Question about NASCAR and the heat in the car....
06-23-2008, 08:57 PM
#46
Three Wheelin'
There appear to be more than a few racers in here who actually understand just how good these NASCAR guys are and just how tough their job is to pilot those cars around a road course. When you start making comparisons of driving a Winston Cup stock car around a road course to you driving your street Porsche at a DE, you just aren't going to win many battles.
Key question: Do you honestly believe that you could jump in their car and drive faster? And vice-versa, do you think they couldn't jump into your car and go faster than you? These are guys who earn millions of $$ per year to drive race cars...no matter how bad you think they look, they're good. Not only do the "road course ringers" rarely dominate when they are brought in to drive, but the NASCAR guys have been VERY successful when they venture out into road racing in Grand-Am against guys who road race sports cars for a living.
Key question: Do you honestly believe that you could jump in their car and drive faster? And vice-versa, do you think they couldn't jump into your car and go faster than you? These are guys who earn millions of $$ per year to drive race cars...no matter how bad you think they look, they're good. Not only do the "road course ringers" rarely dominate when they are brought in to drive, but the NASCAR guys have been VERY successful when they venture out into road racing in Grand-Am against guys who road race sports cars for a living.
Around here we can go to Pocono and do the "NASCAR Experience" (about 1.5 hours away), where they get you in a detuned NEXTEL Cup car and do a fairly fast follow the leader run around the tri-oval. People who do it are amazed at what a handful the cars are, even at 40-50mph less than the pros drive them.
And, as has already been said: when you're racing for the kind of $$ these guys are racing for, you tend to race a little harder than when you're racing for a $10 trophy in 13/13 pretend racing (said as someone who happily participates in lots of 13/13 pretend racing). I suspect that most of the NASCAR regulars would do just fine at a PCA Club Race.
06-24-2008, 04:56 PM
#47
Instructor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: North Texas
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NOTE: The "driver's owner points" is very complicated. There is a rule in nascar that you can only own 2 cars... so there are several owners for each team (since they run more than 2 cars). Take Hendrick Motorsports for example:
Car/Driver -> Owner (points)
88/Dale Earnhardt Jr. -> Rick Hendrick (2256)
48/Jimmie Johnson -> Jeff Gordon (2082)
24/Jeff Gordon -> Rick Hendrick (2041)
5/Casey Mears -> Mary Hendrick (1506)
Now, notice that Rick Hendrick is one owner, but has 2 drivers, and each driver had a different amount of owner's points. Makes even less sense... Basically, the "driver's owner points" are points earned by that car number, whoever drives it.
Anyways, the point is that a road ringer is a good idea if the #5 were below 35th. Even if he doesn't drive that race (and get earn low points, if he were a bad road racer), and a road-ringer drives his car for that race, the owner's points go to casey mears (aka #5). If the road ringer has a shot a winning, then it could get a car up into the top 35, where they no longer have to work on qualifying.
BTW, I think this "top 35" rule sucks, and is hurting NASCAR. It makes it nearly impossible to qualify if you're not in the top 35 (you might qualify in the top 10 and not make the race (and that does happen sometimes)), just so the "regulars" don't have to worry about sponsors bitching that they car they paid isn't in the race. Each race you don't qualify for just puts you deeper and deeper into the hole as the season goes on, making it literally impossible to get into the top 35.
-Judd
06-24-2008, 05:35 PM
#48
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Jim,
That's funny LOL...
You have just got to stop running so fast.
Nothing like the smell of 112 octane race fuel - just so its behind me :-)
Norm
That's funny LOL...
You have just got to stop running so fast.
Nothing like the smell of 112 octane race fuel - just so its behind me :-)
Norm
Wandering back to the original topic, I use the club version of the KoolBox. It works great. Having fresh cool air in your helmet in fantastic and, unlike the coolsuit, never runs out of cool air.
The only time I didn't like it was sitting on the grid angle parked next to Norm at Sebring. The back of his car was right next to my air inlet. I was kicked back enjoying the nice fresh air when he fired up his breast and filled my system with whatever that thing burns.
The only time I didn't like it was sitting on the grid angle parked next to Norm at Sebring. The back of his car was right next to my air inlet. I was kicked back enjoying the nice fresh air when he fired up his breast and filled my system with whatever that thing burns.
