Does Cletus getting top 15 reignite discussion on plate tracks?

DanicaFreak

DanicaFreak

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I love dega and Daytona. I’m a bit worried that this happening- a regular guy with little racing training- getting a decent finish will increase the pushback NASCAR will get. That basically anyone can run dega or tona. What say you?


I personally feel that plate racing is a skill. Finding the draft, knowing who to run with and who not to is not a common skill jmho.
 
It's ARCA, the entry requirements are little more than "if the money's there, we don't care". As long as you don't show up in one of the cars that's 20 MPH off the pace and have spent more than ten minutes behind the wheel of a stock car, you're in contention for a top 15 in an ARCA Talladega race.
 
I agree there is a skill set required to run Dega and Daytona well…and some talent relative to touch, reaction time, etc. There is also a big element of luck (good and bad). Heard Junior talk about how he ran those tracks and what he’d learned from his Dad/others. He talked about how you had to take opportunities at the right time to be aggressive passing; how those moves don’t always work out because you can’t predict how others will race you or if your choice was the right one; how he wanted the lead to control racing as much as possible, especially near the end; how partnering with others temporarily could help you, etc.

To me the drama of the races make these tracks special. The fact that anyone CAN win, and some Cinderellas DO periodically, makes them unique. Pack racing seems mundane to many, yet it’s these challenges Junior spoke of make it the drama it is. Who is willing to risk jumping out to start a third line? Who plays the game well enough without wrecking himself or 10 others? Lastly there is the element of sheer speed, and danger, which seems genetically imbedded within our love of racing.
 
That tv bit made his Everyman dega experience even more legendary.
 
JJ_14 said:
Cleetus has plenty of experience on iRacing. He's not just a random guy getting behind the wheel, he knows what he's doing out there.
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I don't know how many races he has put on and raced in, a bunch. Some people just don't keep up apparently. Biffle was his crew chief.
 
not bad for 7 cyl most of the race. he also has Dale jr helping him.
 
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His success proves what I said on here about it months ago; doesn't require much in terms of talent to perform at plate tracks. No amount of iRacing or Crown Vic races should be sufficient for 190mph drafting in real life if it's really that challenging.
 
virtualbalboa said:
His success proves what I said on here about it months ago; doesn't require much in terms of talent to perform at plate tracks. No amount of iRacing or Crown Vic races should be sufficient for 190mph drafting in real life if it's really that challenging.
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This is the comment I feared.
 
DanicaFreak said:
This is the comment I feared.
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If he can do it, what really make you think that you're incapable? All you lack is millions in discretionary spending. Dude did this as a meme and realized he actually could do it because there's no real challenge keeping the car under him. It's wild because it seems like people confuse him with Stapleton42 as far as relationship to NASCAR. Cleetus doesn't even watch NASCAR. He's a drag racer.
 
virtualbalboa said:
If he can do it, what really make you think that you're incapable? All you lack is millions in discretionary spending. Dude did this as a meme and realized he actually could do it because there's no real challenge keeping the car under him. It's wild because it seems like people confuse him with Stapleton42 as far as relationship to NASCAR. Cleetus doesn't even watch NASCAR. He's a drag racer.
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The car needs to be harder to drive. More hp. Less downforce
 
ARCA and its competitors need neither of those things.

I wonder where he got the car, who prepared it / set it up? I wonder where they did that and whose tools and equipment they used to perform the necessary tasks? I wonder who employs the at-track personnel who were in attendance? I wonder whose transporter was used to get the car and the rented / borrowed pit box, air tools, etc., etc to the track and back to their home base?

Is it possible that this whole thing is a Dirty Mo Media production?
 
Naitch said:
I wonder if experience behind the wheel in that endeavor might be a slight differentiating factor between him and you.

ARCA is a toilet for talent and Cletus had more funding than most.
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There aren't any similarities other than they both involve cars. Front grip is non-existent. You don't turn. At the speeds a pro mod travels, he's largely a passenger with little to do other than hope the tune is good and the rear tires bite. Hell, braking and shifting are entirely different.

