Milla4Prez63 678 Posted September 1, 2014 It isn't that shocking to see all the Hendrick and Gibbs cars in the chase when they bumped the field up to 16 cars. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted September 10, 2014 it's Chase time, final Chase Grid: 1. Brad Keselowski 2. Jeff Gordon -3 3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -3 4. Jimmie Johnson -3 5. Joey Logano -3 6. Kevin Harvick -6 7. Carl Edwards -6 8. Kyle Busch -9 9. Denny Hamlin -9 10. Kurt Busch -9 11. Kasey Kahne -9 13. AJ Allmendinger -9 14. Matt Kenseth -12 15. Greg Biffle -12 16. Ryan Newman -12 As a reminder of the new format, after three races, the bottom four drivers will be eliminated, a win in the next three races automatically qualifies the driver for the next stage, this should be interesting Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glanvilles Grits 142 Posted September 12, 2014 I feel like either Earnhardt or Harvick walk out of this year with the trophy. The 88 team has been great all year. The 4 team has switched pit crews with the 14 team so that should help ease the bleeding they seem to have every week on pit lane. I think Harvick has had opportunity to win 4 or 5 more races this year before being destroyed by pit lane mistakes. Just sad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted September 14, 2014 great race for Larsen, but wasn't quite able to finish it off, it'll be interesting to see if he can steal one from the Chase drivers, not today, Keselowski gets the win and is through to the next round, also great to see Kenseth finish in the top ten and move into position to advance, tough luck for Almirola, blown up engine in the last 40 laps leaves him with a 42nd place finish, gonna be tough for him to advance Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted September 21, 2014 crazy race today with a lot of Chase drivers involved in wrecks, as it stands there are 12 points separating Kenseth and Edwards, tied for 8th/9th, and Almirola, in 16th, with the first cut coming after the next race, as if Dover wasn't crazy enough already Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted September 24, 2014 (edited) Stewart cleared. http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/09/24/report-nascars-tony-stewart-cleared-by-grand-jury-in-kevin-ward-jr-death/ No surprise there. Edited September 24, 2014 by Sarge Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted September 28, 2014 great battle today for the 12th spot into the Contender Round, feels like there's been 2-3 drivers within a couple points in the 11-14 place range all race, I think NASCAR got exactly what it wanted with the new format Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted October 12, 2014 so going into Talladega, which is an elimination race, Keselowski needs to gain 19 points and Johnson and Dale both need to gain 28 points to advance, that's unlikely to happen but any of the three could also advance by winning, Dega should be fun Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted October 14, 2014 NASCAR penalizes Brad Keselowski, Tony StewartDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 14, 2014) -- NASCAR has assessed behavioral penalties to drivers Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart for their involvement in post-race incidents on Oct. 11 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Keselowski has been fined $50,000 and placed on NASCAR probation for the next four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship events through Nov. 12 for violating: • Section 12-1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing • Section 12-4.9: Behavioral penalty -- involved in post-race incidents Stewart has been fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation for the next four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship events through Nov. 12 for violating: • Section 12-1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing • Section 12-4.9: Behavioral penalty -- involved in a post-race incident "These penalties are about maintaining a safe environment following the race," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR senior vice president, competition and racing development. "We knew that the new Chase format was likely going to raise the intensity level and we want our drivers to continue to be themselves. However, the safety of our drivers, crew members, officials, and workers is paramount and we will react when that safety could be compromised." interesting to see that Kenseth and Hamlin were not penalized, if anyone missed what led to this: Timeline: Chronicling Kenseth/Kes incidents Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted October 24, 2014 (edited) kinda fun to see Kenseth push Keselowski to the win after last week, and I'm going to Martinsville this week, should be fun Edited October 24, 2014 by oochymp Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glanvilles Grits 142 Posted November 6, 2014 Did anyone see the conflict this past weekend? I'm so sick of this Keselowski guy. First off, let me just say that I am far from a Jeff Gordon fan. He has no bearing on what it is to respect someone who has been in the sport for so long, nor does he have any grip on what it means to respect your fellow drivers. People who have never been part of a race team or driven a race car can discuss all they want about how you drive as hard as you can and try to win races. That's not the way to win though, not in racing. If Keselowski pulled the type of crap on a Saturday night dirt track that he has been pulling on the Nascar circuit, he would have had his neck rung by an aging racer by now. "There was a hole", is what Keselowski said, no, that hole was not there. You're talking about a hole that was open for maybe a fraction of a second before Johnson and Gordon dove into the corner, you don't stick your nose in there, you just don't. It's now going on the 6th or 7th week where he's just been absolutely out of control. Then we have talking head