Three Common Misconceptions that People Have About Racing

Racing isn’t the most popular sport in the world. But just how much popular would it be if common misconceptions people have about it were things of the past?

There are dozens of racing series across the world. In the United States, the most popular racing series are probably the NASCAR Cup Series, IndyCar and Formula One. But the fact is, racing is not as popular as a lot of the other sports out there, and a big reason for that is the fact that people have misconceptions about racing as a whole that they tend to draw from just maybe one or two series. Here are three common misconceptions that people have.

It’s All Left Turns

This is a misconception based on one series: NASCAR. And even NASCAR features a couple of road courses. IndyCar features more road and street courses than it does ovals, and Formula One features only road and street courses. If you feel that racing is just left turn after left turn after left turn, you’re basing it on NASCAR only. A simple suggestion would be to watch something other than NASCAR before you make the call that racing is all left turns, simply because it’s not.

It’s Just One Big Traffic Jam

Yes, maybe it is one big traffic jam. But have you ever been in a traffic jam at 230 miles per hour fighting to get in front of everybody else? Maybe you’ve done that at 80 or 85 or even 90 miles per hour, but that’s none of my business. Have you done it while factoring in your tire wear and fuel mileage along with the strategy that comes with it in addition to the strategy of the other drivers that you were in the traffic jam with? Racing is definitely more than a big traffic jam; there is far more to it than meets the eye.

It’s the Same Thing for Hundreds of Miles

Sure, it’s the same track lap after lap. But in any racing series, no two laps are really alike. There are always different things going on on the track, whether there are passes for position, mechanical issues or even crashes happening. From one lap to the next, things change all of the time. Saying that racing is the same thing lap after lap is like saying that every play in a football game is the same simply because the field itself doesn’t change. It simply is not true.

Next: Five Racing Series You Should Be Watching

What do you think is the number one misconception that people have about racing? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow me on Instagram as well as Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter. Finally, don’t forget to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it.

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