Daytona 500 Thoughts

Restless28 · 02-24-2013, 14:59

I tried to watch the race, and as usual, it made for good background noise for a nap. I did wake up to see Jimmy Johnson win.

NASCAR just seems so "meh" since Dale died.

F1 and WRC are where it's at for me now.

Dennis in MA · 02-24-2013, 15:03

Jimmy Johnson won a NASCAR race? I'm shocked. Lol

tadbart · 02-24-2013, 15:14

Restless, i feel the same way. i was at the 500 Dale won. talk about magic in the air. even his haters were clapping. after he died, the already commercial sport seemed to be more and more about the sponsors, until, like you, the races became good nap noise. nowadays, i doubt i know half of the drivers' names. (though it is cool that Mark Martin is still getting it done!)

skeeter7 · 02-24-2013, 15:15

I watched it from start to finish and it was okay, not the best. I'm not a fan of pack racing but it is a lot better than recently with the two car tandems running away from eachother.

Restless28 · 02-24-2013, 15:21

I grew up a NASCAR fan. The 80s and 90s were the apex of the sport. Bobby and Davey, Ernie, Kyle, Rusty, Dale, Rudd, Waltrip, Gant, Martin, Terry Labonte, etc.

Those guys were NASCAR to me. Today's drivers are boring and the great tracks are gone, replaced with cookie cutter tri ovals.

I think I'll watch some Senna footage to brighten my day.

HeliGlock · 02-24-2013, 15:23

Im with Restless on this one I also was there for Dales Win and it has not been the same sine he got Killed.

zoyter2 · 02-24-2013, 15:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeliGlock

Im with Restless on this one I also was there for Dales Win and it has not been the same sine he got Killed.

It wasn't just that. That was a big event, but the change had begun a few years before that. I live and grew up about 6 or 8 miles for Talladega.

I remember drivers working on cars in the parking lot of the hotel before they could get to the pits on race week. Me and a bud was just discussing this on FB. -- Back when it was all about the win, and little about the advertising. Drivers were not much interested being good corporate spokesmen, but rather more interested in wringing out the last 1/4 HP out of a huge engine. There weren't any multi-million dollar test tunnels and computer programs to test your car, but nothing more a quiet Wednesday afternoon without the crowds and fans, and a man with a HUGE sack that allow him to push a car to the limit of physics and horse power, that limit not yet to be defined by engineers in white coats, thousands of miles from a speedway, but rather set by whether or not the driver made the lap or ended up being cut out of a twisted, destroyed puzzle of steel resting at the end of a high banked turn. Real men driving real cars. Pioneers of the sport, not unlike the actual pioneers of centuries ago, the least among them would be giants among their modern "peers".

railfancwb · 02-24-2013, 17:02

Reckon NASCAR will ever get rid of the 350ci push rod V-8s and rear wheel drive in favor of setups currently in production - quad cam V-6 crosswise with front wheel drive? Might get rid of the restrictor plates and thus open up the packs and make it more interesting.

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roger123 · 02-24-2013, 17:35

I was a diehard fan from '87 until Martin left Rouch. It's just not the same anymore, I did have it on as background noise to see how Danica would do. Was happy to see where Mark finished.

I have a cat named Mark and another named Martin!

HollowHead · 02-24-2013, 17:38

Bread and circuses. HH

JBaird22 · 02-24-2013, 17:38

Glad to see Danica finally got her stuff straightened out.

norton · 02-24-2013, 17:39

Nascar is better the ever. More competition, more good teams. Richard Petty would have never won 200 races in the modern era.
Drivers represent all corners of the U.S. and Australia, and South America.
The best US drivers now gravitate to Nascar, cause thats where the money is.
Dale Earnhardt is the distant past. Get over it.

wrenrj1 · 02-24-2013, 17:41

What happened to Danica? 3rd with two laps to go, then suddenly she's dropping back and finishes 8th? Was she on her cell phone or what? Rookie mistake...Saying that, 8th ain't bad. I did think that the celebrity that got the race started was a bit condescending when he said "Drivers and Danica start your engines." If you make the big dance you are a driver period.

NorthCarolinaLiberty · 02-24-2013, 17:45

Too many changes in too short a time period. NASCAR keeps scrambling with different formulas, which leads to cautious driving. It happened today. Dale Jr. goes around Johnson

if he makes his move a little earlier.

