[MarcusHMM]

Slam, you are right my skivies are in a knot.

But when people start to criticize a sport, person or activity with vulgar, baseless deprecating names then I sort of assumed they were passing some sort of judgment on the sport, person or activity.

I may be wrong about this, but I think "corner loading" was started by some NASCAR teams very early on. Also, as far as down force is and racing aerodynamics is concerned they were some of the first early adopters. No guarantee, but Smokey Yunick was one of the first to recognize and work in that area. I am sure others were doing the same in almost all racing, but in NASCAR they had to be a bit more creative since everyone was working with basically the same packages. And that was doing it by the seat of their pants.

I love my Alfa and have worked and played with them since the early 70's. I was introduced to them by a Red Neck from Arkansas. We called him Dollar Sign Charlie and he ran an Alfa dealership in Little Rock just across from The State Capitol building. He loved Alfas but he also loved the stock car world as well.

I can easily see when people take Alfa cars apart for their poor build quality, the propensity to turn steel into rust in a matter of seconds it seems, and the wonderful electricals they came with. I agree with them and probably rant more than they do about the Alfa problems and quirks. It's when they start to call nasty names and try to put the Alfa or any vehicle down with little or no thought that I take exception. If you want to criticize something do it with valid points and not just name calling. Also realize that there may be some good points to take from them.

F1 is mostly boring as all get out, but I love to watch it. I am thankful that I have had TIVO for the past 10 years so I can watch a race in about 1/2 the time on a Sunday morning and do not have to get up at 7 AM to catch the start. It is also helpful that the outcome is sparsely covered so I am still surprised (or at least it is unknown) by the outcome.

I do the same with NASCAR. Just watch the good parts.

F1 is a sport for the rich boys to play. Yes many of the early drivers were common men, but many "bought" their rides and it has always been associated with European aristocracy. It's hard to sell that here in the US. NASCAR was started by a bunch of every day guys that wanted to play on a track. It is more of a common mans sport with roots in the barn and corner gas station. Today it is has grown into a big money business, but it is still grassroots with local NASCAR tracks running Modifieds, etc that are a part of NASCAR.

The management of NASCAR knows that the most important connection is the fan/driver connection and the support of their sponsors. Notice the first words out of any drivers, crew chiefs, or owners mouth. "I want to thank the fans, the sponsor and every one for their support. " They actively work to promote the entire sport to the regular guy. I have seen drivers at The Glen sign autographs for over an hour and not once ask for a penny.

F1 is starting to do the same with car appearances and and F1 experiences, but they are far behind NASCAR on public relations and connecting with the regular fans.