I have been thinking about the two car drafts in the 2011 Daytona 500 where the first car was a "puller" and the second a "pusher". This made for a new style of drafting and for a very exciting 500 mile race!
This became possible due to a number of elements.
Firstly the cars have bumpers that line up perfectly. In the past the rear bumper was slightly higher than the front nose so when touching the front cars trunk was lifted off of the ground, loosening the car up in the turns. The latest generation of Cup car was designed with bumpers that line up enabling the cars to bump draft without lifting the car in front.
Secondly the new tarmac at Daytona! Smooth, smooth, smooth! No bumps or dips to throw the cars around!
Two cars have always been better than one at Daytona, and three better than two. Not being an expert in the field of aerodynamics I am perplexed by why three cars couldn't draft together?
If the car in front is braking slightly to keep the two cars together, and the second car is constantly pushing, why can't a third car use the hole in the air created by the first two and come along for the ride? I understand that the third car would not be able to bump draft, as the second car would be a pinball in the middle, however I am surprised that other cars, other pairs, were not able to "old school" draft along behind.
As the last lap "slingshot" seems to be alive and well, you would assume the "draft" still works, so why no third car?
Were the cars "drafting" at all, or were they just pushing each other to faster speeds?
I saw this clip posted on Facebook, courtesy of Mark Hales, and felt the need to share it!
Oh how I hate front wheel drive and sequential gearboxes!!
Wonderful stuff!!
"Martin Brundle and Mark Hales race Nick Mason's Ferrari 250 GTO at the 2010 Goodwood Revival. Experience the build-up to the race start, Martin's first race in a car worth £14 million, the change over to Mark Hales and a master class in driving one of the all time classic GT cars.
See www.chasecam.co.uk for details of the 2011 DIVA four camera SD system with synchronised data and LCD screen for play back and set-up and the new DIVA HD system with data with LCD screen for playback and set-up"
With about 10 laps to go the phone rang. A friend of mine was also watching the race. At this point I was sat leant forward half-on, half-off the couch. Volume levels started to go up as the excitement grew... then the yellow. I sat back for a minute and our voices dropped to their normal levels.
Who's lined up with who? Mark Martin pushing Tony Stewart on the high line looks good! The 21 is in front for the first time, surely a "sitting duck" as the TV commentators kept saying. Low line looks less promising. Can the 21 hold on?
Green flag flies and suddenly I am on the edge of the couch again, and our voices go up a level. Go Smoke! White flag, the 5 and 14 have gone backwards; they are out of it, 21 still in front. Go 21! Turn 3, voices LOUD NOW but nervous, no couch needed now!! Come on 21! Oh no here comes Edwards with a big run! GO 21! Out of turn 4... 21 blocks Edwards run... COME ON 21!! Nowhere near the couch now!! At the tri-oval... HOLD ON 21!! Chequered flag!!
Wood Brothers to Victory Lane!! How cool is that!! And relax...
A lot is being said about the Daytona 500 so I will keep it short and simple -
Good Things -
TV Coverage - For me the pre-race show alone was an enjoyable roller-coaster ride. I felt the FoxSports guys did a good job of portraying the excitement, the anticipation, the drama... the volume went up for Brad Paisley and down for the well judged Earnhardt tribute.
Push-me / Pull-me - The two car hook-ups are fun to watch. The cars move around a bit, work together, pass, drop back, go high, go low. The drivers are not just sat in a big pack unable to race for themselves! They have to earn their pay checks!
Bizarre Things -
Radio Chatter - Not only are the drivers racing at 200 mph, two or three wide, not only are they bump drafting all the way round the 2.5 miles of new tarmac, not only are they communicating with their own team and their own spotter but they are also talking to each other, team mate or otherwise, while they are doing it! Amazing!
Exciting Things -
Great start for NASCAR! Good Daytona 500, lots of close racing, a big wreck with no flying cars or injuries, a dramatic finish, and a great plot line to start the year!!
