NASCAR Thread.

[Lee]

Boy o boy, Brian Vickers sure is churning in some performances..

 

[RACECAR]

I congratulate Kyle Busch for winning the race. I normally think both brothers are punks, but I congratulate them Kyle of sportsmanship. Then again, Tony Stewart can be as much of a punk as the Busch brothers, so it's more of Pick Your Poison as far as the better Toyota racers.

Kyle seems to have matured quite a bit and seems to outperform his brother every week. Its also kind of funny that you mention the busch brothers and tony given the rather interesting scenerio tony was in last month.

Do you think Toyota will win at least five more races before the season ends? Who do you think will be the highest-placed Toyota driver in NASCAR when the season ends?

I do and I'm thinking that With gibbs being the strongest toyota team, one of those drivers, possibly Kyle, most likely be the highest placed driver.

(2) I hear often about "phantom cautions." The way I've understood it from WindTunnel was that Dale Jr. was leading by a longshot until a "phantom caution" was thrown out to bunch the field up again. How do you feel about such "phantom cautions?"

I never even heard about that. Sounds pretty rubbish if you ask me.

By the way, did you know what all night on "WindTunnel with Dave Despain," that almost nobody protested that a Toyota won at Atlanta?

Well, with Toyota winning this fair & square, it looks like they have come to terms with it, at least for now.

 

[TS]

John's Debate! - Toyota's Win and Phantom Cautions?
(1) Toyota wins their first race in the highest class of NASCAR competition. Four races have passed. Toyota's won one race out of 36. It's the first NASCAR win by a foreign make since Jaguar won a road racing event in 1954. Do you think Toyota will win at least five more races before the season ends? Who do you think will be the highest-placed Toyota driver in NASCAR when the season ends? (Answer this question only if you dislike Toyota) Do you still congratulate Toyota for winning this race, even if you don't like any cars in NASCAR not from the three American brands?

I expect Toyota to win at least 3 more races before the season is finished, I expect all 3 Gibbs Toyota's to make the chase, Kyle Busch the highest finishing of those in 3rd or 4th place.

(2) I hear often about "phantom cautions." The way I've understood it from WindTunnel was that Dale Jr. was leading by a longshot until a "phantom caution" was thrown out to bunch the field up again. How do you feel about such "phantom cautions?"

I liked Tony Stewart's response that he had about that issue last year on his radio show, it's much like pro wrestling and makes the races very predictable, but have any of you noticed that those 'phantom cautions' haven't been thrown much, if at all after that interview?

Boy o boy, Brian Vickers sure is churning in some performances..

Vickers is a good driver, he's having similar performance now as he did when he was with Hendrick Motorsports, I wouldn't be surprised if he won a race or two this season.

 

[JohnBM01]

ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" had their E-Mail segment. The first E-Mailer was about Tony Stewart's rant over Goodyear. Co-host, Tony Kornheiser, is very uneducated about NASCAR. Something he said he learned is that they all use the same tires. Co-host, Michael Wilbon, knows NASCAR all races with the same fuel. Both co-hosts admit they are not very in-depth with NASCAR. Not "motorheads" as they say. So what this is leading me to is... do you think reporters of traditional sports should stay away from motorsports topics unless fully-educated on motorsports?

 

[RACECAR]

I would think so. Usually its a hit-or-miss topic when it comes to reporters and unless they really do understand it, They shouldn't even bother approching it if all they are gonna do is butcher it terribly.

 

[Jim Prower]

and not just NASCAR, but racing in general. You can know everything there is to know about stock cars, but if you've never heard of the R10 TDi, the IRL, or Schumacher, I'd rather you not comment.

As for Toyota, last night I joked that they won because it was a "Drift Race," having seen footage of the rock hard tires and the guys countersteering off the corners. My friend chipped in that if Nissan had been running, they'd have won hands down. XD

 

[01GTP]

.. do you think reporters of traditional sports should stay away from motorsports topics unless fully-educated on motorsports?

Simply yes.

 

[TS]

and not just NASCAR, but racing in general. You can know everything there is to know about stock cars, but if you've never heard of the R10 TDi, the IRL, or Schumacher, I'd rather you not comment.

As for Toyota, last night I joked that they won because it was a "Drift Race," having seen footage of the rock hard tires and the guys countersteering off the corners. My friend chipped in that if Nissan had been running, they'd have won hands down. XD

This post is full of truth. 👍

 

[TS]

Congratulations to Scott Wimmer on winning yesterday's Nationwide race at Nashville, he broke a 57 start winless streak.

