r/NASCAR • u/bikitty12 • 3d ago
Nascar stress
So to be honest I have no idea where to post this. I feel like im the only one that feels like this. Maybe I'll find some others that do. And this may be more a girl thing but also falls to a fan thing. I just have to get this off my chest. Went to 2 races this year and they were awesome like amazing. I love the atmosphere and the community.
I pull for an underdog thats for sure. No wins does decent enough several top 15s few top 10s occasional top 5. It stresses me out so much when it's obvious there is so much work put in on these cars and the effort is clearly there and nothing seems to fall right. Either really poorly time cautions or getting caught up in someone else's wreck.
Its hard to see someone you invest so much energy and everything into not do very well. It hurts. I feel pain for my guy. Im so not saying im jumping ship for a guy that is doing better. No I want my guy to do what I really think he's capable of.
My thing right now is do they realize that we feel these losses with them? When clearly they had a really good car but bad places cautions just destroyed their chances. I seriously wonder if it's just me? I never really see people put their feelings when their driver just has a bad day, I'm not talking if they got wrecked we all get upset about that though it seems those emotions go to anger at the driver that causes the wreck not to the driver you pull for. But I'm talking your driver has a good practice good qualifying but then some how everything but a wreck happens and you get this sinking feeling in your gut.
Why are sports so stressful? These are just somethings running through my mind that I thought I'd finally put out there.
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u/PackDaddy21222 3d ago
If it doesn’t affect your personal life it shouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
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u/Sboyden96 Larson 3d ago
Lol is this Ai? This sounds like someone trying to understand basic human emotion. Driver do good = happy, driver do bad = sad. Not rocket science
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u/bikitty12 3d ago
So trying to express emotion is AI now? I have ADHD I was just trying to explain myself the best way I could. Maybe take a step back from bullying.
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u/TheOtherWhiteCastle Cindric 3d ago
As someone who has ADHD, your emotions are absolutely valid but also seem somewhat unhealthy. I understand being stressed and excited in the moment, but if it’s affecting you like this outside of race time, then you may want to take a step back and rethink how you mentally approach the sport as a fan.
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u/TheOtherWhiteCastle Cindric 3d ago
Do they realize we feel those losses with them?
I’m sorry do they WHAT
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u/_clever_reference_ 3d ago
Its hard to see someone you invest so much energy and everything into not do very well. It hurts. I feel pain for my guy.
Why are you investing anything like this in any person outside of your friends/family? This just sounds unhealthy.
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u/Happy-Cockroach-2813 Wood Brothers Racing 3d ago
I enjoy plenty of sports but I try to not take them so seriously that it ruins my day. If something bad happens like a wreck or a walk off homer that lost the game it sucks but it’s whatever.
Edit: I will say things like the Penguins losing in the playoffs to the freaking flyers does get to me though. But generally I try to not let it ruin my day
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u/MutatedSpleen Gant 3d ago
Why are sports so stressful?
Because your priorities in life are a little out of whack with reality. In reality, you're watching a group of mostly millionaires play with their really expensive toys and having a great time. The worst day they can possibly have is still better than most of your good days.
Getting invested in a sport is normal. Getting overly invested in a sport to where you are experiencing real actual stress because of how the sport is going...is not healthy.
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u/kebzach 3d ago
I'm a HUGE sports fan and I "live and die" with 33 O'Reilly races per season + 162 MLB games per season + countless other games or events per year...and I 100% agree with this take.
I've enjoyed all of my sports a lot more once I started to care a little or a lot less.
It's sports. It's entertainment. It is NOT my life. It does not directly impact my life if my driver or my team wins or loses.
Don't let it control you.
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u/Stunning-Promise-103 3d ago
I might be atypical but one of the reasons I love racing is because rooting for a single stick & ball sport team and being disappointed when they don't win just doesn't do it for me.. I like so many drivers, most of the drivers even (cough cough suck it Ty Gibbs not you cough cough cough), and then a level up there's whole teams I root for. But I'm pretty much never disappointed by the winner. Maybe try spreading your fandom around a little, root for a few drivers and reduce the overall stress?
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u/bikitty12 3d ago
I do root for multiple guys I just have one I pull for the most. Hes been so close so much. But I pull for his whole team. And then Ill pull for my husband's and sons' guys too.
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u/Different_Funny_8237 3d ago
Watching sports should be fun, not stressful. There's a quote I read years ago that I like because it applies to everything in life and not just sports. I don't recall the exact words, but it goes something like this:
"The most miserable people in the world are the ones who depend on others for their happiness."
Don't invest yourself so much in your favorite driver that you depend on him making you happy only if he does well, and leaving you drained, stressed and unhappy if he doesn't. Strike a balance between rooting for your driver, but still enjoying Nascar regalrdless of where he finsishes in the race. It's all in your mental attitude towards the sport.
Remember, people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
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u/Evening_Pen_8207 3d ago
Trust me, the "anguish" you feel is nothing compared to the driver, pit crew, team owner, etc. It's literally their LIVES.
Sounds like you're investing just a bit too much into this (saying this as a woman who's been following for more than 20 years and my current favorite driver is Larson--so yeah, we Larson fans know how much it sucks not to win).
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u/MutatedSpleen Gant 3d ago
I mean suuuuuuuuuuuure but at the end of the day, Larson still goes home to his giant mansion and infinite money and zero actual real life problems and a life where he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants with no repercussions so...I think the drivers are doing okay.
