Cup RACE thread --- Martinsville

I don't think HMS ever won back to back titles with different drivers, have they?

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Technically they’ve done it twice.

Gordon in 95 and Labonte in 96

Labonte in 96 and Gordon in 97.
 
I don't think there's a race track that is so beneficial to a driver in a particular organization than Martinsville and HMS.

So much success. It's no surprise that Larson ran well.

Larson is so good. If he can not choke, he may be in the finale.

I don't think HMS ever won back to back titles with different drivers, have they?

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Too lazy to google, but didn’t Gordon and Labonte win back to back, or was Big E wedged in between?

Never mind
 
This race has me remembering the 2016 fall Martinsville race where Denny was in the same situation, with the same drive off the corner, as Chex mentioned. Except it was Johnson who was on him instead of Blaney or Truex. Unlike Blaney, he got by. But unlike Truex, he was able to get by Denny by being precise and methodical enough to best him off the corner, without having to move him up a groove.

The 11 Dover wins overshadow the 9 at Martinsville, but I now find it easy to overlook how good Jimmie was here. Brad K mentioned that this is a really technical and rhythm track, which makes sense for Johnson's success here. Once he learned from Gordon and Stewart, this place really played into his advantages.

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I missed the race thread during the race but sounds like I didn’t miss much. Chase fans complaining the whole time, Jaqua changing his mind 10 times who had the best car, people saying KB is washed for finishing top 10 with a dune buggy , and people calling Denny a scrub because Truex had a faster car when the sun went down
 
I missed the race thread during the race but sounds like I didn’t miss much. Chase fans complaining the whole time, Jaqua changing his mind 10 times who had the best car, people saying KB is washed for finishing top 10 with a dune buggy , and people calling Denny a scrub because Truex had a faster car when the sun went down
What are you, Reader's Digest? :laugh:
 
I missed the race thread during the race but sounds like I didn’t miss much. Chase fans complaining the whole time, Jaqua changing his mind 10 times who had the best car, people saying KB is washed for finishing top 10 with a dune buggy , and people calling Denny a scrub because Truex had a faster car when the sun went down
I said Blaney had the best car the entire day XD not once did I deviate from that.

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Denny has a lot of career accomplishments, including 3-time and back to back Daytona 500 winner, 44 Cup wins...he’s a solid threat every week. I don’t understand the Denny hate...
For the same reason Mark Martin get’s it. Nothing left to prove except for a championship. Until he wins the big one, he will forever be a bride’s maid.

In the grand scheme of things, it’s not something to be ashamed of.
 
For the same reason Mark Martin get’s it. Nothing left to prove except for a championship. Until he wins the big one, he will forever be a bride’s maid.

In the grand scheme of things, it’s not something to be ashamed of.
IMO, Championships don’t mean anything anymore.
I think, for many, the championship lost a lot of its luster once nascar started the cartoonish tampering of the format.
Take last year, for instance. A guy won that had fewer wins and a worse average finish on the season than two other drivers. One guy even had nine wins and lost.
 
IMO, Championships don’t mean anything anymore.
I think, for many, the championship lost a lot of its luster once nascar started the cartoonish tampering of the format.
Take last year, for instance. A guy won that had fewer wins and a worse average finish on the season than two other drivers. One guy even had nine wins and lost.
I don’t disagree but our two opinions don’t change why Denny gets some hate.

I also think @gnomesayin (I could be wrong) made a case a while back that Denny has the success to be widely popular but his personality isn’t relatable. Plus he flat out wrecked the most popular driver a few years ago in a crucial race. Kyle Busch syndrome.
 
I don’t disagree but our two opinions don’t change why Denny gets some hate.

I also think @gnomesayin (I could be wrong) made a case a while back that Denny has the success to be widely popular but his personality isn’t relatable. Plus he flat out wrecked the most popular driver a few years ago in a crucial race. Kyle Busch syndrome.
I still don’t get the Denny hate.
 
IMO, Championships don’t mean anything anymore.
I think, for many, the championship lost a lot of its luster once nascar started the cartoonish tampering of the format.
Take last year, for instance. A guy won that had fewer wins and a worse average finish on the season than two other drivers. One guy even had nine wins and lost.
I too have mixed feeling about the current championship format but this is nothing new. Bill Elliott had 11 wins in '85 and also lost the points race. On the other hand I don't think the Labonte brothers ever had more than two wins in their championship seasons.
 
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I too have mixed feeling about the current championship format but this is nothing new. Bill Elliott had 11 wins in '85 and also lost the points race. On the other hand I don't think the Labonte brothers ever had more than two wins in their champion seasons.
Yeah but it was never as silly as it is now.
2020 was a Harvick championship season. He had damn near twice as many wins, led way more laps, started better and finished better throughout the season than the guy that won the championship.
Kinda takes the value away of out-driving someone and negates the credibility of a championship.
 
Yeah but it was never as silly as it is now.
2020 was a Harvick championship season. He had damn near twice as many wins, led way more laps, started better and finished better throughout the season than the guy that won the championship.
Kinda takes the value away of out-driving someone and negates the credibility of a championship.
I totally understand but right or wrong NASCAR apparently wanted to emulate the other pro sports where if you make the playoffs, you've got a shot and that's what we have now. But just like before I still like it when a driver I like wins it all and hate it when one I don't particularly care for does.
 
Denny is a great race car driver. I don't care for his character.
I don’t mind his personality. I think he’s a great driver. He’s fun to watch and never gives up.
Prolly used his car up early today, still had a nice finish.
I wish the race would’ve played out as scheduled and not been interrupted by rain.
 
