2013 NASCAR season discussion

[Milla4Prez63 678]

So everyone's favorite left turn sport is back this weekend with the Sprint Unlimited (previously Budweiser Shootout) at Daytona this weekend.

 

Entry list for the Daytona 500 has 45 cars.

 

#1 Jamie McMurray, McDonald's Chevrolet

#2 Brad Keselowski, Miller Lite Ford

#5 Kasey Kahne, Farmer's Insurance Chevrolet

#7 Dave Blaney, Florida Lottery Chevrolet

#9 Marcos Ambrose, Stanley Tools Ford

#10 Danica Patrick, GoDaddy.com Chevrolet

#11 Denny Hamlin, FedEx Express Toyota

#13 Casey Mears, GEICO Ford

#14 Tony Stewart, Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet

#15 Clint Bowyer, 5 Hour Energy Toyota

#16 Greg Biffle, 3M Ford

#17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Best Buy Ford

#18 Kyle Busch, M&M's Toyota

#19 Mike Bliss, G-Oil Chevrolet

#20 Matt Kenseth, Dollar General Toyota

#21 Trevor Bayne, Motorcraft Ford

#22 Joey Logano, Shell/Pennzoil Ford

#24 Jeff Gordon, Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet

#26 Michael Waltrip, Sandy Hook School Support Fund Toyota

#27 Paul Menard, Menard's/Peak Chevrolet

#29 Kevin Harvick, Budweiser Chevrolet

#31 Jeff Burton, Caterpillar Chevrolet

#32 Terry Labonte, CJ Energy Services Ford

#33 Austin Dillon, Honey Nut Cheerios Chevrolet

#34 David Ragan, Detail Doctor Ford

#35 Josh Wise, MDS Transport Ford

#36 J.J. Yeley, Golden Corral Chevrolet

#38 David Gilliland, Love's Travel Stops Ford

#39 Ryan Newman, Quicken Loans Chevrolet

#42 Juan Pablo Montoya, Target Chevrolet

#43 Aric Almirola, Smithfield Ford

#47 Bobby Labonte, Kroger Toyota

#48 Jimmie Johnson, Lowe's Chevrolet

#51 Regan Smith, Guy Roofing Chevrolet

#52 Brian Keselowski, Wreaths Across America Toyota

#55 Mark Martin, Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota

#56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota

#78 Kurt Busch, Furniture Row Chevrolet

#83 David Reutimann, Burger King Toyota

#87 Joe Nemechek, Florida DOT - DAB Constructors Toyota

#88 Dale Earnhardt Jr., National Guard Chevrolet

#93 Travis Kvapil, Burger King Toyota

#95 Scott Speed, TBD Ford

#98 Michael McDowell, K-Love/Curb Records Ford

#99 Carl Edwards, Fastenal Ford

 

Two of these cars will go home. My predictions are Michael Waltrip and Brian Keselowski. But remember, the top 35 rule is gone so it is back to the old provisional system.

[Milla4Prez63 678]

1st practice speeds for the Daytona 500.

 

