2021 NASCAR thread

Awesome race !!!

Hope Nascar adds this race to next seasons schedule

 

#9

Hell yeah!!!!!!

 

They just need to name that chicane "The Bottomless Pit."

 

Or implement a time penalty for cutting the track. Same with Turn 6 (exiting infield going into NASCAR 1).

 

When I worked for NASCAR I tried to put that bug in the ears of a lot of the ops folks and the track president. Reception was about 50/50. Biggest issue would have been with the Coca-Cola wanting the race run on the oval.

 

Harvick !!!

 

#MK42

 

Auto racing Marathon starts now !!!!!!

Xfinity and Cup cars rd #2 from Dover and the Indy 500

 

Interesting video about my original favorite driver.

 

Harvick !!!!!!!

 

I'm hoping for a good finish for the #48

 

Well there goes Harvick's 5.50 seconds lead

 

Awesome finish for Harvick and Jimmy Johnson !!!!!

 

Kind of a revisionist narrative. Ernie came back to Yates, won some more, had some sponsor obligation. Issues with Texaco, moved on to an upstart team with a big sponsor, suffered another brutal practice wreck at Michigan and retired.
The “what if” questions are certainly valid.
The real curious thing is how Dale Earnhardt was set to pilot the #28 and Dale Jarrett was set to run his own Yates satellite team before things fell apart at the last minute.

 

Hamlin and Harvick are clearly the cream of the crop this year. Who will fill the other two spots at season's end? Can anyone come on hot this late in the season? Blaney started the year hot but has faded in August. Chase Elliott is up and down. Kyle Busch is a featherless arrow most days. Logano and Keselowski are lurking but certainly not on their A-game.

 

Based on the data this is probably the most bonkers wildcard race of the season. Chevy & Ford nearly split the wins over the past decade. There hasn't been a multi-time winner since Tony Stewart nearly a decade ago ('12, '09, '06, '05). The statistically "top" driver's average finishes are 15th-18th, the only winners among them are fifth and tenth best. The finishing distance is highly unpredictable. From a race-strategy standpoint, the only consistent formula is "Go fast, turn left, stop when the shiny man waves the checkerboard on a stick at you." Instead of yelling boogity-boogity-boogity at the green, they should simply say "Let's get stupid, dummy-dummies!"

Daytona Coke/Pepsi/Firecracker 400:
(2010-2019)

Manufacturer wins:
Chevy- 5 (Harvick, Johnson, Haley, Stewart, Earnhardt Jr.)
Ford- 4 (Almirola, Keselowski, Stenhouse, Ragan)
Toyota- 1 (Jones)

Previous Active Winners:
Harvick- 1 (OT)
Johnson- 1 (OT)
Almirola- 1 (rain)
Keselowski- 1 (OT)
Stenhouse-1 (OT)
Jones-1 (OT)
Haley- 1 (rain)

Best Driver Averages at Daytona*:
A. Dillon 14.86
C. Bowyer 16.45
B. Wallace 16.5
D. Hamlin 16.79
K. Harvick 17.5
J. Logano 17.78
A. Bowman 17.88
Ku Busch 18.1
R. Newman 18.16
J. Johnson 18.35

(* Excluding Haley and JH Nemechek's one-offs)

Interesting note: Only once in the past ten years has the race run the official distance of 400 miles. 7/10 past events have gone into overtime. 2/10 called short due to rain.

 

Anticipated 2021 moves:

5- Jones, DiBenedetto, Wallace, Lajoie, Nemechek? number change from 48. Rumor has it Rick wants to shift back to his original car numbers.
25- Bowman. Number change from 88. Rumor has it Rick wants to shift back to his original car numbers.
14- Larson with Haas sponsorship and some Rush support since no sponsor will touch him.
21- Cindric. One season with Wood Brothers waiting on Keselowski to retire. Penske will move Blaney to the #2, and Cindric to the #12 in '22.
32- Briscoe. One season to show Almirola out the door before giving him the #10 at SHR.
34- Lajoie?
37- Lajoie, Jones?
42- Chastain is the Ganassi development driver who seems to be languishing in Xfinity.
43- Wallace, Allmendinger? Wallace is playing real coy right now. Petty *could* get fed up and move on to another eager driver.
77- Spire expanding to a two-car team, probably Haley and another youngin' trying to get into Cup with Dad's money.
96- If ANYTHING is offered to Suarez, I imagine he'll take it over the Gaunt entry.

 

9 points north of the cutoff... fingers crossed.

And I'd hate to root for a Hendrick car given all my years of disdain for them... but I like the possibility of big money race team.

 

Crazy rumors swirling about a 23/43 RPM two-car team with Dennis Hamlin and Michael Jordan as the majority owners. Bubba Wallace and Daniel Hemric driving.

 

'Tis the eve of destruction. Vegas insider has the following odds:

Hamlin 13/2
Harvick 10/1
Keselowski 12/1
Logano 12/1
Blaney 14/1
Ky Busch 14/1
Elliott 14/1
Truex 16/1
Johnson18/1
Ku Busch 20/1