I totally understand but right or wrong NASCAR apparently wanted to emulate the other pro sports where if you make the playoffs, you've got a shot and that's what we have now. But just like before I still like it when a driver I like wins it all and hate it when one I don't particularly care for does.
Yeah, I get it.
I think the playoffs and the stages are the worst thing that nascar has done so far.
They’re never going to please everyone.
 
Yeah but it was never as silly as it is now.
2020 was a Harvick championship season. He had damn near twice as many wins, led way more laps, started better and finished better throughout the season than the guy that won the championship.
Kinda takes the value away of out-driving someone and negates the credibility of a championship.

Nah man give it a rest. We’ve seen a lot of seasons like this, hell we have this system because Kenseth won with 1 win lol. I’m not a fan of the elimination stuff, wish they’d just do the chase, but Harvick choked bad down the stretch with a massive points advantage
 
Yeah he didn’t have the best car.
Blaney beat himself.
I think he got beat by a tire changer that doesn't know how to control his hose. Who was suppose to be behind the wall and pull the slack of the hose as he comes around the front. Basic move for Pit crew tire changers.
 
Nah man give it a rest. We’ve seen a lot of seasons like this, hell we have this system because Kenseth won with 1 win lol. I’m not a fan of the elimination stuff, wish they’d just do the chase, but Harvick choked bad down the stretch with a massive points advantage
Led way more laps and had nearly twice as many wins.
The 2020 championship is a farce.
 
I think he got beat by a tire changer that doesn't know how to control his hose. Who was suppose to be behind the wall and pull the slack of the hose as he comes around the front. Basic move for Pit crew tire changers.
Teams won and lost today.
Did Blaney leave early? Not sure. He did run into the 9 leaving his box.
None of us know what would’ve happened had he not been penalized because he was in fact penalized.
 
Led way more laps and had nearly twice as many wins.
The 2020 championship is a farce.
Not trying to be contentious tonight but just wondering. Would you call Stewarts '11 Championship a farce? He didn't win until the chase started and the I'm sure you know what happened. Like Stewart, Elliott and team surged last year when it mattered and as stated above, Harvick and team stepped on their dicks at crunch time. I don't see it as being any different the an NFL team winning 15 (or all) of their games and then losing in the playoffs or Superbowl. It happens.
 
Not trying to be contentious tonight but just wondering. Would you call Stewarts '11 Championship a farce? He didn't win until the chase started and the I'm sure you know what happened. Like Stewart, Elliott and team surged last year when it mattered and as stated above, Harvick and team stepped on their dicks at crunch time. I don't see it as being any different the an NFL team winning 15 (or all) of their games and then losing in the playoffs or Superbowl. It happens.
Well I’m not a fan of anything Chase or playoff related.
Auto racing shouldn’t be like stick n ball.
But it is now so I’ll take it with a grain of salt.
I’ll just watch the pre-playoff races.
 
Not trying to be contentious tonight but just wondering. Would you call Stewarts '11 Championship a farce? He didn't win until the chase started and the I'm sure you know what happened. Like Stewart, Elliott and team surged last year when it mattered and as stated above, Harvick and team stepped on their dicks at crunch time. I don't see it as being any different the an NFL team winning 15 (or all) of their games and then losing in the playoffs or Superbowl. It happens.
*2015 championship has entered the chat*
 
NASCAR sailed under a lucky star that 2014 Newman didn't win it before they introduced carry over points.

Although I'm sure they would have tried to make the case for remarkable consistency.
 
Hell, nascar has even added cartoon caricatures to the broadcast this year 🤣
Frickin' comic book crap, yeah I hate that too. I'm surprised they don't draw masks on them. Don't let me get started on drivers being interviewed outdoors and having to wear masks.
 
Denny has a lot of career accomplishments, including 3-time and back to back Daytona 500 winner, 44 Cup wins...he’s a solid threat every week. I don’t understand the Denny hate...



I used to not like Hamlin that much, sort of the same as Logano, because of on track stuff like when Hamlin wiped out Chase that one year, then Chase got him back at Phoenix. Enjoyed that one. After the Daytona JD win, I started softening on liking him again, and was back on the wagon.

Anyhow I think it's mostly just some of the Favorite NASCAR Driver type stuff where fans pick sides on hating certain driver's manufacturers, silly really.

As long as he keeps punching his ticket to the "championship 4" there's a good chance he'll bink one eventually. And if it never happens, that's okay too.

He's clearly a first ballot hof nascar cup driver.
 
We haven't had a full season format in 17 years. The entire season body of work is irrelevant..are we still having this convo?

Elliot's title is completely fair and by the rules. He would have won across all playoff formats.

He had speed through out the year, the first half of the year he had the 2nd biggest central speed rating according to motorsports analytics (Blaney had the highest) And scored the most points in the final 10 races. It sucks that Harvick wrecked at Texas, but teams have known, for 17 years, you need to be at your best with minimum margin for error.

Elliot is champ. Just as valid as any other.

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Nah man give it a rest. We’ve seen a lot of seasons like this, hell we have this system because Kenseth won with 1 win lol. I’m not a fan of the elimination stuff, wish they’d just do the chase, but Harvick choked bad down the stretch with a massive points advantage
Yup, even with the Chase Elliot wins.




Oh haha.

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Yup, even with the Chase Elliot wins.




Oh haha.

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Right? Not only did Chase have speed all year, dude won at Daytona Roval, Charlotte, Charlotte Roval, Martinsville and Phoenix. Certainly some of the more difficult drives on the schedule
 
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