The last of next years Sprint Cup race cars has now been unveiled.
Next years Chevy race car will be based on the still to be unveiled new "halo" car, the rear wheel drive, V8 engined "SS". The road car will basically be an American market version of the Australian Holden Commodore.
The race version does look good but without seeing the road equivalent we have nothing to compare it to. It is odd that with the new NASCAR bodies putting such a huge emphasis on manufacturer identity, or to put it another way, making sure the race cars look like the road cars, that Chevrolet have decided to show us what the race car looks like, but not the road car. I certainly hope the "SS" is more successfull than the Pontiac G8 was!
We are starting to see more and more 2013 paint schemes now, and it has to be said, again, that the 2013 Cup cars do look good!
Monday morning the COT, NASCARs Car of Tomorrow race car, as we have known it for the last few years, will become the car of yesterday.
In 2013 NASCAR are introducing the next generation of race car but before we move forward lets look back at the COT's tenure in stock car racings top series.
So did it work?
To start to answer that we need to look at what the sport had pre-COT. NASCAR race cars had become very aerodynamic machines. The cars had very different bodies for each track to maximise aero efficiency and a Daytona car looked very different to a Charlotte car or a Martinsville car. The bodies were also "twisted" meaning they were different from one side to the other. It is fair to say they bore little to no resemblance to the road cars they were supposed to be based on. All the wind tunnel time and technology required to perfect those slippery bodies was also sending budgets through the roof. For teams and sponsors the sport was not as relatively cheap as it once was. Unfortunately the now infamous wreck in the 2001 Daytona 500 also highlighted the need to improve the safety aspects of the cars sooner rather than later...
The COT was introduced in 2007 with several goals, improve safety, lower costs for the teams, give the manufacturers more identity on the car, minimise the reliance on aerodynamics, and improve the racing.
The easy one of those to look at is the improvements in safety. We have seen some very big wrecks and some hard hits over the last few years and every time the drivers involved walked away. Nobody can deny that the combination of the COT, improved seats, SAFER barriers and the HANS device have made the sport much safer. Well done to all involved on that respect!
The other goals for the COT are harder to judge.
Has it lowered costs? On paper the theory seemed valid, no need for different bodies for each track meaning the number of cars the teams need to build can drop and no need for expensive wind tunnel programs. I am not sure if it has worked to lower budgets but the fact that several people have been able to set up teams by purchasing cars from other teams must mean something.
As I have already said, the previous generation of race cars had become so unrecognisable as Fords, Chevys, Dodges or Toyotas that improved manufacturer identity was a big part of the COTs remit. In one way it worked, the manufacturers had more space to put their own stickers on the cars so the fans could tell which was which. The COT had a problem though. They were widely considered UGLY, and as all the cars had the same shape bodies regardless of manufacturer they therefore did not look like any of the road cars they were meant to be. The fans hated the new rear wings and the boxy fronts with the big splitter sticking out. Bigger stickers or not, fans did not identify with the new race car. Hate campaigns were started, mainly against the rear wing and the splitter which many fans thought stopped the cars looking like "stock cars". Part way through the 2010 season NASCAR replaced the rear wing with an old fashioned rear spoiler and for the start for the 2011 season NASCAR facelifted the COT removing the boxy front and replacing it with a move conventional smoother front air dam, like the previous generation Daytona cars. Fans still didn't like that the cars all looked the same, but at least they now looked like "stock cars".
The problem with the facelift was that the splitter and rear wing were there for a reason. NASCAR designed the COT to have a bigger, taller, squarer roof line, not only for safety but to also punch a bigger hole in the air, therefore increasing the draft. The rear wing created downforce at the back of the car while also allowing air to pass though it and onto the front of the following car in theory limiting the effects of aero push for the following car. Lastly the splitter gave the car a big shelf to catch air and help the front end.
Upsides... The cars sure could draft at the restrictor plate tracks! They drafted so well, and as the new bumpers lined up perfectly the drivers could bump draft much more easily compared to the old cars, that a new style of racing emerged at Daytona and Talladega. Tandem racing, where two cars could literally push each other around, became the order of the day. Fans hated it, and NASCAR has spent the last few years trying to minimise this effect, to, it has to be said, much success. Another upside of all of this was the return of the "slingshot" at the 'plate tracks. The COT reintroduced the last lap overtaking move. You didn't want to lead the last lap as the driver behind could pull out and slingshot passed you coming out of turn four a la Petty vs Pearson! The new car also had lower cornering speeds and for a while it looked like the racing at the mile and a half track was going to be better than before.