1.#22 Joey Logano, 46.057

2.#33 Austin Dillon, 46.064

3.#10 Danica Patrick, 46.069

4.#27 Paul Menard, 46.112

5.#31 Jeff Burton, 46.133

6.#5 Kasey Kahne, 46.144

7.#21 Trevor Bayne, 46.196

8.#42 Juan Pablo Montoya, 46.204

9.#88 Dale Earnhardt Jr., 26.212

10.#18 Kyle Busch, 46.226

11.#14 Tony Stewart, 46.237

12.#29 Kevin Harvick, 46.251

13.#48 Jimmie Johnson, 46.276

14.#78 Kurt Busch, 46.329

15.#17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 46.340

16.#20 Matt Kenseth, 46.350

17.#13 Casey Mears, 46.354

18.#55 Mark Martin, 46.364

19.#35 Josh Wise, 46.368

20.#11 Denny Hamlin, 46.375

21.#15 Clint Bowyer, 46.380

22.#99 Carl Edwards, 46.382

23.#1 Jamie McMurray, 46.391

24.#9 Marcos Ambrose, 46.391

25.#39 Ryan Newman, 46.400

26.#95 Scott Speed, 46.400

27.#43 Aric Almirola, 46.402

28.#24 Jeff Gordon, 46.446

29.#51 Regan Smith, 46.466

30.#16 Greg Biffle, 46.478

31.#2 Brad Keselowski, 46.487

32.#26 Michael Waltrip 46.497

33.#38 David Gilliland, 46.532

34.#34 David Ragan, 46.545

35.#56 Martin Truex Jr., 46.618

36.#32 Terry Labonte, 46.711

37.#98 Michael McDowell, 46.818

38.#36 J.J. Yeley, 46.891

39.#47 Bobby Labonte, 46.909

40.#7 Dave Blaney, 47.251

41.#83 David Reutimann, 47.375

42.#87 Joe Nemechek, 47.473

43.#19 Mike Bliss, 47.847

44.#93 Travis Kvapil, 48.223

45.#52 Brian Keselowski, 48.920

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Kevin Harvick won the Sprint Unlimited, and Danica Patrick won the pole for the Daytona 500, the first ever time a female has won a pole in the Sprint Cup Series.

 

Entry list for the Nationwide Series race.

 

(i) Indicates driver is not eligible for Nationwide Series points.

 

#00 Jason White (i), JW Demolition Toyota

#1 Kurt Busch (i), Guy Roofing Chevrolet

#01 Mike Wallace, G&K Services Chevrolet

#2 Brian Scott, Shore Lodge Chevrolet

#3 Austin Dillon, AdvoCare Chevrolet

#4 Danny Efland, TBD Chevrolet

#5 Kasey Kahne (i), Great Clips Chevrolet

#6 Trevor Bayne, Cargill Ford

#7 Regan Smith, Clean Coal Chevrolet

#8 Scott Lagasse Jr, Boy Scouts of America Chevrolet

#10 Jeff Green, TriStar Toyota

#11 Elliott Sadler, OneMain Financial Toyota

#12 Sam Hornish Jr., Allianca Auto Parts Ford

#14 Eric McClure, Hefty/Reynold's Wrap Toyota

#18 Matt Kenseth (i), GameStop Toyota

#19 Mike Bliss, G-Oil Toyota

#20 Brian Vickers, Grime Boss Toyota

#22 Brad Keselowski (i), Discount Tire Ford

#23 Robert Richardson Jr., World Ventures Chevrolet

#24 Blake Koch, Second/Salt Life Toyota

#27 Michael McDowell (i), Support Military Toyota

#30 Nelson Piquet Jr., Worx Chevrolet

#31 Justin Allgaier, Brandt Chevrolet

#32 Kyle Larson, Clorox Chevrolet

#33 Tony Stewart (i), Oreo-Ritz Chevrolet

#34 Danica Patrick (i), GoDaddy.com Chevrolet

#40 Reed Sorenson, TheMotorsportsGroup.com Chevrolet

#41 Donnie Neuenberger, TDA Chevrolet

#43 Michael Annett, Pilot Ford

#44 Hal Martin, American Custom Yachts Toyota

#51 Jeremy Clements, TBA Chevrolet

#52 TBA, Translife Florida Toyota

#54 Kyle Busch (i), Monster Energy Toyota

#55 Jamie Dick, Viva Motorsports Chevrolet

#60 Travis Pastrana, Roush-Fenway Ford

#70 Johanna Long, Foretravel Chevrolet

#74 TBA, TBA Dodge

#77 Parker Kligerman, Bandit Chippers Toyota

#79 Jeffrey Earnhardt, UPONOR Ford

#85 Bobby Gerhart, Lucas Oil Chevrolet

#87 Joe Nemechek, Maddie's Place Rocks.com Toyota

#88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (i), TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet

#89 Morgan Shepherd, Hylands Chevrolet

#92 Dexter Stacey, Maddie's Place Ford

#99 Alex Bowman, St. Jude's Children Hospital Toyota

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

It's my goal to watch more racing this year. Been slowly watching less and less, and losers like Keselowski winning the Cup doesn't help matters much.. haha. Hoping Carl can come back from that really unfortunate loss to Tony a couple years ago and put it into a new gear. Also looking for Kasey Kahne to take the next step.

