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Shrapnig posted:Can you guys give me a breakdown of what NASCAR actually is these days? CBJSprague24 posted:effortpost You forgot about stages, playoff points, and overtime. I would like to, though!!! CBJSprague24 posted:Tracks: NASCAR invested huge amounts of money in "cookie cutters" (think Charlotte, copied a bunch of times and modified slightly each time) which produce not-so-good racing. They've finally started to go away from this; the fans wanted more road courses and short tracks. We get 7 road course races this year, but NASCAR forgot the "more short tracks" bit, and you can argue we have one less this year because Bristol is on Dirt. (You're not hallucinating. Bristol. Dirt.) Speaking of Bristol, Bruton Smith also broke what wasn't broken and repaved it, thus ruining it and having to dance frantically when races there were mostly empty and he couldn't understand why. That drat rogue engineer who repaved the track while Bruton wasn't lookin.' Yeah, tracks are on an upswing. Fontana is getting converted from "The Track that Roger Penske Built So He Could Win More Indycar Races" to a half-mile short track which is going to be high-banked like Bristol, paper-clippy like Martinsville, but keep the curved front straight like Richmond. They added the Charlotte ROVAL™ which has proved an immediate hit, especially when combined with the crazy stakes brought about by The Playoffs, and the Daytona Road Course is proving to be OK fun as well. The current Bristol is nothing like the one-line "Just Wanted to Rattle His Cage" Bristol, but since drivers can take any line through the corners now it's actually good for very competitive and fun racing in the modern sense, especially in the lower series. At least when they don't spin out and cause too many cautions (ugh). So the racing in NASCAR is a shadow of its former self, but is slowly starting to carve out something new and modern and watchable. I will say that if you are hungering for the kind of racing you loved in the 80s and 90s, you really, really need to check out ARCA*. In case you weren't aware, NASCAR bought up ARCA a few years ago and switched the K&N regional series over to ARCA East/ARCA West branding. The regional racing series, and Whelen Modifieds, still offer the consistently best stock car racing out there. Happily, you can watch all this stuff online, plus more short track racing, for the low low price of $20 a year. See this post for more info on what's up with ARCA and what Track Pass is (hint: get Track Pass). *Regular ARCA is still ARCA though. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
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Mar 8, 2021 19:39
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Xfinity (former Busch Series) produces entertaining racing, sometimes better than Cup, and nowadays feels like a distinct standalone series as opposed to the Buschwhacker era
shyduck fucked around with this message at 18:35 on Mar 9, 2021 |
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Mar 9, 2021 18:33
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shyduck posted:Xfinity (former Busch Series) produces entertaining racing, sometimes better than Cup, and nowadays feels like a distinct standalone series as opposed to the Buschwhacker era Perfect avatar/post combo.
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Mar 10, 2021 05:59
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How come nobody told me Santino Ferrucci was running Xfinity? Because lol he wrecked Josh Berry
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Mar 14, 2021 06:37
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Bubba Wallace needs a new crew chief
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Mar 14, 2021 23:56
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I really have started to question if he has the raw ability to make it to the next level lately. He's great for the sport, don't get me wrong, he just seems to end up in a pinch or running out of talent more often than you would expect with that much publicity/hype.
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Mar 15, 2021 00:57
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mischief posted:I really have started to question if he has the raw ability to make it to the next level lately. He's great for the sport, don't get me wrong, he just seems to end up in a pinch or running out of talent more often than you would expect with that much publicity/hype. Genuine question from me. I posted earlier in the thread about not having watched NASCAR for a long time, but what defines ability in the sport? Since they're all running the sameish cars it isn't like F1(which I don't watch at all but I've heard that a lot of guys would win like Hamilton if they had his car, could be conjecture, or just not wanting the black guy to win, like I said I don't follow F1) Is it reflexes, seeing passing/drafting lanes on the track? The fastest lines are pretty well defined, does it come down to decision making in the car towards the end of a race?
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Mar 15, 2021 01:11
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Shrapnig posted:Genuine question from me. I posted earlier in the thread about not having watched NASCAR for a long time, but what defines ability in the sport? Money, and talent. Bubba has the financial backing. Put Kyle Busch in his car, guarantee he can get a top 5. I like Bubba a lot, I want him to succeed but I don’t think he’s quite there yet or ever will be.
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Mar 15, 2021 01:58
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While they are all driving the same car, the teams manufacturer their own chassis, and it makes a huge difference to whether or not they can build it well or find loopholes or cheat. Like how indy in its heyday you could buy chassis but most teams worked on them adding bits and pieces so the top teams were better that teams without R&D or using older chassis.
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Mar 15, 2021 02:17
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I think Bubba will be good, especially with the backing he has now, but probably not like a top-tier career. He'll get wins. It's been a rough start to the season but it's only been 5 races, and it's not like he's immediately on a top-flight team when they only just came into existence.
