Daytona 500

I myself am a huge NASCAR fan, and my favorite driver for 3 years now, Jimmie Johnson, has won. What a great race it was for me to watch. This morning I looked at my diecast car and said, today's the day. And was I right. He stayed in the top 10 all day and his team dominated during pitstops. And his crew cheif Chad Knaus wasn;t even there after being ejected after qualifying. Its a pretty sweet day for me and all of Hendricks Motorsports!

the only thing i hate about nascar is that they have that rule about not being able to race back to the finish line, i have always hated that rule, and always will.

Yeah, that would of changed alot of positions after Jimmie. He was going to win no matter what though. He was so far ahead after Casey Mears gave him that push on the back stretch. But Junior could have easily gotten higher than 8th.

nascar race is cool to watch but some time its boring cause it last so long but that is nice that ur hero won the race jakizle

Nascar is great but sometimes you just get the feeling that the announcers are running out of stuff to talk about. So they always have someone go find out some strange piece of fact and then report on it. Its the stuff like, "When the number 8 car came into the pits during that yellow somepitcrewguy gave Earnhart his lucky gum, lets watch to see if it makes a difference."

Hendrick's wins .... TJ is happy.
Sad about Knaus though, dang shame.

NASCAR sucks. Has sucked for quite a few years. Nothing but a grown mans soap opera.

Originally posted by TConwell

Hendrick's wins .... TJ is happy.
Sad about Knaus though, dang shame.

For a long time it looked as they would pull of a one two finish. Jimmie and Brian Vickers ran together for about the last 40 to 30 laps. Jeff Gordon)who I actually hate) was pretty much done for when he and Tony Stewart made contact and hit the wall around lap 40.

Knaus may be suspended for 2 or 3 more races, but its pretty cool for Grubb to get his first win as a crew cheif in the Daytona 500.

lol, I must say I agree. I cannot watch a car go in an identical circle over and over again for 200 laps...Period.

Being there is so much better, trust me. At a Richmond race I went to the season before last it was pretty cool. When there was a crash it sounded like a bomb went off. It was an exciting experience, and Nascar really does a nice job with all the festivities over race weekends.

Agreed Jak -- I go to Dega ... we love it!

Originally posted by Real

NASCAR sucks. Has sucked for quite a few years. Nothing but a grown mans soap opera.

I'm sorry, but this one is deserved:

I liked watching the daytona 500 I was at my frends house waching the race. I am glad that jimmie Jonhson won the dayton 500 I think that he relly disred the win. The only bad thing about nascar racing is that Dale earht sr died 5 years ago in the 01 daytona 500 I liked dale eanhart sr he was a good driver I like his son eanhart jr and Kavin Havick as nascar drivers I also like Jimmie Jonhson I like him becuse he drivs a chavy. I clect nascar diecast cars I have alot of dale eanhart diecast I have his 01 oreo bubwaser car that was in the shotout it is a 1.32 scale diecast repace of his car I also have a Jimmie Jonhson diecast car that he raced in the year he was a rocke driver it is a car that he raced in the lonly tones race at richmad that is the only Jimmie Jonhson diecast car that I have it is a 1.18 scale diecast car I aslo have a dale eanhart jr oreo car in 1.18 scale it is car number 3 the car that dale eanhart jr won with in 02 at the bush race at daytona. I am glad that there was no big wrack in this years daytona 500 it was a good race I am happy were dale eanahrt jr finsed in the daytona500 I am also gald that jimmie Jonhson won the race I like hendrick Motorsports I aslo like RCR racing two and DEI racing they are my favorte racing temes.

To be honest, i've never watched NASCAR. I don't exactly fell like it either, but its good that that guy won since u ppl like him.

I enjoyed the race, but I really wish there wouldn't have been 2 cautions at the end. If the race hadn't have gone green/white/checkered, the finish would have been a heck of a lot closer than it was. Dale Jr was catching up really fast with 5 to go, and everyone was stacked up behind Jimmy Johnson.

[hyyyper]

F1>NASCAR

except for last year, in the USGP at Indiapolis

[gouldy]

NASCAR is ok, as a motorsport it really does, really really suck, they drive around in a big circle for hours for christs sake, it's hardly the most mentally tasking thing is it? . However, I happen to be quite a fan of destruction and fire and crashes and pain etc etc... and NASCAR has had some of the most spectacular crashes I have ever seen, thus cancelling out the boredem aquired by wacthing a load of yokels driving round an extremely unimaginative track . So, if it's on and there is nothing else on, I'll have it on, just incase there is a big crash, but otherwise ... meh.

