Daytona Speedweek... The Stories So Far...

The stories so far... Kevin Harvick won a relatively lacklustre Sprint Unlimited Saturday night and Danica Patrick is on pole for the 500!

Bud "Shootout" Indeed!!

So last night, or this morning, 3.30am UK time this morning in fact, I sat up to watch the 2012 NASCAR Bud Shootout...

Was it worth it??

Hell yeah!!

If you listed every element the perfect pre-season event should have the list would include lots of lead changes, close racing, wrecks, and a nail biting finish.

This years race had all those elements packed into an 82 lap action packed sprint!

Surely the racing was exactly what NASCAR fans wanted, a return to pack racing... or was it? The racing was definately more "pack" than "tandem" but a "return"? This was not "old school" pack racing where drivers sat two or three wide, lap after lap, unable to race for themselves. This was "new school" pack racing where drivers could draft or bump draft to overtake... and it was good!

There were wrecks, several wrecks, but what do you expect when you put that many drivers, that close together, for that few laps. The only real sticking point and the cause of the wrecks, was the effect of bump drafting in the corners, especially when the pushing car is lower on the track than the car being pushed.

FoxSports.com are already running a poll asking fans, "Should NASCAR make changes after the Shootout?" Richard Childress is not happy. Should NASCAR change the rules package? Should NASCAR ban bump drafting in the turns? Should NASCAR do this, should NASCAR do that?   

“NASCAR asked the teams and the drivers what we could do to make it better,” said Tony Stewart, the defending Cup Champion. “My point is, this is better than having to sit there and stare at the back of a spoiler for 500 miles and not be able to see where you're going half the race. We had control of what lane we got to run in. We got to move whenever we wanted. You didn't have to not move because you had a guy behind you that you had to rely on making your decision on what he had to do also. We had more control as drivers today.”

The answer according to Dale Earnhardt Jr - "You just hold your damn car where it needs to be and not drive around like an idiot."

Quite! The rules package worked perfectly. I do not believe the drivers will bump draft to the extreme we saw in the Shootout for the whole 500 miles next Sunday. The 500 is a different kettle of fish, a long race to survive, not a sprint. We might see more of the same in the last 100 miles but that has always been the way, hasn't it? The drivers have the Gatorade Duels next, more time to get the hang of the "new school" pack racing.    

The other story from the Bud Shootout was Kyle Busch and his “stab and steer — and some braking" saves and his last corner slingshot for the win on Tony Stewart. Love Kyle or hate him, that boy sure can drive a race car.

So what have we learnt so far?

"Pack" racing is back, don't bump draft the left side of another car in the turns, Kyle Busch sure can save a race car...

Don't lead the last lap...

Now that's very old school after all!!

2011 Shiftin' Gears Quotes Part 1... NASCAR

To start the off season I thought I would review my favourite quotes from this seasons blogs... so here we go...

Part 1... NASCAR

In the world of NASCAR, Daytona International Speedway is the new Noahs Ark and the drivers are coming in two by two!!

If 2010 was "have at it, boys" then maybe 2011 is... "NO LONGER YOU'RE GRANDDADS NASCAR"!

Las Vegas wasn’t the greatest race ever, but it does show that anything can happen, and probably will!

Kyle Busch, who led most of the race, was trying to hold on while Jimmie Johnson did everything he could to take it. At the same time Kevin Harvick got physical saying "I don't think so" and beat them both... and all that in the last two laps! A great ending!! Pity they didn't have KERS or DRS movable rear wings though...

I have nothing against international drivers racing in NASCAR as long as they earn their place, and as long as the series for the “good old boys” stays true to that.

“Hand Bags at Dawn” or “Racing Rivalries”

I think it’s a shame that the ”All Star Race” is included in NASCAR probationary periods, imposed after a driver has done something untoward. The non-points scoring sprint race format is be the perfect arena for drivers to “have at it,” safe in the knowledge that their actions in the “All Star Race” would not affect the regular season.

Am I the only one who thinks it a bit odd that the track creating the best old fashioned bump-‘n-run racing is... not Martinsville or Bristol... but... a road course?

Performace parity... that's BTCC talk, in NASCAR it's called good hard racing!

I have never minded the two car bump drafting we are currently seeing at the ‘plate tracks, however when it gets to the point where drivers plan in advance who they are going to work with, and stay together until the end without any thought of changing, it has gone a bit too far.

Jeff Gordon is now third on the all time NASCAR win list!

One point has to be made though... while Tony Stewart might have won the race because of his fuel strategy; he got to the front by out racing the opposition!

I enjoyed watching Jeff Gordon lose last weekends NASCAR Sprint Cup race from New Hampshire. I also enjoyed watching Clint Bowyer lose the race.

For the first time since the current Cup car was introduced I am wondering if something about the COT is hurting the racing.