In the pre-race show one of the TV guys said this is "not you're Granddads NASCAR". New points system, new drivers, new Daytona surface, new style of drafting...
So far so good!!
If 2010 was "have at it, boys" then maybe 2011 is... "NO LONGER YOU'RE GRANDDADS NASCAR"!
Congratulations to Trevor Bayne and Wood Brothers Racing, winners of the 2011 DAYTONA 500!!
In the world of NASCAR, Daytona International Speedway is the new Noahs Ark and the drivers are coming in two by two!!
You would think that leading a motor race with one lap to go would be a good thing. You are in front, in charge, in control, the race is yours for the taking. Err, no...
To lead the Daytona 500 on Sunday it looks like you will need someone pushing you, to win you need to be the pusher. How does a racing driver, in such a competitive field, drive to be second at the white flag, so he can race to the win at the chequered?
If you can figure that out you might just win the 2011 Daytona 500!
Downsides... maybe less big pack racing with the cars spread out more than we are used to seeing?
Upsides... more overtaking than we have ever seen at Daytona including a last lap one-on-one slingshot for the win?
Will NASCAR make more changes to the cars before the 500? Regardless of what you think of the racing, should NASCAR make technical changes now, after the 150's?
What would I do? Nothing! The teams have raced in the Duals with the smaller plates' and the cooling system changes. Let the teams run the remaining practice sessions with the same rules and give them a chance to find out what works. If the 500 does not work they can run some more tests to tweak the package before the July race. The more you mess with the package, the more of a risk you are taking. Right now the drivers can draft and they can overtake.
NASCAR, let the race run and see how close the finish is!
Since the Shootout NASCAR has mandated changes cars to slow them, and to reduce the two car hook-ups that dominated that race.
Changes have been made to the cooling systems; a smaller grille opening and a "pop off valve" all designed to make the engines overheat quicker. In theory this should stop the cars bump drafting lap after lap as the pushing cars engine will overheat, making the two car hook-ups a method of overtaking, not a way of just running round as in the Shootout.
NASCAR have also reduced the restrictor plate size by one-64th of an inch, to 57-64ths. This has already dropped speeds from the 206mph in the Shootout to 200mph in practice.
I think it is a shame they didn't run the 150's with the bigger plate to see what effect the cooling system changes would have made on their own, but NASCAR obviously wanted to slow the cars as well as limit the two car drafting.
One thing has been bothering me since the Shootout... the yellow line rule. Should Denny Hamlin have been penalised for going under the yellow line when he was alongside Ryan Newman above the line. I am still of the opinion that the driver should not be allowed to jump below the yellow line to advance your position. However, on the run to the flag, if a driver pulls out and is alongside the other car above the line, should they be penalised if they are forced under the line by the other driver? Put it another way, drivers should not be allowed to block! Bearing in mind what happened 10 years ago this should go without saying!
Its also great to see the new Nationwide cars at Daytona. It is a pity that the new square fronts of the Challenger and Mustang are limiting speeds... to 200mph!! Cool!!
