Daytona

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

Well somebody has to get the ball rollin...

Lets start with a little Martina MxBride video with NASCAR action in the background!

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Comments on the Nationwide race

1) Really good to see Logano win that one. Nice kid gonna make a great driver. Of course it was good to see Kyle do what he is best suited for - pushing a teammate to victory.

2) Danica - she almost won that one. If she had not separated from Almirola she might well have done just that. Really good to see her leading and enjoying the racing. She is one open wheeler I fully welcome to NASCAR as she has that willingness to learn attitude and ability.

Comments on the Cup race

1) Nice win for David Ragan. Nice kid one of the two Roush drivers I like to see win - the other being Vancouver Washington native Greg Biffle. Bummer for Greg that Carl couldn't handle his car.

2) Great weekend for Logano getting third in the Cup race to go with his win in the Nationwide. Go Joey!

3) Really cool seeing teams using email and texting during the race to coordinate tires and fuel on pit stops so as to not get out of sync with your drafting partner!

4) Great to see ol Harv on top the points! He certainly deserves it! Jimmie has slid all the way to 5th or 6th (tied with kenseth) but the points are pretty tight - just 22 points separate 1st from 5th and 6th.

5) Other than that pretty typical restrictor plate track mayhem.

-Ed-

 

[Panther_99FS]

Pre-Race Interview: Carl Edwards states that the road courses were tougher than the ovals....
Race: Nothing unusual

 

[Cazzie]

Typical put you to sleep super speedway fare. Didn't mind the outcome, hated that Denny started 4th with 3 to go and finished 14th. But that's the way the two-car tango goes. YAWN! I did, however, really enjoy the flag-to-flag coverage courtesy of Coke and TNT, that was probably the only reason I stayed up for the entire race. Otherwise, I would have been asleep in my chair from the countless boring adverts.

Caz

 

[Panther_99FS]

One last observation: Too bad Keselowski's error caused Trevor a DNF....

 

[Daveroo]

why was that carls fault? he got on the radio and told "the biff" he was moving up and around..it was up to greg to follow and he didnt..he wrecked them both in reality...the 16 also hit the wall....after the 16 got into the left rear of the 99,,,AND biffle appologised to the 99 team and took responcibilty for the crash....i dont care if you like carl or not...listen to the truth and pay attention.....like id love to say that dale jr is an idiot and got jamie loose and caused the crash in turn four......but god forbid..id prolly get a death threat from jr nation...

 

[Panther_99FS]

why was that carls fault?

'Cause EasyEd doesn't favor Carl too much .....

 

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

Go watch the video at NASCAR dot com and at the end Carl is already turning right before he told Biffle he was going to go to the right around Regan Smith. If the car in front gos right before the pusher knows it - bad things happen - simple as that. Carl needs to give the Biff more warning - don't worry someday Carl will learn.

-Ed-

 

[Daveroo]

'Cause EasyEd doesn't favor Carl too much .....

and hes allways right....

 

[redriver6]

well the whole 'drop back to back and hang out for most of the race' theory didn't work out to well did it?

note to team Hendrick.......if you are fast enough to be up front.....................................................DO IT

 

[Panther_99FS]

well the whole 'drop back to back and hang out for most of the race' theory didn't work out to well did it?

note to team Hendrick.......if you are fast enough to be up front.....................................................DO IT

Yeah I was rootin' for Gordon too!

 

[wombat666]

I always record NASCAR to HD so I can 'review' it at a reasonable time of day.
It allows me to skip through the boring periods and the commercials.
Daytona only needed around 10 minutes, rather a dreary 'Race'.
High marks to Kevin Harvick (I think it was Harvick) for catching the car when it wobbled out of line, other than that the show resembled 'Noah's Ark'.

3) Really cool seeing teams using email and texting during the race to coordinate tires and fuel on pit stops so as to not get out of sync with your drafting partner!

I think that would make NASCAR a 'Team Sport' along the lines of all those stick and ball games, 'Co-Operative Racing' ..................

 

[redriver6]

Go watch the video at NASCAR dot com and at the end Carl is already turning right before he told Biffle he was going to go to the right around Regan Smith. If the car in front gos right before the pusher knows it - bad things happen - simple as that. Carl needs to give the Biff more warning - don't worry someday Carl will learn.

BS

the trailing driver is supposed to keep his eyes glued on the spoiler of the car in front and go where it goes....i like Biffle but he was slow to react and wrecked his team mate.

 

[wombat666]

BS the trailing driver is supposed to keep his eyes glued on the spoiler of the car in front and go where it goes....i like Biffle but he was slow to react and wrecked his team mate.

Red, perhaps all the cars need a front mounted tow hook and a rear mounted hitch.
They could 'trail' two by two with no drama.

 

[redriver6]

Red, perhaps all the cars need a front mounted tow hook and a rear mounted hitch.
They could 'trail' two by two with no drama.

yep...i think i'm going to have to go on record and say this kind of 'racing' is stoopid.

 

[Panther_99FS]

Actually...
I like this kind of racing...:mixedsmi: ....Except that it sucks for the one car efforts...


