Danica to NASCAR

[Ron61]

Terry,

Cope's twins are going to run some in the Truck series this year. I don't think anyone is down on Danica because she is a woman. I just think all of the hype is to much and that she is now going to be put into a spot of doing well or looking really bad. There is a lot of difference in one of these cars and an Indy type car. Also she needs to learn to race 6 inches apart with 45 other cars around her and this is going to take time. A lot of people think of Jr. as a failure because he isn't the driver his Father was. I would hate to be in a position of having to follow in the footsteps of any super star in any sport.

Ron

[tcrist]

Ron,
Don't get me wrong. I am a Dale Jr. fan. I still think the effects of that fire in Infenion got to him.

In fact I am still a Dale Sr.and DEI fan and I like to see DEI doing good. Gone or not I am still a fan of Dale Sr.

You ought to see my racing room/home office. Dale Sr. & Dale JR. are the theme.

[tcrist]

Does anyone notice that what ever the topic is these sponser links between posts grab onto them and pop up with links to it. It's very irritating to me. I feel like I am being tracked with every key stroke.

[Don]

Just for discussion purposes:

* Is racing open wheel a few inches/feet, at a higher speed ( 220 mph ) , apart without lifting testing the skills of the driver more than a stock car, remembering for the most part touching the other open wheel car, however slightly, will more than likely cause one or both to exit the race. Seems there is a higher margin of error in full fender cars w/o wrecking.

* At Daytona, etc , in ARCA, truck, Nationwide, speeds are mostly the same, yet the driver expertise overall is better in Nationwide. In some of the races, there have been just as many wrecks in the Sprint series, especially at the end of the race

* 2009, Danica finished 5th, highest finisher for the 4 car Andretti Team, and highest finisher for a driver other than those on the Penske & Ganassi Teams, must have done something right

* While Dale JR has been challenged the last few years, past experiences at Daytona etc type racing have been positive.

All that said...... recognizing and admitting the challenges of attempting NASCAR racing is a good start. Janet Guthrie mentioned you drive the car, not necessary to carry it on your shoulders.

[rustyBob]

Open wheel cars are more dangerous by far.........
NASCAR cars have the "rubbin is racen'" comfort zone.......
If NASCAR was open wheel,JJ would not be a 4 time champ......
and i think Dale Jr. lacks focus.....to many other things to focus on......
Danica will do just fine, shes no rookie when it comes to raceing fast cars.........

[Ron61]

Terry,

I agree that I don't think Jr. has been the same since the fire at Infineon. I am also a big fan of Dale Senior and have several of his die cast cars and books. I have one of the die casts that was made just exactly as it looked after he wrecked it at Talladega. Had several people ask if I would sell that one.

Ron

[Bill Bess]

It's always funny to me when people say negative things about NASCAR and compare it to other sports. I wonder how many other sports require as much hard manual work, team coordination, perfection of different functions, equipment performance, drivers skills and concentration, and a hell of a lot of luck to be a winner. Don't forget about all the real danger involved on a weekly basis . There's not much margin for error and no second chances if you get too far behind the competition.
You don't have big bench of drivers sitting there to send in when the driver gets tired or something isn't working.
Back to Danica, she will have plenty of supporters and plenty of haters, but she will do just fine no matter how long it takes and Jr. will help make that happen.

[Ron61]

Bill,

NASCAR themselves have brought on the negatives. Try watching Speed TV. All they have is NASACAR this and NASCAR that. As for comparing it to other types of racing, that happens in all sports. I never said that Danica couldn't do well. I said that I don't think she will do well for a while as there is a huge difference in cars and the type of racing. How many times have you seen 40 open wheel cars so close together at 180 MPH that a move of an inch can set off a huge wreck? I am a fan of hers in open wheel but do not expect much from her this first year in NASCAR. Once in a while there is a new driver that does very well their first year, but not many.

Ron

[Wayne Maybury]

Very few drivers initially do well when they move up to the next level or in this case, to a completely different type of racing. There is a learning curve and 40 other drivers all trying to also win so it takes time to adjust.

I am surprised that NASCAR allows the Cup drivers to regularly compete in the Nationwide series. This makes it much more difficult for the younger drivers to be successful since drivers like Kyle Bush and Karl Edwards (and other Cup drivers) tend to dominate many of the Nationwide races. Obviously NASCAR allows the Cup drivers to compete in the lower series as this helps to sell tickets but it probably makes life difficult for young drivers trying to work their way up.

Wayne

[Ron61]

Wayne,

You are correct about that. We have a local driver here that is the son of a friend of mine and he has been driving since he was old enough to reach the pedals on a small Go-Cart. He has won several championships and moved into what used to be the Winston West series where he won regularly. He had an offer for the old Bush Series and just before he moved they called and canceled it because they had gotten a Cup driver to drive the car. That is why ARCA is becoming a big draw for new drivers as there isn't enough money there for the Cup teams to hog the series.

Ron

[Don]

Wayne.....not necessarily NASCAR's comment and not original with me. Mentioned that by mixing in the Sprint drivers in the Nationwide races, allows the newer/less experienced to gain more exposure to the type of racing and higher level of competition they will be facing when & if they move to the Sprint series. Hence, they adapt to the transition easier.

Speed coverage, must be a reason why the TV program sponsor dollars are spent on NASCAR programming, there must be a return on the advertising investment . The total economic and employment impact associated with NASCAR, from parts to track concessions etc. etc , it is big business.

Danica, no doubt there will be negative comments if she does not finish in the top 10 or 5 in her first race.........

