I say it's more of a redneck sport because it has redneck all over it.  Beer, motor oil, big chubby pig stealin' guys without any shirts on; defiantly redneck.  Of course, like any other sport, NASCAR has a little bit of ghetto to it, but not enough to be considered to be a in the inner city sport.  :P

What I call a ghetto is probably basketball, and maybe football.  The rest, are for the so-called "normal people."  ;D

Of course it's redneck, what do ya think.

the origins of NASCAR go back to the days of prohibition when moonshiners would gut a car, leaving only the seat and the controls for the driver and load the rest with illegal hooch and they would drive as fast as they can to whatever county and state lines they had to cross because back in those days the county authorities couldn't convict you of trafficking if they couldn't catch you and you escaped justice by going into another county. this lead to competition between moonshine runners on who had the fastest car. eventually these races became legit (and the FBI made it a felony to cross county and state lines with illegal liquer) and NASCAR was born.

now with those illegal rural roots, wouldn't that have an appeal to "rednecks"?

Driven by lots of guys with really cool mullet haircuts!!

Definitely redneck, and Indy Champ Car and F-1 are for rednecks with higher standards (snottier attitudes). ;D

As a fan of NASCAR...I really find this thread a tad hilarious....and also somewhat silly.

Why?

First off,most NASCAR fans are not 'rednecks'. Yes,many fans ARE from the South...but there are fans of NASCAR worldwide.....its popularity HAS grown beyond the South for any of you that think NASCAR is a regional thing...

Among NASCAR's loyal fans are DOCTORS,LAWYERS,TEACHERS....not exactly 'trailer trash'! If you ever see a race,look at the infield...how much $$$$$$$ do you think those so-called 'redneck' fans paid for those motor homes? You can't afford that if as some ignorant NASCAR haters think,fans are "Trailer trash on welfare'...

and some of us 'trailer trash'(snickering)fans are from the NORTH! like me...

so there.

This post is not meant for everyone,just the people who talk s**t about NASCAR and the fans.

Let me see, how many african americans are allowed on the track without a broom? ???

Let me see, how many african americans are allowed on the track without a broom? ???


You know.. that is an interesting point.

I watch some Motor Raceing. Mainly F-1 some of the Touring Cars and a bit of the Rally races.

I have never, ever seen a single Black Driver, somewhat odd that. Considering that in the 7-8 years that i have had an interest i must have seen a couple hundred different drivers..

I have never seen a single black Motorcycle driver either, not in the Crossers, The Superbikes, nothing.. I had never thought about it until now..

Let me see, how many african americans are allowed on the track without a broom? ???
To answer that....there are NASCAR teams coming on the scene with minority drivers and owners...

I just wish people would stop saying bad stuff about NASCAR and its fans....let us enjoy our sport without being criticized!

To answer that....there are NASCAR teams coming on the scene with minority drivers and owners...



Baseball opened to African Americans in 1948-basketball in 1950-Football 1949-The auto racing circuit
2005!  Gentlemen start your engines!

Baseball opened to African Americans in 1948-basketball in 1950-Football 1949-The auto racing circuit
2005!  Gentlemen start your engines!


Actually there have been blacks in stock car racing for a while.  Very few ever made it to a race into Nextel Cup.  There a several blacks in some of the divisions that are working there way up.  But part of the reason it just seems that Nascar has taken a long time to reach popularity with blacks and is still struggling in that department.  But it has nothing to do with the fact that they don't want blacks racing.  They will let anybody who wants to race run whether male or female, black or white.  It makes no difference.  That and Auto racing is one of the few sports that men and women are allowed to compete against each other.

The only problem African-Americans have with NASCAR is that the majority of minority owners do not have enough money to field a car. The same with black drivers, they just can't get sponsorships for frequent NASCAR races because owners fear that they cannot compete in a large arena, not because of their lack of talent. It's been that way since Windred Scott became the first full-time driver. Unfortunately, racism still lives everywhere, not just in NASCAR. :(
To answer that....there are NASCAR teams coming on the scene with minority drivers and owners...

I just wish people would stop saying bad stuff about NASCAR and its fans....let us enjoy our sport without being criticized!

You know.. that is an interesting point.

