2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season

[Salamus]

Alright ladies and gentleman, 2014 is almost over and news is steadily coming out for 2015. I figured it was time to start an official 2015 thread for both the pre-season and regular season.

Rules
An overview of the rule changes can be found here.

Summary:

• Reduction of horsepower to 725 via tapered spacer
• Roller valve lifters to replace flat valve lifter
• Lower rear differential gear ratios targeting 9,000 RPM
• Rear spoiler adjustment to 6 inches high (2014 height: 8 inches)
• Optional driver adjustable track bar
• 38-inch wide radiator pan
• Minimum vehicle weight drops 50 lbs. via ballast reduction (2014 weight: 3,300 w/o driver)
• Updated qualifying formats for all tracks

Schedule
Full schedule can be found here.

Changes include:

• Atlanta is now the second race of the season, after the 500.
• Darlington returns to Labour Day Weekend.
• The first Bristol race is now taking place in April instead of March.
• Chase schedule stays the same

Entries

Changes in Orange.

Chevrolet
Hendrick: (5) Kahne, (24) Gordon, (48) Johnson, (88) Earnhardt, Jr.
Stewart-Haas: (4) Harvick, (10) Patrick, (14) Stewart, (41) Ku. Busch
Childress: (3) Dillon, (27) Menard, (31) Newman
Ganassi: (1) ???, (42) Larson
JTG Daugherty: (47) Allmendinger
Germain: (13) Mears
Furniture Row: (78) Truex, Jr.

Ford
Penske: (2) Keselowski, (22) Logano
Roush: (6) Bayne, (16) Biffle, (17) Stenhouse, Jr.
Petty: (9) Hornish, Jr., (43) Almirola
Wood Brothers: (21) Blaney

Toyota
Gibbs: (11) Hamlin, (18) Ky. Busch, (19) Edwards, (20) Kenseth
Waltrip: (15) Bowyer, (55) Vickers

Plans are unknown for these teams
Tommy Baldwin Racing, BK Racing, Front Row, Go FAS, Hillman-Circle Sport, HScott, Motorsport Group, Phil Parsons

[FIRE]

I assume Wood Bros is part time?

[Salamus]

Yes they are.

[gomick]

When are Dodge returning?

[fieldodreams79]

If the Chase rules are the same, I'm afraid I'm out on this one early. I'll watch the Daytona 500, the road courses, Pocono, Bristol, the snow race in Atlanta, Richmond and maybe one or two others.

[HJJ]

Is less more, or just less?

Atlanta removing 17,000 seats, Charlotte 41,000: Atlanta Motor Speedway's parent company, Speedway Motorsports, Inc., announced Tuesday that they will remove 17,000 seats from the track's grandstands. The company anticipates using those areas for premium hospitality, advertising and other facility purposes. Their sister track, Charlotte Motor Speedway, is losing 41,000 seats.(wgxa.tv), see image of the CMS construction at Slugger Labbe's Twitter.(12-10-2014)

[Salamus]

NASCAR sets 13 open tests for teams, changes lug nut rule

[HJJ]

I'm guessing Jeff Burton get's the seat.

Vickers to miss start of season: Michael Waltrip Racing driver Brian Vickers will not be available to race during the early part of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season due to health issues. In 58 races driving MWR's #55 Aaron's Toyota, Vickers scored eight top-five and 19 top-10 finishes. He won the July race at New Hampshire in 2013 and captured the pole at Talladega in October 2014. The 2003 Nationwide champion owns three victories and 12 poles in 316 career Sprint Cup starts. "Brian has been a part of the MWR family since 2012 and our thoughts today are with Brian, his wife Sarah and the Vickers family," said MWR co-owner Rob Kauffman. "As a race team, MWR has plenty to consider and we will confer with our partners, including Aaron's and Toyota. As this is fresh news, we will adjust our future plans as more information becomes available."
VICKERS STATEMENT: "First, I want to thank everyone for their sincere support. I have faced obstacles before and it has made victory that much sweeter and I know that will be the case again. My previous experiences have given me a very keen understanding of my body. Late last week I knew something wasn't right, so I went to the hospital to be checked out. Following several tests, it was discovered that my body was rejecting an artificial patch that was inserted in 2010 to fix a hole in my heart. Saturday, I had to have corrective surgery to repair the hole and now I am beginning the recovery process. I will need plenty of time, rest and rehab but this temporary setback will not stop me from pursuing my dream of becoming a NASCAR Sprint Cup champion."(MWR)(12-15-2014)

