Rate The Race: Talladega II

Boy, this was an exciting, nervous, and ultimately heartbreaking afternoon for a Brad fan. Is this how Mark Martin fans felt back in the day? Props to ya. I'll give the race a 7.5, and that's not weighed down by the results at all. Watching Brad put on a clinic in plate racing was a real treat. When he was managing to block 3 lines at once I was on the edge of my seat praying he doesn't lose it as he threw his car around. The problem was, the rest of the contenders got single-file along the top pretty quickly and it stayed that way for the majority of the race. Really only the 2 was able to pull out of line to pass on his own and take cars with him on the bottom, maybe also the 78, that is until the engines went bad. That was really the only situation where the leader could be challenged. The JGR cars riding in the back didn't bother me, better to get them out of the way so my teams had a better shot at advancing. Overall I would say this package needs some thought and work to break up the freight train at the front.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
According to the booth guys, nobody would work with him because he was pulling out of line at the wrong times. That whole experience thing, ya know.
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Soooo. You believe everything the guys in the booth say. Wonders never cease.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
According to the booth guys, nobody would work with him because he was pulling out of line at the wrong times. That whole experience thing, ya know.
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Fair point. But I'm also inclined to believe that if Jeff Gordon was driving the 24 nobody would've pulled out and pushed him either. I blame the system and package. Not the driver.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Ditto. I don't want an equalizer, at least not in Cup. If someone wants to revive IROC, where the cars are intentionally prep'ed the same every week, great. I'll eat it up with a spoon. But don't intentionally handicap the cars for 11% of the season and try to sell it as an improvement. We all know why it's done, and it isn't to equalize the field. That's a side effect, like nausea.
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I agree as restrictor plate racing takes away from the haves and gives to the have nots and I can't square that in anyway. I understand why people would like it as it changes things up but does it in a completely unfair way. Suffice it to say Lenin and Marx would love plate racing but I am not sure how Lennon and McCartney would have viewed it.
 
Acs said:
Boy, this was an exciting, nervous, and ultimately heartbreaking afternoon for a Brad fan. Is this how Mark Martin fans felt back in the day? Props to ya. I'll give the race a 7.5, and that's not weighed down by the results at all. Watching Brad put on a clinic in plate racing was a real treat. When he was managing to block 3 lines at once I was on the edge of my seat praying he doesn't lose it as he threw his car around. The problem was, the rest of the contenders got single-file along the top pretty quickly and it stayed that way for the majority of the race. Really only the 2 was able to pull out of line to pass on his own and take cars with him on the bottom, maybe also the 78, that is until the engines went bad. That was really the only situation where the leader could be challenged. The JGR cars riding in the back didn't bother me, better to get them out of the way so my teams had a better shot at advancing. Overall I would say this package needs some thought and work to break up the freight train at the front.
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The best part was when he got a little ways back in the pack and side drafted his way back to the front, I thought that was bad ass to the bone. I will give Brad credit, he will damn sure try stuff to win.
 
Acs said:
Boy, this was an exciting, nervous, and ultimately heartbreaking afternoon for a Brad fan. Is this how Mark Martin fans felt back in the day? Props to ya. I'll give the race a 7.5, and that's not weighed down by the results at all. Watching Brad put on a clinic in plate racing was a real treat. When he was managing to block 3 lines at once I was on the edge of my seat praying he doesn't lose it as he threw his car around. The problem was, the rest of the contenders got single-file along the top pretty quickly and it stayed that way for the majority of the race. Really only the 2 was able to pull out of line to pass on his own and take cars with him on the bottom, maybe also the 78, that is until the engines went bad. That was really the only situation where the leader could be challenged. The JGR cars riding in the back didn't bother me, better to get them out of the way so my teams had a better shot at advancing. Overall I would say this package needs some thought and work to break up the freight train at the front.
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One thing to consider is that maybe the 2 and the 78 had engines tuned more toward a higher risk higher reward scenario and it bit them both. I think the main thing to consider regarding race quality is that Brian Scott finished second which is a complete joke.
 
Skoalbandit33 said:
One thing to consider is that maybe the 2 and the 78 had engines tuned more toward a higher risk higher reward scenario and it bit them both. I think the main thing to consider regarding race quality is that Brian Scott finished second which is a complete joke.
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I think the #2's problem was that it had already run hot with the first piece of debris. The second piece / heat cycle was one too many.
 
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Let's see....

Rating the Race Factors-

Race Overall: +6: too much single file, even for Dega.
Winner: -3. Sliced Bread should have had a bigger penalty from dragging the jack around the track and trying to INTENTIONALLY dislodge it. WTF was he thinkin'?
Wild Card 1: +3- Bucky Brad done blowed up!
Wild Card 2: -2 Truex done blowed up!
Wild Card 3: -2 The 48, 18,19, and 20 sandbagging the entire race.

Total rating: 2. Sounds about right.
 
Acs said:
Overall I would say this package needs some thought and work to break up the freight train at the front.
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That is a good post, Acs, but I disagree with this part. I like the current plate package because it has created a constant struggle for track position at the front, starting on lap 1 and continuing to the finish. All four plate races this year have been the same, with the top 15 to 20 cars racing hard to gain track position, or to defend it once they get to the front. It's not easy to pass, but it is possible, and so every pass means something.

To me, nothing is as ridiculous as the days of 60, 70, or 80+ passes for the lead, because every pass is meaningless except the last one. A pass to take the lead of a race should be an accomplishment, not a random event that will be reversed by another random event on the next lap. Just my $0.02.
 
7 BK was putting on a clinic until he blew up. Thought it was interesting that the 3 JGR cars left the 11 out to dry the whole day.

And here is a thought for the tin foil hat thread, since the JGR cars were in the back, the4, 14, and 48 had nothing to race for, was that the reason there was no big one?
 
LewTheShoe said:
That is a good post, Acs, but I disagree with this part. I like the current plate package because it has created a constant struggle for track position at the front, starting on lap 1 and continuing to the finish. All four plate races this year have been the same, with the top 15 to 20 cars racing hard to gain track position, or to defend it once they get to the front. It's not easy to pass, but it is possible, and so every pass means something.

To me, nothing is as ridiculous as the days of 60, 70, or 80+ passes for the lead, because every pass is meaningless except the last one. A pass to take the lead of a race should be an accomplishment, not a random event that will be reversed by another random event on the next lap. Just my $0.02.
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That's a fair point, but it seemed like passing the leader was all but impossible yesterday. There's a middle ground between 50 lead changes on track and less than 10.
 
JBone88 said:
I'll give the 24 props. One of the few who had something to race for. Unfortunately nobody would work with him because they were content with running 16th.
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Happened a lot to him this year on the speedways. He was jumping out of line a lot and it cost him a few times, but when you're in desperation mode it has to be go-time all of the time. So I don't blame him. What was frustrating to me was late in the race when he was in the middle/top lanes, the guys in front of and behind him refused to stay tight, they were all nosing out left or right and killing the line's momentum. Have no freakin idea what Blaney was doing out there half the time, just constant weaving back and forth.
 
JBone88 said:
0

Worst Talladega race ive ever watched and I've been watching NASCAR for 25 years.

Everybody drove like complete pansies except the 2 and the 22.

No passing for the lead. Single file, side drafting sand bagging **** fest
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5

I guess you never was the race where they couldn't bump each other and rode in a single file line the whole race:rolleyes:
 
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