Lemming Encounters

[Lizzerd]

I've had a couple interesting encounters with so-called race fans since the court decision. The first one was the day AFTER the decision, when I went into the bar at the bowling lanes to have a smoke between frames on league night (still on an adrenaline high from the day before, I threw a 626). I saw a guy there (who just hangs out, not a bowler) that I had a conversation with a couple weeks earlier. He had claimed that he was a big racing fan, but preferred the irl and thought TG was trying to save the sport. All the big names were in the irl and CART was dead. Yada, yada yada.... Anyway, when I saw him the day after the decision, I was wearing a CART shirt and thumped my chest and said something like "so, waddaya think now? CART, as OWRS will survive and we have no need for your 500, or anything associated with TG." He said, "CART is dead. They're bankrupt. They won't even be racing next season." I said, "didn't you get the memo? OWRS got the okay to buy CART yesterday. The schedule is still tentative, but the cars are committed. We WILL be racing in 2004." He said "what is OWRS?" I said "you didn't hear about the decision in bankruptcy court yesterday?" He said, "what decision?" By that time, I was done with my smoke and was almost up on the lanes. I just chuckled and turned around. I remind you that this happened in Indianapolis.

The other encounter was yesterday with a friend of the family, actually he's a childhood friend of my younger brother, that I've known for 30+ years. We were eating a big bunch of fresh Bluegill that my brother caught on Saturday and the conversation got to racing because the Daytona qualifying was on the tube. Okay, Doug is a race fan, but more a casual race fan. He likes NASCAR and went to his first USGP last year. When the conversation got to OW, I discovered that he is a lemming. He went on and on. I kept throwing fact after fact back at his rantings and finally, I said, "Doug, your credibility with me is falling fast. You better just shut up while you've still got some left." All the while, my brother (a more than casual CART fan, but not a fanatic) is dropping hints to Doug that he doesn't really know what he's talking about. Like when he said that CART used V-12's. I said, "no, they're turbocharged V-8's." "Oh, yeah, Formula One uses V-12's." "No, they use V-10's" "Well, whatever, I just think Tony George should have been allowed to unify the irl and CART." "No, unification was never on his mind. Elimination was."

You can throw fact after fact at these people and they just don't get it.

Anybody else have a Lemming Encounter recently? Let's hear your story.

P.S. Boss, if this belongs in "The Others", please move it.

[racer2c]

Hmm, let's see. Lives in Indy. Huge IRL fan. Hates CART. Hangs at the alley bar but doesn't bowl. His name isn't BIF is it? :)

[L1P1]

I didn't actually talk to them...just observed. It was during the bankruptcy proceedings. I took the day off of work to go.

Beforehand, I thought about my planned attire. On the one hand, I felt I should wear a suit, but then again, there was a chance that I could be called into a crisis at work (where we have a caual dress code) and wearing a suit on my day off could only send one message. Unless someone would actually believe that I took a vacation day to sit in a bankruptcy court - as a spectator. Nah.

It then occurred to me that there may be CART fans there in full race regalia. "Oh, please God, no." I thought. My fears were unwarranted though. Except for Robin Miller in sweatpants, everyone was appropriately attired. Except that is, for three lemmings in full race regalia. Don't let them tell you that they didn't care about the result. There they were. Hats, autographed T-shirts, and all. They were rooting for their boy and getting a rear position behind ESPN's horse.

They felt they'd see the end of Champ Cars that day, but they must've wound up sorely disappointed. I wish I could've watched them at the end. But I had left. Mighty Casey had struck out.

[devilmaster]

Mighty Casey had struck out.

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright.
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light.
And, somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout,

but there is no joy in Mudville,
mighty Casey has struck out.

Always loved that one. I think I got it right. I coulda probably went online looking for it....

