Joined Jan 2004
Here's to the future
Forum Thread
NASCAR 2015 No OT please Chase for the Sprint Cup CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND Final Race: Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
February 14, 2015 at
05:42 PM
in
Autos
I haven't ever seen much love around here for Nascar but I figured I would see if there is enough discussion to warrant a thread.
If you don't like Nascar, if you don't get Nascar, if all it looks like to you is driving around in a circle then just go away.
If you aren't aware of the huge changes that Nascar has made in recent years it may be worth another look. Quite a few years back they started a "playoff" system known as The Chase. Last year they made a huge change in that by using an elimination system in the playoff to reduce the remaining racers eligible for the championship after each round. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on the details now, but I'm interested in other opinions on both having a playoff and the way Nascar is doing it.
I welcome negative comments, but just keep it respectful and including reasons for them. If you just want to insult Nascar and oval-racing then go somewhere else.
If you don't like Nascar, if you don't get Nascar, if all it looks like to you is driving around in a circle then just go away.
If you aren't aware of the huge changes that Nascar has made in recent years it may be worth another look. Quite a few years back they started a "playoff" system known as The Chase. Last year they made a huge change in that by using an elimination system in the playoff to reduce the remaining racers eligible for the championship after each round. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on the details now, but I'm interested in other opinions on both having a playoff and the way Nascar is doing it.
I welcome negative comments, but just keep it respectful and including reasons for them. If you just want to insult Nascar and oval-racing then go somewhere else.
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I won't get to watch the race this week since I will be working afternoon shift but I should at least get to listen to most of it on the radio.
Cutting the horsepower of the cars hasn't seemed to slow them down much. As expected they are slower on the straightaways which lets them run faster through the turns so the average speeds have even increased a little. I'm not convinced it is going to make better racing yet though. Since they are pretty much running wide open I'm thinking we will just see more single file running around the track. Maybe this week will be different but I'm not holding my breath. I think they need to reduce the downforce quite a bit more and make the cars a little harder to drive. Put it back in the hands of the drivers and that should give us some better racing.
It still amuses me when one or both of them has a bad day.
And speaking of great driver/crew chief matchups, how about that Kevin Harvick/Rodney Childers combination? I kind of expected Harvick to fall off a bit after starting the year with two second place finishes. That has to take something out of you to get so close twice in a row and come up short, but they came back at Las Vegas even stronger and dominated the race. I think that is going to be a team to talk about for quite a while yet to come.
As far as the race goes and the new rules package---meh, still too early to tell. The radio announcers always make it sound more exciting than it really is but I still got the impression that there was still too much single file running around the track with not enough passing. But they also haven't screwed everything up and made it worse either. Still worth watching a few more races to see what happens.
Next up is Phoenix and you have to think Harvick will be among the favorites to win that one.
It still amuses me when one or both of them has a bad day.
And speaking of great driver/crew chief matchups, how about that Kevin Harvick/Rodney Childers combination? I kind of expected Harvick to fall off a bit after starting the year with two second place finishes. That has to take something out of you to get so close twice in a row and come up short, but they came back at Las Vegas even stronger and dominated the race. I think that is going to be a team to talk about for quite a while yet to come.
As far as the race goes and the new rules package---meh, still too early to tell. The radio announcers always make it sound more exciting than it really is but I still got the impression that there was still too much single file running around the track with not enough passing. But they also haven't screwed everything up and made it worse either. Still worth watching a few more races to see what happens.
Next up is Phoenix and you have to think Harvick will be among the favorites to win that one.
I didn't really see that happening so quickly and I really didn't expect Nascar to give him a waiver for missing races while being suspended. While I am surprised I don't really agree or disagree with it. But you can bet that is going to be one inspired team for the rest of the season. They have to stay in the top 30 in points and still need a win to get in the Chase.
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I didn't really see that happening so quickly and I really didn't expect Nascar to give him a waiver for missing races while being suspended. While I am surprised I don't really agree or disagree with it. But you can bet that is going to be one inspired team for the rest of the season. They have to stay in the top 30 in points and still need a win to get in the Chase.
The new Chase rules are a farking joke. Win a race, be eligible for the Cup points, and you're in. So you could sandbag the rest of the season and still make it. I don't like that at all.
The new Chase rules are a farking joke. Win a race, be eligible for the Cup points, and you're in. So you could sandbag the rest of the season and still make it. I don't like that at all.
Who is going to sandbag though? These are race car drivers. Once that win is out of the way they don't have to worry about points any more so they can go out and just focus on winning more races. They can afford taking more risks to win than someone who might still need to get in on points. With the competitive nature of these drivers who have spent their whole lives racing I just don't see them out there riding around and taking it easy just because they are already in the Chase. There was way too much points racing before the new rules and less focus on winning.
