ISUFan22
Team Owner
This.
blanston
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Well, I just wanted to tell all the Kasey fans about a few things I noticed at Richmond.
First, I'll say that I would have been one of the first to say Kasey didn't have as many fans as you guys claimed. I would have based it on the five races I've been to this past year and the fact I don't know any personally(which is never reliable, of course).
At the other races, I honestly didn't see hardly any kk fans. I always try and see what shirts and hats people are wearing just because I'm curious.
At Richmond, Kahne's pop was actually bigger than Stewart's (you couldn't tell it though because Tony's was sustained as he went around the track and not just when he came out.)
Also, I saw lots and lots of Kahne shirts and hats. 99% were young guys.
Just wanted to let you guys know.
First, I'll say that I would have been one of the first to say Kasey didn't have as many fans as you guys claimed. I would have based it on the five races I've been to this past year and the fact I don't know any personally(which is never reliable, of course).
At the other races, I honestly didn't see hardly any kk fans. I always try and see what shirts and hats people are wearing just because I'm curious.
At Richmond, Kahne's pop was actually bigger than Stewart's (you couldn't tell it though because Tony's was sustained as he went around the track and not just when he came out.)
Also, I saw lots and lots of Kahne shirts and hats. 99% were young guys.
Just wanted to let you guys know.
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ramfan9
Guest
He has his fair share....maybe not as many as he once did when he first came up but still on par with anyone outside of Jr I think. Now if only they ran better at Richmond. I was so disapointed with the way they ran for the first half of the race. They seemed to have the car much better by the second half but by them he was a lap down and could not get it back. It's good they got the car better but they won't make any nose in the Chase if they unload slow the first few weeks. I still think he will make it past the first round unless he has a DNF or two but not any further than that unless they get their heads out of their collective asses on the 5 team an start unloading with speed.
And one more note about Richmond....what happened? That used to be some of the best racing in NASCAR but between the NNS and NSCS there was what?....ONE lead change? They need to bring a softer tire next time or something because both races were snooze fests.
blanston
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I don't know what the hell happened at Richmond but the old guy to the right of us literally slept through a lot of the race.
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ramfan9
Guest
I had it on the DVR because the wife wanted to watch a movie. Turned it on after the movie and felt like I was going to fall asleep also. Ended up fast forwarding through some of it.
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ramfan9
Guest
Great Job to Kasey - drove his butt to make the cut yesterday and the cars have had good speed the last couple of weeks but sadly he will not make the cut this round even if the speed keeps up if the crew can't stop with all the mistakes such a loose wheels. Either way though, with the way they have been off all year and never really been able to get a handle on this new rules package making the contender round is a good accomplishment for the year.
dpkimmel2001
Team Owner
Kasey Kahne squeaked through to the next round with an average finish of just over 18th. I wonder what it'll take for the the next round of three.
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ramfan9
Guest
It will take top 10 or better in at least 2 of the 3 races in my opinion depending on how many contenders wreck out at Talledga. It's ironic to me that Kasey had his best finish in the last round at the track they ran the worst at. He had a top 5 car at both Loudon and Dover but due to a crash and a loose wheel they did not have the finishes to show it but he had a horrible car at Chicago and came away with a decent finish.
This week is the first time I have ever heard Kasey and Kenny call the crew out like they have and rightly so. That loose wheel should have caused him to get eliminated. I am optimisitc because they have had really good cars 2 weeks in a row and they were fast at Loudon and Dover and both of those were tracks that they struggled at fist time around. I still don't see Kasey as a threat to win it all but he could easily make the elimnator round and then after that who knows what could happen.
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ramfan9
Guest
That's true - the crew has been pretty waek all year actually. It seems like he loses spots on pit road more often than not and I remember they also left a wheel loose at Richmomd in the spring race costing him a top 5-10 position.
It's amazing he has come as far as he has with a win this year and getting into the contender round. I bet people still think he will be fired though.
I think he wins Kansas or Charlotte, one of his 3 top 5s this year was there, and he can always pull out a win a his house. Plus he if he can avoid the crashes he runs strong at Dega.
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ramfan9
Guest
If I remember right he had a very strong car in the All Star Race at Charlotte and the 600 as well but had some type of problem and got burned by a caution after he pitted (sound familiar?) but Jimmie Johnson used his set up and won the 600.
It would be perfect if he could pull out a win in once of those races because then Dega becamed totally meaningless to him.
I forget but the way this year has gone would not be surprising to me at all. I mean 4 of his 17 wins in Cup are there plus the All-star win so he is always good.
KahneFan
Team Owner
The same car he dominated the All-Star race with is the same car he won at Atlanta. I'd imagine they will take that same car to Kansas and Charlotte, I like his chances at Charlotte.
FenderBumper
The "good old days" ??
Teams have probably done the math already. I think 15th place average will get you to the final 8.
