November 29, 2006
Mind the Moving Stock Cars
If you're heading to work in midtown Manhattan this morning, you should watch out for the race cars going really, really fast. As part of its Championship Week celebrations in New York, NASCAR is doing a "Victory Lap" with their top 10 drivers.
The lap starts at 8:50 AM and should be over pretty quickly. The cars are starting in Times Square, going across 42nd street to Madison Ave., heading north and back across 53rd before, taking another left at 7th Ave. and finishing in Times Square.
We're not sure disrupting the commute of New Yorkers will help convince us on the proposed racetrack in Staten Island. And here's our post on last year's Victory Lap.
If you get pictures, send them over or tag them "gothamist" on flickr.
|
Advertisement: Gothamist Continues Below!
Post a comment (Comment Policy)
nascar in times square - how perfect.
For this I had to hurtle a barricade?
This seems more like a "lets piss people off" exersise than anything else.
Also, NASCAR is not a sport. It is a waste of land, fuel, and other resoureses and is less intresting than watching traffic cameras.
This was stupid last year and it is stupid this year. Hopefully next year someone in city government will wise up and not approve this again.
"Also, NASCAR is not a sport. It is a waste of land, fuel, and other resoureses and is less intresting than watching traffic cameras."
So true. Also I only watch NASCAR sometimes to see them crash. Thats the only interesting aspect of the 'sport'.
Ok, they just passed. Have to admit, it was worth watching my coworkers standing on the curb waving like mad.
Whoever in the city authorized this bullshit needs to be voted out of office in the next election. This is absolutely absurd, do these NASCAR rednecks think we are Alabama or something? What exactly is the point of going somewhere where 95% of the population hates your product and making a mess of their daily lives.
Mr. Sweetchops, did you know that the New York the second largest TV market for NASCAR behind Atlanta? Trust me if the France family only goes were the money is.
NASCAR appeals to the hillbilly tourists that visit the city. I'm sure any tourist who saw this crap this morning thought it was the best thing since the Olive Garden.
Despite your claim that NYC is the 2nd largest TV market for NASCAR, I still stand by my assertion that a significant majority of NYers despise this redneck tomfoolery.
Regarding #7: I don't doubt that is true. It seems like more and more hillbillies who think they're New Yorkers move here right after college. I'm sure they bring their NASCAR support with them.
All this NASCAR-hating stems from the same narrow-mindedness that New Yorkers condemn in “redneck” people who would refuse to attend a ballet. Have a sense of humor! I'm sure that city officials agreed to this because it's supposed to be interesting. So your commute took an extra 5 minutes – relax. I saw the procession this morning, and it was kind of fun, even though I’ve never watched NASCAR. Yeesh, this uptight attitude of ours is the reason no one in the rest of the country can relate to us.
i don't think it's about whether people in new york like nascar or not. it's about the fact that new york is saturated with media.
Allie beat me to it in describing the how uptight and elitist most New Yorkers are. So much better and smarter than those peasants in the wastelands, right?
I've lived in New York since I was ten, 30 years now, but it is this attitude that I despise.
Yurrss. Have any of you dudes ever gone outside of New York City into the suburbs -in any direction-? About 1/4th of every car is a pick-up truck with some kind-of DALE EARNHARDT JUNURRR sticker on the back.
It's not that they're hicks, it's more of a working class pride kind-of bs since there's you know, class tension around here. The regional dynamic is more complex than you can suss out if you moved to the NYC metro area from New Hampshire at the age of 24.
Hate NASCAR or not, this is a really stupid thing to do in the middle of some people's morning commute.
i went to peru a couple years ago, and one of the first things i saw when i stepped off the plane in cuzco was some american redneck wearing a dale ernhardt jacket. i was annoyed to see it on my vacation in south america, and it annoys me to see it here. new york is unqiue because it is unlike the rest of america. that's why i like it here. but, if it is going to start turning into the rest of america, please let me know so i can move away.
