now.
road course would make more sense. the race road course all over the world unlike circle track.
Actually, David, I happen to agree with your comments made on August 15, 2008.
Back to the subject - Nascar would bring new viewers and sponsors to the Olympics - and talk about loyal fans, how many women bring home the Tide, buy a certain car insurance, etc., based on corporate sponsorship of their favorite drivers? It’s a “win - win” situation for the Olympics AND the fans.
Actually it was the Olympic movement itself which decided to allow professionals in. Originally the Olympics were confined to “amateur” athletes only
As far as qualifying for the olympics a sport has to be played in a certain number of countries in a certain number of continents (I forget the numbers exactly and it varies for winter and summer games, which is why curling is there, as it is played on at least three continents). As well the Olympic governing organization has now capped both the number of events and the number of sports for summer and winter games, so as to prevent them from growing too big, which they were threatening to do. In fact the most recent meeting of that group ended up with two sports being completely eliminated from the summer games and none added. So I don’t thing Motorsports has much hope of getting in.