As far as iRacing being a great prep, it is in so much as you aren't missing much from the feel in a real race car in a plate track. Also since when was he even on iRacing? I've never heard of Garrett being on the service and I regularly watch his content unlike a lot of people making claims about him here.

Anyone with money can be competitive at a plate track. Same as it ever was.
 
aunty dive said:
ARCA and its competitors need neither of those things.

I wonder where he got the car, who prepared it / set it up? I wonder where they did that and whose tools and equipment they used to perform the necessary tasks? I wonder who employs the at-track personnel who were in attendance? I wonder whose transporter was used to get the car and the rented / borrowed pit box, air tools, etc., etc to the track and back to their home base?

Is it possible that this whole thing is a Dirty Mo Media production?
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He bought a ride. He knows Biffle from flying Helene relief flights which is how he even got to this point. Jr is involved largely because Garrett's gimmick (and is profoundly that as he is on camera on Jr's podcast talking about how he doesn't watch NASCAR) involves a ton of semi ironic "Praise Dale" stuff. Which you should expect once you realize he was 6 years old in February 2001. Also because NASCAR has an ancient demo (average age of viewers is close to 60) and Cleetus has a huge fan base of young men.

The man is the Mr. Beast of automotive YouTube. He puts Top Fuel dragsters on dynos, runs stock pickups on nitro, puts together influencer races with Crown Vics and small pickups, buys race tracks, plays with jet boats, planes, and helicopters, etc etc etc. He has an empire at this point and apparently someone crashed the other day at his airfield because he has one of those too.
 
Naitch said:
In ARCA, maybe. Above that? No.
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Well, I guess if he runs a Cup race we'll find out. No idea what would be different other than finding a pusher. Obviously he can keep up with the draft.
 
aunty dive said:
ARCA and its competitors need neither of those things.

I wonder where he got the car, who prepared it / set it up? I wonder where they did that and whose tools and equipment they used to perform the necessary tasks? I wonder who employs the at-track personnel who were in attendance? I wonder whose transporter was used to get the car and the rented / borrowed pit box, air tools, etc., etc to the track and back to their home base?

Is it possible that this whole thing is a Dirty Mo Media production?
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Rette Jones Racing they've run full time before.
 
sdj said:
Cletus for sure brought new faces to the track and the TV audience, it's all good.


FYI: Anybody that thinks a pocket full of money and a walk on no experience seat in a Cup, Truck or Exfinity car is all you need to run at Dega and Daytona has got their head up their keyster.
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Okay, well, it basically just happened twice.
 
HoneyBadger said:
Doesn’t cleetus have all kinds of experience in different cars?
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In so much as he's driven all sorts of cars because he's rich, yeah. Does that mean Doug DeMuro should be competitive in ARCA? I mean, I 100% believe WhistlinDiesel could do just fine at a plate track. I dunno about you.
 
Here's the last time we had this talk. I'll take one and say I was wrong: you can keep up with the draft on 7 cylinders.

racing-forums.com

California Speedway Demo / Rebuild

Year after year of single file racing, empty stands, and rising real estate values were California's Speedway's problems. The stands weren't empty. It wasn't single file racing. Multiple lines through the corners, as opposed to guys just following each other around lap after lap...🚂
racing-forums.com racing-forums.com
 
Charlie Spencer said:
If we agree he has more experience than the average RF member, why does how he got it make any difference to his qualifications?
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He has the same qualifications as Jerry Seinfeld and Richard Hammond to do this. That doesn't mean either is talented either. It just means they have sufficient income to play with expensive toys. Which is sort of my point: anyone can do this. Anyone. It just takes money. The more a celeb with no real racing experience can do well here, the more clear it becomes that winning a race like this is no big thing. It might as well be one of Jelles Marble Runs.
 