I work in Times Square and something similar happened last year (the cars went down 42nd Street). It was incongruous and hilarious - why are people freaking out about it? With all the enormous inconveniences we put up with daily, I don't see why this one is any worse.
Also, enough with the tourist-bashing. It's *really* frigging condescending. I'm in Times Square every day and have no problem with the tourists. I find it very refreshing to see people with their camera phones taking in the sights and sounds - it reminds me that I live in a destination city.
mai, get over yourself. Why would you care what other tourists are wearing in Peru?
i go on vacation to get away from my daily routine and life here. i just don't like feeling like i am not on vacation by seeing things that remind me of home around me...especially annoying things like nascar jackets. excuse me if i like to get away from it all.
mai, why don't you just save yourself some time and move away right now. there are still a few places left around the globe for intelligent people-of-means like yourself to go to and enjoy without the cumbersome presence of other non-natives. and by enjoy i mean appreciate everything distinct, local, and non-commercial about a place without adding anything of your own, simply bastardizing the community by commodifying it. but you'll be the first to do it!
Holy geez, there were more than then people breaking a traffic law for more than two consecutive blocks! NYPD should arrest the NASCAR drivers under their new parade restrictions.
Thank god for New Yorkers like allie, jmchez and fishtale. The rest of you that hate on tourists and out-of-towners should just move somewhere else. Your elitest attitude is not wanted here. If you think that's what New York's all about you're missing the point.
I respectfully disagree. It's the elitist attitude that's required here.
Why do New Yorkers think they are tougher, smarter, sharper, more sophisticated than everyone else?
Because they are.
And we don't need stock cars for entertainment. Unless, of course, one smashes into a lamppost or something.
New Yorkers are smarter? Oh really--where did you get that information? (I'm guessing you read that in The Onion.) According to a US Census study, NYC ranks #20 (yes, 20) in terms of the educational attainment achieved by its residents.
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/Departments/elearning/?article=EducatedCities
Unfortunately, the US Census Bureau doesn't conduct city-related studies of arrogance.
Street smart counts for something. Don't jump down my throat; I'm just sayin...
Why are we smarter? Becasue we know enough to not eat at a friggin' Olive Garden and that watching a bunch of four-wheeled billboards scream around a track until they crash is dumb.
Gimme the Tour de France.
(that's irony, folks...)
In my opinion "street smarts" is vastly overrated, especially in NYC. All too often it simply refers to the ability on some level to con people. If not that, then "street smarts" is not infrequently used as an excuse to rationalize minimal academic achievement.
NYC has a high percentage of students who never even graduate from high school. Anyone who thinks the majority of those students will be able to compensate for their low educational achievement by having "street smarts" is living in a fantasy world.
Good point, Tim. Try taking that to the bank.
NASCAR not a sport? If keeping your heart-rate up over 120bpm for 2.5 to 4.5 hours while balancing 2500 lbs at 175 MPH... All while risking your life is not a sport, what is? Poker and Spelling Bees'?
I thought real native New Yorkers considered themselves tolerant and open to other cultures... Maybe your not as "NY" as you claim!
BTW... NASCAR holds their Championship Awards Dinner every year in Manhattan for quite a while now... Oh, and Jeff Gordon lives here!
glennQ's description sounds a lot like the job description of a NYC cab driver.
NASCAR is not a sport, just like spelling bees and poker. NASCAR developed from an illegal activity - transporting moonshine.
Just because NASCAR has its awards dinner here is meaningless. They have no reason to tie up traffic on a gridlock alert day at rush hour - something that harms the economy of the city more than their dinner or any other crap they do.
Toby, don't be silly... Of course NASCAR is a sport!
My Mac's "World Book Dictionary" defines a "sport" as: "a game, contest, or other pastime requiring some skill and usually a certain amount of physical exercise.
:rolleyes:
I agree, I mean who doesn't like watching a pack of cars duel it out at 200mph+.