NASCAR Race Talk

[gonzo08452]

OK...Anyone know where Kenseth is going?

[kingrukus]

OK...Anyone know where Kenseth is going?

Is it official that he is leaving?

Rumor right now is to Joe Gibbs or Penske.

Also there is a rumor that I would like to believe - that Kurt Busch is going to Stewart-HAAS and Newman will be gone. I hope this is true... as much as Busch is a dirtbag, he has more skill than 80% of the field.

[Righteous Bucks]

why not hendricks?

[GreenandChrome]

why not hendricks?

Because NASCAR mandated 4-car teams. Gordon's not going to retire.

Kenseth not only is leaving RFR, but Ford; the PR mentions Ford reps saying "bye, Matt." That leaves RFR, RPM, and Penske out. So the options for him, right now, is Phoenix Racing or Tommy Baldwin Racing. Kurt has a handshake deal, and regardless of this past weekend's performance, Kurt is tearing up a lot of equipment. However, neither driver can pull in a sponsor.

Matt is the catalyst for silly season. The best seats available are: #20 JGR, #39 SHR, #31 RCR, #1 EGR, #42 EGR, #55/#56 MWR. Let's run down the options.

#20- Joey has been on the chopping block this year, even with the win at Pocono. The sh**ty press coverage of "living up to expectations," I mean, they're ALL supposed to win races. Not just one. This is likely the best fit for Matt; it may even pilfer DeWalt back from RFR.

#39- Ryan obviously hasn't had the success his car owner has. I think it's because Tony Gibson is not syncing with the organization. Of course, with the addition of a 3rd team, there will be more information being shared. The problem is, will Danica take too much focus away from her teammates? Danica needs a driving coach to take the pressure off Tony and Ryan. Is Matt a good coach?

#31, #1, #42- All these guys have a huge performance issue. While mostly likeable, just like Matt, they're spotty on the win column (also like Matt). Burton's getting up there in age, and Matt would probably fit best in the #31 out of these three. Matt's consistency may help Harvick, but I think Jimmy Fennig has a lot to do with Matt's position right now.

#56/55- Only if Michael steps away from the seat once and for all, and if Mark hangs it up. Or maybe they can find a sponsor for Mark, MWR can field a #57 part time. The major uptick in MWR performance is attractive, but is it sustainable? Truex still puts together good runs, but some wins would obviously keep him in the seat. But then again, those NAPA-know-how ads would be down-right boring if Matt was in them.

Overall, the best option for Matt is the #20. The second most likely, in my opinion, is the #1 or #31. And this is all predicated by the issue of sponsorship, and no team expanding to 3 or 4 cars.

[gonzo08452]

Any truth to Andretti forming a Cup team?

[gonzo08452]

Question folks....if Newman leaves, does that automatically put Danica and Go Daddy on the 39?

[GreenandChrome]

Question folks....if Newman leaves, does that automatically put Danica and Go Daddy on the 39?

Not likely, as most of the planning is finished, along with the "approved" die-cast, etc. Once everything gets formally announced, Danigear will be available. Plus the #39 has sponsor deals already in place (don't know the duration).

[gonzo08452]

Wow! What happened to this thread? I cant believe the season is starting!! Lets get this thread going shall we?

[kingrukus]

Danica Patrick on the pole for the Daytona 500... who woulda thought?

[GreenandChrome]

Danica Patrick on the pole for the Daytona 500... who woulda thought?

Stenhouse, Jr.

booya!


there are only about 4 of us who watch roundy-rounds. after last year's blatant favoritism and inconsistency, nascar will be scrutinized hard this year by the media. Honest media, that is.

And if anyone wants the specifics here:
1. Gordon & Bower not suspended for a race, just fined and probation. NASCAR has parked Harvick and Busch for non-Cup actions.
2. BK gets fined at the end of the season for a cell phone, even though it's been in every race since Daytona.

[gonzo08452]

Danica Patrick on the pole for the Daytona 500... who woulda thought?

Yeah its obvious the fire in her has been lit

[e_andree]

Yeah its obvious the fire in her has been lit

bah- its daytona. pretty easy to put the pedal all the way down and keep it on the line.

thats been made apparent from her other races.

