2024 NASCAR Discussion ThreadNASCAR 

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Blitz24
So will NASCAR finally learn their lesson and start this race 1 to 2 hours earlier?
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I've been complaining about this forever. I'm sure there's at least one post from me in each of the past 5 years with the same question. :lol: They just don't learn. I miss the noon-1:00 starts. They'd have more leeway in cases like this and maybe actually get full races in.
 
The next shoe to drop out of the SHR closure - Rodney Childers is going to the 7 to crew chief Corey LaJoie next year, with current crew chief/Spire competition director Ryan Sparks keeping the latter job. That leaves 2 charters, 2 drivers and 3 crew chiefs without homes.

Wednesday update - Another SHR driver has found a home, as Noah Gragson signed a multi-year deal with Front Row. It's unknown whether he'll take over the #34 or the ex-SHR charter.
 
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The option tire will make its points debut at the summer Richmond race next month, with the same tire codes that were used in the All-Star races. There are still some unknowns, like how many sets of the option tire there will be, whether both the prime and option tire will need to be used (like the All-Star race weekend), and just how long before the cheese grater track absolutely kills the option tire.
 
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Some more Richmond option tire info:
  • One set each of prime and option tires for practice (extended to a single 45-minute session)
  • Qualifying is done on prime tires, which will become part of the 6 sets of prime tires for the race (though not necessarily at the start)
  • Teams will have an additional 5 sets of prime tires and 2 sets of option tires for the race
  • Outside of qualifying, teams will have the option of using prime or option tires at any time, including at the start of the race (though I don't know if they will be allowed to put a sticker set of prime tires on after qualifying)
  • As during the All-Star races, no mixing of tire types will be allowed (either all prime or all option only)
 
In a move that should shock nobody, Cole Custer is driving the self-sponsored #41 Cust...er...Haas Factory Team Ford next year.

Meanwhile, the #19 will start in a hole because of an unapproved post-inspection change, losing the car chief, pit selection, starting position, and likely a lap with a green-flag drive-through penalty.
 
I really wanted to see how that finish would have played out if Busch didn't bring out the caution with 2 to go. I'm amazed how long Keselowski was able to stay out there with what had to be an empty tank. Instead, the obvious happened when he dove into the pits and put Larson in the catbird's seat.

Poor Blaney gets screwed pretty often. Think back to the All-Star race a couple years ago. He's leading coming to the checkers when they threw the caution for a car that barely scrapes the wall at the back of the pack. Then here, after he's already lost the lead, a car is literally sitting on the track stuck. It was obvious he wasn't going anywhere, yet NASCAR doesn't bother to throw the caution until they've taken white flag, ending the race and any chance for him to at least attempt to grab the lead back on the restart.

Also annoying that they decided to move the finish to USA Network. Never mind the "breaking news" broke earlier. But they were hell bent on getting to the local news I guess. I recorded the race, so I had no idea they switched over and had to hope I could find a highlight on Youtube that didn't give the end away in the thumbnail.
 
Eggstor
A mild shocker - Corey LaJoie will not be at Spire in 2025.
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oh-no.gif
 
Much like what it's doing to the NBA's Christmas plans, the NFL is going to push back the start of NASCAR's season again with their proposed 18-week season, and specifically, the Super Bowl on Presidents' Day weekend. That had been the Daytona 500 weekend for quite a while, even surviving the push of the Super Bowl to the second week of February (though qualifying didn't survive that).
 
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Eggstor
Much like what it's doing to the NBA's Christmas plans, the NFL is going to push back the start of NASCAR's season again with their proposed 18-week season, and specifically, the Super Bowl on Presidents' Day weekend. That had been the Daytona 500 weekend for quite a while, even surviving the push of the Super Bowl to the second week of February (though qualifying didn't survive that).
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NASCAR would be idiotic to move the 500 back another week. They would be better off doing one of the following:
A: Start the race around noon ET to keep the date and avoid any conflict with the Super Bowl.
B: Run the race on Monday.

They will do neither, and just further compress their own schedule.
 
Blitz24
NASCAR would be idiotic to move the 500 back another week. They would be better off doing one of the following:
A: Start the race around noon ET to keep the date and avoid any conflict with the Super Bowl.
B: Run the race on Monday.

They will do neither, and just further compress their own schedule.
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There are rumors that if the NFL pushes the Super Bowl back to Presidents' Day weekend, they might do it on Saturday. That would spare the Daytona 500, but make hash of the Xfinity start.

Given the broadcast network hype starts at 2 pm ET, simply pushing the Daytona 500 start back to noon wouldn't work even if the weather cooperated. That goes double for the years Fox has the Super Bowl.
 
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Looks like Juan Pablo Montoya will be returning to NASCAR.


Unsure if this will be for Watkins Glen or for the Roval (or both).

EDIT: Confirmed for Watkins Glen. Since the title says the final one, looks like they will not have an entry for the Roval.
 
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Blitz24
Looks like Juan Pablo Montoya will be returning to NASCAR.


Unsure if this will be for Watkins Glen or for the Roval (or both).