Restless28 · 02-24-2013, 17:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by norton

Nascar is better the ever. More competition, more good teams. Richard Petty would have never won 200 races in the modern era.
Drivers represent all corners of the U.S. and Australia, and South America.
The best US drivers now gravitate to Nascar, cause thats where the money is.
Dale Earnhardt is the distant past. Get over it.

So wrong on so many levels. The best foreign drivers aspire to be F1 drivers and WRC drivers.

I know that isn't NASCAR PR Gospel, but it's true.

wrenrj1 · 02-24-2013, 17:54

Let's remember this guy who died earlier this week but was able to participate in Daytona 500 activities this past week, but couldn't make it to today for the race. Great story. This was a week of ups and downs for Daytona, best wishes and prayers for the fans that were injured on Saturday.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nascar-...050317237.html

WarCry · 02-24-2013, 17:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrenrj1

What happened to Danica? 3rd with two laps to go, then suddenly she's dropping back and finishes 8th? Was she on her cell phone or what? Rookie mistake...Saying that, 8th ain't bad. I did think that the celebrity that got the race started was a bit condescending when he said "Drivers and Danica start your engines." If you make the big dance you are a driver period.

Same thing happened to her as happened to Greg Biffle, who went from 2nd to 6ht. Is his a rookie mistake, too?

What I, personally, think happened is they both lifted for just a moment, thinking there was going to be a caution thrown. At Daytona (and Talladega), it only takes that fraction of a second off the gas to drop in the pack.

Never ceases to amaze how many people seem to WANT Patrick to fail....

norton · 02-24-2013, 17:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Restless28

So wrong on so many levels. The best foreign drivers aspire to be F1 drivers and WRC drivers.

I know that isn't NASCAR PR Gospel, but it's true.

No, the best foreign computer operators run F1. And World Rally is a minor league sport.

Restless28 · 02-24-2013, 17:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by norton

Nascar is better the ever. More competition, more good teams. Richard Petty would have never won 200 races in the modern era.
Drivers represent all corners of the U.S. and Australia, and South America.
The best US drivers now gravitate to Nascar, cause thats where the money is.
Dale Earnhardt is the distant past. Get over it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by norton

No, the best foreign computer operators run F1. And World Rally is a minor league sport.

There's a whole lot more to racing than turning left for 3 to 4 hours.

*ASH* · 02-24-2013, 17:59

she wont fail at controversy ,making money , looking good , but she will never win a nascar race much less a title . only way she wins a race if everyone crashes out .

shes eye candy to the sport that needs ratings , nothing more

norton · 02-24-2013, 18:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Restless28

There's a whole lot more to racing than turning left for 3 to 4 hours.

Yes, the the Nascar boys do the left and right twice a year. What F1 race dares to run oval track?

norton · 02-24-2013, 18:05

Restless 28
I actually enjoy many forms of motorsport. Nascar, Indy car, sprint cars, AMA roadracing. I enjoy the 24 hours of Daytona and Lemans.
Other then Monoco, I find F1 crushingly dull to watch. But to each his own.

*ASH* · 02-24-2013, 18:08

im tired of hearing turn left , turn left , the best drivers in the world state NASCAR CARS ARE THE HARDEST TO DRIVE ,MANEUVER AND LEARN .

always inches apart , wide open , pack of 30 , over 130 degrees in cars for 3 to 4 hours ??

benji · 02-24-2013, 18:17

I live 25 minutes from Bristol Motor Speedway and grew up loving NASCAR. Today's race sucked. It was the Great American Parade all day long. There used to be personalities in NASCAR and the different tracks made it fun. Now they have yuppies that point race on 1.5 mile tri-ovals. I can't believe it's still on TV. I don't think it will be around in 10 more years if things continue at this rate.

norton · 02-24-2013, 18:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by benji

I live 25 minutes from Bristol Motor Speedway and grew up loving NASCAR. Today's race sucked. It was the Great American Parade all day long. There used to be personalities in NASCAR and the different tracks made it fun. Now they have yuppies that point race on 1.5 mile tri-ovals. I can't believe it's still on TV. I don't think it will be around in 10 more years if things continue at this rate.

How much different do the tracks have to be. Superspeedway-Daytona-Talledega
Long low banked tracks-Indy, Fontana
Short track-intermediate-Bristol, Martinsville, Richmond, Phoenix.
Road courses Watkins Glen, Sonoma-
Mile and a half-Chicago, Texas, Las Vegas, Chicago, Kansas-

Personalities? Hot heads like the Busch brothers, Harvick, Stewart

But I would love to see them add a dirt track race to the schedule again.