Formula 1 Vs NASCAR: Who Comes Out On Top?
NASCAR And Formula 1
Despite the fact that NASCAR and Formula 1 represent the pinnacle of their respective racing genres, many car fans only watch one series and don't know much about the other. Well, now it's time to compare.
Formula 1: European History
Formula 1 took off in post-war Europe. Young men were returning from the fighting with their blood still boiling, and were looking for somewhere to put all that energy. They found it in the speed and meticulous technical challenge of F1.
Not so for NASCAR.
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NASCAR: American History
NASCAR's history starts even earlier than Formula 1, and in a different locale entirely. During the prohibition era of America in the 1920s and 30s, bootleggers needed speedy cars to elude law enforcement as they transported illicit alcohol.
This need for speed lived on past prohibition, and sparked what would become NASCAR, or the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. It's not just the histories that are different, though.
Formula 1: Varied Circuits
Formula 1 has highly varied circuits, from street races such as Monaco and Miami to high-speed temples like Monza. All of them, however, contain a mix of corners, straightaways, and other road features that require drivers to race at different speeds and with different rhythms and skills.
NASCAR: Oval Circuits
People who don't watch NASCAR often criticize it for its regulation oval circuits, which look easier than F1's twisting tracks. But if you've ever seen a NASCAR race, you'll likely realize quite quickly it's anything but simple.
Drivers must have incredible endurance matched with pitch-perfect consistency as they go around the track. More than that, not every oval is the same: They can be longer or shorter, and have different degrees of banking, allowing drivers to take higher or lower racing lines. Plus, tracks like Watkins Glen aren't even ovals.