EDIT: Confirmed for Watkins Glen. Since the title says the final one, looks like they will not have an entry for the Roval.
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Comment of the Day:

Seriously, that's the best chance of getting that team a win.
 
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One more tire wrinkle that starts this weekend (where the Cup series already has the points-race debut of the option tire) - at ovals with the wet-tire option, if a "natural" caution comes out while the track is wet and teams are already on the wet tires, they can now choose whether to come in for a fresh set of wet tires (4 sets total for Cup, 3 sets for the Trucks at Richmond). Previously, NASCAR race control told teams when/whether to change wet tires.

Related; apparently it's now 6 sticker sets of prime tires, the set of prime tires used for qualifying, and 2 sets of option tires on Sunday.
 

Psuedo-NASCAR related as Bristol Motor Speedway will host the Inaugural Speedway Classic on August 2nd, 2025 between the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves.
 
Daniel Suarez will be back at Trackhouse next year. That would leave either Zane Smith (currently on loan in the #71 Spire ride being taken over by Michael McDowell next year) or Shane van Gisbergen (on loan to Kaulig for a full Xfinity and limited Cup schedule) out in the cold, even if, as expected, they get one of Stewart-Haas's charters
 
Eggstor
Daniel Suarez will be back at Trackhouse next year. That would leave either Zane Smith (currently on loan in the #71 Spire ride being taken over by Michael McDowell next year) or Shane van Gisbergen (on loan to Kaulig for a full Xfinity and limited Cup schedule) out in the cold, even if, as expected, they get one of Stewart-Haas's charters
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Doesn't Spire have an open seat still? I think Smith goes there to be honest.
 
Blitz24
Doesn't Spire have an open seat still? I think Smith goes there to be honest.
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The Jayski rumor mill has Spire poaching Justin Haley from Rick Ware Racing. Ryan Preece also still hasn't found a landing spot.
 
Looking forward to the truck race tonight.

I finally remembered last night was friday night and turned on the TV to watch the truck race. No race - checked the schedule... oops.

Go figure.
 
LumpiestFish
Proper low driver rating GT sport mode finish, entertaining at least
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I cannot see how Dillon keeps the win. Radio had basically instructed him to wreck the 22. While the 22's spin was bad, hooking Hamlin into the wall was worse.
 
People are gonna be mad at what Dillon did there. And rightly so I think. I just hope they remember to be mad at NASCAR for creating a system that encourages something like this to happen.
 
Dylan
People are gonna be mad at what Dillon did there. And rightly so I think. I just hope they remember to be mad at NASCAR for creating a system that encourages something like this to happen.
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And NASCAR has penalized drivers for that move before. The move on the 22, while desperate, was not inexcusable. The move on the 11 was a move that Bubba Wallace on Larson and Chase Elliott on Hamlin both made earlier in races and both drivers were disqualified and parked. Is NASCAR going to disqualify the 3? Parking him for the first race of the playoffs might be a justifiable punishment.
 
Blitz24
And NASCAR has penalized drivers for that move before. The move on the 22, while desperate, was not inexcusable. The move on the 11 was a move that Bubba Wallace on Larson and Chase Elliott on Hamlin both made earlier in races and both drivers were disqualified and parked. Is NASCAR going to disqualify the 3? Parking him for the first race of the playoffs might be a justifiable punishment.
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I just can’t see them doing anything. If this was for like 3rd? Then yeah I could see them suspending Dillon. I don’t agree with that, but the only precedent they have is right hooking recently has been suspendible. I can’t remember any races off the top of my head where a win was taken away for rough driving/wrecking a guy.

Just to be clear, I’m not defending the Hamlin hook.
 
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Dylan
I just can’t see them doing anything. If this was for like 3rd? Then yeah I could see them suspending Dillon. I don’t agree with that, but the only precedent they have is right hooking recently has been suspendible. I can’t remember any races off the top of my head where a win was taken away for rough driving/wrecking a guy.

Just to be clear, I’m not defending the Hamlin hook.
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Only race wins removed were for yellow flag violations (Robby Gordon I believe in 2007 at Montreal) and track limits (Regan Smith at Talladega). It becomes laughably more hypocritical if you suspend/disqualify a driver for racing hard for 17th and hooking a driver but not doing the same for someone hooking a driver for the win. Heck, you can argue this is race manipulation by the CC instructing the driver to wreck someone (think MWR at Richmond years ago, except theirs was to intentionally cause a caution).
 


“NASCAR will never be taken seriously as a sport because we have absolutely no officiating in the tower” -Denny Hamlin
 
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The right driver won but in the wrong way. Dillon would have taken the checkered easy peasy had Stenhouse not inexplicably run into Preece to bring out the caution. Strong car all night, and had the best car for the first time in ages. I'm not a Dillon fan by any means, but I wouldn't have minded the win if it ended that way. But full on ramming a guy from four car lengths back is ridiculous, and to follow that up by hooking Hamlin (who I'm not overly fond of)...I'm not sure how NASCAR could let that go. Other than the fact his Pop Pop is Richard Childress.

And to be fair to Logano, I feel like he's cleaned up his driving for the most part in recent years.
 
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