Nascar is back

[Scott J]

"Coming down on him" is a pressure driving technique. It is what happens when two guys with imperfect car set ups vie for the same space. It happens every race and Stewart himself does it pretty much every week. It is quite a bit different than intentionally pushing a guy completely off the track.

HOWEVER!!! If Stewart really feels that strongly and wants to escalate that issue... then he has certainly done so. Eventually, they'll call a truce or one guy will knuckle under. Either way, "justice" will rule eventually between the two of them... just a matter of which animal is more equal than the other.

Famously, Stewart said of a Gordon complaint that Gordon always said that others caused the problem... Stewart is an abject hypocrite.

 

[PastorSBC1303]

Originally posted by Scott J:
"Coming down on him" is a pressure driving technique. It is what happens when two guys with imperfect car set ups vie for the same space. It happens every race and Stewart himself does it pretty much every week. It is quite a bit different than intentionally pushing a guy completely off the track.

I agree it is something that takes place often in the races. But isn't it a little much for it to be happening that early in the race? I don't think Stewart was upset that it happened as when it happened.

HOWEVER!!! If Stewart really feels that strongly and wants to escalate that issue... then he has certainly done so. Eventually, they'll call a truce or one guy will knuckle under. Either way, "justice" will rule eventually between the two of them... just a matter of which animal is more equal than the other.

Personaly I think Kennseth would be wise to back off and focus on his own driving. I do not think he will win a battle with Stewart.

Famously, Stewart said of a Gordon complaint that Gordon always said that others caused the problem... Stewart is an abject hypocrite.

I would say that just about all the drivers are hypocrites when it comes to this area. There are exceptions to this from time to time, but generally you hear that it was the other guys fault.

 

[Bible-boy]

20 20 20 20!

With that said I can't begin to try and justify Tony's dive at Kenseth. It should not have happened. I think Tony lost his cool because he had been pushed into the wall (with Gordon), rammed by McMurry, turned by Kenseth etc., etc., Remember he is the one with the target on his back this season. Anyway, he snapped and Kenseth was there to catch the fall out.

I just hope that it does not turn into a retaliation battle throughout this season (like the little one between Kenseth and McMurry last year).

 

[Scott J]

Originally posted by PastorSBC1303:
Personaly I think Kennseth would be wise to back off and focus on his own driving. I do not think he will win a battle with Stewart.

Actually considering that it is Stewart with a target on his back... he would be wise not to make too many enemies. After Daytona, he already has 3 or 4 guys with a reason to hold a grudge.

I would say that just about all the drivers are hypocrites when it comes to this area. There are exceptions to this from time to time, but generally you hear that it was the other guys fault.

Maybe... but when was the last time you heard Stewart say something like Gordon said Sunday? "It was half my fault?" Much less it was "all my fault" as Gordon did on a few occasions last year... even whe it wasn't.

Even Junior who I generally find arrogant and a finger pointer had moments of humble acceptance of fault last year.

When it comes to hypocrisy, Stewart is without question the reigning king after last weeks complaints about rough driving followed by his race antics.

 

[PastorSBC1303]

Well Rousch really dominated this past weekend. It was too bad to see the 2 best cars on the track yesterday have engine trouble and not be able to compete for the win.

Congrats to Kennseth on the win.

Although Dale Jr. did not win, he had a much better showing on that type of track. That should help him the remainder of the year since they run on so many similiar tracks to California.

 

[ccrobinson]

Thoughts and questions about yesterday's parade. Er, I mean, "race".

Since 1997, there have been 12 Cup races at Fontana. Does anybody remember anything that happened at any of them? If there is a track that has produced less memorable moments than Fontana, I can't imagine what it is. Actually, I can. It's Las Vegas, the next track they visit.

Nascar destroyed the Southern 500 so that they could visit Fontana twice, but the worst race at Darlington is better than any race we've seen at Fontana. The question that was asked in 1997 after losing North Wilkesboro is apt. We lost Darlington for this?

After strong showings at Daytona and especially Fontana, Matt Kenseth has officially become a real contender for the championship. I expect they'll take the same car to Vegas and get a Top 5 finish, if not another win. The only problem I really have with Kenseth is that he drives for Roush.

An 11th place finish is definitely a step forward for the #8 team, but since he spent most of the day in 18th, I find it difficult to consider the #8 team a championship caliber team.

 

[PastorSBC1303]

ccr, I agree. I would much rather have another race at Darlington than that mess at California.

What you say about Jr. is right. However it was still a step forward. Last year it seemed they would hover around 20th most of the race and then fall backwards at the end. This time they were able to move forward at the end.

Why is there a week off for the cup series only 2 weeks into the season?

 

[PastorSBC1303]

What don't you like about Rousch?

 

[swaimj]

In defense of California, the problem is not with the track, it is with the aero package on the car. Michigan is much like California and Michigan has boring races as well. But, it has not always been that way at Michigan. The races used to be VERY competitive there, rivaling Talledega until they started putting the "ground effects" packages on the cars.

