Why Ovals don't suck: A video reply

In this clip, Sam Hornish Jr., Bryan Herta, and Scott Dixon race to the line in a 1-2-3 finish at Chicagoland Speedway. The margin between 1st and 3rd is .01 seconds. That margin is one thing in a 100 meter dash, but it means something completely different over 300 miles. There's also some tire touching, meaning that they were thisclose from having a major crash (I don't get kicks out of crashes, but coming close is thrilling). The amazing thing about the finish is that the jockey lasts for a very long time and involves five different drivers. This was a fantastic finish and something that can only be done on an oval course.

Yet another from the IndyCar world, but this is one of the biggies: the Indy 500. Al Unser Jr. holds off Scott Goodyear at the last second to win the Borg-Warner Trophy. The video is on the long side, but I still remember this finish fondly watching as an 8 year-old.

And just for a little bit of NASCAR (and fun) this was a wild and crazy finish in the '76 Daytona 500 between the King, Richard Petty, and David Pearson. This finish is a product of the oval and the durable stock car, but it is a fantastic watch.

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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

1056 days ago

Score 1

The problem with ovals is that you have little chance to overtake, as Video 2 showed. If there was a slow corner, as on a road circuit, then you could overtake much easier. In the Dijon race, Villeneuve and Arnoux frequently swapped positions, whereas at Indy, there was no overtaking. That said, the top race was brilliant. F1 has its own jewels like that.

I didn't say I don't like ovals, I just said that road circuits were better (Hungaroring excepting). Expect a counter-video soon!

Anyone can turn left, and keep a foot on the accelerator...

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PnattRed-Shirting

1056 days ago

Score -2

ovals suck, very un-Australian!

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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

1056 days ago

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Australia, to be fair, has some of the best road circuits in the world. Adelaide and Melbourne are brilliant. Even Phillip Island and Eastern Creek, which have held MotoGP in the last decade. And everybody has heard of the Bathurst 1000, an endurance race similar to the Le Mans 24 Hours. In the V8 Supercars Australia boasts one of the top "Touring Car" championships in the world, on a par with the DTM and British Touring Car Championship.

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PnattRed-Shirting

1056 days ago

Score 0

yeah V8s are pretty good, although I get pissed off at those few sterotypical aussies ho drink beer and say bloody all the time while watching it!!

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PnattRed-Shirting

1056 days ago

Score -1

Yeah Australian circuits are pretty good. The one in Melbourne actually starts off in Melbourne and they travel all around Australia even pass Ayers Rock. If a car hits Ayers Rock they get a can of beer for a prize and get sent to the local aboriginal tribe for questioning.

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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

1056 days ago

Score 1

I still find road courses more interesting because the variety it lends. There is no variety in an oval, and the skill of the driver is generally less. There are famous overtakes in F1, that you could never have at an oval.

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

1056 days ago

Score 0

but you gotta give him credit for the title of the article!

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PnattRed-Shirting

1056 days ago

Score -2

Why is there an NFL game on Christmas Day?

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ThecrookedcapAll-Star

1056 days ago

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I'd probably have shown some of this year's 500 instead of the 92 if I could find some decent footage. It's probably not the best example, as the driving is really just trying to buy time until the homestretch. Actually, it's the contrary, it's easier to overtake on most oval tracks. Watch a NASCAR event and see how many lead changes, excluding pit cycles, there are- then tell me there's less overtaking on an oval.

Anyhoo, I'm glad to hear some respect for Chicagoland - which by the way that wasn't even the closest finish the track has ever had, as the previous year it had a .0024 sec margin. Of the newer tracks in the U.S., it is one of the best for open wheel racing.

Tell me there's no variety in ovals after looking at Pocono. Yes, it's different from most other major U.S. raceways, but there's a unique quality to oval racing. But what we're talking about is different emphasis on driving skills. Road courses require daring and timing. Ovals require consistency and strategy more. Both are wonderful, and that's why I really miss the pre-split open wheel racing in the U.S., because the series demanded variety in driving ability.

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