Competition: Explain it to me please
 

Anyone? Is NASCAR more competitive than F1? Does more variance increase or decrease competition? How do we measure competitiveness?

Dunno. But I do know that NASCAR has a very high "Yawn" factor. :P

In the pro sports arena, competition is the thinnest possible veneer necessary to separate the self-stated enthusiast from their hard earned dollars. Not unlike cars in general :(

Watch a mid-season NHL game, if they ever come back. What a yawn-fest. These guys make a few hundred grand a game and coast around the rink, looking like they can't wait for the game to end to hope in their Bentley's and do something else.

Watch the SAME players in the Olympics. They play their friggin' hearts out for free.

Competition in sports has little to do with money, tickets, endorsements, or bonuses. The competition becomes intense when people's "hearts" are on the line.

I stopped watching NASCAR when the cars became identical chasis with only body shells to differentiate them. I liked it when what was raced actually bore some resemblance to the cars that manufacturer sold. They old addage was race on Sunday, sell on Monday. In those days, racing actually improved the production cars because of the parts were "off the shelf" and available to the public. I have a 1964 Motor Trend, Car of the Year issue, where they detailed several improvements in the 1964 Ford line came about thru racing. Two of these were a strengthened differential and case and better splines on the driveshaft. These parts had failed and cost a race---first tested in the racing program and finally available to the public. I see no such benefit to the public iany of today's racing programs.

On a related note.... A friend came up with a unique idea for a racing formula. His idea was to limit only the size of the fuel tank. Racers could chose more power, ann more pit stops, or a bit less power but less time in the pits.