2018 NASCAR Discussion threadNASCAR

[Gerarghini]

I truly don’t get Toyota’s thinking in putting the Supra (if confirmed) in the Xfinity series instead of the 86.

 

[bloodyboyblue]

I truly don’t get Toyota’s thinking in putting the Supra (if confirmed) in the Xfinity series instead of the 86.

Why would they put in the 86, it’s going out of production soon, it’s way smaller than a midsize sedan and doesn’t compete with pony cars, and just overall is not targeted at NASCAR’s demographic. It’s like using the Corolla for their Cup car. The Supra doesn’t make sense either, but at least it’s similarly sized to and as powerful as the pony cars. I’d just keep the Camry to be honest, it’s the best fit. Neither the Supra’s or 86’s heritage align with NASCAR whatsoever, and putting the Supra logo on a sedan silhouetted stock car is only going to hurt its credibility amongst Supra fanboys (who probably either have a MKIII or MKIV already or can’t afford a new one anyway).

 

[CodeRedR51]

I truly don’t get Toyota’s thinking in putting the Supra (if confirmed) in the Xfinity series instead of the 86.

Both are going to look nothing like their road going counterparts anyway considering the current overall shape of the cars.

This is why NASCAR needs a re-think.

Why would they put in the 86, it’s going out of production soon

Since when?

 

[flip55]

I truly don’t get Toyota’s thinking in putting the Supra (if confirmed) in the Xfinity series instead of the 86.

I still think it has to do with the amount you would have to stretch the body of an 86 to fit the NASCAR body, it wouldn't be recognizable. I also think there are better places for Toyota or Suabru to take that car racing, but aren't doing so at the moment. That's a debate for another thread.
Mind you, the Supra may have the same problem with the body unless NASCAR changes something in the near future.

 

[AMPMROCKETFANN]

Why would they put in the 86, it’s going out of production soon, it’s way smaller than a midsize sedan and doesn’t compete with pony cars, and just overall is not targeted at NASCAR’s demographic. It’s like using the Corolla for their Cup car. The Supra doesn’t make sense either, but at least it’s similarly sized to and as powerful as the pony cars. I’d just keep the Camry to be honest, it’s the best fit. Neither the Supra’s or 86’s heritage align with NASCAR whatsoever, and putting the Supra logo on a sedan silhouetted stock car is only going to hurt its credibility amongst Supra fanboys (who probably either have a MKIII or MKIV already or can’t afford a new one anyway).

the 86 is going nowhere. I've heard that it's getting a refresh and possibly a new chassis. All of this would fit right in with it heading to NASCAR

 

[Gerarghini]

I personally still think sending the Supra into NASCAR is a move that doesn't make sense to me. I don't know if I've seen it before, but when I think Supra (or 86 for that matter) the last thing I think of is NASCAR. Additionally, I'm willing to bet that anyone who watches NASCAR and has the money for a Supra is probably gonna go for a Corvette or loaded Mustang/Camaro instead.

I can only imagine Toyota thinking it's cheaper for them to simply print new logos on the existing Camry Xfinity car and rolling with that. I don't expect them to create a new body for the Supra given the fact that Ford hasn't updated their Xfinity Mustang since like 2011(?).

 

[raven214]

I personally still think sending the Supra into NASCAR is a move that doesn't make sense to me. I don't know if I've seen it before, but when I think Supra (or 86 for that matter) the last thing I think of is NASCAR. Additionally, I'm willing to bet that anyone who watches NASCAR and has the money for a Supra is probably gonna go for a Corvette or loaded Mustang/Camaro instead.

I can only imagine Toyota thinking it's cheaper for them to simply print new logos on the existing Camry Xfinity car and rolling with that. I don't expect them to create a new body for the Supra given the fact that Ford hasn't updated their Xfinity Mustang since like 2011(?).

The current gen body started in 2013. IIRC Ford switched from a physical grill insert to a sticker decal in 2014 - probably because it was popping out so much after contact. So I think it would be fair to say they've made few/no changes since 2014. Your point still stands though. Edit: Oops I thought you were talking about the Fusion...