(Wimmer hasn't been running full-time).

 

[01GTP]

It was nice to see Wimmer win in the #29.

It has to be frustrating for Scott to watch Jeff Burton have such a winning season last year without his own win. He is a good driver also, as proven last year with a Busch Series Owner's Points Championship.

With a team that has a Cup driver, Scott has the freedom to perfect his skills, as a lot of feedback and race results have Burton's input. They know the car and team can win, how about the driver? Scott proved he can close the deal and win.

Here's to many more.

By the way, I am a Jeff Burton fan.

 

[RACECAR]

Congrats to Scott. Wow RCR is on a role. Say, who do you guys predict to win at Martinsville for either series? I'm most likely not gonna tune in seeing as I really don't like short tracks as they seem more crash oriented then racing.

 

[RACECAR]

2008 NASCAR CAMPING WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE



EAST



Date Site Location

April 19 Greenville-Pickens Speedway Greenville, S.C.

May 18 Iowa Speedway Newton, Iowa

May 31 South Boston Speedway South Boston, Va.

June 8 Watkins Glen Watkins Glen, N.Y.

June 27 New Hampshire Motor Speedway Loudon, N.H.

July 12 Thompson International Speedway Thompson, Conn.

July 19 Music City Motorplex Nashville, Tenn.

July 26 Adirondack International Speedway Beaver Falls, N.Y.

Aug. 16 Lime Rock Park Lakeville, Conn.

Aug. 23 Mansfield Motorsports Park Mansfield, Ohio

Sept. 12 New Hampshire Motor Speedway Loudon, N.H.

Sept. 19 Dover International Speedway Dover, Del.

Sept. 28 Stafford Motor Speedway Stafford Springs, Conn.



WEST



Date Site Location

March 29 All American Speedway Roseville, Calif.

April 10 Phoenix International Raceway Phoenix, Ariz.

April 19 Thunderhill Raceway Kyle, Texas

May 18 Iowa Speedway Newton, Iowa

June 7 Colorado National Speedway Erie, Colo.

June 21 Infineon Raceway Sonoma, Calif.

July 4 Irwindale Speedway Irwindale, Calif.

July 11 Douglas County Speedway Roseburg, Ore.

July 19 Evergreen Speedway Monroe, Wash.

Aug. 2 Miller Motorsports Park Tooele, Utah

Aug. 16 Irwindale Speedway Irwindale, Calif.

Sept. 13 Altamont Motorsports Park Tracy, Calif.

Oct. 18 Kern County

 

[TS]

Congrats to Scott. Wow RCR is on a role. Say, who do you guys predict to win at Martinsville for either series? I'm most likely not gonna tune in seeing as I really don't like short tracks as they seem more crash oriented then racing.

Nationwide is off for 2 weeks until texas.

I have a feeling that Hendrick will get their act back together and Johnson wins his 4th in a row at Martinsville.

Aug. 16 Irwindale Speedway Irwindale, Calif.

Anybody else po'd that they renamed the track "Toyota Speedway of Irwindale"?

 

[Ja5on]

congrats to scott!!!

cant wait for this wknd!!!!!!

got a feeling JR or Stewart will pull one out the hat this weekend

 

[JohnBM01]

Let me ask a quick debate question based on a segment on this past Sunday's "Speed Report."





John's Debate! - Best Dale Jarrett Moments
How will you remember Dale Jarrett? What is your favorite Dale Jarrett moment?

 

[RACECAR]

Anybody else po'd that they renamed the track "Toyota Speedway of Irwindale"?

Yeah, I am. I'm getting fed with them constintly renaming tracks and series with the sponsors. I was fine with Lowe's Motor Speedway, but I don't like "Auto Club Speedway" or "Toyota Speedway". I don't care if thats their names now, I'm gonna refer to them as "California Speedway" and "Irwindale".

Also, some interesting words from Reutimann:

David Reutimann would give up running for a Nationwide Series championship - and a larger share of each race's purse - if the result was more money and exposure for the series' teams without Sprint Cup ties.

"The only way to truly help is to give them more money so they can hire engineers and pay for wind tunnel time," Reutimann said during a Nationwide test at Richmond International Raceway.

Reutimann, who is running both the Cup and Nationwide circuits for the second consecutive season for Michael Waltrip Racing, believes NASCAR should redistribute its prize money to Nationwide-only teams and perhaps limit Cup drivers from earning points.

