2021 NASCAR thread

Watch the replay. He came up and got ahead of the 24 and the 21. The 24 and 21 fought back in the tri-oval, overtaking the 11 briefly before the 11 overtook the others exiting the tri-oval.

 

IDK, there wasn't a crash. I was in the tri-oval and the leaders rolled by me just fine. But it's all over. NASCAR said their piece. They always show favoritism to playoff contenders when we get down to the final 10 races. It was an exciting race and I'm not upset with my decision to go, but man it really bites when NASCAR shows once again that they can play fast & loose with the rulebook. Cars were crashing on the backstretch 10 seconds before all this and they didn't throw a caution flag and freeze the field like they did all weekend for the other finishes.
I REALLY want to attend the Wood Brothers' 100th win and I thought it was going to be yesterday. Welp, heading on to Charlotte this weekend...

 

They didn't end up crashing, but the 20, the 21, the 24 and some others were getting tangled up and managed to save their cars.

 

Exactly. If it was a legitimate crash in front of the pack, NASCAR, in all their concern for driver safety, would've frozen the field at that moment like the did all weekend.

 

The point is that Hamlin went low to avoid the 4 cars that were getting together. They ended up saving it, but could have easily been much worse, especially if Hamlin didn't go low.

I'm not arguing everything about them not throwing a yellow though. They haven't been doing that for last lap crashes at super speedways for the last couple years unless the crash was near the front. I can only imagine they did it for the other two series because they weren't the high dollar events that garnered the exciting finish. Had they opted to throw the yellow though, they should have done so with the first wreck on the backstretch.

 

Pretty simple. Lol

 

So... I had a cool thing happen to me.

After the race I had posted an emotional plea to the Wood Brothers brass in a Facebook Wood Brothers fan group for keepingMatty D. Didn't really think it would amount to much but I just needed to vent some of the pent up emotion on how the race played out.

Well... one of the members of the organization reached out to me and gave me a little insight from within.

It breaks down like this: Penske pretty much calls the on track shots for WBR... they build and supply the cars, crew, and engines... so they get a major say in who drives as well. Oh... and the major sponsors sans Motorcraft came from them as well.

There ready for Cindric to move up and they ain't gonna put him in the other 3 cars they field. The sponsors Penske supplies are on board with that plan. Motorcraft only sponsors 14 races so if they buck what Penske wants they only have enough funds for 1/2 a season.

Apparently there's all kinds of negotiations behind the scenes because Wood and co really want Matt to stay and Penske wants a ride for their up and coming glory boy.

And now you know... the rest... of the story.

Good day.

 

That's cool that they reached out to you! Historically, the Woods were most successful as a part-time team, which they were for the bulk of their existence. David Pearson would've won more races and championships than his 105/3 of each, had he run full seasons. They returned to part-time racing '08-'15 before Blaney came on board with full Penske backing. The Woods have been on the ropes for a while. Alliances with JTG and Roush-Fenway got them through the leanest years but they had to surrender more and more control with each alliance. At this point, the Woods manage a museum and outsource the whole of the racing operation to Penske which, as you pointed out, is good and bad. Much like "Richard Petty Motorsports," the day to day operations are entirely out of the King's hands. The Woods sure have had a heap of talent drive for the over the years:
Curtis Turner, Marvin Panch, Fireball Roberts, Parnelli Jones, Tiny Lund, Junior Johnson, Speedy Thompson, Fred Lorenzen, Cale Yarborough, Dan Gurney, AJ Foyt, Donnie Allison, David Pearson, Buddy Baker, Kyle Petty, Neil Bonnett, Dale Jarrett, Morgan Shephard, Michael Waltrip, Elliott Sadler, Ricky Rudd, Bill Elliott, Kenny Schrader, Marcos Ambrose, Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ryan Blaney, Paul Menard, Matt DiBennedetto.
I think Blaney was the best fit for the team since Dale Jarrett.

 

Bowman in the 48 next year. Wonder who is getting the 88?

 

Probably no one. Rick's funded the 88 team out of pocket nearly all season. I knew there was a number shift in store for HMS but I hoped they'd shift Bowman to the #25, given his personality and appreciation for Tim Richmond.

 

They are supposedly going to have 4 cars next year, but i have heard it may be 3 cars. Matty D may get that ride.

 

If Larson winds up in the 14 or 88 next year it’s not gonna be a good look for NASCAR and I think a couple of y’all might know why.

 

They need to really start using different numbers. The 24, 48, and 88 should be retired at least for a few years. Bring back the 5 and 25.

 

I've been saying this for a while. Bowyer is ready for his move to the booth. Larson doesn't have the talent/success to come back into a ride like Hendrick, especially after Chevrolet parted ways with him. Plus everyone seems to be forgetting that Erik Jones still needs a ride.

 

Briscoe is soooo getting the 14 seat.

Larson is probably getting a ride with his old business partner... we will hear more about that tomorrow.

From the vibe I got from the guy I talked to in the Wood Brothers organization it sounds like they are searching for a solution to keep Matt and Bring Austin up via some other avenue. All depends on Penske and their sponsors.

 

Why is that? Most that mess up get a chance to make amends and return to racing.

 

But I would dare to say things are different now

 

I can't think of the dude's name off the top of my head... But he is supposed to announce tomorrow he's creating a team.

Whatever his name was I had read somewhere that Larson had partnered with him for a Sprint car team back in like 2013.

 

Daniel Suarez to drive for Trackhouse Racing

Trackhouse Entertainment Group announced Wednesday the formation of a new NASCAR Cup Series team that will make its on-track debut at the 2021 Daytona 500.

Piloting the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will be 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and NASCAR Cup Series veteran Daniel Suárez. The Trackhouse Racing Team has entered into an embedded operational alliance with Richard Childress Racing that enables Trackhouse to utilize the technology, intellectual property, human capital and engineering developed over decades of championship-caliber competition. Trackhouse will be powered by ECR Engines, which recently announced a merged research and development partnership with Chevrolet powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports.

"The formation of a top-level NASCAR Cup Series team has been a dream of mine for a long time," said Justin Marks, founder and owner of Trackhouse Entertainment Group. "A lot of hard work has transpired to get us to this point and I don’t think we could’ve ended up with better partners in RCR and Chevrolet and with a more passionate and committed driver than Daniel Suárez. Daniel’s drive and hunger to get to the top of this sport is palpable every time I am in his presence. We are building a team of winners and Daniel has delivered just about every time he’s sat in race winning equipment. It’s my job now to put a car underneath him that will carry him to the highest echelon of the sport."

https://www.jayski.com/2020/10/07/daniel-suarez-to-drive-for-trackhouse-racing/

 

Any word on Kaulig stepping up to Cup next year?