2022 NASCAR THREAD

Yep to all of this. As for Dodge- I think they've already dropped the carrots. NASCAR will be hybrid within five years and Dodge will come back with the eMuscle. You will see the Fratzog logo everywhere. They're already boasting 300 and 500-mile ranges in their hype interviews, laying the groundwork for a 2024 unveiling and likely a motorsports campaign to support the endeavor.

 

To be fair: independent suspension was long overdue. It has been in production cars for many years. Even pickup trucks are going to it.

 

True, just that it effectively takes the drivers input out it. This car is not designed to make you feel good as a driver, to be fast you have to be uncomfortable and the way the tires are planted and the majority of the airo is under the car these old drivers input is not helpful. That is why the 1 is having so much success in my opinion. He just gets in it and drives it as hard as he is able right on the edge. The old guard is fighting the car to make it feel like the cars of the past and that's not what this car is. This car is ridged and right on the edge every lap. It is way easer to teach someone who knows nothing than someone who thinks they know more concept.

 

Yes and no. The main difference from a driver's perspective is the lack of a track at adjustment. They can still make other adjustments. The bigger joke is the lack of practice these guys get to learn that stuff. Simulators are garbage if they have little to no data to base their results on.

 

True and if there’s one thing we TW folks know, it’s the butt dyno trumps all other data.

 

I can see your point but in all honesty the older drivers have had more track time as they did most of the testing. I just think the older drivers are resisting the change much more than the younger guard. I agree they need a lot more track time but it seems that NASCAR wants drivers who get in the car and turn the wheel and techs that make it fast. The old drivers have certain feel they want in the car and if they don't have that then they are not fast. These young guns are like "shit, I better make this thing go or I am out of a ride". This was the very problem Allan G was talking about with Chase. Chase was trying to make the car feel like he wanted it and Allan had to step in and tell him point blank to stop analyzing the car and to push it harder. In my opinion the driver still has to provide feedback but NASCAR is way closer to F1 where its engineers and strategist who are responsible for most of the success. The good thing is NASCAR does not have all the BS of not being able to touch and stewards like F1 but from a setup and adjustment standpoint NASCAR has closed that gap in design.

The crew can see every aspect of the cars performance on the laptop and make the decision for adjustments based off of that. That is why you hear spotters telling drivers what line to drive and what to do now. Can you imagine what would have happened if a spotter would have come over the radio and told Dale Sr how to enter the corner. It did not happen but now the driver is just another part that the team uses to make the car fast and I just feel like the older guys are resisting that and the lack of performance is because of it.

 

Makes me think of when Kenseth stepped into the 42 in place of Larson and was completely lost in the car. Zero speed. He said things had significantly changed in the short time he was out of a ride.

 

I think a lot of this is by design from NASCAR. With drivers coming into the sport at such a young age I don't think they want them sticking around for these 20+ year driving careers. They want more competitive teams and a much higher driver turnover. That is why you also see driver salaries becoming much lower than in years past. The driver is less responsible for the success of the team. I mean you still need talent and some drivers will perform better at some tracks but they have to get a higher turnover like F1 or these drivers will have no where to go.

 

It's a slippery slope between drivers & teams. They have to tread lightly. The thing that NASCAR has built its brand on is that each driver is a brand themselves.

 

I agree. I think NASCAR needs to get back to it being a 10 year process to getting into a cup car. With drivers getting a cup ride at 20 years old it leaves no room for anyone trying to come up. These guys like KB, DH, KH and so on are a huge brand but I think NASCAR is trying to get the sport to shift to where fans are loyal to a team more so to a driver. Much like F1.

 

I think you're onto something. They need a constant cycle to refresh the pool so people aren't hitched to one monolithic driver more than the rest of the field. It wasn't so bad when Dale Sr. died because most of the guys from his generation were still driving. One by one they retired and Dale Jr. was carrying the torch for a decade. There was a vacuum in the sport when Dale Jr and Gordon retired.

I agree that the ladder to a CUP seat should be longer. The wild thing is that these new guys started at 4-5 years old, so they've been in the game for a decade before they get to the Truck series.

 

Kansas Ready!!

 

I wonder where he will park the car this week? Anywhere but victory lane I hope!

New game: Where will Kyle park it? I am saying against the turn 2 wall.

 

As long as the 3 stays out of his way, he'll be just fine!

 

At some point you would think that Richard would have to park that moron. I hope Tyler goes on a tear and shows that Austin is the problem with that car.

 

couldn't agree more! Austin is decent on the superspeedways, but bloodline keeps him in that seat. For how long; only Grandpappy will know

 

I’m having a hard time trying to remember. Who won Kansas last year?

 

Kyle Larson

 

Race day.