The Daytona 500 !!!!!

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

The Great American Race ,The Daytona 500 is today .
Oh man I/m glad that the race is finally here .
I think this will be Dale Jr's. year to win The race .

[JonInMiddleGA]

If it's as good as the Craftsman Truck race on Friday night, it'll be pretty good stuff.

Hard luck for Martin to go out so early :(

[Easy Mac]

I guess the viagra isn't as good as we thought

[TLK]

:hint:

It's times like this I wish there was a good auto-racing text sim.....

:/hint:

:)

[Easy Mac]

damn, pretty big wreck.

[GrantDawg]

Waltrip took quite a ride.

[Dutch]

Michael Waltrip is okay, so............"YEAH!!!! BIG WRECK!!! WOO-HOO!!!!"

Anyways..........

What's up with NASCAR telling 2nd place Greg Biffle to get out of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s way? If Greg Biffle is right on 1st place Tony Stuart's bumper, doesn't he have a right to block?

I know there is probably some stupid NASCAR rule that says if the guy behind you is more famous than you are, you must get out of the way, but, as long as he's competative, what's NASCAR's beef? If Tony Stuart were pulling away, I'd see the problem, otherwise, as the Earnhardt family is so famous for saying, "That's racin'"

NASCAR really makes me not want to like them!

[JonInMiddleGA]

Dutch -- there's been occasional talk of cracking down on "blocking", as it's gotten a decent share of the blame for overheated tempers in the past few years.

I don't disagree with you about the inequity of how rules like this seem to be applied a lot of the time, but blantant blocking is pretty much a no-no AFAIK.

[Dutch]

I think you're right about blatant blocking. But my interpretation of blocking is that the guy in front of you is pulling away, and the guy in back in on your butt. Not one or the other. As long as the guy in front of you isn't going anywhere, especially if he's the guy in 1st place, you have every right to protect your spot.

But my definition of racing is not governed by the NASCAR rules, and thus my frustration in this case.

[Easy Mac]

Lil E wins

[TLK]

I don't want to open a can of worms..... but here it goes....

I told myself that I was going to try my hardest to watch NASCAR this year and follow it as best I could.... What I don't understand after watching my first complete race in years.... how can anyone who likes this, call road racing boring?.... The last 20 laps were a parade, which was pointed out by Harvick after the race.... just my opinion....

[Dutch]

I was bored out of my skull the last 25 laps. I was amazed that the only way anybody could overtake Earnhardt at the end was to slow down and hope Earnhardt would forget to slow down so the draft could work against the #1 car.

Never once was there a mention that one driver's driving skill was better than the other, or even what differences their might be between the two drivers, because I don't think there is any.

Outside of pushing the pedal all the way to the floor and turn in the corners which they all were already doing, what else could Stewart have done besides "slow down and hope Earnhardt does't slow down so Dale will get penalized for pulling too far ahead".

NASCAR is just terribly flawed fundamentally. It's got some interesting strategy, but it's tactics are an absolute bore.

I long for the days of great Indy 500 finishes where a guy on worn tires and low on fuel tries to hold off a hard charging 2nd place car by "blocking" as best he can. There is no suspense or tension in NASCAR outside of what is built into the show and what you know will happen ever race.

I will watch it because there is no other racing, but it's got a lot of problems that will never be fixed.

[JonInMiddleGA]

There is no suspense or tension in NASCAR outside of what is built into the show and what you know will happen ever race.
Just out of curiosity, how long have you been watching NASCAR?
(FTR, that's not a shot or something, I'm seriously asking)

Because that's so opposite my overall impression overall that it's like we haven't been watching the same thing.

Now I'll grant you, the superspeedway races are pretty much the worst of the bunch (other than those damned road courses) but in general, it's the suspense & tension of not having the foggiest idea which of 20 or more drivers will win in a given week is the primary reason I watch week in & week out.

The truck race on Friday was solid, I fully expect tomorrow's finish of the Busch race to be better than today's race. And while I'm increasingly disenchanted with restrictor plate racing, overall I think the product is as strong as ever & would be even better without a lot of the made-for-TV hype that really doesn't do much but distract me from the competition that I care about in the first place.

[TLK]

I read this on another board about Lil' E having a better car than everyone..... makes you think, but I'm not an expert on NASCAR tech....


I know....DUH...
But, we had a free preview of the nascar in car service, anybody else have this on Digital Cable?
Now I went to his (Lil E) car a few times, when he was behind Tony he was at 85% throttle whenever he would get close, and in the corners, he was sometimes at 30% or even 0% throttle! I have this on tape too because I couldnt believe what I was seeing. Now, I thought maybe this was part of the drafting technique so I went to all the other cars availible, surely enough, everybody else was at 100%, which you would expect at Daytona. When Dale Jr. went full throttle he blew by Tony, with no drafting help at all. And he had the nerve to say post race, that he couldn't believe he went by Stewart. At least Tony said something like Jr. stayed back and then 'pulled the pin'.