:D
Steve

[racer2c]

[QUOTE=Lizzerd]
...
The other encounter was yesterday with a friend of the family, actually he's a childhood friend of my younger brother, that I've known for 30+ years. We were eating a big bunch of fresh Bluegill that my brother caught on Saturday and the conversation got to racing because the Daytona qualifying was on the tube. Okay, Doug is a race fan, but more a casual race fan. He likes NASCAR and went to his first USGP last year. When the conversation got to OW, I discovered that he is a lemming. He went on and on. I kept throwing fact after fact back at his rantings and finally, I said, "Doug, your credibility with me is falling fast. You better just shut up while you've still got some left." All the while, my brother (a more than casual CART fan, but not a fanatic) is dropping hints to Doug that he doesn't really know what he's talking about. Like when he said that CART used V-12's. I said, "no, they're turbocharged V-8's." "Oh, yeah, Formula One uses V-12's." "No, they use V-10's" "Well, whatever, I just think Tony George should have been allowed to unify the irl and CART." "No, unification was never on his mind. Elimination was."

QUOTE]

If I had a dollar for each 'debate' I've had with some self proclaimed "race fan" (read; watches NASCAR occasionaly but wears his number 24 hat daily and knows of open wheel racing only because John Andretti and Robby Gordon did the "double". You know the type), I'd have enough money to buy a couple of pit passes. But, that's my neck o' the woods. NASCARland. I wear one of those CART jackets, the red, white, blue and black ones and no one, I mean no one has ever asked me "what the hell is CART?" Around here they probably think it's a tel-com company!

What driver t-shirts do real lemmings sport? It has to be Hornish and Sharp right? I mean no self respecting Indy gomer would walk around in an autographed Helio shirt. Right? They might dream about it though!

[Ankf00]

the closest i've come to true racing fans in TX have been veeeeeeery mildly into WRC or F1, the biggest "race fans" were the group of nascar fan blue collar machinists I worked with in a machine shop.

"hey fred, meet encore, he's a fan of them 'open wheel' things at the Indy 500." (fred)-:thumbs down:

[Hot Rod Otis]

I haven't ran into any lemmings up here in Western New York. The last up close and personal moment I had with a lemming was a last years 500. I sat next to some idiot who ran his frigging mouth the whole frigging race. The only times he stopped talking was when he flossed his teeth! :eek: And he had absolutely NOTHING intelligent to say. Every caution he would lean over and say, "Well that sure changes the complexion of the race." After the 3rd time I wanted to scream "NO *****, @55HOLE", but I behaved myself. A couple of times though he started babbling on about how Tony did the right thing, how open wheel racing was in big trouble and Tony had to do something. I held my tongue until he babbled something about there were to many foreign drivers in CART. Thats when I said, "You mean foreigners like Castroneves and DeFeran", who were running 1-2 at the time. He just kinda give me a slack-jawed vacant look and went back to flossing, and didn't say much after that. I always wondered, and regret I didn't ask him, what his TF handle was.

[RTKar]

I've actually had more of the opposite encounter;

While wearing a Jordan F1 t-shirt at an Irish music fest several years back in Chicago a guy came up to me and said something like, "It's about time, someone with a real racing shirt"...we had both seen too many nascrap shirts that afternoon

while wearing a NH t-shirt at a local mall a guy stopped me and started talking racing...real racing...his son was truck driver for NH.

I've seen a few people in the Chicago burbs wearing Cart stuff, a couple bumper stickers too. I always want to stop and talk to them; one was a guy with a CART jacket at Bass Pro Shop another was a woman at a concert with a Penske/ Unser Jacket when they were in CART.

I had a Mansell/ Williams F1 shirt on while shopping for music one day and a guy starting talking F1 with me. He had been to Europe for a couple races.

I can honestly say I don't think I've ever seen an irl logo around here....EVER

I do get sick of the #3's, #8's and #24's though.... Thing is, I probably know more about their series than most of them and I don't even like it. :shakehead

[Hot Rod Otis]

Same with me RT.

Years ago, I was in a mall and I was wearing a Andrea deCeasaris/7UP Jordan t-shirt. I passed some people and I heard one them say, "Did you see that?", one of them chased me down and asked me where I got it. We ended up talking F1 for a while.

I have Tommy Hilfiger/Ferarri raincoat, and numerous times while walking out to my car after work, this guy would yell SCHUMY as he drove by in a compay van. Finally one day he stopped and now we talk about F1 all the time. The guys been to Montreal, USGP and even Monza.

And yeah I get tired of explaining NASACR to NASCAR fans as well.

