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I swear it feels like they just finished last season a month ago... sheesh.
That was a helluva Shootout tonight. They were wrecking all over the place!
Good win for Harvick! :Cheers:
TheBigCat
02-08-09, 07:20 AM
*settles in with tall bag of popcorn and GO KASEY banner*
*settles in with tall bag of popcorn and GO KASEY banner*
He had a bit of an off year last season... I expect him to be very strong this year.
I'll keep him in my "cheer for" group just for you, buddy. ;)
TheBigCat
02-09-09, 12:17 AM
Thanks. I appreciate that. :D
Jeffy wins the first duel and :poop:head won the second.
Junior led some good laps in that 2nd race... and even though a tire problem put him at the back of the field... it sure was fun watching him run it from the back all the way up to 7th in 8 laps.
I like the new aero package they've got on the cars for Daytona. The racing action is better than it was last year.
Let's hope it keeps up.
Looks like this year is going to be just like last year.
Tire issues.
And Tony is pissed...
"It's frustrating 'cause the gold and blue down there are the 'cause of another deal. So, uh... it's just, I'm so tired of talking about Goodyear it's just ridiculous. I'm just over it." -Tony
Then...
"Don't get him anywhere near me. Don't bring him anywhere close. Don't let him come close. I don't want anything to do with him." Tony about Greg Stucker, the Goodyear Director of Race Tire Sales
Tony had that tone in his voice... had they been in a dark alley at that moment only one of them would have been walking out.
If I go through another full season of bad handling race cars and right side tire issues nearly every single race... even my faith in watching NASCAR will have cracks in the foundation.
TheBigCat
02-14-09, 08:32 PM
Time to buy stock in B. F. Goodrich?
Give the teams an option of who's tires they use instead of forcing them to use Goodyear maybe? :rolleyez:
2fingers
02-14-09, 08:40 PM
i have decided to watch nascar this season and to root for kevin harvick becuase he rocks
TheBigCat
02-14-09, 08:49 PM
Give the teams an option of who's tires they use instead of forcing them to use Goodyear maybe?
Considering that forcing them to use Goodyear tires is about like forcing them to drive Chevys. Yeah, Goodyear ponied up some bucks for the sponsorship deal, but now it's flying back to bite their faces because everyone knows that the tires suck and that can't be good PR now, can it.
i have decided to watch nascar this season and to root for kevin harvick becuase he rocks
I kinda like Team Childress. Harvick is okay with me.
I tell ya though... if I am Clint Bowyer, I am mad at them for taking me out of my #07 Jack D car (which is locked into the first 5 races and even more importantly... sponsorship name recognition) to put me in the #33 General Mills car with a new team and make me qualify in on time.
And they gave my car to Casey Mears?!
Yep, I would definitely be annoyed if I was Clint Bowyer.
Give the teams an option of who's tires they use instead of forcing them to use Goodyear maybe? :rolleyez:
Goodyear has a contract with NASCAR. They've had that contract for years, prior to Tony Stewart coming to race there. He knew the rules he'd have to operate in when he came there. If he doesn't like those rules, he can always go work at Burger King. Damn sure looks like he knows where they all are.
That's not to say Goodyear doesn't have a responsibility to provide a quality tire to the competitors but that also doesn't mean NASCAR has to let anyone with a vulcanizer in the game either.
TheBigCat
02-14-09, 09:06 PM
Goodyear has a contract with NASCAR. They've had that contract for years, prior to Tony Stewart coming to race there. He knew the rules he'd have to operate in when he came there. If he doesn't like those rules, he can always go work at Burger King. Damn sure looks like he knows where they all are.
That's not to say Goodyear doesn't have a responsibility to provide a quality tire to the competitors but that also doesn't mean NASCAR has to let anyone with a vulcanizer in the game either.
Well, maybe it's time to rethink whether or not to renew that contract, if not void it completely on the grounds of substandard supply, which could be considered breach.
Well, maybe it's time to rethink whether or not to renew that contract, if not void it completely on the grounds of substandard supply, which could be considered breach.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Well, maybe it's time to rethink whether or not to renew that contract, if not void it completely on the grounds of substandard supply, which could be considered breach.
True, but here's the thing, NASCAR as an entity doesn't care:
Stewart has been a longtime promoter of using multiple tire manufacturers, often promoting Hoosiers that he uses in other series. NASCAR has been emphatic that will not happen because it could create a competitive advantage if one manufacturer hits on a better combination.
(Source (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=3907258))
That makes about as much sense as telling telling an NFL team they can't have a first round pick, or can't pick from SEC schools, because it may give them a competitive advantage. Absolutely brainless. Personally I think that statement by NASCAR proves they're taking the ostrich approach and sticking their head in the sand. They're likely quite certain that other tire manufacturers can make a better tire but they're not going to do anything about it. Mark my words, it would likely take another high profile driver dying on the track to change this, and even then I wouldn't hold my breath. NASCAR doesn't give a damn about actual competition, all they care about is the money and as long as that's coming in, they'll revel in complacency.
This idiocy at the top of the sanctioning body is why I don't really give a rat's furry rear end about the "sport" anymore. I wouldn't even call it a sport anymore because actual competition has been taken out of the equation. It's not about who's faster, who's stronger, or who has more stamina anymore, it's about who's lucky enough to survive the race without blowing a tire or pissing off the sanctioning body.
All of that said, I absolutely agree with Tony, but I don't ever see anything changing on NASCAR's end. They simply do not care.
True, but here's the thing, NASCAR as an entity doesn't care:
Stewart has been a longtime promoter of using multiple tire manufacturers, often promoting Hoosiers that he uses in other series. NASCAR has been emphatic that will not happen because it could create a competitive advantage if one manufacturer hits on a better combination.
(Source (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=3907258))
That makes about as much sense as telling telling an NFL team they can't have a first round pick, or can't pick from SEC schools, because it may give them a competitive advantage. Absolutely brainless. Personally I think that statement by NASCAR proves they're taking the ostrich approach and sticking their head in the sand. They're likely quite certain that other tire manufacturers can make a better tire but they're not going to do anything about it. Mark my words, it would likely take another high profile driver dying on the track to change this, and even then I wouldn't hold my breath. NASCAR doesn't give a damn about actual competition, all they care about is the money and as long as that's coming in, they'll revel in complacency.
This idiocy at the top of the sanctioning body is why I don't really give a rat's furry rear end about the "sport" anymore. I wouldn't even call it a sport anymore because actual competition has been taken out of the equation. It's not about who's faster, who's stronger, or who has more stamina anymore, it's about who's lucky enough to survive the race without blowing a tire or pissing off the sanctioning body.
All of that said, I absolutely agree with Tony, but I don't ever see anything changing on NASCAR's end. They simply do not care.
Can we kill Kyle? Puweaaaaase? *begs*
I wouldn't even joke about that. I said that's what it would likely take, not what I wanted to see happen.
Well, obviously I wouldn't wanna see anyone get killed...
I was thinking in South Park terms there for a moment. That was a Cartman thought... (kill Kyle instead of Kenny)
But for real this time... *in Cartman voice* Maybe he could just lose an arm or something... so he could never drive again?
Too far?
Okay, I'll stop now.
:hyper:
Daytona 500 race coverage has begun!!! :celebrate
Of course... it could be half an hour or more before we see any racing because of all the prerace ceremonies and :bs:.
I didn't bother posting the qualifying order other than front row because it means just about somewhere between jack :poop: and nothing at a plate track.
The prerace from hell.
40 mins in and we have only gotten to a way too long stage performance from Keith Urban. :rolleyez:
Except for the Junior and interview and listening to the motors fire I have given up on listening to any of this and put some music on until the racing starts.
strandediniowa
02-15-09, 06:57 PM
Hi!
I'll be watching today, but have a couple of big projects going on here so may not be posting too much. I'm excited for the beginning of the new season! :Cheers:
:wave2: Mary
:Cheers: back atcha for the new season!
I think prerace from hell was an understatement. Over an hour in and we are nowhere near starting this race. They lied to us! They had an hour long "pre-race" before the "race coverage". It should have been a 2 hour pre-race and have the race coverage start when the actual race gets ready to start.
strandediniowa
02-15-09, 07:10 PM
I am entertained by the fact that Keith Urban did the pre-race concert and Tom Cruise is driving the pace car. Big day for Nicole!!
Tom Cruise is driving the pace car? As in, actually driving it?
I musta missed that while listening to some Beatles lol
Wow... the drivers are actually getting into their cars! :faintthud
We should only be about 10 mins or so from actual racing!!! :hyper:
GREEN FLAG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :celebrate
TheBigCat
02-15-09, 07:50 PM
Woooo-Hooooo!
This has been some great racing action so far. These aero packages are outstanding. People can pull out and pass, make moves, if someone falls a little out of line they don't sink like a stone, etc. It's given them more horsepower.
Coming out of the pits after the competition caution... Team Hendrick has 4 of the top 6 cars on the track. Not too bad. :D
2: Junior
4: Jeffy
5: Jimmie
6: Mark
TheBigCat
02-15-09, 08:17 PM
These aero packages are outstanding. People can pull out and pass, make moves, if someone falls a little out of line they don't sink like a stone, etc.
Well, at least they fixed that.
strandediniowa
02-15-09, 08:26 PM
*peeks in from work*
So far so good for me. Go Junior. :)
Lap 53 Junior takes the lead!!!!!!!!! :hyper:
Caution on lap 55. Awesome racing!
Well, at least they fixed that.
Yeah but I bet it will only apply to Daytona and 'Dega, the plate tracks.
I do not have much faith that they have got it fixed for all the middle range tracks.
The plate tracks and the short tracks will be okay on aero... but the mile, mile and a half, 2 milers... outlook not good.
Awwww hell... Junior missed his pit? That's unbelievable he would make such a rookie mistake in the Daytona 500.
Well... we're about to find out how good that car really is. Let's see how many laps it takes him to get back with the leaders.
2fingers
02-15-09, 08:46 PM
harvick is having a tough time in that back up car
harvick is having a tough time in that back up car
Lost the lead pack...
I wouldn't count him out though. What may be a bad car early could really come to life when it gets to be night.
strandediniowa
02-15-09, 09:00 PM
So much for Logano's first run at Daytona . . .
Ouch. That was a hard lick too.
Awwwwwwwwwww..... damn.
I checked the radar and it looks like a mean storm is headed towards Daytona Beach.
We might get a rain shortened race or one helluva rain delay.
If I have to choose... I'd rather have the long delay than a shortened race. I want my full 500 miles. Anything less feels like a ripoff.
http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/airquality/map/USFL0106?mapregion=us_tpa_closeradar_plus_usen&showanimation=yes&bypassredirect=true
That looks bad...
strandediniowa
02-15-09, 09:29 PM
It does looks bad - could be a long delay.
Junior looks great though - very hard driving to get back in the top ten.
50 laps from 35th to 5th. He is driving like a man on a mission!
Uh-oh.... problems for Jeffy. Green flag pit stop.
Now Jimmie too?
Damn.
Tire issues.
Someone is going to blow a right side tire and hit the wall if this keeps up.
And a minute later... someone blows a right rear and caution comes out.
You have got to be kidding me... a 1 lap penalty on Junior for the right front tire being on the line. :mad:
THE BIG ONE!!!!!!!!!! IT GOT KYLE AND JUNIOR GOT THROUGH IT!!!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:celebrate
strandediniowa
02-15-09, 09:47 PM
This one has been a roller-coaster ride for Junior fans! That was too close . . .
There's the caution we needed! Junior is back on the lead lap!!!!!!!!
harvick is having a tough time in that back up car
Lost the lead pack...
I wouldn't count him out though. What may be a bad car early could really come to life when it gets to be night.
...and now he's in 6th. ;)
2fingers
02-15-09, 10:19 PM
look at Harvick go
They've called the race already? This is :bs:
It's not even 7 o'clock there yet! You mean to tell me they couldn't have waited more than 20 freakin' minutes to find out what the rain is going to do?!
This sucks ass. They didn't even run 400 miles damnit! :mad:
strandediniowa
02-15-09, 10:51 PM
That was anti-climatic as hell - damn rain.
2fingers
02-15-09, 10:57 PM
i will take that second place
The radar I have been looking at shows plenty of clearing behind this rain. I have sat through 2 hour rain delays before. Hell... the summer race here doesn't finish until 11-midnight at times. And at not even 7 pm, you mean to tell me they couldn't wait more than 20 to see if the rain would have dried up?!
It's supposed to be the Daytona 500... not the f'n Daytona 380.
What a great race it had been too. This one was building up to be a wild damn finish. They still had 120 miles to go.
Kenseth just won a race he did not deserve.
One race in and I am already pissed off at NASCAR brass. This is going to be a long season... *shakes head*
Brian Vickers is such a hypocrite. He wrecked Jimmie and Junior on the last lap at 'Dega fall of '07 and stole a win... and that's okay. But he gets wrecked because of a stupid move on his part and whines about it in his interview.
Looks like it hasn't been raining for a while in Daytona.
*checks clock*
It's only 9:30 pm.
