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2020 NASCAR Season thread


blueschica
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Fox cut things off at 8:00 Eastern for its regular programming, and did not continue anything on FS1 or 2.

I would have been very interested in hearing what was going through Cory Lajoie's mind as Ryan Newman is wrecking in front of him, and he can't do jack to avoid hitting him.

 

The other scary imho was watching Keselowski swapping ends as he pinwheels down the backstrech. Phew!

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I'm 13 years old right now, scraping every corner of the internet for any piece of information, waiting with baited breath for good news, and dreading those words from Mike Helton... "We've lost Dale Earnhardt."

 

Even 20 years later... I'm still that 13 year old kid with a broken heart. It feels like reliving the first meaningful loss I ever felt.

Edited by KenJennings
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From someone who was there:

 

"moved in a black screen while they removed him from car so media couldn't see?"

Sound like what happened to Steve Park ca. 2002. He survived, and actually came back, but retired soon after, and I believe sustained permanent brain damage.

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Plate racing needs to end tonight. The fans need to demand it.

 

Chance of that happening? 0.

It needs to change.

 

KJ had some good ideas about how how to slow the cars down and give them some room on tracks like this.

 

I agree, nothing will happen.

Edited by thesweetscience
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From someone who was there:

 

"moved in a black screen while they removed him from car so media couldn't see?"

Sound like what happened to Steve Park ca. 2002. He survived, and actually came back, but retired soon after, and I believe sustained permanent brain damage.

 

Park was my favorite driver at the time. Every medical test they did cleared him back to 100%... but something with his coordination was just a little bit off. I don't know if maybe it was psychological, or if he did just have some lingering damage, but he wasn't a competitive racer again for a very long time.

 

After the NASCAR ship sailed, he went back to basics, and carved out some good finishes in the Whelen Modifieds Series, ran a few Truck series races competitively, and in 2010 even returned to the Cup series in a fan-funded car for one Daytona race with Tommy Baldwin and scored an 13th place finish- a race that I'm proud to call my best career finish as a NASCAR sponsor. Anyways, I think Park got back to 100%... I just think it took many more years than anyone expected.

 

Now Jerry Nadeau, that was another story. He's been left with chronic issues, and hasn't raced at all. If I recall correctly, they had to crack his skull to relieve the swelling on his brain, and he was laid up for a very long time. But he did recover. He did maintain his spirit and knowlege and personality. He lost his career, but it could've been so much worse. I certainly hope Ryan Newman fairs better than that- but at this point, I'd be happy to see an outcome like that.

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From someone who was there:

 

"moved in a black screen while they removed him from car so media couldn't see?"

Sound like what happened to Steve Park ca. 2002. He survived, and actually came back, but retired soon after, and I believe sustained permanent brain damage.

 

Park was my favorite driver at the time. Every medical test they did cleared him back to 100%... but something with his coordination was just a little bit off. I don't know if maybe it was psychological, or if he did just have some lingering damage, but he wasn't a competitive racer again for a very long time.

 

After the NASCAR ship sailed, he went back to basics, and carved out some good finishes in the Whelen Modifieds Series, ran a few Truck series races competitively, and in 2010 even returned to the Cup series in a fan-funded car for one Daytona race with Tommy Baldwin and scored an 13th place finish- a race that I'm proud to call my best career finish as a NASCAR sponsor. Anyways, I think Park got back to 100%... I just think it took many more years than anyone expected.

 

Now Jerry Nadeau, that was another story. He's been left with chronic issues, and hasn't raced at all. If I recall correctly, they had to crack his skull to relieve the swelling on his brain, and he was laid up for a very long time. But he did recover. He did maintain his spirit and knowlege and personality. He lost his career, but it could've been so much worse. I certainly hope Ryan Newman fairs better than that- but at this point, I'd be happy to see an outcome like that.

I remember reading Nadeau's lengthy first person story a few years ago, and couldn't help crying.

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Condition serious but injuries not life threatening

NASCAR just released a statement. Serious condition and being treated but the doctors say his injuries are not life threatening.

