NASCAR 2015 Season

[KenJennings]

Danica finally wins something!

 

Sure, it's the fan vote from among the drivers that didn't make the All Star race.

 

So, Danica's in another race she doesn't deserve to be, while Martin Truex Jr sits it out.

 

I'm not to upset about Danica making it in, that's the nature of the fan vote. Dogecoin was an even bigger joke last year.

 

But for the guy sitting 2nd in series points to sit out is pretty ridiculous. The current top-5 in points should have a guaranteed starting spot in the all-star race going forward.

[laughedatbytime]

Montoya wins Indy.

 

I hate to say it, but this was a superior show to what NASCAR has put on this year (even than the gimmick races at Daytona and Dega.) Far superior...passes in the last 20 laps without even a restart.

[KenJennings]

Let's go Truex! Sealing it up for the little guys!

 

Cole Pearn had that car running as good as any of the billionaire funded big boys.

[laughedatbytime]

Let's go Truex! Sealing it up for the little guys!

 

Cole Pearn had that car running as good as any of the billionaire funded big boys.

Truex wins!

 

Great to see those guys win after coming SO close so many times and running 2nd best all year.

[KenJennings]

They're running a good as anyone. Easily a champion threat. Edited June 7, 2015 by KenJennings

[laughedatbytime]

They're running a good as anyone. Easily a champion threat.

I still think that overall their pit crew performance hasn't been the equal of the best Charlotte based teams. But they're certainly running as well if not better than any of them on the track; he could easily be a multiple winner by now with better luck.

[laughedatbytime]

So, can Kyle Busch make the top 30? Looks like he's got his win...

[KenJennings]

So, can Kyle Busch make the top 30? Looks like he's got his win...

 

I don't think he makes it... most top-tier drivers, I would say yes- but Kyle Busch has a streak of inconsistency. He's far too "wreckers or checkers"...

 

I could easily see him finishing the season with 3 or more wins... but I don't see him making the top-30 in points.

[KenJennings]

Just quit restrictor plate racing. This is dumb. Someone is going to die, and not necessarily a competitor.

[KenJennings]

Lucky the stands were as empty a they were at this ungodly hour to be racing.

 

That shit doesn't need to happen every year at these dumb plate races like it does.

 

Cool to see those pit crews rush the scene. Very lucky everyone walked away.

[KenJennings]

History Repeats Itself:

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NcqneE5pDU

[laughedatbytime]

History Repeats Itself:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k55h0XCF1t8

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NcqneE5pDU

I remember that Bodine crash. I was sure he was dead.

 

If memory serves, he was out for about half the year. Dillon will race in six days, I'm sure.

Edited July 7, 2015 by laughedatbytime

[KenJennings]

Yeah, that wreck basically ended what was left of Geoff Bodine's career... he raced again, but never in anything competitive.

 

The safety in the cars has come a long way, especially considering they both hit in the same place, in an extremely similar manner... but still, this is what plate racing always produces, and in both instances, the fans on the other side of the fence were lucky to get off with minor injuries...

 

I can think of four occasions in the past 15 years when fans have been injured in the stands because of debris. There have likely been more, but four stand out... and three have been on the Daytona frontstretch, and the other one at Talladega. I'm not one to go off half cocked over safety concerns, but people bring their kids there... it's a spectacle that should be filled with joy and fun... The way these plate races endanger both competitors and fans is really becoming disheartening.

 

I know they've come a long way to protect the drivers. That's great. But they've done nothing to alleviate the underlying problem that is aero-reliant pack racing. Like Ryan Newman said, NASCAR doesn't want to solve that problem... too many fans eat it up. Maybe it's up to the drivers to put their foot down. Maybe this new "driver's council" should make a pact and refuse to race in the Daytona 500 next year. Something has to give.

Edited July 7, 2015 by KenJennings

[New World Kid]

As an IndyCar fan, Danica's NASCAR on-track shenanigans always take me by surprise. She was always very vocal, of course, but never really drove aggressively in IndyCar. In fact, I'd call her style in an IndyCar timid. She'd put up consistent top 10, top 5 finishes. Bring the car home, cash out on some points.

 

I'm not sure if she's trying to play up the NASCAR culture for her brand identity, or if she's genuinely that frustrated in NASCAR.

Edited July 12, 2015 by New World Kid

[laughedatbytime]

As an IndyCar fan, Danica's NASCAR on-track shenanigans always take me by surprise. She was always very vocal, of course, but never really drove aggressively in IndyCar. In fact, I'd call her style in an IndyCar timid. She'd put up consistent top 10, top 5 finishes. Bring the car home, cash out on some points.

 

I'm not sure if she's trying to play up the NASCAR culture for her brand identity, or if she's genuinely that frustrated in NASCAR.

