Girls Like F1 Too!: F1 and NASCAR: The Tracks

One of the biggest differences that any spectator will notice after watching the two motor sports head to head is the track and numbers.

Too many people like to poke fun at NASCAR and their oval rings but when the race starts at 55 mph behind a pace car, you are in for a real treat. The pace car leads the cars around the track for one lap and then a green flag is waved signifying the start of the race. As in Formula One, 24 cars line up on the starting grid and wait for the lights to go green.

NASCAR, before the race starts, you can feel the thunder of the 43 cars streak past you and in F1, it feels like the earth is moving when all 24 cars start their engines. Whether it be the second the green flag is waived and the pace car leaves the track of the moment the lights go green and the the race begins to the first corner, there is no feeling like it for a spectator.

Back to circuit reviews....

The circuits are widely different but are specifically designed for each type of racer. NASCAR's tracks are usually more than one mile in length and are banked..Generally speaking, the greater the degree of banking in the turns, the faster the cars can go through them. With NASCAR, it is all about crossing the finish. They design the tracks to do just this.

One of the most popular NASCAR tracks would have to be the Bristol Motor Speedway. As a half-mile oval with the steepest banking on the NASCAR circuit, is sometimes referred to as "The Toilet Bowl" When the cars line up for the start, they often stretch nearly halfway around the short track. As a result, Bristol is known for its "paint swapping" and races tend to include numerous accidents and caution flags.

Having polled the members on our Facebook page, the people have spoken and fans have voted Circuit Spa-Franchorchamps the best Formula One track.

With Silvertone Circuit in a close second. Voted most popular mainly due to Eau Rouge. I can see the point in this decision but I may have some reservations. But all in all, you cannot denounce the numbers.

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is considered to be one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its fast, hilly and twisty nature. But the fans love it because it is one track that defines the sport. Long, speed traps, hairpin turns and the idea that the track can consist of two different weather systems. You can have one part of the course being clear and bright while another stretch is rainy and slippery. On non race days, anyone has the chance to driver along the track.

Breaking down the comparison further into some basic numbers may be easier way to see that the sports, again, are not that different.