Unfortunately the COT also had its downsides. As well as the UGLY factor, and the fact that they all looked the same there were other problems. Firstly the cars kept getting airborne every time they wrecked. This was blamed on the rear wing which was doing what it said on the tin, as soon as the cars were turned sideways the wing was literally picking the back of the cars up off the ground and making them fly. This would not do.
So NASCAR facelifted the COT. The cars now looked better and stayed on the ground, which is a very good thing, but it has to be said that to me the racing has suffered ever since the wing was removed.
Aero push and track position have become huge factors on all tracks bar the restrictor plate tracks and the short tracks where aero is not an issue. The cars seem unable to run close together without getting upset by the leading cars air, exactly what the COT was designed to eliminate in the first place. Unfortunately none of this has helped improve the standard of the racing.
The other problem the early COT had was the drivers hated it. It was hard to drive, had far too high a centre of gravity so it rolled to much in the turns, the aero balance was wrong, and in the early days ate tyres for breakfast. Aside from the tyre issue, which was largely due to the fact that early on Goodyear were still learning how to make tyres for the new, higher downforce, heavier car, I had little time for the drivers complaints. Of course they were not going to drive like the old cars, they are not the old cars. Once drivers and teams stopped complaining and figured out how to make the new car design work for them the sport started to move forward, and NASCAR told them to stop complaining and get on with it!
So what does all of this mean for the soon to be old COT. Well the lessons learnt from the first COT were put to good use as the COT mark 2 was introduced into the Nationwide Series in 2010 with much success. All the cars have the same, newly redesigned body but the cars now have greatly improved manufacturer identity and better aero balance. The fronts of each model now resemble the road car in shape as well as sticker design meaning a Dodge Challenger now looks like the road car, and a Mustang looks like a Mustang! The cars also have all the improved safety features and it has been said the racing in the Nationwide Series has be better than in the Cup Series on many occasions.
Hopefully the learning process from the first Car of Tomorrow with the wing and splitter, to the redesign, to the Nationwide car will bring about a successful introduction for the COT mark 3, the 2013 Cup car.
Under the skin the cars are the same and again improved manufacturer identity and improved racing are the goals. We can already say that on the first count NASCAR have succeeded. The cars look like their production counterparts, and no one is going to say they are ugly this time! I just hope NASCAR have learnt the aerodynamic lessons, done their homework, and get it right this time. Next years cars need to be able to draft and slingshot at the Daytona 500 in February like the current car and continue the 100% safety record, but they also need to eliminate the aero push on the intermediate tracks and make track position a thing of the past.
NASCAR had good intentions for the COT and those intentions are still relevant today and going into the 2013 season. They may not have succeeded with all of the goals but they must get it right this time around.
Lets face it, the 2012 edition of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has not produced the most exciting racing in the sports history. In fact it is fair to say the racing has, on the whole, been dull.
To be honest the racing last year was pretty tedious too, but the season was saved by a dramatic change of form by one driver and an especially close points race. The two protagonists rarely raced side by side against each other before the final race of the year.
For me this years Chase for the Sprint Cup has lacked the on paper drama of last year and was devoid of any real on track action... Until last week.
The charge towards the top of the table by the 48 team has taken an already pedestrian year into the realms of inevitability... Until... Brad put up a fight at Charlotte. OK he lost the battle but the fight meant everything. Here was a young driver who was not going to roll over and let the all conquering giant push him around. On that day Brad Keselowski said if you want it you'll have to go through me first. The fight was tough but the line was never crossed.
Suddenly the Chase gained an edge and this time the talking point was not an on paper battle but an on track one. Now I was interested, I was excited, this is what stock car racing should be all about, not fuel mileage, not strategy, and certainly not track position. One-on-one, two wide, rubbing fenders at nearly 200mph!
Fast forward a week and battle resumed only this time it was two different drivers putting up a "fight". The racing was once again lacklustre until the very end when it is fair to say all hell broke loose. The 2 vs. 48 points battle swung in favour of the youngster in the Blue Deuce as the 48 had a bad day at exactly the wrong time, so a good day for the on paper battle. At the same a different rivalry reared its head, Gordon vs. Bowyer.
Short version, in Jeff Gordons eyes Clint Bowyer has been pushing him around all year and the contact between the two at Phoenix was the final straw... To Bowyer, the 24 just blew his chance at the Championship... Mayhem ensued... On track... And off...
With both cars in the wall and out of the race, a mass brawl in the paddock, and Bowyer sprinting towards Gordons hauler looking for a piece of the action, or at least a piece of Gordon, if nothing else it must have made for a good news story that evening and has certainly proved the drivers are passionate about the sport and the Championship, even if the racing has not always reflected this enthusiasm.
