Bemused, Bewildered, Confused, Or To Put It Another Way... I Don't Get It...

The 2013 Daytona 500 was... odd...

Old school drafting a la Earnhardt was back, and this is not a good thing in my opinion.

As I have documented in the past I am of the opinion that the two things the much unloved COT did well were keep drivers safe, and draft at Daytona and Talladega. In fact the cars drafted too well, and the bumpers lined up so perfectly that tandem drafting was born. We all know that NASCAR spent many hours trying to eliminate the tandem draft and to much success.

The first proper race of 2013 would show us what type of restrictor plate racing we would get with the Gen 6. The answer was the one I hoped I would not get... 90's pack racing. Drivers apparently unable to overtake without help, a lot of help. Drivers running round playing follow the leader until the very end. To be fair the early wreck didn't help, but that's not the answer to the fairly processional 500. That's not the answer, but what is the question?

Here is what is bothering me...

During and after the race Danica said she was only using part throttle while running in the draft. This alone is not surprising, in fact this is how it should be. What is surprising is the lack of overtaking by drivers with the loud pedal buried on the floor. The end of the race showed that the drivers and the Gen 6 could overtake, they just didn't. Why didn't more drivers "play" early in the race, find out what happened when they did pull out of the draft. Why didn't a few drivers get together to see what would happen? This was the Daytona 500 after all and no one looked like they wanted to win it, but they all looked scared stiff of losing it. If the drivers had that much accelerator to play with, why didn't they?

The questions are obviously... How does NASCAR make the racing better? Does NASCAR need to change anything?

The Gen 6 car is supposed to do two things, bring back manufacturer identity, and improve the racing. The first it does very well, a Ford now looks like a Ford, a Chevy looks like a Chevy, a Toyota...

The jury is still out on the second and to be fair will be for the first half of this year. Every time the cars race NASCAR, the teams and drivers, and Goodyear will learn a little bit more and by the time the Cup Series starts going back to tracks again we will see what this car can really do.

I do wonder if NASCAR will do something to the 'plate package to increase the closing rates and make it easier to overtake, but lets give NASCAR the chance to get this car right before we talk the sport we love out of business. I am not convinced much needs to change, just a few tweeks and am sure the powers that be will get the show right in the end.

While I think about it I get the feeling there are going to be two attitudes towards Danica Patrick, love or hate. Some will love her and see her as the new Earnhardt Jr, the fan favourite and darling of the sport. Others who hate her will see her as the new Earnhardt Jr, all talk and no action, a driver living off of a "gimmick", Dales is his name, Danicas her gender. I am not sure where I sit yet, I just know this, I would take pole, running up front all day, leading a lap and a top 10 finish in the first race of my rookie year thank you very much, especially when that race was the Daytona 500! The media circus around her might get a bit much at times, but as Keselowski said, she's just another racing driver so lets rate her on her performances in her rookie year, and so far shes done all right.

On a slightly different topic I do wish a speedy recovery to the fans injured at the end of the Nationwide race. Racing is dangerous, but no one want to see fans hurt supporting the sport they love!

NASCAR at Talladega!!!

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...

Don't want much do I?

Dale Jr... WINS!!

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...

Don't go too far...

All Star Good, Bad or Ugly

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.

Green-White-Chequer anyone...

Nightona 500

Ten post Daytona 500 thoughts...

1 - Rain rain go away... nuf said.

2 - Wow Here it Comes, Here Comes the Night... The first Daytona 500 under the lights, and on a school night! Well done to NASCAR for getting the race done!

3 - If Jimmy Spencer was Mr Excitment, Elliot Sadler has to be Mr Impatient... Lap 2? Really?

4 - Oh look its a girl in a race suit... the new "face of NASCAR" was stuffed in the wall, hard, in her Duel race, taken out by her team mate in the Nationwide race, and her 500 effectively ended courtesy of Mr Sadler. Pity! Only time will tell if she can win races in either series.

5 - Pack is back... Much credit to NASCAR for delivering the style of racing the fans wanted while also giving the drivers the ability to race for themselves and slingshot for the win.

6 - Juan for the delay, Two car for the show, Three delays to get ready, now go cat go, but don't you, wreck my new tarmac... or something like that... Who would have thought the "big one" would be between one race car and a jet drier? Que a Twitter and Facebook world full of "Juan less jet drier", or Days of Thunder, "hit the pace car" gags. While it looked like something on the 42 car broke, JPM needs to start looking like the world class race car driver again, and not, frankly, a waste of space!




7 - Two car for the show? It can only be Brad Keselowski... posting on twitter... in the middle of the race... brilliant!!

8 -  More NASCAR love... Half way payout worked perfectly, as did fuel injection!

9 - Umbrella, ella, ella... This years Daytona 500 proved once and for all that in racing... just when you think you have seen it all...

10 - Ford rules... Well done to Matt Kenseth, 2012 Daytona 500 winner!!



Now the regular season starts... roll on Phoenix!!

Duel at the Daytona Corrall

What do we know after yesterdays two Gatorade Duel races ?

Firstly the field is now set for Sundays running of the Daytona 500!


http://www.jayski.com/news/stats/2012/story/_/page/01-Daytona-Qualifying-Lineup

We know the big race could be a race of two halves. The first, fairly laid back, just getting some laps in, trying a few things out, settling the car in to the track, seeing how the draft works, and seeing how the engine temperatures change when bump drafting, a lot like the second Duel race. The second half could be a real eye opener, just like the first Duel race. Full of action, wrecks and riches for the victor.

We know that not only does tandem drafting work, for as long as the engine temps can handle it, but we also know that the old fashioned draft works very well too! Just look at the run the 88 had on the 14 on the last lap of the first Duel when the yellow flag came out. Was Smoke really going to win that race had it stayed green?



We know that Danica was very unlucky! We must also be impressed with not only what she did with her hands as she approached the inside wall, but also her attitude to the whole weekend, learn and gain respect first and results will come!

We know that as a young, inexperienced rookie, Michael Waltrip is likely to make silly mistakes...

We also know that the 500 is a long race, and a different prospect completely to the Shootout and the Duels.

So I guess that means we don't know all that much after all!