Nascar is clueless

They just cannot seem to finish one of these races with out a problem.

Two times this year cars have cartwheeled into the catch fence so they raise the fence by 8 feet. Surely they doubled the fence webbing in general ? Nascar has lost sight of the basic fundamentals of what is really is happening on the race track.

There is no doubt that safety for fans and drivers should be a priority and for the most part that has been accomplished. What is not being focused on is the affect that the restrictor plate has on racing at Daytona and Talladega.The bottom line is that the cars are still going too fast. Turn anything backwards or sideways at 195 mph and there is going to be a problem. Put 30 cars together in a pack and the problem is multiplied. This is the key.

Nascar had to slow the cars after Bobby Allison ripped down the fence at Talladega in 1987 as they were running laps in excess of 205 mph hence the restrictor was instituted for the 1988 season. That worked out well as Richard Petty barrel rolled Daytona's front stretch fence in the season opener.

A couple of things to consider is that Nascar dropped the weight of the Cup cars by 200 lbs several years ago at the request of teams and drivers.. Secondly with the plate sapping several hundred horsepower from engines it has glued the cars together on the race track. Another point is that aero has taken presedence over mechanical grip. Aero is everything to a Cup car now and has been for several years. The tires just do not get a break as teams search for the perfect aero/mechanical set up.

Nascar's answer is to have a larger wheel/tire combination to make these cars drive better. This is not necessary at all. Put the 200 lbs back into the cars and replace the plate with either a smaller carbuerator and or a smaller cubic inch engine.

During the mid 70's the cars were running at about 180 to 185 mph during race conditions with no real issues to speak of. Now the cars are still approaching 200 mph during a race at Talladega.

Privately Nascar maybe concerned about an underdog busting a move with lower powered cars but this will not happen as the best will still win regardless if the circumstances.

What has happened is that no longer are teams able to work on set ups and driving technique looking for mechanical grip. Now they are forced into a box that limits what can be done to the car mechanically and the driver no longer can use his expertise to get the job done. This aero affect comes into play at all superspeedways.

Nascar has transformed the sport into an AERO sport and the styling of the cars easily reflect that. This is not what Stock Car Racing is supposed to be.

Maybe soon the light bulb will go off in Daytona Beach before it is forced to.

Looking Back on some NASCAR Cup Happenings of 2009

I know this alittle early. But let's face it, unless something catastrophic happens to Jimmie Johnson in the next three races he is the champ.

Click and enjoy. You might actually get a chuckle or two.

Right Sides Only

Mmmmm, Kool-Aid!

Bang the title.

Afternoon Rant- Talladega

I've been reading a bunch of articles about how terrible Talladega is because of Sunday, so I've written a little article about what I saw wrong on Sunday (no, it wasn't Newman's flip). Check it out if you want to.

Texas Dickies 500 Preview: Kenseth Could Be a Live Dog This Week

Race No. 34 of 36 on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule takes us to Texas where we can get back some normal racing instead of the garbage witnessed last week at Talladega.

The best thing about Texas is that you can use a wealth of data from the long season to help handicap for this race. You have results from the similar sister-tracks of Las Vegas, Atlanta, Charlotte, and the spring Texas race to go off of. Most of those tracks are all banked about the same and are very similar despite some unique traits of their own.

The most recent race run should get higher regards than the one ran earlier. If we sift through all the results I would pay more attention to the Charlotte race from a few weeks ago more than I would the March Vegas race, but necessarily more than the April Texas race.

Take Jeff Gordon for example. He won the first Texas race this season and has finished well at every one of the sister-tracks. His worse finish was at Charlotte in May when he finished 14th, but that was in part because of rain ending the race. Gordon was in that race as a strong contender to win. Even if we use that finish, Gordon’s average finish on the combined tracks is 5.8.

read more here....

The Aussie is staying!

Marcos Ambrose has signed a new, two year, contract.

The Trifecta- Texas Edition

Ok, I'm posting this week's Trifecta early so that you can study for your quiz. Since I'm a history teacher, I'm just curious about how much y'all know about Texas history and trivia. I'll knock one point off your final score for every answer you get right. I'll post the answers when I post my picks.

The quiz:

1.) Two universities in the United States have dinosaurs named for them. One is Yale University. Name the other one(Hint: it's in Texas.)

2.) True or False: The film "The Alamo" with John Wayne and Richard Widmark was filmed on location at the Alamo.

3.) What well known soft drink got its start in Waco, Texas?

4). Why is the bar at the Menger Hotel in San Antonio historically significant?

5.) Who shot J.R.?

Now on to the races:

1.) The Camping World Truck Series Race Friday, 11/6; the green flag drops at 9:19pm ET.

2.) The Nationwide Series Race Saturday, 11/7; the green flag drops at 1:01pm ET.

3.) The Sprint Cup Race Sunday, 11/8; the green flag drops at 3:31pm ET.


Good luck and lef's go racing!!!!

Name that Film: Halloween Edition!

Come try your luck at this weeks edition! See you there!

View From the Flagstand

Talladega Flights!

Clickety, clack.

Rating the Amp Energy 500

The rating for Sunday's race is up. Just click on the link.

10 years on...

Remembering Greg Moore.

Has NASCAR Lost Its Expletive Deleted Mind????

Just click on the title to give your opinion.

Talladega Rant

I have much more to say about that sham of a travesty of a debacle in Alabama, but I tried to keep it short and readable.

Click Clack!

Does parity produce better racing?

It's a rather old chestnut to be throwing around but I'm not sure if we've discussed it on here. Feel free to add your thoughts :)

THIS IS MY OPINION - WHAT'S YOURS

THE NEW HOT OR NOT IS UP AND READY TO READ.

CLICK THE TITLE AND HAVE A BALL.

GUNAQUAT

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -- Amp Energy 500

This week's The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is up. Click title. Read. Comment.

It's Dega Baby! Race Chat

The engines have been fired and it is time for the last potentially great race of the year...

I am home sick =( so should be around most of the race and who knows what wacky things might come out of my medicated brain today!

Let's go racing!!