2018 Talladega - GEICO 500 - Pre-Race Thread

dpkimmel2001

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THE RACE: GEICO 500
TRACK: Talladega Superspeedway
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race #10 of 36

Date: Sunday, April 29, 2018 in Talladega, AL

Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 2:20 pm/et

=======================================

TELEVISION COVERAGE

NASCAR RaceDay: TBA on FS1
NASCAR Sunday Pre-Race Show: 1:30pm/et on FOX
Television Race Coverage: FOX, 2:00pm/et

Practices:
Friday, April 27, 12:35pm-1:25pm/et, TV-FS1;
Friday, April 27, 2:35pm-3:25pm/et, TV-FS1

Qualifying for positions 1-40, Saturday, April 28 at 1:05 pm/et, TV-FOX;

In the Booth: Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon
Pit Reporters: Jamie Little, Regan Smith, Vince Welch, Matt Yocum
In-Race Analyst: Larry McReynolds
Race / Hollywood Hotel Host: Chris Myers
Analysts / Hollywood Hotel: Jeff Gordon, Darrell and Michael Waltrip

Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times:
Monday, April 30 at 12:00am/et on FS1
Monday, April 30 at 12:00pm/et on FS2
 
Talladega is quintessential NASCAR. Can't wait until they run plates at all of the tracks over 1.3 miles.
That will certainly free up my weekends.
I'm not alone in this.
Neither one of us is.
We should have a separate thread for people who want to beat a dead horse
There are enough beaten dead horses around here that we could run a dog food factory. Plates, Chase, qualifying, stages, 'Lucky Dog', pit road speed, Carl Edwards, Cup drivers in X, Mark Martin's Daytona 500, and the certified organic line of Danica products..
 
I'm still an avid Chase Hater so I can't be too critical of others.

Me, I'm a fan of the plate races. Always have been. Always will be. I'm not alone in this.
The only races I truly look forward to every year.
 
The only races I truly look forward to every year.
i'm at this point as well. I watched the Daytona 500 flag to flag, usually tried to catch the last 20 laps every week since then. I'll definitely try to watch all of Talladega though.
 
6 days till Talladega. 6 different forecasts.

DbdUH3NW4AAHxR-.jpg:large
 
im just waiting on the famous words thats said every week hahahah. it will be said TRUST ME...
 
Not a plate fan mostly because it is not "pure" racing using restrictor plates. Aside from being a traditionalist as sole reason of maligning plate racing, it is exciting. Viewers are allowed to pace, drink their beverage of choice and enjoy snacking; use of rest room facilities normal body function. However, throwing objects is deemed inappropriate. Plate racing is a mixed bag for emotions and creating personal anxiety. ;)
 
30 year anniversary for the plate. Seems like yesterday around here. :rolleyes:

A frequent criticism of restrictor plates is the enormousness of packs in the racing, with "Big One" wrecks as noted above singled out for condemnation despite the greater violence of "smaller" crashes on unrestricted tracks. In restrictor plate racing the packs have brought about an often-enormous increase in positional passing; at Talladega Superspeedway the Sprint Cup cars have broken 40 official lead changes sixteen times from 1988 onward, including both 2010 Sprint Cup races at Talladega, which had 87 official lead changes in the regulation 188 laps. (The 2010 Aaron's 499 had 88 lead changes, but the 88th – the race-winning pass by Kevin Harvick – was on the last lap of the third attempt at a green-white-checkered finish).

The criticism stems from reduction in throttle response brought by the restriction. The reduction in throttle response, however, has never been shown to have impeded ability to pass; the criticism was shot down in the first "modern" plate race, the 1988 Daytona 500, as the lead changed 25 times officially and saw several bursts where the lead changed several times a lap and also several bursts of sustained side-by-side racing, notably in the final 50 laps between Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, and Buddy Baker.

Said Waltrip before the race, "I feel, as a driver, now I can do more than I could before (the plates). Now, instead of a car just blasting by me with a burst of speed and a lot of horsepower, he's got to think his way, he got to DRIVE his way around me."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restrictor_plate
 
Plate races are my favorite. I'd argue they're the quintessential NASCAR race, more so than even short tracks. When the average guy on the street pictures NASCAR, I doubt they're thinking of Martinsville or a 1.5er.
 
Plate races are my favorite. I'd argue they're the quintessential NASCAR race, more so than even short tracks. When the average guy on the street pictures NASCAR, I doubt they're thinking of Martinsville or a 1.5er.
While I love my plate racing, a quintessential NASCAR race is most definitely Martinsville in my eyes. I don't mind not being the average guy on the street.
 
Plate races are my favorite. I'd argue they're the quintessential NASCAR race, more so than even short tracks. When the average guy on the street pictures NASCAR, I doubt they're thinking of Martinsville or a 1.5er.
Totally disagree, the hard core fan will tell you short track racing is king, that plate racing is garbage and an abortion. People flock to these races, for the big one, for the fabricated pack racing, a lot of casual Gans love it. What did we have ...13 cars running at the end of the fall race? Come on man...that's just not real racing.
 
Totally disagree, the hard core fan will tell you short track racing is king, that plate racing is garbage and an abortion. People flock to these races, for the big one, for the fabricated pack racing, a lot of casual Gans love it. What did we have ...13 cars running at the end of the fall race? Come on man...that's just not real racing.

only 12 on the lead lap at Bristol :confused:
 
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