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[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by HJJ

Is less more, or just less?

That's pretty depressing. In 1997 I had to sit in temporary bleachers at AMS, turn 1.

Originally Posted by HJJ

I'm guessing Jeff Burton get's the seat.

.

I just saw and was shocked. Best wishes to Brian, he's been battling this for a long time now.

[HJJ]

Sprint will not return as Series sponsor: Citing a need to focus more directly on its core business priorities, Sprint announced it has informed NASCAR it will not extend the title sponsorship of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series after the current agreement expires at the end of the 2016 season. "We are proud of our association with NASCAR's top series but have made the decision not to extend our sponsorship beyond the next two years," said Steve Gaffney, vice president-Marketing, Sprint. "As we look to the future, Sprint is focused on investing in maintaining a competitive edge and providing consumers with the best value in wireless.Sprint has long benefitted from the unprecedented level of brand integration available in NASCAR, and the passionate fan base that is the most loyal in sports. Without question, the NASCAR sponsorship property has been a valuable investment for us and will be for our successor."
Since the partnership began in 2004, Sprint has worked closely with NASCAR to bring many fan-friendly innovations to life, including the introduction of the FanView next generation scanner (2005), the creation of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile wireless application (2008) and the debut of Miss Sprint Cup (2007), an ambassador program that now has more than 1.5 million social media followers. The constant evolution of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race pre-race show and the improvements to the Sprint Vision trackside programming also highlight Sprint's portfolio of fan enhancements.
"We genuinely appreciate the fans, teams, drivers, tracks and media who have been so supportive and welcoming to us during these many race seasons," said Gaffney. "We look forward to our remaining time as sponsor of the Sprint Cup Series and eventually assisting with the transition to NASCAR's next title partner."
The sponsorship extends back to 2004 when Nextel signed a 10-year partnership with NASCAR for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The name changed to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2008 as a result of the Nextel/Sprint corporate merger. At the conclusion of the first 10 years, Sprint extended the partnership an additional three years taking the contract through the end of the 2016 season(Sprint)
NASCAR Statement: "NASCAR and Sprint have enjoyed a long and productive partnership that has returned significant value to both parties. We understand significant changes within Sprint and the highly competitive business environment it is in has led to a decision not to extend its Cup Series entitlement position following the 2016 season. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is a very unique, premium sports marketing platform with strong momentum, so we are very confident of moving forward in 2017 with an outstanding new partner. In the meantime, we look forward to Sprint's partnership on the best racing series in the world for the next two seasons."(12-16-2014)

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[Maverick248]

Originally Posted by Salamus

Entries

Changes in Orange.

Ganassi: (1) ???, (42) Larson

McMurray will not race for Ganassi?

[Salamus]

Originally Posted by Maverick248

McMurray will not race for Ganassi?

At the time of that post there was no confirmation but I'm now certain that Jamie Mac is returning.

[R.Lee]

Hello everyone. Well, for better or worse, I'm back. Had allot of computer issues, but they seem to be cleared up now.

Allot to discuss. Reading about the rules, etc. I see way more that I dislike than I like. The MAIN thing I dislike, to the point of hatred, is the STUPID chase. It caused me to lose interest in whatever happened, at the end of last season! I didn't even watch the last 6 races of the season, nor have I watch anything since. It will govern my watching this season, as well. I'll watch Daytona and several of the other races early in the season, if I like what I see, I'll continue. If I don't, I'll watch only occasionally there after, just races like Charlotte, in May, a few others and then I'll quit watching when the FARCE, called the chase begins! The rest of the time, you'll find me riding my Harley!