 

Local boy Landon Cassill is without a ride to start the season.. Can't say I am surprised.

[oochymp 2,393]

hopefully Kenseth can repeat in the Daytona though I wouldn't mind the race not taking until Tuesday this year

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Carl has only wrecked 4 cars so far... I find it doubtful he makes it through this 500 without wrecking a 5th. Hopefully he can, though!

[oochymp 2,393]

the Gen 6 cars don't seem to leave much room for error, but I'm liking seeing Kenseth and Hamlin running 1 and 2

[oochymp 2,393]

Carl has only wrecked 4 cars so far... I find it doubtful he makes it through this 500 without wrecking a 5th. Hopefully he can, though!

and there it goes, looks like he may be able to finish tho, which is more than a few other guys involved in that wreck can say

Edited February 24, 2013 by oochymp

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Carl has only wrecked 4 cars so far... I find it doubtful he makes it through this 500 without wrecking a 5th. Hopefully he can, though!

 

I win.

 

Not his fault in the slightest, though.

[oochymp 2,393]

after seeing how the new cars reacted to really just about any contact today, I'm interested to see how the short tracks go, where it's all about shoving other cars around

[Tridentdawgpound 1,043]

Sweet Brown at the Nationwide race

Edited February 27, 2013 by Tridentdawgpound

[oochymp 2,393]

I didn't actually get to watch the race today but it sounds like the new cars worked just the way they wanted them to on the mile and a half, and Kenseth got his first win for Gibbs Racing

 

 

 

he's up to seventh in the standings, not bad after that blown engine at Daytona

[SteVo+ 3,702]

I watched on and off, but it looked like a pretty boring race.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Not bad. Mr. Kahne has a damn good car this year. As long as he can stay out on the track, he will be a contender.

[oochymp 2,393]

that was a hell of a finish, but sucks for Hamlin, hope he's alright

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Epic race at California. Really happy to see Kurt Busch get another top 5. I'd like to think he can make a run for the chase this year, but I won't overreact over back-to-back good races. Martinsville up next in two weeks, Danica will be an absolute train wreck there, I guarantee it. Glad to see her hype start to die back down now that she is showing herself to be the horrible driver she really is.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Definitely a GREAT race. Obviously the end was AMAZING. But good racing all day, IMO. Just like 2 weeks ago... Good racing throughout the day even though it wasn't all that eventful -- except this one had the ending to go with it.

 

Both Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne finished in the top 10 which is AWESOME.

 

Also, I feel obligated to give some major props to Dale Earnhardt Jr. No poles and no wins, but the guy is delivering early on this year. Top 10 in ALL FIVE of the races so far, and Top 5 in 3/5. That kind of consistency wins drivers the title, especially after the points system overhaul a years ago.

 

Obviously there is A LOT of racing to do, and anything can happen. Just because you are consistent now doesn't mean you will 10-15 races from now and then into the chase. But he deserves the kudos for a relaly fantastic start to the season no matter how it ends.

Edited March 25, 2013 by Favre4Ever

[oochymp 2,393]

FONTANA, Calif. — Denny Hamlin will remain hospitalized overnight after being airlifted to a local hospital after a hard single-car crash at the inside wall on the final lap of Sunday's Auto Club 400.

Hamlin was awake and alert in the infield care center before being transported, but was taken to the hospital after complaining of lower back pain. A helicopter was used due to post-race traffic.

 

Full Article: USA Today

sounds like it's not quite as bad as airlifted would have you think, but still not good, I'll also add that I'm not sure what to think of the article's characterization of that as a "single-car crash"

[oochymp 2,393]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Sprint Cup driver Denny Hamlin suffered a compression fracture of his lower back in a last-lap crash involving former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Joey Logano on Sunday at Auto Club Speedway.

