2019 Auto Club Speedway --Auto Club 400 -- Pre-Race Thread

personally on that super wide track and the package they are running ,it won't make a hill of beans difference where they start from IMO. But the drama of qualifying will be heard world wide.
 
kyle18fan said:
12 of em, all at the same time made a major miscalculation ? that seems like Twilight Zone material o_O most in the television audience knew the time required ... a 9 year old could calculate it in their head.
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must have been that new pit road speed limit that threw em off. Tough to cypher all them there extra seconds in there :cuckoo: :rolleyes::p
 
kyle18fan said:
12 of em, all at the same time made a major miscalculation ? that seems like Twilight Zone material o_O most in the television audience knew the time required ... a 9 year old could calculate it in their head.
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Stubborness leads to many dumb decisions. What else caused it?
 
Spotter22 said:
Like Jeff Gordon said, sit in your pit stall until you want to go then you cannot stop.
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I like the idea of not clogging up pit road, but I don't see how this will alter what we saw today. Instead of sitting in a wad at pit exit, they'll just sit in their stalls. Instead of rolling off exit with 0:55 to go, they'll leave all leave their stalls with 1:05 left. All this would do is back them up a few hundred feet.
 
Formerjackman said:
Agree 100%, and if I were NASCAR, I would have thrown out ALL of their qualifying times and made them start in the back. In fact, if they want to fix this, just make a rule that if you do not complete at least one qualifying lap in the session, you will be DNQ'd unless you wrecked or blew up the car or something.
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That's fine, you can force them to make a lap, but it still won't fix the fact that qualifying at large tracks is now dependent on who you can draft off. The first guy out will still be screwed. NASCAR isn't going to DNQ a third of the field.
 
kyle18fan said:
12 of em, all at the same time made a major miscalculation ? that seems like Twilight Zone material o_O most in the television audience knew the time required ... a 9 year old could calculate it in their head.
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They didn't miscalculate. The cars closest to pit exit started moving with plenty of time. Where they all lost time was between pit exit and turn 2, when they were all still below the blend line as required, jockeying to be anywhere in the pack except the doomed front.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
They didn't miscalculate. The cars closest to pit exit started moving with plenty of time. Where they all lost time was between pit exit and turn 2, when they were all still below the blend line as required, jockeying to be anywhere in the pack except the front.
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Kyle Busch starts 4th, could have ended up 12 th ....... I have to wonder
 
kyle18fan said:
Kyle Busch starts 4th, could have ended up 12 th ....... I have to wonder
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I've already raised that conspiracy theory back in post #146. If you finish round 2 near the top of the chart, you may be better off if nobody gets in a time for round 3. It's easier to slow them all down than try to outrun them. Again, I'd love to see who was at the front of the pack as they left pit road; were their 2nd round times near the top?

Look for my special commemorative foil at the Racing Electronics truck.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
I like the idea of not clogging up pit road, but I don't see how this will alter what we saw today. Instead of sitting in a wad at pit exit, they'll just sit in their stalls. Instead of rolling off exit with 0:55 to go, they'll leave all leave their stalls with 1:05 left. All this would do is back them up a few hundred feet.
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a few hundered feet is crucial with a pit road speed. BUT, regardless, it was a complete failure of the Crew Chiefs not to have a sufficient plan of action. Bottom line.
 
Spotter22 said:
a few hundered feet is crucial with a pit road speed. BUT, regardless, it was a complete failure of the Crew Chiefs not to have a sufficient plan of action. Bottom line.
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See my post #208, please.

You also assume all the crew chiefs were interested in getting laps in. The booth crew kept saying the drivers were trying to lock out the cars toward the back of the mob. Why not just keep everyone from running and stand on your round 2 time?
 
Just watched that little exhibition. They all almost wrecked on the apron trying to race to the flag that would have been already expired by the time they got there.

Again NASCAR showing how far up their asses their heads are. Maybe they'll FINALLY amend this format the correct way, not just telling them they cannot speed on pit road.
 