I watch some Motor Raceing. Mainly F-1 some of the Touring Cars and a bit of the Rally races.

I have never, ever seen a single Black Driver, somewhat odd that. Considering that in the 7-8 years that i have had an interest i must have seen a couple hundred different drivers..

I have never seen a single black Motorcycle driver either, not in the Crossers, The Superbikes, nothing.. I had never thought about it until now..
I like to watch local racing at dirt tracks, and I'll usually go about 2 or 3 times a year. On an average Friday night there will be a good 5000 fans in attendance, and it seems like I can count the black fans on one hand. (I can't see what the drivers look like, so I don't know how many minorities are actually on the track, but I've never seen a black sprint car driver, for example.) I don't know if this is just because there might be a lack of interest for motorsports among African-Americans or if it's because there might indeed be some racism there (you go to a dirt track in the Midwest, and the people there are as about as redneck as you can get), but if NASCAR wants to attract more minorities to the sport they need to first build more interest at the grassroots level. I'm sure it also has to do with economics, because it costs a ton of money to race competitively, even at the local level.

I don't know if this is just because there might be a lack of interest for motorsports among African-Americans or if it's because there might indeed be some racism there



I believe it's the lack of interest, as Alchohlica said above it's the same in racing series all over the world, and I find it hard to believe that the entire world of motorsports is racist. And they aren't coming up from the grass-roots levels either. My son is in a go-kart league, just outside of Toronto, which is a very diverse ehtnic city, and over the past 3 yrs I can't remember any African-Amr.-Can. kids racing.

As an African American I would like to weigh in on this.  I live in Boston, until recently, with the death of
the Yawkeys, you didn't see many dark faces at Fenway Park because it was a very uncomfortable place
to be.  Harassment of blacks was frequent, and nothing was done about it.  I went to Fenway twice, it was not a pleasant experience.  Someone could walk into Fenway and think that the black community in Boston really wasn't interested in Baseball, but if they went into the community and asked they would get the real story.  All that changed with the ownership who actually admitted that they knew of the problem, acknowledged it openly and let the team, the fans, the Fenway concessionairres, and the black community know that those days are over. In the early stages of MTV there was a big story about how you never saw videos with African American singers.  They reason given by MTV was that African American performers didn't get involved with making videos, or that the videos they made didn't fit in with MTV's market(?) or the videos weren't relay all that good.  All these reasons beginning to sound familiar? The race car venue is seen as a "redneck" venue about as friendly as a trip to Fenway.  It is beginning to change on the field, and it will have to change there before it changes in the stands.  That idea that blacks don't want to, aren't interested, etc is a lot of bullsh*t.  We have just decided to take our money elsewhere.  NASCAR is beginning to open up for that very reason.

Well. Im born and bred In Burbank (Los Angeles Area) and i dont think we get too much interest in that sport here at all, except for some (kinda but not-recent) CNN blurbs on that Dale guy that died... Sorry if i offend, but out here, its generally considered Redneck in all senses, I mean ,come on this question? Ghetto? I cant recall the last time I saw some dude in compton drinkin a 40
" Yo homie,, u be seein those gangstazz rolin' up on dat track"

Sorry but i think this post is a bit of a no brainer :o

just my two cents...:P:P:P:P

To answer that....there are NASCAR teams coming on the scene with minority drivers and owners...

I just wish people would stop saying bad stuff about NASCAR and its fans....let us enjoy our sport without being criticized!


Hi, could someone tell me which area of the US  the NASCAR racing is held??

I don't think being a NASCAR driver has anything to do with color, it's all aptitude and ability.  There are only a handfull of the professional drivers we see year after year.  It's similar to how the airforce chooses jet pilots, like 1 out of 2 or 300 applicants.  Also, the race cars are owned by huge corporations, if they can find a gifted driver, they don't care if he/she has polkadots.

Hi, could someone tell me which area of the US  the NASCAR racing is held??
NASCAR started out predominently in the southeastern states but there have been many new superspeedways built in the last 10-15 years, so, while they still run mostly down South they have tracks near most major cities now.  

NASCAR started out predominently in the southeastern states but there have been many new superspeedways built in the last 10-15 years, so, while they still run mostly down South they have tracks near most major cities now.  


