A tale of two races (or maybe it’s that you just don’t get it)

[HoneyBadger]

Personally, I used to like strategy races - watching chess matches unfold ... drivers on certain pit strategies. Tire strategies, managing tire wear, saving the car, racing your own race and so on. It's part of the chess match. This is one of the reasons I love the road course races so much. As for Charlotte, Margolis is wrong (as usual). This wasn't that type of race and, to be honest, strategy races haven't been fun for a long time - mainly because the tires don't wear and, if you get clean air, you can check out on old tires. As for fuel strategy - drivers don't get on different fuel strategies anymore. When there are different pit strategies playing out in a race and there is a little bit of drama, NASCAR instantly kills it with a phantom debris caution.

If NASCAR wants to find a way to make races more competitive, they need to look at the tires. In my opinion, that's everything. There used to be a time where races with long green flag runs were interesting because that driver who would build up a six second lead would start losing pace during the run because his tires would start giving out. That just doesn't happen anymore. I remember when one of the tracks was recently repaved and Goodyear brought a new tire to the race, Mark Martin said it was entirely possible to run the entire race on a single set of tires.

Another thing I'd like to see is NASCAR limit the Cup teams on the number of tires they can use during a race or during a weekend like they do in Nationwide.

 

[ChexOrWrex]

Tell me what town you live in

Rape

 

[ted@economy]

who are the nascar cheaters?

They would be the corner workers who reported seeing debris , the tower officials who confirmed it , the race director who ordered a yellow flag and the flagman who threw it . All in an effort to bunch up the field and prevent Jimmie Johnson from winning that race . Disgraceful!IMO

 

[VaDirt]

Personally, I used to like strategy races - watching chess matches unfold ... drivers on certain pit strategies. Tire strategies, managing tire wear, saving the car, racing your own race and so on. It's part of the chess match. This is one of the reasons I love the road course races so much. As for Charlotte, Margolis is wrong (as usual). This wasn't that type of race and, to be honest, strategy races haven't been fun for a long time - mainly because the tires don't wear and, if you get clean air, you can check out on old tires. As for fuel strategy - drivers don't get on different fuel strategies anymore. When there are different pit strategies playing out in a race and there is a little bit of drama, NASCAR instantly kills it with a phantom debris caution.

If NASCAR wants to find a way to make races more competitive, they need to look at the tires. In my opinion, that's everything. There used to be a time where races with long green flag runs were interesting because that driver who would build up a six second lead would start losing pace during the run because his tires would start giving out. That just doesn't happen anymore. I remember when one of the tracks was recently repaved and Goodyear brought a new tire to the race, Mark Martin said it was entirely possible to run the entire race on a single set of tires.

Another thing I'd like to see is NASCAR limit the Cup teams on the number of tires they can use during a race or during a weekend like they do in Nationwide.

One of my favorite races used to be Darlington, when the tire wear got really bad and teams would start dealing tires around, and you'd wonder who the hell could finish the race.

 

[StandOnIt]

They would be the corner workers who reported seeing debris , the tower officials who confirmed it , the race director who ordered a yellow flag and the flagman who threw it . All in an effort to bunch up the field and prevent Jimmie Johnson from winning that race . Disgraceful!IMO

Nascar has always ran a clean track compared to other motorsports. Has too, because of all the speed and air movement of the larger vehicles. Kinda like being behind two semis side by side, only worse, they whip up all kinds of debris. Nascar fans are

closer to the tracks then most spectators, and the lower rows can easily get hit with a piece of debris moving at 180 mph. Ya hear all kinds of stuff..one of the "Changes" that gets me is heat races. With all the cautions you already have for wrecks and debris,

you have more than enough stoppages without bunching them up for even more of it. They run over 40 laps and some around here are typing yawn, boring, shorten the race, it's not the right kind of a race, blah blah blah, next year on the same track it could

be a barn burner. You never know when a race will break out on any track. Johnson for years has been called the driver with a horseshoe stuck up hit butt. This year he has blown more then one chance to win on restarts, had handling and mechanical

problems, and some think it is a conspiracy by Nascar, but you aren't hearing that saying this year. Nascar, for the most part, is not going to let a piece of roll bar padding, a spring rubber or a piece of metal larger than a quarter lay on the track if they can help it and like it or not, that is the

way they do things.

 

[pjmolo]

Yeah let's be honest, all of that crap is just your opinion, you're entitled to it but it is still an opinion only, not fact.

Ok agreed opinion, but really how can you say that was a good race with a straight face???

Seems to me that a significant part of the issue being discussed is in defining what a "good race" is.

Unfortunately, TV coverage is, more often than not, all about the race leaders.

If numerous lead changes are what it takes to make a "good race" for you and you watched the Charlotte race on TV then, without a doubt, the race wasn't very good.

But I have a feeling that the people who actually attended the race were OK with it as, unlike those of us watching on TV, they were able to see drivers back in the pack racing for position.

"That's what I do when I'm at a race and I have yet to see anything except good racing," he said with a straight face.

 

[StandOnIt]

Seems to me that a significant part of the issue being discussed is in defining what a "good race" is.

Unfortunately, TV coverage is, more often than not, all about the race leaders.

If numerous lead changes are what it takes to make a "good race" for you and you watched the Charlotte race on TV then, without a doubt, the race wasn't very good.

But I have a feeling that the people who actually attended the race were OK with it as, unlike those of us watching on TV, they were able to see drivers back in the pack racing for position.

"That's what I do when I'm at a race and I have yet to see anything except good racing," he said with a straight face.

yep it is a crap shoot. I always have the leader board on at the same time so I can see who is moving up in the field. That race you had movers, but at the same time, it was close racing in the front, so they were showing that, and then they had different pit windows, so they would show the pits instead of passing. It was confusing to watch in the middle because you had cars that were up front, but they dropped out with a pit. More cautions make the race easier to keep up with. But this race, the last caution was about the only time the field was even with tires and fuel. As you remember, one caution fell after almost all the leaders had pitted, but some were able to come in on the caution, and that really made it confusing to figure out who had what.

 

[Mopardh9]

Seems to me that a significant part of the issue being discussed is in defining what a "good race" is.

Unfortunately, TV coverage is, more often than not, all about the race leaders.

If numerous lead changes are what it takes to make a "good race" for you and you watched the Charlotte race on TV then, without a doubt, the race wasn't very good.

But I have a feeling that the people who actually attended the race were OK with it as, unlike those of us watching on TV, they were able to see drivers back in the pack racing for position.
"That's what I do when I'm at a race and I have yet to see anything except good racing," he said with a straight face.

Ok...well I've been to plenty of races where there is a lot of follow the leader and it gets quite boring, so we will never know unless some one who there was chimes in on the quality of racing

 

[ted@economy]

All racing is follow the leader . You have the fastest competitor ,followed by the second fastest , followed by the third fastest , followed by the fourth fastest . At least ,in Nascar , competitors can make changes in their racecar and driving style that alters the course of the race .If folks are calling for Nascar to implement more rules that keep the cars bunched together , I don't think that is necessary , but would love to hear their suggestions.