They could have gotten the track dry and finished this race. Believe me... I have sat through 2-3 hour rain delays before and seen races finished as late as midnight.
You'd think NASCAR would do everything possible to get their most important race of the year completed but with all the stupid decisions Helton has made over the past few years I should not be surprised.
Calling off the race after 20 mins of rain was a travesty.
I agree Tater, even though one of my Roush guys won (hahahahaha).
He didn't "win" it... the win was given to him. He got lucky and led one lap right when the rain started and if it had gone one more lap he probably wouldn't have been in the lead and Harvick would have won.
Pure luck combined with a bad decision, again, by Mike Helton.
2fingers
02-16-09, 04:22 PM
Yeah Harvick was robbed
All I can say is he put himself in a position to win. They all knew the rain was comming. Sadler even said it in his post race interview, he knew the rain was comming and the race would be red flagged but he just couldn't hold on.
I don't blame Kenseth. I blame Helton.
I am still in disbelief that they would call it after only 20 mins. After some of these 2-3 hour rain delays over the years I've sat through... when I heard the announcement, it didn't even register at first. Thought... no way they have called it already.
I watched the radar for a while after it got called. It was done raining after barely an hour and stayed dry after that.
If they had run the FULL 500 miles... I bet most of the top 10 would have been different.
TheBigCat
02-16-09, 06:50 PM
It's gonna be a hellava season if it's already off to a controversial decision on the ending of the first race. :D
It's gonna be a hellava season if it's already off to a controversial decision on the ending of the first race. :D
Just the first of many, many times I will be pissed off at Mike Helton this year... :rolleyez:
He's like... the Matt Millen of NASCAR.
TheBigCat
02-16-09, 10:50 PM
I like that analogy
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: Daytona 500 (http://www.frontstretch.com/mmclaughlin/22509/)
The Key Moment: Matt Kenseth took the lead just as Aric Almirola spun to bring out the eighth and final caution of the race. Rain began falling before green flag racing could resume, handing Kenseth his first Daytona 500 win.
In a Nutshell: For better or worse, the 2009 Cup season is out of the gates. Let’s see how this nag is going to run down the stretch.
Dramatic Moment: Action heated up as the race approached the halfway mark once threatening weather moved into the area.
What They’ll Be Talking About Around the Water Cooler This Week
What in blazes was Dale Earnhardt, Jr. thinking when he used up the No. 83 as a chew toy on lap 125? Even Junior’s most devoted fans have got to admit that amounted to an on-track mugging. Sure, Earnhardt was frustrated after a second unforced error in the pits — but taking out half the field was uncalled for. On Saturday, Jason Leffler was penalized five laps for a similar case of brain fade, but NASCAR swallowed its whistle on Sunday. Listening to Junior’s comments during the rain delay, it would seem he feels there’s one set of rules for the other 42 drivers and another set for him. Supposedly, Earnhardt radioed his team saying that, “If Vickers wants to meet me in the garage to get his ass beat, I’m willing.”
With all the billions of dollars being thrown around to fix crumbling infrastructure as part of the stimulus package, Brian France pulled some “political strings” to get Daytona repaved in three years. The condition of the track is simply embarrassing nowadays with all those bumps and cracks. They call the Daytona 500 stock car racing’s Super Bowl, but the NFL doesn’t play their big game on a field of dead grass pock-marked with gopher holes. And when they do repave Daytona, this would be a perfect time to reduce the banking so the series could dump the pile-up plates forever.
Countless words were written this offseason about the dark financial clouds hanging over the future of NASCAR this season. Well, FOX found an interesting way to address the issue — basically ignoring it. More rodents, less news… that’s how you do an interminable pre-race show!
What kind of setup was the No. 24 team running that caused them all those problems with right front tires? By all indications, none of the other Hendrick teams had the same problem.
The paint scheme on the No. 44 car A.J. Allmendinger drove Sunday was intended to honor the ARCA mount Kyle Petty drove to victory in his first big league stock car racing start back at Daytona in 1979. Well, Kyle sounded less than moved by the tribute. In fact, he labeled himself “crushed” the team hadn’t even consulted with him before going forward with it.
With NASCAR’s four team per owner limit kicking in at the end of this season, I thought Rick Hendrick and Tony Stewart would be a bit more circumspect about the incestuous relationship between their two teams… I guess not. Hendrick was all but soul-kissing Stewart after Tony’s win in Saturday’s Nationwide Series event.
Speaking of Stewart, I recommend he not leave an open space on his fridge door for a Christmas card from Goodyear this year. After a Saturday practice crash destroyed the cars of Stewart and his driver Ryan Newman, both had some rather pointed comments about the quality of racing tires Goodyear provides.
Here’s another sign of the times: Todd Bodine won Friday’s Truck Series race in an unsponsored entry. Well, I guess with Bodine at the wheel, we can cross “Just For Men” off the list…
Lest anyone forget (and I know most of you have not), this Wednesday will mark the anniversary of Dale Earnhardt’s tragic death on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Join me in lighting a candle at 7:03 for the seven-time champion who drove the black No. 3 car.
With a baseline as low as they’ve set up over the last eight years, the optimists amongst us felt that maybe this year, FOX would somehow improve an unpalatable product. No such luck, I’m afraid. They’ve bought back everything old time fans hate about their coverage: the Hollywood Hotel, DW’s Boogity, Boogity, Boogity, and that annoying “Let’s Go Raisin Boys” ditty. This year, they’ve added the animated Digger segment. Maybe I’m just getting old and cranky, but I’m thinking this might be the worst waste of resources ever in sports broadcasting. Let’s see… we’ve gone from a gimmicky camera angle, to an unnecessary animated mascot for that camera, to a named mascot, to a five minute TV show (which I’m sure they hope is a chance to sell plush toys and other souvenirs). So, if you see an adult in a Digger T-Shirt, contact your nearest lifeguard and have them removed from the gene pool. On one level, any distraction that keeps us from having to listen to the residents of the Hollywood Hotel or Larry McReynolds taking a broadax to the English language can’t be all that bad — but this cartoon is just so calculated and cynical it defies common sense. FOX’s David Hill claims that the new Digger show will lure kids to the sport and hook them on racing for life. If that’s the case, maybe they need to lose the subliminal tie to the Coors Light logo on the side of the gopher’s camera.
The Hindenburg Award For Foul Fortune
Kyle Busch was the class of the field for most of the event, but his car was destroyed in the big lap 125 pileup. It’s tough not to feel bad for Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, and Jamie McMurray, too — all of whom ran well all day, but wound up caught up in that same mess.
Joey Logano’s first Daytona 500 didn’t go well, as he took a head-on hit into pit wall well before the halfway point of the race.
Ryan Newman’s debut at Stewart-Haas Racing was less than memorable. He wiped out two cars, blew an engine, then ran poorly on Sunday. Having his car fall off the jack in the pits was just rubbing salt into the wound.
Jimmie Johnson’s car just never got up to speed Sunday, and the entire team seemed befuddled trying to figure out why.
Jeremy Mayfield’s quixotic attempt to run the Daytona 500 started well in his qualifying race, but collapsed amidst a myriad of mechanical failures on Sunday. Cinderella might have found the glass slipper a good fit — but those things suck for kicking field goals.
Had the rain arrived just a few minutes earlier, Elliott Sadler would have been the upset winner of the Daytona 500 — certainly the biggest victory ever in his career.
The “Seven Come Fore Eleven” Award For Fine Fortune
Matt Kenseth only led one green flag lap, but it was the lap that counted, as rain sealed the deal before Kevin Harvick got a chance to make a run at him. Kenseth also barely dodged the big wreck that took out several other top contenders.
Given the amount of work required to basically rebuild a team from scratch during the offseason, one might imagine Tony Stewart was pleased with strong results during Speedweeks. His run in Sunday’s 500 was certainly a lot stronger than his eighth place finish indicates.
Richard Petty Motorsports was formed on a wing and a prayer during the offseason, but the organization did have two drivers finish in the top 5 on Sunday.
A.J. Allmendinger was one of four drivers to race his way into the field in Thursday’s Twin 150s. He made the most of the opportunity with a third place finish in the No. 44 Valvoline Dodge.
Worth Noting
A Ford won the Daytona 500 for the first time since Dale Jarrett’s win in the 2000 500.
It’s hard to believe it, but this is the first Daytona 500 win for a Jack Roush entrant. For Kenseth, it was his first victory since the Homestead season finale of 2007.
Scott Speed in 35th was the top finishing rookie in the race. Joey Logano finished dead last.
The top 10 finishers drove two Fords, three Chevys, four Dodges, and a Toyota.
A.J. Allmendinger (third) scored the best finish of his Cup career. His previous best result was a ninth at Kansas last year.
Elliott Sadler (fifth) managed his first top 10 result since last year’s Brickyard. Not bad for a driver the team was ready to can during the offseason, huh?
Michael Waltrip (seventh) drove to his best finish since Loudon last summer.
Reed Sorenson’s ninth place finish was his best since Loudon last year.
No driver who posted a top 5 result in the 2008 Daytona 500 repeated the feat on Sunday.
This was just the fourth Daytona 500 to be shortened by rain.
Of the 12 drivers who were in last year’s Chase, just four — Kenseth, Harvick, Bowyer, and Stewart — posted top 12 finishes at Daytona.
What’s the Points?
Oddly enough, one race deep into the season the point standings practically mirror the finishing result of the Daytona 500.
Overall Rating (On a scale of one to six beer cans, with one being a stinker and a six pack an instant classic) — We’ll give this one three cans of fairly chilly generic stuff. Despite some hard hits, nobody was badly hurt during Speedweeks, and that’s worth an extra can.
Next Up: The series heads west like the Joad family this season to Fontana. Who could have guessed? California still isn’t the Promised Land. And get this: actual racing will not commence next Sunday until somewhere around 6:15 PM EST. Whose notion of a good idea was that? I guess we’ll all have to wait to see how stock car racing ratings do against the over-sexed denizens of Wisteria Lane, Lily, and her partners.
Fontana, California - Auto Club 500: Qualifying
starting order/driver/car number
1: Brian Vickers #83
2: Jimmie Johnson #48
3: Jamie McMurray #26
4: Kurt Busch #2
5: Greg Biffle #16
6: Jeff Gordon #24
7: David Reutimann #00
8: A.J. Allmendinger #44
9: Scott Speed #82
10: Kyle Busch #18
11: Tony Stewart #14
12: Robby Gordon #7
13: David Ragan #6
14: Marcos Ambrose #47
15: Juan Pablo Montoya #42
16: Bobby Labonte #96
17: Reed Sorenson #43
18: Mark Martin #5
19: Kevin Harvick #29
20: Elliott Sadler #19
21: Clint Bowyer #33
22: Kasey Kahne #9
23: Denny Hamlin #11
24: Matt Kenseth #17
25: Carl Edwards #99
26: Sam Hornish, Jr. #77
27: Paul Menard #98
28: Ryan Newman #39
29: Casey Mears #07
30: Dave Blaney #66
31: Aric Almirola #8
32: David Gilliland #71
33: Martin Truex, Jr. #1
34: Joey Logano #20
35: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. #88
36: Scott Riggs #36
37: Travis Kvapil #28
38: David Stremme #12
39: Jeremy Mayfield #41
40: John Andretti #34
41: Jeff Burton #31
42: Michael Waltrip #55
43: Joe Nemecheck #78
Here's an odd stat...
The last time the #20 finished dead last in the Daytona 500 was '05.
The #20 car won the Cup that year.
Not that it will happen this year lol... just pointing it out.
Green flag should be in about 3 hours n 20 mins.
I am going to have to find some other kind of entertainment until then... I am NOT watching hours and hours of prerace.
strandediniowa
02-22-09, 09:52 PM
Jeez still in prerace? We don't even look close. :rolleyez:
I'll be checking in here periodically. I have some people here and I am also watching the Hawkeyes play basketball, and have to watch TAR and the Oscars tonight. Busy night.
They finally rolled 'em off pit road. Hopefully in another 5 mins or so we will be racing.
What the hell ever happened to the "prerace" as a separate show? They used to have it listed separately, then when "race coverage" started, it was around the time of opening ceremonies.
Now they have it listed altogether. :rolleyez:
Junior started shotgun on the field... it should be interesting to see how far up he can get.
And oh joy... 5 laps in and already under caution.
Finally... back to racing.
*does the anti-rain dance*
Annnnnnnnnnd we got about 10 mins of racing before more caution for rain.
Gonna be a loooooooooooong day...
strandediniowa
02-22-09, 11:13 PM
Every time I switch over there is no racing to be seen!
I'll look again in a bit . . .
Junior has made it from 43rd to 24th in about 60 laps... not too bad.
Just a few laps later... broke into the top 20! :D
Halfway to the front. Let's keep heading in that direction.
strandediniowa
02-22-09, 11:35 PM
:yeah:
Great battle for 1st! Jeffy finally run down Jimmie and took the lead!
Team Hendrick: Lap 80
1: Jeffy
2: Jimmie
13: Mark
19: Junior
Clean pit stop for the #88 boys... and no changes. I like the sound of that. Junior must be happy with his car if he took no adjustments. 4 tires and fuel is all we need! :D
I will be very interested to see where he is when green flag stop finish cycling through...
