5AF NASCAR thread (all levels including ARCA, ASA, etc)

[Freddy Rumsen]

He's going to be the most miserable person on earth this time next year.

45 year-old man child.

[relantel]

Stewart suffers fractured L1 vertebra, out indefinitely. Expected to be back in 2016, just not for Daytona. No word on replacement.

[shafnutz05]

Wow, what a waste. Only has himself to blame though. Guess he'll miss his last chance to win Daytona.

[Freddy Rumsen]

SHR just needs to get the Clint Bowyer era started now.

[relantel]

I get the impression that Stewart will be running the 2017 Daytona 500 now to get that one last chance.

[Freddy Rumsen]

https://twitter.com/NBCSports/status/695441782675365892

[relantel]

Now that we're past the Super Bowl and into Speedweeks...

For those that remember Jerry Nadeau, whose career ended from a head injury in 2003:

In addition to his work on the track and with teen drivers, Nadeau has also been focused on reaching out to others who have suffered a traumatic brain injury.

“People don’t realize that when you have a brain injury, it messes a lot with your computer,” Nadeau said. “Your body is a computer and when you have a brain injury, it hurts that computer.

“I feel for anybody and everybody who has had this kind of injury. It would be cool if I could unzip my body and have you jump in it and tell me what you think. Everyone looks at me and they say that I look like nothing ever happened. But they have no clue unless they could feel and sense what I do.”

http://www.popularspeed.com/nascar-then ... ry-nadeau/

[relantel]

NASCAR set to announce charter system tomorrow, reduce fields to 40 cars (per Jayski)

Why they feel necessary to link the two, I don't know. They've been at 43 for three decades. Their previous solution to the issue was the Top-35 rule after a race where Johnny Benson, 21st in points, was too far down the priority list for provisionals to miss a race. This is a return to that concept, except it guarantees the same 36 no matter the points, and allows for the formal sale of a "medallion" much like they sold owners points in years past between teams. NASCAR wants to be like the stick-and-ball sports. But in the process, they take out the very thing that it used to be. Fastest cars show up, fastest cars race. Now cars with the money show up, and cars with money race, whether fast or not.

[dodint]

Source of the post “People don’t realize that when you have a brain injury, it messes a lot with your computer,” Nadeau said.

Sneaky attack vector. Similar to fuzzing, I reckon.

[Freddy Rumsen]

I honest to goodness thought Jerry Nadeua was dead.

[relantel]

It's official.

40 car fields.

36 owners guaranteed spots. With some minimum performance standards. (I.e. no start & parks). Must attempt all races. Had to race full time since 2013. I.e. 19 Edwards and 41 Busch don't get medallions and have to buy theirs from MWR.

http://www.jayski.com/news/pages/story/ ... arterteams

No word yet on how this affects Daytona qualifying races.

Oh, and 60+ year team Wood Brothers, returning full time in 2016, doesn't get one.

[relantel]

Pending medical clearance by NASCAR, Brian Vickers reported to Stewart's sub for Daytona.

[CBear3]

Re: Franchising
Yet again NASCAR is addressing symptoms, rather than the problem of crappy, contrived racing.
I also find it highly suspect that after two years of discussions the deal gets done a week before track activity at Daytona where the lead negotiator would have lost his "tokens." You had people gearing up for this season only to have the rug pulled out from under them.

Just a false of the sport it used to be.

[Freddy Rumsen]

I have not paid one whit of attention to NASCAR since the "oops" Clint Bowyer spin in 2013.

[relantel]

Holy convoluted...
http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-S ... anges.aspx

NASCAR Overtime

For all three NASCAR national series, a race may be concluded with overtime, consisting of a new procedure for a green-white-checkered finish featuring an "overtime line." The location of the overtime line will vary by track.

After taking the green flag on the overtime restart, if the leader then passes the overtime line on the first lap under green before a caution comes out (a "clean restart"), it will be considered a valid green-white-checkered attempt. However, if a caution comes out before the leader passes the overtime line on the first lap under green, it will not be considered a valid attempt and a subsequent attempt will be made. If necessary, multiple subsequent attempts will be made until a valid attempt occurs.

Once a valid attempt is achieved (clean restart), it will become the only attempt at a green-white-checkered finish. If a caution comes out at any time during the valid green-white-checkered attempt, the field will be frozen and the checkered/yellow or checkered/red will be displayed to cars at the finish line.

[relantel]

https://twitter.com/FOXSportsPR/status/ ... 2155051008

[shafnutz05]

Holy convoluted...
http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-S ... anges.aspx

NASCAR Overtime

For all three NASCAR national series, a race may be concluded with overtime, consisting of a new procedure for a green-white-checkered finish featuring an "overtime line." The location of the overtime line will vary by track.

After taking the green flag on the overtime restart, if the leader then passes the overtime line on the first lap under green before a caution comes out (a "clean restart"), it will be considered a valid green-white-checkered attempt. However, if a caution comes out before the leader passes the overtime line on the first lap under green, it will not be considered a valid attempt and a subsequent attempt will be made. If necessary, multiple subsequent attempts will be made until a valid attempt occurs.

Once a valid attempt is achieved (clean restart), it will become the only attempt at a green-white-checkered finish. If a caution comes out at any time during the valid green-white-checkered attempt, the field will be frozen and the checkered/yellow or checkered/red will be displayed to cars at the finish line.

This sport is dead

[relantel]

@shafnutz05 - it's been messed up ever since they went to freeze-the-field rule. Became a judgment call instead of definitive finish at the start finish line.

[relantel]

Hamlin wins wreckfest last night, Chase Elliott on 500 Pole after Jr, fastest in first round, can't match in 2nd round. Puts 24/88 in the first duel on Thursday night. Blaney & DiBenedetto non-charter now locked in to 500 on time. Top non-charter in each duel is in.

(Not that it matters a bit but this method of second round qualifying isn't what I had in mind. Why they insist on messing with Daytona like this I don't know. But of all the stuff they've done the last two weeks that's the least of our worries.

[relantel]

Read this morning that NASCAR is no longer publishing the winnings starting this year, something they have done since their inception in 1948. Statistically, this screws up career winnings computations.
http://nascar.nbcsports.com/2016/02/13/ ... ox-scores/

Apparently this is a direct result of the new Charter system.

[Freddy Rumsen]

NASCAR will be below IRL within ten years.

[relantel]

NASCAR will be below IRL within ten years.

That's a hard fall. But they seem to be making many of the same mistakes CART made.

[relantel]

MRN Classics on Friday aired the 1998 Daytona 500. Allen Bestwick was lead anchor for prerace. Barney Hall for the race, with Joe Moore also on the broadcast.

That year's 2nd Twin 125 saw Earnhardt lead wire to wire for the 2nd time (1991), with Michael Waltrip finishing 2nd. It was the 11th (of 12) heat race Dale would win, and the 9th in a row (would win #10 in 1999 - won in 83, 86, and 90-99). During the 10 year run, the fewest laps led was 21.

http://www.mrn.com/Media-Center/MRN-Sho ... Races.aspx
(Direct URL - http://www.mrn.com/Media-Center/MRN-Sho ... ca15624a1a )

[relantel]

15 years since Earnhardt's death. Let that one sink in.

[CBear3]

15 years since Earnhardt's death. Let that one sink in.

Was there. Look at the sport today and you'd imagine it was a lot longer.