So all of this drama brings NASCARs "have at it" policy back into the limelight. How physical can drivers be, can drivers take the "law" into their own hands, how far will NASCAR let them go, and will the drivers care? How much "it" is too much?
Gordon did not hide from the fact that he took Bowyer out, in fact he told his team that was what he was doing before he did it. In a country where scripted wrestling is entertainment, and where hockey players are allowed to kick the living whatsits out of each other, why can't stock car drivers suffer from road rage at times. Don't tell me you haven't wished you could do the same to the guy driving in front of you on your way to work... Or... Did Jeff Gordon cross the line by retaliating?
For me the fact that one of the drivers involved was racing for the Championship is irelevant. Just because Bowyer was third in points does not make him untouchable. If anything he should race with the understanding that he has more to loose than others if anything happens.
So should Gordon have retaliated? Yes... Er... No... But at the same time definitely... But maybe not...
Let me try this again - Anything that puts a driver at risk is a bad idea and lets face it, even with safer cars and SAFER barriers, hitting a wall in a stock car is always a risky business.
However this is NASCAR, not F1. If you want purist racing with emotionless corporate machines as drivers, watch you average GP. If you want hard hitting, physical racing with real, emotional human beings behind the wheel watch touring cars in Europe or stock cars in the States. In the case of NASCAR this sort of incident is what the sport is based on. The cars have bumpers, and the drivers know how to use them. When the time is right you can substitute the word "cars" for "drivers" and the word "bumpers" for "fists" in the last sentence, and point still stands. If you don't like it go race Indycars!
Of course NASCAR have to be seen to clamp down on this sort of thing. This is a family sport and the idea of driving your rival off the track and then fighting about it afterwards is not what NASCAR wants to be known for in 2012, so fines and probationary periods are handed out to the relevant parties. However NASCAR is a "show" and the sport needs action and rivalries, so this is in fact exactly what the sport needs. You can imagine the sports top suits saying to Gordon, Bowyer and co. "We can't let this happen on out race tracks!" and as soon they have left the room, "Well that was good wasn't it!".
I think the sport needs more action, more side by side racing, less strategy and less importance on track position. The sport needs, and has always needed rivalries between drivers and a bad guy. If temperatures boil over every now and then, good! After all, this is not F1!
I still consider "Have at it" to be the right principle for NASCAR to be run by. Hopefully the new for 2013 cars will make the racing better and then we will have a sport worthy of the news reels.. With or without the fights!
The last restrictor plate race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season was a good'un.
The "big pack" was definately back with the "tandem draft" of the last few years now gone, replaced by old fashioned big pack bump drafting!
Dale Jr is complaining... Get over it! That was a good 'plate race!
This is the end of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, again from Talladega... pity they did not get to race back to the line.
And finally the end of the Nationwide Series race... A great last lap slingshot... maybe the tandem was not all bad...
Whether you like the "tandems" or the "big pack", if there is one thing NASCAR can still do, it's put on a great show at Talladega!!
To me the best balance for the Cup Series is a combination of the "big pack" but with the ability to race one-on-one, slingshot if you will, on the last lap for the win...
In 2012, can families be expected to pay £30 per adult (children were free) just to watch cars race round a track. You may think that a strange question, after all I was at a race meeting where the focal point tends to be cars racing round a track... But hear me out.
I was brought up going with my Dad to watch BTCC meetings at various tracks, DTM at Donington, and Eurocar meetings at Mallory Park among others, along with other race meetings.
Back then BTCC was in its hey day, the height of the 2.0 litre era with Cleland, battling Hoy, Menu, Tarquini among many others. Vauxhall, Ford, Renault BMW, Audi, Alfa Romeo etc, back then the list was long. I saw Nigel Mansell stuff his Mondeo in the wall at the Old Hairpin at Donington. You get the idea.
That was then, and this is now. Now I am the Dad taking my girls to see racing live... And I question whether it is enough for an events organiser in 2012 to simply say here is some racing, come see?
At a club level this is fine. The focus is more on the drivers than the spectators. However BTCC is supposed to be the top National racing series, and therefore the event should be the best day out in the Country as well.
Unfortunately I was disappointed. If the BTCC is to attract sponsors the show must not only look good on TV but also at the track, and to me families are the key. Gone are the days of a Dad taking his son to a cold, muddy circuit with smelly toilets and bad food. In 2012 families have many options and little money so a day out must be complete. The Mom must be entertained, the children must have fun and the Dad must enjoy himself as well. Smelly toilets and a muddy bank don't cut it anymore.