Up one more spot to 18th and we are not even to lap 100 yet. I very much like how this is going so far.
Another round of green flag pit stops. Biffle took the lead from Jeffy. Jimmie is still in 3rd. Mark is in 10th.
Junior is up to 16th! :celebrate
...and we are just barely past halfway.
Bucky update:
Kahne in 18th.
Junior up to 15th... but with this 95 laps of green flag racing there are only 16 cars left on the lead lap.
What a perfect time for a caution!!!!!!!!!
strandediniowa
02-23-09, 12:23 AM
Glad to see Junior making steady progress. . .
There is still plenty of race left to get up front. He's been doing nothing but going forward the entire race. Although... once he hits the top 10 those other cars are going to be a little tougher to pass.
13th. 100 laps, 200 miles to go.
Let's go Junior!!!!!!!!!!! :hyper:
WTF?!
3 Hendrick cars all have problems all at the same time?!
How the hell does something like that happen?!?! :mad:
Hi Tater and Mary :wave2:
Heya Chaz.
There went Mark's motor. It's only a matter of time until Junior's grenades too.
Let's just hope Jimmie and Jeffy don't blow theirs as well.
Matt is on fire! I have Biff in in the pool tonight
If their motors don't blow up I am betting on the #24 or the #48 finding a way to win...
Looks like Tony has his panties in a bunch again
strandediniowa
02-23-09, 01:13 AM
Looks like Tony has his panties in a bunch again
LOL so what else is new? And :wave2: Chaz! I'm not here much, am watching three things at once right now.
Looks like Tony has his panties in a bunch again
How is that any different from every other race he is in? :rotfl:
Jeffy is right on Kenseth's rear bumper... betcha he will be out front when we get back from commercial!
Well I was close... he took the lead right as they came back from commercial. ;)
I hate Digger.....that is all
Tater how many laps have they been green in this run
I hate Digger.....that is all
I like the digger cam... just not the stupid cartoon character. And omg they gave him a family?! :rolleyez:
This race needs to stay green the rest of the way. If Junior has to restart with all the rest of the lap down cars he will sink like a stone. The only reason he is still in 17th is because he restarted the last car on the lead lap.
Go Jeffy Go!!!!!! Once he got past the #17 and got that clean air he has run off and left Biffle and Kenseth.
Tater how many laps have they been green in this run
I forget but they just said green flag pit stops will be in about 15 laps.
Hell... they ran 95 green and went through 2 rounds of green flag stops earlier in the race. There hasn't been a wreck all day.
There hasn't been a wreck all day.
:lmao: I just jinxed Harvick!
I like the digger cam... just not the stupid cartoon character. And omg they gave him a family?! :rolleyez:
This race needs to stay green the rest of the way. If Junior has to restart with all the rest of the lap down cars he will sink like a stone. The only reason he is still in 17th is because he restarted the last car on the lead lap.
Go Jeffy Go!!!!!! Once he got past the #17 and got that clean air he has run off and left Biffle and Kenseth.
I like the camera angle as long as they don't over do it. I just hate the stupid cartoon
How is this for some :bs:
Junior started dead last. 43rd. In 150 laps he passed 31 cars and made it all the way up to 12th.
Now he is sitting in the garage with a bad motor.
Of all the f'n bull<snip>... *shakes head*
Un'freakin'believable.
we're just about due for a caution
NO caution!!!!!!!!! Jeffy is coming!!!!!!!!!!! Gonna get Kenseth!!!!!!!!!! :hyper:
Jeffy is done. he used up his tires
He is lurking... 10 to go!
YEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAA Kenseth
Lapped cars broke Jeffy's line with 4 to go and he lost all momentum. If they would have stayed in clear track it would have been a different story.
How is this for some :bs:
Junior started dead last. 43rd. In 150 laps he passed 31 cars and made it all the way up to 12th.
Now he is sitting in the garage with a bad motor.
Of all the f'n bull<snip>... *shakes head*
Un'freakin'believable.
Saying it again.
Such bull:poop:! Gah!!!!!!!
It was actually a pretty good race. Fontana is not one of my favorite tracks but this was some of the best racing I've ever seen on it.
I'm just still in shock that Junior went from 43rd, to 12th, to 39th.
At least they are not running 2 races and taking a week off like last year. 4 races before the break this time around.
Yea a week off to cool down before Bristol. Noone is racing that weekend. No truck or NNWS either
I'll be out hiking with LostViking that day... gonna go see Ka'au crater. :D
My Sunday hiking trips will all be planned around NASCAR. :D
You seen all the pics yet Chaz?
The bad news... Busch brothers qualified front row, Kyle on pole.
The good news... the little :poop:head has to start in the back because of an engine change!!! :rofl1:
TheBigCat
02-28-09, 01:43 PM
Oh...that's too rich. I'm gonna :rofl1:as well.
strandediniowa
03-01-09, 07:25 PM
Wonder what time the race will actually start today? I'm around, but have lots to do and won't probably post much til mid-race. And if Junior blows an engine again I am going to disappear and go pout.
I looked at ESPN and it looks like race time is 3:30 central. Be back later!
I got the tv on... but I am listening to music. I cannot handle these hour+ preraces.
I guess it should give me time to update points and qualifying etc.
*listens to NIN while prayers are being told on TV*
Las Vegas, Nevada - Shelby 427: Qualifying
starting order/driver/car number
1: Kyle Busch #18
2: Kurt Busch #2
3: Jimmie Johnson #48
4: David Reutimann #00
5: Marcos Ambrose #47
6: Ryan Newman #39
7: Kasey Kahne #9
8: Mark Martin #5
9: Kevin Harvick #29
10: Tony Stewart #14
11: David Stremme #12
12: Sam Hornish, Jr. #77
13: Brad Keselowski #25
14: Jeff Burton #31
15: Michael Waltrip #55
16: Carl Edwards #99
17: Bobby Labonte #96
18: Regan Smith #78Travis Kvapil #28
19: A.J. Allmendinger #44
20: Joey Logano #20
21: Brian Vickers #83
22: Joe Nemecheck #87
23: Juan Pablo Montoya #42
24: Greg Biffle #16
25: Martin Truex, Jr. #1
26: Max Papis #13
27: Aric Almirola #8
28: Jeff Gordon #24
29: John Andretti #34
30: David Gilliland #71
31: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. #88
32: Robby Gordon #7
33: Elliott Sadler #19
34: Denny Hamlin #11
35: David Ragan #6
36: Paul Menard #98
37: Clint Bowyer #33
38: Jamie McMurray #26
39: Reed Sorenson #43
40: Matt Kenseth #17
41: Casey Mears #07
42: Scott Speed #82Dave Blaney #66
43: Todd Bodine #64
:rotfl: again @ :poop:head having to go to the back
Oh joy... we're racing.......... oh joy, 1 lap and a caution.
1 more lap of green... another caution.
This is going to be a looooooooooooooong day.
45 laps in and Junior up from 25th to 12th. :D
Wonderful... Junior speeding coming into the pits under green flag pit stops.
strandediniowa
03-01-09, 10:09 PM
Lots of green flags today. Junior is now back on the lead lap and is running at 21st last I saw. He's making progress again anyway. I hope his pit stop problems are all out now.
Lap 158 and Junior has now cracked the top ten! :hyper:
strandediniowa
03-01-09, 10:57 PM
:yeah:
He dropped to 14th due to other people taking 2 tires... but now he is up to 9th with 85 to go!
Considering how strong Jimmie and Jeffy are running, I bet Junior can at least get a top 5.
Hell yeah! Junior passed :poop:head and is up to 8th!
strandediniowa
03-01-09, 11:27 PM
Yep, things looking good right about now.
Jeff Gordon missed pit row - and Junior's in. Hell, now a yellow?
Green flag pit stops were just getting started, Jeffy locked it up and missed pit road. Before he could get back around he blew the left front and tore up his fender.
If this puts Junior a lap down I will be extremely unpleased.
Of all the ~!@#$%^ing BS!
Junior is on the lead lap but is back in 15th and had to start tail end of it in front of the leaders. :mad:
We need a quick caution and need it NOW.
...and what's even worse, that sorry ass pos Kyle got lucky and hadn't come to pit road yet when the caution came out! He basically just had the lead given to him through dumb luck. :mad:
Un'freakin'believable!!!!!!!!
Jeffy basically screwed everyone who had worked hard to be there and had the bad luck of starting green flag stops 1 lap before a caution came out. Now there are a bunch of 20th place cars sitting in the top ten. :poop:head is leading and he didn't even have a top 5 worthy car today.
I just cannot believe Junior's luck so far this year. He's had top 5 or winning capable cars in all 3 races and got screwed by bad luck.
Thank GOD a caution just came out. Now at least he can restart with the rest of the lead lap cars and try for a top 10 finish.
And :poop:head makes a dirty move and uses his bumper to move Bowyer out of the way to take the lead. I hope Clint finds him in a quiet place after the race and beats the hell out of him.
2fingers
03-02-09, 12:12 AM
Looked like some good old fashioned racin' to me.
Looked like some good old fashioned racin' to me.
Then you do not know much about "good old fashioned racin'"... cause that ain't what this race has been.
strandediniowa
03-02-09, 12:19 AM
*sick of yellow flags*
Jeffy screwed up getting into the pits and :poop:head gets a win through pure dumb luck. He also cost his teammate a win because Jimmie was going to win this race. I am completely disgusted.
At least Junior got 10th. Not that it makes me feel much better right now. :rolleyez:
2fingers
03-02-09, 12:29 AM
Then you do not know much about "good old fashioned racin'"... cause that ain't what this race has been.
your just angry :) I didn't even watch the race :P
I didn't even watch the race :P
So you're just talking out of your ass to annoy me.
Okay. That's fine. You still have no idea what you're talking about. :nanabobo:
2fingers
03-02-09, 01:22 AM
So you're just talking out of your ass to annoy me.
Okay. That's fine. You still have no idea what you're talking about. :nanabobo:
yes to the annoying part.
and also yes to the not knowing what I am talking about.
As long as we are in agreement. :D
Points Standings:
1: Jeff Gordon
2: Clint Bowyer -18
3: Matt Kenseth -40
4: Greg Biffle -40
5: David Reutimann -51
6: Kyle Busch -54
7: Kurt Busch -66
8: Tony Stewart -80
9: Carl Edwards -82
10: Bobby Labonte -99
11: Kevin Harvick -108
12: Michael Waltrip -113
_________________
Atlanta, Georgia - Kobalt Tools 500: Qualifying
starting order/driver/car number
1: Mark Martin #5
2: Kurt Busch #2
3: Jamie McMurray #26
4: Juan Pablo Montoya #42
5: Greg Biffle #16
6: Denny Hamlin #11
7: Jimmie Johnson #48
8: Joe Nemecheck #87
9: Kyle Busch #18
10: Kevin Harvick #29
11: Tony Stewart #14
12: Ryan Newman #39
13: Kasey Kahne #9
14: Elliott Sadler #19
15: Jeff Burton #31
16: Jeff Gordon #24
17: Brian Vickers #83
18: David Reutimann #00
19: Robby Gordon #7
20: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. #88
21: Clint Bowyer #33
22: Travis Kvapil #28
23: Martin Truex, Jr. #1
24: Michael Waltrip #55
25: Casey Mears #07
26: Scott Speed #82
27: Dave Blaney #66
28: David Stremme #12
29: Carl Edwards #99
30: Matt Kenseth #17
31: David Gilliland #71
32: Reed Sorenson #43
33: Paul Menard #98
34: Marcos Ambrose #47
35: Bill Elliott #21
36: Sam Hornish, Jr. #77
37: Aric Almirola #8
38: A.J. Allmendinger #44
39: David Ragan #6
40: Bobby Labonte #96
41: John Andretti #34
42: Joey Logano #20
43: Mike Bliss #09
And they're under way in Atlanta!
...and they get 1 lap finished and the #43 has already hit the wall.
After a 2nd early caution and a round of pit stops, the field seems to have settled into the track a little. We might get a long green flag run now.
Then again... the track looks pretty slick today. We could have a ton of cautions.
At least there doesn't seem to be any rain in the forecast.
Lap 38: Junior has already gone from 20th to 10th! :hyper:
strandediniowa
03-08-09, 07:00 PM
*peeks in*
I see Junior is at 11th and that's great. I'm watching Northern Iowa play in the MVC Conference Championship, have a basement full of teenagers and am trying to clean too.
Green flag pit stops are starting - I truly hope Junior avoids any pit mistakes this race.
I'll peek back in later.
Of all the... what a freakin' idiot!
Lap 67, late during green flag pit stops, some dumbass from the #47 team ran halfway out through the infield to retrieve a tire and brought out the caution, leaving only 6 cars on the lead lap.
I understand the reasoning why the caution was thrown... (a car wrecking through the infield and splat) ...but the guy made it back to the pits with the tire, no harm done. They could've gotten away with not throwing that yellow flag.
Now the field is all screwed up. Oh joy.