K
Kyle18fan
Guest
But what about the 100 percent rule ? this new format has only given them more reasons to "settle for a top 10"
I have thrown my Phoenix cup tickets away 3 times already and keep fishing them back out of the garbage, another fest like Dover and Im just gonna go to the nationwide
StandOnIt
Farm Truck
But what about the 100 percent rule ? this new format has only given them more reasons to "settle for a top 10"
I have thrown my Phoenix cup tickets away 3 times already and keep fishing them back out of the garbage, another fest like Dover and Im just gonna go to the nationwide
oh gees..the 100% rule was before spingate and two boys have at it ago's...
FenderBumper
The "good old days" ??
But what about the 100 percent rule ? this new format has only given them more reasons to "settle for a top 10"
I have thrown my Phoenix cup tickets away 3 times already and keep fishing them back out of the garbage, another fest like Dover and Im just gonna go to the nationwide
I didn't think Dover was a bad race, just not what everyone expected. There was some racing at the front.
This format would work better if the 3rd race in each segment was at a track that the driver could make something happen. M'ville, WG and Bristol would be my votes. The last race needs to change tracks every year to avoid the Homestead champion label.
If Talladega were the first in a set, guys could play it safe and still get caught in a wreck. Then they would be forced to take risks in the last 2 in the segment. Wrecked at Talla, racing hard at Charlotte or sick strategy, then pushing and shoving at M'ville is the kind of racing I want to see.
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StandOnIt
Farm Truck
yeah like a revolving track deal. Homestead next year would be the first race.
StandOnIt
Farm Truck
Yeah not wanking on Kahne, just seeing what I saw, he just barely made the cut, didn't see any hard driving, in fact it looked like he was wheel holding and almost got knocked out of it. IMO he isn't big time racing's personality's type. It is like you got to wake him up to get an interview. Needs to work on his media skills.
Didn't drive? Did you see his day at Dover? He drove his ass off just never got back to the lead lap with a top 10 car.
StandOnIt
Farm Truck
Yeah, watched the whole race, watched his lap times and they weren't that great, the cars he passed were laps down. He finished a lap down. If he does that bad the next three, he is gone like the wind. His oh, excuse me driving isn't going to get him thru the next level.
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PushRodV8
Guest
That doesn't mean he wasn't driving hard. Car could have went to sh*t. Lap times are not a good reference for that. I think you're being a bit too critical on him. Media skills? come on
DaBiff1618
Team Owner
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Exactly, clean air is everything with this rules package so times will drop exponentially in dirty air. Doesn't mean his car wasn't fast that's just how these cars are
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ramfan9
Guest
Seriiosly man...you were watching a different race than everyone else was....Kasey had to drive his ass off to make the cut at Dover after they had a loose wheel and got 4 laps down at one point. The car was also really good by all accounts - probably a bordeline top 5 car. Also, you can go on about how he "squeeked in" but the truth is that he had good cars in 2 of the 3 races and if not for the loose wheel at Dover and getting caught up in Matt Kenseth's mess at Loudon he would have solidly made the contender round without issue.
Also, now that he made it he has more of the same luck. He has to short pit and AS SOON as he does the caution comes out instantly..again...just like at Dover. It's like as soon as the announcers said "he'll be fine if it stays green" BOOM! Caution. Now I know he is the not the only one who had problems/bad luckat Kansas but with Kasey it's just gotten to the point where everytime he is running well you just have to think "OK...what's in gonna be this time?" I thjink he has had 2 races all year that were clean with no crashes/part failures or pit crew blunders and that was Kansas in the Spring when he finished 3rd and Atlanta which he won.
I think at this point in order to make it to the next round he will need to be top 5 or close in both races unless of course he wins at Charlotte which is very possible. His luck is such a shame....the team seems to be hitting their stride performance wise as they have had good cars everywhere since Atlanta except Ricmond and Chicago. He is a real dark horse if he can just get a little luck.
StandOnIt
Farm Truck
Kahne has two big problems and they are interrelated IMO. He doesn't know what the car needs to be fast setting the car up, and he doesn't know what changes need to be made to keep up with the track. If he unloads and the car is fast, he does well until he starts pitting and almost every time he goes slower..and this leads to every time someone sneezes he is in the pits, so yeah, he is going to get caught in the pits a lot when the caution comes out. Jr. does the same thing pretty much and back a few years, Rusty Wallace towards the end of his career did the same thing. It is a bad habit to get into.
pudge
When Nothing Goes Right....Go Left
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crew chief's job....Kasey just need to relay what the car is doing.
