Grand Prix Rejects

Well they are owned by VW and the rumors of VW entering NASCAR with a V8 Passat have been around since long before the damnable "LOLAUDI2F1" rumors. Since NASCAR has essentially waived the flimsy "production" rules it had (Chevy did not build or sell even 1 production SS its first year) it could theoretically be possible. But don't hold your breath.

Only in NASCAR would you find tobacco smugglers masquerading as drivers..

East Londoner wrote:Only in NASCAR would you find tobacco smugglers masquerading as drivers..

IMSA had a HUGE coke smuggling ring in the '80s. Kilos and Kilos in the fuel cells IIRC.

Matt DiBenedetto 6th in Bristol Sprint Cup race. Great job!

AxelP800 wrote:Matt DiBenedetto 6th in Bristol Sprint Cup race. Great job!

And he just about cried during the interview and rightfully so. That finish was the best for him (previous best was 18th) and for the team. It kind of reminds me of Roberto Moreno when he finished 2nd at Japan in 1990 for Benetton after an appalling year with Eurobrun.
And I have to say that Matt didn't get lucky with that finish; he worked that car beyond its capability yesterday and he deserved it. From the highs of being a Joe Gibbs developmental driver to the absolute lows of being a start-and-park driver for The Motorsports Group and for Vision Racing in the Xfinity Series, Matt DiBenedetto is a promising driver who hasn't had the best shots at NASCAR yet. His Sprint Cup record shows that he is a reliable driver in the small team of BK Racing. Hopefully the finish at Bristol will give the team funding to become more competitive as the year goes on. If he can keep impressing like that, hopefully some bigger teams will take notice and give him a chance to shine.

golic_2004 wrote:

AxelP800 wrote:Matt DiBenedetto 6th in Bristol Sprint Cup race. Great job!

Hopefully the finish at Bristol will give the team funding to become more competitive as the year goes on. If he can keep impressing like that, hopefully some bigger teams will take notice and give him a chance to shine.

Maybe Matt could take over the Stewart-Haas #10 once Danica's sponsorship runs out... wishful thinking I know.

Speaking of out-of-nowhere results, how on earth did Clint Bowyer get that HScott car into the top 10? I know Kurt Busch managed to wrestle results out that car (when the team was known as Phoenix Racing), but this is pretty surprising after Bowyer supposedly said something along the lines of "Screw this, I'm outta here" after going to the garage in Texas.

I have to say, it would be great to see what DiBenedetto could do in a half decent car.

Smoke is back
http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/ne ... nd-689051/

Happy birthday to Dale Earnhardt. Today would have been the 65th birthday of "The Intimidator". Ayrton Senna was arguably the greatest F1 driver of all time and Dale was arguably the greatest NASCAR driver there ever was.

The Big One strikes at Talladega, thanks to Outlaw being a dumbass by pushing Russler loose. 17 cars wrecked, including Larson, Dinger, Menerds and Sofas. Thanks a bunch, Kurt.

HOLY shite KENSETH.

I'm scared myself watching each crashes videos.

I can expect that at Talladega, but three separate flips in a race is something I have never seen before in a NASCAR race. Thank God everyone was okay. That plus Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s steering wheel coming off during the race was downright scary. I'd have to say yesterday was one for the record book of bizarreness.

golic_2004 wrote:That plus Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s steering wheel coming off during the race was downright scary

The only consolation I can offer is that at least Junior's wheel came off during a caution. One can only imagine how bad a shape he'd be in if he tried to hand-steer under green flag conditions...

Tony Stewart definitely dodged a bullet today by giving Ty Dillon the #14, because less than 10 cars ended up with no more than minor damage at the checkers. Props to Ty for keeping his nose clean for a top 10 finish.

lance_rambert wrote:

golic_2004 wrote:That plus Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s steering wheel coming off during the race was downright scary

The only consolation I can offer is that at least Junior's wheel came off during a caution. One can only imagine how bad a shape he'd be in if he tried to hand-steer under green flag conditions...

Dale Jr -"Yeah, the steering wheel came off and I was trying to get it back on and the car was headed toward the wall. Well I wasn't going to let it hit the wall so I grabbed the column and steered it with that. Tore my hands all up, but didn't hit the wall. We have to look at something to keep that from happening anymore. We were just out there riding around and something broke on the #19 and he came over and got into us. We just had no luck this weekend."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLPt8Y3BKGc

http://www.motorsport.com/nascar/news/s ... en-734861/

#8 is available. Maybe Perrier sponsorship as a nod to Jean Girard?