Now Rockingham has never had old school facilities and does not do muddy banks and I was glad to see that the place looked as good as ever!
However one thing Rockingham used to understand was how to put on a show for a family. How to get the fans and the families involved in the day, how to bring the business of "show" to the races.
A BTCC meeting could do with a bit more "show" and a bit more family. It could also do a lot more to take the racing and the cars to the paying public. We wanted to walk round the support paddock before the first touring car race only to find the paddock appeared to be closed to spectators! We found a gap in the fence and went in anyway but we were the only people there. Since when did stopping the fans going into a paddock become the norm, I was appalled. Even the BTCC pit road walkabout at lunch time was not good enough. The teams could at least push one of their cars out of the garage so the fans can actually get close to a real race car, er no.
Maybe my day was blighted by the bitterly cold weather. Maybe returning to Rockingham is harder for me than I expected because of my history with the place. Maybe I am a bit out of touch with live motorsport in this country, or maybe just maybe putting some cars on a track and saying there you go is not good enough anymore.
When I was at Rockingham we did everything we could to firstly take the racing, the cars and the drivers out of the garages and up to the fans, and secondly make the events a full family day out. I had hoped British motorsport had learnt something from that... Apparently not.
My daughter is now an MG fan with a picture of Platos MG6 on her wall so it wasn't all bad, but as a family day out it could have been so much more.
Come on Mr Gow, you are getting the Championship right, now concentrate on the events.
In 2012 a family day out at the touring cars should be so much better.
Good days racing... S'pose...
Good family day out... No...
Shame...
PS Thank you to Colin and Sue White of CWS for your hospitality. It was good to catch up!
I am saddened by the news that Dodge is pulling out of NASCAR racing at the end of this season. Ever since Ray Evernham brought the third of Detroit’s big three manufacturers back into the sport I have enjoyed watching the Chevy Vs. Ford Vs. Dodge battles.
As a Mopar fan I may be biased, I drive a Chrysler PTCuiser and also have a Chrysler Voyager (Dodge Caravan in the US) in the family, but the 2012 Nationwide Series Challenger and the 2013 Cup Series Charger are two good looking race cars! The new 2013 Cup Series bodies suited the Charger so well, allowing Dodge to finally race a car that looked like the bold road car. Next years grid will be worse off without the Dodge in the field.
AJ – What a Waste
I was also saddened to hear what has happened to AJ Allmendinger. I think he was one of the next “stars” of the sport, and was impressed by his performances in some average machinery over the past few years. Remember he qualified for every race while driving for Richard Petty, at a time when the team had no provisionals to fall back on! Regardless of whether what happened was an innocent mistake or something else I am sorry to see such a talented young driver jeopardise his racing career in this way. NASCAR are right to do what they have done, I just hope AJ can sort himself out and do what is necessary to get behind the wheel of a Cup car again.
Road Racing… With An Edge
I am from England, where the average racetrack turns left and right, and an oval is a small, less than quarter mile long short track (Rockingham excepted), and the racing on the ovals is not exactly mainstream. NASCAR however does not race in England. In America a race track is oval shaped and a road course is a track with right hand turns.
Twice a year, however, NASCAR turn right and at Watkins Glen we got one hell of a finish! Should NSCAR have thrown a caution and cleaned up the oil that was being dropped on the track? The English race fan in me says yes. The oil was dangerous and NASCAR should have put out the yellow, cleaned up the track and then finished with a G-W-C. Had this scenario taken place on an oval, this is what would have happened. Thankfully this did not happen last weekend.
NASCAR let the race finish under green and in doing so gave us one of the seasons most dramatic finishes. Road racing with an edge. Car slipping and sliding, slithering and spinning, on track and off, dust flying, and a last lap lead change. What’s not to like!
Close, hard racing without the “BS” as Keselowski put it!
Well said Brad, and well done Marcos!
Plato Vs. Neal… Again…
At Watkins Glen we saw racing with no, well you know, from Keselowski and Ambrose, in the BTCC, at Snetterton, we got our fair share of, you know, from Jason Plato and Matt Neal.
Jason Plato in his MG6 was obviously holding up the following cars, including Matt Neals Honda Civic, but he was also teaching a defensive driving master class, until Neal changed the game.
With a couple of laps to go Neal went for a “gap” that was never there and pushed Plato sideways. Plato, giving another master class, this time in front wheel drive car control, gathered it all up and followed Neal to the next, the last, corner. Nobody was surprised by what happened next. Plato used Neal as a brake and shoved the both the Civic and his own MG off the track.