Dega with 28 cars smoking in one turn...exciting stuff there my friend.As long as drivers are able to stay safe, im all for watching crashes and stuff. Alot of the tracks are different though. For instance one week you may be going 190 m.p.h around Atlanta, then the next week you'll be going 120 around .5 mile Bristol. The only tracks that are evry similar to each other are Kansas and Michigan, and then Texas and Atlanta. Other than that they are all unique in their own ways.

[gouldy]

because they go at a different speed on them?

Look at F1 tracks for instance, it isn't like the only difference between them, is the speed you travel on them is it?

NAscar tracks are all different in their own ways. A couple degrees of banking can change your setup a ton. And most tracks are longer than others, or have different shaped turns.

The races aren't just about the actual on track stuff either. Teams spend weeks preparing their cars and they have to make all those calls on pit road. Take 4, 2, or gas and go?

Here is an anlaysis of how most of the NASCAR tracks are different. And even though a lot of them look the same, they all drive completely differently (as you can see from the banking degrees and the track's top lap speeds). As usual, I don't know when to stop, and I'm going to spend the next 2 hours writing just to prove a point, so stay with me on this one.


Tracks that are similar:`


Restrictor plate tracks:

High-banked turns, a very long back straightaway, and a big sweeping turn in the front combined with 2 short straight sections. The racing on these tracks is characterized by tight packs drafting off of each-other, full-gas racing, lots of lead changes, and gigantic crashes. Before the restrictor plate was mandated, speeds at these tracks approached nearly 220 mph.

-Daytona: 2.5 miles, 31 degree banking, 190 mph
-Talladega: 2.66 miles, 33 degree banking, 195 mph


D-shaped tracks:

These tracks have a large sweeping curve in place of a front straightaway, forming a shape that looks like a rounded "D" from the top. They are very fast, and many drivers favorites because they combine the speed of superspeedways with the skillful turns of smaller tracks.

-Michigan: 2 miles, 18 degree banking, 194 mph
-California: 2 miles, 14 degree banking, 188 mph


Double-dogleg tracks:

These tracks are similar to the big restrictor plate tracks, only they are smaller and have 3 straight segments called a "quad oval" instead of a curve as the front section. These are the fastest tracks on the NASCAR circuit, generating speeds of nearly 200 miles per hour.

-Charlotte: 1.5 miles, 24 degree banking, 193 mph
-Atlanta: 1.54 miles, 24 degree banking, 197 mph
-Texas: 1.5 miles, 24 degree banking, 194 mph


1.5 mile tri-oval tracks:

These tracks are considered by many to be the "ideal" tracks. They are basically the same shape as the restrictor plate tracks, but 1 mile shorter. The turns are notoriously narrow-laned, and the speeds can get over 190 mph on the straightaways.

-Las Vegas: 12 degree banking, 175 mph
-Chicagoland: 18 degree banking, 188 mph
-Kansas: 15 degree banking, 181 mph


That is where the similarities end. Every other track on the NASCAR circuit has a style completely of its own. They can be classified as groups, but they are all so different that there is little similarity.



Tracks that are original:


Short Tracks:

Bristol: 0.533 miles, 36 degree banking, 129 mph
This is the "short track that thinks its a superspeedway". Bristol has the highest banking on the Nascar circuit, and is famous for its bumping-and-banging racing with multiple wrecks. The speeds are surprisingly fast due to the high banking.

Martinsville: 0.526 miles, 12 degree banking, 98 mph
While Bristol handles like a superspeedway, Martinsville is like 2 drag strips and 2 stop lights. The corners have nearly flat banking, and they are incredibly tight even for a short track. This track is historically murder on cars and brakes because of how much flooring the gas, slamming the brakes, and bumping other cars goes on.

New Hampshire: 1 mile, 12 degree banking, 117 mph
Loudon is not technically a short track, but it drives like one. The corners are notoriously tricky, and Turn 2 on this track sees more single-car wrecks than any other turn on the NASCAR circuit.


Road Courses: (similar to the Formula 1 tracks...)

Watkins Glen: 2.45 miles, 11 turns, no banking, 181 mph
This track has much faster yet less tricky turns when compared to Sears Point. There are no hairpins, but the infamous "inner loop" on the back straightaway is very tough.

