GTP NASCAR Sprint Cup S4 Champs: Akmuq, Hendrick, Chevrolet

[Müle]

Who do I send a resume to to work where you do?

 

[Matty]

I'm recording the race replay on the race monitor screen with my roxio game capture device tonight, so that I can watch the replay at work tomorrow and count all the laps led. Being able to rewind and fast forward will prove infinitely helpful.

Remember, have it on the timing screen or else your gonna have to do it again, although its recorded by now...

 

[MustangRyan]

I've got the replay here at work, and I'm ready to get started. But, I forgot and left my notepad at home, where the first 6 laps led were logged. I started the video recording after those laps, since I already had them logged. Can someone confirm who led those first 6 laps for me so I can post results and standings before leaving work today?

I'm 99.9% sure that Tom led the first 2 laps. I know some combination of RFLX and ACDC led laps 3-6, but I can't remember if it's 2 laps each, or 1/3 or 3/1.

Thanks, guys.


EDIT - recording the race monitor screen is definitely the way to go for reviewing LONG races for laps led. I counted 194 laps (just under 3 hours of racing) at Daytona in under an hour, since I could skip through the video at any interval I pleased using Windows Media Player.

As soon as someone can give me a definite on who led the first 6 laps, I'll start posting official results.

 

[Müle]

I forgot to export my replay when I reinstalled GT5 the other day, so I lost mine.

 

[Carbonox]

Man, I could've saved the day, but I was obviously in no position to save a replay.

 

[MustangRyan]

I've got it guys. Results coming in a few minutes.

 

[MustangRyan]

The Harley J. Earl Trophy​

OFFICIAL Daytona 500 Results:

1. #99 MULE_9242 (9 laps led) - 20 points, +1 bonus point
2. #48 ACDCROCKS123 (14 laps led) - 18 points, +1 bonus point
3. #88 RFLX_Niop (Pole Position, 130 laps led) - 16 points, +3 bonus points
4. #43 Droptop2001gt (34 laps led) - 14 points, +1 bonus point
5. #24 Tom_97_COD (2 laps led) - 12 points, +1 bonus point
6. #43 JoeOfTheFire - 11 points
7. #42 GTP_Akmuq - 10 points
8. #18 Mudd (1 lap led) - 9 points, +1 bonus point
9. #24 Dexter_White5150 - 8 points
10. #14 Furinkazen (5 laps led) - 7 points, +1 bonus point
11. #18 Carbonox (2 laps led) - 6 points, +1 bonus point
12. #83 MattyMc1996 - 5 points
13. #83 RedPartyHat (3 laps led) 4 points, +1 bonus point





Driver's Championship after Regular Season race #1 of 10:

Owner's Championship:

Manufacturer's Championship:

All-Time GTP Sprint Cup Stats:

 

[MustangRyan]

From the stats department:

MULE_9242 won his second career Sprint Cup race, making him the 8th different driver (ACDC, Drop, Homeslice, Joe, Knelly, M-Stall, RFLX) to win more than 1 race in the series.

Mule also became the 4th different driver to win a Sprint Cup race on both a road course and an oval, joining Joe, M-Stall, and RFLX.

RFLX_Niop's 130 laps led in the Daytona 500 was the most laps ever led in a single GTP Sprint Cup Race, breaking the mark of 108 laps led by Droptop in the S2 Daytona 500.

With his 130 laps led in the Daytona 500, RFLX_Niop has already got the 6th most laps ever led in a single season. I expect him to own the #1 spot on the list before the Chase even begins.

Droptop2001gt can get to 600 career laps led if he can lead 1 lap this weekend.

Knelly can get to 400 career laps led if he can lead 3 laps this weekend.

The current Ford Racing team of Mule, Joe, and Droptop own 4 of the 5 major race win trophies awarded so far in the history of the GTP Sprint Cup. The 5th major race win belongs to ACDC, the winner of the S3 Daytona 500.

 

[Tom.]

Drop, not sure if it's just a typo on the results but I definitely lead at least a lap or two at the start.

EDIT: Yeah, just a typo on the race results, you left the '+1 bonus point' out but it's on the table 👍

 

[MustangRyan]

Drop, not sure if it's just a typo on the results but I definitely lead at least a lap or two at the start.

Yup, the first 2 laps. It's even right in the table.

 

[Tom.]

Yeah it just threw me off as it wasn't in the race results, cheers.

 

[MustangRyan]

The FedEx 150 Race Preview:​

Now that the biggest race of the season is over, drivers and crews can get back to a more normal operating pace in the shop. One driver had his dream come true last week, but any driver can earn just as many points for winning this week's race.