I must admit I did not blame Plato for retaliating. Neal’s move was stupid and uncalled for; Plato’s was payback! NASCAR would have called it “have at it” and America would have loved it! The BTCC officials may not have loved it, but they did leave it alone. They both gave and they both got, so that makes them even.
On a different note, I was pleased to see the new Motorbase NGTC Ford Focus driven by Matt Jackson doing so well on its debut! Bring on more NGTC cars and the racing can only get better. The challenge for Alan Gow and his staff is to keep the technical specs of the cars close, and to keep costs down! I wish them well!
Alonso came from which position on the grid to win...
Late pass for the lead and lots of overtaking at Silverstone?
To steal a line from the end of the movie "Independance Day", "not bad, not bad at all!"
NASCAR
I think the phrase "must try harder" sums up this year. The two stories of the year so far have to be an overabundance of average, lacklustre racing for the most part, and Dale Jr wins ends his winless streak.
It's a good thing the restrictor plate package works so well!
The new spec car bodies debuting next year can not come quick enough!
BTCC
So far we know the new Civic is a very good car, period. We also know the MG6 is also a good car in the hands of Jason Plato... When it runs... And when Plato stops complaining...
Some really good racing this year, offset against some bizarre races where the drivers seemed hell bent on taking themselves out. The current grid format of qualifying, race 1 result gives the grid for race 2 and randomly reversing some of the front runners for race 3 is working very well.
I wouldn't be surprised to see some changes made to the NGTC cars for next year as the suspension gets damaged too easily when the cars race close together. Otherwise so far... So good!!
Grand Am
So far this year I have watched the Daytona 24 Hours, the Mid Ohio race and some of the Watkins Glen race... And I have enjoyed what I have watched! Good racing from the latest batch of Daytona Prototypes on some of Americas best road courses.
Keep up the good work!
Indycar
I was lucky enough to see the closing stages of this years Indy 500 but thats about it. I enjoyed Indy and from whats I read the season is going well.
Now lay off of the politics and concentrate on the product, the racing, for a while and spread the word!
The win the world of NASCAR has been waiting for...
The win NASCAR wanted...
The win NASCAR needed...
Dale Earnhardt Jr has finally ended his winless streak!
In a year of lacklustre racing including average races at the newly repaved Pocono and Michigan, NASCAR needed a new headline, something to change the subject, and the sports most popular driver has given them just that.
The win shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, after all the 88 team has been consistant all year. The only surprise is that they have been consistantly good and with the Sprint Cup season being so long consistancy is no bad thing.
Take Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson, neither of whom have had solid, consistant years so far. Race wins... Yes... Consistancy... No... This is why Dale Jr is now second in points, not race wins but consistancy.
Will we have to wait another four years for the 88 to win again? Well I for one hope not, but equally I think not, as long as he can maintain the consistancy.
The first hurdle for the 88 to overcome is carrying the confidence and the form into the next oval race regardless of what happens at this weeks Sonoma (Sears Point to me) road course race. The road courses are the wild card races in the schedule where anything can and probably will happen. Again a solid, consistant day will do for the 88 this weekend and the heat can be turned up again when the ovals return after that.
Is Dale Jr in with a shot at the title? As I said he is second in the points standings, but its too early to tell. After what hapened last season we will have to wait until after the first two Chase races are in the books to have that conversation.
All I can say at this time is well done to the 88 team. They deserved the win regardless of what you might think of the driver, the surname on the car or what has happened over the past few years...
And to Dale Jr...
With the racing the way it is at the moment, as the sports "poster boy" NASCAR needs you now more than ever...
The Indy 500 is one of my all time favourite events! A great event and a usually a great race. The venue, the prestige... This year I am especially interested to see how good the racing is with the new cars and engines... Excited... You bet!
The Monaco GP is the F1 race to watch. Not always the greatest race but always the best show. The venue, the prestige... This is Formula 1's big one! I am not the worlds greatest F1 fan but even I will admit Monaco is special. Excited... Yep!
The Coke 600 may not be the Daytona 500 or the Brickyard 400 but it it is the longest NASCAR Sprint Cup race of the year and this makes it special!
Forgive me Father for I have sinned. It has ben one month since my last blog and in the world of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, well, not a lot has happened. A few lacklustre races, this years Darlington race and a very good 'Dega race... Oh and the All Star Race.
Will the 2012 edition of the All Star Race go down in the history books as a classic? Probably not...
Will it be considered a great race? Despite my initial reaction on twitter, probably not...
Was it a good race? Yes... I think it was...