I think the Supra would look sightly better in Nascar form over the 86, but only slightly. It would fit the overall size better but the greenhouse would still be out of wack. At that point, you might as well reprofile all the cars to better fit the coupe forms they would be based on.

I think I would most favor a move to something similar to Australian V8 super cars, i.e. much closer appearance to their street counterparts. I don't see that actually happening, but I think it would help rebuild the brand identity and connection between track and street that has been lost in recent decades.

 

[bloodyboyblue]

The current gen body started in 2013. IIRC Ford switched from a physical grill insert to a sticker decal in 2014 - probably because it was popping out so much after contact. So I think it would be fair to say they've made few/no changes since 2014. Your point still stands though. Edit: Oops I thought you were talking about the Fusion...

I think the Supra would look sightly better in Nascar form over the 86, but only slightly. It would fit the overall size better but the greenhouse would still be out of wack. At that point, you might as well reprofile all the cars to better fit the coupe forms they would be based on.

I think I would most favor a move to something similar to Australian V8 super cars, i.e. much closer appearance to their street counterparts. I don't see that actually happening, but I think it would help rebuild the brand identity and connection between track and street that has been lost in recent decades.

He was talking about Xfinity, and was correct that they haven’t changed their bodies since 2011. Chevy and Toyota just have added new front clips over the year.

They do have to change the roofline at least if all 3 manufacturers are using coupe nameplates, it can’t be that difficult.

 

[JohnBM01]

Are you ready for NASCAR Trucks at Texas Motor Speedway tonight? Because... it's coming up at 9:00 PM Eastern [Daylight] Time to be shown on FOX Sports 1. I'm sure they'll put on a great show in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.


Good luck to all drivers and teams tonight.

 

[01GTP]

Missed that, John, but I'm watching the Indy car race right now.

 

[Dylan]

Rain delay is ending. Cars about to be fired.

 

[Dennisch]

Great planning by the weather gods. F1 finished and Nascar ready to start.

 

[Dylan]

Race has just been called. Clint Bowyer has been declared the winner.

 

[Adamgp]

Bowyer did an amazing job on the final restart. Pretty good race, even if it was yet another disaster for my fantasy team.

 

[Dolph Drago]

Great job by Bowyer to hold off Harvick. Two tires against the fastest car in the field this year. Quite the impressive feat.

 

[MustangRyan]

Bowyer wins in rain-shortened and snow-delayed races this year. Any races in the schedule run in hurricane or tornado prone areas?

 

[AMPMROCKETFANN]

Bowyer wins in rain-shortened and snow-delayed races this year. Any races in the schedule run in hurricane or tornado prone areas?

Kansas still exists as does Texas

 

[JohnBM01]

The NASCAR Trucks will head to Gateway International Raceway, and Cup will take on Sonoma Raceway. I chose to discuss the latter for the majority of this post.

Some of you not as experienced with NASCAR may not know as much as NASCAR road racing. I remembered when I was learning about NASCAR, I kind of got bored with all the different ovals that are raced when I bought "NASCAR Racing" for the PC. Imagine how surprised I was to learn about courses like Sears Point (now Sonoma Raceway) and Watkins Glen back then. While it is always cool seeing stock cars run circles around ovals, there is really poetry in motion seeing stock cars race around road courses. They weren't designed primarily for road racing, but it is great seeing racers race outside of their element. Some people even with the Chase for the Cup format would want to see more road racing in the Chase. Now Cup will have the Charlotte road course as part of this season's Chase. However, road racing is a great challenge for your usual oval racing types. And I guess more drivers are getting accustomed to road racing now than when I was mostly learning about NASCAR back in 1999. Not as many "ringers" (road racing specialists that substitute for certain racers in road racing events) are in a lot of races. And let's face it- seeing these heavy race cars turn left and right and hammering through the gears is just poetry in motion. So if you get a chance to see Cup take on Sonoma Raceway, please be sure to enjoy this race.

I hope all drivers and teams in NASCAR have a great weekend of racing this weekend. Good luck to all drivers and teams.

