mhm993

Before the start, Mindy asked me, probably wondering wtf, "what's the point of the half time break?". I said, "because they need more time to interview Danica, and then Michael Waltrip, who will be last after crashing in the early laps".

Which is what happened and what they did.

Just saying....Other than the outcome of the last lap shootout, Nascar on TV is unbearably predictable.

GuyIncognito

yep, some phenomenal skill involved. I think Kyle Busch is one of the best drivers in the world, in any series. and Tony Stewart (who finished second in the shootout) has already proven that he's fast in any car he gets in. so you can't deny the driver skill and talent.

yes, the race last night was an engineered 200 mph demolition derby. and yes, that's what NASCAR does to get viewers (remember how much people B&M'd about the "tandem draft" races?).

but they are also probably the only racing series in North America that makes money for all parties involved (sanctioning body, teams, drivers, sponsors, etc) so they must be doing something right.

jcs_911

^^^ NOT THIS ^^^

^^^ THIS!! ^^^

ltc

Danica qualifies 30th.
Impressive...

mglobe

Kyle Bush qualified 28th. Two whole spots in front of Danica. Didn't he do pretty well just last night?

Veloce Raptor

LOL and you qualified........oh, that's right.....

gomarlins3

^THIS!!!

Th people that bitch the most are the ones that have never (or ever will) drive at 195+ MPH with 40 other 3400 lb cars with 900 HP around them.

Don't like it, don't watch. Simple as that.

ltc

Odd, pay her a compliment and you get the same reaction as if you did not.

VaSteve

That was fun to watch. I wear my redneck proudly. As a driver watching that you just get nervous, since it's probably 70 MPH faster than I have ever gotten my little s2 up to and they are 2 inches off each other on those crazy in banks. Nuts.

It was fun to watch Kurt Busch run hard up front. He'll be fun to watch this season. I read an interview where he's glad to run for a small team. He said he'd won races where the sponsors critiqued an nit picked his victory celebration. That's messed up.

For the S&P guys.....? I think any one of those teams would love to run a full race. You know the drivers would. If you ever want an underdog to root for, pick one of the smaller teams....Phoenix, Front Row, etc.

9.5 Degrees

I saw the highlights on Speed Center so I did not watch nor would I set my DVR to nascar car races, but I have to say that the two Busch saves were awesome.

That said, I don't know if you have to go 195 to have an opinion on this. My belief is that they are not racing until the last 20 laps of a 500 mile race. When they do start to race, there are a lot of wrecks because they are racing and not just going in circles.

There are better ways to spend 5 or 6 hours on a Sunday IMO

car_slave

That was a crash fest highlighted Kyle Busch's saves and ultimate win. I liked the paired drafting from previous seasons. It brought different drivers to the front and required a lot of skill and coordination. I guess there weren't enough crashes to keep the masses happy so they had to make it more dangerous.
I'll bet there are 20 or less working cars left at the end of the 500 next week.

Sean F

interference in the outcome by the governing bodies happens in every series, difference is most series do it before and after the races with rules and "performance penalties" that favor one team or manufacturer over another (often much to Porsche's detriment). NASCAR chooses not to pretend it doesn't happen and just throws a good caution here and there to liven up the show.

Problem with the roundy round races is that it's really difficult to see just how hard this stuff is and how good the drivers are - it is boring even if you appreciate it. A "little" slide at those speeds in those cars with guys 3 inches away on all sides is CRAZY. With road races, it's much easier to see their talent and the action is just that much more exiting to watch.

Veloce Raptor

Spot-on

J richard

Why does every car shower sparks when it's even remotely out of sorts? Not a wreck but just getting sideways? Even light taps... Are the cars built with skidplates to make the show that much more sparkly?! Just saw the highlights and had to back it up on slowmo, cars just getting sideways are emitting huge showers, which means something is hitting the ground. It can't be a wheel because the guys that collect it up keep racing, if it's the suspension or the chassis that would be a crappy design, it would be like driving a car bottomed out on the bumpstops or high centered on the chassis.

I understand that these are not the carbon fiber tubs on most road racing cars, but they are not that different than a Pratt & miller tube Mazda, corvette camaro etc... And yes speeds are different as well but the sparkle show continues well under 50-60...never seen this with an alms or trans am car, not to this extreme.

And what's with driving a fully engulfed fireball for another lap and into the pits? Natural selection at work?

Meh, not a fan, about like driving in freeway traffic out here...

Texas2Step

IIRC, he said he didn't have any brakes at that point. His crew was yelling at him to stop at the fire truck, and he said "no brakes".