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ramfan9
Guest
You are entitled to your opinion but it seems pretty baseless to be honest. Having listened to Kasey's radio pretty regularly I think he is very good at explaining what the car is and is not doing well. He is really good also at understanding where other guys are beating him and he makes good suggestions to Kenny about adjustments. Atlanta was a prime example of this.....in the beginning of the race they were JUNK. Went from 10th to 22nd on the first run and after Kasey gave feedback they turned it into a winning car. As for the second part about your post about pitting everytime he sneezes I am really not sure what you mean. He was not the only driver out that that pitted for tire problems before a tire went down - look at Harvick and Kenseth. Also - he really had a lose wheel at Dover...again not his fault. I will also point out for the record that Ray Evernham claimed he is better at explaining what the car needed than Jeff Gordon is.
StandOnIt
Farm Truck
Here are two recent races that show what I am saying, I didn't have to look hard at all, Dover and New Hampshire 2014. he gets worse as the race goes on. That usually doesn't happen with a driver who can tell the crew what they need. I'm damn sure it isn't the car, and I am not going to go back ten years to who said what, don't really care. It isn't about bad luck IMO. I have been watching Kahne since he started in cup driving the 9 Dodge car. Don't consider myself a Kahne expert.
KahneFan
Team Owner
Ok, the first chart you posted was from the most recent race from Dover where the pit crew left a wheel loose and he went nearly 4 laps down at one point. And he faught his way back to only 1 lap down to finish 20th and race his way into the second round of the chase.Here are two recent races that show what I am saying, I didn't have to look hard at all, Dover and New Hampshire 2014. he gets worse as the race goes on. That usually doesn't happen with a driver who can tell the crew what they need. I'm damn sure it isn't the car, and I am not going to go back ten years to who said what, don't really care. It isn't about bad luck IMO. I have been watching Kahne since he started in cup driving the 9 Dodge car. Don't consider myself a Kahne expert.
The second chart you posted was from the most recent New Hampshire race where he was running near the top 10 when he got into some trouble with Kyle Busch that was not of his wrong doing.
You can't post two random charts where he finished poorly and not have any reasoning behind them. Both races he had to overcome adversity that was out of his control.
StandOnIt
Farm Truck
tell ya what you do slick, go back and pull up five or six more and see what I mean.. or not doesn't really matter from my standpoint, you can alibi all you want if it make you feel better, but Kahne consistently does not improve his position, and more often than not looses positions at the end of the race. doing that in a Hendrick car is a sign to me that isn't the car, it's the driver. You can call it bad luck, blame it on the crew, whatever you can come up with, doesn't matter o me. I have been watching Kahne for years I know what he does. Average start 13.2 average finish? 17.3 cracked the top 5 once in 11 years..not good 4th, 12th, 9th, driving for Hendrick..he ain't no Junior.
KahneFan
Team Owner
Well if you wanna talk stats and say "he ain't no junior" then how bout the fact that Kasey has 5 wins in his first 3 seasons with Hendrick and Jr only had 1 win in his first 3 seasons with Hendrick? And It took Jr 7 seasons to get 5 wins with Hendrick? Or Jr had 18 wins in his first 11 seasons and Kasey has 17 in his first 11 seasons? Seems pretty close to me.
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ramfan9
Guest
I think you need to find a hobby bro...you are digging pretty deep right now. Is Kasey perfect? NO. Have they had some races where they could not get the car right? Yes. But so have everyone else. It seems like you have personal issues with him and I never understood why some people decide they have it out for another driver who has done nothing wrong.
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ramfan9
Guest
And let's not forget that the bulk of Jr's wins came early in his carrer in the superior DEI plate car that even Michael Waltrip could win in. Meanwhile Kasey was winning fot teams like RPM and RED BULL.
StandOnIt
Farm Truck
You missed the point completely..again. "He ain't no Junior" means that with a record that Kahne has, Kahne doesn't have the luxury that Jr has to be able to hang around Hendrick. Already many are calling for his replacement despite the fact that he has a year left.
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ramfan9
Guest
The "many" tha are calling for him to be replaced need to get a clue. If you had told Mr H when Kasey signed that he would make the chase all 3 years and have 5 wins along with 7 second place finishes in one season and have one top 5 in the ponits WITH all the bad luck they have had I am sure he would sign up for that any day of the week. The people that are calling for his replacement want Chase Elliott to take the car. I love Chase and can't wait to see him in Cup but I still think it will be in the 24 after next season if Jeff retires. As much as I like him I also have to admit that he has come down t earth a little and they have had some medicore runs of late.
KahneFan
Team Owner
You act like he's freakin Jon Wes Townly out there or something. Believe it or not he very rarely is just completely off during a race, almost all those bad finishes for this year for an example, he's either been in a wreck, or had problems on pit road, or has been caught by the caution at the wrong time.
Sure you can call those excuses, but anybody that has watched him race for a number of years will agree that he has the worst luck of anybody out there.
And we all know Jr wouldn't be where he's at now if it weren't for his last name. He isn't any better of a driver than Kasey in my opinion.