Lap 85:
Junior and a few others stayed out, so a bunch of cars restarted in front of the leader. Which was Jimmie Johnson at the time. Now it's Carl leading. There are only 13 cars on the lead lap but Junior is still out in front of the leaders in 10th.
Heh... :poop:head got stuck with all the lap down cars and he is back in 18th. :D
Damn! Carl just put Junior a lap down. Only 9 cars on the lead lap now.
Mark Martin, Vickers and Jeffy are still 7, 8 & 9 in front of the leader.
Oh, wait... sweeeeeeeeet!!!!!!!!! Caution!!!!!!!! Junior back on the lead lap!!!! :celebrate
Wow... I have never seen an Atlanta race with the entire field running so badly. Those cars are sliding around all over the place out there!!
Geez and it looks like we might get more green flag pit stops...
I am stunned no one has wrecked yet.
strandediniowa
03-08-09, 08:00 PM
I'm confused every time I look in to try to see what's going on! Is Junior still on the lead lap?
He had just gotten lapped...
And whew! Caution. :faintthud
Junior gets another lucky dog and remains one of only 10 on the lead lap.
Go Team Hendrick! All 4 in the top 10! :Cheers:
strandediniowa
03-08-09, 08:07 PM
Good news! Hope they can keep it up.
This is a race of survival.
We just made it past halfway too.
Interview with Eury Jr. reveals Junior had a loose wheel on the last run but he thinks they got it fixed and it will be alright.
His main concern is getting the car tightened up "so it can go."
I imagine he is only one of a whole lot of crew chiefs dealing with the exact same problem.
Jeffy is going for the lead!!!!!
Whew... another caution.
At least this time Junior will be able to pit with the leaders and restart with them instead of having to start at the tail end of the longest line.
11 cars on the lead lap now... Bucky will be happy, Kasey just got the lucky dog.
"If my wheel comes off and I hit the fence real hard... I get to whack every damn one of you with a hammer. Is that a deal? Ya'll need some incentive to keep my tires on, obviously." -Junior over the radio during the caution.
:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
It's amazing we made it this late in the race. Hornish wrecks and collects Bill Elliott.
Caution with about 120 to go. This should put 12 cars on the lead lap.
Jeffy beat Kurt out of the pits and takes the lead!!
TheBigCat
03-08-09, 08:46 PM
You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel
Kenny Rogers reference. Nice.
Oh man. 1 down for Team Hendrick. Mark Martin just blew his right rear and got major damage.
That's one off the lead lap and Harvick back on it, so still 12 on the lead lap.
Jeffy 1st and Jimmie 2nd off pit road! Junior in 10th.
Less than 110 to go now...
Caution with 66 to go.
With the awful luck Junior had in the first 3 races... he has built up some good luck for today's race. Twice he got the free pass and this caution came as he was about to get lapped again. His car has been driving awful all day (well, so has most everyone else) but he has somehow managed to stay on the lead lap. Cautions catching most of the field a lap and more down early in the race has really helped him out today.
Tony back on the lead lap now. Makes 13 now.
They don't have enough gas and certainly not enough tires to make it to the end... so we are going to see at least one more pit stop today.
Scott Speed hard in the wall!
Then as the cars try to slow down behind him... Biffle gets turned and HE goes hard in the wall!
This was after barely a lap of green flag racing. The end of this race could get ugly with all those bad driving cars and everyone clustered together from the restarts.
Now this will make things very interesting. About half the lead lap cars pitted and about half didn't. So for the restart, you're going to have the back half of the lead lap cars on fresher tires on a day where fresh tires are a really big deal.
53 to go.
Oh hell... green/white/checkers upcoming.
No way! All the leaders came in?! The order just got all jumbled up and Carl came out of nowhere with the lead! But he took 2 tires to do it, everyone on his bumper has 4 fresh ones.
So we get a 2 lap shootout and the leader has really old left side tires. This is a huge wreck just waiting to happen.
Damn. Kurt won. :mad:
Nothing really exciting on the last 2 laps...
And celebrates by driving around the track backwards? :rolleyez:
I don't think I've ever seen a worse race at Atlanta. This used to be one of the best tracks on the circuit. These new cars drive so awful here it's just ridiculous. The whole field was sliding around the entire race. Hell, even Kurt, who dominated and had the fastest car most of the day, went up and hit the wall a few times and was sliding alot. This wasn't a case of the best car winning a race... this was a case of the least worse car winning.
The best thing about today was :poop:head getting caught 3 laps down early because of the cautions, so he was never in contention.
An 11th place finish is freakin' great for Junior all things considered. He had an awful car all day. The tire issues with the left rear. Got the lucky dog twice. Twice the caution came out right before he lost a lap. He basically just barely hung on to the tail end of the lead lap all day. So for him to get an 11th place finish... that's amazing.
Except for Mark Martin's blown tire (which wasn't his fault), it was a solid day for Team Hendrick. Jimmie got a top 10 at 9th. And points leader Jeffy came in with a solid 2nd place finish, which will push his lead out a bit over the guys right behind him.
There are going to be a whole bunch of people happy to be leaving Atlanta today.
Points Standings:
1: Jeff Gordon
2: Clint Bowyer -43
3: Kurt Busch -46
4: Carl Edwards -87
5: Matt Kenseth -88
6: Tony Stewart -113
7: Kyle Busch -120
8: Kevin Harvick -123
9: Kasey Kahne -150
10: Greg Biffle -154
11: Brian Vickers -157
12: David Reutimann -159
13: Jimmie Johnson -177
14: Denny Hamlin -178
15: Jeff Burton -197
16: Michael Waltrip -200
17: Elliott Sadler -207
18: Jamie McMurray -211
19: Martin Truex, Jr. -211
20: A.J. Allmendinger -217
21: Juan Pablo Montoya -226
22: David Ragan -229
23: Bobby Labonte -231
24: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -237
25: Casey Mears -237
26: David Stremme -238
27: Reed Sorenson -271
28: Marcos Ambrose -273
29: Robby Gordon -292
30: John Andretti -298
31: Sam Hornish, Jr. -306
32: Ryan Newman -310
33: Joey Logano -313
34: Mark Martin -348
35: Aric Almirola -357
36: David Gilliland -358
37: Scott Speed -378
38: Paul Menard -396
39: Regan Smith -428
40: Travis Kvapil -451
Thank goodness they are at Bristol this week... the new cars haven't seemed to ruin the racing at the short tracks.
King Jeffy's year just keeps getting better and better. He came into one of only 2 tracks on the circuit that he has never won at (and the only place he has ever finished last at, twice) with a strong lead in the points and added to it with a win today, breaking his year and a half long winless drought. That leaves Homestead as the only track left he has never won at.
After a somewhat shaky start to the year, with Jimmie's win last week at Martinsville and Jeffy's this week at Texas, Team Hendrick has come on strong with wins in back to back weeks. Jeffy sits atop the points and Jimmie has climbed to 2nd.
Now we need to see more of that and out of the #5 and the #88 as well.
As for the Texas race itself... yet another *yawns* cookie cutter race.
Next week, no racing for Easter. Followed by the first Saturday night race of the year at Phoenix.
Night racing at Phoenix is always fun. :D (mostly, anyways)
...especially when Junior has a 4 second lead on the field and pulling away!
Now if he can just stay there for another 100 laps... :crossfing
Well... so much for that. Junior went from leading the race and having the best car on the track, to getting a bad set of tires put on during a pit stop, which dropped him back in the field with the other crappy cars. Goddamned Casey Mears got into his side and wrecked him. :rolleyez:
TheBigCat
04-19-09, 05:34 AM
I wonder if there's any old Gypsies who give group rates on curses? I'd like to talk to them about laying something on the entire corporate staff of Goodyear.
Um... I thought they already had. :rolleyez:
If you ask Tony, he would tell ya that.
I AM happy to see old man Martin win a race again. He is something like only the 4th driver to ever win a race in his 50's.
Whewwwwwwwwwwww buddy they haulin' some ass round the big boy today!!!!!!!
#88 got the best car out there and as long as he doesn't get caught up in someone else's :poop:... I got a goooooooooooooood feelin' about getting number 6 today!!! :hyper:
Wow. That was one of the most amazing finishes I have EVER seen at 'Dega! Holy flying cars Batman!!!
And way to go Keselowski!!!! Junior finished 1-2 with his protege! Freakin' sweet!!!
I know James Finch owns the car but it was a Hendrick win for all intents and purposes. A Hendrick built car with a Hendrick built motor with a driver from JR Motorsports, a subsidiary of Hendrick.
This is the 10th time in the history of Talladega that a driver got his first win there and the 2nd time for a rookie. I think the other was Davey Allison. I also think the other 8 never won another race lol... that's one of the beauties of 'Dega, ANYone has a shot at winning there.
Brad and Carl both had great interviews after the race too. Brad remembered how Regan Smith got robbed of a win at 'Dega last year. He knew the rules. And damnit he was NOT going below that yellow line. What a beauty of a move to get Carl too. Go high and as soon Carl goes high to block, cut underneath and pass him. The wreck was entirely Carl's fault (not considering the yellow line rule for a second). I said before Carl's interview, my respect for him is either going to go way up or way down depending on whether or not he blamed Brad for the wreck. It went up. Carl admitted his mistake like a man, owned up to it and congratulated Brad on a great move.
Now for that ridiculous yellow line rule they have at the plate tracks... :rolleyez:
If Brad had been allowed to go below the yellow line heading to the checkers, he could have passed Carl clean and won it without Carl going for a flight.
Yes. They need it in the turns. I understand the concept of not needing to be below that line with thirty degree+ banking at those speeds. But come on... that crap is not needed going down the backstretch and through the tri-oval. I see this is a simple solution. Keep it in the turns, let them go below it for the front and back. Have a clearly defined starting point of where you can't be down there. Problem solved.
As for the restrictor plates themselves...
I remember reading a few years ago, Krusty Wallace was out running practice laps at 'Dega in a car that didn't have a plate on it. I believe he said he was doing 235-240 and had to lift in the turns. Wow. Now that might be a bit too fast to let them run there but there has to be a way to come up with a combination of gears and plates that doesn't involve the entire field running around in one big pack. As exciting as plate racing can be, it's more dangerous than letting them run 235 and at least get spread out some. If your fear is the fans? Back those seats up. Build them up higher. Build walls so tall and strong that a car would never get over it or through it.
As someone who has been to 'Dega too many times to count (it's my hometown track), the higher up you are, the better you can see them anyways. And unless you are at the very top where the spotters are, you aren't going to see them going the entire way around the track anyways. 90+% of the people there just see them come by once a minute. I see no need to have seats that close to the track. I've been on the bottom row before when they come flying by. It is like a damned earthquake!
Talladega solutions:
Back the seats up and make them higher.
Taller, stronger walls.
Better ratio between gearing and plates. Let them wind the cars out a bit so they have enough power to break out of these packs.
All that being said... HOLY CRAP WHAT A FINISH!!!! WTG KESELOWSKI!!!!!!!!!!!! :hyper:
Why can't the idiots at NASCAR do this every race? I wish it would rain every single race day. Yesterday, with rain in the area and forecast, we still have 25 hours of pre-race interviews and, to put it bluntly, commentator :bs:
Today, coverage started at 12PM, the command to start engines came at 12:02, and at 12:07 they rolled off to start the race. So much nicer than having to listen to FOX morons talk for hours on end.
ETA - At 12:11, they're under green.
Why can't the idiots at NASCAR do this every race? I wish it would rain every single race day. Yesterday, with rain in the area and forecast, we still have 25 hours of pre-race interviews and, to put it bluntly, commentator :bs:
Today, coverage started at 12PM, the command to start engines came at 12:02, and at 12:07 they rolled off to start the race. So much nicer than having to listen to FOX morons talk for hours on end.
ETA - At 12:11, they're under green.
:mad:
They don't even have the damn race on here! It got pre-empted by Regis & Kelly and Martha ~!@#$ing Stewart! :pissed:
So I can't even watch it live. It's getting aired on a 4 hour delay and won't be on for another hour and a half. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
Don't worry, there was a 57 minute rain delay and they've just gotten restarted in the last 30 minutes or so. If you're lucky they'll cut those 57 minutes out of the coverage on your end.
ETA - 145 of 400 laps and Jr is 1 lap down in 39th. Not looking good, but lots of race left to go.
As nice as that would be... I somehow doubt it. That would require intelligence from the people running FOX and I am not betting on that. :rolleyez:
NASCAR put out the caution a couple of minutes prior to 3PM EST so they could observe the 3PM moment of silence for Memorial Day. All cars stopped on the front stretch, engines off, crews standing on pit road, fans standing in the stands. I can't believe they could get Darrell to shut up that long.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v698/Leuthen2/MiscScreenCaps/MemorialDay_3PM_1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v698/Leuthen2/MiscScreenCaps/MemorialDay_3PM_2.jpg
Anybody not see this coming, raise your hand.
I didn't think so.
Eury Jr. out as Dale Jr's crew chief (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=4211821).
A blind kangaroo in the Australian Outback saw this coming 500 miles away.
