2022 NASCAR THREAD

The 24 made some gains today. Could have done a lot more but he has a shot next week. I doubt Bowman will be back in the 48. HMS would be smart to put Justin in the car for that race.

 

I'll give you that, but with these races, I pretty much can tune out until 10 to go. Just enough time to see if any of my drivers have won the lottery so far and not got caught up in someone else's shit. Just not a huge fan of the "hold it wide open and don't do anything else" racing style.

 

I was glad to see the 22 lose ground today. Considering the headline last week from the talking heads was that he had taken control of the playoffs.

 

It is all perspective. If you think all they are doing is holding it wide open then yes but they are doing some of the most technical driving they ever do. It’s about making moves and taking chances with a smaller margin of error than we see anywhere else. Drivers have to be on edge all day and though luck plays a role it is a discipline that few of the drivers have and let’s them rise to the top. This race was nice in that bad luck didn’t really fuck anyone and the drivers that do it well were around to race for the win.

 

Phoenix always Sucks, I have never liked that track since they started racing there. And it is only a few hour drive for me to get there.

 

Also not a fan and hate that it decides the champion. Fox ran an article last week of how stupid the playoff system is. It’s the only top tier form of Motorsport that try’s to create drama and does not use accumulated points throughout the season. To have all the marbles come down to one race is criminal, at a minimum it should be the point collected over the last 10 races so really for me. Anyone who is or was a champion since the playoff BS started cannot be compared to how things used to be. It’s NASCAR manufacturing drama.

Guess that’s why I don’t really respect JJ and what he achieved. Gordon would have probably won more than 7 without the playoff system because he was so consistent. Stats say he would have had 6 but not trying to do the playoff shit would have changed the approach. And I hated Gordon. Think about when Harvick won 10 races and missed the final 4. Just total bullshit all around.

I mean how it sets the final 4 start Phoenix at zero and may the best man win. At least the playoff points should roll over so the entire seasons point matter for something. And having it at one track is just moronic as some people perform better and in this sport so much depends on equipment too. It’s just sad they do it this way and I think the sport has lost a lot of fans because you cannot respect this system.

 

I realize it is an oversimplification of the racing style, but it is what it is at its core. You have to hold it wide open (more or less) to keep the draft and not rear end the guy in front of you. Adjustments don't matter. Skill hardly matters. Track position definitely doesn't matter unless you lose the draft. It's anyone's race. Give me tire fall off and pit road adjustments any day over this, even fuel mileage racing.

 

You are oversimplifying it. I mean you have the right to not like it but it is one of the toughest races on the schedule. Daytona more so as you are not wide open all the time and the car does have to handle but even here the only guy wide open is the leader in most cases. As far as setup it is a bear to get them right for the draft. Again, you don’t like it but that does not change the challenges these races bring. I remember my first time at Dega. It is the most intimidating track on the circuit. Just looking at it you are like holy shit! Plus it’s the only place where 100k people are going to show up regardless of what is going on in the sport.

 

Again, it's anyone's race. You just have to hold the draft and miss the wreck fest first. There are much tougher races on the schedule, in my opinion. But, on that note, I wish we could see braking at 1.5 mile tracks again. Although I'm glad we lift somewhat now. There's a reason the 550 package didn't take off.

 

I do not agree with the over simplification you have come to the conclusion of for this style of racing but I also have no need to try and convince you otherwise. Everyone enjoys different things. Lucky for you we don’t have many of these races on the schedule. Don’t worry though. Kyle will be in a Chevy soon enough and will be competitive and you can be happy again.

 

You don't have to. And you're right, people enjoy different things. Personally, I think 6 is too many, but many people feel that way about the road courses (I'd gladly see the Roval replaced with Sonoma or something similar).

 

With as good at the 600 was this year I just want the roval to be replaced with the regular CMS race. I feel we have to many road courses but this car does lend itself to them. On that same note I would not want to see a superspeedway every week. And to be clear, they might run the same package but Atlanta is not a superspeedway.

 

On your first point: I wouldn't necessarily mind that either. However, I do think we need a road course in the playoff. At least one race of every discipline they run during the year. Road course, intermediate, short track, superspeedway, etc.

Secondly, I agree Atlanta is not a superspeedway. However, they're clearly trying to replicate superspeedway racing by running the same package. That racing is good for close racing and big wrecks. But as we've seen, close racing does not necessarily equal better racing. I'm hoping they'll unrestrict Atlanta soon, or at least after the pavement ages for a year or two.

 

The Dinger is going back to full time cup racing next season, driving the 16.

 

Good for the Dinger! I think Kaulig was holding out hope that would have gone to Kyle Busch.

 

Happy Birthday, kid!

 

Wow, even his sunglasses are similar to Russ Wheeler's. Bro will show up at Daytona in a brightly colored #18 car when Kurt returns in the #45.

 

good for the Dinger but Kaulig wanted KB in that seat.

 

Dinger has a terrific resume, and at 40, he's at the peak of his driving career. His experience and confidence are top-notch. He was dropped into NASCAR in 2007 and stunk at Red Bull. He was finally making progress when he got canned from Penske. He went back to Xfinity in 2019 and has had tremendous success, logging 12 wins. But the level of A-level competition in Xfinity has been receding in that same timeframe and is nowhere near what it is in Cup. Still, I wish the best for him. He has a great attitude.