Everyone likes different sports. Some prefer sports that are so different, that they stand out from one another. But, what about racing sports, particularly if people race in a car? Aren’t these sports the same? Well, in the general sense, the most general sense, yes, they are similar. When you are racing in a car, one sport could be similar to another.
But, when you look at something like NASCAR, compared to Formula 1, you get two entirely different types of races, leagues and governing bodies. Here are the main differences between NASCAR and F1.
NASCAR Means Stock Car Racing
This is one of the main differences between the two. NASCAR means stock car racing, which originated with great drivers during the prohibition days, smuggling alcohol through city streets.
Once the prohibition was over, these drivers had to find another job and NASCAR was eventually born. NASCAR means cars which have regular street counterparts, with fenders and almost everything else, tuned to specific series rules. All of them are more or less stock, or rather, what you would be able to do with some investment and actually still have a legal car. Being a stock car, it also has a roof and even a roll cage, which makes NASCAR a lot safer, actually.
F1 – Open Wheel Racing
F1 is an open wheel racing sport. This is very different to NASCAR, because the cars are built purposefully for this task only. There are no street counterparts in this case. F1 cars are less safe and overall much faster and more nimble, but are thus relegated to being driven on a track only. You could drive a NASCAR vehicle outside, it has everything a car should have, technically at least.
F1 engines are custom-built, as is everything that you see on the cars. These differences alone should be more than obvious when simply looking at the races or pictures of the cars, even.
The Tracks
This is one of the most prominent differences, besides the cars. The tracks are completely different. NASCAR favors oval tracks and most of the famous tracks are simple oval tracks where the race goes in a circle, for hundreds of miles.
F1 tracks are really different. All of them are different between one another and have turns left and right, very sharp and easy ones as well. That being said, the tracks in F1 are there to test not only the drivers’ skill, but also their ability to adapt, given that each track is different and has its own challenges.
The Race Length and Qualifying
In NASCAR, races last up to three hours and are 500 miles long, more or less. F1 races are not longer than 90 minutes, depending on the track. F1 has three qualifying races, Q1, Q2 and Q3, each of which eliminates or rather, puts the slowest drivers in the last position, eliminating them from the next qualification race.
In NASCAR, a flying lap just before the race determines the position of the racers. F1 races have no stopping and involve a continuous race of up to 90 minutes. NASCAR races have three stages which involve multiple pit stops and even refueling.
From the rules to the cars and the race shape and actual race rules, NASCAR and F1 are very different. They are more different than they are similar and these have been some examples why.