I would be like to thank Richard Childress Racing for putting the "R" back in "NASCAR", for letting their drivers "race" for the win and not just drive.

Was I supposed to be surprised by the actions of Kyle Busch in last weeks Truck race? Oh good, 'cos I wasn't.

A few weeks ago I may have commented on the particularly disjointed nature of the pre-Chase regular season. No one driver looking strong enough to dominate, but many in with a shot… I might have been wrong..

What will 2012 bring??

Wham Bam Thank You Men

Martinsville.

Action...

Wrecks...

Contact...

Retaliation...

All the top drivers having a go...

A late caution...

A late pass for the lead and a close finish...

What was not to like?

The little paperclip delivered just what the Sprint Cup needed, a good old fashioned short track bust up, and in the process injected some much needed on track action into the Chase.

We watched the sports best, from Gibbs, Roush, Childress, Hendrick Stewart Haas and others battle it out, no holes barred.

Finally they all got it together at the same time, and the result was great to watch.

The late pass by Tony Stewart on the outside of Jimmie Johnson showed class from both drivers. From Smoke a classy move, squeezing the 48 down low and getting the win. The lack of contact once the lead was lost showed a level of respect from the reigning Sprint Cup champion towards his fellow driver. Would I be blaming or holding it against the 48 car if the bumper had been used, no, thats short track racing, but it did show respect and a level of class from Jimmie Johnson.

For the opposite style of racing look at Earnhardt Jr among others. Again, nothing wrong with a bit of contact, nothing wrong with a bit more either.

Should NASCAR be worried about the retaliation? Not in my book. The rules at Martinsville may be different to those at Texas but I am still all for "have at it boys".

NASCAR has always been a contact sport and there have always been rivalries. It may be a bit "primal", a bit "wrestling" but hard hitting short track racing is as much a part of the sport as drafting at Daytona... And long may it continue!

N.A.S.C.A... R!!

I would be like to thank Richard Childress Racing for putting the "R" back in "NASCAR", for letting their drivers "race" for the win and not just drive.

After a few fuel mileage finishes, a few lacklustre races and some disapointing restrictor plate races, the last lap, last corner, one on one slingshot and drag race to the line was exactly what NASCAR not only needed but is also what the sport is all about.

The latest 'Dega and 'Tona drafting style may be a bit "planned" for my liking but the changes NASCAR made to the cooling did make a slight difference, and in a good way. The cars were not able to run away at the front only to get caught by the pack one lap later, it kept the cars more bunched, the racing a little more "steady"... a little... And the RCR drivers proved that the slingshot is alive and well, if the drivers want to win the race and not just push each other.

The "wildcard" race lived up to its billing as several drivers had days they will want to forget, but probably won't be able to. The Hendrick drivers miss read the race and were not able work there way to the front after running around at the back all day. The third RCR driver, Kevin Harvick ended the day in the garage, not what his title hopes needed.

The title fight is between four drivers now, but with no clear favourite for the title... who's gonna step up and make it happen?

Performance Parity - NASCAR

Over the last few weeks we have had some fuel mileage racing, some pit strategy racing, some “boys have at it” racing, some good racing, some not so good racing...

The best thing about the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series? To take a phrase from BTCC driver Jason Plato, “Performance Parity”!

The Hendrick cars are up there, but not dominating. Sure Jimmie Johnson is high up in the points and Jeff Gordon has ended his winless streak. Dale Jr is looking good, has come close to ending his winless streak and is also high up in points... but none are dominating!

The Gibbs cars are competitive, are leading laps and getting in the wars, but are not dominating!

Kevin Harvick, the “finisher” and dictionary definition of “boys have at it” has won races and looks like he badly wants the end of season trophy, but none of the Childress cars are dominating!

The Roush Fords are back in the hunt this year after a quiet season last year, but are not dominating!

Holding up the honour for Dodge are the Penske cars, good at times, but not dominating!

This is Tony Stewarts time of year to shine... the Red Bull cars of Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers have looked good... the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing cars... the Richard Petty Motorsport cars have all been running well... at times very well... however no one is dominating!

But here’s the thing...

Carl Edwards is currently leading the points, just ahead of... the 48! You remember him don’t you; he’s done quite well over the past few years... Somehow the 48 car always seems to find a fifth gear once the Chase begins!

In my opinion the drivers most likely to keep up with Johnson once the Chase starts are Edwards, Harvick, and if he can get it together, Kyle Busch.

I am glad Dale Jr has been running well. He finally looks like he can drive a race car and is third in points right now but does he quiet have enough? Only time will tell.

But again, the question is... Who has what in reserve for the Chase?

Performace parity... that's BTCC talk, in NASCAR it's called good hard racing!

What the Daytona 500 Means To Me

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...

RIP 3.

Coming Soon - NASCAR 2011!!

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...

