2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by TF110

Kyle Busch is the only good thing about this race. Sorry, but I like the guy (and of course a Toyota win).

To each their own, I guess, and I'll hold it against you.

[R.Lee]

Welcome back Number4

[R.Lee]

Interesting that this article below, appeared at Jayski's this morning. All I will say is GOOD LUCK WITH THAT, it IS NOT going to happen. This track is entirely unsuitable for stock car racing! I went to this race in 2003 and it was the absolute worst race that I have ever seen! Track is TOO flat, nowhere to pass, just a follow the leader, nose to tail parade! Plus, the sightlines at the track are the WORSE of ANY track on the schedule! Difficult to see much of anything, except if it is right in front of you! The ONLY way possible to improve racing at this track would be to RADICALLY alter/reconfigure the track. Widen it, put some banking in the turns, but that is not going to happen, so racing at the track will continue to be the biggest snoozefest on the schedule! Personally, I am in favor of dropping this track from the schedule and going to Iowa Speedway, in it's place!

NASCAR would like to see better attendance, racing at IMS: NASCAR's Steve O'Donnell said Monday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that series officials would like to "see more fans in the stands" at Indianapolis Motor Speedway but stated that "we've got to put on the racing people want to see." Kyle Busch dominated Sunday's Brickyard 400, leading 149 of 170 laps. That came a day after he won the Xfinity race there, leading all 20 laps in his heat and 62 of the 63 laps in the main event. While attendance figures are not announced, The Indianapolis Star reported that Sunday's crowd "might not have topped 50,000" at a track that has more than 250,000 permanent seats. On the crowd, O'Donnell said: "Certainly we would like to see more fans in the stands. It's been a struggle over the last couple of years for sure. We put a little bit on that ourselves when we had the tire issue (in 2008 where tire issues prevented any green flag stretch longer than 13 laps).
"It's a challenging race track for us from a racing perspective. That's no secret. So, we've got to balance the ability to race at that speedway but also put on a good race and balance that with the attendance. That's an ongoing thing. We're in discussions with Doug Boles (track president) and Mark Miles (CEO of Hulman & Company), and I know from their perspective as well, they certainly want to see folks in the stands, as do we. It's an important market for us, but by the same token we've got to put on the racing that people want to see. It's a balance, but we've got to make sure when we go there it's the best of all worlds and this year was a challenge, and we want to see that turn and reverse."
O'Donnell said that more can be done with the racing at Indianapolis: "Maybe the cars were a little bit closer together from a 1-40 standpoint, but obviously the ability to pass was a challenge, especially at the front. We'll go back and look at what levers we can pull. We're still evaluating 2017 (rules package), continuing on the lower (aero) trend and working with Goodyear on the tire. It's just a real challenge in terms of the groove in the corners at Indy. It's something we've got to continue to look at and see if we can, if at all, open up the ability to draft more and increase those passing zones."(NBC Sports)(7-25-2016)

[canamman]

Still kinda cool you were at the track for the 2003 race R,Lee.
Another idea I have , and no one here will like it, is slap a plate
on them and let them go 2 or 3 wide for 3 hours. You are right though,
the track config is the issue and that rectangle(hallowed grounds)
will not be changing anytime soon. But then again, Tony George is back in charge, so who knows.

[canamman]

Question for ya'll - Which race would you choose to go
to between these 3 ? Thinking about hitting one of them
coming up. I have never been to any of them.

1 - Bristol

2 - Martinsville

3 - Richmond

[Number4]

Originally Posted by canamman

Question for ya'll - Which race would you choose to go
to between these 3 ? Thinking about hitting one of them
coming up. I have never been to any of them.

1 - Bristol

2 - Martinsville

3 - Richmond

My choice would be that order you have there.
I had never heard of Bristol until about four years ago when the Nationwide race came on tv.
It completely blew my mind that such a track existed!
My dream is to make it there one day.

Originally Posted by fieldodreams79

To each their own, I guess, and I'll hold it against you.