Gatorade Duel Race No. 1 Lineup - 1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 186.089
2. Paul Menard No. 27 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 185.422
3. Ryan Newman No. 39 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 185.002
4. Mark Martin No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 184.991
5. Tony Stewart No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 184.911
6. Kurt Busch No. 22 Penske Racing Dodge 184.896
7. Juan Pablo Montoya No. 42 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 184.763
8. Marcos Ambrose No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 184.748
9. Kevin Harvick No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 184.740
10. Jimmie Johnson No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 184.687
11. Bill Elliott No. 09 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 184.532
12. AJ Allmendinger No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 184.290
13. Joe Nemechek No. 87 Nemco Motorsports Toyota 184.222
14. Matt Kenseth No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford 184.102
15. Dave Blaney No. 36 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 183.793
16. Regan Smith No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 183.681
17. Kasey Kahne No. 4 Red Bull Racing Toyota 183.602
18. Bobby Labonte No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 183.576
19. Brian Vickers No. 83 Red Bull Racing Toyota 183.557
20. Kevin Conway No. 97 Nemco Motorsports Toyota 182.949
21. David Gilliland No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford 182.697
22. Michael McDowell No. 66 HP Racing Toyota 182.434
23. JJ Yeley No. 46 Whitney Motorsports Chevrolet 180.977
24. Andy Lally No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet 180.828
Gatorade Duel Race No. 2 Lineup - 1. Jeff Gordon No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 185.966
2. Trevor Bayne No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford 185.445
3. Clint Bowyer No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 185.223
4. Jeff Burton No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 185.071
5. Greg Biffle No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford 184.911
6. David Ragan No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing 184.612
7. Carl Edwards No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford 184.475
8. Travis Kvapil No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford 184.271
9. David Reutimann No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 184.019
10. Brad Keselowski No. 2 Penske Racing Dodge 184.008
11. Michael Waltrip No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 183.966
12. Jamie McMurray No. 1 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 183.685
13. Kyle Busch No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 183.595
14. Martin Truex Jr. No. 56 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 183.456
15. Joey Logano No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 183.206
16. Todd Bodine No. 60 Germain Racing Toyota 183.057
17. Casey Mears No. 13 Germain Racing Toyota 182.867
18. Steve Wallace No. 77 Rusty Wallace Racing Toyota 182.574
19. Robby Gordon No. 7 Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge 182.120
20. Terry Labonte No. 32 FAS Lane Racing Ford 181.492
21. Robert Richardson No. 37 Front Row Motorsports Ford 181.466
22. Denny Hamlin No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 181.316
23. Derrike Cope No. 64 Max Q Toyota 177.894
24. Brian Keselowski No. 92 K-Automotive Dodge 177.581
The 2011 Budweiser Shootout certainly lived up to its name, a Shootout. Two drivers, who was going to draw first? Actually two sets of two drivers, but you get the point.
It definitely was a different style of racing.
Some will say that it was dull. No big packs. No solid 2x2 trains of cars. No "pack" to speak of. Is this a bad thing? Throughout the 90's restrictor plate races were full of cars running together, unable to race for themselves. Race winners were decided by who had the most cars behind them. If the low line had 5 cars nose to tail and the high line only had 3, the low line was probably going to be ahead at the flag. One-on-one passes for the lead on the last lap were few and far between. Top speeds were always kept just under the 200 mark, and big packs were the order of the day, literally.
With the COT all that changed. The big square cars have been able to draft much more than the last generation cars. What we saw in the Shootout was drivers who were able to decide their own destiny, drivers who were able to "race" for themselves. Yes they were still being pushed, still reliant on help from behind, but that's just the nature of racing at Daytona, it was this way before restrictor plates and it will always be this way.
I liked the race. I liked the fact that the drivers could overtake. I liked that come the last lap the third and fourth place cars were able to pull out and get level with the leader. I also liked that the second place driver was able to slingshot round the leader coming out of turn four on the last lap, with no help.
Was NASCAR right to call Kurt Busch as the winner? Yes. The yellow line ruling should be enforced at all times. The last thing we all want is another (avoidable) airborne wreck. Will Hamlin pull down below the line next Sunday, err no.
Do I want 500 miles of that next Sunday? No... 100 miles? Yes!
Do I think that's what we are going to see? No.
Even without NASCARs new cooling system pop off valves I do not think the 500 would be like that. Firstly; 43 cars will be on track, not 8 as it was at the end of the Shootout. That many cars on track together are going to stay together. There may be breakaways but eventually the rest will catch up and the pack will be together again. Secondly the drivers are not going to be able to maintain that style of intense racing for the whole race. 75 laps is one thing, 500 miles is something very different. We all know that the first 400 miles of a 500 mile race is a matter of survival, while the last 100 miles are serious. With this in mind I think the drivers will give each other a bit of room until the last 100 miles.
