NASCAR Cup Round 1: The Daytona 500

[fieldodreams79]

Enough about the all female front row and nascar's dating scene, we got some racing today.

JAYSKI 500 Page

JAYSKI Duels Page

For the Duels, JR and JPM are moving to the rear of their respective grids, both for engine changes.

First race starts at 2 pm EST TODAY.

[FAS33]

Holy Crap, what a schedule!


Thursday, February 14
9:30 am NSCS Haulers Enter
11:00 am NSCS Garage Opens
6:00 pm NSCS Garage Closes
Friday, February 15
9:00 am NSCS Garage Opens
3:30 pm NSCS Sprint Unlimited Spotters Meeting
5:00 - 5:45 pm NSCS Sprint Unlimited Practice
6:30 - 7:30 pm NSCS Final Sprint Unlimited Practice
8:00 pm NSCS Drawing for Sprint Unlimited
9:00 pm NSCS Garage Closes
Saturday, February 16
9:00 am NSCS Garage Opens
10:00 am NSCS Daytona 500 Mandatory Spotter Meeting
10:00 am NSCS Rookie Meeting & Drawing for Qualifying Order
11:00 am - 1:00 pm NSCS Practice
2:00 - 3:45 pm NSCS Practice
4:00 pm Race Inspection begins for Sprint Unlimited cars
4:30 pm ARCA Race 200
6:30 pm NSCS Driver / Crew Chief Meeting
7:50 pm NSCS Sprint Unlimited Driver Introductions
8:10 pm NSCS Sprint Unlimited Race
11:30 pm NSCS Garage Closes
Sunday, February 17
7:00 am NSCS Garage Opens
1:05 pm NSCS Qualifying
5:00 pm NSCS Garage Closes
Wednesday, February 20
10:00 am NSCS Garage Opens
12:00 - 1:30 pm NSCS Practice
2:30 - 4:00 pm NSCS Final Budweiser Duel Practice
7:00 pm NSCS Garage Closes
Thursday, February 21
7:00 am NSCS Garage Opens
9:00 - 9:50 am NNS Practice
10:15 - 11:50 am NNS Final Practice
12:00 pm NSCS Driver / Crew Chief Meeting
12:10 - 1:00 pm NCWTS Practice
1:40 pm NSCS Driver Introductions
2:00 pm NSCS Budweiser Duel Qualifying Races
6:00 pm NSCS Garage Closes
Friday, February 22
7:00 am NSCS Garage Opens
11:00 am - 12:00 pm NSCS Practice
12:30 - 1:30 pm NSCS Practice
1:40 pm NCWTS Qualifying
3:35 pm NNS Qualifying
4:00 pm NSCS Garage Closes
7:00 pm NCWTS Driver Introductions
7:30 pm NCWTS Race
Saturday, February 23
9:00 am NSCS Garage Opens
10:30 am - 12:00 pm NSCS Final Practice
12:45 pm NNS Driver Introductions
1:15 pm NNS Race
5:00 pm NSCS Garage Closes
Sunday, February 24
7:00 am NSCS Garage Opens
11:00 am NSCS Driver / Crew Chief Meeting
12:15 pm NSCS Driver Introductions
1:00 pm NSCS Daytona 500

[MJ_N_09]

Almost unlistenable (is that even a word?) coverage. Get the mute button ready, everyone. Almost 67% of the commentary has been about Danica in some way, until she moved the back of the pack in her duel race (at the current moment).

[HJJ]

2014 Fail.

UNDER THE LIGHTS — Daytona International Speedway announced that next year’s Budweiser Duel 150-mile qualifying races will be run under the lights on primetime. FOX Sports Media Group will televise the races, which will air Feb. 14, 2014.

[Cynic]

I know it's early days and superspeedways don't always give a true indication of a cars performance, but I suspect Nascars R&D bods are going to be firing up the windtunnel on Monday. At least in the CoT you could side-draft, you just had to make sure you applied opposite lock first, but of you count the Sprint Unlimited that's now three races where the Gen6 cars have been unable to run side-by side for any decent length of time. Even allowing for Danica being in the way, the way the inside line just couldn't keep at the start of the first race was pretty shocking.

[JHamilton]

I tried to watch the duels but there was a 45 min gap between races and I lost interest. Doesn't seem too much has changed with the racing.

[FIRE]

Only saw duel 1. It was better dan the Sprint Unlimited race.

[fieldodreams79]

I watched both while working; work was more exciting. Seeing them running the high lines remains me of the days of old, but seeing them barely passing bored the ---- outta me.

[FIRE]

Green flag in a few minutes.

[Peat]

Will the inside line come in later? Or is it just going to be an outside procession?

[tux]

Hope so but it didn't in the duels or the Unlimited race, so who knows. These "GEN 6" cars don't seem to work very well side by side.

[tux]

So, the inside line does work after all.

[MJ_N_09]

I gotta give it to Danica. What a hell of a job she's done so far. She even led a lap O.O

[FIRE]

Half race already.

Originally Posted by MJ_N_09

I gotta give it to Danica. What a hell of a job she's done so far. She even led a lap O.O

So far a very good job.

[Paradise City]

She's doing well. Good temperament. Best of all the commentators aren't too syrupy. I kept my word though and didn't watch the build-up.

[tux]

The build up was very non Danica surprisingly, obviously more mentions than other drivers but watchable.

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by tux

The build up was very non Danica surprisingly, obviously more mentions than other drivers but watchable.

Yep (to my big surprise)

[fieldodreams79]

^She does what she always has done; drives a pretty clean race, just not the fastest....

thehas race been a snore so far, with a couple of pile ups to boot. I'll take hair raising action, with one inevitable pile up, but boring racing and pile ups included? Pretty lame. Hope the finish is CLEAN and good.

Not holding my breath.

[Clive Brown]

Originally Posted by fieldodreams79

Hope the finish is CLEAN

[tux]

Fairplay to Danica really, shes still there with a chance. Normally shes been caught up in an accident/mechanical problems by now in her previous Daytona attempts.

[Paradise City]

Originally Posted by fieldodreams79

^She does what she always has done; drives a pretty clean race, just not the fastest....

thehas race been a snore so far, with a couple of pile ups to boot. I'll take hair raising action, with one inevitable pile up, but boring racing and pile ups included? Pretty lame. Hope the finish is CLEAN and good.

Not holding my breath.

She often gets embroiled in trouble though. She gets into trouble in situations of her own making, she often gets into trouble with the slowcoaches that surrounds her. With this race, she's improved. The result isn't earth shattering given the base from which she's starting from but it's a distinct improvement. It takes temperament to survive and to manage the pack at these races.

I do have to remind myself that this is the Daytona 500 rather than the Brickyard 400. It's very precessional. That Toyota plant isn't up the mark; not in terms of longevity.

[Maelochs]

As a safety measure, NASCAR has removed passing from its races.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by Maelochs

As a safety measure, NASCAR has removed passing from its races.

Yup, but as things started heating up and there is a debris caution...

Originally Posted by Clive Brown

i have been called a blind optimist at times!

[FIRE]

Boring race.

[tux]

Terrible race really, glad there wasnt any huge accidents like yesterday but this is meant to be the big main event, all the hype and build up for what. 180 laps of follow the leader? You can get that in F1. Hopefully this car will race better on week to week tracks or my interest will be lost very quickly.