I didn't even bother watching the farce of a Coke 600. The racing had gotten that bad. And that's the first race I've missed in years.
Maybe if Junior starts winning some races, people will start watching again.
NASCAR adopts double-file restarts in Cup Series races
Shootout format to begin in Sunday's race at Pocono
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR on Thursday announced a change to its race format with the addition of "Double-File Restarts -- Shootout Style" throughout each race. Beginning with this weekend at Pocono Raceway, the first- and second-place drivers will line up side-by-side as the green flag flies for each restart.
"We've heard the fans loud and clear: 'double-file restarts -- shootout style' are coming to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series," said NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France. "This addition to the race format is good for competition and good for the fans."
"I'm excited about it," said two-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart. "The good thing is that when they drop the green, you're going to be racing with the guys you're racing for position instead of trying to clear lapped cars.
"Since NASCAR has adapted the 'free pass,' I think that's something that now justifies being able to put those lapped cars to the back and let them race with each other, and let the guys who are racing on the lead lap do the same. I'm behind NASCAR 100 percent on this."
Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick said, "I think it's great that NASCAR is listening to the fans. These new restart procedures are going to make our sport even more exciting than it already is. This will not only benefit the lead-lap cars, but also the cars that go a lap down, so you get the best of both worlds."
NASCAR recently used the "double-file" format for its non-points Sprint All-Star Race, which produced an unpredictable finish. The format will be adapted for the Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series in the near future.
"The last 10 laps of the recent Sprint All-Star race at Lowe's Motor Speedway proved that the double-file restart concept works well," said Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "Short tracks have been doing this for years, and I have no doubt that it will enhance the excitement of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing. I applaud NASCAR's decision to implement this change immediately. Close competition gives our fans a great entertainment value."
Under the previous format, cars on the lead lap would restart in a single-file line while cars that had been lapped would start in a line next to them.
Under the new format, the race leader will have the option to restart on the inside or outside lane. The second-place driver would then restart next to the leader. Regardless of where the leader starts, drivers in odd number positions (third, fifth, seventh places, etc.) will restart on the inside lane, while drivers in even number positions (fourth, sixth, eighth places, etc.) will restart on the outside. All restarts will use the same format regardless of the number of laps remaining in the race.
The first-place driver will continue to control the timing of restarts in a designated zone on the track. Likewise, cars are to stay in line until they reach the start/finish line. The first eligible car a lap or more down will continue to earn one lap back following a caution, which is known as the "free pass." However, a new element beginning this week will be that the "free pass" will remain in effect the entire race.
Lapped cars choosing to remain on the track will be "waved around" the caution car and will restart the race in respective track position, thus picking up a lap to the leader provided the leader also pits. This will also remove lapped cars from behind the pace car, allowing the leaders to take the green without interference.
"I think there'll be some weeks that it'll be good and I think there'll be some weeks where you could draw the short straw and get the shaft -- but that's going to be part of it," Matt Kenseth said. "I mean, if you're at Martinsville or Indy or some of these one-lane tracks and you're running fourth, and you start on the second row, outside, you're probably going to be in big trouble -- you're probably going to have a top-five run turn into a 10th- or 12th-place run.
"But that will just kind of be the luck of the draw, and it depends how many laps there are to go and stuff like that, also. I don't really see a huge drawback to double-file restarts. Like I say, I think there are some places that might be a little more exciting than others -- like [Daytona] it might make it more exciting. But there will definitely be more accidents, more action and probably more people mad at each other."
SOURCE (http://www.nascar.com/2009/news/headlines/cup/06/04/double.file.restarts/index.html)
If that doesn't work, I hear they're going to try making the drivers drive the second half of the race in reverse.
TheBigCat
06-06-09, 07:59 AM
When are they gonna get around to taking the ^($@^%@%!!&%#&!_&#&_#& restrictor plates off?
When are they gonna get around to taking the ^($@^%@%!!&%#&!_&#&_#& restrictor plates off?
:yeah:
Although, I will point out... NASCAR brass isn't known for making wise and timely decisions. Changing the restarts should be considered a miracle in and of itself. I might just :faintthud if they ever take those plates off at Daytona and Talladega.
When are they gonna get around to taking the ^($@^%@%!!&%#&!_&#&_#& restrictor plates off?
Just keep watching the empty seats at the tracks every weekend grow.
There are seats available for Martinsville for the first time in over a decade. I honestly cannot remember the last time you could call and get tickets for that track. Last I heard, the waiting list was 3 years, now you can call and get them.
First it's the restarts, next will be the restrictor plates, and I wouldn't put it past the Brian France Circus Tour '09 to even adopt a fan ride-along program. I can't stand that guy, and what he's done to auto racing, I hope the entire thing crashes and burns. I hope people don't think that the government, now that it owns GM, and Chrysler in bankruptcy, is going to let those two manufacturers keep dumping millions upon millions of dollars into auto racing every year. Auto makers in bankruptcy, fan interest in a death spiral, sucks to be Brian France.
Saw this coming. GM cuts team support in the Nationwide and Truck series. (http://www.nascar.com/2009/news/headlines/bg/06/12/preview.gm.cuts.team.support.khi/index.html)
For $20, fans can sponsor Kenny Wallace's race car (http://www.nascar.com/2009/news/headlines/bg/06/10/kwallace.fans.sponsor/index.html)
:rotfl:
Hey Brian, wanna get your name on the Hermanator's car?! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
That's actually a pretty cool idea. :)
I know, right?
I will if you will! :D
TheBigCat
06-13-09, 07:20 PM
Where can I sign up to sponsor Casey's car?
Where can I sign up to sponsor Casey's car?
Why would you wanna sponsor Casey Mears' car? He kinda sucks. :rofl1:
TheBigCat
06-14-09, 12:05 AM
:rolleyes: Kasey. Whatever.
I couldn't even tell ya what happened to Kasey's success. He went from winning 6 races in a season to falling off the radar.
TheBigCat
06-14-09, 12:30 AM
Right along with Dale Jr.
Junior has a lot more successes other than just his driving but as far as winning races goes, yeah, you can put him and Kasey right in the same category.
Nice to see Kahne outrun Tony on the last half dozen restarts to win the race Sonoma.
Words cannot describe how bad Sonoma sucks ass. Running stock cars there is just about the most retarded idea ever. Eating cheerios mixed with ammonia is a better idea than racing stock cars at Sonoma.
Congrats, Bucky... your boy finally got back in victory lane.
TheBigCat
06-22-09, 06:17 AM
Woot! Yay Kasey!
Now Dale Jr. needs to sort out his problems and win a race.
Mayfield adds another ring to circus
Jeremy Mayfield may be back on the track at Daytona this weekend, probably sticking his tongue out at NASCAR officials as he drives by the start-finish line.
Mayfield got his temporary injunction Wednesday in court, a surprise decision that throws NASCAR's entire substance abuse policy into question.
What happens now? Does every driver who tests positive file an injunction to erase his suspension and get back in the race car? It worked for Mayfield.
Unless the injunction is overturned on an appeal, Mayfield is free to race until a trial decides his case. His attorney, Bill Diehl, said that might take a year.
So NASCAR's authority to enforce its policy on substance abuse has been severely compromised. Today's decision leaves almost everyone wondering what NASCAR can and can't do to enforce its rules.
No one except Mayfield knows for sure if he took methamphetamines. He says he didn't, that it was a false positive from mixing two legal drugs. NASCAR's doctors say that isn't possible.
We don't know. And other drivers don't know either. He has to qualify first, but what will other drivers be thinking while running side by side with Mayfield on Saturday night at 200 mph in a large pack of cars, even if a new test comes out clean?
Doubt is everywhere, on every future drug test and around every turn on a racetrack.
NASCAR may win this case in the long run, but for now, it has a flawed system with a gigantic loophole for suspected violators to jump through. NASCAR has been slapped in the face for trying to do the right thing in improving its drug policy this season.
The old testing system of "reasonable suspicion" came under heavy scrutiny last year when Aaron Fike admitted he raced in the truck series while taking heroin. In the aftermath of that news, many Cup drivers said they never had been tested for drug abuse.
This season NASCAR went to a random testing system, where several drivers are tested at each race, not knowing when or where the test will come.
It's something that should have happened years ago, but it was a major improvement in substance-abuse detection.
However, now the system needs clarification. A first step is to provide a detailed list of banned substances. NASCAR had avoided doing this, wanting to keep its options open in case a driver was impaired by a substance not on the list.
Things always can be added later, but a definitive list seems inevitable now.
The testing procedure also has been called into question. Bill Diehl, Mayfield's attorney, said his client's backup urine sample should have been sent to an independent lab for testing. It wasn't initially, although it was done later to verify the results.
All these things must be re-evaluated or NASCAR risks going through this incredible sideshow all over again.
And now one of NASCAR's biggest events, the July 4 night race at Daytona, becomes a secondary topic for the entire weekend.
Mayfield is the show, assuming he qualifies for the race. Even if he doesn't, he's the main story until the green flag drops.
The man NASCAR officials say endangered his fellow competitors and broke the rules has a free pass to race again. Maybe that's justice; maybe it isn't. But NASCAR's new drug policy is in jeopardy.
Either Mayfield fooled them all and outsmarted his accusers, or NASCAR has punished an innocent man with a drug enforcement procedure that seems to have Mr. Magoo in charge.
SOURCE (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/columns/story?columnist=blount_terry&id=4301047)
Wow. Not even sure what to say about this...
TheBigCat
07-19-09, 06:28 PM
The saga continues:
Jeremy Mayfield told a television station in Charlotte, N.C., late Friday that an independent test shows no trace of methamphetamines and that he believes NASCAR spiked his urine sample.
Mayfield, who was suspended indefinitely on May 9 for failing a NASCAR drug test, has denied ever using the illegal drug. Earlier this month a federal judge granted Mayfield a temporary injunction lifting the suspension, a decision NASCAR is appealing.
"We're very excited about the results," Mayfield told WCNC NewsChannel 35 after LabCorp sent test results to Mayfield's attorneys showing he tested negative for meth. The results, Mayfield said, are from a urine sample he gave within an hour of giving a sample to NASCAR, though NASCAR's lab results claim Mayfield tested positive for the drug.
Mayfield also wondered how there could be two samples that give two different results.
"That's what we'd like to know and that's what we're gonna find out," Mayfield told WCNC.
Mayfield's attorney also told the TV station he believes NASCAR might be "spiking" the sample.
"They are hell-bent on proving Jeremy Mayfield is wrong," John Buric, who is representing Mayfield, told WCNC. "They keep digging themselves a hole [and it] keeps getting bigger and bigger."
Mayfield wants to prove his innocence although he doesn't think he will drive on the NASCAR circuit again.
"I'm in this for the long haul," he told WCNC. "We're gonna fight it out."
"Now that I don't have to worry about going back racing -- because obviously they are not going to let me -- I don't have to worry about what I say. It's like the bully in school [who] got ahold of the wrong little guy."
NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston responded to Mayfield's test.
"They seem to be light on details don't you think?" Poston told WCNC. "It's all pretty transparent. We will continue to let real science and sworn affidavits do our talking."
SOURCE (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/news/story?id=4338923)
There was something on ESPN's bottom line a few days ago about Mayfield's stepmother testefying that she personally witnessed him smoking meth something like 40+ times over a 3 year period. So the questions I have for Mr Mayfield are these: How closely was that independant laboratory monitoring you when you submitted that sample? Like...did they check to see that you only had the standard-issue singular penis and not an additional ersatz model connected to a valve and a bladder containing someone else's urine which you then submitted as your own? Or for that matter did they check to see that it was actually you delivering your own urine and not someone else entirely pretending to be you? Or maybe you did actually submit a clean sample of your own urine. Congratulations. I bet you celebrated with a big hit off the ol' meth pipe, because that's the only way that you would think that the public would believe that one clean whiz quiz could equate to you having never done drugs, in light of all the evidence to the contrary. So, no more driving race cars for you. And while you are at it, please stay off the public roads as well.
Bucky, I think you should not be so quick to rush to judgment.
Jeremy's stepmother is a greedy, gold-digging bitch who he claims personally had a hand in killing his father. And now she is only trying to get a pay day by lying about Mayfield, who she hates because he won't give her any money.
If Mayfield is a tweeker, he damned sure hides it well. I've talked to plenty of tweekers in my time and whether they were actually high at the time or not, you could tell they were batu heads just by hearing their speach patterns. Jeremy Mayfield does not talk like a tweeker.
I know that isn't exactly enough to say he is innocent by any means but I am rooting for the guy, just because I think it would be absolutely f'n hilarious if he proved that NASCAR was trying to blackball him.
TheBigCat
07-19-09, 10:45 PM
What does NASCAR stand to gain by having him blackballed if he's not a tweeker? And if he were someone whose usage were to the point where it would be that apparent as you say he would not be capable of driving a race car. I have seen guys like that myself and I wouldn't trust them to drive a Big Wheel. But people who aren't that bad yet, you can't tell just by looking.