 

[Blood Eagle]

I love road racing and wish they didn't wait until June for the first one. I'd like to see Sonoma earlier in the year where everything is green. Sonoma is a beautiful place but by June everything is brown. I don't think road course ringers really play a factor anymore. Most the top lever Cup guys are good road course racers in their own right now. I'd bet their teams spend quite a bit of money having them hone their road course skills at schools during the off season. Fun to watch and I wish NASCAR had more road courses.

 

[raven214]

I would love love love to see a couple more road races added. Road America, Laguna Seca, Road Atlanta, etc. Doesn't the Jr series already run at Road America and I think Mid-Ohio?

 

[Northstar]

Doesn't the Jr series already run at Road America and I think Mid-Ohio?

Yes and the trucks visit MoSport. I would love to go to the RA race but between IMSA and NHRA I already spend enough money in August.

 

[Blood Eagle]

I would love love love to see a couple more road races added. Road America, Laguna Seca, Road Atlanta, etc. Doesn't the Jr series already run at Road America and I think Mid-Ohio?

Yeah Xfinity runs Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio and Road America and have ran Montreal in the past. Road America would be cool for a Cup race.

 

[flip55]

I am in full support of adding Road America & MoSport to the Cup schedule along side the support series. If I were in charge for a day... this isn't the first thing I'd change, but it's super high on the list. I still think that the Montreal Grand Prix circuit might have been a missed opportunity for the Cup series. My memory of the Xfinity races was that they were well attended. Those numbers would only get better for a Cup race, at least by my logic.

 

[01GTP]

Here's a ringer.

Do we have any "Said Heads" here?
Boris Said and Renger van der Zande last year at Watkins Glen IMSA race.

 

[Dylan]

Interesting article from Jeff Gluck about what it's like in the Fox Sports booth during a race.
http://jeffgluck.com/a-visit-to-the-nascar-on-fox-booth/

 

[JohnBM01]

I was a bit surprised to learn that Sonoma Raceway is 1.99 miles (or about 3.20 kilometers) in length. I always thought it was over two miles. Then too, NASCAR races a different configuration of Sonoma Raceway apart from the sports car course. What I usually look out for is how the drivers come out of Turn 4 and don't even scrape the outside tire wall. I enjoy watching the cars weave through the Esses. Also interesting to see is how the cars go deep inside on those final two corners leading up to the kink to the Start/Finish line.

Of Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen, I tend to enjoy Sonoma more because it's more technical. I never really liked Watkins Glen too much, though The Glen is a tough track in its own right, as a former home of the F1 United States Grand Prix. I keep saying that I'd add Watkins Glen to the Chase but have them race the "Boot" configuration. And I would probably replace the New Hampshire Chase race with the Watkins Glen Boot configuration. Something I noticed about Sonoma Raceway, its configuration is very similar to the long-defunct Riverside International Raceway.

One other thing about including Sonoma Raceway... it is about the only thing close to a Pacific Northwest venue for NASCAR's top three Touring Series. Unless some more proper race tracks are raced in Oregon (like Portland International Raceway) or the state of Washington (like Pacific Raceways), Sonoma is pretty close to being the Pacific Northwest venue for NASCAR racing. The NHRA races at Pacific Raceways, so it isn't like no major American series race anywhere like Pacific Raceways. And I did remember there were plans to build some 0.75-mile oval in the greater Seattle area once.


Anyhow... enjoy Trucks at Gateway and Cup at Sonoma this weekend.

 

[01GTP]

A bit late, John (and others) but this video reflects on the road course discussion.
https://www.nbcsports.com/video/dale-earnhardt-jr-reflects-preparing-road-courses?ls=social-vid

And in other west coast road course matters, it's still hard for me to say "WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca", but things change over time.

 

[JohnBM01]

Yeah, I saw "NASCAR America" earlier today. I was a bit busy, so I didn't really pay attention to all that was discussed. Thanks for posting the link, though.

 

[MustangRyan]

I liked it better back when the Cup guys ran the full course at Sonoma a few decades ago.

 

[Kingofweasles]

I liked it better back when the Cup guys ran the full course at Sonoma a few decades ago.

This year actually marks the 20th Anniversary of the first Cup race run on the "Short" course at Sonoma Raceway. Prior to 1998 the Sportscar Course was the only layout.