I also like NASCARs answer to the speed issue. For a change they have resisted a change to the restrictor plate. By leaving the plate the same NASCAR are saying, we like the racing, we like the draft, we like the overtaking. What NASCAR are trying to do is limit the length of time the cars can bump draft by restricting the airflow to the engines. The longer you bump draft, the more chance you have of overheating. So in theory the cars will still be able to hook up and pass as they did in the Shootout, but not for 50 laps solid. Now the two car draft should be used as an overtaking tool and not for lap after lap driving. If this works NASCAR should be applauded for being bold and not just running to a plate change to slow the cars.
Hopefully on Sunday we will see 43 drivers who can draft, can overtake in the pack with help and one-on-one for the win. 43 drivers who are able to race for themselves and not just sit in the pack unable to move, waiting for the wreck. Drivers having fun!
The 125's will give us an idea of whether NASCARs changes have worked.
The Daytona 500, NASCARs season opener. NASCARs biggest race. To the drivers it is the race to win! Some drivers spend their whole career trying to win it; some do it more than once.
To me the Daytona 500 is about the speed, the drama, the closeness of the cars, the wait for "the big one", the dramatic finish.
I never tire of restrictor plate racing at Daytona and Talladega. You can debate the merits of opening the season with your biggest race, but to a fan bored of the offseason, starting the year this way ensures the year starts with a bang, NASCAR racing at its most extreme!
There was the year Dale Jarrett won with his dad commentating, the year Dale Jr won. There have been lots of memorable 500's.
Back in 1998 I was 18 and had just finished college. I decided to go travelling and undertook a solo 3 month trek across America. I flew into San Francisco and flew home from New York, stayed in youth hostels, travelled coast to coast by Greyhound bus. For the weekend of the 1998 Daytona 500 I was in LA. I found a TV in the hostel, tuned into the race, and watched it on my own as no one else seemed to care.
'98 was the year Earnhardt finally won the Daytona 500! As the race began I pulled up a chair, which is odd as I don't remember using it much. In fact once the race got serious, as Earnhardt was pacing the field, I was pacing around the room unable to stand still let alone sit for excitement. Watching the black 3-car pull onto pit lane, seeing every crew member from every team come out to see him, the "3" on the grass, the Victory Lane celebrations, the excitement was huge. Earnhardt fan or not, it was a great day for NASCAR, and for me.
Later in my trek across the States, I found myself in Las Vegas the week of the city's first ever NASCAR race weekend. I could not afford Cup tickets, but did get to see the then Busch Series race! To date this is my only live NASCAR experience. The excitement in Vegas that week as palpable. NASCAR was everywhere. It was the sports 50th year and there were modern and classic race cars everywhere.
Later still in my coast to coast trip, while others were off to Miami to drink themselves silly, I went to Daytona. I did the track tour, stood on top of the banking and looked down, and I saw the black RCR Chevy Monte Carlo with 3 on it, as it was when it won the race. Standing outside of the track I used a pay phone to ring home and at that moment I changed the direction my life was heading. I gave up the university place I had waiting for me when I got home, and decided to make racing my ambition, my life.
Lots of people will talk about the tragic end to the 2001 Daytona 500, and the effects that day had on the sport and its people, but the experience of the 1998 Daytona 500 and seeing the Daytona International Speedway was literally life changing for me.
Each February I remember my 3 month trip, that years Daytona 500, the track tour, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, San Francisco, New York, and everything in between.
One day I will go to a Daytona 500 and experience it in person, but this year I will settle down in front of the TV and enjoy the race. I may even use a chair this time...
The 2011 NASCAR season starts this weekend with the Shootout!!
So what are my hopes for the new season?
Let's start at the end with a close points race resulting in a new Sprint Cup Champion! Not that I have anything against Jimmie Johnson, I would just like somebody else to end the year on top. A good points battle would create interest in the Chase, and a new champ would create lots of "Can JJ Regain His Crown?" articles for the following year!