That bad "yet"? If you listen to his step-mother, he's been doing it for at least 10 years. Meth is addictive as hell and the longer you do it, the more you do it. It seems kinda unrealistic that he would be able to do it that long and keep his usage so minimal that it wouldn't show.
Meth is the kind of drug that has very noticeable physical signs. I have a hard time believing he could do it for that long without someone noticing the symptoms before now. Especially in such a high profile position as a NASCAR driver.
What would they have to gain? Well, they could be trying to look tough on drugs by making an example out of Mayfield. Scare tactics... so no one else does it.
Also, it's entirely possible Mayfield just pissed off the wrong person (Helton, maybe?) and they are using this to run him out of the sport and ruin his name.
I really hope he isn't a tweeker. If he somehow manages to clear his name and prove NASCAR brass was behind the whole thing, that would be soooooooo so so funny! Quite frankly, I am sick of the people who run NASCAR these days. If the truth comes out and shows Mayfield is innocent, maybe... just maybe... Helton and a few others would get fired and some new, more competent, people could come in and run the show.
TheBigCat
07-20-09, 03:48 AM
NO argument whatever with the statement about being pissed off at the dolts running NASCAR.
Meanwhile, I have known people who have been functional addicts for years just by bouncing in and out of 12 step programs or rehab or going cold turkey, white knuckling it before they got that bad. And there are people who can maintain above the addiction by carefully using on only infrequent occasions, but those people are rare, and frankly I have no idea how they can do that.
Another race delayed by rain. NASCAR is a pathetic joke of a sanctioning body. They bill the start of a race as 1PM EST. It's after 2PM and it's nowhere near starting. One could blame the rain, but the rain delay was announced about 5 minutes ago. If we didn't have to sit through over an hour and half of pre-race :bs:, ads, sponsor mentions, etc then this race (or any for that matter) would have been well into its 90 lap run by this point.
Then again NASCAR, here's an idea: every other credible, non-head-up-their-ass racing sanctioning body on Earth has these new fangled inventions called "rain tires". Look into it. I'd be willing to bet good money that those Goodyear people do know how to make a tire with tread on it. If they won't help, talk to Firestone. I know for a fact that they know how to do it (and they could probably make a slick tire that doesn't fall apart like a wet Kleenex too).
/mini-rant
Another race delayed by rain. NASCAR is a pathetic joke of a sanctioning body. They bill the start of a race as 1PM EST. It's after 2PM and it's nowhere near starting. One could blame the rain, but the rain delay was announced about 5 minutes ago. If we didn't have to sit through over an hour and half of pre-race :bs:, ads, sponsor mentions, etc then this race (or any for that matter) would have been well into its 90 lap run by this point.
Then again NASCAR, here's an idea: every other credible, non-head-up-their-ass racing sanctioning body on Earth has these new fangled inventions called "rain tires". Look into it. I'd be willing to bet good money that those Goodyear people do know how to make a tire with tread on it. If they won't help, talk to Firestone. I know for a fact that they know how to do it (and they could probably make a slick tire that doesn't fall apart like a wet Kleenex too).
/mini-rant
There's a NASCAR race scheduled for today? :rolleyez:
An hour and a half of pre-race? You are not giving them enough credit. First, it was an hour of NASCAR Now on ESPN. Then, it was two hours of NASCAR RaceDay on SPEED. Then, it was another hour of NASCAR Countdown on ESPN. Then... all the actual pre-race BS (praying and singing (is it a race or a religious event?!))
That's close to 4 1/2 hours of pre-race :bs:.
And the entire time it was dry.
They also knew rain was on the way. How long does it take to run a race at Watkins Glen? Between 2 and 3 hours, depending on cautions.
So... maybe I am just retarded but it seems like to me they should have started the race early instead of sitting around and running their mouths for hours on end.
Just for the record... I didn't even turn it on until after the opening ceremonies. It didn't take me long to change the channel.
As for rain tires: they proved last year in Canada that stock cars can race in the rain. Given, it would only work on a road coarse but that's two dates a year they could come in handy. Like........ today.
Oh, hey... screw NASCAR. There is an Indy race on!
So now they're just going to run it tomorrow. As if there already weren't few enough people watching, I guess they're just content to run everything on Monday at noon. I can't believe that Mike Helton and/or Brian France have the balls to question why their "sport"'s popularity is going down the toilet. I am continuing to run out of reasons to watch at this point and, to be honest, I can't really give a good reason why I still do. Maybe it's out of some twisted sense of loyalty since I've been around NASCAR since I was born. Who knows. It's more likely due to the same reason you can't drive by a train wreck without looking.
Before this season, it had been probably 4 years since I had missed a race. Now, it has gotten to the point that I willingly don't watch races at certain tracks. I didn't watch either Pocono race. Somebody shoot me before I ever watch Sonoma again. I ain't gonna watch Michigan next week. And come tomorrow, I will be trying to find anything to do but watch the race at Watkins Glen. They haven't had a good race since Daytona and that feels like 2 months ago.
Somebody wake me up when it's time to go night racing at Bristol.
TheBigCat
08-10-09, 05:49 AM
At least the Glen is an honest to god road course (still say that NASCAR has no business getting off an oval but if they are gonna do it that's the place they should be) as opposed to Sonoma which was built for cars with four-bangers that can't top 150.
Some advice for a fair-weather sport ...
Big Bill France, who had the vision to found NASCAR, also had enough common sense not to defy the weather.
In July, he would start the Firecracker 400 at 10 a.m., knowing full well that if he went up against the afternoon thunderstorms along Daytona Beach, he would lose. Every time.
He scheduled some races by the long-range forecasts in the old Farmer's Almanac. It seldom steered him wrong.
That wisdom seems lost on his posterity. NASCAR keeps flouting the weather, and losing. Just asking for it, and getting it.
Two rainouts in a row now. Can we make it three? The long-range forecast for Sunday at Michigan International Speedway is partly cloudy, but we shall see. Another midafternoon start in the summertime on the North American continent, another risk of thunderstorms, another shot at racing on Monday.
One young crewman, trotting out of the drizzly garage area at Watkins Glen on Sunday evening, yelped, "I'm LOVIN' this Monday morning racing." The wry connotation was that he might as well get used to it.
Soon afterward, one fan commented in an ESPN Conversation, "Rainy days and Mondays always get me down."
A few more weekends like the past two, and those words, borrowed from the late Karen Carpenter, might become bumper stickers and T-shirts.
And that was one of the milder comments. TV viewers -- not to mention the fans at the tracks, who, by and large, can't come back on Mondays.-- are up to the gills with rainouts.
Little could have been done at Pocono on Aug. 2-3, with intermittent rain in the morning, other than for NASCAR to have demanded in advance that racetrack officials repair the "weepers," the cracks in the pavement that let water seep through, maddeningly, after rain has stopped.
Watkins Glen was another matter. I sat for nearly three hours and watched a massive weather front on the radar come down from Canada, mosey on across Lake Ontario and right at us. It was obvious the front was going to hit the Finger Lakes region of New York almost precisely at the scheduled starting time for the race. The lightning began only seconds before the command to start engines.
You sit and watch the weather come, and watch NASCAR officials sit there dawdling, staring at the radar screens without changing the schedule by a minute, then you start to figure many fans, who for years have been calling for emergency early starts to beat the weather, might be right.
By Monday, local fan Brian Ciaravino, who owns his own business and was able to come back for the postponed race, was wondering why they hadn't rescheduled the start for 10 a.m. instead of noon, noting that the humidity was building so that he feared another round of afternoon thunderstorms.
He'd been on the grounds since 7:30 a.m., as he had been every day of the race weekend. Had NASCAR called for an emergency noon start on Sunday, instead of 2:20 p.m., "I'd have been there," he said. A 10 a.m. start rather than noon on Monday? "I'd love it," he said.
As NASCAR has gone more and more to mid- and late-afternoon starts, and to night racing, I've noticed that NASCAR fans still tend to show up at the tracks early in the mornings, regardless. It's a habit formed through the decades.
Should NASCAR, on a given Sunday, see that rain was inevitable by 2:30 p.m. and call an emergency 10 or 11 a.m. start to beat the weather, I think cheers would go up from the incoming crowds. Fans would know NASCAR was trying to do something for them, the people who bought the tickets and traveled to the race, and therefore -- assuming you want to be fair about it -- those who deserve the highest priority.
But even TV viewers often complain vehemently about Monday starts, because they have to go to work and can't watch the race.
The assumed reason for the midafternoon starts is the West Coast TV market. How many woefully missed sellouts at Fontana and small gatherings at Sonoma will it take for NASCAR to realize that Californians largely don't care about the sport?
And from Californians who do, I've gotten plenty of e-mail over the years indicating that they're long accustomed to getting up early on Sundays to watch sports events in the East, and wouldn't mind doing so for NASCAR any more than they mind it for the NFL.
The other long-proposed alternative, developing rain tires for Cup cars, still seems a long way off at best. The difficulty is that the 3,400-pound cars are just too heavy for rain tires. Once the track went from wet to damp, treaded tires would tend to burn up through the corners due to the high friction and heavy weight.
Last year, Nationwide cars ran on rain tires on the road course at Montreal, but no tests have even been conducted on the current Cup car for rain tires.
With enough engineering and development, over time Goodyear probably could come up with adequate rain tires for Cup races. But neither the tire maker nor the sanctioning body is showing any inclination to go to such expense.
So the only real answer in the summertime is flexible starting times, and/or earlier starting times.
As it is, the midafternoon starts are ticking off fans nationwide, two ways: forcing them to wait hours longer for the race to start than they want to even on a fair-weather day, and subjecting them to rainouts on the stormy afternoons.
The other element of nature that Big Bill France never defied was human nature -- the wrath of his fans.
He knew he'd have lost. Every time.
SOURCE (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4396563&name=hinton_ed)
The main problem with starting the races early... NASCAR brass would need a brain. I don't think it has one.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
My response is too R-rated for this forum.
Yo Brian... yesterday's race... ya know, the one with the great finish...
Yeah, let's just be happy with N'wide before they screw that up too.
Well at least this week there was no caution ruining the finish - I hate it when there's actually an exciting finish and someone racing for 33rd position does something stupid. But I'd like to see Mark Martin make the chase - he had a good race right up to the last lap when he ran out of gas, and now he's just barely hanging on to 12th.
This is a very good article about the life and times of an infamous NASCAR legend.
More than Tim Richmond died in 1989
Tim Richmond died 20 years ago Thursday. Aug. 13, 1989, was the end of the party in NASCAR.
Dr. Jerry Punch, the young ESPN reporter and de facto family physician in the garage area, sent more than 90 people from the traveling show for AIDS testing that summer.
And an era that was, shall we say, wide-open, stopped.
http://i25.tinypic.com/23iv1pe.jpg
Tim Richmond wasn't just a winning driver -- he was the life of the party.
You could almost see and hear them standing around the haulers, calculating: "Now she was with Richmond, I know … and then she was with [fill in the blank]. And then he was with [fill in another blank.] And then she was with me -- uh -- Hey, Doc! I need to ask you about something."
You may have heard that the Cole Trickle character in the film "Days of Thunder" was based on Richmond. Truly, Trickle was a wimp and a wallflower compared to Richmond.
Dale Earnhardt used to rent an entire bar, drinks on him, all night, at Coca-Cola 600 time at Charlotte. Richmond didn't last 10 minutes in there before he started a fight. He wasn't the only guy who ever left there with a fat lip, but he got it in record time.
Can you imagine Jeff Gordon doing something like that?
Rich-kid Richmond and Earnhardt's mill-town homeboys never did mix well, even though the two drivers themselves -- one the son of a wealthy Ohio construction-equipment inventor, the other the son of a North Carolina dirt-tracker -- became best buddies soon after Richmond gravitated from Indy cars to NASCAR in 1980.
Out at the Charlotte track, in front of a race-day crowd, Richmond once staggered across the stage during driver introductions. He carried a large plastic drinking cup, half full. His uniform was unzipped down to his belly button and thrown back at the shoulders, and drivers didn't wear fireproof underwear in those days.
Drivers had been told to introduce themselves. Richmond, who'd qualified outside pole, brought himself to a wobbly halt in front of the microphone and scanned the crowd through sunglasses. He raised the cup, saluted the crowd, took a long chugalug, wiped his mouth, wobbled some more.
"I'm T-i-i-m R-r-richmond," he slurred. "Just havin' a great time, sittin' here on the front r-o-w-w-w." He chugged again, and staggered away.
Can you imagine Jimmie Johnson doing something like that?
http://i28.tinypic.com/dm681z.jpg
Seeing Tim Richmond out front was common in 1986 -- a season in which he won seven times -- including this day at Daytona in the Firecracker 400. He won the July Fourth extravaganza despite having his windshield held in place by tape.
A hundred thousand people wondered whether Richmond really was drunk. Knowing him, they wouldn't put it past him. But he was a showman, too. And this turned out to be an act.
It wasn't an act when he closed a bar the night before a race with me and a couple of colleagues. This was at North Wilkesboro, N.C. The topic of the wee-hours debate -- make that argument -- was why the media had to cover the things we did. Like his escapades.
