2021 NASCAR thread

I dislike that they called the race with 12 to go. We were going to have:
1: A showdown between the new wave of stars.
2: A road course finish in the rain.
3: A potential upset since Elliott was 2-laps shy on fuel.

If NASCAR had let the race finish in the conditions, it would've been a spectacle with lessons learned for future vents: Actual tail lights in the cars. mud flaps, improved drainage on the fastest and lowest part of the track. I see a lot of people yelling about unsafe conditions but this track is FIA safety certified and F1 has run much higher speeds here in the rain without going full ARCA. It comes down to skill and Cup drivers do not have appropriate practice in the wet and it showed yesterday. Rather than own up to it, a couple of vets complained that the event was unsafe. Guys, you drive 200 MPH race cars.

Other notes: Chastain got a top 5 and was looking sharp. The Dinger had a good showing. Briscoe pulled in a top 10. McDowell got a top 10.

 

A one o'clock start time would have been nice .

 

I was hoping Reddick would pull it off that is if the 18 didn't win and Chastain since 2011 only has 3 truck wins and 2 xfinity wins . He always looks decent but must burn his stuff up or not keep up with the track enough .

 

I am a 9 fan so obviously I am cool with how it ended. BUT.... You guys can't compare an F1 car with more than twice the tire, traction control, way less weight and 10 times the downforce to NASCAR. just not even a debate for comparison. Visibility in these cars is a whole other matter and the hydroplaning on the backstretch. Even Chase said he just pretty much had to say screw it and send it even though the car was in the air down that long strait. We could all what if it but Chase was pulling the 5 by over a second a lap when they threw that caution. Yes Chase might have been short of fuel but had it continued it would have been caution after caution and I expect he would have made it. Or if you look at the lap times and the 9 continued to pull away from the 5 he would be close to coming out in the lead or at least 2nd even if he did have to pit and it stayed green.

Chase has paid his dues and is just flat out superior to everyone else in the field when it comes to road racing right now. And let's be truthful here. Larson would have found a way to lose. That poor MF has some horrible luck. The truth is most road courses do not have straits that reach 180+ and these cars are just not designed to do that in the rain.

I am not really sure why Nascar is unable to engineer something better than the one giant wiper that seems to fail but that is something they should look at. You guys that hate the 9 should probably toughen up those feelings a little. Shits about to get real with 5 more road courses to go! LOL..... HERE WE GO!

What I am surprised everyone missed was how close Cole came to getting killed when he got out of that flaming 41 and his car was almost rear-ended as he scrambled to get out by a car that was almost at speed.

 

That's a lot to unpack there... but it boils down to this: they had been racing in the rain all day and all of a sudden with 14 laps to go and the 9 in the lead they wanted to throw a red flag for unsafe conditions. Nobody was seriously sliding around... Nobody had hit a wall... NASCAR just got "scared" something bad would happen. Hell... Something bad did happen in the middle of the race where a few hard hits transpired but NASCAR didn't call it then.

Yes... It is a very New Concept to a lot of stock car drivers to race when it is wet... but that to me is what made yesterday fun to watch. The field was even and driver talent took center stage. Equipment was secondary. Chase was leading due to pit sequence and was gonna have to pit. Larson was in the cat bird seat... and I think the 42 would of had something for him on that in the end. But the 42 is still a no name and Larson is still tarnished in a lot of the admins eyes... their first run at COTA had to be special... what better way to make it that way than the 9 in victory lane.

Now... im not hating on Chase... he's got legit talent. Its the popularity of his name that NASCAR will milk just like they did Jr in the 2000's/2010's. Im not calling conspiracy but NASCAR surely made it look like one.

 

The difference being, it looks like Chase has talent that we didn’t see from Jr.

I didn’t watch yesterday’s race, but I’ve always felt that they could race through rain, if that means they can’t use all the power in the car. They are professional drivers, let the wet track conditions add some challenge.

 

LOL, good point. I was/am a JR fan. I will admit that he had the talent but what people forget is when he caught on fire in that Corvette for 24 hours of Daytona. He was never the same after that. He openly admits now that he did not give it all he had because he was scared. He just stayed to long. He is a great ambassador for the sport though.

 

I get it, I see your point. I mean just remember Chase was pulling everyone else on the track by quite a lot every lap. I get that he was short on fuel but I mean he has won 5 of the last 6 and he was DOMINATING Daytona so if it had not been for some cautions at the end of that one he would be at 7 in a row. All I am saying is he had been in the lead for a while. You might want to go back and watch that last lap. The 9 was airborne down the back stretch hydroplaning like a MF. I mean had the 22 won I would be right on your side but for this one. The better car and driver per the conditions did in fact win.