This week, the teams take to the gargantuan SS Route X, the world's largest Superspeedway. You're going to see 14 cars run wide-open non-stop for 150 miles, in an attempt to capture the checkered flag.

This week's race figures to favor the larger teams, so keep an eye on HMS, which fielded the fastest cars last week on the high banks of Daytona. Ford and JGR will bring their three-car teams, which should give them a slight advantage over the smaller RBR and SGR.

Also this week, we expect to see the return of Knelly and GTP_Litchi, who were both unable to start in last week's Daytona 500. Knelly won the last race held at SSRX, so he figures to be a prohibitive favorite going into the race.




GTP Sprint Cup Power Rankings - After the Daytona 500:

1. MULE_9242 - When polled before the season started, a few people publicly doubted Mule's chances of making the Chase this season. Mule removed any doubt in the very first race of the season. Mule cashed in his winning lottery ticket at Daytona last week, grabbing a huge victory, his first career oval win in Sprint Cup competition. While the Hendrick cars were a few tenths per lap faster all day, the Ford team made up ground on pit road, and used strategy to help close the gap. In the closing laps, it looked like Mule wasn't going to have enough steam to pass the train of HMS cars clogging the inside lane, but a huge bump from Joe and Drop coming out of turn 4 pushed Mule just far enough past ACDC that Mule held on to win the Great American Race, almost guaranteeing his wild card spot, as long as he keeps showing up to race week in and week out.
TRENDING: UP


2. RFLX_Niop - Niop absolutely dominated the Daytona 500, setting the record for most laps led in a single race, with 130 laps spent at the front of the pack. His HMS cars were the fastest on track all day long. They had no problem extending gaps and closing gaps, as needed. Niop continued his mastery of qualifying, taking his 19th career pole. With the team speed shown at Daytona, and the last two winners at SSRX on his team, expect to see Niop near the front again this weekend at SSRX.
TRENDING: STEADY


3. ACDCROCKS123 - ACDC showed up at Daytona, and made a huge impact. He glued his front bumper to Niop's rear bumper for the first 180 laps of the race. Their team tandem was lightning fast, and seemingly toyed with the field at times. ACDC was in a great position to win the race, if not for the last-second miracle run made by the Ford Racing in the outside lane. This was ACDC's third consecutive top-2 finish in the Daytona 500, an amazing accomplishment. If not for willingly pushing Droptop in season 2 and losing by inches to a lag-bump this season, ACDC could very easily be the current 3-time reigning Daytona 500 champion.
TRENDING: UP


4. Droptop2001gt - Drop had a solid run at Daytona, securing a top 5 finish, thanks mostly to good fortune. By qualifying near the front, Drop was able to avoid the lap 2 accident that separated the top 5 finishers from everyone else that started the race. Drop paired up with his teammates and ran around fast enough to stay in the top 5 the rest of the day. Look for Drop to have another good run this weekend at SSRX, where he won the Coca Cola 600 last season.
TRENDING: STEADY


5. JoeOfTheFire - Joe had the opposite luck of Drop, getting turned around in the crash on lap 2. Of all the cars that were caught up in the lap 2 accident, Joe managed the highest finishing position at the end of the day, 6th place. Joe showed good pace most of the day, he just never had a chance to make up the lap that was lost due to the early spin.
TRENDING: DOWN


6. Tom_97_COD - Tom recorded a solid top 5 at Daytona, and probably would have had a chance to win, if not for an accident that put him down a lap late in the race. Tom proved to be a very valuable member of the HMS team, providing the extra bumps that kept his team out front for most of the day. Like Mule, Tom is hoping to show a few doubters that he is a definite threat to make the Chase, and compete for race wins. Don't be surprised to see Tom win this weekend, where he'll have the last two SSRX winners, and the greatest oval driver in the series working with him. If they all get behind him on the last lap, no one is going to get in front of him.
TRENDING: STEADY


7. GTP_Akmuq - Akmuq had a setback early in the race, but was not deterred. He lost 3 laps while his pit crew addressed the issue. He came back out in last place, but persevered for the rest of the race. Attrition slowly took its toll on the rest of the field, and Akmuq came away with a 7th place finish at the end of the day. He showed good pace, and showed respect to the two lead packs, doing his best to not interfere with the battle for the lead. If not for the early problems costing him those 3 laps, he may have finished a few spots higher.
TRENDING: UP


8. Knelly - Knelly had prior sponsorship commitments and was unable to participate in the Daytona 500 last week. However, I'm betting he was watching The Great American Race on TV in his private jet. If he was, he had to love what he saw. His HMS team was strong all day long at Daytona. Knelly has to be thrilled to be getting back in his car for this weekend's race. He figures to have a very strong car, great team support, and the circuit is rolling into town at SSRX, the site of Knelly's last Sprint Cup win. For those that missed seeing Knelly on track last weekend, keep an eye out for him this weekend. You won't be able to miss him; he'll be the guy with the giant grin on his face. Let's hope he can turn that smile into a big points day, as he's going to start the season in the hole after missing the first race.
TRENDING: DOWN