Consider the open wheel, Indy Car and F1 (a few more this year) drivers, that move to NASCAR, how many NASCAR drivers move to the IRL on a permanent basis, other than the drivers that came from the IRL ?

[Ron61]

Don,

That is simple. NASCAR generates more money for the drivers if they make it. However even NASCAR admits that last season was not a good one for them in the finance department and that they had to many empty seats at the races. The economy undoubtedly had a lot to do with that, but also a lot of their fans are just tired of the no racing and follow the pace car for 1/4th of a race type stuff. For crying out loud, why do they need 10 laps of caution on a short track to pick up a piece of paper or rubber. I used to never miss a race, but the past few years I am skipping more and more of them as they are just boring to me for the most part.

Ron

[Wayne Maybury]

Don, I understand completely but it just doesn't seem fair to the young drivers. Basically the top pros, in any other sport, do not compete with the younger, less experienced competitors that are trying to work their way up.

There was some talk a few years ago that Jeff Gordon was probably a good enough driver that he could jump to F1 from NASCAR but it was stated that he would never do it as he would not want to take that much of a pay cut. The top NASCAR drivers are indeed very well compensated.

Danica will probably do as well as any other driver that is competing in NASCAR for the first time but she will have much more attention as she is a female in a male dominated sport. Her every move will come under a microscope. The talking heads on Speed will go on and on and on about how she did this or that or whatever. They have way too many hours to fill with useless bla-bla-bla every weekend so she will certainly be the subject for many of their conversations.

Wayne

[rustyBob]

Danica will do just fine.........
NASCAR drivers have an advantage over open wheel
druvers in the fact that they can rub up against other
cars........you do that in an open wheel car and your
upside down in the fence and on fire..........
NASCAR can be fun to watch again but they need to
make some serious changes.........

[Don]

" He had an offer for the old Bush Series and just before he moved they called and canceled it because they had gotten a Cup driver to drive the car."

While it might not be considered to be " fair " , it's fact. The Team requires sponsor funding, no money, no racing. To attract the sponsor that pays the bills, would you pick the proven Cup driver, who also makes personal appearances for the sponsor, or an unknown. It's not personal, it's a business decision. There is a rating service that measures the amount of TV exposure of the cars, which identifies the major sponsors, and then equated to the value in advertising. The Cup driver is going to get more TV time, by either running up front or in interviews with the sponsors logo on their race suits. Mandatory, each driver must be able to mention their sponsors , every other sentence, especially when winning

" That is simple. NASCAR generates more money for the drivers if they make it." " The top NASCAR drivers are indeed very well compensated."

Which equates to the fan base that purchases the sponsors products. Has Michael Waltrip retained NAPA sponsorship for his race finishes, believe he finished somewhere around 33rd in 2009, or for promoting the product in commercials etc and being able to mention NAPA in any
conversation/interview

" NASCAR themselves have brought on the negatives. Try watching Speed TV "

NASCAR does not sponsor the Speed TV programs, sponsors are paying for the TV time. In these economic times, sponsors must be of the opinion their getting value for the expenditure.

" Basically the top pros, in any other sport, do not compete with the younger, less experienced competitors that are trying to work their way up."

A major difference, any type of professional racing requires sponsor funding. In football, basketball, baseball, no sponsor funding required for the individual to make it to the major leagues, then comes the product endorsements, i.e. golf. Danica brought her sponsorship to the Dale Jr car. Would Paul Menard have a ride without the family sponsorship?

" NASCAR can be fun to watch again but they need to make some serious changes........."

Eliminating the wing and installing a spoiler , according to the drivers, should make a difference along with returning to passing below the yellow line at Daytona etc and allowing bump drafting in the corners. A major change would be to eliminate the restrictor plate while limiting the top speed for the safety of the fans if a car gets airborne, possibility of going into the stadium, sport might not survive the Congressional hearings.

Changing subjects, does anyone know the factual reason for having 43 cars starting a race as opposed to 42 or 44 or some other number ? The 43 being Richard Petty's number, don't think it's the reason.

[Ron61]

Don,

Back many years ago they never had the provisional like they used to and once started 72 cars in a race. Then as they realized they had to cut the number down it was finally paired to 42 cars. Then Richard Petty failed to qualify for a race and they made that past champion provisional so he could race, which made 43 cars. Just a coincidence that it was his car number and he was the one that they had to create it for. Since then they have stayed at 43 because on some of the small tracks, whoever starts last is almost a lap down before they can get up to speed.

Ron

[Don]

Thanks Ron, best explanation I've heard.

[Ron61]

Don,

I have several old books on NASCAR and that and watching some of the old races back when they first started is where I got that information. There is really an interesting story and pictures in some of them involving Tiny Lund and Buddy Baker. Some funny, some could have been very serious since they involved basically street driven cars then. Like Richard Petty telling about his Father borrowing their neighbor's Buick for a weekend in Daytona because it was faster than their car. They would go race it, clean it up and come home and the neighbor never knew they had been using it for a race car.

Ron

[Don]

" On Wednesday, Dale Earnhardt Jr., for whom Patrick will race the ARCA race at Daytona as well as a partial schedule in the Nationwide Series, said he has had very little communication with Patrick and that he doesn't know whether her first Nationwide race will be at Daytona or California. "I honestly don't know," he said. "If I did, I'd tell you. But my sister has been handling all that." "

http://www.autoweek.com/article/2010...#ixzz0dGJG41jp

[Ron61]

Don,

Remember this woman?

http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/opin...son/index.html

Ron