Sears Point: 1.99 miles, 13 turns, no banking, 94 mph
With its endless changes in terrain height, Sears Point is recognized as one of the most difficult tracks on the circuit. Its first four turns are all very tight, heading uphill, and then there are the track's famous "esses", which weave left and right four times. The hairpin turn at the end requires racers to slow down from a 120 mph straightaway to a 35 mph turn.


Other:

Dover: 1 mile, 24 degree banking, 161 mph
Nicknamed "The Monster Mile", Dover is known for its blistering fast speeds despite its one mile length. It rides a lot like an oversized version of Bristol.

Darlington: 1.366 miles, 25/23 degree banking, 174 mph
Known as the "Track that's too tough to tame" because of its maddening egg shape. The driving lanes are very narrow, and this track is notorious for single-car wrecks coming off of the corners.

Phoenix: 1 mile, 5 turns, 11/9 degree banking, 136 mph
This track is shaped unlike any other... it has 4 nearly flat turns, with a dogleg in the middle of the back straight. Heat and dehydration are the most common problems at this track.

Richmond: 0.75 miles, 14 degree banking, 130 mph
Richmond is considered to be one of the most unique tracks on the NASCAR schedule. It is shaped like a "D", like Michigan and California, but is less than half the size. This track is notoriously tough on brakes, and you will often see the brakes glowing red-hot during the race.

Pocono: 2.5 miles, 14/8/6 degree banking, 172 mph
Pocono is one-of-a kind. It has only three turns, and 2 gigantic straightaways. Each turn rides differently, which makes it very difficult to set your car up correctly. Turn one is very tight, but has high banking. Turn 2 is more like a superspeedway turn. Turn three is one of the toughest turns on the circuit; almost completely flat, and carrying a tight exit onto the huge front straightaway.

Homestead: 1.5 miles, 20 degree banking, 181 mph
Homestead is a very large oval track, generating high speeds along its 1.5 mile oval. The turns feel very flat compared to other tracks of the same size, but they drive as smooth as silk.

Indianapolis: 2.5 miles, 9 degrees banking, 186 mph
Nothing beats the classics. Indianapoils is a fast, intense track with close racing and an interesting 4-turn configuration with a small straightaway in the middle of the end turns.

(i'll put in pics of the track profiles later for anyone who cares. too lazy to do it now...)
.

Originally posted by TConwell

Agreed Jak -- I go to Dega ... we love it!

Originally posted by Real

NASCAR sucks. Has sucked for quite a few years. Nothing but a grown mans soap opera.

I'm sorry, but this one is deserved:

Seriously. Hows it not? Ever since Earnhardt died and the sport got young have we seen headlines about drivers cussing each other out, getting into fist fights and shoving and pushing on and off the track.

Thats not racing, thats immaturity. Look at tony Stewart who complained before the race that people would drive crazy and who got penalized?

Sure they bumped and grinded back in the day but they were civil. Maybe a "Hey, what were you thinking?" In an interview but no physical contact. Its racing, bumping happens. But for some reason todays kids think that the person who can bump is them.

I watched NASCAR back when it was actually racing and not some giant soap opera. Now its a bunch of punk kids trying to make a name for themselves. Its gotten so glorified that its lost its luster. Ill watch an ESPN classic race over anything out there these days. Its just more like a staged event than a motor racing event. Id compare it to the WWE. Nothing but glitz and glory and no heart - no racing.

Actually, Dale Earnhardt got quite a bit more than "what were you thinking?" when he came on to the circuit. There is quite a bit more hostility now, but it was there in the past... just less prominent.

This is not unique to NASCAR, however. It seems that just about every single sport is having the same problems. Remember what happened in the NBA with Artest? that was 10 times worse. Then there was the showboating at the Olympics, the steroids in baseball, and the fights in hockey and football just to name a few. Sportsmanship and respect are falling, egos are rising. It's detestable.

Oh, its not just with NASCAR. But even in the past, while it was there, it wasnt prominant because it was handled fairly maturely. You didnt see the bickering and fighting that went on.

Easy way to show this is look at the amount of suspensions and probations on the drivers over the past 5 years or so and then back when Gordon and Earnhardt were in their hay-days.


Im not a Dale fan for sure, never really liked him but I realize racing was better off with him than it is with the yo-ho's we have now.

Case in point:

Its only the first race and its already started-
http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/wcSto ... Id=5349764

Snippits on Stewart
http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/5347574
http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/5346468

At times like this, I'm glad to be a Dale Jr. fan... he's one of the most respectable young drivers on the circuit.