[illinifan999]

As for the not exciting part, I can't remember where but Kurt Busch and I think Rust Wallace slamming into each other as they went past the checker was pretty damn exicitng.

[Dutch]

Just out of curiosity, how long have you been watching NASCAR?
(FTR, that's not a shot or something, I'm seriously asking)



This is probably not the right forum to express my frustrations with NASCAR or CART or IRL.

I am a racing fan first (as opposed to one who bashes simply because they cannot stand auto-racing), although not a hard-core racing fan. To me, the idea of STOCK goes against the core of my beliefs in just about every way. But in any event, I have been watching NASCAR on and off for 15 years or so. I'm in no way an every week fan.

I get most frustrated because it's not the right type of racing that I like. I like to know that Driver A is the arguably the best driver on the track but is driving CAR C which is arguably a 2nd rate piece compared to CAR A and B. But CAR A and B have questionable talent behind the wheel.

Who's gonna win? You have to watch F1 to find out. But that's got it's own problems. No racing is a good fit really, probably the reason I'd never consider myself a hard-core fan or a die-hard. It's lost that something I enjoyed in the 1980's when I would watch the INDY 500 every year and watch the cars get faster and faster and push the envelope. It's got a different appeal today. And I have no clue what the point is.

[RebelMan]

Looks like you were right Chemical Soldier, Dale Jr. did a pretty good job, emotional and symbolic victory for DEI. Congratulations to the entire DEI team, wish a yellow flag couldve come out for Harvick, Johnson and Gordon to be able to catch up and at least make the race exciting. Probably one of the most popular victories ever.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I like to know that Driver A is the arguably the best driver on the track but is driving CAR C which is arguably a 2nd rate piece compared to CAR A and B. But CAR A and B have questionable talent behind the wheel.

If I'm reading you right, that was your description of an F1 scenario.

Funny thing is, right up until you made a reference to F1, I thought you were describing NASCAR's top division.

I watch Ken Schrader drive a car that appears to be woefully inadequate & hope he can somehow will it into a decent finish. I watch Rusty Wallace fade a little further from contention week to week, and wonder how much is him & how much is the car. I watch certain drivers who are nearly guaranteed to implode each week, no matter how good the equipment is.

Basically, a lot like what you described, except that I have that scenario with NASCAR.

[Craptacular]

I don't want to open a can of worms..... but here it goes....

I told myself that I was going to try my hardest to watch NASCAR this year and follow it as best I could.... What I don't understand after watching my first complete race in years.... how can anyone who likes this, call road racing boring?.... The last 20 laps were a parade, which was pointed out by Harvick after the race.... just my opinion....

Gotta love restrictor plate racing. Watch them on one of the shorter ovals or even the super-speedways without the restrictor plates (in other words, not Daytona or Talladega).

[Butter]

I long for the days of great Indy 500 finishes where a guy on worn tires and low on fuel tries to hold off a hard charging 2nd place car by "blocking" as best he can.

Those were the days. Now, IRL is becoming more and more like Formula 1, though, where there are a couple of top teams and drivers, and everyone else is fighting for 6th place.

[Ryan S]

I read this on another board about Lil' E having a better car than everyone..... makes you think, but I'm not an expert on NASCAR tech....I saw the in car telemetry from Earnhardts car, as we get it over here everytime NBC or Fox takes an ad break.

Early in the race the camera focused on Waltrip. He was at 100% all the way around the track, never lifting off.

After the accident, the camera focused on Earnhardt. He was consistently at 100% down the straights, unless he was almost into the back of Stewart's car, in which case he would back off slightly. Through the corners he would lift off to about 70-80% throttle, and occasionally would lift off the throttle completely (0% for a fraction of a second).

Without seeing what Tony Stewart was doing, this probably means very little, as the tire wear was a factor during the race. Drivers could not sit at full throttle for the whole race this year.

[Jets80]

As for the not exciting part, I can't remember where but Kurt Busch and I think Rust Wallace slamming into each other as they went past the checker was pretty damn exicitng.

It was Kurt Bush and Ricky Craven

[Jets80]

I don't want to open a can of worms..... but here it goes....

I told myself that I was going to try my hardest to watch NASCAR this year and follow it as best I could.... What I don't understand after watching my first complete race in years.... how can anyone who likes this, call road racing boring?.... The last 20 laps were a parade, which was pointed out by Harvick after the race.... just my opinion....