Glad to hear things are not life threatening, anyway. I'm hoping for the best for him and his career. I recently read Dale Earnhardt Jr's book about dealing with his 2016 concussion and it was sobering.

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Back in 1994, the deaths of Neil Bonnett and Rodney Orr served as a real wake up call for the drivers at Daytona.

 

Maybe we can get the same effect here, without the death. And maybe we need to bring Rusty down to the garage for a little of this fire and brimstone.

 

Edited by KenJennings
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From 2013.

 

https://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/9263242/ryan-newman-not-pleased-lack-response-nascar

 

Ryan Newman irked by NASCAR

May 10, 2013

David Newton

 

 

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Ryan Newman isn't very happy with NASCAR's lack of response to issues he has with restrictor-plate racing.

 

The Stewart-Haas Racing driver blasted the governing body just short of being fined after Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway, trying to send a message that changes are needed to make restrictor-plate racing safer.

 

He tried to call at least one NASCAR official this week to share his thoughts, but got no response.

 

"I'd have to say, if they had a driver who was an engineer that understood the race cars more than anybody else, or more than the average [driver], you'd think they would consider my opinion and my education," said Newman, who attended Purdue University. "But I haven't seen that yet."

 

Asked who he called from NASCAR, Newman said, "Let's just say I communicated with my phone and never got any response."

 

NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said the governing body had no response other than to say, "We communicate with our drivers all the time."

 

Newman was unhappy on Sunday because for the third time since 2009, his car went airborne and either landed on another or had another land on his. He has been involved in so many such accidents that NASCAR added what is referred to as the "Newman bar" to the window for extra protection.

 

On Sunday, Kurt Busch's car barrel-rolled on top of Newman's No. 39 with fewer than six laps remaining.

 

"I am doing this interview to let everybody know I'm all right," Newman told reporters after being released at the infield medical center. "They can build safer race cars, they can build safer walls. But they can't get their heads out of their a---- far enough to keep them on the race track, and that's pretty disappointing.

 

"I wanted to make sure I get that point across. Y'all can figure out who 'they' is. That's no way to end a race. Our car was much better than that. That's just poor judgment in restarting the race, poor judgment. ... I mean, you got what you wanted, but poor judgment and running in the dark and running in the rain. That's it, thank you."

 

Newman said he chose his words carefully to stay within NASCAR's self-proclaimed line of being allowed to criticize the officiating without being fined.

 

"It was obvious I chose my words," Newman said. "It doesn't at all compare to what the actual point of my conversation was. You can only go to the principal so many times before you kind of get tired.

 

"My issue has and always has been, because I seem to be the reciprocate of whatever airborne disease that we have in NASCAR, is that either somebody lands on me or I land on somebody. We've proven it's not safe for the fans. ... It's frustrating, and I think I voiced my frustration very fairly. I could have said a lot more and took a penalty, but I chose not to. I think I took a pretty high road."

 

NASCAR president Mike Helton said earlier in the day that he had not spoken to Newman but acknowledged Newman's comments were discussed, as weekend events typically are.

 

He said there was no fine because Newman stayed on the right side of the line.

 

 

"We've told our drivers all along, 'You can challenge us, you can challenge NASCAR and our calls or us to a certain extent,'" Helton said. "Whether or not this has been pushed to the edge or not, that's been debated.

 

"But what you cannot do is criticize the product. Our determination in Ryan's case is he was challenging us."

 

It just didn't open the lines of communication as Newman hoped.

 

"It doesn't matter what the issue was," Newman said. "I showed displeasure. From a communication standpoint, as they have tried to do with us and I have tried to with them, there should be a happy medium of taking on each other's sides.

 

"I have tried [to talk to them]. I haven't gotten anywhere."

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Unbelievable. Obviously I don't know the extent of his injuries, but the fact that he's up walking, talking and smiling is amazing.

 

For all the criticism NASCAR gets, one area where they haven't dropped the ball is driver safety. Between the soft walls, the driver restraints and the improvements to roll cage and cocoon technology, they've done some damn fine work.

Edited by KenJennings
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