[cart7]

originally posted by lizzerd

We were eating a big bunch of fresh Bluegill that my brother caught on Saturday

So what were they biting on this time of year? :)

Seriously, my friend lives in Martinsville Ind., I've spent I-500 weekend with him for years. The lake community he lives in used to make a big deal out of the 500 weekend with numerous rip roaring pre and post race parties. That's all kind of faded away the last 8 years or so.

Anyway, last year on Friday of race weekend, we're tossing back cold ones at the community clubhouse bar when the barmaid pulls out the 500 lottery. She complained that she was having trouble getting interest from anyone in buying spots so we all agreed to buy up the remaining 20 or so slots. As everyones pulling there anonymous choices, they start joking about the drivers. Making funny Spanish or Japanese accents and generally dissing the earl and everything it's become. I was astounded as I sat back and listened to these people going off on TG. It sounded like so many threads from the visionaries who have become disillusioned with the earl over on TF. I also started realizing why nobody goes to pole or bump day anymore. Even the fine folks in Indiana don't care for the grandson and what he's done. Anyway, it was a very satisfying evening and race weekend.

[cart7]

I do get sick of the #3's, #8's and #24's though.... Thing is, I probably know more about their series than most of them and I don't even like it. :shakehead
Ain't that the truth. :gomer:

[Cam]

P.S. Boss, if this belongs in "The Others", please move it.

You need to find classier places to hang out...... I attract CART/OWRS fans here! :D

[Chaos]

I'm coming clean...I have a couple of small champcar stickers on my car - on the back doors (well, not stickers. those plastic things that stick to glass put peal off easy). I also bought a champcar jacket and hat (I like the black/orange colour scheme.

As for explaining racing to others, I don't mind at all. Most people (usually friends and family) that ask me are generally curious.

[rabbit]

.... when I went into the bar at the bowling lanes to have a smoke between frames on league night ......

......We were eating a big bunch of fresh Bluegill that my brother caught on Saturday .....

Boy you are a wine-and-cheese Nancy-boy aren't you! :D ;)

[DjDrOmusic]

I actually had a pleasant encounter with one of the NASCAR fans that USED to hang out at the place I will no longer be working at after next week! He came up to me at the grocery store and said, "hey DOC, I heard about the court case with CART and Indy and I just wanted you to know that I'm glad your guys won. That George guy reminds me of a little Hitler, just not as smart!" I just smiled, thanked him for the kind words and asked if he would actually watch a race or two this year. He told me that he switched the channel to "that race in Australia a few times, and I have to admit it was pretty damn cool!" I guess those can be considered glowing remarks of praise from a NASCAR only fan!!

[Methanolandbrats]

I think I met some at the USGP. Either that or a van full of retards was lost. They looked confused and asked me "how the hell do ya tell who's drivin', ya can't see the numbers". I told em ya knew by the helmets. They told me they'd like to see if "these guys could go make it around the oval the right direction cause that was what the Speedway was for". They also did'nt have earplugs and several seemed to be in pain. I gave them all my spare sets of plugs. They liked that.

[Lizzerd]

I think I met some at the USGP. Either that or a van full of retards was lost. They looked confused and asked me "how the hell do ya tell who's drivin', ya can't see the numbers". I told em ya knew by the helmets. They told me they'd like to see if "these guys could go make it around the oval the right direction cause that was what the Speedway was for". They also did'nt have earplugs and several seemed to be in pain. I gave them all my spare sets of plugs. They liked that.

Driving the oval would be a stroll in the park for the F1 guys. And regarding the "right direction", shouldn't that be the "left direction?"

[Lizzerd]

Boy you are a wine-and-cheese Nancy-boy aren't you! :D ;)

Actually, we were enjoying a fine Chardonnay and fried brie at the time as well... NOT!
:)

[racer2c]

Actually, we were enjoying a fine Chardonnay and fried brie at the time as well... NOT!
:)

Fried? How gauche! Warmed and floating in garlic butter with shaved almonds sprinkled over top with a freshly made pate with a crusty baguette to put it on...now we're talking GOOD EATS! :thumbup:

[Lizzerd]

Fried? How gauche! Warmed and floating in garlic butter with shaved almonds sprinkled over top with a freshly made pate with a crusty baguette to put it on...now we're talking GOOD EATS! :thumbup:

Uh... yeah... that's what I meant...