The Showdown was fun. Dale Earnhardt Jr raced his way in to the main event for a change rather than relying on the fan vote which was good to see and shows how far Jr has improved. Allmendinger also drove his socks off and fully deserved the last spot in the big race, so on the whole a good un'.
The All Star Race was fun until the last 10 lap segment. I thought the new format and specifically putting the four segment winners on the front for the last 10 lap sprint worked well. Some may debate this as Jimmie Johnson, having won the first segment, sat back and cruised for the next three segments, but at least it gave each segment a purpose.
The last 10 laps were a disappointment. To be fair this had nothing to do with NASCAR new race format but everything to do with Jimmie Johnson walking off into the night, leaving all followers to wonder what might have been. From a fans point of view the final segment was not helped by the outside line having a very poor restart, gifting the 48 car a clean run out of turn two.
So no, not a great race, but there was excitement, there were different drivers battling all the time and there were quite a few three wide hold-your-breathe moments. From Earnhardt Jrs commanding win and AJ's determined drive to Jimmie Johnson taking team owner Rick Hendrick for a ride it was a good event.
With the current aero issues I am not sure the 600 this weekend will be as good.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup season is now well under way and thanks to the wonders of modern TV broadcasting and satellites I can sit at home in England and watch every race. If the race is on in the middle of the night UK time I can record it and watch it the next day. I can also do the same thing with this seasons Nationwide races. So with this in mind life is good...
This season, via the very same medium known as television I can also watch every Grand Am race, every BTCC race along with all the support races and every V8 Supercar race, all from the comfort of my own sofa! Again as a race fan life is good...
I could, if I paid the necessary monies, also watch every IndyCar Series race... But I am not able to do so.
Life as a race fan has come a long way from having to read about your favourite championships and drivers in Autosport the following Thursday.
This month is the month of May and my mind instantly focusses on the Indy 500! I was preparing myself for the dark day at the end of the month where I would miss the great race however there is now light at the end of Mays tunnel.
It has come as a nice surprise to discover that all of this years IndyCar races are being uploaded onto the modern medium known as the internet, courtesy of YouTube and the IndyCar Series themselves!
Even if it is available later in the week, I now have the chance to watch the great race and am looking forward to it. The new DW12 cars look good in oval spec and I hope they enable the drivers to race closer together than the old cars while also staying safe!
Thanks to modern broadcasting technology and the internet life as a race fan has never been this good...
Same tracks, same schedule, same points system, same safety standards, same basic chassis, same engines, same carbaretteurs, same leaded petrol, fundementally the same old school, old tech, relatively cheap but hopefully high action racing.
Since the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt a lot has changed.
The point system has changed along with the schedule. The cars have changed. New safer COT chassis, new squarer not twisted bodies, new fuel in the tanks, new tyre compounds for the new car, electronic fuel injection! Budgets have spiralled, but has the racing suffered?
The tracks have changed too. Some old school tracks have been dropped to make way for more modern speedways. SAFER barriers have been introduced to all ovals and have been a very successful safety measure. Some tracks have been redesigned in the hope of makng the racing better. Variable banking has been introduced at several tracks, again in the hope of enhancing the racing.
Recently the people behind two tracks have been discussing the merits of variable banking. At Bristol Bruton Smith has announced his decision to remove the variable banking and put the track back to the way it used to be, while over at Kansas the owners are busy installing variable banking ready for their second Sprint Cup race of the year. Currently Homestead, Phoenix and New Hampshire all have progressive banking in the turns. So has variable banking actually helped make the racing better, or is it just a gimmick?
As far as the fans are concerned variable banking has wrecked Bristol Motor Speedway, hence Smiths decision to put his once great track back the way is was. However Kansas think it is the way forward for their venue. My question is this... How come the racing at the so called "cookie cutter" tracks, the mile and a half ovals is so dull? At Texas there was a complete lack of side by side racing, and while Kansas might have better it was not better by much. How can such wide open tracks with so many workable grooves provide such dull races, and will variable banking help?
Some say the fault lies with the tyres, some say it's the aero package, while the tracks must think it's them as so many are changing their layouts to try and create better racing. I think it might be a combination of the three, aero, tyres and track. NASCAR have spent a lot of time and effort over the past few years getting the racing right at the two restrictor plate tracks, Talladega and most importantly Daytona. Now it is time for NASCAR to go through the same process for the intermediate tracks.
For the "sport" of NASCAR to help grow the "business" of NASCAR, the "show" at these tracks has to improve... and fast... whether variable banking is the answer remains to be seen.
