It’s one of those questions where there doesn’t seem to be a wrong answer; where is the best place to watch a NASCAR race? While there might not seem to be a wrong answer, the BTF writers each took a side to defend.
One of the biggest debates when it comes to sports is whether or not it’s better to see the event live or watch it from the comfort of your own home. We have all been in the situation where we have asked someone to come to a race (or other sporting event) and they have declined to watch it at home. Or maybe you were the one who opted not to go to the live event, regardless, most of us have experience when it comes to picking a side for this argument.
Recently, Beyond The Flag editor Chris Olmstead and staff writer Brian Thornsburg sat down to debate this age-old topic. Is it better to see a race live or is it better to watch said race from home? Below is the back and forth that they had about the matter. After reading their points be sure to take the fan poll at the end of the article and vote for which option you think is better.
You can also share your thoughts by commenting below or reaching out to BTF on our various social media platforms. So, lets get on with the debate.
Is It Better To Watch A Race Live Or At Home?
Brian Thornsburg (Watching From Home)
I feel that while watching a race in the stands is an experience in its own right, fans have much more control over the experience when they watch it from the comfort of their own home. Not only are there more camera angles, better commentary and faster updates on whats going on with your favorite drivers when you watch the race at home, there are also no loud fans, no jacked up prices and the chance to enter and exit the experience at your leisure.
Now that doesn’t mean that i don’t enjoy sitting in the stands and screaming at the top of my lungs with the rest of the NASCAR community for our favorite drivers, I just find much more comfort in the fact that I can control my own race-day experience from the comfort of my own home. Or heck, even go over to a friends house and enjoy the experience there.
Christopher Olmstead (Being At The Race)
While it’s great to watch a race in your living room, one of the coolest things about sports is the community environment that it creates. Moreover, one of the coolest things about NASCAR is the level of interaction it provides fans who attend events.
Watching the race on TV in your home might provide you with more camera angles but it doesn’t come close to the feeling of being in the stands when the cars go by. Technology today allows fans to hear the race broadcast or their drivers radio while in the stands making the experience for authentic and informative. Couple that with the fact that on any given race weekend fans can be in the garage, around the cars, near the drivers and it’s hard to say it’s better experience away from the track.
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Brian Thornsburg (Watching From Home)
While it is difficult to say that watching the race on television is better then watching at the track, especially with the level of interaction that you can have with fans and drivers, you can still experience some of the same things from the comfort of your own home and not break the bank while doing it. I know this may sound like a cheap shot, but think about the price you have to pay to have this experience and if its all worth it in the end. Not just the actual price. but the physical and mental price as well.
Not only are tickets not exactly cheap, you also have to deal with travel expenses, immense stop and go traffic traffic, large crowds, hotels if you’re going out of the area, and jacked up prices for food and merchandise when you get to the track. Of course you can cut down on the hotel fee by just camping in the infield of the track, but that will force fans to buy concession prices that break the bank, or try to preserve the food they brought to the track themselves.
Then of course there is the physical and mental price of it all. The grueling traffic to the track, the possibility of having to take cover behind the stands during rain delays, and the uncomfortable heat or cold that fans have to deal with. Not only that, the seats are for the most part hard to sit on and the loud sound of cars passing by at almost 200MPH can scare children a little bit if they’re not used to it. With that being said, it’s not just a financial toll, its a physical, mental and emotional one as well.
While Chris does have a good point about the driver radios and being in the garage area on race day greatly adding to the experience for the fans, driver radio usually costs a good chunk of change to have and no one is getting anywhere near the garage area on race day without buying a overpriced pass first.
As for the experience at home, you can download Race Buddy, which will cost a little chunk of change, but will ultimately be worth it when your watching the extra camera angles that they have and the driver communications as well. You can also keep up with the race on twitter and even get a reply from your favorite driver on race day morning. Not that you can’t at the track as well, but this does allow you to have an interaction with a driver without paying a lot of money to do it.
Christopher Olmstead (Being At The Race)
I’ll be the first to admit that the price of a NASCAR race or any sporting event for that matter is going to come in a little high, but that’s just the world that we live in. If you want an inexpensive sports outing, go and see the Miami Marlins play a baseball game on a Wednesday night. If you want a quality outing, come to a NASCAR race.
Generally speaking my argument is for the fan that has the opportunity to see one, maybe two races a season. Obviously seeing several races in a season is going to become very costly, very quickly.
While I cannot argue that there is something to be said for sitting in your chair, with your snacks and your beverages from the fridge; that experience is something that you have can 34 or 35 times during a NASCAR season. Those other couple of times, if you have a chance to be at the race, you need to be there.
Where were you three years ago during that one wreck at Dover?
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If you were sitting at home, you’re probably struggling to remember if you even watched that race. If you were in Dover three years ago, you know exactly the wreck I’m talking about and right now you’re trying to hold back the story that you have to go along with the wreck and that day.
I don’t think fans should go to every race, but if all things were equal, I think it’s foolish to pick your living room over the real deal and being there live.
What Do You Think?
Which side of the argument do you fit on? Be sure to take the poll below to let us know what you think. You can also share your thoughts by reaching out to us via social media.