Random NASCAR Stuff to talk about.....

dpkimmel2001 said:
For the most part, yes. It's been unseasonably warm for the spring Bristol race this year. We did have a thunderstorm role through yesterday afternoon that claimed the awning on our RV. For lack of a better description, that blows.

A while back I had mentioned in a thread that I'd purchased a package for my son that they called 'Track Laps for Kids'. For $20 they let you take you street car for laps around the track. We did that last night and in the words of Jeff Gordon, that was awesome! We took the laps in our GMC Sierra 2500 HD. Granted, a car would have been better but our car won't haul our RV from western PA to Bristol. The banking is incredible. When you first drive in to the track you have to drive downhill to the apron. I don't know how those hauler drivers do it. They then take you around the track and you form 3 lines of 7 cars on pit road. They then take you out in groups of 7 behind the pace car up on the banking. We were near the back of the pack. At first they go slow and then the pace car picks up speed. We layed back a little and then got really decent runs catching the field. If you ever have the chance to do it, don't give it a second thought, just do it.
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I agree with you about driving the haulers in there. It sure looks like they would high center, but I guess they don't. A couple of years ago when we were racing at the dragstrip, we went up and made a few laps around the nascar track on our pit scooters, and you are not kidding about how incredible the banking is .
 
That's awesome dpk, I definitely want to try that some time. When I went a few years ago, I think they were offering the Richard Petty school stuff at the track, I wanted to try it so bad but I had already spent enough money just getting down there for the races that weekend.
 
TexasRaceLady said:
Wonderful, dpk. What a blast.

Oh, and sorry about the awning.
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yeah, bummer about the awning but it could be worse. Nothing a half dozen, or more, cold ones can't help me forget.

FlFlash said:
I had to do a double take of the ppic out the truck window showing the 3 car under the car cover, had me for a moment, Sure sounds like your having FUN DP!
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Yes, I was trying to snap a few pics as we were passing that and got lucky.

Nitro Dude said:
I agree with you about driving the haulers in there. It sure looks like they would high center, but I guess they don't. A couple of years ago when we were racing at the dragstrip, we went up and made a few laps around the nascar track on our pit scooters, and you are not kidding about how incredible the banking is .
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A few years ago we watched the haulers pull in the track at the end of the hauler parade. They definitely take their time pulling in.

StewartHaas-Gibbs Racing said:
That's awesome dpk, I definitely want to try that some time. When I went a few years ago, I think they were offering the Richard Petty school stuff at the track, I wanted to try it so bad but I had already spent enough money just getting down there for the races that weekend.
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They still offer the RP driving school. They also have some sort of ride along program. Cheaper and probably much faster.
 
Brad K whining on Twitter tonight. He claims that his taking advantage of pit road timing lines had nothing to do with his win last August. His objectivity is about as well honed as his taste in music.
 
Having a great time. A little hung over today which is a good indication of last nights activities which included good times with good friends and a little game called LCR.....
 

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Matthew2470 said:
Brad K whining on Twitter tonight. He claims that his taking advantage of pit road timing lines had nothing to do with his win last August. His objectivity is about as well honed as his taste in music.
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Really? He's responding to this article and tweet by Bob Pockrass.

NASCAR changes pit-road speeding lines at Bristol after Brad Keselowski’s advantage last year

http://www.scenedaily.com/news/arti...ter_Brad_Keselowskis_advantage_last_year.html

In those 8 pit stalls were the 2,17, 22, 24, 99, 48 etc. on the last stop, my pit crew beat the 24 out, who had the same advantage. We won. we passed the 56 car on the restart and the 24 didn't. End of the day, i don't see how any1 could say it won us the race with all the facts.

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Brad's just clearing up the whole picture. If you watched that race, you would have seen Jeff and Matt speeding too. Brad just did it better, but he sure didn't speed 'through' any pit BOXES like Pockrass says. The fact is that having the best car that night it what won the race, and Brad is looking out for his team by making sure everyone knows it. By the way, Brad agrees with the change. Jeff Gordon can whine all he wants, be he did the same thing.
 