Thanks for your reply to my query AL-B  :)

I don't think being a NASCAR driver has anything to do with color, it's all aptitude and ability.  There are only a handfull of the professional drivers we see year after year.  It's similar to how the airforce chooses jet pilots, like 1 out of 2 or 300 applicants.  Also, the race cars are owned by huge corporations, if they can find a gifted driver, they don't care if he/she has polkadots.
I like to think that NASCAR is similar to Major League Baseball. Whereas in baseball you have your minor leagues (A, AA, AAA), in NASCAR you have the Craftsman Truck and Busch Series, which are the minor leagues to Nextel Cup. And the "minor leagues" of NASCAR get their talent from lesser-known racing organizations like ASA, or ARCA, or USAC. (Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart were both top sprint car drivers before they got their shot in NASCAR, Stewart going to the IRL first.)

Thanks for your reply to my query AL-B  :)
You betcha!  ;)

I don't think being a NASCAR driver has anything to do with color, it's all aptitude and ability.  There are only a handfull of the professional drivers we see year after year.  It's similar to how the airforce chooses jet pilots, like 1 out of 2 or 300 applicants.  Also, the race cars are owned by huge corporations, if they can find a gifted driver, they don't care if he/she has polkadots.


Yeah, we've heard this one before, for years and years, blacks just didn't(don't) have the aptitude and/or
ability to play major league baseball, quarterback, write a novel be a doctor, fly a plane, shoot a gun, and on and on.  It ain't all aptitude and ablility, anyone who has been anywhere knows that.  So, where have
you been? 

Yeah, we've heard this one before, for years and years, blacks just didn't(don't) have the aptitude and/or
ability to play major league baseball, quarterback, write a novel be a doctor, fly a plane, shoot a gun, and on and on.  It ain't all aptitude and ablility, anyone who has been anywhere knows that.  So, where have
you been? 

You say you are black, and I presume you can drive a car.  Therefore, do you think you can drive in a NASCAR race?  I apologize, not trying to be funny.  I'm white and I can't do it, it would be a disaster.  anyway, my brother in law is part owner of a Busch series car, and they employ a very expensive team and 3 drivers.  Tell you the truth, I don't know how they hire, but I think as a corporation, they want whoever will win the most.

You say you are black, and I presume you can drive a car.  Therefore, do you think you can drive in a NASCAR race?


I can drive a car and I gotta tell you I was pretty good at it in my day, but nowhere near pro standards.
But the question is not whether or not I am up to Nascar standards, but whether among the hundreds of
Nascar racers are there any blacks who are qualified who are not for whatever reason, not allowed to
compete.  I'm not sure how old you are, but I remember when Janet Guthrie and Sharon Muldowner  were breaking into racing and the arbitrary reasons that were used to try and keep them out.  It is
much the same, and the more money involved the harder it is to break the old boy network.  So people
keep pushing and pushing the crack in the door,  In twenty five years people will forget that there was
a time that blacks weren't racing, just as they have forgotten that there was a time when they didn't have the aptitude of ability to play baseball, basketball, quarterback, coach, sing in the opera, pay a mortgage, etc, etc, etc.

Hey! I like NASCAR and I'm neither a redneck or a "Person who commits drive-by shooting, while listening to ear splitting rap crap :P

I can drive a car and I gotta tell you I was pretty good at it in my day, but nowhere near pro standards.
But the question is not whether or not I am up to Nascar standards, but whether among the hundreds of
Nascar racers are there any blacks who are qualified who are not for whatever reason, not allowed to
compete.  I'm not sure how old you are, but I remember when Janet Guthrie and Sharon Muldowner  were breaking into racing and the arbitrary reasons that were used to try and keep them out.  It is
much the same, and the more money involved the harder it is to break the old boy network.  So people
keep pushing and pushing the crack in the door,  In twenty five years people will forget that there was
a time that blacks weren't racing, just as they have forgotten that there was a time when they didn't have the aptitude of ability to play baseball, basketball, quarterback, coach, sing in the opera, pay a mortgage, etc, etc, etc.
Thank you for weighing in on this, D&M. The problem is not that NASCAR has a racial bias and isn't allowing minorities to compete. This may have been true 20 or 30 years ago, buy today I believe that NASCAR would like nothing more than to have more diversity among their drivers in order to attract a larger fanbase to the sport. The problem is simply that you don't see many minorites racing at the local level. (At least that's the case in the Midwest.) And I can understand this, because I think that the atmosphere at some of these small-town dirt tracks may very well be the same as you described at Fenway Park, with the added risk of the inherent dangers of driving a race car. In other words, it's not that NASCAR is somehow trying to keep black drivers off their racetracks, it's just that there aren't enough young black drivers starting out at the local and regional levels, which is necessary to develop the skills needed to compete at the professional level. NASCAR has addressed this issue and has started a diversity program to help young African-American drivers start out in its local and regional racing series, in the hopes of discovering and grooming new talent.
     

