LGP NASCAR Thread

[sj?]

exactly how I feel .. but if Jeff hasn't been added by now,don't think he will

http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/c ... 013#!jd7Ju
From Larry McReynolds ..

The one thing I question is that the driver who was holding the steering wheel and using the gas pedal in that race car — regardless of who was in his ear telling him to do what — truly on his own spun his car out and started this whole chain of events, but really is receiving no penalty. Sure, he got hit with 50 driver points taken away, but that penalty was assessed BEFORE the Chase points were reset. It doesn’t affect his position in the Chase one bit.

Trust me, I don’t envy NASCAR’s position. They’ve been through the mill this year with everything they’ve had to deal with from the various teams. Personally, I would have preferred to see a points penalty that would have affected both Clint Bowyer, who caused the caution, and teammate Martin Truex, who benefitted from the caution, enough to take them both out of the Chase.

I also would have liked to see the two drivers who were taken out of the Chase by the Bowyer caution – Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman – both in the Chase. Obviously, after the penalty was assessed, Ryan was in and Martin was out. However, Jeff Gordon is the guy I truly feel bad for because he did everything right at Richmond to put himself in the Chase, but then it was snatched away from him by MWR manipulation.


Nothing yet on the Logano incident ..


http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/d ... 313#!jee8O

[relantel]

Live presser with Mike Helton and Brian France about to begin...

http://www.nascar.com/presspass.html

[relantel]

Gordon is 13th driver in chase now. Penske and Front Row teams on probation through end of year.

[sj?]

Gordon is 13th driver in chase now. Penske and Front Row teams on probation through end of year.

Damn, I really didn't see that coming ..But, HELL YEAH !!

Jeff Gordon
The Drive to End Hunger Chevy has been added to the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase! #NeverQuit #Team24

[relantel]

NASCAR implements changes in the spotter stand, from allowable devices to # of allowable spotters per team per spotting stand...

Rumor has it that restarts will do away with the restart zone and will instead be started by the flagman.

[relantel]

Wow. NAPA leaves MWR (and 13 year association with Michael Waltrip, dating back to 2001 Daytona 500 win) over Spingate.

[shafnutz05]

Remember when Kenseth was criticized for winning a championship and not winning any races? Man, he looks good this year. Huge favorite for the title.

[relantel]

Remember when Kenseth was criticized for winning a championship and not winning any races? Man, he looks good this year. Huge favorite for the title.

huge favorite yes but all it takes is one engine to change the math.

[relantel]

Dover.... one that got away for the 88.

Thought he would get it on the restart but never could get alongside the 48... run just too short a run. But sure felt encouraging that the 88 had the fastest car on the track and backed it up throughout the race when they suffered pit entry setbacks.

Had the 20 beat the 48 on pit road, it might have been different. But still, on that final stop when they were the first with 4 tires and the 48-20-24 all had 2 tires I thought they had it. On top of being strong at New Hampshire and Chicago (before the engine went), I get the sense that the 88 will probably make it back up to the top 5 in points. Gap just too far back already for a realistic shot at the 20-48-18.

[shafnutz05]

Marty Reid fired from ESPN after 31 years

http://deadspin.com/espn-fires-longtime-motorsports-announcer-after-one-gaf-1428899459

[relantel]

Marty Reid fired from ESPN after 31 years

http://deadspin.com/espn-fires-longtime-motorsports-announcer-after-one-gaf-1428899459

This was a shocker to me. Kind of like when Bill Weber disappeared from NBC, and I think a similar thing happened to Allen Bestwick previously.

Wonder how many more will be out the door as ESPN gets closer to its final race, as they lost the NASCAR TV rights after 2014.

[relantel]

Harvick wins from the pole in a pretty boring race, won on pit strategy (to regain track position). Kyle Busch eliminates himself from title contention.

[CBear3]

I froze my rear off, and there was a little suspense sitting in the stands.

Could JJ make it back to the front? Could Kenseth? How about that move by the 24 to pit on 205 and then just come back for a splash.

And in the end the best part was watching the 88 and 27 barrel down on the 48 when he had electrical issues. They caught him by a half straightaway coming to the white, got outside him in 1 & 2, realized who it was and pulled the parachutes to make sure they didn't pass him. 100% my arse

[relantel]

Charlotte this weekend - Jeff Gordon on the pole, Harvick 2nd, Biffle 3rd. Other HMSers starting 4th-5th-6th. Kenseth qualified 20th.