No one said BK did anything wrong. But he wouldn't have been in poration to win if not for the advantage he gained leaving his put box. But Brad has always been a whiny little beyotch so it's no surprise that he's too stupid to understand something so basic and obvious.
 
Matthew2470 said:
No one said BK did anything wrong. But he wouldn't have been in poration to win if not for the advantage he gained leaving his put box. But Brad has always been a whiny little beyotch so it's no surprise that he's too stupid to understand something so basic and obvious.
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lol You're saying EXACTLY what Kez is saying. Add the rest of what he said, and you'll actually understand the whole thing......maybe. :D Here...using pit strategy better than Jeff put Brad in a BETTER position to win the race, but Gordo was also in position to win the race. Being in position to get the win and actually getting it are too different things, as Jeff learned when he wasn't able to follow Brad past Truex.

The only driver I heard whining was Jeff Gordon, who was trying to do the same thing after that last stop but couldn't pull it off. Yes, Jeff DID say that Brads speed on pit road was wrong. He came pretty close to whining to NASCAR about it, but was smart to whine in the media instead and wait for NASCAR to rescue him from himself. Surely you can IMAGINE why the 24/48 picked the other boxes that had the same advantage. I think the simplest explaination of what won the race was Brad saying "[after coming out of the pits] We passed Truex. Gordon didn't".
 
Random pics
 

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What happened to Robby Gordon Friday at Bristol: #7-Robby Gordon failed to make the 500 field after his engine failed to fire for practice. That would normally not be a major story here; however the situation surrounding Gordon's problems made it one. "Robby was out there on the line ready for practice, and then the car just wouldn't fire," crewman Randy Rodriguez said. "Four McLaren engineers came running over there to help, and they spent 1-1/2 hours with it, but couldn't figure it out. So we have to go home. No practice, you can't qualify." NASCAR officials, asked about the situation, referred reporters to McLaren engineers, who could not be found. Dodge execs, likewise, could not be found for comment. Gordon, one of only three NASCAR drivers this year running Dodges (along with Penske men #22-AJ Allmendinger and #2-Brad Keselowski), says he has called Dodge boss Ralph Gilles since Penske announced two weeks ago that he would be moving to Ford. But Gordon says Gilles has not yet returned his inquiries. Gordon had engine problems at Daytona and tried to get an engine from Penske, the only other team owner building Dodge engines. But Gordon said Penske's price (which he wouldn't specify) was too high. Dodge itself apparently doesn't build NASCAR engines or have any other engine building source.(MikeMulhern.net)(3-17-2012)
 
Nothing unless we rip up the track and build something better.
 
robbybee said:
Next Up: FONTUCKY

A few years ago, Mikey suggested that AAA Speedway in California should be converted to a Restrictor Plate track. I felt at the time that it was a self-serving statement (cause we all know how sucessful Michael has been at non-plate tracks) and I still think it's a stupid idea. Happily, his suggestion was dismissed.

Still, something needs to be done at Fontana and Michigan to make the races more exciting for the audience. Drivers love the tracks but fans feel that racing there is boring. Shortening the race from 500 to 400 miles helped to create a greater sense of urgency for the drivers and added some drama for the fans.

But, what could be done, aside from ripping up the track and building Bristol West in it's place?
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Since the shortening of the race, there have been some exciting races. The last two races at Auto Club Speedway have been the best races at that track ever. I corresponded via email with Gillian Zucker and asked about increasing the banking at the track to improve the racing and she said that it would not be cost effective with regard to the current economic environment. This year they are offering Metrolink service to and from the track; something they haven't done in years. The past two years attendance has increased enough to warrant the return of the train service. Recently, nearby residents have been complaining about noise during events at Auto Club Dragway resulting in the closure of the dragstrip :(
NASCAR week at Auto Club Speedway continues to be the most lucrative week in Fontana for business owners.
 