"If that takes me out of a seat and gives someone else an opportunity, maybe that's not a bad thing because I needed an opportunity one time," he said. "My first race was here in Richmond with one car, one motor and barely enough money for a set of tires." Jason Keller, the career Nationwide leader in starts (428), has "mixed emotions" about points restrictions.

"The series needs Cup flavor," he said. "But David hit the nail on the head -- We do need more money."

 

[TS]

Also, some interesting words from Reutimann:

I think the only way to solve the problems of the Nationwide series is to do something similar to what Tony George did this past offseason with the IRL, do away with race purses, give the teams a set amount of money for bringing 1 car to the track and having aspirations to run all 35 races, they get $xx millions that they can use for whatever they wish plus sponsor money. Full time cup drivers driving for full time cup teams won't get the bonuses, they have to survive on their cup resources and purse/sponsor money.

 

[TS]

Congratulations to Denny Hamlin on winning his home race at Martinsville. (Hamlin is from Chesterfield, VA)

 

[toyota_gt1]

As TS said, congrats to Denny Hamlin. I thought Jeff Gordon was going to catch him there at the end.

 

[JohnBM01]

John's Debate! - Hendrick Motorsports' Comeback and Playing the Chase
(1) The time that Hendrick finally wins a race, who do you think will be the winning Hendrick Motorsports driver when the team wins their first race? How long will the wait be until they win an event this season?
(2) How do you race the Chase? For example, is staying up top in the rankings important, or do you try to avoid being outside the top 12 as the season goes along? Do you try to win more races or keep posting steady finishes? How exactly would you play the Chase for the Cup if you were in the Sprint Cup Series?



Hop to it!

 

[RACECAR]

John's Debate! - Hendrick Motorsports' Comeback and Playing the Chase
(1) The time that Hendrick finally wins a race, who do you think will be the winning Hendrick Motorsports driver when the team wins their first race? How long will the wait be until they win an event this season?

Man, Its really amazing that Hendrick has suddenly not been the Juggernaut team that they were before. Penske, Roush, JGR, and RCR have been Keeping them down. Looking at them closely, I seriously feel that Earnhardt Jr. will give them their first win. He has been consistantly the strongest performer so far, even before the wreck with his teammate at california.

(2) How do you race the Chase? For example, is staying up top in the rankings important, or do you try to avoid being outside the top 12 as the season goes along? Do you try to win more races or keep posting steady finishes? How exactly would you play the Chase for the Cup if you were in the Sprint Cup Series?

Good question. From my perspective, Anything can win you race but consistancy, winning or finishing in the right place, is what will most likely when you a championship. So I think posting consistant finishes would be a very effective way to do so.


ATTENTION: Ron Fellows has said that he will be at montreal driving the #5 Godaddy.com Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. Can't wait for that.

 

[TS]

John's Debate! - Hendrick Motorsports' Comeback and Playing the Chase
(1) The time that Hendrick finally wins a race, who do you think will be the winning Hendrick Motorsports driver when the team wins their first race? How long will the wait be until they win an event this season?

Dale Jr., he's been the strongest performer of HMS thus far, and I don't think it'll be much longer before he ends that 70-ish race winless streak

(2) How do you race the Chase? For example, is staying up top in the rankings important, or do you try to avoid being outside the top 12 as the season goes along? Do you try to win more races or keep posting steady finishes? How exactly would you play the Chase for the Cup if you were in the Sprint Cup Series?

I think drivers have to do a little of both, they have to push themselves to win more races to get those 10 bonus points, but they also have to realize that they can't win the championship in one race, but they can certainly lose it. If it were me, I would try to win a race, if I felt I had a car to do it with, otherwise I would go for a top-10 or top-5 finish.

ATTENTION: Ron Fellows has said that he will be at montreal driving the #5 Godaddy.com Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. Can't wait for that.

He's also gonna race the #1 Phoenix racing car at Mexico City.

Also, RCR has announced that General Mills will leave Petty enterprises at season's end to sponsor the 33 RCR car, most likely, Bobby Labonte will also follow his sponsor to the team. (unless if Petty makes him an offer he can't refuse).

 

[JohnBM01]

There was a vicious crash during Qualifying at Texas Motor Speedway. I think his name is Michael McDowell (better known in sportscar racing). Anyhow, his car walked up the race track heading into Turn one. What happened next was a vicious hard lick into the wall that ended in multiple rollovers. News was, he was okay. I think it was a big victory for the Car of Tomorrow because he probably would have died from the impact or be seriously injured. I don't have a YouTube video or anything to showcase, but I do remember seeing it on Speed Channel and on ESPNEWS.