I doubt Ill use her at all for the rest of the year in nascar fantasy....MAYBE at talladega.

Jr and Kyle on a roll so far this year.....

[ValidUsername]

Anyone catch the action today? Logano mixing it up all race long with the JGR cars, hell of a finish to the day

[kingrukus]

Anyone catch the action today? Logano mixing it up all race long with the JGR cars, hell of a finish to the day

There is absolutely no excuse for no SAFER barriers on the infield walls....makes me angry. I do hope Denny is OK.


That was the best racing I have seen yet all season. Outside of Daytona, this season has proved to be damn good so far.

Also I truely believe Tony Stewart is paid under the table by NASCAR to stir up the sh!t pot, ala WWE style....its all a ploy to generate more fan interest. Tony is ultimately a business man, and more people watching means more money in SHR's pocket.

Any Danica scores yet another awesome top 30 finish...

[ValidUsername]

Yeah, that was a heck of an impact on that infield wall. I'll be interested to see how far this rivalry between those two extends, sure flared up today. Stewart was just pissed about Logano blocking him on the restart right? He tried to turn that into a Bowyer vs Gordon brawl out there, seemed ridiculous to me. I was loving how Joey was running those last laps on the overheating engine. And yes, I love how when Danica qualified first at Daytona every damn media outlet went crazy, I was sitting around thinking "damn if you knew anything about nascar you all would know this isn't going to last" haha.

[kingrukus]

Yeah, that was a heck of an impact on that infield wall. I'll be interested to see how far this rivalry between those two extends, sure flared up today. Stewart was just pissed about Logano blocking him on the restart right? He tried to turn that into a Bowyer vs Gordon brawl out there, seemed ridiculous to me. I was loving how Joey was running those last laps on the overheating engine. And yes, I love how when Danica qualified first at Daytona every damn media outlet went crazy, I was sitting around thinking "damn if you knew anything about nascar you all would know this isn't going to last" haha.

Yeah the Stewart Logano fight was from the block. Stewart is a hypocrite. He wiped out most of the field at Talladega when he blocked Michael Waltrip, where Dale Jr. got a concussion out of it.

Danica was given a larger restrictor plate than everyone else at Daytona for ratings. If you watched her qualify vs the rest, it was pretty damn evident...she simply had more power than the rest, even more than her SHR teammates. Week after week, she struggles in the back of the pack with all of the underfunded teams... all the while she has top notch Hendrick equipment under her. She should not be in Cup...but hey its a business move, so I guess it makes sense.

[ValidUsername]

Yeah the Stewart Logano fight was from the block. Stewart is a hypocrite. He wiped out most of the field at Talladega when he blocked Michael Waltrip, where Dale Jr. got a concussion out of it.

Danica was given a larger restrictor plate than everyone else at Daytona for ratings. If you watched her qualify vs the rest, it was pretty damn evident...she simply had more power than the rest, even more than her SHR teammates. Week after week, she struggles in the back of the pack with all of the underfunded teams... all the while she has top notch Hendrick equipment under her. She should not be in Cup...but hey its a business move, so I guess it makes sense.

Yeah I'd agree with you on that. I'll casually watch for where she is in the pack, but it's always near the back. Wonder how much longer she'll be around for if it keeps up like that. I'm looking forward to Martinsville that's for sure. Kicking ass in my fantasy league at the moment haha

[kingrukus]

Yeah I'd agree with you on that. I'll casually watch for where she is in the pack, but it's always near the back. Wonder how much longer she'll be around for if it keeps up like that. I'm looking forward to Martinsville that's for sure. Kicking ass in my fantasy league at the moment haha

I think she will be around for a while... as long as sponsorship money is pouring in at least.

[ValidUsername]

I think she will be around for a while... as long as sponsorship money is pouring in at least.

Ah good point

[gonzo08452]

There is absolutely no excuse for no SAFER barriers on the infield walls....makes me angry. I do hope Denny is OK.


That was the best racing I have seen yet all season. Outside of Daytona, this season has proved to be damn good so far.

Also I truely believe Tony Stewart is paid under the table by NASCAR to stir up the sh!t pot, ala WWE style....its all a ploy to generate more fan interest. Tony is ultimately a business man, and more people watching means more money in SHR's pocket.