He'd recently raised a general alarm of security guards at the newspaper where I worked at the time, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A colleague was interviewing him in a glassed-in room just off the sports department on the eighth floor when security surrounded the little room.
A guard tapped on the door and beckoned the writer, wanting to know what the story was with this guy.
Tim Richmond, the NASCAR driver, the guard was told. Why?
Well, Richmond had just been down in the lobby talking about bringing a bomb into the place and saying nasty things about a writer at the paper.
Turned out Richmond, on a local media tour for the Atlanta track, had rambled through the lobby and onto the elevators so easily that he bellowed (probably after he'd had a few at lunch), "Look! There's no security in this place! I could bring a bomb in here."
Can you imagine Carl Edwards doing something like that?
Richmond had mumbled something about a celebrity gossip columnist who had reported on Richmond out on the town in Atlanta on a previous occasion. Richmond had been spotted cruising in a limo, buying $150 bottles of Dom Perignon by the half-dozen at various nightspots, then awakened alone in the backseat in broad daylight, still cruising, his Rolex and his wallet missing, only a pair of panties left as a calling card by that particular lady.
But she might have gotten a calling card from Richmond -- AIDS. Various published accounts since his death have claimed he infected several women -- as many as a dozen, according to one Miami Herald report. Some were purported to be race queens and models.
AMONG THE BEST
How did Tim Richmond compare to some of the NASCAR greats?
Here are the winningest Cup series drivers from June 13, 1982, to June 21, 1987 (courtesy ESPN Stats & Information)
Driver Wins:
Darrell Waltrip 26
Dale Earnhardt 19
Bill Elliott 18
Bobby Allison 14
Tim Richmond 13
Cale Yarborough 11When and by whom Richmond himself was infected remains as much a mystery as how many he infected. Lore has long had it that he contracted AIDS at the end of his best season, 1986, in which he won seven races for Hendrick Motorsports. He won the finale at Riverside, Calif., and stayed over for weeks to party with the Hollywood crowd.
By 1987, he missed the Daytona 500 with what we in the media were told was "double pneumonia." He quit Hendrick, and the AIDS rumors quickly followed in the garage-area gossip: "I don't want what he's got," Darrell Waltrip said cryptically, and wryly.
Later that spring, when Richmond returned, one person in NASCAR would know that Richmond had AIDS. He confided in Punch.
Punch would tell me years later that he had feared Richmond might, while running a race wide-open, unbuckle his safety harness and slam into some third-turn wall, "go out in a blaze of glory," as Punch put it. But instead Richmond roared to back-to-back wins that June, at Pocono and Riverside.
Then he was gone again.
In '88 came the uproar that, to this day, keeps me from rushing to judgment on Jeremy Mayfield in the current substance-abuse mess. Intentionally or unintentionally, NASCAR "besmirched" Richmond, his attorney claimed, for substance abuse, widely suspected to involve cocaine. NASCAR never proved the charges, at least not publicly.
NASCAR very likely knew Richmond had AIDS. Any bleeding injuries he might sustain on the track might put at risk their safety workers, who didn't wear protective gloves at the time. And ordering the workers to take such precautions might spread a panic.
When Richmond tried to enter the Busch Clash (now the Bud Shootout) of 1988 independently from Hendrick, making a deal to drive a mediocre car owned by Ken Ragan, father of current driver David Ragan, NASCAR came up with its first substance-abuse policy.
Richmond submitted to the test, and the sample was then sent off to the nation's leading substance-abuse authority of the time, Dr. Forest Tennant of Los Angeles. NASCAR came out with a statement that it had found controlled substances in the sample, and then days later had to come out and admit that what Tennant in fact had found were over-the-counter medications.
Richmond sued NASCAR for defamation of character, bringing in renowned New York lawyer Barry Slotnick. The case never came to trial, and the settlement was sealed by the courts.
The last time I talked with Richmond was in March 1988. It was on the phone. He was in South Florida, in seclusion, and I was in Atlanta. He lied to me when I asked about AIDS.
"Thank God it wasn't anything like that," he said. "What I had was bad enough."
NASCAR was an out-of-sight, out-of-mind society then -- whether you were dead, comatose, gravely ill, whatever -- and as Richmond lay dying, his memory was suppressed. The AIDS talk remained but quieted, and the traveling show rationalized that maybe Richmond was bisexual, maybe he used needle-injected drugs, whatever. They wouldn't accept AIDS as a heterosexually transmitted disease, lest it spoil the ongoing party.
Then when he died there was no more denial. A few weeks later his family held a news conference acknowledging that he died of complications from AIDS, and that he had contracted it heterosexually.
The party stopped, not just sexually but on myriad fronts. Based on the lessons of Richmond, NASCAR drivers became far less media-friendly, more reclusive, more buttoned-down, much more guarded in their words and deeds. They wouldn't drink with the media out in the bars anymore. All you got to know of them was what their PR people instructed them to be.
Mythmakers, by the way, have turned Richmond into a far better driver in death than he was in life. He was an excellent driver, but his performances were spotty, erratic as his personality. He died at 34, with but 13 wins in 185 starts over eight seasons. Johnson, 33, in his eighth season, has won 43 times with three straight championships.
Richmond was "another Earnhardt," as some claimed, only on the wild-driving side, often laughing after crashes. They wrecked each other, their cars once landing "on top of each other," as they used to brag.
It was Richmond the character, more than Richmond the driver, who founded the legend.
But the characters and the color have since drained out of the sport, like the baby thrown out with the bathwater.
Richmond was by no means the only hell-raiser in NASCAR, nor even the last one. He was just the one it caught up with, the one who paid the price. After he died, his contemporaries stopped.
The robotic pitchmen arose as the driver class, and they prevail today.
So, you want to talk about the "end of an era"? That was Aug. 13, 1989.
SOURCE (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/columns/story?columnist=hinton_ed&id=4394325)
RIP Mr. Richmond
I know a certain oversized kitty who is happy...
TheBigCat
09-07-09, 07:36 AM
Hells yeah. Big win in Atlanta, jump 5 spots to #6 in the standings, way to go Kasey. :D
Vickers is in the Chase... and Kyle is out!!! :rotfl:
Someone get the poor little crybaby a box of tissues.
Tryson only welcome at debriefing (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=4489355)
LOUDON, N.H. -- Penske Racing crew chief Pat Tryson says he's only welcome at the race shop for the once-weekly debrief meeting.
Because Tryson is moving to Michael Waltrip Racing at the end of this season, the team does not want him present during any preparations for 2010.
"They want me to focus on this year's stuff and they've got stuff going on at the shop for next year, so they're going to work on that," Tryson said before Sunday's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "I'll be communicating by e-mail and phones, and I'll be in there for driver debrief on Tuesdays.
"Tuesday is the only day I'm welcome."
It could make things difficult as Tryson and driver Kurt Busch attempt to win the championship this season. But Tryson says he's still committed to the No. 2 team, and can do a lot of his planning from home.
Busch, the 2004 Chase champion, starts the 10-race title hunt Sunday ranked seventh in the standings.
But Penske vice president of operations Mike Nelson said the team is striking the right balance by involving Tryson in this year's planning and keeping him from the shop during preparations for 2010.
"It really breaks down to 2009 vs. 2010. He's not there for the discussions that we have about 2010. That's a lot of what we're doing at the shop right now," Nelson said. "The 2009 stuff -- that's something that he needs to be involved with and there's no change in his involvement with Kurt. That's the meeting that Kurt comes in for on Tuesdays. We're trying to leave that part of it seamless.
"We're trying not to affect anything for 2009, it's just that it doesn't make any sense for him or for us to sit down and discuss what we're doing in 2010."
Tryson said he does not have permission to be at MWR the other days of the week so he can prepare for being Martin Truex Jr.'s crew chief next year.
"I'm still working for Penske, and that's all I'm worried about," Tryson said. "I'm just worried about winning the championship. You can do a lot of it via e-mail, so it's not that big a deal. The biggest thing is the lack of communication with the guys, seeing the guys."
What a circus. Too many distractions to even think about winning a championship. Tryson's a idiot for announcing his move so early, and Penske should have gotten rid of him when he did announce it. There's really no reason for him to be there at this point and he's not even involved in day-to-day stuff.
You mean... you expect someone in NASCAR these days to do something that makes sense? (rhetorical question)
In years past, NASCAR would be on my big screen today with two NFL games up top. Now, NASCAR has been relegated to the smallest of the three so I can concentrate more on football. I'll catch the final 20 laps or so but I've just about lost interest in the rest of it.
Interesting little compilation list I came across tonight.
Best of the decade: The top NASCAR fights of the 2000s (http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Best-of-the-decade-The-top-NASCAR-fights-of-the?urn=nascar,206042#remaining-content)
We're counting down the best stories of the decade, and today, we focus on some of the best off-track action around -- the fights! NASCAR first burst into popularity thanks to a fight at the 1979 Daytona 500, and the drivers haven't slowed down since. Check some of the most famous on- and off-track fights of the last 10 years, right here.
10. Jeff Gordon vs. Matt Kenseth, Bristol, 2006: Kenseth dumped Gordon, and then Gordon got out of his car and shoved Kenseth. Really. I can't believe it either.
cqh0ozO48oI
9. Kevin Harvick vs. Juan Pablo Montoya, Watkins Glen, 2007: Montoya spun into Harvick, and then Harvick decided to have a few words with JPM. It didn't go so well.
1GCu5e9cayw
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. vs. Kyle Busch, Richmond, 2008: The fight that wasn't, but should have been. Kyle Busch turned Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the final laps of the Richmond race, and Junior didn't respond effectively enough -- or at all -- for many people's tastes. This, for many, was the moment Kyle owned Dale.
ocDS8zgOrlM
7. Carl Edwards vs. Matt Kenseth, Martinsville, 2007: Tempers flared between teammates, and Edwards did the old fake-punch-make-ya-flinch move to Kenseth, who bit -- and instantly regretted doing so.
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6. Tony Stewart vs. Kurt Busch, Bud Shootout, 2008: Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch had a long history of knocking heads, and it came to a head in the preseason Bud Shootout last year. Both drivers were disciplined by NASCAR in the hauler, and they've been calm since then.
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5. Jimmy Spencer vs. Kurt Busch, Michigan, 2003: After multiple on-track incidents, Spencer rammed Busch following the race, and then jumped out of his car and decked Busch. The result? Fines, but also cheers.
wlaPj6lsGKc
4. Kevin Harvick vs. Greg Biffle, Bristol, 2002: Harvick and Biffle go at it after Biffle rammed Harvick. Line of the fight: "Biffle's an idiot, that's pretty much enough."
atHh2MSwU8I
3. Robby Gordon vs. Michael Waltrip, New Hampshire, 2005: Gordon and Waltrip have gone at each other quite a few times, but the best one had to be when Gordon threw his helmet at Waltrip after getting spun. "Well, that's just rude," Waltrip said.
guX8i5r7Knk
2. Kevin Harvick vs. Carl Edwards, Lowe's Motor Speedway, 2008: No video of the fight exists, but plenty of pictures do, like the one at the top of this post. Edwards is a workout fiend, but Harvick apparently got the better of him. Edwards later left a note in Harvick's plane, which seems a pretty goofy way to end it, but hey -- that's 21st-century NASCAR.
1. Denny Hamlin vs. Brad Keselowski, Charlotte, 2008 and onward: Hamlin and Jet Ski have had a hate-hate relationship going for about 18 months now, and this was where it all began -- a Nationwide race that ended in a fight involving both crews and Dale Earnhardt Jr., among many others. This gets the nod simply because it's gone on so long ... and continues to this day.
f8kX9tMnN68
And, if all that didn't sate your bloodlust enough, here's a compilation of all the great fights in recent NASCAR history. Enjoy -- but be sure to calm down before you leave the computer!
(Video song language warning)
BLf-ny2I-SY
The awards ceremony was on tonight. While changing channels, I accidentally stopped on it for a second. Literally. A second. Probably less. Then I had the channel changed to something else. Whew.
The only part I wanted to see was the donuts on the streets of Vegas.
OnkJ0F1d43c
spartygirl
12-05-09, 05:51 AM
The only part I wanted to see was the donuts on the streets of Vegas.
OnkJ0F1d43c
and they were fun to watch !!!! I wish I had been there !! I live in Mich..not far from MIS..they had a toys-for-tots day today at track...you bring toys, food,etc and you can drive around track...it was way cool !!! of course, I couldnt go as fast as I wanted to but it was still fun...the banking is awesome on the track !!! but did make it home to see some of the festivities in Vegas !!!!
That sounds like fun. It'd be nice to get on a track with your everyday car and see how it is. They used to do that just up the road at Atlanta, but it's been several years. I wonder what it'd take to get on the track over in Talladega. Hmm. :)
I wonder what it'd take to get on the track over in Talladega. Hmm. :)
I wouldn't know nothing about that...
:innocent:
I did mean legally, of course. :eyebrow:
I doubt they'd ever do that in its current configuration. Someone with no concept of banking would probably stop in one of the turns. That'd be fun to watch.
