Not bad as a RWD car

[colt45 gto]

its not entirely about speed, its about control when the tires have no traction. some people like it some dont. my dad would see it the same way as brian tbh.

so yeah its not for everyone and just because its not up someones street it hardly makes it retarded.

[stealthee]

I won't go into the epic "Drift Vs. Grip" argument here, because it takes too damn long. I agree with the statement that drifting is normally not the fastest way to take a corner, but in certain situations it is more than useful. Dirt track cars drift around corners to get better lap times due to a lack of traction thanks to the surface they race on. If they were to try to take a turn in the grip style NASCAR uses, they'd either hit a wall, or end up slowing down so much that they get passed.
True, drifting by D1GP's or Formula Drift's standards is nothing but automotive ballet, but in its true form, it is honestly an epic thing to behold. Ask the 50-something year old Japanese men who started drifting on the mountains in Japan. It's more than just seeing how much smoke you can kick up.
That being said, as a child of the drag-racing school, I'm always a fan of a nice, big burnout.

It depends on the dirt track style racing. My brother races dirt track and loss of traction is his enemy.

Its still stupid. Why drift thru a corner when you can truely push your car to its limits and feel the G's of a hard corner at speed? I'll take G's over a smoke show any day.

[green-lantern]

Why drift thru a corner when you can truely push your car to its limits and feel the G's of a hard corner at speed? I'll take G's over a smoke show any day.

This is why I'm not really a fan. I want my car to hook up. Drifting is sort of doing the opposite of all the ways of getting around a track fast. Even with dirt track the guy with the most traction wins.

[Blue91SL]

It depends on the dirt track style racing. My brother races dirt track and loss of traction is his enemy.

Its still stupid. Why drift thru a corner when you can truely push your car to its limits and feel the G's of a hard corner at speed? I'll take G's over a smoke show any day.

Some cars (I instantly think of my old Mopars) can't handle taking corners at higher speeds without their ass-end slipping out. Sometimes letting the back tires break loose is the faster way through a corner.
FWD & AWD = G Masters
RWD = The "Where the hell did my traction go!?!?!" of motorsports (IMO).

[stealthee]

Proper tires and driving skill will let a RWD handle just fine in corners.

[green-lantern]

Moonshiners would weight the back of a car down to keep the car from kicking out.

[92RT-TT]

Haha and the conversation has turned to moonshiners... Hello Dukes of Hazard ;p

[91stealthrt2]

Nope. I have no real reason to go anymore. I used to watch it almost religiously. My favorite driver for several years was Rusty Wallace. When he retired I fell out of it. I still root for Smoke, but watch hardly any races.

Sounds like me, He was my favorite driver forever. (My name is Rusty as well which is why I liked him when I was really young). I haven't watched a whole race in at least 5 years.

[91stealthrt2]

This is why I'm not really a fan. I want my car to hook up. Drifting is sort of doing the opposite of all the ways of getting around a track fast. Even with dirt track the guy with the most traction wins.

Exactly. I've been racing some go karts on a clay oval track this year and most of the karts don't even drift much at all. The ones that do slightly are not any faster but it keeps the engine in the powerband.

[hotGTO]

Anyone who races on dirt has to know how to drift, and how to use it to keep lap times up when the traction just isn't there... track conditions can change in a matter of one heat race, even in the middle of a race, and you have to know how to drift wen the need is there... As for drifting on pavement, I see no need for a competition to see who can control a skid the best. But it exists because it's fun as hell to do, just like doing burnouts, donuts, and all that other tire destroying activity. Although a lot more control is needed for drifting... LOL