Johali's Rate the Cup race --- Chicago

6.

No one involved can do anything about the weather. Props to NASCAR for letting teams decide which tires to use, and for keeping the yellow in its pocket during the last 8 minutes. Boos for not eliminating the stage 2 break in a timed race, and for lousy management of the other cautions.
 
8 - despite all the crap, hard racing and kept my rapt attention.
 
I'm gonna say a 2 for race management and a poorly chosen start time knowing the limitations. This race should have started closer to 2:00 local instead of 4:15 local. The protesters obviously didn't help things. They also could have made the controversial stage break be non-competition pit stops so that they could get back to racing sooner after the stage counter, instead of running 4 caution laps, opening pit road, and running 4 more caution laps.

Now the racing itself, I'd give a 7 on. Some of the moves were flat ballsy and the 2-3 wide action though turns was surprising.

So that averages to a 4.5 overall score.
 
10. Every race is a 10....unless WE win....then, we get into the gazillions....Love this sport, and the wet v. dry tire charge at the end is racing as it should be. Good stuff. ...and that is coming from a guy who didn't like the outcome. I watch for the 3+ hours of competition basking in the thrill of the possibility of success. When it doesn't go my way, I get pissed, but it doesn't detract from the joy of competition. I. Love. This. ******. Sport.
 
7.5 Not bad considering the circumstances. There was an anxiety of rushing throughout the short time we saw racing that was driven by the weather and time limit. Could NASCAR Officials have done things a little differently? Possibly, but for the moment they did what they felt was right and as the announcers said, racing in the rain for NASCAR is a learning curve. They'll get it together and the next time have it right.
 
Even with this being Chicago and road course (both of which I don't like) I still give this a 7. Honestly how the strategy at the end played out naturally was good.
 
Whizzer said:
as the announcers said, racing in the rain for NASCAR is a learning curve. They'll get it together and the next time have it right.
Click to expand...
We said that after last year's race. The officials appear to have learned little, including planning for a situation they should have foreseen. If they can cut the race length, switch to single-file starts, and toss in a countdown clock, they can cut the stage breaks and do more 'quickie' yellows to better use the remaining time.
 
I thought it was pretty good, the weather always creates a lot of intrigue and unknowns, that alone kept me interested. And naturally you get comers and goers from that. I do worry about how this track would race in the complete dry tho, I don't think you're going to get the same product. Not with this cup car.
 
I love the circut, hopefully we will get a race in one day with better weather
 
6
I liked the racing I saw and hope they get a rain free event next year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom