Watkins Glen to see F1 cars again.

Matt · 27 Feb 2011, 00:23 (Ref:2837337)

...well kinda.

Tony Stewart and Lewis Hamilton will to a car swap sometime this summer at the Glen.

cmotd · 27 Feb 2011, 00:32 (Ref:2837341)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt

...well kinda.

Tony Stewart and Lewis Hamilton will to a car swap sometime this summer at the Glen.

Vodaphone like doing car swaps, a McLaren is going to lap Bathurst this year in an F1/V8 Supercar swap which should be fun

Matt · 27 Feb 2011, 01:43 (Ref:2837357)

It's the Mobil 1 sponsorship this time.

We don't have Vodafone in the states.

hotlavaaaa · 27 Feb 2011, 07:32 (Ref:2837385)

So that's why Tony lost all that weight over the off season.

E.B · 27 Feb 2011, 08:30 (Ref:2837394)

If I knew who Tony Stewart was or is.....

Cant say I have ever heard of him

Greem · 27 Feb 2011, 10:50 (Ref:2837425)

Quote:

Originally Posted by E.B

If I knew who Tony Stewart was or is.....

Cant say I have ever heard of him

Google for him. He's quite the character, does a lot of non-verbal "communication". Lewis better not prang his car!

E.B · 27 Feb 2011, 12:11 (Ref:2837445)

I did that, and it seems he is quite well known. My excuse is I dont follow NASCAR (not my thing and you have to draw the line somewhere) and we live a sheltered life in the antipodes.

Having said that we do get a bit of NASCAR on TV here now.... I just dont watch it myself.

sizzle · 27 Feb 2011, 13:22 (Ref:2837474)

He raised a few column inches this year when he clouted the promotor of Parramatta speedway on his last night here. Couple of hours with the coppers before they let him go.

**Bononi** · 27 Feb 2011, 13:52 (Ref:2837479)

Swap cars, that's great.

fieldodreams79 · 27 Feb 2011, 14:30 (Ref:2837482)

Quote:

Originally Posted by E.B

I did that, and it seems he is quite well known. My excuse is I dont follow NASCAR (not my thing and you have to draw the line somewhere) and we live a sheltered life in the antipodes.

Having said that we do get a bit of NASCAR on TV here now.... I just dont watch it myself.

Unless you visit the NASCAR forums here or watch more than a handful of races, you wouldn't know anyone except maybe Jimmie J and Kyle Busch.

As for the swap, I hope Smoke (as Stewart is sometimes called E.B.

) is a little more impressive than Jeff Gordon when he and JPM switched at Indy years back. Surely, it has to be overwhelming after driving archaic stockcars for years and jumping into a spaceship of an F1 car.

Maybe this will peak Lew Hammy's interest in stockcars and he may follow JPM to brick racing country. (doubtful)

It's going to be cool seeing an F1 car at the Glen again.

JeremySmith · 27 Feb 2011, 14:36 (Ref:2837483)

This can only be a positive thing..

Tony Stewart is very well known here of course and can be quite the comedian..

Matt · 27 Feb 2011, 16:25 (Ref:2837503)

Quote:

Originally Posted by E.B

I did that, and it seems he is quite well known. My excuse is I dont follow NASCAR (not my thing and you have to draw the line somewhere) and we live a sheltered life in the antipodes.

Having said that we do get a bit of NASCAR on TV here now.... I just dont watch it myself.

Used to run Indycar as well, won the championship in '97.

E.B · 27 Feb 2011, 16:41 (Ref:2837507)

Ovals aint my thang, (though I do like short dirt ovals on the local scene, which gets a fair bit of TV time here..)

I have tried to watch the Indy 500 a number of times, but it sends me to sleep I'm sorry to say. I have never got past 10% of the race. Not helped by a 3am start time here down under though..

I have tonight read a couple of bits about Tony Stewart including an article from Rolling Stone mag, called Where there is Smoke.... dated Sept 2008. Quite a good read. He does sound a bit of a lad, and quite a character. In F1 terms, more Raikkonen than Hamilton shall we say. That is a compliment btw.

fieldodreams79 · 27 Feb 2011, 18:31 (Ref:2837545)

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Tony Stewart is very well known here of course and can be quite the comedian..

That he is! His mouth makes me love him one week and hate him the next; sure I can do the same with people (ask the wife

). But the guy can wheel just about everything he has sat in.

JeremySmith · 27 Feb 2011, 18:44 (Ref:2837550)

Did he have to go through some kind of anger management classes, or I am mistaken?

fieldodreams79 · 27 Feb 2011, 20:04 (Ref:2837593)

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Did he have to go through some kind of anger management classes, or I am mistaken?

Yes; visits to the NASCAR Officials trailer after the race. I believe it is simple as " keep your pie hole shut or find some other place to race."

broadrun96 · 27 Feb 2011, 22:51 (Ref:2837690)

It will be fun to watch, how far dialed back do we think McLaren will set up the car? They might really need to reign it in and put on worn out tires or fill the track with camera trucks so he's not tempted to try and beat the Indy car times. Would be cool if they let him open it up a little but I'm guessing it will be more formation driving with LH for the photo op.

Will also be fun to see if the British electrics jokes come back again with McLaren making the ECUs and injector system for Nascar next year. Or if any Nascar fans even know the evil, I mean name, of Lucas Electrics.

Course with no headlights or radio at least turning the volume up might not make the lights or wipers come on.

cmotd · 27 Feb 2011, 23:54 (Ref:2837716)

Quote:

Originally Posted by broadrun96

...with McLaren making the ECUs and injector system for Nascar next year

So NASCAR has finally embraced the 1980s? What's next, putting the drivers in fishnet stockings and thick black eyeliner, new-romantic style?

Matt · 28 Feb 2011, 00:07 (Ref:2837719)

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmotd

So NASCAR has finally embraced the 1980s? What's next, putting the drivers in fishnet stockings and thick black eyeliner, new-romantic style?

I prefer carbs over EFI.

cmotd · 28 Feb 2011, 00:28 (Ref:2837726)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt

I prefer carbs over EFI.

I agree, NASCAR is the biggest historic car race series on the planet! When they change to EFI NASCARs won't be eligible for historic race meets anymore, well not in the pre-1980 categories anyway

E.B · 28 Feb 2011, 00:42 (Ref:2837731)

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmotd

I agree, NASCAR is the biggest historic car race series on the planet! When they change to EFI NASCARs won't be eligible for historic race meets anymore, well not in the pre-1980 categories anyway

Dont forget our Aussie V8SC's, which model themselves closely on antiquated technology, with even the Holden's sporting Ford 9'' solid axle (as opposed to IRS) rear ends, not to mention the similarities engine wise, although top end I think V8SCs run injection and EFIs. Not that the V8SC's match NASCAR horsepower.

V8SC did jump into the 1990's in the last year or so, replacing H patterns with sequential gearboxes now the norm.

cmotd · 28 Feb 2011, 01:12 (Ref:2837739)

Quote:

Originally Posted by E.B

Dont forget our Aussie V8SC's, which model themselves closely on antiquated technology, with even the Holden's sporting Ford 9'' solid axle (as opposed to IRS) rear ends, not to mention the similarities engine wise, although top end I think V8SCs run injection and EFIs. Not that the V8SC's match NASCAR horsepower.

V8SC did jump into the 1990's in the last year or so, replacing H patterns with sequential gearboxes now the norm.

well they are American companies after all, I guess NASCAR is a reflection of the US car industry as a whole. If it wasn't for emissions laws in the 1970's they would probably have kept selling carby engined cars up to now to keep costs as low as possible. The US car biz is very third world in that way, low manufacturing cost trumps every other consideration unless the government steps in and legislates

broadrun96 · 28 Feb 2011, 02:02 (Ref:2837747)

As much as I love knocking the lack of 90s engine tech in NASCAR, can we get back to the swap?

How much has the track changed since the last F1 race? I'm guessing they'll be doing the demo at the Nascar race this summer and so would use the inner loop as they will use in the race. I am assuming they use something somewhat difficult to move to block it off or do any of the support races use the whole thing? Would be nice to see Nascar use the whole track but think I heard in a telecast, they had said the boot was too tight and would be wreck central in a race.

Matt · 28 Feb 2011, 02:36 (Ref:2837751)

a wreck in the first corner of the boot would block the track.

cmotd · 1 Mar 2011, 00:42 (Ref:2838220)

I can see the value of getting a NASCAR driver in an F1 car for the novelty value to the NASCAR fans - but what is the point of putting Hamilton in a NASCAR for a few laps? It may as well be anyone in there