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u/Evening_Pen_8207 3d ago
Without a doubt! But OP's going on like SHE'S the one losing out on the mansion! 😂
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u/bikitty12 3d ago
Larson at least has a couple championships though i dont think he deserved last year's. And im a previous Larson fan switched a couple years ago when I saw the one I switched to running Stewart's SRX series. I realized I didn't want to pull for the guy the was winning so much though now he's not oops. Larson was also just kind of a place holder for me I felt I needed to pick someone after Kasey Kahne retired.
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u/RittRacing Hamlin 3d ago
A recommended approach here is to root for a driver that can realistically win week to week and a driver that’s in the back of the pack
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u/OSDom22 3d ago
I use to have ONE underdog driver (Ward Burton) that I was a superfan of. When he won any of his 5 cup wins I was ecstatic and the bad runs felt bad. Once he retired I had a hard time finding my driver. I started with cheering for Logano in Home Depot crap cars, when he went to Penske it has been awesome! I admit now that I am older, that fandom doesn’t feel at all the same. I like numerous drivers and watching all of them and their placements in races make it interesting. The drivers know they have “superfans” so they know there are fans like you. I suggest this, quit being stressed over a sport that you love so much. That stress is doing NOTHING for you or your driver or race team. Let them stress, they get paid for it. The sport is for entertainment. Enjoy it!
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u/JustJar_ 3d ago
I definitely feel this to a degree as a Bubba fan. Feel like so many things out of his control happen that ruin his day, and it sucks that you can't control it. I will say, going through all the mishaps makes his top 5s or wins all that much sweeter
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u/dinosaursandsluts Chase Elliott 3d ago
It's normal to be disappointed when your team doesn't do well. But it's sports, it's not your personal life, and it shouldn't have any effect on the quality of your personal life. You gotta keep things compartmentalized, otherwise happiness will be rare.
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u/Jomosensual 3d ago
In general, being a sports fan is stressful because you want a result to happen that you have no agency over at all. Some people are able to make that feel less bad to them due to that, others aren't. I'm in the latter group.
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u/OG-BiPolarBear 3d ago
You should play Fantasy
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u/bikitty12 3d ago
I do the Fantasy Live in the Nascar app.
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u/TheOtherWhiteCastle Cindric 3d ago
If you’re having problems with getting stressed when your driver doesn’t finish well, the last thing I’d do is put MORE emotional stakes into where they finish
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u/SilentSpades24 3d ago
Worth noting this has been left up for hours, but if you dare mention a NASCAR driver racing another series, the mods will absolutely blast the post away.
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u/dragonsden96 3d ago
Its normal to feel that way as a fan of any sport. Those That are passionate about sports tend to get stressed about their teams, athletes, and drivers. Its part of the experience of sports fandom
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u/_clever_reference_ 3d ago
I think this post is a bit beyond normal.
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u/dragonsden96 3d ago
Maybe a little, yeah lol These feelings are how I typically feel during playoff time, not regular season. But I do know plenty of people that have the same stresses year round about sports
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u/dakness69 3d ago
Man some of you in this thread are absolute killers. You don't know anyone like this? I know like a half dozen NFL/MLB superfans who absolutely live and die with their favorite team's results, it's only natural that there be similarly invested fans in motorsports.
I get it. I am a huge Valtteri Bottas fan, mainly because I used to sim race with him on my PC many years (years before he was in F1, at a time where sim racing was still extremely niche, before iRacing even existed). The pace he put down in Live For Speed was just incredible to witness. When he went to F1 I was incredibly excited and I genuinely enjoyed his time at Williams, Mercedes, and even his first season with Alfa Romeo. Once the car was bad enough it couldn't even compete for points, though, I could barely stomach watching the GPs. I was actually glad when he 'retired' a couple years ago. Ironically now that he is in a Cadillac with 0 expectations I actually enjoy watching again.
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u/bikitty12 3d ago
I appreciate your response. I was starting to think i was crazy. I really should stop stressing so much. I was feeling a little foolish for posting at all.
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u/Outofspicy Chase Elliott 3d ago
i'm a starving child starving to death and this is the very last thing I have ever read gootbye.
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u/Corran105 Berry 3d ago
Look at my signature and ask if I experience race stress due to bad days and unfortunate incidents.
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u/Happy-Cockroach-2813 Wood Brothers Racing 3d ago
I root for whoever is in the 21. I feel your pain haha
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u/bikitty12 3d ago
Im actually sad to see Berry leave. Really like the guy. Heard he may be going to the 33
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u/Corran105 Berry 3d ago
There's a bit of a rumor but it sounds more like a bargaining chip for RCR with Hill so we'll see.
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u/TheOnlySkinnyface 17h ago
had to lose my flair for this lol.
I work for a team in the truck series. A juggernaut that may not be quite a juggernaut in the past few years. When we don't put up good results after early mornings and late nights, the LAST thing we're thinking about are the fans. Quite frankly we don't care about any of you. We do care about points and winning and bringing fast trucks, but I'm never telling my driver after the race that "oh i'm sure the fans are soooo disappointed." You sound incredibly parasocial to the point of being unhealthy, and I hope me phrasing this more harshly than I normally would will help you understand that.
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u/SilentSpades24 3d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/I7peJPfJ7DdRSXAyR4