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virtualbalboa said:
He has the same qualifications as Jerry Seinfeld and Richard Hammond to do this. That doesn't mean either is talented either. It just means they have sufficient income to play with expensive toys. Which is sort of my point: anyone can do this. Anyone. It just takes money. The more a celeb with no real racing experience can do well here, the more clear it becomes that winning a race like this is no big thing. It might as well be one of Jelles Marble Runs.
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Interesting. Do you think kenau reeves could do a ARCA, cup or Xfinity race at a plate track?
 
DanicaFreak said:
Interesting. Do you think kenau reeves could do a ARCA, cup or Xfinity race at a plate track?
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I think Tom Cruise could have easily kept the draft had he been permitted to race. I mean, everyone here should agree. He's driven fast cars. I guess it's a super power now to own a Corvette.
 
virtualbalboa said:
I think Tom Cruise could have easily kept the draft had he been permitted to race. I mean, everyone here should agree. He's driven fast cars. I guess it's a super power now to own a Corvette.
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Well, we've heard all of the ranting, what is your solution?
 
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StandOnIt said:
What's your point? This has been going on since racing began.
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I absolutely remember all the times total novice gentleman drivers managed to keep up and run with the best professionals in the world.
 
StandOnIt said:
Well, we've heard all of the ranting, what is your solution?
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Drop the banks, reduce down force, increase horsepower, all to make cars lift in the turns instead of having them run 4 abreast wide open saving gas lap after lap.
 
Look, NASCAR is never doing anything. I know that. We all know that. The closest they ever came to doing something was renaming restrictor plates as tapered spacers. Having talentless failsons be competitive at the biggest races on the calendar is entirely what they want; encourages lots of em and introduces "drama". It's a battle I cannot win and I accept that. There's a clear solution though. It just won't ever be enacted.

If this is what you like, great. I mean, it's certainly a lot easier to imagine being good at this since you could basically do the Richard Petty Driving Experience and be fully prepped for The Great American Race. What's the cost to draft with other customers? $595? There might even be a Groupon.
 
Once again minimizing what it takes to enter a Nascar race might work for you, and if what you say were even remotely true, there would be a line a mile long waiting for their turn to race in a Nascar event.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Sports cars have plenty. In the Cup series? Enlighten me, please, because the only one I remember is Marty Robbins.
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In sports cars, they all run three seconds off the pace behind the pro they pay to carry them on their back. Historically Cup cars were actually difficult to drive and yeah, you don't have that.
 
StandOnIt said:
Once again minimizing what it takes to enter a Nascar race might work for you, and if what you say were even remotely true, there would be a line a mile long waiting for their turn to race in a Nascar event.
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Costs a lot of money for not much back. There's a mile long list of rich kids trying to get a guaranteed ride in Cup and only 36 seats. When the opportunity arises we get a DJ Carrington or 60+ Derrick Cope to show up and go 55mph on the apron.
 
DJ Kennington’s last Cup race was Martinsville, 2019. He finished 32nd, still running, 11 laps down.

Derrick Cope’s last full season - 1995. Last Cup race - the 2021 Daytona 500. All he had to do was keep up with the draft. Instead, he crashed out on lap # 3, finishing 40th.

Neither of these guys could carry “Cleetus McFarland”s helmet bag, obviously.

Did you wear out your welcome at Track Forum?
 
aunty dive said:
DJ Kennington’s last Cup race was Martinsville, 2019. He finished 32nd, still running, 11 laps down.

Derrick Cope’s last full season - 1995. Last Cup race - the 2021 Daytona 500. All he had to do was keep up with the draft. Instead, he crashed out on lap # 3, finishing 40th.

Neither of these guys could carry “Cleetus McFarland”s helmet bag, obviously.

Did you wear out your welcome at Track Forum?
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Both of them showed up to fill the field when that was needed. How does a former Daytona 500 winner get to the stage of not being able to hold the helmet bag of a guy with literally zero sanctioned circuit racing experience?

I was assured that Cleetus couldn't hang with he draft 4 months ago in spite of my protestations to the contrary. I mean, I literally posted a link to that from here. Weird how now I'm the guy who's all wrong.
 
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