Any Danica scores yet another awesome top 30 finish...

You maybe right about Smoke. Instead of him being fined by NASCAR for all the $hit he stirrs up, he's the one getting coin. Lol. I bet Joey was like 'wtf did I do?' Throwing that water bottle was the worst thing he coukd have done. Hope Denny is ok. BTW, who won?

[gonzo08452]

Yeah, that was a heck of an impact on that infield wall. I'll be interested to see how far this rivalry between those two extends, sure flared up today. Stewart was just pissed about Logano blocking him on the restart right? He tried to turn that into a Bowyer vs Gordon brawl out there, seemed ridiculous to me. I was loving how Joey was running those last laps on the overheating engine. And yes, I love how when Danica qualified first at Daytona every damn media outlet went crazy, I was sitting around thinking "damn if you knew anything about nascar you all would know this isn't going to last" haha.

Yeah the Stewart Logano fight was from the block. Stewart is a hypocrite. He wiped out most of the field at Talladega when he blocked Michael Waltrip, where Dale Jr. got a concussion out of it.

Danica was given a larger restrictor plate than everyone else at Daytona for ratings. If you watched her qualify vs the rest, it was pretty damn evident...she simply had more power than the rest, even more than her SHR teammates. Week after week, she struggles in the back of the pack with all of the underfunded teams... all the while she has top notch Hendrick equipment under her. She should not be in Cup...but hey its a business move, so I guess it makes sense.

Oh thats right. Forgot about what Tony pulled at Dega.

[GreenandChrome]

It's one thing to block on the last lap for the victory, another to mirror drive someone down into the grass on a restart. Tony's deal at Talladega was to block Waltrip, and he underestimated the run Waltrip had (or at least his spotter didn't tell him). When he blocked Regan at Talladega, Tony gave Regan the line when Regan got underneath him. At Fontana, Joey blocked Stewart, despite a bump, then mirror-drove Tony all the way to the grass. Then Joey moved up to get his line into turn one, and chopped Tony going into turn 1.

Logano is one of the biggest whiners and has very little respect because he's been touted the best thing since sliced bread by NASCAR. What people don't realize, when Joey was moving up the ranks, he was driving JGR equipment. He had the resources handed to him that would pretty much ensure victory at the lower levels. From what I hear, his dad makes cheerleader moms seem like Nobel prize winners.

I think Summer's Eve should get a group of drivers, akin to the Coca-Cola racing family. It'd be comprised of Joey, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Brian Vickers, and Carl Edwards.

[GreenandChrome]

Also I truely believe Tony Stewart is paid under the table by NASCAR to stir up the sh!t pot, ala WWE style....its all a ploy to generate more fan interest. Tony is ultimately a business man, and more people watching means more money in SHR's pocket.

I don't think so. Tony's a racer's racer. He is one of the only guys who will lay down the racer's law. He doesn't need NASCAR, and NASCAR knows this.

A few years ago (mid 2000's) Tony was very outspoken, and some drivers were offended that he became the microphone of racing etiquette (so to speak). People were like, who's he to say that? Who died and made you the racer's spokesperson. Answer: Dale Earnhardt. Despite Dale's tenacity and propensity to spin people out, he defined what was acceptable, and what was not. It was a gentlemen's agreement.

The best example of Dale's contribution is to look at Bobby Hamilton. The guy was leading the 1996 "spring" race at Rockingham. Dale tailed Bobby until Bobby got a bad run off the corner and Dale bumped him, and went on to win. Bobby, obviously, was furious. Fast forward to his win at Talladega in 2001, during the TV interview I believe he mentioned Dale Earnhardt teaching him how to race the restrictor plate tracks.

[kingrukus]

It's one thing to block on the last lap for the victory, another to mirror drive someone down into the grass on a restart. Tony's deal at Talladega was to block Waltrip, and he underestimated the run Waltrip had (or at least his spotter didn't tell him). When he blocked Regan at Talladega, Tony gave Regan the line when Regan got underneath him. At Fontana, Joey blocked Stewart, despite a bump, then mirror-drove Tony all the way to the grass. Then Joey moved up to get his line into turn one, and chopped Tony going into turn 1.