She's timid in NASCAR too for the most part. She's spent the last three years not being competitive and points racing. She's just a big whiner who's run out of talent...she doesn't belong in the series and if she was anyone else she wouldn't still be racing.

[New World Kid]

As an IndyCar fan, Danica's NASCAR on-track shenanigans always take me by surprise. She was always very vocal, of course, but never really drove aggressively in IndyCar. In fact, I'd call her style in an IndyCar timid. She'd put up consistent top 10, top 5 finishes. Bring the car home, cash out on some points.

 

I'm not sure if she's trying to play up the NASCAR culture for her brand identity, or if she's genuinely that frustrated in NASCAR.

She's timid in NASCAR too for the most part. She's spent the last three years not being competitive and points racing. She's just a big whiner who's run out of talent...she doesn't belong in the series and if she was anyone else she wouldn't still be racing.

 

I think she belongs in a top-tier series, I just think she's a midpacker or worse.

 

When you're filling a field with 43 cars, she's probably about 25th-35th best. That's just my opinion though, I don't see as much NASCAR as I used to. But in IndyCar, she certainly wasn't a problem being there... she just wasn't a stand out. Her lone IndyCar victory was a fluke fuel strategy win while half the field didn't even participate in the race.

[laughedatbytime]

As an IndyCar fan, Danica's NASCAR on-track shenanigans always take me by surprise. She was always very vocal, of course, but never really drove aggressively in IndyCar. In fact, I'd call her style in an IndyCar timid. She'd put up consistent top 10, top 5 finishes. Bring the car home, cash out on some points.

 

I'm not sure if she's trying to play up the NASCAR culture for her brand identity, or if she's genuinely that frustrated in NASCAR.

She's timid in NASCAR too for the most part. She's spent the last three years not being competitive and points racing. She's just a big whiner who's run out of talent...she doesn't belong in the series and if she was anyone else she wouldn't still be racing.

 

I think she belongs in a top-tier series, I just think she's a midpacker or worse.

 

When you're filling a field with 43 cars, she's probably about 25th-35th best. That's just my opinion though, I don't see as much NASCAR as I used to. But in IndyCar, she certainly wasn't a problem being there... she just wasn't a stand. out. Her lone IndyCar victory was a fluke fuel strategy win while half the field didn't even participate in the race.

There's about 25-26 fully funded cars. Even ignoring the fact that Stewart-Haas is one of the best teams in NASCAR, available to attract true top tier talent. There's no way she should be driving for them. Maybe for the Petty team or the 47 team at best. Look at what Truex is doing at Furniture Row. Is there any argument that he isn't better than Danica and deserves a top ride? If Danica's name was Dan she would be lucky to be in the truck series.

[Tombstone Mountain]

As an IndyCar fan, Danica's NASCAR on-track shenanigans always take me by surprise. She was always very vocal, of course, but never really drove aggressively in IndyCar. In fact, I'd call her style in an IndyCar timid. She'd put up consistent top 10, top 5 finishes. Bring the car home, cash out on some points.

 

I'm not sure if she's trying to play up the NASCAR culture for her brand identity, or if she's genuinely that frustrated in NASCAR.

She's timid in NASCAR too for the most part. She's spent the last three years not being competitive and points racing. She's just a big whiner who's run out of talent...she doesn't belong in the series and if she was anyone else she wouldn't still be racing.

Thus spake Zarathrustra

[KenJennings]

I appreciate the fact that Danica Patrick has consistently and steadily improved, and she has generally done so with respect for her competitors and an ability to, more often than not, bring the car home in one piece. That isn't always easy when running mid pack.

 

That having been said, the talent just isn't there to justify her having a top tier ride in the top level of NASCAR. The money is. But the talent isn't.

 

I don't hold it against her at all for making what she can out of the opportunity. For someone so grossly out of her league, she's performed reasonably. But really, she's got no business being there in the first place.

 

An interesting comparison is Paul Menard- Someone who, through his own pedigree, probably didn't earn his ride. Money alone propelled him to the top. But Paul Menard has shown some real talent with that opportunity, even winning on one of the sport's biggest stages (in strong fashion to boot). He runs up front often, and performs right along with his teammates.

 

I try not to measure people for the opportunities they have or do not have. Some like Menard and Patrick get lucky, and that's cool... The question is: what can they do with it?

 

It's time to move on from the Danica experiment. She just hasn't got it.

Edited July 13, 2015 by KenJennings

[Mr. JD]

I appreciate the fact that Danica Patrick has consistently and steadily improved, and she has generally done so with respect for her competitors and an ability to, more often than not, bring the car home in one piece. That isn't always easy when running mid pack.

 

That having been said, the talent just isn't there to justify her having a top tier ride in the top level of NASCAR. The money is. But the talent isn't.