As long as the racing's good, I'm happy!!

 NOT LONG TO WAIT NOW!!

Takeout Anyone??

The NASCAR Appeals Panel met to discuss the RCR / 33 car technical infringement following the New Hampshire Cup race... 

Picture this...

Childress and his team present their case to the NASCAR panel and retire to a different room so the case may be discussed and the outcome decided...

(From NASCAR.com)

"During the lengthy delay, he (Richard Childress) posted a sign on the window of a conference room asking reporters outside to "bring pizza." He later tapped on the window to point out he had updated the sign with "and Budweiser."

How great is that!! In an age when motorsport is far too corporate, far too reserved, far too polite, Richard Childress sits at a NASCAR hearing ordering pizza... and beer!!

The conspiracy theorists will have a field day with the result of the hearing... Did the recovery truck damage the rear of the 33 car while pushing it into Victory Lane? Was the body / frame relationship outside of what NASCAR allows? How can the car be legal at the track and then illegal later? Should Bowyer keep his win? Who was on the grassy knoll, do aliens really exist, and is Elvis really dead?

In simple terms it sounds like the 33 cars bodywork fitted the NASCAR "claw" template after the race, but upon more detailed inspection the body versus frame mounting tolerances had been exceeded. If the truck had damaged the race car that easily, and made it illegal that easily, then surely all race cars that get bump drafted or hit from behind would be illegal when they finish the race?!?

It's not over yet as RCR have said they will appeal the penalties to the next level of NASCAR officialdom.

Mr Childress, this Buds for you!!

The difference between winning and...

One miles worth of gas...
Sixty thousands of an inch...

Not an awful lot...

NASCAR is a game of tight, tight tolerances. From fans tolerance for dull races, to drivers tolerances for each other, to Tech Inspection tolerances... 
 
Ever since NASCAR was formed teams have been pushing the envelope, taking a chance, seeing what they can get away with, and through the years NASCAR's "envelope" has turned into a "postage stamp".

When the "COT" was introduced teams were warned that they mess with the bodies of NASCARs newest race car at their peril. The "COT" was designed to stop teams manipulating the bodywork for aerodynamic gain.
 
Following a race NASCAR can take any car they want back to the R&D Centre for further tests to ensure the cars stay within the postage stamp. The Richard Childress Racing 33 car raced by Clint Bowyer at New Hampshire was found to be 60 very-small-somethings-of-an-inch outside of that postage stamp.

NASCAR had warned RCR the previous week that their cars were close to the acceptable tolerances and in NASCARs eyes the team did nothing about it. NASCAR picked up the rule book and promptly threw it at the 33's driver, crew chief, car chief, and the car owner, issuing fines, docking points, and suspending the aforementioned chiefs.

RCRs argument, the body could have moved when a driver made contact with the 33 car after the flag, or when the car was pushed into Victory Lane, having run out of gas. RCR have already said they will appeal the penalties that have dropped Bowyer from second to twelfth in points, and scuppered his chance at the Championship. If this is the case, what caused the car to be on the edge of tolerance the week before?

NASCAR have no tolerance for teams outside of the tolerances, and unlike the FIA, NASCAR know their own rules, and understand that to produce tolerable races, the teams must be kept within tolerances!

If you can't tolerate it, race somewhere else!

NASCAR Talking Points

After four rounds the NASCAR has thrown up a few interesting story lines.

• JJ wins in California... and Las Vegas! Sounds exciting doesn't it?

Actually I thought the first "real" race of the season, California, was pretty good. It did get a little strung out in places, and the momentum of the race was lost with the short rain delay in the middle but there was a lot of good 2 or 3 wide racing throughout. The drivers seemed able to find lines that worked for their cars at various stages through a run, and at such a wide race track they have a lot of room to manoeuvre.

JJ's second win of 2010, in Vegas, was not as exciting but has started his 5th Championship run of to a flying start. Las Vegas is not a favourite track of mine, despite being the track I went to see my one and one NASCAR race in person, the then Busch Series race 13 years ago, the year of the first Cup race their. This years Cup race was not great, only really lifted by the Gordon vs. Johnson duel.

•  Danica has arrived!

After the past few years of seemingly predictable headlines (JJ wins again again, 88 does... well... not a lot, ticket sales going down, COT whinge whinge etc) anything that creates a buzz around NASCAR has got to be a good thing.

So far Danica has shown herself to be good with the media, and apparently a good learner in the car. The results weren't great, as was inevitable for such a fairy tale story but the potential is there. The main question I have is this; with the Nationwide COT coming next year why teach Danica to drive an out of date car? I could understand putting her in the car for this years "new car races" and then moving her up to do more races next year but surely this is the long-winded way. I hope she does well, and think she will, once she gets over the rookie mistake period and once she spends the time to gather the experience needed to race with the big boys.

• RPM, Childress, EGR doing well.

