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Car #3 will lead the field to the green flag in the Daytona 500!


KenJennings
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For the first time since the 2001 Daytona 500 where Dale Earnhardt died, the famous #3 will return to the track next sunday for the 2014 Daytona 500. The grandson of Richard Childress (the owner of the Earnhardt's 3 car), Austin Dillon earned the pole position in the qualifying session earlier today.

 

I think he's one of the most exciting rookies the sport has seen in a while. I'm glad the number has more or less stayed 'in the family'. It will be great to see the #3 lead the field next Sunday!

 

 

Here's Dale Earnhardt in 1998 after his Daytona 500 championship, with Austin Dillon (then age 8, with the sideways cap) in victory lane. I wouldn't mind at all if Austin ended up in Daytona's Victory lane with the 3 car again.

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Edited by KenJennings
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Think he'll do better than last year's pole sitter? ;)

 

In the Daytona 500? Maybe. Although probably not even likely. 7th place is a tall order at Daytona. I mean, he could very well win the race, chances as good as almost anyone. But the big one can strike anyone, and even if he survives, the last 10 laps at Daytona are a roulette wheel.

 

Over the whole season? It would take an act of God for him not to. I think he's a contender to make the chase out of the gate. Top-20 almost guaranteed.

Edited by KenJennings
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So I don't follow the sport the way I once did.

 

Will the 500 be an exciting race this year or is it just 200 laps of follow the leader and no passing with one or two major skirmishes taking out about half the field?

 

This was once my favorite race by far but towards the end of my time as a serious fan it became less and less so.

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So I don't follow the sport the way I once did.

 

Will the 500 be an exciting race this year or is it just 200 laps of follow the leader and no passing with one or two major skirmishes taking out about half the field?

 

This was once my favorite race by far but towards the end of my time as a serious fan it became less and less so.

 

If the allstar race was any indication, there will be plenty of passing and racing- but it will also be a wreckfest.

 

The aerodynamic closure rate is ridiculous. If you get momentum going, with the draft, it becomes very difficult to not hit the person you're closing in on without break checking and getting hit from behind.

 

Of course, drivers will be a little more conservative through the meat of the Daytona 500 than they are through the non-points exhibition race, but still... only one-quarter of the field made it through the allstar race without significant damage, and only one-third were even remotely raceable. 500 miles is a lot longer than the allstar race's 150 too. Could be a disaster.

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Think he'll do better than last year's pole sitter? ;)

 

In the Daytona 500? Maybe. Although probably not even likely. 7th place is a tall order at Daytona. I mean, he could very well win the race, chances as good as almost anyone. But the big one can strike anyone, and even if he survives, the last 10 laps at Daytona are a roulette wheel.

 

Over the whole season? It would take an act of God for him not to. I think he's a contender to make the chase out of the gate. Top-20 almost guaranteed.

I meant the whole season, and I meant it as a joke. Danica and the 10 MAY crack the top 30 in owners points this year. Maybe.

 

Of course, if he wins the 500, he's as good as in the Chase due to these idiotic new rules.

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So I don't follow the sport the way I once did.

 

Will the 500 be an exciting race this year or is it just 200 laps of follow the leader and no passing with one or two major skirmishes taking out about half the field?

 

This was once my favorite race by far but towards the end of my time as a serious fan it became less and less so.

I can see, especially after the Shootout (or whatever they call it at this point) it being a boring first 160 laps as no one will want to risk anything until late.

 

I would set the over/under on G-W-Cs at 2.5. And if forced I'd take the over.

 

If you plan on DVRing it, allow for some runover, even if there are no cautions at all for the first 160 laps.

Edited by laughedatbytime
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A couple of my buddies who are die hard race fans say this is further proof that NASCAR is rigged. They say there is NO WAY a rookie is going get the pole at his first Daytona 500, and that NASCAR let it happen because Austin Dillon is using the #3 car and it's a publicity stunt.
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Rookies have qualified on the pole many times for the Daytona 500. Danica Patrick, Jimmie Johnson, Mike Skinner and Loy Allen have all done it as a rookie too.

 

Also, how do you rig it so that a car is 4/100th of one second fatter than second place? That is the difference of one tiny slip up. Maybe if he had won the pole by a half second, there'd be a case... but .04? That's competitive.

 

There's also the fact that RCR team cars (including Ryan Newman and Paul Menard) have won almost every practice session so far. So that whole team is running very fast. Also consider that the outside pole sitting car, driven by Martin Truex, is a team that buys their engines from Dillon's team. RCR engines also powered the top four cars at the 24 Hours of Daytona sports car race a few weeks ago.

 

This isn't a fluke or a conspiracy. It's a team that has three Daytona 500 wins in the books, dozens of poles, and has arguably been the best engine package for restricted tracks in the modern era of NASCAR. That... and Dillon is the real deal as far as talent goes. This is a winning combination.

Edited by KenJennings
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Rookies have qualified on the pole many times for the Daytona 500. Danica Patrick, Jimmie Johnson, Mike Skinner and Loy Allen have all done it as a rookie too.

 

Also, how do you rig it so that a car is 4/100th of one second fatter than second place? That is the difference of one tiny slip up. Maybe if he had won the pole by a half second, there'd be a case... but .04? That's competitive.

 

There's also the fact that RCR team cars (including Ryan Newman and Paul Menard) have won almost every practice session so far. So that whole team is running very fast. Also consider that the outside pole sitting car, driven by Martin Truex, is a team that buys their engines from Dillon's team. RCR engines also powered the top four cars at the 24 Hours of Daytona sports car race a few weeks ago.

 

This isn't a fluke or a conspiracy. It's a team that has three Daytona 500 wins in the books, dozens of poles, and has arguably been the best engine package for restricted tracks in the modern era of NASCAR. That... and Dillon is the real deal as far as talent goes. This is a winning combination.

The rigging thing is total nonsense. Did any of these same people say that Danica winning the pole was rigged?

 

Last year, the Stewart Haas teams were putting up the fastest speeds in the practice sessions where cars were running solo rather than in packs. Just like the RCR cars are this week.

 

Pole qualifying at the plate tracks are about 95% team and 5% driver. That said, the difference between Patrick's performance and Dillon's in the lower series is night and day.

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A couple of my buddies who are die hard race fans say this is further proof that NASCAR is rigged. They say there is NO WAY a rookie is going get the pole at his first Daytona 500, and that NASCAR let it happen because Austin Dillon is using the #3 car and it's a publicity stunt.

It's all car for Daytona qualifying. Any piker could win the pole there if you gave him (or her) the fastest car. Your buddies don't know as much as they think.
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