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Mar 15, 2021 02:25
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I can see about a Carl Edwards level career - wins when he's in a good setup, etc. He just doesn't seem to have that magic moment ability like a Davey Allison or Kyle Busch who will just pull off some loving wizard type poo poo every now and then. He's mediocre on intermediates, doesn't do well chasing the track conditions, and he's a terrible plate racer. Maybe the random Sonoma or Martinsville win. Like I said, he's a great interview and has been a good ambassador for the changes NASCAR is trying to push so I definitely appreciate him.
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Mar 15, 2021 02:33
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I think this underrates Edwards a lot. He started winning as soon as he was in a cup car. He was as good at the 1.5 milers as anyone in this generation of racers. I feel like he’d be a lock for a title if he stayed on at Gibbs. There’s not a lot (if anything) between him and someone like Denny. Shrap - a lot of the ability in Cup is communication. Can you keep up with the track? All of Penske is driving the same cars, but at the end Joey and Brad are top 5 and Blaney fades halfway through each race. They can diagnose what they need to make their car fast now, and how to keep it fast later.
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Mar 15, 2021 03:30
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Shrapnig posted:Genuine question from me. I posted earlier in the thread about not having watched NASCAR for a long time, but what defines ability in the sport? Their rear end. Really.
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Mar 15, 2021 03:32
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That reminds me. I hate the current Busch series for Abandoning The Short Tracks but then I heard Dale talking about when he got to the Busch series it was his first experience on a super speedway and I'm like... yeah probably good they run similar tracks huh.
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Mar 15, 2021 03:34
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Bubba's in the same category as Danica and Chase when they both got to Cup: you're in the top equipment, so the excuses for not performing are running out. Chase (eventually) figured it out, Danica didn't. Bubba's TBD.algebra testes posted:That reminds me. I hate the current Busch series for Abandoning The Short Tracks but then I heard Dale talking about when he got to the Busch series it was his first experience on a super speedway and I'm like... yeah probably good they run similar tracks huh. The late '90s Busch schedule still had a good mix of tracks for drivers to cut their teeth on. The only tracks Cup didn't visit were Las Vegas, Hickory, Nashville (the good one), Nazareth, South Boston, Milwaukee, Myrtle Beach, Gateway, IRP, and Homestead. They ran a few races on Cup tracks which weren't companion events- I know California was in October and I think the Glen was in June.
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Mar 15, 2021 04:15
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23XI is not top equipment
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Mar 15, 2021 04:19
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kidcoelacanth posted:23XI is not top equipment They are buying everything turnkey from Gibbs aren’t they?
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Mar 15, 2021 04:22
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Cygni posted:They are buying everything turnkey from Gibbs aren’t they? This was my impression. If I remember right, Jordan got involved on the condition he didn't want to run 20th every week. Plus, even if it's a satellite team/"fifth car", if it's anything like Furniture Row, it's going to be fast. e- Yes to all of the above: quote:The agreement with Gibbs calls for 23XI Racing to receive the best available equipment in terms of chassis, bodies and engines. The team will work out of Germain Racing’s shop in Mooresville, North Carolina. https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nas...es-nascar-team/ Toyota was also catching heat for not having enough competitive non-JGR-proper cars. CBJSprague24 fucked around with this message at 05:12 on Mar 15, 2021 |
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Mar 15, 2021 05:06
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Buying your equipment from Gibbs doesn't automatically make you a top flight team. It worked for Furniture Row because they had Cole Pearn and that dude is a wizard, and then they got priced out of the series when JGR jacked up their prices because they were pissed FRR beat them. 23XI scooping up what I assume is Leavine's inventory and getting Gibbs support is a start, but it's still a pricey process and they have to actually build a team around it too. Again, they're only five races in, and they have more support than any new team in recent memory with an at-worst solid driver. It's a good foundation but it's got to percolate a bit before we can make any real judgement calls on their performace.
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Mar 15, 2021 05:13
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The other huge problem right now for any new team is the complete lack of practice sessions. 23XI is brand new, can't practice, has to rely on notes to setup the car so they are forced to figure poo poo out on race day.
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Mar 15, 2021 13:35
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Yeah there's been like zero practice and this was about the first "normal" race (non-plate/road course) where they didn't have some sort of issue and they were having a top ten run until they made a bad pit call. It's week 5 of 36. They'll be fine.
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Mar 15, 2021 14:52
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Man, sure are a lot of people ready to just dismiss 23XI. Bubba was pretty good at getting extra spots out of poo poo tier RPM equipment. Maybe five races with no practice just isn't enough to get everything locked and loaded, call me crazy.
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Mar 15, 2021 16:29
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Elitist Bitch posted:Man, sure are a lot of people ready to just dismiss 23XI. I can't imagine why this would be!