Plus, every additional win by a driver who already is locked in takes away a chance for the rest of the field to lock themselves in. Nope, I just don't see much worry about sandbagging.
Who is going to sandbag though? These are race car drivers. Once that win is out of the way they don't have to worry about points any more so they can go out and just focus on winning more races. They can afford taking more risks to win than someone who might still need to get in on points. With the competitive nature of these drivers who have spent their whole lives racing I just don't see them out there riding around and taking it easy just because they are already in the Chase. There was way too much points racing before the new rules and less focus on winning.
Plus, every additional win by a driver who already is locked in takes away a chance for the rest of the field to lock themselves in. Nope, I just don't see much worry about sandbagging.
At the same time, you might race somebody a little harder if you're fighting for your season, as we saw Keselowski do at Charlotte last season.
At the same time, you might race somebody a little harder if you're fighting for your season, as we saw Keselowski do at Charlotte last season.
I also like the elimination aspect of the Chase for the same reason. Before they started that someone could get off to a good start in the first couple of Chase races and then points race from there just to make sure they stay in the points lead to the end. Now they all get reset to the same level every 3 races. Much more like a playoff in any other sport.
I don't think it is perfect by any means but I'm glad they didn't try to mess around too much this year without seeing how it goes for the second time around.
The way things look, it's going to be either Harvick or Logano for the championship. Harvick looks completely unstoppable right now.
The way things look, it's going to be either Harvick or Logano for the championship. Harvick looks completely unstoppable right now.
Man, how far has he fallen? When Tony made his way up to the top ten today I really started to think maybe he had something going and then he pretty much wrecked himself out of contention again. I can't help but wonder if he got so screwed up by the stuff going on in his life the past two years that he ended up hooked on pain pills or even some other drug? Maybe he is even just taking some sort of anti-depressant or tranquilizer or something that just has his mind messed up.
Harvick in unreal. He has won four of the last seven races and started off this year with two wins and two second places. Crazy. But, like with any competition that involves an entire season it is going to be almost impossible to carry that kind of momentum all the way through and into the Chase. Like any NFL team, I worry about anyone who seems to hit their peak too early in the year because you know they are going to fall off at some point.
Good finish for Gordon this week at 9th, great finish for Kurt Busch's return with a 5th. Another yawner for Danica at 26th or whatever mediocre spot she ended up at. Rough day for Junior with that early blown tire and wreck that left him in last place. And of course Tony Stewart continued his disaster of a season at 39th.
Some decent action throughout the pack today but still not a race that kept me glued to my seat watching. But I did get my engine stand together at my shop while watching it.
Man, how far has he fallen? When Tony made his way up to the top ten today I really started to think maybe he had something going and then he pretty much wrecked himself out of contention again. I can't help but wonder if he got so screwed up by the stuff going on in his life the past two years that he ended up hooked on pain pills or even some other drug? Maybe he is even just taking some sort of anti-depressant or tranquilizer or something that just has his mind messed up.
Harvick in unreal. He has won four of the last seven races and started off this year with two wins and two second places. Crazy. But, like with any competition that involves an entire season it is going to be almost impossible to carry that kind of momentum all the way through and into the Chase. Like any NFL team, I worry about anyone who seems to hit their peak too early in the year because you know they are going to fall off at some point.
Good finish for Gordon this week at 9th, great finish for Kurt Busch's return with a 5th. Another yawner for Danica at 26th or whatever mediocre spot she ended up at. Rough day for Junior with that early blown tire and wreck that left him in last place. And of course Tony Stewart continued his disaster of a season at 39th.
Some decent action throughout the pack today but still not a race that kept me glued to my seat watching. But I did get my engine stand together at my shop while watching it.
Right rear tires seemed to be a huge issue yesterday. I wonder if teams were under inflating, or if Goodyear just brought crap tires. Either way, it ruined several drivers' days.
On to snooze fest #3 - Auto Club.
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I was glad to see him back but this gives Brett Moffitt a chance to drive the 55 car this weekend instead of the 34. The 55 should be a little better car but then again jumping around between cars and teams from one week to the next can't be easy either.
And as I was typing that Moffitt bounced the 55 off the wall in qualifying
I'm not expecting much from the race this weekend but at least I should get to watch it. No reason that
KensethHarvick couldn't pull off another victory but I think this is the week his streak ends.Feel-good pick of the week: I would love to see David Ragan pull out a victory in Kyle Busch's 18 car.