Some might consider change good, some bad, but more change is needed if NASCAR can get back to the heights reached in the 90's!
Touring car racing, by its very nature, is a physical form of racing. Cars make contact, lean on each other, they may even bang and loose mirrors, but at its heart it is still a "non contact" sport... Kinda...
However it appears nobody told Mr Plato... que Donington...
Race 1 - A very good race proving BTCC drivers are capable of racing cleanly, and that includes Mr Plato!
Race 2 - Two wide round the last corner at Donington will go if the drivers give each other room! Again nobody told Mr Plato as he moved over on his fellow driver exiting the corner inadvertently putting himself into the tyre barrier and out of the race. Oops...
Race 3 - After a fabulous drive from the back of the grid, making his way up to third, Mr Plato lowered the tone going into the last corner of the last lap in the last race of the day with a move so blatant Stevie Wonder would have seen it.
Pity.
In all seriousness there were other incidents, and in a Championship as closely contended as this years BTCC it is to be expected... but Mr Platos name seems to crop up more than most this year.
The pity of the two incidents at Donington was that for the rest of the races Mr Plato drove brilliantly. Coming from the back of the grid in race 3 to get to third with two laps to go was a great drive, and he drove cleanly up until the last corner.
Just as at Brands Hatch there was no way the BTCC Officials were going to let him get away with such an OTT move, and I am being polite, this is a family blog.
Pushing another car... pushing it all the way down the back straight and not letting go until after they had passed the braking point... putting Gordon Sheddens Honda off the track was, how did I put it... OTT!!
I would like to applaud the Championships Clerks of the Course for the penalty they handed Mr Plato. They could have thrown him out of the race for such a blatant move however the only drivers affected were Shedden and Mr Plato so giving the MG driver a 2 second penalty, dropping him back behind the Honda, seems totally appropriate.
It would have been totally understandable if Mr Plato had been disqualified from the race however this would have set a precedent where all drivers gaining a place by using contact would have to be disqualified with no room for debate. Swapping the two drivers round gives the Officials room to manoeuvre and the ability to treat each incident individually as some will be worse than others. It would also have had a dramatic effect on the overall Championship points table, something that they will not want to mess with unless it is absolutely necessary.
The two second penalty sends a clear message to the drivers, "there is a line and if you cross it we will not let you gain from crossing it". For this balanced, seeing the big picture, approach I applaud the people concerned. Keep pushing the line though, Mr Plato and I am sure you will not be looked upon so kindly next time.
It appears the Officials are watching and they have a rule book and know how to use it... if you go OTT.
Lets face it, unlike most other forms of top level professional racing NASCAR racing can be a contact sport. On the right weekend, at the right track, contact is permitted. Whether it's at a restrictor plate track when it is called "bump / tandem drafting" or on some of the sports smaller venues or "short tracks" when it is called, well the "norm" really, there are occasions when contact is allowed. Actually it's more than that, on the short tracks it's expected.
After what was universally thought to be a fairly lacklustre Bristol Sprint Cup Series race, the drama of the last few laps at Martinsville came as a welcome change of pace. In fact it brings hope that once Bruton Smith is finished with his concrete half mile the same level of excitment and drama might return for the beloved "night race" later in the year.
So why are some of the sports journalists and commentators having to defend or explain the contact to the fans? Headlines like "Newman makes no appologies for race win?" or statements like "it's just racin'" show the authors explaining why it's allowed. Only a few short weeks ago the vast majority of fans told Mr Smith this was the kind of racing they wanted to see at Bristol, and now after Martinsville the sport is feeling the need to defend that very style of racing?
To this discussion I would like to add the following thought... this is the sport of NASCAR. In NASCAR, on a short track, contact is a way of life, get over it! If you don't like it then watch F1 or touring cars where over the top contact is frowned upon... Mr Plato...
Three wide into Paddock Hill bend, on the grass, was never going to be considered a good idea. Lean on each other, bang mirrors by all means but you can't attempt a move like that and get away with it. For not letting that happen, and for not letting the penalties issued affect the results I applaud the Championship officials.
For the BTCC the first meeting of the year at Brands Hatch has to be considered a success. Three different winners from three races, lots of new cars and all with the new turbo engines. I wish the new NGTC era well!
And why isn't the racing considered "good enough"?
Lets face it fans loved the old Bristol. For years the track boasted of an unbroken "sold out" streak.
Not any more...
Since the track was repaved and the banking was changed to its current variable configuration fans have turned off and that unbroken run of sold out ticket sales has been well and truly broken. On paper the "new" Bristol should be perfect for modern NASCAR racing. Multiple racing grooves giving the drivers loads of room to race two wide over 500 laps. However somethings not working.
