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Well the new year of racing is upon us as the Daytona 500 is today.. And sadly the 10th anniversary of the death of Dale Earnhardt...

Big crash at 28 laps in.. WOW..
This 2 by two racing is different..

They're just drafing is all. Two cars working together go faster than one car alone.

Twitchythe3rd wrote:They're just drafing is all. Two cars working together go faster than one car alone.

I know (I have been watching NASCAR since 85 when I was 14), but in 500's of the past (and a lot of the super speedways) there were more than 2 cars in a pack drafting.


And how about that, 20 year old Trevor Bayne wins his second race and the day after his 20th birthday..

Hell of a finish.

Cyber Bishop wrote:

Twitchythe3rd wrote:They're just drafing is all. Two cars working together go faster than one car alone.

I know (I have been watching NASCAR since 85 when I was 14), but in 500's of the past (and a lot of the super speedways) there were more than 2 cars in a pack drafting.


And how about that, 20 year old Trevor Bane wins his second race and the day after his 20th birthday..

Hell of a finish.

Ah, never really took notice. They did get some four car drafting going at times.

No kidding. Looked like Edwards was going to sneak up on him and take it for a couple seconds. Nice to see the newbie take the win though.

While I would rather watch a good Indy race or WRC coverage over NASCAR, I watched most of today's race.

Damn fine finish for Bayne, But gotta feel bad for Jr. getting tagged like that with the white flag in view.

Cyber Bishop wrote:
I know (I have been watching NASCAR since 85 when I was 14), but in 500's of the past (and a lot of the super speedways) there were more than 2 cars in a pack drafting.

I was wondering that as well. Now, I never watched a whole lot of NASCAR (Le Mans Series is more up my alley), but they always drafted with as many cars as they could. I'm curious as to what changed this year?

Well, probably the biggest factor was that Daytona got a resurfacing, which means a whole different handling of the car. Combine that with some minor modifications on the cars such as the rear spoiler returning (instead of that awful wing) and the new front end, and there are new strategies to be developed.

As for Trevor Bayne, I'm happy for him, but I predict this was a fluke. Right place at the right time. He has talent, no question, but a lot of things had to come together for him to win. I am just sorry to see Mark Martin lose another opportunity. I hope Mark wins a title this year, he's been racing for over 30 years.

Rowdy Busch just won his first truck race of 2011. He's the fastest to 25 wins in history in all 3 of the major circuits.

Rock on #18!!!

I'm hoping #24 gets his fifth championship (hopefully sixth eventually). But that won't happen. More Jimmie Johnson!!!!!! MORE!!!!
But how about Trevor Bayne? I hope he doesn't end up unemployed at the end of the year and come back to the Truck Series three years later. I thought that was a pretty cool story though. That's gotta be awesome to win the 500 in your second start after turing 20.
I'm not quite sure if I like the two-car draft or not though. It might get annoying if it carries out in the new video game.

By the way, go Danica!

Gordon I don't really mind, but no more Jimmie. It's getting boring and ridiculous. And Knaus cheats a lot. And NASCAR lets him get away with it.

Rodimus Prime wrote:Gordon I don't really mind, but no more Jimmie. It's getting boring and ridiculous. And Knaus cheats a lot. And NASCAR lets him get away with it.

It is getting boring. Ever since that third championship came around. My dad would argue with you about cheating. He just says "maybe Chad Knaus is just really that good". But I don't know, that much dominance amidst all of the specifications of the modern era, it seems a little suspicious if you ask me. And for a few years it really ticked me off that Rick Hendrick was too busy cheering on Jimmie and Chad and didn't do crap about the other three teams that couldn't win crap compared to the 48 team. I don't know what the crew chief swap will do.
What's worse is that it's killing the ratings and the attendance. Same with Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards in the Nationwide Series, as well with KB in the Trucks. Don't get me wrong, I like both of them, but I'd rather see Kyle winning Cup races instead of winning twenty races against the new kids that have less of a chance beating the big guys. Same with Tony Stewart and these dumb Nationwide Daytona openers. Same result every year.
Well, hopefully the new championship rule will change things up.