So... a Big One just happened at Dover. I'm pretty sure Truex Jr. regrets letting Edwards take the inside lane, because he just piledrove a VERY slow Johnson on the restart. Somehow, Elliott got out without a scratch despite being very damn close to and in the same damn lane as the wreck.

WTF is wrong with Kyle Larson's luck?!?!?!? Damn you Logano. Positive note is this is non-championship race.

I really want Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon, and Darrell Waltrip to shut their faces about Truex Jr. right now. It's like they're trying their absolute damnedest to give him the commentator's curse.

...thank bathplugging goodness, he finally wins a race!

All hail Sofas United

NASCAR isn't happy about the results of the Coke 600, which I'm interpreting as "wah, a scummy little team beat our beloved Hendrick/Gibbs/Penske/SHR, this is not on at all!".

NASCAR don't half love to shoot themselves in the foot. Sadly, IndyCar still do it a lot more.

Yet they don't do anything about the nearly-as-broken-as-that-Eutechnyx-motorcycle-game Xfinity Series? You know, that feeder series where a Gibbs Cup driver and Cup crew in a Gibbs car is pretty much guaranteed to win whenever one pops in?

Oh wait, Brian France and co. are probably okay with this sport being the "Joe Gibbs Show" like how F1's "The Mercedes AMG Petronas Show".

I'm not including Hendrick, SHR, and Penske because JGR is the only team where all their cup drivers have won at least race. The other three teams only have one driver with wins.

I wonder what stick-and-ball-esque gimmick France has up his... rear end... now.

East Londoner wrote:NASCAR isn't happy about the results of the Coke 600, which I'm interpreting as "wah, a scummy little team beat our beloved Hendrick/Gibbs/Penske/SHR, this is not on at all!".

NASCAR don't half love to shoot themselves in the foot. Sadly, IndyCar still do it a lot more.

But didn't Truex win? Furniture Row is 1000% Gibbs now. That makes no sense.....

So it turns out RoGro is deadly serious about running a Sprint Cup race. I really hope this happens later this year

That bathplug #24 crew should be fired. I thought Chase had a shot today, then I hear this "lift and coast" crap on the radio after fumbling the gas can on pit road... and it's Logano that's leading. Great. I already got disappointed with Canada after Ferrari derped. Now I get the #24 crew derping, AGAIN.

Yep, that was probably the worst result for me that could've happened after Canada. Damn it.

Smoke finally won a race.

Thank you, Hamlin, for locking up in the final hairpin.

Maybe Tony will get a chance for championship #4? That'd be nice after his woeful 2014/15.

So anyone that saw Pocono want to explain how Chris Buescher won in a Front Row car? And how Regan Smith came third?

Because it rained here (I live 25 mins from Pocono) all weekend off and on, but HARD. Race got moved to Monday, then was delayed twice on Monday. It was a crashfest and then it got foggy after 120 laps or so. Front Row stayed out (to the point where they may not have been able to do the warm up laps if they restarted, they were that low on fuel) and after an hour 40 minute fog delay, NASCAR said bathplug all and called it.

I was going to go up on Monday (people were giving the now useless tickets away) but I'm glad I didn't. Didn't sound fun.

At least we now get to say that Buescher is better than the supposedly grossly overhyped Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Ryan Blaney by virtue of getting his first Cup win before those three did.

I'll find it hilarious if Buescher is the only rookie in the Chase, provided Elliott continues his bad form. I'm pretty sure that will lock him in as Rookie of the Year too, as if that acutally means anything.

Congrats to Chris Buescher on winning the race. Well-deserved for a small team too. As for the Rookie of the Year, I highly doubt that he will win that based on the finishes he's had compared to those of Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney.
Jimmie Johnson may have finished higher in the standings than Ryan Newman in 2002, but the latter won ROY based on higher finishes than the former. I don't think it bothered Johnson considering his success.

Yea, Elliot is rookie of the year, NASCAR won't give it to anyone else sadly (I'd vote Blaney myself).

As for Buescher there was an interesting radio bite from Tony Stewart, where he points out that Chris has done far better than anyone else in the crapwagons Front Row enters, and that that fact alone should make this a "real" win. Tony was quite effusive that Buescher deserved it, strategy aside.