I hate to break it to you, but I am another #18 fan.
I didn't think I liked him until he was about six foot from the fence at Daytona.
The next few weeks I really missed him not being in the black monster #54.
Thinking about it reminded me of when I used to play a lot of rugby. I used to take great pride in coming off the field with the whole opposing team hating my guts.
Two broken legs and a little kid seemed to have fixed his head. I think he will go on to be a multiple champion now.

Originally Posted by R.Lee

Welcome back Number4

Thank you! How are you doing? Four months of cold turkey was hell, but I have been overdosing to make up for it.

I thought the Indy 400 was a good race, except for all the cautions and red flag at the end. I'm not sure what more to expect. I enjoyed it.
I prefer Indy to Pocono and the plate races. Personally I like the short tracks, which is why I enjoy the K&N Pro so much.
Iowa should definitely be on the calendar.
Roll on the Glen!

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by Number4

I hate to break it to you, but I am another #18 fan.

AH! Another one!
#18? You mean Captian Snothead?

Originally Posted by canamman

Question for ya'll - Which race would you choose to go
to between these 3 ? Thinking about hitting one of them
coming up. I have never been to any of them.

1 - Bristol

2 - Martinsville

3 - Richmond

1 - if it was the old or old OLD Bristol

Richmond is one of the few watchable circuits these days, but Martinsville is the oldest continually used NASCAR track. My answer is 3, if only given one choice. And you can get one of these:

[R.Lee]

Originally Posted by canamman

Question for ya'll - Which race would you choose to go
to between these 3 ? Thinking about hitting one of them
coming up. I have never been to any of them.

1 - Bristol

2 - Martinsville

3 - Richmond

You have to take this and everyone else's suggestions with a grain of salt. Personal tastes play into it, plus, I don't care if a track is the greatest on the schedule and always puts on a good race, every track sometimes comes up with a stinker for a race. Good example, this year's World 600, at Charlotte. Martin Truex Jr. just had the field covered. He and the team hit the right set-up, he was able to find the groove and just stay in it. He had no issues on pit road and what cautions there were fell just right for him. He basically ran off and hid from the rest of the field. That was a stinker and there was little anyone could do for or about it. So be cautious about that. If these tracks, I would say the best one to go to would be Martinsville. Yes, it is the oldest track on the schedule, but with the exception of paving it (originally it was a dirt track) the racing surface has remained unchanged over all of these years. Though probably the slowest track on the schedule and it is the smallest, the racing there is usually outstanding. Aero has little to no effect, they swap paint, tempers flair. It's just good old American stock car racing! I have a friend, that use to post on a forum, that is no longer in existence. He was not a huge stock car fan, liked other forms of racing better, but followed the bigger NASCAR races. He and I got into a discussion about Martinsville on night, he said, "well it's too slow, too small, I just don't see how you could watch, much less enjoy a race there." I pointed out what I just said and told him, try it, you WILL change your mind. Long story, short. He tried it and now he never misses a race there, he loves the track and the racing. This is the one that I would personally recommend.

Richmond. I really cannot say. The last time I was at Richmond, it was still Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway and still a half mile oval. Have not been back there since they reconfigured the layout into a 3/4 mile tri-oval. It appears to race well, since the reconfiguration and I would imagine the low down force package will improve the racing there.

Bristol. The last time I went to Bristol, it was an asphalt track, same banking, but asphalt instead of concrete. From everything I have heard, the racing was far better there BEFORE smith had to "fix" the track. His "fix" was a compete FAILURE and RUINED the racing there! So he tried to put the track back to what it was before he tried to "fix" it. The racing improved somewhat, but still is NOT what it was before smith tried to "Fix" it, so his "re-fix" failed as well! This one would be third on the list that I would recommend, though if it had been left alone, instead of being "fixed" and then "re-fixed", I would have said it would be a toss up between it and Martinsville. So, in this order, I recommend -- Martinsville, Richmond and then Bristol.

[R.Lee]

Originally Posted by Number4

Thank you! How are you doing? Four months of cold turkey was hell, but I have been overdosing to make up for it.

I thought the Indy 400 was a good race, except for all the cautions and red flag at the end. I'm not sure what more to expect. I enjoyed it.
I prefer Indy to Pocono and the plate races. Personally I like the short tracks, which is why I enjoy the K&N Pro so much.
Iowa should definitely be on the calendar.
Roll on the Glen!

You're welcomed, my friend. I'm doing well, except for having to deal with this heat wave! The temps have been brutal here and we are in a severe drought. I work outside, so have just been suffering. Otherwise, I doing well.

I'm just the opposite, as I prefer Pocono to Indianapolis. Better track, better racing. More places to pass and wide enough all the way around the track. But, that is a matter of personal taste, I guess. I FULLY agree with you. I LOVE the short tracks! I wish there were more of them on the schedule! Take care.

[R.Lee]

Originally Posted by canamman

Still kinda cool you were at the track for the 2003 race R,Lee.
Another idea I have , and no one here will like it, is slap a plate
on them and let them go 2 or 3 wide for 3 hours. You are right though,
the track config is the issue and that rectangle(hallowed grounds)
will not be changing anytime soon. But then again, Tony George is back in charge, so who knows.

Well, the ticket was free. I had spent the week up at Oshkosh, for AirVenture. That is mecca for a pilot. Myself and the girl I was dating at the time were both pilots, as well as racing fans. She was from Missouri and at that time, that was the only track that NASCAR ran at, in that area. She had been to every BY400, starting from the beginning. To be honest, it was the worst experience that I have ever had at a racetrack. There was nothing that could be done about that and it certainly was not her fault. She had the tickets and ask if I wanted to go. I couldn't say no to her. The weather was miserable hot and as a NASCAR fan, I felt completely unwelcomed there. It's a very long story, so I won't go into it. Due to numerous issues, I will not ever consider that place "hallowed ground", but I guess that's me.

I have to say that plates would not work there, simply because the track is too narrow. It's hard to pass there now, plates would make it impossible to pass. I don't think it maters who is in charge of it, it isn't going to be reconfigured, so they will just keep going back each year to increasingly decreasing crowds. Afraid there is NO hope for that track. It was not built with stock cars in mind and that is evident each year they go back there!

[Paradise City]

The Busch brothers remind of the Kray twins. One clever and malevolent, the other less self aware and more erratic. In some defence of them, they've curbed their worst antics in recent years.

It's hard to know where NASCAR goes when Stewart and then young Earnhardt retires, which might be sooner rather than later for the latter. There's no real star name there. I don't think Chase will quite pick up the slack. As highly regarded as Bill is and as talented as Chase is, I just don't see him quite having the pull Eardhardt Jr has with his tragic background. I'm over here mind you - so maybe I''m misreading it. But that's the vibe I get anyway. I think it's NASCAR's time to soon experience the problems that follow on from a sharp decline in popularity.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by Paradise City

The Busch brothers remind of the Kray twins. One clever and malevolent, the other less self aware and more erratic. In some defence of them, they've curbed their worst antics in recent years.

It's hard to know where NASCAR goes when Stewart and then young Earnhardt retires, which might be sooner rather than later for the latter. There's no real star name there. I don't think Chase will quite pick up the slack. As highly regarded as Bill is and as talented as Chase is, I just don't see him quite having the pull Eardhardt Jr has with his tragic background. I'm over here mind you - so maybe I''m misreading it. But that's the vibe I get anyway. I think it's NASCAR's time to soon experience the problems that follow on from a sharp decline in popularity.

The Busch sisters have certainly calmed over the years and Kyle is apparently a very good person off the track. Still don't like either one of them.

You didn't mention Jimmie J. He's certainly the biggest star in the field, I would think but I don't know cause I don't watch anymore. There's certainly not anyone very eyegrabbing coming up. I like Chase, but that's because I've been reading about his racing career since he was 10. And his dad is my hero, but I certainly agree. Blaney, Larson, Stenhouse and company don't really push the meter.

And the sharp decline is well underway; perhaps in it's 4th or 5th year, imho. How long and deep? Time tells.