And does anyone notice Jimmie Johnson always suddenly takes the lead at the end of the Chase?
It's like he's OK enough to secure his spot in the Chase throughout the year, then all of a sudden BAM! he comes out of nowhere at the end.

My man Jeff Gordon won! The drive for 5 is back alive...hopefully. Maybe Alan Gustafson is right crew chief.

That was good racing between Kyle and Jeff there, though Jeff had it in the bag at the end. Man, that wreck took out a bunch of people. Too bad Jimmie got through it. And I'm not just talking crap when I say Knaus cheats. He's been caught 4-5 times. Which means he's probably gotten away with it at least twice as much. I also agree with you about Kyle. It's great to see him clean up in Trucks and Nationwide, but I think if he took at least 1 night a weekend off, he'd win a lot more Cup races, he'd probably have a title by now. I still want to see Mark Martin get a trophy before he's done. He's damn well earned it, but every time he gets screwed somehow.

Rodimus Prime wrote:That was good racing between Kyle and Jeff there, though Jeff had it in the bag at the end. Man, that wreck took out a bunch of people. Too bad Jimmie got through it. And I'm not just talking crap when I say Knaus cheats. He's been caught 4-5 times. Which means he's probably gotten away with it at least twice as much. I also agree with you about Kyle. It's great to see him clean up in Trucks and Nationwide, but I think if he took at least 1 night a weekend off, he'd win a lot more Cup races, he'd probably have a title by now. I still want to see Mark Martin get a trophy before he's done. He's damn well earned it, but every time he gets screwed somehow.

That was good racing at the end and I'm happy Gordon won. I'm also very tired of Jimmie Johnson winning the championship I would like to see Dale Jr and Gordon do better or Mark Martin finally win the championship like you said he just a really good guy. As for Chad Knaus he most definitely does cheat and gets away with it but I also think he is the smartest crew chief out there.

Rodimus Prime wrote:That was good racing between Kyle and Jeff there, though Jeff had it in the bag at the end. Man, that wreck took out a bunch of people. Too bad Jimmie got through it. And I'm not just talking crap when I say Knaus cheats. He's been caught 4-5 times. Which means he's probably gotten away with it at least twice as much. I also agree with you about Kyle. It's great to see him clean up in Trucks and Nationwide, but I think if he took at least 1 night a weekend off, he'd win a lot more Cup races, he'd probably have a title by now. I still want to see Mark Martin get a trophy before he's done. He's damn well earned it, but every time he gets screwed somehow.

To be honest, I think too much racing can to more harm than good. A lot of drivers say just one race is mentally draining. But if you do three a week on average, you have to feel like crap going into that third one. Some say doing the other divisions is good practice for the Cup series, but I think it can be overdone. I think it's better to put more focus and effort on the big series. I mean, Gordon raced full time Nationwide for what, 2-3 years? Then he went to Cup and won four championships, only racing a few Nationwide races here and there from '99-'00, and he hasn't raced in another Nationwide race since 2000 to my knowledge (but hasn't won a Cup since '01). Heck, even Jimmie Johnson cut down on Nationwide and Truck races after he got the full time deal with Hendrick. Dale Earnhardt didn't even dedicate much of his career to Nationwide races like Edwards and Busch, and he won seven championships. Yet Busch and Edwards can win Nationwide championships and races, but not so much with Cup anymore. Unfortunately, Mark Martin has been doing the Cup-only thing for a few years and has yet to win that trophy. Poor guy...
He has a better chance than Joonyur though.

Michael Waltrip has a better chance that Dale Jr. I cringe every time I see him in that top notch Hendrick equipment, and think of how much an actual talented driver could accomplish with that stuff. And I live in South Georgia, and here everyone thinks Jr. is god. I walk around wearing my #18 hat, shirt, and in winter my jacket, and I get stares and sneers. Seriously.

Rodimus Prime wrote:Michael Waltrip has a better chance that Dale Jr. I cringe every time I see him in that top notch Hendrick equipment, and think of how much an actual talented driver could accomplish with that stuff. And I live in South Georgia, and here everyone thinks Jr. is god. I walk around wearing my #18 hat, shirt, and in winter my jacket, and I get stares and sneers. Seriously.