Wallio wrote:Yea, Elliot is rookie of the year, NASCAR won't give it to anyone else sadly (I'd vote Blaney myself).

Well if Blaney finishes consistently higher than Elliott does he might have a chance to steal it away. He will need to score some top 10 & top 5 finishes though...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfd9np0f6Rw
And now Derikke Cope is known for something other than his shocking Daytona 500 win. However, this is clearly a reject moment.

The Nationwide race at Mid-Ohio tonight might be interesting to watch for some of you. If you take a look at the starting grid http://www.racer.com/Xfinity_Mid-Ohio.pdf you will see that former Indy 500 winner and series champion Sam Hornish, Jr. starts on the pole in a Team Penske car (and on a road couse at that, which is kind of surprising for a driver who is regarded as an oval specialist), former Renault F1 driver and 2015 Formula E champion Nelsinho starts P9 and NASCAR regular Stanton Barrett who is best known to IndyCar fans as the driver of Team 3G's #98 car in the 2009 IndyCar season, will start P27.

To be honest, I've only watched one NASCAR race before: the Watkins Glen round of Sprint Cup which was won by AJ Allmendinger a few years ago, when he also started from pole. That's why my guess is this upcoming race might be similarly interesting.

Yannick wrote:The Nationwide race at Mid-Ohio tonight might be interesting to watch for some of you. If you take a look at the starting grid http://www.racer.com/Xfinity_Mid-Ohio.pdf you will see that former Indy 500 winner and series champion Sam Hornish, Jr. starts on the pole in a Team Penske car (and on a road couse at that, which is kind of surprising for a driver who is regarded as an oval specialist), former Renault F1 driver and 2015 Formula E champion Nelsinho starts P9 and NASCAR regular Stanton Barrett who is best known to IndyCar fans as the driver of Team 3G's #98 car in the 2009 IndyCar season, will start P27.

To be honest, I've only watched one NASCAR race before: the Watkins Glen round of Sprint Cup which was won by AJ Allmendinger a few years ago, when he also started from pole. That's why my guess is this upcoming race might be similarly interesting.

It wasn't just interesting, it was one of the best races of the year! NASCAR in the rain was trully awesome. Candidate for race of the year, easilly.

Without a doubt the best NASCAR race of the year, but it could also indeed be the best race of the year. With the rain in effect throughout the race, literally anyone who attempted to complete it could have won if he kept his car on the road, something that was hard to do even for the most seasoned of wet-weather specialists. Justin Marks, who is always the dark horse in Xfinity events, drove brilliantly and deserved the win Saturday. Bravo sir.

http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-truck/ ... ce-807812/

Ben Kennedy, great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., won his first NASCAR race last night at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Camping World Truck Series. This is a historic moment in my opinion and it would definitely come up as a NASCAR trivia question years from now. Congratulations to him.

Will Alex Tagliani finally get luck on his side and win this weekend's Xfinity race at Road America? He's had 3 runner-up finishes with another top 5 plus 3 poles as well. Had luck gone his way Tags could have won 4, maybe 5 races in that series. If he doesn't win this weekend I might just be heartbroken because he's come so close so many times but something has to happen for him to lose.
And to note, he also was close to winning a truck race in his second start at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport Park) but it just wasn't meant to be.

Junior's on the sidelines for another two races at least.

Wouldn't be surprised if he's forced to retire. If he's still suffering over a month after he was diagnosed, he should really think about calling it a day. The risks to his health are just not worth it, given what we know about concussions in the modern era. Do what Dario Franchitti did and get out whilst he still can. He could transition to a car owner very easily.

If Jr does retire, I wonder what NASCAR is going to do, given they'd have lost three of their biggest draws in just a year (Gordon, Smoke, and Jr). Maybe they could persuade Smoke to race another season, or put the emphasis on Chase Elliot/Chris Buescher et al, but NASCAR stand to lose a chunk of their audience if Jr goes.

It took a damn while, but Kyle Larson FINALLY got his first Cup win at Michigan!

A late caution did save his bacon because Elliott was pulling away from him until Annett had a car/tyre problem instead of a driver problem for once. Elliott also learning from the Jeff Gordon Restart Academy also helped.

That tops off a weekend with first time winners across the three national series as Brett Moffitt took his first Trucks race (also in MI) and Michael McDowell took the Road America Xfinity race.