9. Mudd - Mudd had a typical Mudd day at Daytona. He woke up the morning of the race expecting to be part of a competitive three-car team. His teammate Litchi got sick right before the race, and a replacement driver couldn't be found in time. So, Mudd was down a teammate before the race ever started. Mudd also knew that his car owner wasn't going to be able to complete the race, so he knew that he was going to be all alone before the end of the race. Even with all of that staring him in the face, Mudd started the race full of optimism. He had a good car, and a decent starting position. But, he got caught up in a huge crash on lap 2 of 200. Despite all the trouble, Mudd got back out there, ran most of the race, extended a few stints to grab a lap led, and finished in 8th place. Maybe Mudd hasn't found a cure for the Plague just yet, but it looks like he's at least got something that might treat the symptoms.
TRENDING: STEADY


10. Furinkazen - Furi, like every other driver that finished outside of the top 5, was caught up in the big lap 2 accident. He stayed around long enough to lead a few laps after halfway, right before his engine gave way, parking him for the rest of the day. With shorter races coming up in the next few weeks, look for Furi's reliability issues to improve, and better finishes to come.
TRENDING: STEADY


Also considered: RedPartyHat


Previous Power Rankings:
Pre-Season

 

[Knelly]

Great write up Drop. Curious though how it's worked out and maybe a little unfair that I am in there as I missed the start of the season? Presuming its carrying over from last season?

 

[MustangRyan]

Great write up Drop. Curious though how it's worked out and maybe a little unfair that I am in there as I missed the start of the season? Presuming its carrying over from last season?

The Power Rankings are more than just where you finished this past week. I try to take three things into consideration:

1. Where you finished in the past few weeks (or, early in the season, how you did last season). Finishes matter, and good finishes are better than bad ones.

2. How you ran. For those that ran well, but had bad luck that prevented a good finish, I do try to take that into consideration.

3. How well I expect you to run in the future. Yes, this part is extremely subjective (and prone to being wrong), but I can't take you out of my top 10 drivers just because you missed one race. I expect you to run very well this weekend, and probably be within range of the wild card after Monza, and probably safely back in the top 7 before the All-Star break.


I weigh all of those factors, and try to rank the drivers accordingly. By any reasonable calculation, you're very much still a top 10 driver, even with one early race missed.

 

[Carbonox]

Again off the ranking list...

Ah well, looks like NW records don't count any longer.

 

[MustangRyan]

Again off the ranking list...

Ah well, looks like NW records don't count any longer.

Grab a top 5 this week, and you'll be in the power rankings next week. 👍

And yes, the power rankings are for Sprint Cup only this season, as I think Mule and Furi are going to be doing the same thing for their respective leagues. Besides, if I included other leagues in this, Adrenaline would have knocked someone else out of this top 10.

 

[Müle]

I sure hope I don't fall asleep down these straights. Don't have any Amps on me

 

[Niop]

I sure hope I don't fall asleep down these straights. Don't have any Amps on me

I'll send you some. I have cases of them stacked in my garage.

 

[Müle]

Awesome 👍

 

[Litchi]

Also this week, we expect to see the return of Knelly and GTP_Litchi, who were both unable to start in last week's Daytona 500.

Yep, I'm in 👍

 

[Knelly]

I sure hope I don't fall asleep down these straights. Don't have any Amps on me

There's some pepsi max in the boot of my car. Take some out as you're following me

 

[Furinkazen]

TOCA running a little late, should be done around 9.25pm.

 

[Müle]

There's some pepsi max in the boot of my car. Take some out as you're following me

My Insurance coverage wouldn't like that. I have to remain ahead of you so that I can get a discount.

 

[MustangRyan]

Room open early, 1-lap qualification race starting at 4:50pm EDT (80 minutes after time of this post).

 

[MustangRyan]

Qualification race starts in 10 minutes.

 

[Carbonox]

I'm done racing with Furi's ****ty mega pushes that cause no good.

 

[Mudd]

That was garbage racing. Don't like it.

 

[RedPartyhat]

What a race! To Forget!

 

[Furinkazen]

That was stupid. And don't blame me, there was lag pushes everywhere. I'm fuming at Knelly for hooking me when his impatience to get to team mates wrecked me. Thats all i'm saying on this, its not going to become a saga like next time.

Well doen to Akmuq for 4th 👍

 

[Tom.]

Awesome racing there guys, best one we've ever had without a doubt.

EDIT: Brilliant display of talent by all.