As someone who attends every MIS race every year I can certainly understand why some would desire that the track be changed to something that would provide for more action packed racing. However this will never happen. Michigan is a huge track and the costs would be prohibitive, so let's just dismiss this idea completely.

As a fan I admit that I sometimes become bored while sitting through a 120 lap green flag run at Michigan. But this is balanced out by the fact that restarts often result in 7 wide racing that you simply won't see anywhere else. Also, MIS requires a very strong car and great set up a where a driver's ability to select the best line and manage tires is crucial. Not every race is going to be a nail biter. Every sport has parts that are less than thrilling but at least with NASCAR we get a variety of tracks that require different elements for success.

Here are a couple of shots from August 2009 when I decided to try sitting in the cheap seats between 3 and 4. (click on the images to see full size)

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Nice shots there. How cool would it be if MIS narrowed the track by a bunch and put short stands around parts of the INSIDE of the track?
 
FenderBumper said:
Nice shots there. How cool would it be if MIS narrowed the track by a bunch and put short stands around parts of the INSIDE of the track?
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Remember how terrible the racing has become at Charlotte due to aero push? Narrowing the track would kill MIS and make passing impossible.
 
Is it just Nascar? Or is there another sport in the world whose fans are constantly nattering about changing it?
 
Matthew2470 said:
Remember how terrible the racing has become at Charlotte due to aero push? Narrowing the track would kill MIS and make passing impossible.
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Wouldn't it slow everyone down and make aero less important?

I really think the aero crap has ruined the racing on a lot of tracks. Mechanical grip = racing, not science project kite flying.
 
FenderBumper said:
Wouldn't it slow everyone down and make aero less important?

I really think the aero crap has ruined the racing on a lot of tracks. Mechanical grip = racing, not science project kite flying.
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Michigan is super smooth with lots of banking. They'd still hit 205 getting into the corners.
 
FenderBumper said:
How about pop up walls and sprinklers? MIS is the last track I would consider buying a ticket to.
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I'd go to any track at least once.

But the only reason I go twice per year is that it's a 50 minute driver from my house. No way in hell will I miss the chance to see live NASCAR racing so close to home. Even the most boring day at MIS with my son is better than any day watching the race at my house.
 
Matthew2470 said:
Like any track, it's way better in person. There are always battles but TV neglects most of them. But still, if I could pick a track to put in MIS' place it would be Iowa or Richmond.
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Martinsville > Everything.

Iowa's a great track as well. Richmond is hit-or-miss.
 
Some big teams in the danger zone:
(owner points)
30 +4 #33 Richard Childress 66 -91 4 0 0 0
31 -2 #38 Brad Jenkins 66 -91 4 0 0 0
32 -4 #93 Thomas Ueberall 65 -92 4 0 0 0
33 +2 #13 Bob Germain 60 -97 4 0 0 0
34 -7 #5 Linda Hendrick 57 -100 4 0 0 0
35 +1 #83 Thomas Ueberall 54 -103 4 0 0 0
36 +4 #10 Tommy Baldwin 50 -107 4 0 0 0
37 -6 #21 Glen Wood 44 -113 2 0 0 1
38 -1 #30 Kevin Buckler 44 -113 4 0 0 0
39 -1 #26 Jerry Freeze 36 -121 4 0 0 0
40 +2 #98 Dusty Whitney 34 -123 4 0 0 0​
 
Matthew2470 said:
As someone who attends every MIS race every year I can certainly understand why some would desire that the track be changed to something that would provide for more action packed racing. However this will never happen. Michigan is a huge track and the costs would be prohibitive, so let's just dismiss this idea completely.
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I agree with everything you said! I am about 45 mins from AAA Speedway and I go every year. Not to every CUP race but at least for the N'wide race. The 5-wide stuff is awesome! The speeds the drivers attain on the front stretch are incredible. But since the tracks are so wide and smooth, the sensation of the high speeds is sometimes missing - until someone hits the Turn One wall, that is! :eek:

FenderBumper said:
nattering? Thems fighting words. ;)
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natter, natter, natter!!! :boxing:
 
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