Haha I have no doubts you get sneered at walking around in #18 gear everybody I talk to hates him. I don't agree with Waltrip performing better in Hendrick gear than Dale Jr I think Junior has more talent than Waltrip. I can't wait for Khane to get Hendrick stuff. Now that might be a good show.

Rodimus Prime wrote:Michael Waltrip has a better chance that Dale Jr. I cringe every time I see him in that top notch Hendrick equipment, and think of how much an actual talented driver could accomplish with that stuff. And I live in South Georgia, and here everyone thinks Jr. is god. I walk around wearing my #18 hat, shirt, and in winter my jacket, and I get stares and sneers. Seriously.

Eh...everyone I know hates Kyle. I even used to hate him, but I think he's grown up a bit. You just have to adapt to those close-minded people I guess. Up in my parts, no one can identify NASCAR gear when they see it. And if you give them a nice well-developed paragraph of what it is, they call you a redneck. Very classy. Oh, apparently I'm also gay just for being a Jeff Gordon fan...which I'm not, but whatever. That's why I wear my #7 GoDaddy.com hat now.
And I think Dale Jr should just be a car owner and retire from the driving portion. He is nothing like his father was. I don't hate the guy though. I mean, I'm a huge Hendrick fan in general, and I was glad to see him let go of that crap team the evil stepmother owns, but it just annoys me that he's so slagging popular and keeps getting more popular with 30th place finishes every week. I just thought he'd do better with some of the best equipment in the business. Of course, he can satisfy his fans more than enough by slapping a #3 decal on a Nationwide car and beat a bunch of kids. Okay...maybe I bought the diecast car...while I was at JR Motorsports last summer...and maybe I took a bunch of pics of that 3 car at the Hall of Fame. I'm such a hypocrite.
(It is really cool in person though, but more so is the Hendrick complex)

Of all the drivers out there now, Kyle reminds me most of Dale Sr. I didn't become a NASCAR fan until the mid-90s, but even then he was a lot of fun to watch. I still remember that 1998 Daytona 500, when he finally won it. I also remember the 2007 Daytona 500, and it makes me want to bitch slap Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth. Harvick got Sr.'s ride, and was never able to do anything significant with it. He gets lucky once in a while, and that's it. As for people hating Kyle, it just makes me even prouder to be his supporter and knowing that I don't cower and change when it's not looking pretty.

I don't mind Kyle Busch as much as use to. I loved watching him race against Martin Truex Jr. for the Busch Series championship. Kyle is a great driver I just hated his attitude he had when he was a rookie. He seems a lot more leveled headed now maybe since he got married. I'm still not gonna root for him but I'm not gonna talk crap anymore either. He has proved himself a more than worthy NASCAR driver.

Anyone catch that crazy Nationwide race? How about Mark Martin getting himself another Vegas win. And the highest finish for a female in NASCAR- 4th place by Danica Patrick. But a shame that Kyle got screwed up.

Yeah. And his engine just blew up in the Cup race. Hopefully Mark can finish strong, maybe even win, and keep going forward in points.

Slaggit! Gordon blew a tire and hit the wall. I pray that #48 does not see victory lane. I'm pulling for Mark Martin and Dale Jr now.

Yeah, I hope Johnson never wins again, and hopefully Martin and Kyle get better luck. I don't want to see Jr. win anything either, he's not good enough.

Rodimus Prime wrote:Yeah, I hope Johnson never wins again, and hopefully Martin and Kyle get better luck. I don't want to see Jr. win anything either, he's not good enough.

Johnson could use a nice long hiatus from victory lane. Gordon had a couple and I fear he'll start the trend again. Mark Martin has had them and is in one. Junior's will never end. Even Kyle Busch is in one. Why can't Johnson get a nice long break? WHY WHY WHY! (If you think about it, almost everyone is in a victory hiatus because of Johnson)
Ahem...anyway, anyone notice that a PETTY car made into not only the top ten but the top FIVE? It must be a sign of the apocalypse. Kudos to Marcos Ambrose though.

By the way, the #18 car was on display in the Toyota section of the Cleveland Auto Show. Didn't really look at the Toyotas though, so unfortunately no pics. At least I got to see the ROTF Bumblebee and Sideswipe.