2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season

[gomick]

He has won 3 of the last 4 races - good return for him after breaking his leg...

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

I live in Uruguay and I've heard of Ty Dillon.

You must have heard of Justin Wilson, he's been racing there for over a decade.

Indycar is not mainstream at all and if you don't watch it, you would never know who any of those drivers are. There is almost no crossover between the sports.

[R.Lee]

Originally Posted by gomick

He has won 3 of the last 4 races - good return for him after breaking his leg...

Yep, he is hot right now! 3 out of the last 4 wins, not bad.

[R.Lee]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

I live in Uruguay and I've heard of Ty Dillon.

You must have heard of Justin Wilson, he's been racing there for over a decade.

Originally Posted by JHamilton

Indycar is not mainstream at all and if you don't watch it, you would never know who any of those drivers are. There is almost no crossover between the sports.

JHamilton hit it on the head here. Unless you are interested in it, you won't know any of them. There is practically no crossover between fans of the two different forms of racing. I don't like and don't follow that form of racing. It is of no interest to me, so I don't watch it or read anything about it. You live in Uruguay, unless I miss my guess, you follow the different NASCAR series, Sprint Cup, XFinity, CW Trucks. Unless I'm wrong,, that is why you have heard of Ty Dillon. For some reason, I just don't think he is a household name in Uruguay, but then again, I could be wrong about that.

[Paradise City]

Originally Posted by R.Lee

JHamilton hit it on the head here. Unless you are interested in it, you won't know any of them. There is practically no crossover between fans of the two different forms of racing. I don't like and don't follow that form of racing. It is of no interest to me, so I don't watch it or read anything about it. You live in Uruguay, unless I miss my guess, you follow the different NASCAR series, Sprint Cup, XFinity, CW Trucks. Unless I'm wrong,, that is why you have heard of Ty Dillon. For some reason, I just don't think he is a household name in Uruguay, but then again, I could be wrong about that.

Justin Wilson is an ex-F1 driver and an Indycar driver. This forum has a European and British slant so it is likely you would know him if you are a regular here. Either way, google is but a click away.

[gomick]

Seems IndyCar is better known outside the US

[R.Lee]

Originally Posted by Paradise City

Justin Wilson is an ex-F1 driver and an Indycar driver. This forum has a European and British slant so it is likely you would know him if you are a regular here. Either way, google is but a click away.

True, it does have a European/British, but on the NASCAR forum here, there are also several Americans and interestingly several from my home state, Georgia, a couple close enough that we may be neighbors.

Not nearly so likely that I would know him, since the NASCAR forum is the only forum I read and participate on here. I've seen little to no discussion of formula car racing on the NASCAR forum here. There are forums dedicated to that form of racing, for those that are interested in it. I believe the moderators and the members here, from what I have seen, do an excellent job of keeping the various forms of racing confined to their respective forums. Kudos to them!

Why would I want or need to use google, to look up a driver of a form of racing that I have no interest in, that most likely will not ever drive in a NASCAR sanctioned race?

[R.Lee]

Originally Posted by gomick

Seems IndyCar is better known outside the US

It is and not surprising that it would be. It is a form of racing that is more popular outside of the U.S. That's the crowd they cater too, so not surprising that, that is where their strongest popularity lies and where they are better known.

[canamman]

Time to see what the Indy aero package will
do for the entertainment value this weekend.
With the giant spoiler on back and big splitter
up front I am hoping we see them keep it flat
through the corners with little lifting side by side
in a 6-10 car pack. I always thought the NASCAR
show was overhyped because it is the famed
Brickyard track. Fact remained at the end of the day,
that really was a boring race. So hopefully the
new aero package will deliver 3 1/2 hours
of entertaining racing. Look for the Hendrick team
to be up front a good part of the weekend.
Sentimental favorite - Gordon.

[NaBUru38]

Harvick, Logano, Earnhardt, Johnson and Truex are top 5 in the stadnings by a wide margin.

Kurt Busch, Kenseth, Keselowski, Hamlin and Newman are next in top 5s.

