2021 NASCAR thread

Ready for Dover!

 

Dover Numbers:
(over past ten years)

Manufacturer Wins:
Toyota-5
Ford- 3
Chevy-10

Top Active Driver Wins:
Ku Busch -1
Ky Busch -1
Elliott -1
Larson -1
Hamiln -1
Keselowski-1
Truex -2
Harvick-3

Recent Average Finish:
Larson 7.42
Custer 10.5
Elliott 11.3
Truex 11.5
Keselowski 12.64
Jones 13
Harvick 13.5
Logano 13.58
Suarez 13.75
Ky Busch 13.84

Notes:
Dover used to be Jimmie Johnson-land. Chevy is great here. Hendrick is great here. Signs point to Larson, Truex, and Harvick here. Harvick looked good early last week. Larson looked good late. Truex looked good all day. Elliott's stats are decent here. Barring one of those street-sweeper-style Dover wrecks, I can see the 5, 19, 4 in victory lane. Maybe the 9 if they can get out of the post-championship slump. Jones isn't bad here, beating Harvick's avg. finish. Suarez is a tick behind him, near-equalling Harvick and Logano in average performance.

 

18, 9, 5

 

Looking like a long day for the 18 team.

 

Congratulations 48. Total domination by Hendrick Motorsports!

 

I was bored before the first stage ended.

 

I did yard work after stage 1. Caught the final 4 laps.

 

The Kyle Busch fan was a little exciting .

 

The next race is a new wild card! Circuit of the Americas. No data. New track for cup cars. Going to be some real bumping and banging through the tight esses. Lots of guys are going to get knocked off track. Good thing there are big runoff areas all the way around. I see a lot of stop & go penalties as drivers adapt to a wholly new location.

COTA is a wild one. I was there for the inaugural F1 race. I'll never forget feeling that V8 scream as the cars flew by. They go so fast down the straights that you can see the air curling around the rear wings. I'm curious to see how the heavy Cup cars get around the joint. The most exciting passing zones will be Turns 12-19. That area will be fairly low speed and allow for some door slamming. I was hoping for a gritty, sandy surface on the track but it looks like rain ALL week and weekend, so we might see them run in the wet which will be doubly fun!

http://superlapbattleusa.com/track-map/

 

I've never been a real big fan of road courses for stock cars... As they seem to usually be snooze Fests... but I'm actually looking forward to COTA.

 

I used to too but now I love them , they can be exciting and it takes a great driver (Elliot is king for now) . Heck Bristol became so boring they hauled in dirt . I remember the old Bristol when every car had multiple donuts on the sides of their cars . Nascar had to change some things to get some excitement back and I am looking forward to next weekend .

 

It was always good to see other drivers compete on the road courses, I always looked forward to those races as it seemed more like real driving, versus roundy round which I also enjoy.

 

I was skeptical of the Roval but it's a bucket of fun. The weather is nice in October. Sightlines are great. It's a real experience to see a driver aim their car directly at the outer wall (and you), and just send it, relying on the turtles to throw the 3500lb car high enough to flex the suspension and turn it left when it lands. I have never been so giddy with laughter. My kiddo (then 8) said after our first Roval race, "I have to admit, that was one hell of a race, dad." COTA is a far more technical track than any other road course, so I'm anxious to see how they manage their HP.

Saturday should be especially neat with several guys jumping into one-off seats to get some added experience:

• Harvick is jumping in BJ McLeod's car.
• Menard is coming out of retirement to drive a Thorsport truck.
• Ty Dillon is running a Gaunt brothers car.
• Cindric is running the Cup race.
• Reddick is running Jordan Anderson's #31 car Saturday.
• SCCA TA2 driver Michele Abbate is also running a truck.
• Kyle Busch driving Xfinity Saturday.

 

When even Jr is saying Bristol has lost its luster, you know it's time for a change. Between the road courses and all the excitement around a return to Nashville and possibly fairgrounds speedway, SMI and NASCAR needed to make some changes.

 

The current rules where everyone is "equal" takes the fun out of the races.

 

Going the Tony Stewart route! Gonna be tough going at first but this has been in Brad's mind for a long time. With his engineering biz in a good spot, much like Haas, he should have plenty of industry connections to keep his efforts solid. This allows him to drive as long as he wants and mentor younger drivers, which he enjoys as well. i look forward to seeing how this unfolds.

https://www.jayski.com/2021/05/18/report-brad-keselowski-to-roush-fenway-with-ownership-role/

 

Well... that leaves a seat at Penske open for Matty D next year. I like this plan.

 

Yeah, but that's not going to happen. The 2 ride will be Austin Cindric's ride.

 

Except hes already signed up for the 21. I mean... I'd love for Matt to stay with WBR... but that's already not to be. Inside sources tell me Penske really wants to find a way to keep Matt in the organization... soooo...