You'd be surprised at some of the things I saw at that track. I was able to gain entry at opportune times due to a buddy of mine being good friends with the head security guard at the track.
You know they test Harleys there?
As big as that place is, I'm surprise Boeing doesn't test landing gear there.
Well, they DO have their own airport on the backside of the track lol
Looks like that godawful rear wing is gone.
NASCAR to switch from rear wing to rear spoiler (http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/headlines/cup/01/15/rear.spoiler.adapted/index.html/)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR informed teams Friday that it has scheduled an open test at Charlotte Motor Speedway as part of an upcoming transition from a rear wing to a rear spoiler.
The change had been discussed individually with teams, but nothing had been formally announced before the Friday memo to crew chiefs from Cup Series director John Darby.
"To help put some of the rumor mills to rest, I am sending you the following facts as they relate to changes for 2010," Darby wrote in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. "We will be transitioning from the usage of the current wing to an aluminum spoiler."
NASCAR will hold an informational meeting for teams in mid-March, and the spoiler will be tested March 23-24 at CMS. No race has been selected for the spoiler debut, but the March 28 event at Martinsville is the earliest the change could be implemented based on the timeline outlined by Darby.
The season opens Feb. 14 with the Daytona 500, Martinsville is the sixth race on the schedule.
Darby explained in the memo that NASCAR's goal in returning to a rear spoiler is to adjust the downforce and balance that is being produced on the current car.
NASCAR in 2007 phased in a new model of race car that replaced the spoiler with a rear wing. Many drivers were slow to adapt to the new car, which went to full-time use in 2008, and fans have claimed the car has made the racing boring.
NASCAR last May began a series of town hall and individual meetings with teams, and one of the constant cries from participants was a need to alter the car design.
The decision to actually do so has come from offseason meetings with drivers, but the timing means teams will have to scramble to adjust inventory that's already been prepared for this coming season.
Darby said the size and shape of the spoiler will not be determined until NASCAR has a chance to do wind tunnel testing on the car, and once decided, a supplier will be selected to produce the part. Teams will have to purchase the spoiler from the selected supplier.
And Casey Mears is out of a job.
RCR Back To Three Cars (http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-rcr-back-to-three-cars/)
When Richard Childress Racing announced last fall that long-time sponsor Jack Daniel’s was leaving NASCAR, the team said its plan was to keep running four cars in 2010. But with no replacement sponsor available, that plan has now fallen by the wayside.
RCR will head to Daytona Speedweeks next month with just three cars, the No. 29 Pennzoil-sponsored Chevrolet driven by Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton’s No. 31 Caterpillar entry and the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper car that Clint Bowyer drives.
With Jack Daniel’s gone, the No. 07 is sidelined and driver Casey Mears, who was with the team for just one season, is out of work. It’s not an especially opportune time for Mears, given that he got married last weekend, but that’s the reality of it.
Mears ended the season 21st in the Sprint Cup points standings, with four top-10 finishes and a best result of sixth at Michigan International Speedway. In six full-time Cup seasons, Mears has finished between 14th and 22nd in points each time.
The good news for the team is that after a dismal first two-thirds of the season, RCR finished the 2009 Sprint Cup campaign on a high note, with Burton posting three top fives in the final four races, including runner-up finishes in the final two events of the year at Phoenix International Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. Likewise, Harvick, the 2007 Daytona 500 winner, had two top-fives in the final three races of the year.
And Bowyer believes the squad will be much improved this year, especially on the fast intermediate tracks that make up about half of the Sprint Cup schedule.
“I think our cars were running a lot better by the end of the year,” said Bowyer. “Can't wait to get to California and some of these mile‑and‑a‑half tracks and see what we got for them.”
Bowyer was candid about the importance of improving after a disappointing season that saw RCR shut out of both victory lane and the Chase for the Sprint, the latter for the first time since 2005.
“We need to be a lot better,” said Bowyer, who was the only driver besides Jimmie Johnson to finish in the top five in points in both 2007 and ’08, but slumped to 15th last season. “Looking forward to getting things started off right. It's so important to get out of Daytona with the season started on the right foot. Daytona has been good to me in the past. I'm looking forward to it.”
Wow, what lousy writing - neither of those stories say anything about how Danica Patrick is affected.
TheBigCat
01-19-10, 01:57 AM
Well, the first one is easy to figure. She's used to driving a car with a rear spoiler, so the learning curve should be a bit easier on her. As for the second, I don't imagine it will affect her much at all. But I get your drift. I hate how these "reporters" ignore the facts which are truly important to the public.
I wouldn't look for her in Sprint Cup any time soon. Though, you never know.
That said.....
Bigger restrictor plates and no "yellow line rule"? Is Brian France having a sudden bout of sense? Yeah, I doubt it too.
Sources tell Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway with Dave Moody that NASCAR could mandate a larger restrictor plate for this year’s running of the Daytona 500. Sprint Cup Series racers were required to run a 31/32” plate at Daytona and Talladega last season, but multiple sources who attended a meeting with NASCAR today say the sanctioning body may allow a bigger plate this season in an effort to boost horsepower, torque and throttle response. That move would reportedly come as part of a package of changes that could include aerodynamic modifications to the rear window area and a switch from rear wings to old-style rear spoilers. A number of procedural changes are also bring discussed, including the abolition of no bumping zones and the so-called “yellow line rule” at both Daytona and Talladega. A spokesman for NASCAR declined to comment when asked about the restrictor plate change earlier today, saying that meetings are ongoing with drivers and teams, and that no final decisions have been made.
(Source (http://jayski.com/teams/nastuff2010.htm))
Anyone interested in doing a Fantasy Pick 'Ems for the 2010 NASCAR season? I thought about it last year but never started a league. It would be through Yahoo, just like the NFL Pick 'Ems. The rules are pretty simple:
Completely free to play
Pick a team of four NASCAR drivers for each race
Earn fantasy points based on your drivers' real life performance
That's it.
Actually I already have a team created, but I thought it'd be fun to get a group of race fans together here and compete against each other. Ideally we could get it up and running before Feb 1.
But I get your drift. I hate how these "reporters" ignore the facts which are truly important to the public.
Well, I was joking, and maybe you are too - I guess you never know without a :).
I wouldn't look for her in Sprint Cup any time soon. Though, you never know.
Doesn't matter, we still want to speculate. :) But yeah it'll be a while, if ever, unless she turns out to be phenomenal.
In any case - the story says they're doing it to "adjust" the downforce. In what way, more or less - or is it more complicated that that? I guess 'more' would tend to make the racing more exciting? And I guess that would fit in with the restrictor plate change.
In case you can't tell, I get all my NASCAR info from this forum.
TheBigCat
01-19-10, 07:18 PM
I thought the tone of my post made an emoticon unnecessary. At least that was my aim. *sigh* FAIL
;)
I'm not sure exactly what to think about this or whether it'll help at all.
NASCAR attempting to energize sport (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=4845878)
CONCORD, N.C. -- Have at it, boys.
NASCAR is relaxing some of its rules this season, and encouraging drivers to show more aggression and emotion, in large part to answer a growing fan sentiment that the sport had gone stale.
"There's an age old saying that NASCAR, 'If you ain't rubbing, you ain't racing,' " NASCAR president Mike Helton said Thursday. "I think that's what the NASCAR fan, the NASCAR stakeholders all bought into, and all expect."
The first change will be evident when the season opens next month at Daytona International Speedway, where restrictions on bump-drafting will be lifted and horsepower will be increased by the use of the largest restrictor plate since 1989.
NASCAR had been slowly tightening its tolerance on bumping at Daytona and Talladega -- the two biggest and fastest tracks in the series, where the horsepower-sapping restrictor plates are used to control speeds -- and it graduated into an outright ban issued the morning of the November race at Talladega. The edict sucked the drama out of what's typically one of the most exciting races of the year, and was the final straw for many race fans who had grown tired of watered-down racing.
Even some drivers publicly complained, criticism that is usually frowned upon in NASCAR.
"Let us RACE," Denny Hamlin tweeted after the Talladega drivers meeting, later adding, "We signed up to drive our cars. Not be told how to."
He's getting his wish.
"We will put it back in the hands of drivers, and we will say 'Boys, have at it and have a good time,' " vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said Thursday.
The yellow out-of-bounds line that circles the bottom of those two tracks will remain, and Pemberton said the majority of drivers did not want that removed.
Another change coming this year will be an eventual switch from the rear wing to a spoiler on the back of the car, a design change that should both positively affect downforce and the aesthetic look that race fans prefer.
Also on tap is an organizational restructuring. The most prominent shuffle is the promotion of longtime Sprint Cup Series director John Darby into an oversight position, and NASCAR is actively looking for his replacement in a role that is effectively the top cop of the garage.
Darby's successor could be in for a busy year, particularly if drivers answer NASCAR chairman Brian France's call "to mix it up a little bit differently" going forward.
As NASCAR exploded over the 1990s past its small Southern roots into a billion-dollar, corporate-fueled sport, its participants seemed to morph into robotic sponsor shills too frightened to make waves. NASCAR wasn't immune, either, and started policing on-track aggression and off-track emotion.
Intentional on-track retaliation was met with immediate punishment, while transgressions such as shoving a competitor or cursing in a television interview were met with monetary fines and/or points deductions.
Fans were incensed that the rough and tumble sport they once loved had been molded into boring, follow-the-leader racing, and their favorite drivers had become too vanilla. It wasn't until last fall -- when Hamlin waged a monthslong feud with up-and-comer Brad Keselowski, and Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya intentionally wrecked each other in the season finale -- that NASCAR finally saw the lift the emotions and personalities can deliver to the sport.
So France, who in the past has been accused of being out of touch with stock car racing's participants, began a series of offseason meetings with individual teams and drivers to poll opinion on how to re-energize the sport.
All the changes announced Thursday, as well as the promise by France that NASCAR will "loosen it up," came from those meetings.
Still, Helton cautioned it won't be the Wild West.
"It doesn't mean that you get a free pass-out-of-jail card," he said. "But it certainly means that what we are encouraging the competitors ... for their character and their personality, within reason, to be unfolded."
I run a Fantasy League with my buddies. Can use a driver only once, you get points equal to finish. lowest points wins. We also have a 5 point per 1/2 hr fine for late picks. Picks are Friday before 8.
If you guys want to run a league I am in.
I looked into the Yahoo thing a little more closely after making that post. Apparently you have to select so many A, B, and C tier drivers, and you can only use them so many times, then have to change throughout the season. It's a hell of a lot more complicated than what I was thinking it was and more time intensive than I was really looking for. We could do something more in line with what you mentioned though chaz. Seems pretty simple.
I thought the tone of my post made an emoticon unnecessary. At least that was my aim. *sigh* FAIL
;)
Well, I wasn't sure if you were joking along with me or just trying avoid telling me how stupid my comment was. :)
OK folks, time to start the circus again. The Budweiser Shootout is tonight, 2/6/10, down in Daytona. Here's your starting lineup:
Starting position / Car Number / Driver
1 99 Carl Edwards
2 29 Kevin Harvick
3 83 Brian Vickers
4 39 Ryan Newman
5 16 Greg Biffle
6 5 Mark Martin
7 31 Jeff Burton
8 17 Matt Kenseth
9 1 Jamie McMurray
10 34 John Andretti
11 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
12 71 Bobby Labonte
13 14 Tony Stewart
14 82 Ken Schrader
15 151 Michael Waltrip
16 48 Jimmie Johnson
17 18 Kyle Busch
18 175 Derrike Cope
19 9 Kasey Kahne
20 42 Juan Montoya
21 20 Joey Logano
22 2 Kurt Busch
23 24 Jeff Gordon
24 11 Denny Hamlin
Is Jr living in a shack up in the mountains now? Geez.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v698/Leuthen2/MiscScreenCaps/EarnhardtJr.jpg
Kevin Harvick wins the Bud Shootout for the second year in a row. Not bad for a guy who's been sick all week/weekend.
Finish position / Start position / Car number / Driver
1 2 29 Kevin Harvick
2 19 9 Kasey Kahne
3 9 1 Jamie McMurray
4 17 18 Kyle Busch
5 24 11 Denny Hamlin
6 23 24 Jeff Gordon ng
7 21 20 Joey Logano
8 3 83 Brian Vickers
9 13 14 Tony Stewart
10 20 42 Juan Montoya
11 11 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
12 7 31 Jeff Burton
13 16 48 Jimmie Johnson
14 14 82 Ken Schrader
15 5 16 Greg Biffle
16 8 17 Matt Kenseth
17 1 99 Carl Edwards
18 12 71 Bobby Labonte
19 4 39 Ryan Newman
20 6 5 Mark Martin
21 15 151 Michael Waltrip
22 10 34 John Andretti
23 22 2 Kurt Busch Dodge
24 18 175 Derrike Cope
Next up, the Gatorade Duels. Mark Martin is on the pole and will lead Duel #1 and Dale Earnhardt Jr is on the outside pole and will lead Duel #2.
TheBigCat
02-07-10, 06:33 AM
And Cope finishes dead last. Why is that guy still racing? Charity time for a field-filler who got lucky and won Daytona 20 years ago?
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