[R.Lee]

Originally Posted by canamman

Time to see what the Indy aero package will
do for the entertainment value this weekend.
With the giant spoiler on back and big splitter
up front I am hoping we see them keep it flat
through the corners with little lifting side by side
in a 6-10 car pack. I always thought the NASCAR
show was overhyped because it is the famed
Brickyard track. Fact remained at the end of the day,
that really was a boring race. So hopefully the
new aero package will deliver 3 1/2 hours
of entertaining racing. Look for the Hendrick team
to be up front a good part of the weekend.
Sentimental favorite - Gordon.

Well, unlike you, my friend, I cannot stand "pack racing" I don't like "freight train" drafts. This has ruined the racing at Daytona and Talladega. I will agree with you that this race is overhyped, but no more so than that track, itself! If I had my way, NASCAR would drop this track from the schedule. Worst track in the whole series. Too narrow, too flat, locals VERY hostel to NASCAR and NASCAR fans! I went to this race in 2003 have to say that it ranked as one of the most miserable days I ever spent at a race track! Dump this place and put Iowa speedway in it's date!

[canamman]

That's cool but you do have to admit it takes some serious
skills to keep it matted 3x10 ,6" apart, with cars bouncing around
the bumps in the track. When I am at a Talladega or Daytona I like
being close to the fence (not in the trioval). The approaching energy
is just a rush. I'll never forget the look on my kids faces their first time.
In fact I think I have pictures of that with their jaws on the ground.

Shame about that Indy experience. I have only been there for
indycar and F1. Free tickets would not drag me in there for a Nascar race.
It will be interesting to see the crowd size this week. I do love that
museum and track though.

[R.Lee]

Originally Posted by canamman

That's cool but you do have to admit it takes some serious skills to keep it matted 3x10 ,6" apart, with cars bouncing around the bumps in the track.

True, but that has been the case, requiring allot of skill, regardless of the era, both pre and post restrictor plates. It simply takes allot of skill to be a race car driver. It is where professional drivers different from drivers out on the streets. The late "Fireball" Roberts once made a statement about professional drivers vs. average drivers. He said, "I'll show you the difference between a professional driver and a driver off of the street. Design a race track. Make a turn, with an escape road, that a driver can take at maximum speed. In many cases, the guy off of the street will take the turn at a speed faster than the professional driver. Now, take that same turn, place it 10,000 feet in the air, with no escape road. If the driver makes a mistake, he dies. The difference, the professional driver will take that turn at the same speed that he would, on the turn with the escape road!" That is a pretty profound statement.

Originally Posted by canamman

When I am at a Talladega or Daytona I like
being close to the fence (not in the trioval). The approaching energy
is just a rush. I'll never forget the look on my kids faces their first time.
In fact I think I have pictures of that with their jaws on the ground.

Agreed, I've felt it. But you would have felt it, at either track, at every race, since either's opening. There is NO experience like that of feeling the energy of a field of V-8 powered cars, bearing down on you at full throttle. The sound is almost VISUAL with it's impact! There is NO experience in any form of motorsport, that comes even remotely close to it!

Originally Posted by canamman

Shame about that Indy experience. I have only been there for indycar and F1. Free tickets would not drag me in there for a Nascar race.

Thanks, my friend, but it's okay. This has been an ongoing problem for over half a century! That track, it's fans and that area are just openly hostile to NASCAR and NASCAR fans. That is the way it is, has always been and always will be, it is not going to change. I really wish I could say that I had not been dragged to that track by free tickets, but unfortunately, it happened. I learned my lesson, though, I WILL NOT EVER make that mistake again. As the old saying goes, you "live and learn"! Actually, it is not a shame, learning a lesson the hard way -- lessons learned in that manner stick with you, for life!

Originally Posted by canamman

It will be interesting to see the crowd size this week. I do love that
museum and track though.