[Paradise City]

I hold Jimmie Johnson in high esteem, he's a good guy and at his peak was pretty much unbeatable. He's not given the credit he's due. But his personality doesn't translate across the airwaves and Chad Knaus seems like a horrible character. Carl Edwards is "too happy", I don't trust people who are "too happy". Keselowski has got a bit of that Stewart touch...

But star quality? I dunno. Used to be the heavy hitters I followed was Rudd, Dale Jarrett, Old Earnhardt..etc. With these guys today, it's more who I don't want to see win (Logano!), than any driver I would feel too enthused to support.

[fieldodreams79]

I feel the exact same way. The drivers themselves lack the "character" that many had in the past.

Racing is a rich man's game; always has been, but one of the appeals to NASCAR and many national series from around the world is that you had lots of these blue collar guys that fought, scratched and clawed to get in the car even at the local level. Some losing homes and families along the way to make it nationally and some internationally.

Now everyone is starting right after they can walk, with carts daddy bought (Chase too!) and have raced for a decade and a half before stepping into the "big leagues" at 20 years of age.

It's a different game, with more money. Gone are the days when an Alan Kulwicki can even enter an undebird in the bigtime and therefore, gone are many of the characters and character of the sport.

[canamman]

Well I know this statement is gonna infuriate
a lot of ya'll, may even saddened some, but Danica
is as good is she is gonna get. While I think she is
great for the overall interest of NASCAR, I have given up
hopes of a win or really even a top 10 for the near future
and probably forever going forward.

I think she has good equipment but just lacks that driving style to get
it up at the front and keep it there. I am afraid she will always be fighting
for the lucky dog and that's it.


#78 Furniture Row on Pole for Pocono.

[Number4]

Originally Posted by canamman

Well I know this statement is gonna infuriate a lot of ya'll.

Ooooooh! I could crush a grape I am so angry!
What took you so long to come to terms with reality?
I came to this conclusion in 2011 when she was still an average Indy car driver.
Now she is the fourth highest paid sportswoman in the world for running 24th in points.
If she wanted to be any good she should be hammering out the laps in Xfinity and the Trucks, but why bother when you are already earning over a quarter of a million every week?

[canamman]

Originally Posted by Number4

What took you so long to come to terms with reality?

I guess I was holding out for a miracle. I got hooked when she did
so well in her first Indy 500. But she was always mid packing it in Indy car
and now the same trend is confirmed in NASCAR.

Glad you got my sarcasm.

[Number4]

This video tickled me.
DW selling the COT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PtxNykaOkI

[canamman]

I have never seen that COT video. Quite funny.

Pocono today. I am hoping this is Chases day in the #24.
He finished 4th in June here.

[R.Lee]

Originally Posted by canamman

I have never seen that COT video. Quite funny.

Pocono today. I am hoping this is Chases day in the #24.
He finished 4th in June here.

Same here, I would love to see Chase break though for his first win, would be happy to see Ryan Blaney get his first, as well.

