2017 Talladega - Alabama 500 - Pre Race Thread

Plate racing, where dreams of a championship can turn into a nightmare in the blink of an eye..
Nothing against plate racing aka crash festing, but don't believe it should be in the chase elimination rounds.

That's close to how I feel, but I don't believe we should have playoff elimination rounds to begin with.
 
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In this made for television playoff format, I'd like to see Talladega replace Homestead as the last race of the season.

As long as we've got this elimination format to determine the season champion, I wouldn't mind seeing the season ending race rotated among different tracks.

That way Talladega could be the last race of the season every 10 years or so.

And then . . .

. . . . we just might get to see the four championship contenders wreck mid-way into the race and crews left trying to patch together badly damaged cars to get them back onto the track in order to complete more laps than any of the other contenders.

Actually, this scenario could happen at any track but it would be much more likely at Talladega.

Great way to to determine a season champion, eh ? :eek:
 
As long as we've got this elimination format to determine the season champion, I wouldn't mind seeing the season ending race rotated among different tracks.

That way Talladega could be the last race of the season every 10 years or so.

And then . . .

. . . . we just might get to see the four championship contenders wreck mid-way into the race and crews left trying to patch together badly damaged cars to get them back onto the track in order to complete more laps than any of the other contenders.

Actually, this scenario could happen at any track but it would be much more likely at Talladega.

Great way to to determine a season champion, eh ? :eek:
Talladega would only serve to magnify the ridiculousness of the format overall. I'm okay with that.
 
Please disregard the pics in this post. They are not idicative as to the outcome of this event or maybe they..... Anyhow, this one would be worth the listen if you've got time.

 
Sneak-peak of what half the cars will look like at the end of this thing with that stupid 5 minute clock-
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Well now you couldn't use any of that new metal. You would have to tape all of the old metal back on. Last Sunday was a good example of how misguided NASCAR's five minute clock is. If they had just let Kyle take the 18 to the garage and fix it right instead half-assing it on pit road, he likely wouldn't have had an issue with that car the rest of the day. So instead of a decent running car making good lap times and not causing cautions, we get a duct tape shredding moving chicane. :eek:
 
Note: All times are ET

FRIDAY, OCT. 13
12-12:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series practice, FS1 (Follow Live)
1-1:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, NBCSN (Follow Live)
2-2:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS1 (Follow Live)
3-3:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, NBCSN (Follow Live)

PRESS PASS (Watch Live)
11 a.m.: Joey Logano
11:15 a.m.: Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Kaz Grala and John Hunter Nemechek
11:45 a.m.: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
12 p.m.: Matt Kenseth
12:20 p.m.: Chase Elliott
4 p.m.: Christopher Bell
4:20 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

GARAGECAM (Watch Live)
11:30 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series
12:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

SATURDAY, OCT. 14
10:30 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS1 (Follow Live)
1 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Fred’s 250 (94 laps, 250.04 miles), FOX (Follow Live)
4:15 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN (Follow Live)

PRESS PASS (Watch Live)
3:30 p.m. (approx.): Post-Camping World Truck Series race
5:30 p.m. (approx.): Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying

SUNDAY, OCT. 15
2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Alabama 500 (188 laps, 500.08 miles), NBC (Follow Live)

PRESS PASS (Watch Live)
5:30 p.m. (approx.): Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race
 
I love Talladega, just wish they could find a solution that removes the restrictor plates. Smaller engines? One of the few places drafting still matters. Aero packages on cars today drive me nuts. Loved the days of drafting and slingshot passes at the big tracks as much as I love the rubbing at the short tracks.
 
Well now you couldn't use any of that new metal. You would have to tape all of the old metal back on. Last Sunday was a good example of how misguided NASCAR's five minute clock is. If they had just let Kyle take the 18 to the garage and fix it right instead half-assing it on pit road, he likely wouldn't have had an issue with that car the rest of the day. So instead of a decent running car making good lap times and not causing cautions, we get a duct tape shredding moving chicane. :eek:

That's right. These half-ass repair jobs are gonna get someone hurt and for no reason. I'm fine with the rule at short tracks, but at any larger track, especially Michigan/Fontana and the plate tracks, I definitely believe NASCAR is putting "cost-cutting" over driver safety.
 
I love Talladega, just wish they could find a solution that removes the restrictor plates. Smaller engines? One of the few places drafting still matters. Aero packages on cars today drive me nuts. Loved the days of drafting and slingshot passes at the big tracks as much as I love the rubbing at the short tracks.