Also, the track builders build "D" shaped tracks like California because the fans who attend have excellent sight-lines to the track. Darlington and N. Wilkesboro DID provide great action, but the shape(s) of those tracks made it very difficult to see the action unless you were far up in the stands. I know because I have attended several races at both of those tracks.

 

[ccrobinson]

Why is there a week off for the cup series only 2 weeks into the season?

That's a good question, and I don't have a really good answer. A better idea is to give the teams a week off later in the season instead of the Death March they go through where there are no weeks off from the Brickyard to the end of the season. Nascar got the bright idea in 2005 to use the open weekend to race in Mexico, but I don't really care if there is a race in Mexico or not.

What don't you like about Rousch?

He's mostly a whiney crybaby and I've never liked him all that much. He was particularly irritating after he complained about Ford's unfair disadvantage in 1998 after Ford finished 1-7 at the first Las Vegas parade. That was also after Ford won 20 races out of 32 in the previous season, and 10 of the races not won were due to Jeff Gordon's technically superior car. I couldn't care less about Ford vs. Chevy, but when your brand of car finishes 1-7, you don't get to complain about having an unfair disadvantage.

Roush has won 2 championships, but one of them was with a team that raced for Top 5s every week, and the other was with the loathsome Kurt Busch in a bastardized, made-for-TV, season. Just for the record, I don't care much for Hendrick either.

 

[PastorSBC1303]

ccr, the more you and I talk about sports the more I find we think alike in a lot of ways...Bears, IU, dislike of Rousch and Hendrick.

I don't care what anyone else says, you are an ok guy

I am not a fan of Rousch, although I do like a couple of his drivers, I just wish they would drive for someone else.

 

[Scott J]

I agree with the complaints about Fontana. What a boring race... at least up until we left for church. I guess there was just a little excitement after 6 pm.

Even with the announcers, I could almost sense a desire for something to happen... blown engine, wreck, debris,... anything.

The more NASCAR eliminates races at "driver's" tracks like Darlington... the more boring races like this we'll have to endure.

 

[ccrobinson]

In defense of California, the problem is not with the track, it is with the aero package on the car. Michigan is much like California and Michigan has boring races as well. But, it has not always been that way at Michigan. The races used to be VERY competitive there, rivaling Talledega until they started putting the "ground effects" packages on the cars.

Great points. It really is unfair of me to condemn Fontana, because it isn't the track's fault.

Also, the track builders build "D" shaped tracks like California because the fans who attend have excellent sight-lines to the track. Darlington and N. Wilkesboro DID provide great action, but the shape(s) of those tracks made it very difficult to see the action unless you were far up in the stands. I know because I have attended several races at both of those tracks.

Interesting. I didn't know that about either Darlington or Wilkesboro.

For all of the gnashing of teeth about Nascar wiping out the Southern 500 (and I still have a big problem with it), one of the end results is that the track owners have been forced to "keep up" their tracks. From what I understand, Darlington had fallen into disrepair, and the owners really hadn't done that much about it because of the status of the Southern 500. If the race wasn't going away, there was no real incentive to spend money on upkeep.

When Nascar took the Southern 500 away, it sent a message to all track owners that they had better keep their sites in pristine condition, because if Nascar can take away the Southern 500, they can take away any race.

 

[ccrobinson]

I don't care what anyone else says, you are an ok guy

Thanks, I think.

 

[ccrobinson]

Removed b/c double-post

 

[Mexdeaf]

Since I am not able to get NASCAR on TV here in Mexico, I have been thinking about getting 'TrackPass' on Nascar.com. Anyone here have that and is it worth it?

 

[ccrobinson]

Mexdeaf, I visit a message board that's all about simracing and real racing, and I posted your question asking if TrackPass is worth it. I'm confident that somebody on the board will be able to answer it and let us know. Once I get an answer, I'll post it here for you.

 

[ccrobinson]

Anybody get SpeedTV?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a new show on Speed called "Back in the Day". From speedtv.com,

"From SPEED's archives and the Car and Track library comes Back in the Day, a journey through the history of NASCAR with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Through a combination of vintage racing footage and modern technology, the series reflects Dale Jr's own passion for the old school style that defined stock car racing in the 1970s."

On the racing board I've mentioned a couple of times, this show was given 2 very enthusiastic thumbs up by one of the board founders. On Monday, they showed the 1971 Virginia 500 @ Martinsville. Apparently, Cale and Richard ran side-by-side for lap after lap.

I had heard of this show, but completely forgot about it on Monday. I'll be programming my VCR to record every single one of these from now on. If you're a Nascar fan, this is must-see-TV.

 

[ccrobinson]

Mexdeaf, here is one response about Trackpass from the other board.

"I said I would never get it when it first came out, but I have it this year and I really enjoy the scanner talk plus I can watch qualifying at work now. The only drawback is there is a little delay between dish and computer. But still worth the price."

 

[PastorSBC1303]

So are we going to see a repeat of Calif at Las Vegas this week?