In a way, I feel bad for Danica. NOT mind you, in the fact that she is popular, is making a mint of money and keeps a good ride. But, she never really stood a whole lot of a chance here in NASCAR. She has driving ability and could have done much better, had she started out young, in late models, then come up through the K&N East or West Pro Series. moved into XFinity and finally into Sprint Cup. She chose or someone chose the wrong path for her, if her final destination was to be the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Where she came from, the route she took was the ABSOLUTE WORST path she could have taken and it has held her back, from the beginning of the time that she first sat in a stock car. Stock cars are driven more by feel, by the "seat of the pants", you have to learn how they "feel" to be able to make them handle. Where she came from, she never developed that "seat of the pants feel" Note, she rarely ever gets the car handling real well, it's always too loose or too tight, she had difficulty finding the right balance. Had she come up through the stock car side of racing, she would have developed that "feel" and I believe would have done a whole lot better. All things considered, she has done pretty well, IMO. I watched her, from the day that she entered NASCAR and I researched her background. She had been, from what I observed, pretty miserable, angry and very hardened. Seemed very negative. But she had a very bad marriage. The jerk that she was married too, quite a bit older than her, was a child molester, messed with a 14 year old girl, that was a patient of his and from what I heard, was pretty mentally abusive to Danica. All of that should have NEVER happened to her. Ditching that bum, getting out of that marriage and getting away from the negative of where she came from improved her immensely! Especially, after she and Ricky got together. She "softened", became more happy/pleasant and lost the anger that she had displayed so openly. Ricky would be very smart to hang onto her. They seem ideally matched and the girl has good genes. They say if you want to see what your girlfriend is going to look like, when she is older. to look at her mother. I've seen photos of her mother and she is still a pretty lady, very attractive, so Danica will keep her looks as she gets older, she has good genes. Both Danica's and Ricky's parents like them being together both in-laws "approval" is a GOOD THING! Them "tying the knot" will help BOTH, I believe especially Ricky. One need look only as far a Kyle Busch, to see the positive effect. Ricky is talented, but he's been stuck in Roush JUNK. He gets into a top caliber car and he will win races and probably championships! I didn't mean to get off into it, so back on topic -- I like Danica -- she is a VERY positive influence for NASCAR. Don't believe me, look at the way she handles the young fans, girls yes, but young boys too, they LOVE her and she is DAMN GOOD with them, VERY positive with them. Those kids are the future of this sport, fan wise and her positive influence bodes well for NASCAR. She is a positive image for the sport, overall. She will help SHR or whoever she drives for secure sponsors. It has been said that she is a "marketing machine", well, that is NOT something bad to have going for you! She doesn't HAVE to win races. I still believe, that if the right circumstances fall into place, Daytona, Talladega, of all places, Martinsville, (she has run good there) she could get a win. I believe she has caught a whole lot of unnecessary grief from bitter indy fans (they're grief mongers anyway) and from many that think she had and has no right to be where she is. I do not agree. She has as much right to be where she is, as anyone and I would hope that a win, would get allot of people off of her back. She does not deserve a whole lot of the grief she catches! I'm in her corner and will be.

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by Number4

This video tickled me.
DW selling the COT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PtxNykaOkI

[canamman]

Very good post R.Lee on the Danica post. You got it
right on Danica. I spent 2 years on her radio almost every
race and she was not happy with the car 80% of the time.
Hence the crew chief changes etc, etc. I was hoping
Tony would have been able to help her transition from indy car to stock car feel more completely. I think it goes further than that,
its driving style, risk taking, braking points that seems
to also be part of the equation.

[R.Lee]

Originally Posted by canamman

Very good post R.Lee on the Danica post. You got it
right on Danica. I spent 2 years on her radio almost every
race and she was not happy with the car 80% of the time.
Hence the crew chief changes etc, etc. I was hoping
Tony would have been able to help her transition from indy car to stock car feel more completely. I think it goes further than that,
its driving style, risk taking, braking points that seems
to also be part of the equation.

I believe Stewart has had enough problems of his own, in the last three years, that he has been unable to help anyone. Kevin Harvick helped her at several tracks, gave her allot of good advise, that she was VERY QUICK to publicly thank him for, a couple of years ago, and it showed, RIGHT AWAY. She ran a whole lot better at the tracks he gave her pointers on. She picks things up very quickly and I really believe she would have and still would benefit from a driver coach, someone like a Mark Martin or like the late Buddy Baker, who helped other drivers in the past. If Ricky was in something other than Roush JUNK, I believe he could and would help her, but there is NO HELPING and NO SOLUTION to Roush JUNK, so anything he could offer would not likely help. At this point, (really if I had been all along) if I were SHR, I would work out some kind of a deal with JGR, HMS, or whoever runs a K&N Pro Series development program and have them provide a car to them (they would maintain it, crew it, etc.) and run her in the K&N East and West races that did not interfere with the Cup Schedule. Get someone like a Mark Martin, to coach her, like I said, she picks up on things quickly, and let her get as much seat time as possible and let her develop that "seat of the pants feel". I would dare say that her performance in the Cup Series would quickly improve, immensely!

[Number4]

You can make all the excuses you like, #10 is still 0 for 201 in a stock car, and 1 for 115 in an IndyCar.
Lucky for her she has a cute arse.

[canamman]

Pocono will try again 11 a.m. EST Monday