The "old" Bristol was a physical track, physically hard on drivers as well as emotionally and mentally hard. The drivers also got physical with each other, what became known as the "bump'n'run".
A packed house might have booed Dale Earnhardt in the 1999 Bristol night race when he "just meant to rattle" Terry Labontes cage but don't tell me those fans didn't pay their money to see exactly that happen.
However since the track was reconfigured the contact, some might say the "edge" has been lost. In one way this was the reason for repaving the track. The old track had one racing groove and to overtake drivers had to use their front bumper to move the other car out of the way. Now with the variable banking the drivers have two complete racing grooves to work with, negating the need for the "bump'n'run". However I did say "in one way" this was the point of the variable banking.
I fully expected, after the track was reconfigured, the controversial last lap "bump'n'runs" to be replaced by two wide, thousands-of-an-inch close, finishes using the new variable banking to great effect. This was surely the other purpose of the reconfiguration, widen the racing groove. The banking does create this style of racing as the battle between Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth in the latest NASCAR Sprint Cup race proved.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Fans may look back at the "old" Bristol races and remember them as close, good old fashioned short track racing and look at the races on the new surface and consider the racing not good enough. Not enough cars on the lead lap, no dramatic last lap battles, however not every lap of every Bristol race was filled with "bump'n'run" drama. The other 1999 Bristol race only had 13 cars on the lead lap with 222 laps still to go. The one groove nature of the track meant that the races were wars of attrition, patience and stamina, waiting games for 400 laps and full on for the last 100 laps. Remember, 500 laps of any NASCAR race, let alone Bristol, is a long time.
This has not changed with the "new" track. If anything the variable banking has done its job and opened the track up to "real" racing. What I do not understand is why the race finishes have not been that close.
The drivers seem able to race two wide for lap after lap in the middle of the race, however the track is yet to produce the aforementioned two wide, thousands-of-an-inch close finish, using the new variable banking to great effect. To me this is why fans are not buying tickets and are complaining about the new Bristol. It is said the most important parts of a film, stage production, book or TV show are the start and end, as the viewer always remembers these more than the bit in the middle and I wonder if the same can be said of a motor race.
Fans remember with great fondness the "old" Bristol races and say they want the "old" Bristol back. What I think they really want are good "new" Bristol starts and great "new" Bristol finishes. The 300 laps in between are always going to be forgotten.
I just wish I understood why this hasn't happened yet, as I for one quite like the "new" Bristol!
The first round of this years V8 Supercar Championship, the Clipsal 500, took place last weekend on the streets of Adelaide.
Two races, two different winners, Holden won the first, Ford the second. What both races had in common was a high level of competition, a high level of respect between drivers, along with the high level of driving standards.
The two races which made up the Clipsal 500 showed what touring car racing should be all about. No silly moments, no overly aggressive driving, no heavy contact. Just close, hard racing, and there was a lot of racing.
The first race came down to Ford vs Holden. Will Davisons Falcon on a fuel saving strategy, with Jamie Whincup in a fully fuelled Commodore hunting him down. The lead changed on the last lap as the Holden came storming through. Ford got their own back in the second race with a one-two finish, and Davison won the round overall.
The Adelaide circuit has to be one of the most successful of its kind I can think of. When I say successful I mean in terms of taking everyday streets and turning them into a race track which in turn enables the cars on it to produce great racing. As a track layout it gives the big Aussie sedans room to manoeuvre, fast and slow corners, lots of overtaking places and several big kerbs to bounce over!
The reason I mention this now is because the highlights were on TV here last weekend, and as you can gather the coverage left quite an impression.
I have always been a fan of what is now known as V8 Supercars. Big cars, with big engines and rear wheel drive! I was glad to see that nothing has really changed.
I genuinely look forward to following the Championship all year.
Now I have to decide... A matter of great importance...
2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Ford Fusion COT "stock car" vs. Road going Ford Fusion...
2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Ford Fusion COT mark 2 "stock car"... vs. New road going Fusion...
Now we have the best indication yet of how successful NASCARs new "stock" looking bodies for the 2013 season are... the Dodge Charger. The road car is the same, and we can tell how things have moved on...
2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Dodge Charger COT "stock car" vs. Road going Dodge Charger...
2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Dodge Charger COT mark 2 "stock car"... vs. Same road going Charger...
Wow that's what I call a "STOCK CAR"!
2013 is shaping up to be the best looking year for the NASCAR Cup Series in a long time!
What's in store for the next generation Chevrolet and Toyota??