I can drive a car and I gotta tell you I was pretty good at it in my day, but nowhere near pro standards.
But the question is not whether or not I am up to Nascar standards, but whether among the hundreds of
Nascar racers are there any blacks who are qualified who are not for whatever reason, not allowed to
compete.  I'm not sure how old you are, but I remember when Janet Guthrie and Sharon Muldowner  were breaking into racing and the arbitrary reasons that were used to try and keep them out.  It is
much the same, and the more money involved the harder it is to break the old boy network.  So people
keep pushing and pushing the crack in the door,  In twenty five years people will forget that there was
a time that blacks weren't racing, just as they have forgotten that there was a time when they didn't have the aptitude of ability to play baseball, basketball, quarterback, coach, sing in the opera, pay a mortgage, etc, etc, etc.
I've run into some VERY prejiduced people over the years. Once I was at a bar watching a basketball game. Someone complained with "Why are there SO many black players and hardly any whites?" The answer he got from the bartender was "Well, they made the team by being better than other players." On the flipside the guy asked Why most NFL quarterbacks are white and some idiot answered "Because they're smarter" As for me, I believe the NBA players earn thier spots just as I do with football, ect. Why aren't there any blacks driving in NASCAR? I don't know but I doubt it's a conspiracy. That's just my feelings ;)

Intelligence has nothing to do with being a quarterback. Terry Bradshaw was known for his idiocy or at least playing along with his idiocy. And Troy Aikman and Kurt Warner aren't the brightest of throwers. That's just my opinion though.

And yes, I know Peyton Manning sounds stupid sometimes. I hope it's only an act.

On the flipside the guy asked Why most NFL quarterbacks are white and some idiot answered "Because they're smarter" 

I've run into some VERY prejiduced people over the years. Once I was at a bar watching a basketball game. Someone complained with "Why are there SO many black players and hardly any whites?" The answer he got from the bartender was "Well, they made the team by being better than other players." On the flipside the guy asked Why most NFL quarterbacks are white and some idiot answered "Because they're smarter" As for me, I believe the NBA players earn thier spots just as I do with football, ect. Why aren't there any blacks driving in NASCAR? I don't know but I doubt it's a conspiracy. That's just my feelings ;)


Thanks AL-B for weighing in, and Rn'R, it isn't that I think that there is a conspiracy, but to enter a sport like this the door has to be open.  A lot of it is the guys who are there all know each other, and bring there kids into the game(talented or not), and help each other along.  A person who is purely in it for the sport would open the door to a person on talent alone, not familial, social relationships.  When that happens I think you will see a more open, and much better sport. Note that they bartender gave the blacks credit for talent, the whites for brains, does that means whites have less talent, and blacks less brains???hmmmm

Thanks AL-B for weighing in, and Rn'R, it isn't that I think that there is a conspiracy, but to enter a sport like this the door has to be open.  A lot of it is the guys who are there all know each other, and bring there kids into the game(talented or not), and help each other along.  A person who is purely in it for the sport would open the door to a person on talent alone, not familial, social relationships.  When that happens I think you will see a more open, and much better sport. Note that they bartender gave the blacks credit for talent, the whites for brains, does that means whites have less talent, and blacks less brains???hmmmm
I'd just like to add this article I read on NASCAR's website:

http://www.nascar.com/2005/kyn/02/22/nascar_diversity/

I'd just like to add this article I read on NASCAR's website:

http://www.nascar.com/2005/kyn/02/22/nascar_diversity/


Hey weres the website addy for that one you posted before..there was a fantastic red truck on it!!

You mean this one?