 

Hamlin spent the night at a local hospital in the Fontana, Calif., area and was released on Monday to fly home to Charlotte, where Dr. Jerry Petty of Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates will evaluate him later in the week.

 

Hamlin told reporters that it is too hard to say if he will be ready for the next Sprint Cup race as he walked out under his own power, according to one of his representatives.

 

Full Article: Denny Hamlin has lower-back compression fracture - ESPN

the article's a little short on details as the doctors, understandably, want to meet with Hamlin before discussing it (probably would run into legal patient privacy issues as well) he does have a week off built into the schedule and there are some measures (braces, extra padding, etc) that could allow him to work through the injury depending, of course, on the severity, but I'm not sure I'd want to, apparently Hamlin has had back issues in the past, to say this fucking sucks is an understatement

[SteVo+ 3,702]

So Hamlin basically broke his back? That's rough, though after that wreck, I'm just glad he's alive. Why do they not have safer barriers on every inside wall on the circuit again?

 

Also, the Stewart vs. Logano fight after the race was epic. I, for one, think such rivalries are great for the sport. This was pure gold:

 

 

"Imma bust his ass!"

"...Thanks, Tony."

Edited March 26, 2013 by SteVo

[oochymp 2,393]

So Hamlin basically broke his back? That's rough, though after that wreck, I'm just glad he's alive. Why do they not have safer barriers on every inside wall on the circuit again?

because the SAFER barriers are obscenely expensive, from the article I posted earlier: "It cost a two-mile track such as Auto Club Speedway approximately $6 million to cover the outside retaining wall at $500 a square foot. So for an organization such as International Speedway Corporation that runs Sprint Cup events at 12 tracks just to cover the outside wall, there was an initial investment of more than $60 million."

 

The article also noted that Hamlin's wreck occurred in a spot where NASCAR has never seen an incident occur, so they're playing the probabilities when they decide where to install the SAFER barriers and unfortunately Hamlin's wreck fell outside of the expected range, which happens when you're working from probabilities

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

“I was in big trouble,” Hamlin told USA Today’s Jeff Gluck, speaking with difficulty and wearing a brace for the L1 compression fracture. ”The position I was in, I couldn’t breathe at all. I’m still having a hard time breathing. Literally, when I felt a pop, I couldn’t move at all and I knew I had to get flat to my back to be able to breathe again. That’s why I rushed out and just laid flat on the ground to start breathing again.”

 

The guy had one of his back vertabrae collapse after dipshit Joey Logano wrecked him on purpose. Can or should any punishment be handed down? NASCAR wants these rivalries, it makes things a hell of a lot more interesting... But where do you draw the figurative line in the sand?

 

I mean, it's apparently pretty mild as far as back injuries go. But he could very well miss time, especially with how much pressure and force on the back drivers go through sitting in those cars all day. Maybe he can tough it out and wear a brace, but I wouldn't blame him if he chose not to.

[oochymp 2,393]

I mean, it's apparently pretty mild as far as back injuries go.

true, but that's kinda like saying "it was a small nuclear war" I'm fully expecting him to take at least a few weeks off, hopefully he doesn't miss enough time to drop out of contention, he's currently in tenth so I don't think he'd have too much trouble recovering points-wise from missing 2-3 races, which would give him about a month since they've got a week off

[Tridentdawgpound 1,043]

Denny Hamlin will be out at least six weeks with his broken vertebrae, according to his team.

 

“I wish I got good news today. I didn’t,” Hamlin tweeted late Tuesday night.

 

Joe Gibbs Racing has not yet announced a replacement – a logical candidate is Elliott Sadler, one of the team’s drivers in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Potentially, Hamlin could still make the Chase for the Sprint Cup as a wild card entrant if he wins enough races and remains in the top 20 in the driver’s standings.

 

Hamlin has made the Chase every year since he entered the series full-time in 2006.

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Hamlin is going to miss too many races to make a wildcard, six weeks would probably mean 5 full races of no points for him.