Afraid it's going to be more of a snoozefest, than usual. The drivers have pretty much voiced their opinions that NASCAR gave them exactly what they did not want. MORE aero-dependency and MORE difficulty passing! It is likely going to be a VERY LONG day! Nothing much in that museum, from what I hear, that remotely interests me. Little to no NASCAR related in there, nowhere near enough to entice me to go in and walk through it. I avoided it in 2003, when I was there. Glad you enjoyed/enjoy it my friend, just no way that I ever could.

[canamman]

[QUOTE=R.Lee;3560947]
Afraid it's going to be more of a snoozefest, than usual. The drivers have pretty much voiced their opinions that NASCAR gave them exactly what they did not want. MORE aero-dependency and MORE difficulty passing! QUOTE]

Good post! Like the story about Fireball too ! I think you nailed this one.
If this Xfinity is any indication of what the Cup guys are gonna do, it will
be cut the grass, wash the cars, maybe even paint the house, take a nap,
and watch the last 10 minutes of Indy. These guys have the same aero as Cup tomorrow.

[R.Lee]

[QUOTE=canamman;3561024]

Originally Posted by R.Lee

Afraid it's going to be more of a snoozefest, than usual. The drivers have pretty much voiced their opinions that NASCAR gave them exactly what they did not want. MORE aero-dependency and MORE difficulty passing! QUOTE]

Good post! Like the story about Fireball too ! I think you nailed this one.
If this Xfinity is any indication of what the Cup guys are gonna do, it will
be cut the grass, wash the cars, maybe even paint the house, take a nap,
and watch the last 10 minutes of Indy. These guys have the same aero as Cup tomorrow.

Was it the snoozefest that I predicted? I didn't watch it, the races at this track, both XFinity and Sprint Cup, are one of the three tracks that I skip each year. Yes, they have the exact same package, for the Cup race, tomorrow. If it was the case, it certainly does not bode well, for the Cup race, tomorrow.

Thank you. Roberts was one of, if not the first NASCAR super stars. He was very insightful, with allot of his comments. I remember, all too well, that day, at Charlotte, in 1964. I was there. I can still remember seeing the cloud of dark black smoke, that rose from the other side of the track. It was ominous and looked like death.

[fieldodreams79]

Funny enough, Real Country 92.3 - Bostwick / Monroe is not carrying the race today, like they normally would...

[JHamilton]

If a race happens at Indy and there's no one there to see it, does it make a sound?

[Salamus]

If 43 700 bhp cars don't make a noise, Rowdy winning sure as hell will!

I didn't watch the race though. Found out that Gordon hit the wall. This year is pretty terrible compared to last year.

[fieldodreams79]

Glad I found Gainesville's 102.9 on my FM dial to "follow" this one while working on the camper. Sliced doosh battles Capt Snothead for the win? Thankfully, I didn't waste my afternoon...

Originally Posted by JHamilton

If a race happens at Indy and there's no one there to see it, does it make a sound?

Holy empty stands, Batman! Par for the course this year and seemed to be a typical Brickyard 400 or whatever the hell they are calling it.

Originally Posted by Salamus

I didn't watch the race though. Found out that Gordon hit the wall. This year is pretty terrible compared to last year.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Mr. Gordon!

I did have him picked in my fantasy group

[R.Lee]

Did not watch this one, simply because it was run on the absolute WORST track that this Series runs on and because I hate the place! It never has, does not now and never will produce good racing and from what I have read, it was even WORSE (if that is possible) this year, even MORE of a single file, follow the leader, no passing parade that normal! Man, I wish NASCAR would smarten up and DUMP this place! Iowa Speedway would fit nicely, in this date, for next year's schedule! That being said, like him or hate him, you HAVE to give credit to Kyle Busch! Winning 4 out of the last 5 races. That's IMPRESSIVE, anyway you look at it!

[gomick]

Be great if Kyle won the championship - non Chevrolet & non Hendricks

[Paradise City]

I always think that this race is Indycar's annual revenge on NASCAR.

'Now it's your turn to have empty grandstands'.