The way I described this crash... do you think this is a win for the CoT stock cars as opposed to this crash happening in the previous-gen NASCAR stock cars? If you saw the crash on Speed Channel during qualifying, what were your thoughts seeing this vicious crash?

 

[TS]

I think it's a combination of all the safety devices (i.e. the hans device, the 6 point harness, carbon fiber seats, safer barriers, COT, etc..) that allowed McDowell to walk away from that crash, without injury.

 

[toyota_gt1]

Here is a video of Michael's crash.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKcasmBxfLc
That is easily the hardest hit I have ever seen in racing. If that would have happened 5 years ago (before safer barriers and the COT), there is a very good chance he would have died.

I said it in a comment on youtube (jamie111111111111), I know it's early in the year, but Michael McDowell WILL win the SPEED award for the hardest hit.

 

[RACECAR]

Wow, that was unbelieveable. I didn't it was possible with the weight of that car for it to flip from a hard hit like that as it hasn't happened previously. I will say that COT is being put to the test this year and it is so far doing its job:tup:

 

[Ja5on]

Wow, that was unbelieveable. I didn't it was possible with the weight of that car for it to flip from a hard hit like that as it hasn't happened previously. I will say that COT is being put to the test this year and it is so far doing its job:tup:

gutted i missed the race.

Need to get TVU player loaded up and start streaming SPEED si I can watch Victory Lane

 

[RACECAR]

Well guys, Now comes the Nationwide Series race at Circuit Autodromo Hermano Rodriguez in Mexico city. AS usual, we have our Road Course Ringers, some of them are hometown heroes while the others are are internationally well known as they face off against The series regulars. Last year was a somewhat controversial race as Chip Ganassi teammates Scott Pruett and Juan Pablo Montoya had contact going into turn one, dropping pruett from first and leaving him to finish third while Juan would eventually win his first Busch series race. Here is the entry list for this weekend's race:

[B]#[/B]/[B]Driver[/B]/[B]Hometown[/B]/[B]Make/Sponsor[/B]/[B]Team Owner[/B]
0 Joe Fox / Charlotte, NC / Chevrolet / Lori Morgan / Johnny Davis  
1 Mike Bliss / Milwaukie, OR / Chevrolet / Miccosukee Resort & Gaming / James Finch  
01 Kertus Davis / Gaffney, SC / Chevrolet / RaceGirl / Johnny Davis  
2 Clint Bowyer / Emporia, KS / Chevrolet / BB&T / Richard Childress  
4 Landon Cassill* / Cedar Rapids, IA / Chevrolet / Miccosukee Resort & Gaming / James Finch  
5 Adrian Fernandez / Mexico City, Mexico / Chevrolet / Lowe's Rick Hendrick  
05 Brett Rowe / Barboursville, WV / Chevrolet / 31-W Insulation / CertainTeed / Wayne Day  
6 David Ragan / Unadilla, GA / Ford / Coats / Discount Tire / Jack Roush  
7 Mike Wallace / St. Louis, MO / Toyota / GEICO / Bob Germain  
9 Patrick Carpentier* / Joliette, Quebec / Dodge / Auto Value / George Gillett, Jr  
12 Sam Hornish Jr. / Bryan, OH / Dodge/ Penske Truck Rental / Roger Penske  
16 Colin Braun / Ovalo, TX / Ford / 3M / Jack Roush  
17 Erik Darnell / Beach Park, IL / Ford / CitiFinancial / Jack Roush  
20 Kyle Busch / Las Vegas, NV / Toyota / Doosan Infracore / Joe Gibbs  
22 Ruben Pardo / Mexico City, Mexico / Dodge / Fitz Motorsports / Armando Fitz  
24 Brian Simo / Carlsbad, CA / Chevrolet / Hefty / John McGill  
25 Boris Said / Carlsbad, CA / Ford / No Fear & Team Smithfield / Ed Rensi  
27 Brad Coleman / Houston, TX / Ford / Carino's Italian Grill / Mike Curb  
28 Kenny Wallace / St. Louis, MO / Chevrolet / Jay Robinson Inc. / Mimi Fitz  
29 Scott Wimmer / Wausau, WI / Chevrolet / Holiday Inn & Holiday Inn Express / Richard Childress  
30 Stanton Barrett / Bishop, CA / Chevrolet / SKI Motorsports / Christopher Lencheski  
32 Michel Jourdain Jr. / Mexico City, Mexico / Toyota / Visit Durango / Visit Mexico / Todd Braun  
33 Ron Hornaday / Palmdale, CA / Chevrolet / RoadLoans.com / DeLana Harvick  
37 Rafael Martinez / Colonia-Legar-
ta, Mexico / Ford / Baker Curb Racing / Gary Baker  
38 Jason Leffler / Long Beach, CA / Toyota / Great Clips / Ralph Braun  
40 Scott Pruett / Sacramento, CA / Dodge / Fastenal / Floyd Ganassi  
41 Kyle Krisiloff / Carmel, IN / Dodge / Polaroid / Chip Ganassi  
47 Kelly Bires / Mauston, WI / Ford / Clorox / Jodi Geschickter  
52 Scott Gaylord / Lakewood, CO / Chevrolet / Means Racing / Jimmy Means  
59 Marcos Ambrose / Launceston, Tasmania / Ford / Kingsford Hickory Charcoal / Tad Geschickter  
60 Carl Edwards / Columbia, MO / Ford / Scotts Water Smart / Jack Roush  
64 Max Papis / Como, Italy / Chevrolet Atreus Homes & Communities / Edward Rensi  
66 Steve Wallace / Mooresville, NC / Chevrolet / Atreus Homes & Communities / Rusty Wallace  
81 D.J. Kennington / St. Thomas, Ontario / Dodge / MC2 Energy Drink & NPPL / Pat MacDonald  
88 Brad Keselowski / Rochester Hills, MI / Chevrolet / U.S. Navy / Dale Earnhardt, Jr  
89 Morgan Shepherd / Conover, NC / Dodge / Victory In Jesus / Cindy Shepherd  
90 Chris Cook / San Diego, CA / Chevrolet / MSRP Motorsports / Marcia Parsons  
91 Larry Gunselman / Belfair, WA / Chevrolet / MSRP Motorsports / Stacey Humphrey  
99 David Reutimann / Zephyrhills, FL / Toyota / Aaron's Dream Machine / Michael Waltrip  
109 Kevin O'Connell / Newport Beach, CA / Chevrolet / Gen'l Environmental Mgmt / Taleo Grill / Susan O'Connell  
111 Jason Keller / Greenville, SC / Chevrolet / America's Incredible Pizza Company / Bryan Mullet  
149 Robert Richardson II / McKinney, TX / Chevrolet / Jay Robinson Inc. / Jay Robinson  
161 Kevin Lepage / Shelburne, VT / Ford / Specialty Racing / Charles Shoffner  
184 Jose Luis Ramirez / Mexico City, Mexico / Dodge / TW Motorsports / Troy Williams  
186 Antonio Perez / Zapopan, Mexico / Dodge / Chivas Racing / Telmex / Troy Williams  
198 Alex Garcia / Caracas, Venezuela / Chevrolet / Dixien & OmniSource Corp. / Alex Garcia  
331 Stan Barrett / Bishop, CA / Chevrolet / Stanton Barrett Racing / Stanton Barrett

Who are your favorites to win this race?

 

[wrcsti]

What? Danny Hamlin is not in the race!
Well then I'll just have to take Kyle Busch then.

 

[RACECAR]

Well Guys, here's the chart from Practice 1.
I think the winner will be someone out of these six:

Scott Pruett: Last year should have indicated that Ganassi's cars are contenders when it comes to road courses (sadly, the only time they are)
and Scott looks to have once again a very strong car.

Kyle Busch: This guy has been very impressive in all three series so he'll definately have a strong chance.

Adrian Fernandez: This driver in a Hendrick car equals a top 5 finish. Now it'll be interesting considering he also has driving duties in Long beach to attend to for his own team, but he should strong in both.

Colin Braun: Very talented driver. This kind of racing was where he started and I have watched him from when he debuted with TRG at the Rolex 24 to his last drive with Krohn before jumping from Grand-am into the ARCA series. This is a very familiar course for him so he'll come to grips very quickly.

Max Papis: He has tons of miles in these cars(most of them for Hendrick) and is another driver familiar with this course from Champ Car and from Grand Am so I expect him to be up at the front as well

Boris Said: Perhaps the most underrated American Road Racer. I think he'll be up there fighting it out as well.


Sadly, it appears that Ron Fellows will not be competing this weekend in the #1 Pheonix racing Chevrolet.