A one-on-one battle from the white flag to end the Daytona 500! With the new surface, and the better looking cars, THE 500 should be a cracker! The last few years has shown that these cars draft better than NASCAR has seen in a long time and a one-on-one slingshot for the win is exactly what NASCAR needs to start the year!
"Boys have at it"... again! Give the drivers the space to race, again! Give the drivers room to express themselves, to get annoyed and do something about it, again! Keep the reigns loose and let the personalities breathe some more, again!
The 88 mans up and starts competing! Junior Nation may hope this is the year Dale wins races and the Championship, but for me just having him look competitive week in, week out, is good enough. If Dale could finally show that he deserves to be there I reckon a lot of fans would go along for the ride with him! Put in that postition he may win, he may not, but to have a shot at winning you have to be competitive in the first place!
RCR keeps its momentum! Childress lead the points last year with Kevin Harvick until the Chase kicked in and were in the hunt to the end, but could not quiet deliver the Championship. I hope they start this year as they ended the last! NASCAR needs a team other than the Hendrick 48 team in the headlines.
Kyle, stop talking, start driving! I don't want to hear anything from Kyle Busch this year. I want his driving, his performance on track, his wins, to do the talking. I am not much of a Rowdy fan, but the sport would be much better off if he just "shut up and drive!" We all know he can pedal, we all know he can be controversial, don't change anything Kyle, just deliver, on track, this year!
Ford back in the game. Two years ago the Ford of Carl Edwards was winning races. Last year, nothing. This year NASCAR needs a FORD back in the game! NASCAR has always been about Ford vs. Chevy. Recently Dodge and Toyota have joined in but the basis should always be the Blue Oval against the Bowtie!
Richard Petty and the 43 become relevant again, Stewart Haas raises its game and becomes competitive all year and not just late on, Jeff Gordon breaks his winless streak, JPM finally wins an oval race preferably Brickyard, Ambrose finally wins the Nationwide road race that keeps escaping him...
GrandAm - Gotta love Juan Pablo Montoya... he was so aggressive over night in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, that his Daytona Prototype needed a new nose! In fact, by the end of the race, the car was on it's third nose!!
NASCAR - If the manufacturers want more "brand identity" in NASCAR's Cup series why don't they follow Ford's Nationwide Mustang lead by using the graphics to help make the race cars look more like the road versions. Dodge now have a front that looks like the road car, but why don't they put the side "scoop" on the race cars, as Ford did with the Mustang?
BTCC - First 2011 rear wheel drive entry is... an Audi A4?? Pardon?? When was the last time you saw a rear wheel drive A4?? The BTCC NGTC specs state - "Drive-train layout (i.e. front or rear wheel drive) as per base vehicle." So much for that idea...
F1 - New cars being unveiled and tested. Queue lots of media articles about performance and testing times... when was the last time pre-season testing gave an accurate preview to the year ahead??
BTCC - Read an article lately in Autosport; John Cleland reunited with his old 1991 Vauxhall Cavalier GSI2000. Fabulous!
I have been thinking about the two car drafts in the 2011 Daytona 500 where the first car was a "puller" and the second a "pusher". This made for a new style of drafting and for a very exciting 500 mile race!
Firstly the cars have bumpers that line up perfectly. In the past the rear bumper was slightly higher than the front nose so when touching the front cars trunk was lifted off of the ground, loosening the car up in the turns. The latest generation of Cup car was designed with bumpers that line up enabling the cars to bump draft without lifting the car in front.
Secondly the new tarmac at Daytona! Smooth, smooth, smooth! No bumps or dips to throw the cars around!
If the car in front is braking slightly to keep the two cars together, and the second car is constantly pushing, why can't a third car use the hole in the air created by the first two and come along for the ride? I understand that the third car would not be able to bump draft, as the second car would be a pinball in the middle, however I am surprised that other cars, other pairs, were not able to "old school" draft along behind.
Do we really care as the race was so good?