Spotter22 said:
Nope, put the blame where it belongs, the teams
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It seems like everyone was waiting on the 3 and the 3 knew they had pole if no one decided to go.



NASCAR needs to create rules to prevent this from happening. How about a 2 minute warning where everyone needs to leave when the clock gets there? It isnt that difficult.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
See my post #208, please.

You also assume all the crew chiefs were interested in getting laps in. The booth crew kept saying the drivers were trying to lock out the cars toward the back of the mob. Why not just keep everyone from running and stand on your round 2 time?
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2nd round times stand and nobody ran
 
Charlie Spencer said:
See my post #208, please.

You also assume all the crew chiefs were interested in getting laps in. The booth crew kept saying the drivers were trying to lock out the cars toward the back of the mob. Why not just keep everyone from running and stand on your round 2 time?
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Disagree
 
They can either go back to single car qualifying, or they can go to heat races. The teams and drivers are to blame for this debacle. However, NASCAR is also to blame for putting this stupid qualifying format in place.
 
I have a question for all you arm chair crew chiefs.

Lets say your car was qualified in the top six. You all would have been on the radio screaming go? You would have taken the chance on leading the Draft and losing a top six pit choice?
Right I am sure all of you would have risked your up front spot.
And before you say it why would someone in the back go when they would be leading the Draft and still start in rear of the Top 12.
C'mon Spotter 22 you spotted for a cup team. You mean to tell that you would have been on the radio telling your driver to go no matter what even if it meant leading the draft. Right I don't think so. Again tell your idea to Jimmy Spencer and guess his reaction.
 
nitetrain said:
I have a question for all you arm chair crew chiefs.

Lets say your car was qualified in the top six. You all would have been on the radio screaming go? You would have taken the chance on leading the Draft and losing a top six pit choice?
Right I am sure all of you would have risked your up front spot.
And before you say it why would someone in the back go when they would be leading the Draft and still start in rear of the Top 12.
C'mon Spotter 22 you spotted for a cup team. You mean to tell that you would have been on the radio telling your driver to go no matter what even if it meant leading the draft. Right I don't think so. Again tell your idea to Jimmy Spencer and guess his reaction.
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Yeah this is where NASCAR comes in and prevents this **** show from occurring. Instead they encourage it.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
If one of those drivers had gone, the rest would have followed, benefited from his being in front, and he'd have wound up 12th. I don't remember who led the pack off pit road toward the end of the second round but I do remember he wound up 15th. Being the leader is poison.

If your second round was in the top 5, you have almost nothing to gain by having the third round run successfully. You have little to lose by getting to the front of pit road at the start of the third and trying to slow the rest of the pack when they roll. If I could figure that out just now, the crew chiefs figured it out at Atlanta.

EDIT: anybody have this DVR'ed? When the cars were sitting at pit exit, I'd love to know which three were in front and where they finished round 2.
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I still have it on DVR. The first 3 cars waiting at the end of pit row at start of round 2 were the 11, 3, and 95 in that order. Once they started moving however, the first 3 off pit road were the 42, 6 and 3 in that order.

They finished round 2 at:

1st = 3
6th = 11
7th = 6
15th = 42
24th = 95

Even though he was 3rd while they were waiting at the end of pit road, the 95 was just plain slow getting off pit road and already in 10th by the time they hit the track. Not sure why, I couldn't see anyone holding him up.
 
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I think some of us are addressing two different points again.

It looks like some of us want to blame the teams and drivers for having no cars complete a timed lap in round 3 at California. Personally, I don't have a problem with no cars finishing a lap. You roll your dice, you take your chances, but if that's what y'all are upset about then you have a case.

That isn't what I see as the problem. Even if they'd all launched 90 seconds earlier and had time for two laps each, I'd still be unhappy with the entire qualifying session. The problem isn't just round 3 at Cali. It's all three rounds here and at Vegas. This is exactly what I was afraid this package would result in. The races themselves have been good, but the qualifying? I absolutely HATE (a word I don't use lightly) anything that requires a team to plan its strategy entirely around relying on what the others do. This isn't about which crew chief has put together the fastest car or which driver has found the best line and can mat it for a lap on the edge. It's about who gets luckiest in where he winds up in the pack, without even knowing exactly which place in the mob is the one to try to be in. What they do know is making a single car run or being the first car off results in a bad starting position. THAT'S what I see as the problem.

