Jayski's® NASCAR Sprint Cup News - Track News This is badly needed, the Gen 6 car makes for awful racing on the Charlotte oval. Even qualifying under an otherwise exciting format was boring last year. Slot cars. If you can't change the cars, change the tracks, hope it works.
As do Phoenix and Talladega. 'Could be more. I just know IMSA ran on those two also... 27 It's not so much the cars per se as much as it is that the cars and tire technology have made the banked turns nearly straightaways. In road racing terms they would be called "bends", not corners/turns. I've been proposing for years that a spec harder tire be used for all racing series. Puts the driving skill back in the equation. The alternative to that for NASCAR would be the shaving of the banking but then the visibility from the stands and infield would be compromised. "Those were the days my friends. We thought they'd never end..." lorenzobandini
I have raced at charlotte msny times in scca snd imsa over the years. Mickey mouse track and infield is a joke.
The car's at Charlotte can't run 100% for more than a lap before tire degradation kicks in. They are floating around at less than what the car can actually do. When down-force is reduced as they get close, the tire temps rise drastically to make the same lap as the car in front. A harder tire compound is not something I thought of, I was primarily thinking of a less aero dependent cup car. It would change the situation, but what would really be called for is both reduced aero wash, aero dependency, and a tire that can provide the edge of grip without temperature induced degradation. Unfortunately, for those in the stands, the road course is subject to quite a bit of elevation, only the stands past the start finish line and into turn 1 would actually be able to see the whole race. However, Charlotte has that big freakin' TV behind the backstretch, so I think the experience would still be good. The reason the tire is not likely to happen, is it allows inferior "money drivers" to use up their tires more to hold similar lap times, providing the race doesn't stay green, they can keep up, maybe get a lap back on wave around or lucky dog. The real talent conserves their tires while setting the pace to follow, only finally waking things up in the final laps. There is also car setup choice involved, Joey Logano setup his car for the chase setting race at Phoenix for the short run after a restart, rather than long lap pace. The yellow's came fast enough for him the car going off pace in the long run didn't drop him out of range of getting to the front on the next restarts.
A problem with using the road course, is that has been space used for attendee's, campers, etc. I guess if attendance is down, perhaps it won't matter.
Posting at the same time again. I think with 40 cup cars, it will be worth tuning in for. It is narrow, and fairly one groove, but it would shake things up from the way the CMS cup races have been since the Gen 6 car. How would it effect the ride height? would they still use the slammed setup they do now? The banking is I guess more vertical load than even the elevation of the infield, so perhaps the answer is yes.
I forgot Homestead has a road course too, of course. Terv - You discuss Cup cars as tho' they have tons of downforce. They do not. They have no tunnels nor diffusers or even wings. Their downforce is only in the hundreds, not thousands like GTP and Indycars used to have with ground effects..... (plus the discrepency 'tween the ratio of Cup and Indy/GTP downforce to actual weight/chassis tech of the cars is huge in regard to cornering ability.
You've lost me altogether now. You started the thread with "This is badly needed, the Gen 6 car makes for awful racing on the Charlotte oval. Even qualifying under an otherwise exciting format was boring last year. Slot cars." RE: " and a tire that can provide the edge of grip without temperature induced degradation."' tires don't do that at all. Drivers determine it; the tires are just along for the ride.
Seems to me that there was a huge shunt at Charlotte during an IMSA GTP event where Bob Akin's Porsche was destroyed. IIRC, the way the pit lane and the entrance to Turn One blended was extremely dangerous as basically cars exiting the pits rejoined right on the racing line with cars on the track going flat out into Turn One. There is probably a video of this shut posted somewhere but recall at the time there was a big brouhaha about it. BHW
That's it! Remember at the time, the configuration of the way the entrance to the infield and the pit lane exit blended caused a lot of controversy. Seeing that video again, in hindsight of course, it was amazing that there was not some sort of protective barrier on the inside (driver's left). Imagine the difference in braking between a GTP car and today's NASCAR cars. Those big old heavy turtles with tiny brakes, Charlotte would have to completely rethink that infield entrance before they'd be crazy enough to try actually racing a full field there. BHW
NASCAR set to announce new points awarding system, races broken into segments to attract "young fans". Let's see, take an already convoluted points system, make it even more convoluted, in order to bring in newly made up "young fans" with the attention span of moths that don't know the difference between a piston and a wheel nut. Good going NASCAR... Report: NASCAR to announce points and race format changes Monday BHW
Jeeeeeeezzzz Keep it up pretty soon it will be....... "Will yes Joey got the checkered flag, BUT the driver who crossed third has more points so he/she is the actual winner" Next up, violations and penalties for "touching" another car with your car during the race
The sad thing, is if you leave the gimmicks off, you end up with legendary races. I was part of a 12hr go kart race that only had one full course yellow in that 12hr period. Last lap pass for the lead after 12hr's of going at it naturally. The sad thing is, instead of figuring out what made them one of the largest entertainment get togethers, and expanding on that, they are ripping up what they had to chase the wind.
just heard that carl Edwards has left jgr...said to have retired. cannot confirm yet but a hell of a rumor.
Retired? NASCAR drivers don't retire out of the blue, especially after they've made two close runs at the championship (such as it is) and they're making tens of millions of dollars per year selling t-shirts and trinkets. NASCAR drivers only retire when their bodies can no longer handle the bajillion race per year schedule, have too many concussions or they're just too damn old to compete against the kids anymore. Edwards was forced out but title sponsor, Arris, a Mexican company owned by Carlos Slim. Slim wanted Suarez in the car for the (insert new sponsor name here) Cup. Edwards was unceremoniously bumped and no matter what was said in the press conference, his "retirement" will be short lived and he'll be back in a car the minute a seat is available. Whom are we kidding here? Com'on guys, Drumpf hasn't affected your brains this badly already has he? BHW
nope. and as to Cousin Carl, I do think he was dumped by Arris but him holding a retirement press conference instead of a "screw Gibbs I'm signing with X" press conference means, to me at least, he's done. we'll see if it's permanent, or if he becomes a journeyman like DW, Mark Martin and Bill Elliot did.
The "retirement" announcement was the only alternative since it all happened so late in the going. Believe me, the first incident where a driver gets seriously hurt (or worse) Edwards will be no more than twenty yards away, helmet in hand and ready to go. Seems to me Jeff Gordon retired too at the end of 2015 and didn't he end up in Jr, Jr, Jr's car? Edwards and his many sponsors will then be working towards a full time deal for 2018 where he ends up with one of the top teams. BHW
I just read his statement, it makes sense. He *might* be able to stop automobile racing. Wouldn't surprise me to see him take up some other form of physical sport/competition, swimming, running, cycling, he's a guy that has to have something to compete in. Maybe it won't be something so obvious if he takes up a non sporting competition, but its not easy to disconnect that drive he has. If NASCAR didn't have the restrictor plate races, and if NASCAR wasn't interfering with the racing, I think he'd still be out there. He wouldn't say that directly.
I could see him doing the ironman tour, maybe even picking up personal sponsors/endorsements along the way.