Philosophical Question:
So if Barrichello can let Schumacher win and it is "wrong" then what's the difference between one NASCAR team-mate pushing the other to win when he could sling-shot by & win himself? - Or pushing your team-mate to win because he's in The Chase and you're not :ques:

 

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

BS

the trailing driver is supposed to keep his eyes glued on the spoiler of the car in front and go where it goes....i like Biffle but he was slow to react and wrecked his team mate.

Biffle did keep his eyes on the spoiler of the car in front but the car in front went right without telling Biffle in time. Now if Biffle had been in front I might agree with you.

Now if we want to play the role of the cool calm disinterested spectator then I'd say it was just a racing deal. It's hard to coordinate really well when you are catching up with cars in a hurry.


Now I like this racing too - adds another wrinkle to the kind(s) of racing NASCAR drivers have to do. Of course teammates will help teamates and there will be odd matchups like Stewart and Hamlin. Single car teams better "buddy up". Being in second place pushing the winner is only a two point loss to the winner by the second place car - not bad and worthwhile if you can push well. With two cars "nose to tail" I don't thnk the sling shot is possible because you are not getting a "run" on the car in front - all you will do if you pull out is hit a wall of air and very possibly wreck both cars.

Anybody who thinks that the essence of racing is a man in a car against a man in a car doesn't understand racing in this "new age" where pit crews, "teaming up", communication, great crew chiefing, managing your relationship(s) with other drivers (like survivor) all combine to create the essence of racing. Racing as my guy kin outrun your guy is so yesteryear.

Also I see the "big one" is back as many cars try to pass each other late in the race. So now you need to think about managing your way through that possibility as best you can.

Finally you all should if you know NASCAR know that NASCAR has had a long standing rule against pushing on the last lap. Guess what NASCAR has obviously changed the rule for Daytona and Talledega without telling everyone except most likely the drivers in the drivers meeting(s) before those races - but it is their ball and their game so they can do as they wish with the rules.

-Ed-

 

[redriver6]

Finally you all should if you know NASCAR know that NASCAR has had a long standing rule against pushing on the last lap. Guess what NASCAR has obviously changed the rule for Daytona and Talledega without telling everyone except most likely the drivers in the drivers meeting(s) before those races - but it is their ball and their game so they can do as they wish with the rules.

thats a good point....i forget which race it was where everyone was running low on gas....the one Jr ran out on the last lap....but anywho....they obviously push at Daytona and Talledega on the last lap so why not everywhere??

and during Saturday night's race didn't i hear Jr or somebody on the radio talking about using half throttle??

what up with that?

i guess that was all part of the 'go slow and hang out in the back' strategy.....

which doesn't work if there aren't any cautions and the field isn't bunched up....

like it used to be with the 40 car draft

 

[wombat666]

Ed,
I'm dead set against ANY form of 'Radio' communication in ANY motorsport series with the exception of an emergency warning.
Coaching a driver is ridiculous, be it F1, V8 Supercars, WRC, BTCC/ETCC, Le Mans, IRL or NASCAR.
Motorcycle racing has no need of it and the riders are the ones at risk, but the whole show manages without 'Coaching' and retains the old pit board.
FWIW coaching during play is banned in Tennis.
(Just because I've been watching Wimbledon!)
Riders in the TDF are using radio communication.
Bloody stupid.

 

[Cazzie]

This will possibly be the last year radios are used by the riders in the TdF, I hope so. It would make for ma much more exciting race if the riders did not know where there attackers were. With radios, it is no longer a bike race, it is a science and they have times the chase of a lead group down to perfection.

Caz

 

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

With radios, it is no longer a bike race, it is a science and they have times the chase of a lead group down to perfection.

Caz has it exactly right. But lets look at a the two scenarios.

Scenario 1. In todays world a race is a science. A science that involves the "shop" for creating the car. computer programs that simulate every detail of every track and every suspension/engine/gear combination you might put on a car, the pit crew, the crew chief, detailed mathamatical calculations of fuels usage (well not Mike Ford and Denny Hamlin obviously ) and the driver. All come together on a track to see what TEAM is best under a set of strictly controlled rules. Safety is paramount for the driver and the fans - you can see incredible crashes and everybody simply walks away to race next week.

Scenario 2. In many of my posts I say 1960 is dead. Here is why - in 1960 it was all about build the best car you can, bring whatever innovations you can create, bring that hot unknown driver - it was all about the creative technology the raw talent and lets settle it on the track - run what ya brung and let the chips fall where they may. It was basically driver and machine against driver and machine. No coaching, no great amount of mathamatical calculations, pit crew expertise was unknown (until the Wood brothers) safety was well - you took your chances. The rules were much "loser".

Tell me - for you which scenario better represents the true (to you) heart of racing? Which puts on a "better" show? Scenario 1 or Scenario 2? Don't be shy express an opinion.

For me Scenario 1 is so superior to Scenario 2 it isn't even vaguely in any way close. I did appreciate much of Scenario 2 but simply seeing a vastly superior team win by 10 laps simply didn't "cut it" for me. Scenario 1 is what racing is about. To strategy matters as much as tactical ability.

What about you?

-Ed-