A couple of years ago Roush with Edwards dominated a large part of the year, with Kyle Busch near him. JJ and Hendrick have now won 4 Championships. What NASCAR needs in Cup are stories, preferably with other drivers and teams doing well creating those stories. What they also need are Ford back in the game. With Kasey Kahne and AJ driving RPMs new Fords, Childress with Harvick currently top of the standings, McMurray and JPM staying near the front for EGR and Dodge winning in Atlanta with Kurt Busch 2010 so far has some different names battling at the front! So far the competition is looking good and varied, but NASCAR badly needs these guys to stay at the front and start or keep winning races as the year progresses.

• Increased Speeds.

The past few races have shown that while they are not perfect, Goodyear are now producing much better tires for the COT. They are also producing quicker lap times all over the place. These big numbers may help write headlines, but to me increased speeds do not always help the racing. The quicker cars go round a track, the more of a one line track it can become, making it hard to overtake. To me NASCAR need to be careful not to let speeds increase too much at the 1.5 mile tracks as lower speeds with more 2 wide racing is better than faster 1 groove races.

•  Paybacks a Bitch - or - Edwards vs. Keselowski

Payback, retaliation, getting even, "take care of it now", call it what you will, Edwards is guilty of it, and is admitting it! Keselowski may have deserved some kind of "back at ya" but not even Edwards would have wanted to put him on his roof. The driver of the 12 car is generally thought to be aggressive and physical but as far as Edwards goes am I the only one who actually thinks that he pulled down on Keselowski at 'Dega and earlier in the Atlanta race?

If I was NASCAR what would I do?

The governing body spent a lot of time in the build up to this season saying they want the drivers to be more aggressive, giving them the chance to bump draft at the plate races, letting them express themselves on and off track, "old school" if you will! It doesn't get more "old school" than having a grudge, and letting the other driver know about it, on-track! NASCAR parked Edwards straight away and to me that's enough. If you want the action, if you want the headlines, if you want the fans talking about NASCAR for all the right reasons then this is the sort of racing you want. NASCAR needs a driver the fans hate and love to hate. It used to be the 3 car, more recently it was the 18 but the last couple of years NASCAR has been missing the bad guy. Let Keselowski be the bad guy. Bad guys can do very well out of being the bad guy. Let the fans boo you; let the drivers hate you... if you can deliver the results on the track!

Edwards deserved to be parked. NASCAR can not let that sort of incident go without punishment and parking a driver for the remainder of the race, to me, is a given. Does it require any more? Driving the wrong way up the pit lane was stupid and may net him an additional penalty, but if Edwards had just succeeded in putting the 12 in the wall, or if he had just moved him out of the way and not put the 12 on its roof would the reaction have been so extreme? NASCAR, have the guts to let the drivers breath, let them get annoyed, let them get physical as you promised. Maybe dock him any points he gained for that race, so he gets nothing from the weekend? Edwards may have taken it too far, maybe he should have put the bumper on him and moved him as opposed to, quite frankly, stuffing him in the wall, but NASCAR needs to be careful not to be too strict thereby taking the edge off the "Old School" feel they are trying to go back to. If it had happened at Bristol, we would call it racing!

It was Hamlin vs. Keselowski, now its Edwards vs. Keselowski, next it could be The World vs. Keselowski. My money's on Keselowski, if he plays it right!!

The pity of this situation is that the Atlanta race leads into the years first off weekend. I hope the week off and the impending NASCAR decision, while dealing with it doesn't take the momentum out of this story, especially going into a run of three short tracks!

• Empty Seats

It was painfully obvious after the past two weeks that not all Cup race are going to sell out this year. The financial situation in the world is not going to help sporting events like NASCAR races, as when money is tight people stay in and watch TV, as opposed to going to the events in person. I also think this was going to happen anyway. NASCAR attendance and TV figures grew throughout the 1990's to a very high height, and the tracks were re-developed to accommodate the large numbers of people. It couldn't last forever. The question was, once NASCARs increase evened out, and then dipped, how far would it fall, and the financial issues in the world has not helped.

This huge rise in the 1990's is also making NASCARs life much harder when it comes to delivering a show. Some fans consider a race dull and boring if it is not full of wrecks, and is not won after at least one G-W-C by more than an inch. NASCAR race on different styles of tracks and have different lengths of races. Some lend themselves to gas mileage races, some 2 by 2 - inches apart racing, some bump and grind action, some tactical handling tracks using different grooves to make the cars work, on some tracks the cars run restrictor plates, on some the drivers even turn right. NASCAR is varied and so are the races.

To me the racing so far this year has been good. The two wide restarts, shuffling the pack so the leader is always in front, and the green-white-chequered finishes are spicing up the action, leading to some good racing. This good racing can only help the attendance and viewing figures!

Roll on Bristol!!