I found the last 30-40 laps of this race to be really exciting. Since I pull for the #20 car I was at the edge of my seat only getting up for beer hoping Tony could pull it out. It was obvious that Jr had a dominent car and was hanging back until the right moment to pass him. Im glad Jr Won and I'll take a 2nd place for Stewart on his path to a 2nd Nextel Cup.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Just had a 10 car "big one" in the Busch race. No apparent injuries, nothing overly dramatic, but kinda scary to see Mike Wallace slide all the way through the grass & slam into the wall on pit row. Scary to imagine if that had happened with cars in the pits, crews working, etc. instead of when everyone was on the track.

[Butter]

but kinda scary to see Mike Wallace slide all the way through the grass & slam into the wall on pit row.

Good thing Harry Reasoner isn't around any more to see this kind of behavior.

[Buzzbee]

Some thoughts:

TLK: Daytona and Talledega can tend to be a little boring. I think this year was a little bit boring at times because NASCAR seems to have been successful in breaking up the big pack of 43 cars. There were stretches of the race where it seemed like it was "10 little indians all in a row" since there wasn't much passing. I anticipate this will be a little different in the coming weeks since they will be at shorter, unrestricted tracks.

Also, do you have a favorite driver Dutch? In my opinion, unless you have a driver that you are pulling for the races CAN seem boring. I'm guessing that for fans of Dale Jr, Tony Stewart, Scott Wimmer, and such the last 20 laps were pretty exciting. If you are a SF 49ers fan, you probably don't care as much about a game between the Bengals and Ravens as much as you would a game between the 49ers and Rams. Having a dog in the hunt makes races MUCH more exciting.

Dutch: Daytona and Talledega are all about the cars. It's tracks like Martinsville, Bristol, Richmond and Darlington that depend more on driver skill. In my opinion, NASCAR has a tough job in trying to keep the teams competitive without turning it into an IROC series where all the cars are setup the same.

[JonInMiddleGA]

3 guesses who just won the Busch race.

[TLK]

Those were the days. Now, IRL is becoming more and more like Formula 1, though, where there are a couple of top teams and drivers, and everyone else is fighting for 6th place.

Wait until Toyota pushes it's way into the Cup series, because it'll be the same thing. IMO, ultimately Toyota joining NASCAR will do more than bad the good.....

[sooner333]

Yeah, as a passive NASCAR fan who roots for Tony Stewart, I thought the last 20 laps were kind of exciting. I knew the odds were against the #20 (basically because the announcers alluded to it), but I kept hoping something would happen to get him in front. Also, the dealmaking to see who would help who was also pretty intriguing. I'm not saying its my favorite sport, but definetly something that I'm going to watch more often this year.

[Buzzbee]

3 guesses who just won the Busch race.

Ummm....

Dale?


Earnhardt?


Junior?

[RebelMan]

A great race today and a great 2 day stretch for DEI!

[Dutch]

Some thoughts:

TLK: Daytona and Talledega can tend to be a little boring. I think this year was a little bit boring at times because NASCAR seems to have been successful in breaking up the big pack of 43 cars. There were stretches of the race where it seemed like it was "10 little indians all in a row" since there wasn't much passing. I anticipate this will be a little different in the coming weeks since they will be at shorter, unrestricted tracks.

Also, do you have a favorite driver Dutch? In my opinion, unless you have a driver that you are pulling for the races CAN seem boring. I'm guessing that for fans of Dale Jr, Tony Stewart, Scott Wimmer, and such the last 20 laps were pretty exciting. If you are a SF 49ers fan, you probably don't care as much about a game between the Bengals and Ravens as much as you would a game between the 49ers and Rams. Having a dog in the hunt makes races MUCH more exciting.

Dutch: Daytona and Talledega are all about the cars. It's tracks like Martinsville, Bristol, Richmond and Darlington that depend more on driver skill. In my opinion, NASCAR has a tough job in trying to keep the teams competitive without turning it into an IROC series where all the cars are setup the same.

I don't have a favorite driver because I can't tell the difference when they are in the car. The only thing I knew for sure was that Dale Earnhardt Sr. would bump a guy in front of him to spin him out if he couldn't get around him.

Personality wise, I like Earnhardt Jr and Stewart, and my favorite grandpa driver is Ricky Rudd. I like Stewart and Gordon on the road courses because they seem to be the fastest and smartest drivers out there (at least that also run a full season).

[Airhog]

I personally dislike the restrictor plate races. Personally I found the best events on the superspeedway were events from 20 years ago.


On another note, what is the deal with mark martin? He's my favorite driver, but he just never seems to have it all together.

[Draft Dodger]

On another note, what is the deal with mark martin? He's my favorite driver, but he just never seems to have it all together.

a side effect of the viagra?

I'm a newbie to NASCAR - my wife and I started watching off and on last year, and for the first time yesterday planned our errands around the race time to be able to watch.

Neither of us know much about it - and I am a complete dope when it comes to cars anyways - so we're pretty much on the "root for your favorite color" level. So, we did enjoy the race, especially the last 20 laps.