They were going back to that. It was called "tandem racing". The racing sucked...it only produced the most lead changes in Talladaga history...so Brian France and crew fixed it so we could go back to pack racing where the leader swerves and blocks 30+ cars going 200mph.
 
They were going back to that. It was called "tandem racing". The racing sucked...it only produced the most lead changes in Talladaga history...so Brian France and crew fixed it so we could go back to pack racing where the leader swerves and blocks 30+ cars going 200mph.
I was a fan of the tandem racing. Exciting, I thought. A 3 wide for the finish..... awesome.

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yeah sometimes the cut throat part surprises me. Especially when a pusher pushes a car all the way from the back to the front and then the front car leaves them out in the wind and switches lines
 
I was a fan of the tandem racing. Exciting, I thought. A 3 wide for the finish..... awesome.

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It was exciting but I didn't like the fact there was no way in hell Junior was going to be able to pass the 48. And of course, the 48 couldn't push worth a dang. :rolleyes:
 
One thing I will never forget about my first trip to Talladega. We camped. Normally my brother kept the window at the end of the camper closed, but I asked him to open it for me. I lay in bed looking out the window and listening to the fans most of the night. Someone would start a WOOOOO yell at one end of the camp ground and it would continue all the way to the other end like a big wave. People just wouldn't settle down, until someone got a hold of a PA system. They played the sound of cars on the track.. the crowd got quiet listening to the sound.. and I finally fell asleep.
 
One thing I will never forget about my first trip to Talladega. We camped. Normally my brother kept the window at the end of the camper closed, but I asked him to open it for me. I lay in bed looking out the window and listening to the fans most of the night. Someone would start a WOOOOO yell at one end of the camp ground and it would continue all the way to the other end like a big wave. People just wouldn't settle down, until someone got a hold of a PA system. They played the sound of cars on the track.. the crowd got quiet listening to the sound.. and I finally fell asleep.
That was probably @Johali. The guy gets a 12 pack under his belt and he's uncontrollable. :cool:
 
That is one thing I don't pay a lot of attention too. Danica's racing strategy.

All jokes aside though, you can argue she has a better chance of getting a top five finish there than anywhere. Here's a nightmare scenario for you: Ricky pushes Danica to the win and because he didn't win, Ricky is out of the playoffs........ :eek:
 
Dude, if you don't like, don't watch it.

I don't like it either, but I'm not going to offer a load of El Toro Caca excuses in a feeble attempt to justify watching it. I'll watch it as another race on the schedule.

Both Letarte and Burton can talk underwater with their mouths full of marbles and that could spell trouble for me if they suffer from another bout of verbal diarrhea this weekend. I am not crazy about plate races but they are fine to listen to while doing other things and if something happens you can look up but if the 3 amigos follow script it may not be listenable. At that point you have to switch strategy and watch the race at 2-3 times normal speed and slow down to see who is at fault in the big ones.


By golly them there things look like stock cars. How quaint.

I watch restrictor plate races for the same reason I read the newspaper. The need to know what happened even if I draw no personal enjoyment from it.

I would recommend using a DVR to record the race as if it is a good one you can enjoy each green flag lap but FF through the commercials, yellows, reds and boring cleanup periods. If it is a dull race you can FF to about 20 laps to go and not have missed anything of any consequence as a rool.

Lets just say that the best memory I have of being at Talladega was a nice conversation I had with Robbie Loomis in 2001.

The happiest memory I have of being at Talladega was seeing Booby Hamilton drive Andy Petree's Square D Monte Carlo to victory.
 
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I love Talladega, just wish they could find a solution that removes the restrictor plates. Smaller engines? One of the few places drafting still matters. Aero packages on cars today drive me nuts. Loved the days of drafting and slingshot passes at the big tracks as much as I love the rubbing at the short tracks.
Knock the banking down. Problem solved.
 
They were going back to that. It was called "tandem racing". The racing sucked...it only produced the most lead changes in Talladaga history...so Brian France and crew fixed it so we could go back to pack racing where the leader swerves and blocks 30+ cars going 200mph.
Of all the variations that have been tried at the plate tracks, I found the tandems to be the least objectionable, even enjoyable. The leaders were able to separate from the pack somewhat, which minimized the change of a big one and the number of cars involved. Watching the Pushme-Pullyou's switch position was some good stuff, esp. those duos that could do it without losing ground.

If NASCAR permitted the tandems to come back, I'd never again put my

OBLIGATORY 'PLATE RACING STINKS' POST.
 
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