[canamman]

On the Nascar xm talk shows callers and hosts alike
said that was a dud. Something like 6 different leaders
gave a total of 14 lead changes. A lot of callers were
calling for that race to be moved away from the
brickyard. I agree with the hosts answer that that will
not happen since NASCAR has put a ton of importance
in that event for the sanction. Another tidbit I heard last
week is that tracks receive up to 60% tv revenue for the
weekend. So don't cry for the track too much with empty
stands. Indy has what 250 - 350 k seats? Even
50 % of that is a sellout every where else.

It is not the tracks fault, It was built in the early 1900's
when the top speed was 57 mph. They tried making Homestead
a duplicate of Indy and they had to dig that up a couple times
to get it right.

So what to do with this track to make it fun for the
consumer? Aero adjustments did not work. I hate to say
it because I know how unpopular it will be with this crowd,
but Indy may need to be the 3rd plate track on the
schedule. That will tighten things up.

[NaBUru38]

Perhaps Nascar should try putting two chicanes, like the Super TC2000 at Rafaela. That would give two perfect overtaking spots.

[R.Lee]

Originally Posted by canamman

On the Nascar xm talk shows callers and hosts alike
said that was a dud. Something like 6 different leaders
gave a total of 14 lead changes. A lot of callers were
calling for that race to be moved away from the
brickyard. I agree with the hosts answer that that will
not happen since NASCAR has put a ton of importance
in that event for the sanction. Another tidbit I heard last
week is that tracks receive up to 60% tv revenue for the
weekend. So don't cry for the track too much with empty
stands. Indy has what 250 - 350 k seats? Even
50 % of that is a sellout every where else.

It is not the tracks fault, It was built in the early 1900's
when the top speed was 57 mph. They tried making Homestead
a duplicate of Indy and they had to dig that up a couple times
to get it right.

So what to do with this track to make it fun for the
consumer? Aero adjustments did not work. I hate to say
it because I know how unpopular it will be with this crowd,
but Indy may need to be the 3rd plate track on the
schedule. That will tighten things up.

Doubt restrictor plates would do anything for this track, most likely, it would make it far worse (if that is possible) than, from what everyone that I have talked too and everything that I have heard and read, it was this past Sunday. With Daytona and Talladega, the cars, due to the restrictor plates, take a full lap to get up to racing speed. Once at racing speed, they just ride. The banks allow them to carry the momentum through the turns, so the lap speeds remain fairly constant. With this track, it is flat as a pan cake, WAY TOO flat (and narrow) to produce good racing. Instead of sweeping turns, like Daytona and Talladega, the 4 turns at this track are 90 degree turns. This means that the drivers have to lift off the throttle and brake. This means the cars loose momentum, which is vital to keeping speed up, due to the plates. Once momentum is lost, it takes a fair amount of time to build momentum back up! The cars cannot accelerate with plates, so it would just be a disaster, afraid instead of tightening the field up, it would spread them out more.

I do agree with you, that NASCAR will not ever drop this track, unfortunately. Probably too much invested in it.

While, yes, it cannot be helped that the track was opened in the first decade of the 1900s, that is a problem. Look at older tracks, like Darlington. The track was reconfigured twice. The overall track was not changed, but improvements were made that helped the racing, allot. You mentioned Homestead and that it took them three reconfigurations to get it right, where the track was not only safer for the drivers to compete on, but also where it could be raced on and provide good racing. That, is the ONLY thing that could be done to make racing at this track something more than just a follow the leader, no pass, parade. This place, as far as I know, has not ever been reconfigured. It has been resurfaced, numerous times and I know they changed the pit road to allow cars to enter the pits, normally, instead of through an opening in the pit wall, believe that was done, just before the NASCAR tire test, in 1992, but I don't know, I could very well be wrong about that. What they need to do is take out the 4 corners, round them out, so to speak and build some banking into the turns. I'll say, about 20 degrees, since that worked at Homestead, which as you pointed out originally shared a similar configuration. Make it an oval, instead of a rectangle. The banking would allow got the cars to carry some speed/momentum into the turns and more importantly, allow passing! Short of that, there is NOTHING that can be done to make racing on this track interesting or exciting! Since we are going to be stuck with the place, this NEEDS to be done!