Logano is one of the biggest whiners and has very little respect because he's been touted the best thing since sliced bread by NASCAR. What people don't realize, when Joey was moving up the ranks, he was driving JGR equipment. He had the resources handed to him that would pretty much ensure victory at the lower levels. From what I hear, his dad makes cheerleader moms seem like Nobel prize winners.

I think Summer's Eve should get a group of drivers, akin to the Coca-Cola racing family. It'd be comprised of Joey, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Brian Vickers, and Carl Edwards.

Ah so that is the reason for all the slice bread comments I have been reading on various forums.

[b2m_vw]

I think all the sliced bread comments can be credited to Larry Mac, Kenny Wallace, Darrell Waltrip and all those guys. They're the ones who were all over Logano when he came into the big show.

IMO being young and a newcomer in NASCAR is near impossible to do without pissing someone off. Everyone hated Gordon and thought he was a cocky SOB, Stewart was some loud mouth, they all hated the Busch bros, and both Hamlin and Keselowski got on people's nerves for racing too hard too early.

I don't think what anyone did on Sunday was out of line. Logano was trying to protect the lead which he has the right to do, if Tony doesn't like it then move him out of the way. Don't sit and cry about it after the race. And I thought Logano and Hamlin raced hard and Logano did nothing wrong in 3 & 4 when he and Hamlin got together. It's a shame Hamlin got hurt and that should partially be put on the track for not having a safer barrier on 100% of the racing surface.

[GreenandChrome]

Ah so that is the reason for all the slice bread comments I have been reading on various forums.

yup. a few years ago Logano came to Irwindale Speedway and raced in the Showdown. He won, decimated the field, and low and behold, it was one of Stewart's old cars that won on the Cup series. Not to hard to beat these local guys with Cup equipment.

[GreenandChrome]

I think all the sliced bread comments can be credited to Larry Mac, Kenny Wallace, Darrell Waltrip and all those guys. They're the ones who were all over Logano when he came into the big show.

IMO being young and a newcomer in NASCAR is near impossible to do without pissing someone off. Everyone hated Gordon and thought he was a cocky SOB, Stewart was some loud mouth, they all hated the Busch bros, and both Hamlin and Keselowski got on people's nerves for racing too hard too early.

I don't think what anyone did on Sunday was out of line. Logano was trying to protect the lead which he has the right to do, if Tony doesn't like it then move him out of the way. Don't sit and cry about it after the race. And I thought Logano and Hamlin raced hard and Logano did nothing wrong in 3 & 4 when he and Hamlin got together. It's a shame Hamlin got hurt and that should partially be put on the track for not having a safer barrier on 100% of the racing surface.

You do not have the right to block, aka mirror-drive. You hold your line, because that is what everyone expects. You start blocking people, "accidents" will happen. The last lap, however, everything goes. Logano was blocking on a restart with 10 laps to go. He wasn't going for the win, just the lead.

I was watching this racer mirror-drive in a local race. Coming off the corner, you could see his eyes looking in the mirror at 2nd place. Darting every which way on the track to block. Finally, the car in 2nd over drove it into one underneath, and turned the leader. Then, once the leader was sideways, kept his foot on the throttle and shoved him off the turn one banking (no walls). Smoke billowing from the tires spinning, it was hilarious. Walking through the pits, my brother in law ripped the mirror out of the guys car and threw it across pit road.

[kingrukus]

I don't think what anyone did on Sunday was out of line. Logano was trying to protect the lead which he has the right to do, if Tony doesn't like it then move him out of the way. Don't sit and cry about it after the race. And I thought Logano and Hamlin raced hard and Logano did nothing wrong in 3 & 4 when he and Hamlin got together. It's a shame Hamlin got hurt and that should partially be put on the track for not having a safer barrier on 100% of the racing surface.

MW kept insisting that Logano was racing dirty in 3-4 when he started moving way up into Hamlin, trying to cut Kyle off, whiles Hamlin was maintaining his line. I have a lot more respect for Hamlin than anyone else there, he raced very clean.