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Mar 15, 2021 17:16
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Ungratek posted:I think this underrates Edwards a lot. He started winning as soon as he was in a cup car. He was as good at the 1.5 milers as anyone in this generation of racers. I feel like he’d be a lock for a title if he stayed on at Gibbs. There’s not a lot (if anything) between him and someone like Denny. mearn posted:Yeah there's been like zero practice and this was about the first "normal" race (non-plate/road course) where they didn't have some sort of issue and they were having a top ten run until they made a bad pit call. It's week 5 of 36. They'll be fine.
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Mar 15, 2021 23:02
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Almost like the original call of "he needs a new crew chief" is probably correct.
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Mar 16, 2021 03:58
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https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1371900412488474632?s=19 Lebron is also now part owner of Roush Fenway MJ vs. Lebron
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Mar 16, 2021 20:31
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There's not gonna be any green or yellow pit stops at Bristol. Only pit stops during the stage breaks... Also heat style qualifying where you get points for passing, but don't lose points for getting passed. So in theory, there would be nothing stopping 2 teammates from just leap frogging each other for 15 laps and racking up qualifying points! https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2021/03/03/nascar-reveals-procedures-and-details-for-inaugural-bristol-dirt-track-weekend/
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Mar 16, 2021 20:35
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Larson has to be even money to win Bristol right
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Mar 16, 2021 20:51
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I hope he does, but I'm not sure how you can say with confidence that Bubba will win a race. Right now he's a slight downgrade from Erik Jones at best. He might win a superspeedway race at some point but it's far from certain unless something changes significantly.
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Mar 17, 2021 14:24
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I don't blame the crew chief for getting the car up front for a little bit. 2 years from now McDonalds isn't going to stick around if your ekeing out top 10s because of conservative pit strategy.
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Mar 17, 2021 14:32
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Bubba's finishes before Phoenix, in order have been 17, 26, 22, and 28. The car went backwards in every race, due to a plethora of reasons. Phoenix was the team's first genuinely solid showing and in my opinion had a top 5 car before those last rounds of pit stops, and Wheeler just kinda threw water on the whole thing. It's too early to be that desperate, especially with a new team that's probably not feeling all that confident right now. They'll probably get it fixed but I won't hold my breath for this season. Also I think the new car arrives soon so that'll certainly affect things.
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Mar 17, 2021 15:46
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*Brand new team doesn't win in first five races* SASCAR: "DRIVER IS poo poo TIER"
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Mar 17, 2021 15:57
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chamois posted:I hope he does, but I'm not sure how you can say with confidence that Bubba will win a race. Right now he's a slight downgrade from Erik Jones at best. He might win a superspeedway race at some point but it's far from certain unless something changes significantly. i mean it's impossible to say anything with certainty, so it's all conjecture at a certain point. he's a decent driver in good equipment so chances are pretty good he'll get Some Wins. he could also wash out, he could reel off 5 championships. who knows!
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Mar 17, 2021 16:02
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Elitist Bitch posted:*Brand new team doesn't win in first five races* yeah honestly. Also reminder that the 23 is basically the 5th Gibbs car so it should be graded on a bigass curve: like around the same tier as Wood Brothers or Petty.
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Mar 17, 2021 16:23
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https://twitter.com/kansasspeedway/status/1372201222783041550?s=19
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Mar 17, 2021 17:02
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Mar 17, 2021 17:11
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I mainly want Bubba to win because I want as many fresh names winning races as possible, to undo the horror of last season.
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Mar 17, 2021 17:12
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One time at a previous job that involved working overnight people would sometimes forget to start writing the new date number after midnight. I jokingly suggested that "maybe someone should announce over the intercom that it's midnight." This was taken as a serious suggestion and I was tasked with doing it. That's what this sounds like to me. Someone made a joke and it snowballed into reality.
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Mar 17, 2021 17:15
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Elitist Bitch posted:*Brand new team doesn't win in first five races* I'm not really getting that vibe here. I think people were just pointing out how they probably would have finished anywhere from say 5th to 10th and doing that 5 races into a brand new team is like a win but made a pit call strategy that literally nobody else would have made watching that race. If anything it shows promise that they might have good mechanical grip in their chassis for shorter, flatter tracks and maybe that translates well to a place like Martinsville where Bubba knows for sure he can win. I think people are just kinda thinking of the blown opportunity to put the team out there in a good light this early into the season while also referencing the unknown that Bubba is as a driver. Leaving a mediocre team where he had mediocre results to a satellite team of one of the top 2 teams in the sport, what will he be able to do? It's going to be interesting to watch. On the flip side I don't think anybody is expecting Eric Jones to drive the #43 to any wins, he'll probably have very similar results to what Bubba did with it and I don't think that really takes away from any of the wins he was able to get in the #20 car.
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Mar 17, 2021 22:46
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tbh jones has already far exceeded what i thought he'd be able to do in the 43
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Mar 18, 2021 00:30
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