So force them all to sit in pit stalls instead of the end of pit road. Require them all to be across the pit exit line by a certain time. Mandate they start in the back if they don't run a timed lap. Regardless, they're still going to avoid going out alone or being in the front. They're still going to wait for one sucker to move first and then jockey to wad up behind him. I don't see how that can be avoided using this aero package in combination with qualifying format.
 
Cholo said:
I don't get why they ever got rid of single car qualifying anyway.
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Multi-car has a couple of TV-friendly advantages. One, Q gets done in a one-hour window. Two, the breaks between rounds permit commercials without missing any on-track action.
 
SpeedPagan said:
They can either go back to single car qualifying, or they can go to heat races. The teams and drivers are to blame for this debacle. However, NASCAR is also to blame for putting this stupid qualifying format in place.
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It was Nascar that instituted this asinine qualifying format. They are solely to blame. IMHO of course
The teams did what they always do and exploited the rule, the gray area, to their advantage.
The 'brain' must have come up with this in one of his alcohol and drug fueled weekends.
 
I don’t see how anyone can defend that qualifying session. IMO it was a farce for everyone involved but more so for the way drivers and teams were put in that situation. Oh well onto raceday in 24 or so hours.
 
It is simple to me. Once your car rolls from your parked spot, you are not allowed to stop before crossing the start/finish line. Failure to do so means you have no time and no second chance to do so. If there are 41 cars attempting and you have no time, you pack up and go home.
Don't allow any games and there will be none.
 
Team Penske said:
It is simple to me. Once your car rolls from your parked spot, you are not allowed to stop before crossing the start/finish line. Failure to do so means you have no time and no second chance to do so. If there are 41 cars attempting and you have no time, you pack up and go home.
Don't allow any games and there will be none.
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Fine. How are you going to force them out of their spots? How will that force them to not wait on someone else to make the first move, especially in the 2nd and 3rd round?
 
I hope NASCAR does not change a thing that Q session was the most fun I ever had
watching Q. Confusion in the booth to the point of being speechless, drivers confused
& p'd off, NASCAR playing CYA, everybody here with their shorts in a wad.
Everything is GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Fine. How are you going to force them out of their spots? How will that force them to not wait on someone else to make the first move, especially in the 2nd and 3rd round?
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Someone will always be the first to move under any conditions.
Round 1. ( All Cars) If you haven't rolled 5 minutes in to time allotted, Your Parked.
Round 2. ( Top 24) If you haven't rolled 5 minutes into the time allotted Your Parked.
Round 3. (Top 12) If you haven't rolled 2,5 minutes into the time allotted Your Parked
In any round if "Your Parked" any times previously recorded are disallowed.
If you have no time because you failed to make an attempt, you start the race
held in the pits for one lap.

Let those who think they can play games try getting around this.
Oh BTW at the end of each Stage no one gets their lap back.
 
Team Penske said:
Someone will always be the first to move under any conditions.
Round 1. ( All Cars) If you haven't rolled 5 minutes in to time allotted, Your Parked.
Round 2. ( Top 24) If you haven't rolled 5 minutes into the time allotted Your Parked.
Round 3. (Top 12) If you haven't rolled 2,5 minutes into the time allotted Your Parked
In any round if "Your Parked" any times previously recorded are disallowed.
If you have no time because you failed to make an attempt, you start the race
held in the pits for one lap.

Let those who think they can play games try getting around this.
Oh BTW at the end of each Stage no one gets their lap back.
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Wouldn't it just be easier to shorten the rounds? If you have to roll in the first 5 / 2.5 minutes, why not have 5 and 2.5 minute rounds? Although they'll still bunch up off the line.
 
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