 

Yes, he is great for NASCAR.

 

What actually happened is 14 laps would have taken another 1.5-2 hours and FOX was over it! You all have to remember it was only a 68 lap race I think. You MF's throwing 14 laps around like they were at Martinsville. LOL... At the time they called the race they were somewhere in the ballpark of 10 min a lap considering the cautions, red flag and all that.

 

JR had talent... it wasn't the Vette wreck that did him in... it was the constant pressure from literally everyone around him to live up to his father's reputation. He was never gonna be his daddy. Plus losing him the way he did probably did more damage to his psyche than anyone really realizes. Oh... and dealing with the tyrant that became Teresa in the end... all that combined spelled doom for his career as a stock car driver. He is a great commentator though.

 

after yesterday I bet Harvick takes a long look at all his success and decides to move on sooner than later. Truex surely to follow. These guys are getting comparatively long in the teeth in what is quickly becoming a young (rich) man’s sport.

 

Jr’s career numbers prove he was no slouch. Damn sure won the Daytona 500 twice as many times as his daddy in far less attempts against a tougher field.

26 cup wins
15 poles
24 Busch wins
10 poles
2 Busch championships
Much better at selecting wives and raising his kids.
Dang sure beat his dad at running a consistent multi-car race team too.

 

Dale Earnhardt
Cup
76wins
22 poles
7 championships (3 times second)
Xfinity
21 wins
7 poles
Never ran a full season
And we can only imagine how big DEI would be now
Total races cup and xfinity
Dad -- 812
Jr -- 773
To me there was nothing like watching that black 3 fan or no fan . I was an irvan fan back then .

 

Great career but with zero championships he’ll always be NASCARs favorite driver not a champion. Chase is young, far more talent, in my opinion, and has a championship. Plus, he’s NASCARs darling. He’s good for the sport. ‘Ol Bill was a great role model.
Jr never lived up to Daddy’s expectations and will always be compared to his father, unfairly.
Chase is paving his own road, with the help of arguably the best car owner and a family that understands racing. This gives Chase the edge in what can be a career that will surpass Jr.

 

Chase is similar to JR in he will always be compared to his daddy as a meter of his success. Just like Dale, Bill was a far more superior driver than his son in a much harder era for competition. And as a matter of comparison... JRs Xfinity success came while papa was still breathing. I do believe had Sr been around longer Jr would have been much more successful... heck Mikey and Steve might have gotten higher in their careers too.

Chase still has a dad to motivate him... Dale didn't. That in the end I feel will be the difference.

 

I agree with this on some aspect. Jr and his Dad never had a good relationship until Jr became "famous". There isn't a segment Jr has been on or a race he's been in that the conversation didn't sway back to his father. Sr was NASCAR during the heyday and rightfully so. We can all speculate about what drove Jr out of NASCAR. We can say this, no matter how hard he tried to become his own person, and did a great job at building his own image, it always came back to his father.

Chase, on the other hand, at least in my opinion, has built his own brand and rarely do you hear the amount of comparisons to Bill as you would expect or thought. I think that is purposeful. NASCAR has their fearless leader for many years to come and is in a great place with such young, brilliant, talent.

I do know this. Sr, Jr, Bill and Chase all are/were great ambassadors for the sport. Love 'em or hate 'em, we all know them!

 

I will agree with you on that... We don't hear much of the comparison of Bill and Chase. I think the biggest reason for that is the fact that Bill is in fact still alive.
Chase got the opportunity to build his own brand off HIS skill. Jr was on his way to doing that as well IMHO... he had a great rookie campaign. But then... The beginning of the very next season... His father whom everybody saw as a legend parished... and his fans looked toward his son to fulfill Daddy's Legacy. He didn't get a chance to be his own driver.

Kind of like Kyle... He's not his dad but nobody was expecting him to be... so he was able to cement a respectable career with his own name. I think Jr certainly would have won at least a championship or two have he been able to develop his own driving style with the motivation and guidance of his father.

 

Well said! All valid points. I do believe if Sr was around it could have been different

Always great to read these threads. Ya’ll have great knowledge and for that, my respect!

Go #18

 

I would say you were pretty knowledgeable too... And then you said go 18.