Schedule - I FULLY agree with the move of the Southern 500 back to it's rightful and original place on the schedule! Bristol was probably a good move, due to weather issues. Overall, I'm glad that the schedule didn't change any more than it did. I am not and have not ever been an advocate of big changes in the schedule.

Rules - reduction of horse power, BAD move!

Higher spoilers, BAD move!

Weight reduction, BAD move!

Roller tappet valve lifters in place of flat valve tappet lifters - I understand it reduces wear, improves engine life, so probably a good move!

Qualifying. Since the Bull Squeeze, knockout CRAP was implemented, qualifying SUCKS! I use to watch every qualifying session, now I watch NO qualifying!

Driver adjustable track bar, BAD move! This is stock car racing, NOT these other forms of racing, where the drivers and computers make changes while the car is on the track! All of that NEEDS to be LEFT TO DO IN THE PITS!

Anyway, guess I'll see y'all off and on, this coming season. To all, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

[gomick]

More road courses would be a good change - a street circuit would be awesome, open up a new market

[MagVanisher]

Imagine those stock cars racing in the streets of Long Beach... That'll be breath-taking to see!

[AoB Special Stage]

Originally Posted by gomick

More road courses would be a good change - a street circuit would be awesome, open up a new market

No street circuit would be wide enough. That and NASCAR only drives on tracks outfitted with SAFER barriers.

[fieldodreams79]

Not to split hairs, but Circuit Giles Villeneuve is technically a street circuit, and RA, Sonoma, Mosport and the Glen technically don't have SAFER barriers, to the best of my knowledge.

NASCAR needs a new market to spread thin towards and widen their lameness in. If the hippies will let them race there, I'd say the NW Market and Portland Int'l would be the next place for them to tap into. Long shot maybe.



At least this year, the road races in the top 2 are scheduled to where anyone can participate:

• Sonoma Cup Race is off weekend for Xfinity (<---sounds weird)
• The Glen is a shared weekend
• Mid Ohio is the Saturday before the Michigan race: convenient enough
• Xfinity RA is Cup off weekend on a Saturday and Trucks at Mosport is the following day

Too bad Taz ain't around....

[gomick]

Has anyone played NASCAR 14 on Play Station 3 - was thinking of buying it?

[Nick Woodbury]

Just what everyone wants right?

http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com...tors-coverage/

[Clive Brown]

I've just shat myself with excitement....

[fieldodreams79]

Rutledge is the best co-host of America's Top Gear, but that says nothing.

[gomick]

Checked the V8 Supercar calender & both Sprint Cup Road Course races don't clash - Penske should run a 3rd car

[rustyfan]

So, uhh...

The NASCAR driver known as "The Outlaw" testified Tuesday he believes his ex-girlfriend is a trained assassin dispatched on covert missions around the world who once returned home in a blood-splattered gown. Kurt Busch, appearing in court again over Patricia Driscoll's request for a no-contact order, continued the push of his legal team to discredit his ex as a scorned woman out to destroy his career, portraying her as a character fit for a screenplay.

Source: Delaware News Journal, via Jayski

Not sure what to say, really

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by rustyfan

So, uhh...

Source: Delaware News Journal, via Jayski

Not sure what to say, really

This may justify a thread unto itself. We'll see how it unfolds. The Outlaw vs The Assassin sounds like a bad Marvel movie.

http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup...ained-assassin


For those that don't know, this is not a news site, but a blog with a nice collection of info: http://blackflag.jalopnik.com/kurt-b...gig-1679384840

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by rustyfan

So, uhh...

Source: Delaware News Journal, via Jayski

Not sure what to say, really

What a story.

I think it's time for a new Talladega Nights movie:

"Talladega Nights: The assassin of Ricky Bobby"