I was rooting for Kurt Busch - would love to see the #78 Furniture Row win one this year. I guess it help's when they do have RCR's backing. I am pretty sure Kurt will be driving the #29 car next year. Also shocked to see how well Menard has been finishing.

[b2m_vw]

I agree to a point with your comments on blocking. But 10 to go or last lap, we know that clean air means everything at places like California, so that restart with 10 to go was more or less the last chance for everyone to get out front. If Stewarts gets out front on that restart he prob wins that race. I have no prob with Logano in that situation doing what he did. Everyone knew that restart was possibly for the win.

[b2m_vw]

MW kept insisting that Logano was racing dirty in 3-4 when he started moving way up into Hamlin, trying to cut Kyle off, whiles Hamlin was maintaining his line. I have a lot more respect for Hamlin than anyone else there, he raced very clean.

I was rooting for Kurt Busch - would love to see the #78 Furniture Row win one this year. I guess it help's when they do have RCR's backing. I am pretty sure Kurt will be driving the #29 car next year. Also shocked to see how well Menard has been finishing.

I still don't think Logano raced "dirty", I thought he raced hard. I think being on the bottom he knew he had to hold it to floor and hope it stuck, but it didn't. Hamlin was going to get him off the corner because he had the higher line and was going to get the better run off. He didn't get Hamlin in the left rear, he got him square which I thought was fine since it was the last turn of the race.

I'm with you on Kurt Busch, I've been waiting a long time to see a real talent get into sub-par equipment to see how they do. As for Menard, this is par for the course with him. The last few years his seasons always start out very good. He'll hang around 7-10 in the standing til mid-late summer then tends to struggle and becomes a non-factor and misses the chase.

[GreenandChrome]

Joey Logano vs. Paul Menard

The only difference (other than age) is Menard keeps his trap shut.

[gonzo08452]

It's one thing to block on the last lap for the victory, another to mirror drive someone down into the grass on a restart. Tony's deal at Talladega was to block Waltrip, and he underestimated the run Waltrip had (or at least his spotter didn't tell him). When he blocked Regan at Talladega, Tony gave Regan the line when Regan got underneath him. At Fontana, Joey blocked Stewart, despite a bump, then mirror-drove Tony all the way to the grass. Then Joey moved up to get his line into turn one, and chopped Tony going into turn 1.

Logano is one of the biggest whiners and has very little respect because he's been touted the best thing since sliced bread by NASCAR. What people don't realize, when Joey was moving up the ranks, he was driving JGR equipment. He had the resources handed to him that would pretty much ensure victory at the lower levels. From what I hear, his dad makes cheerleader moms seem like Nobel prize winners.

I think Summer's Eve should get a group of drivers, akin to the Coca-Cola racing family. It'd be comprised of Joey, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Brian Vickers, and Carl Edwards.

I agree with this except Gordon is a Pepsi fella

[gonzo08452]

MW kept insisting that Logano was racing dirty in 3-4 when he started moving way up into Hamlin, trying to cut Kyle off, whiles Hamlin was maintaining his line. I have a lot more respect for Hamlin than anyone else there, he raced very clean.

I was rooting for Kurt Busch - would love to see the #78 Furniture Row win one this year. I guess it help's when they do have RCR's backing. I am pretty sure Kurt will be driving the #29 car next year. Also shocked to see how well Menard has been finishing.

Me too. I wanted the 78 to take the win but you think Kurt will go to RCR? I though the were cleaning house to make room for all the grandkids? I think Newman will eventually end up with RCR to replace Burton.

[gonzo08452]

I thought Kennseth with his first win with JGR did an excellent job mirror driving.

[kingrukus]

Me too. I wanted the 78 to take the win but you think Kurt will go to RCR? I though the were cleaning house to make room for all the grandkids? I think Newman will eventually end up with RCR to replace Burton.

The problem with RCR is sponsorship. Harvick is taking Budweiser with him to SHR, CAT is very loyal to Burton for some reason, and Menard is well...sponsored by Menards. Auston Dillon may be ready for cup next year, but RCR needs a championship contender now to keep sponsors around. Kurt Bu looks like the best free agent ready to fill that gap, and RCR has been pretty vocal in their backing of the #78 team.