What centuries ago began with the horse and later chariots and recently to stock cars, racing has definitely evolved. The one constant is the measure of “horse power”. Horse power is defined as a basic unit of power in the FPS system, equal to the power needed to raise a weight of 550 pounds a distance of 1 foot in 1 second.
There are some similarities and some huge differences in these types of racing. Here are some interesting comparisons (many are approximations):
TOPIC: Horse Racing vs NASCAR
COLOR: Jockey Silks vs Lavish Paint Jobs
HORSE POWER: 1 vs 800
TOTAL HP FOR ENTIRE EVENT: 90 vs 34,400
MILES TRAVELED: 1 vs 500
DECIBEL LEVEL (115 DANGEROUS): <50dbs vs >130Dbs Per Car (x43)
EVENT FUEL USED: 700 lbs. Oats vs 6,000 Gal. Gas
PIT STOPS: 0 Per Horse vs 8-12 Per Car
DRIVER STABILIZATION: Stirrups vs Head & Neck Harness and Belts
SHOES: 4 Re-usable Horse Shoes Per Horse vs 20-32 Tires Per Car
SPONSOR NAMES: 1-2 on Jockey & Horse vs 30-60 on Driver & Car
RAIN: Race vs Cancel
BREAK IN ACTION: 30 Min. Breaks vs 20 Min. Between Wrecks
POLLUTION: Minimal vs Extreme
FAN PARTICIPATION: Cheer, Bet & Win vs Silent Cheer and Deafness
ATTENDANCE: Down 1% to 14% vs Down 20% to 40%
ADMISSION: $3.00 vs Was $99 Now $55
The comparisons are approximations and have only some semblance of truth.
