texastiedye Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 Believe it or not, this is a poll the Beaumont, Texas paper is running. Believe it or not, it was showing a 61% vote for NO!!! We've managed to get it to 67% YES!!! Please take a minute to help the area and racing community in general out by voting YES! It only takes a minute. The newspaper will not give more racing coverage unless this poll clearly states that people look at auto racing as a sport. I believe this poll will only be up through Wednesday, but you may check back. Thanks for your support! Vote YES!!!!!!!!!!! There is an indy car icon towards the left middle of the page with a poll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truck99 Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 Anyone who saw Earnhardt Jr.'s interview after the race on Sunday shouldn't doubt about whether or not these guys are real athletes competing in a real sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy47 Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 whoa, I've seen very few people that exhausted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tqj3 Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 Texastiedye- Why not post this on the main auto racing forum? I sent the following to the reporter, Johnnie Walters, after I voted: Johnnie- The only people who think auto racing isn't a sport, and isn't physically taxing, are those who have never driven a race car at anywhere near competitive speeds. They sit down and steer? So do bobsledders. I played varsity football and basketball in high school, and baseball before high school. I also play, or did play, tennis, volleyball and soccer, and I'm telling you auto racing is the most physically and mentally taxing sport I ever did. (I'll admit the motorcycle racers probably work even harder.) The only thing I've done that comes close to the mental and physical aspects of racing is soccer. Modern racing cars pull a lot of Gs. Drag racers and NASCAR drivers pull more Gs than the crew of the space shuttle experiences. Formula 1 drivers can't hold their heads up under acceleration without some sort of strap or brace. And a few years ago, the Champ Car series tried to race at Texas Motor Speedway but discovered the drivers were pulling so many Gs they were close to blacking out; the races had to be cancelled. Rick Mears was the first driver to pull five Gs at Phoenix, which is a flat track, not a high-banked oval. (When asked what five Gs felt like, Mears replied, "Like eight Gs.") Driving to work has the same relationship to racing that walking around the block after dinner has to running a marathon. T. Q. Jones, Austin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProTree Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 makes me want to put ole johnny boy from the enterpirse paper in a ride one nite and let him decide for himself if all a driver has to do is sit and mash a gas and brake-i bet his ass rides a bicycle with a group of his buddies wearing spandex and hog the right hand side of the road during rush hour traffic-jmo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txtom Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games. A quote by Mr. Ernest Hemingway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy47 Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 great analogy TQ. If you don't mind I think I'll use that in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProTree Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 quote of 4 time defending IHRA Top Fuel World Champ Clay Millican,"top fuel dragsters will exert +5 +7 G's on a driver during the course of a run-but stopping em is more exciting than the race sometimes,the G's can be -7 to-11 and if your belts aint tight,you aint staying in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
top_shelf_12 Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 I can't remember which tv announcer said it, but they told these kinds of people that don't think racing is a sport to "get in your car, roll up all the windows, put on a coat, turn on the heater, and drive around for three hours, then tell me racing isn't a sport." I've never driven a race car in my life, but I want to. There are only two other sports I can think of that can come anywhere close to comparison, soccer and professional hockey (of course, those who know me know I'm biased on the second one). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REBELRACER Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 i would compare racing to bullriding (never tried bullriding), both are dangerous and there is always the chance of getting hurt or killed with either one..........there is not much chance of getting killed with the stick and ball sports unless you get some psycho fan........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tqj3 Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 Legacy 47- Be my guest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckLicata Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 Working with all the "main stream" sports guys that I do, I hear this question and "Are race car drivers REALLY athletes" all the time... Those folks do that just to rile things up...if they really DON'T think auto racing is a sport, then they're seriously mis-guided... Every one that's ever told me that, then gone out to either a NASCAR or local race...has ALL agreed that racing is a sport after they see it in person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfgarvin Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 To go along with what Chuck said, The crews are also athletes. Some teams are going and recruiting from other sports to get their crew members. Racing is most defenitley a SPORT ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rookie49 Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 As a former bullrider, and someone who has piddled with racing, and played every ball sport around I can tell you that for sheer fast maximum exertion and elation- nothing beats bullriding, and on a lesser scale I cannot picture decently competitive racing being much less. I know that I have felt more exhausted mentally and physically and at the same time more physically elated after a fast competitive go kart race than I felt after playing in a state championship high school basketball game. If i could go back to my teens and choose Auto racing over football, basketball and track, I would. Now Golf- That's the real sport though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levi Posted July 20, 2005 Report Share Posted July 20, 2005 YES ITS NOW: 70% YES 1208 VOTES 30% NO 510 VOTES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin bowen Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 Hell yeah its a sport . Listen guys i have had to spend alot of time in blowmont over the years and that place sucks . The skeeters down there are soooo big they could enter a grand stock race . Maybe they consider skeeter racin and tradin lonestar cards a sport . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacecar Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 I'm starting to believe that playing poker is a sport. The Express-News has reports about the big poker games, and poker strategies, in their Sports section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProTree Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 yep pacecar and that poker on tv all day and nite-elbows got to hurt from propping em on the table,probably get barroom elbows and if they get hemmroids the day of a big marathon game-got to be tough-need to make it real tough and put em in a glass room or sauna with the temp at 150+ degrees and let em sit there and play for 3-4 hours and only give em 1 bottle of water per hour- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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