[relantel]

Hendrick cars led over 300 of 334 laps Saturday but that debris caution changed it up in the end, as Keselowski won for the first time in more than a year, passing Kasey Kahne late. Johnson had been pulling away before the yellow, but flubbed the restart when the 5 & 24 started on the front row on two tires, while Johnson was first with four. I don't know if the 48's run was stunted because he didn't want to punt his teammate, but it cost him and he never got back up front. The 88, while they led 19 circuits, fell like a rock during the last 150 laps. Lots of green flag stops in this race, and at the final yellow I think there were 11 cars on the lead lap before the wave-arounds?


Truex heads back to Chevrolet and the 78 Furniture Row team for 2014.

Former Cup champion crew chief Todd Parrot suspended for substance abuse policy violations.

[shafnutz05]

I understand you don't want to give the other drivers too much time to make their own move, but waiting until the last lap to make a move at restrictor plate tracks is the dumbest thing ever. One caution and the race is over, as happened today.

[shafnutz05]

Also, just realized the accident was caused by a lapped scrub car, Yeley

[relantel]

Also, just realized the accident was caused by a lapped scrub car, Yeley

caused by Stenhouse looked like, who was on lead lap running fourth.

I get the frustration. So many guys burned on last lap passes they want to wait until the front stretch to make their move.

[shafnutz05]

Also, just realized the accident was caused by a lapped scrub car, Yeley

caused by Stenhouse looked like, who was on lead lap running fourth.

I get the frustration. So many guys burned on last lap passes they want to wait until the front stretch to make their move.

My mistake it was Stenhouse

[offsides]

Also, just realized the accident was caused by a lapped scrub car, Yeley

caused by Stenhouse looked like, who was on lead lap running fourth.

I get the frustration. So many guys burned on last lap passes they want to wait until the front stretch to make their move.

IMO, Restrictor plate racing is pretty hard to watch. Lot of plain old luck involved, and nothing happens (except wrecks) till the last few laps. I'm glad there are only two restrictor tracks.

[TheHammer24]

Jr. suggest removing the restrictor plates in his pre-race interview in the ESPN studio. That won't happen because you'd create airplanes every time someone wrecked. The races can be exciting, or boring, just like every other track. They're just different. I think NASCAR especially likes having a lottery in the middle of the Chase to give things a chance to be reshuffled. Of course, that can work the other way too. What if Kenseth wrecked on the last lap and JJ won? Now you'd have JJ +30 on Harvick or something like that, setting up a boring last 4 races. That didn't happen. And Kenseth and JJ are set up for a shootout. I think JJ has a slight edge -- he's a champ at Martinsville, and I think better at Phoenix. Kenseth has the edge at Homestead and Texas as he has dominated the 1.5s. But I think Johson is better on the 1.5s than Kenseth is on the short tracks. I am really cheering for the 20 though.

[relantel]

One need not remove the plates completely, but get the plates back to where they were early in plate history, where it was possible to get and hold a sizeable lead. (Say, 1990 Daytona 500 for example, where Earnhardt had a 30 second lead wiped out when Geoff Bodine spun with 7 to go) In such a scenario, teams cannot afford to sand-bag as they will be out of it. Recall a Busch series race where Earnhardt Jr had a 10 second lead at Daytona - 2006 maybe - wiped out by a late caution in route to a wire-to-wire win.

I'm rooting for the 29 at this point. Would rather not see Johnson get #6, and I suppose I could live with Kenseth getting #2. But Harvick and Busch are 26 out - the only way they control own destiny would be to win & lead most laps every race here on out, and that could still see them lose by 6 if Johnson leads & finishes 2nd each race.

[relantel]

Almirola, RPM to switch to #41 for Martinsville (owner's points still #43), in honor of Maurice Petty, who drove the #41 briefly in the early 1960s. Maurice got in the Hall of Fame for his engine building prowess.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

[CERV96]

Love the JJ hate. Just like when Gordon dominated, Earnhart before him. It means he is really good. It seems like some drivers don't gain popularity until they are older. Especially the good ones.

I used to hate Smoke too but as he got older I really don't mind him as much and find myself pulling for him.

[shafnutz05]

In modern NASCAR, I've often wondered what percentage talent plays and what percentage equipment plays in how a team does.