 

I don't hold it against her at all for making what she can out of the opportunity. For someone so grossly out of her league, she's performed reasonably. But really, she's got no business being there in the first place.

 

An interesting comparison is Paul Menard- Someone who, through his own pedigree, probably didn't earn his ride. Money alone propelled him to the top. But Paul Menard has shown some real talent with that opportunity, even winning on one of the sport's biggest stages (in strong fashion to boot). He runs up front often, and performs right along with his teammates.

 

I try not to measure people for the opportunities they have or do not have. Some like Menard and Patrick get lucky, and that's cool... The question is: what can they do with it?

 

It's time to move on from the Danica experiment. She just hasn't got it.

But she sure is nice to look at!

[KenJennings]

http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/regan-smith-taps-alex-tagliani-out-of-way-for-xfinity-win-at-mid-ohio-081515

 

Smith tapped road-course specialist Alex Tagliani out of the way on the next-to-last turn of the final lap on the road course at Mid-Ohio to earn his first XFINITY Series win of the season on Saturday.

And while Tagliani was upset about it, Smith said simply, "I did what I had to do."

Tagliani, starting from the pole and driving a Ford for Team Penske in a "one-off" race deal, finished second to the XFINITY regular.

"I'm very, very sorry for the whole Penske organization and the Discount Tire team," Tagliani said in a television interview on pit road immediately after the race. "They did a fantastic job for me this weekend and I really wanted to win for them so bad.

"If I knew he was going to try to win like that, instead of passing him fair and square early on in the race, I would probably have pushed him off a bit. But he knows I'm not going to be there next week to retaliate and to give him the payback. It's just unfortunate to see him win like that, but then also to see him celebrate after a win like that ... I mean, he knows he was not going to win unless he pushed us off."

Ty Dillon finished third, picking up points in the XFINITY championship race on leader Chris Buescher.

Smith, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, was upset a week earlier when Ty Dillon wrecked him on the road course at Watkins Glen. After that race, an angry Smith confronted Dillon on pit road and a scuffle ensued.

But Smith said he would have no difficulty celebrating his Mid-Ohio win, no matter how he got it.

"It feels great. These guys worked their butts off all week," Smith said. "This car was destroyed. They rebuilt it in one day, and I got my road car back.

"They've stuck by me. We've had a lot of opportunities to win. I hate to do that in the (next-to-last) corner, but it's been a year and eight months (since his last win). It's been too long and I wasn't going to pass that opporutnity up. I've been wrecked so many times on these road courses that I had to do what I had to do there.

"I didn't spin him. I just moved him to get the spot -- and we're going to celebrate hard tonight."

 

This was the best race of the year imo, and the finish was fantastic.

 

I'm laughing on Facebook as all of the euro trash race fans wet their pants in angst over seeing intentional contact. They absolutely can not grasp the fact that contact can result in a perfect clean pass.

 

Regan Smith executed that perfectly, and Tagliani showed no class by getting out of the car and bitching about it as a sore loser.

 

 

[KenJennings]

Interesting how drivers had absolutely nothing to say about the garbage aero package that NASCAR insisted on running today?

 

Even the outspoken Brad Keselowski only had this to say:

“It’s not my right to say. It’s not my sport, so whatever they want to do, we’ll race it. That's my job.”

 

Talk about 'what is left unsaid', eh?

[New World Kid]

A big shout out and thank you to Tony Stewart from an IndyCar fan today, as he donated a jet for the family of Justin Wilson to get them to Pennsylvania today following Justin Wilson's serious accident. Classy gesture that honestly doesn't surprise me at all.

[Cygnus 2112]

So, can Kyle Busch make the top 30? Looks like he's got his win...

 

I don't think he makes it... most top-tier drivers, I would say yes- but Kyle Busch has a streak of inconsistency. He's far too "wreckers or checkers"...

 

I could easily see him finishing the season with 3 or more wins... but I don't see him making the top-30 in points.

 

4 wins and running out of gas on the final lap when he could of pitted, got gas and finished in the top 15. He needs to stop trying for the win and focus on top 10 finishes.

[KenJennings]

So, can Kyle Busch make the top 30? Looks like he's got his win...

 

I don't think he makes it... most top-tier drivers, I would say yes- but Kyle Busch has a streak of inconsistency. He's far too "wreckers or checkers"...

 

I could easily see him finishing the season with 3 or more wins... but I don't see him making the top-30 in points.

 

4 wins and running out of gas on the final lap when he could of pitted, got gas and finished in the top 15. He needs to stop trying for the win and focus on top 10 finishes.

 

Ah, he's in either way at this point. I had it wrong, I know Kyle is a hot or cold driver, but I don't think anyone saw him getting this hot.