Kyle Petty trying to compare him to Dale Earnhardt. No freaking way. The difference between Dale and Keselowski is that Dale didn't always race like that. When he first entered the sport, people don't realize he was a clean driver. It was years later after all the respect was learned and he had been in that group of drivers for so long that he really became "the intimidator". When you earn respect, fine, give someone the slide job to take the race out of their grasp, turn someone around. There were a lot of fights involving Dale, but never was it before that respect was absolutely earned. Anyone remember the old Gordon/Earnhardt days? Never did Gordon talk about Dale the way he does about Keselowski. ----- On a side note, I love the new chase format, it's fantastic! It has caused so much tension because guys are literally on the line every week. Ryan Newman is going to walk away with a championship in this thing. Heading into Miami, everyone is going to be wrecking eachother, I tell you what, Newman has been quiet and he's going to walk out of all the wrecks and fights unscathed in Miami. Much more so, let's all not forget that Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, sitting 1 and 2 in points, have some extremely, seriously bad history. We're talking bad blood the past couple of years, worse than Keselowski vs the field. It could get real freaking interesting if those two are going for the championship in Miami. Keep your eyes open, it's going to be a wild one! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteVo+ 3,702 Posted November 6, 2014 New-found respect for Gordon. We all know Keselowski is a douche bag. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted November 7, 2014 Big issue to me with grapes Keselowski is he shows no remorse, compare the way Kenseth talked about his collision with Harvick at Martinsville with Keselowski's comments after this race if you want to know what I'm talking about Also, new chase is awesome, I love official eliminations instead of just the de facto "he's too far behind to come back," it's great that one bad race/wreck doesn't kill you, and it's now impossible for anyone to run away with a championship, it's a lot more fun to watch Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phins4life 271 Posted November 7, 2014 I never follow racing all that much, but after seeing the "brawl" and the aftermath, I can say I don't ever recall Gordon being that pissed with anyone. He's generally struck me as a pretty level-headed guy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Favre4Ever+ 4,476 Posted November 7, 2014 Keselowski is just a stuck up, punk ass bitch.He thinks he is owed something..The way he walks, the way he talks, the way he conducts himself... It just begs people to hate him. I used to hate Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart with a passion. I enjoyed hating those two douche bags... That's lessened over the years. Still not a fan of either guy, but they don't really bother me anymore. Keselowski on the other hand...is my most hated athlete in sports. Not even all that close, either... While he has gotten his shit kicked in now multiple times off the track, I have actually been pretty surprised by the relative lack of 'payback' on the track. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted November 10, 2014 I really thought a top three finish would be enough for Kenseth, but all of the late cautions let the Chase drivers sort up to the front so there really weren't any points to be gained, weird to see three of the top four in today's race get eliminated, but them's the breaks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Milla4Prez63 678 Posted November 17, 2014 So, Kevin Harvick is the champion. Though after seeing it unfold, I'm totally 100% against this format. I just wish we could go back to the old days where the driver with the best season was rightfully crowned champion. Instead we get NASCAR trying to force drama down our throats by constantly resetting the points and trying to make it look like it is exciting. It feels fake to me and I can't even take this sport seriously anymore. It's sad because I grew up loving NASCAR, but the executives at the top have lost me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Favre4Ever+ 4,476 Posted November 17, 2014 Ya, the days of the best driver being crowned the Champion are long over. With that said, I generally enjoyed the format. I found it kind of weird how often the people still left in the chase always finished the best (kinda like tonight) but I am sure the other drivers don't want to cause an incident where they take one of those guys out. And while i understand that, it also hurts the overall product. The other drivers can't let up in those situations, and shouldn't, IMO. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Milla4Prez63 678 Posted November 17, 2014 The format made things exciting and interesting, but the problem for me is that it was fake. It was drama created by NASCAR to drive up ratings rather than a season long battle coming down to the wire. Ryan Newman winning the title would've been a joke because the dude had the textbook mediocre season. At least with Harvick he deserved it, the 4 team was fast all year. They led over 2000 laps and won 5 times with 20 top 10s. Though they had a really really bad early season because of trouble that would've cost him the title in the old days. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted November 17, 2014 the number of late race cautions almost made the last few races unwatchable, and I'll echo F4E's comment about non-chasers getting out of the way, for a concrete example, Gordon's late pit yesterday made absolutely no strategic sense, he went from fighting all race for the top spot (leading by far the most laps) to a tenth place finish, but opened things up for Chase Drivers to fight it out for the win, which is what NASCAR wanted, but it made the whole race feel staged Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
