NASCAR Chase On

[Don]

Wayne...

" they were advertising tickets for the Daytona 500 for "as low as $55". Tickets sales must be slow. "

Believe these are the seats at the bottom. Other tracks are doing the same. My seats at New Hampshire are at the top, no price reduction, but like all the years in the past , to keep the same seats, must pay by Dec 1 for the 2010 Sept race.

It was mentioned that NASCAR had a higher concern on the slip in TV ratings, than the reduction in attendance at the track, considering the economic conditions as a contributor. The best seats at New Hampshire are $110, expensive day for a family.

[Wayne Maybury]

Don, that does get expensive. I assume that they don't give away the hot dogs or beer either.

TV revenue seems to drive everything now. F1 has moved many of their races to the middle east or wherever since these places build new circuits and guarantee huge amounts of $$$$$. However, there are actually not very many people in the stands as they depend on TV revenue instead of the gate. Baseball's World Series scheduling is now dictated by the TV network as this is where the money is. NASCAR is in the same boat.

Wayne

[Joe Wicked]

Originally Posted by Ron61

Joe,

The reason I don't think JJ is in the class of Earnheart and Petty is he never had to drive those REAL stock cars that they bought off the show room floor and then had to put the safety equipment on and they did not handle as well, as todays cars do. But I do think he is a good driver and he and his team work together better than any other team. Never any panic or the Curt Bush type *****ing at the crew chief because his car won't go to the front and it is everyone's fault but his. I think that championship he won ruined him. Kyle is one of the best drivers IMHO, but he needs to learn when to stick his car into a hole and when not to, plus work on his interviews as he comes across as somewhat of an arrogant little boy. Right now I really don't have any favorite driver that I pull for as Dale Jarrett was mine. What I really don't like about JJ is his syrupy interviews as if he is repeating a NASCAR dictated line. Like the time he praised the team for making up the 3 laps he was down. NASCAR did that as every time he was in the position for the Lucky Dog Pass, they would suddenly have a phony caution. But you have the right to be wrong also.

Ron

LMAO. I missed this as I have been busy and not keeping up with the thread. Thanks, I needed that laugh. I was hoping you saw my ribbing.

[Don]

From Valvoline Track News:

" Lee White, president of Toyota Racing Development, on Jimmie Johnson's run to a fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship. "As much as you'd really like to blow the horn for your guys, as a racer, I have to say, this is rare air. Jimmie and Rick Hendrick and Chad Knaus and that whole team, they deserve all the accolades. For people not to give them the respect they're due, it's just not fair." "

Nice message from a competitor, if you have ever heard Lee interviewed, a classy individual

[Ron61]

It looks as if the Hendrick cars are going to finish 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. That is really quite a compliment and for the first time in years a Childress car hasn't won a single race all year.

Ron

[Bill Bess]

Hendricks = money/leadership + discipline + best teams + best drivers + best progam + best crew chiefs + consistency + Jimmie Johnson , Mark & Jeff + smartest drivers....= winning championships ...OH Ya, a lots of luck too.

[Don]

Regarding the virtues of the Hendrick organization and #48 Team, rebuilding the front suspension/steering, cooling, rear end/suspension, hang new front sheet metal, all in 68 minutes. Then go back out to the track, run at a competitive speed, passing other cars, with only a tire rub on the front which was quickly fixed.

By the time the #48 was back in the garage after the wreck, the parts had been obtained from the hauler and each crew member knew their assignment.

Rather than finish 43rd, finishing at 38th allowed for a few more points, which might just be needed after the final race this weekend

JJ & Team reached a point in the race due to the laps lost in the garage fixing the wreck, their finish position could not be improved. Rather than leave the race and be scored with a DNF, finished the race on the track. JJ remained in the car during the entire 68 minutes.

Darrell Waltrip mentioned on Dave Despain's Wind Tunnel, the knack that Hendrick has in selecting the people on his Teams, possibly with the exception of the #88 Dale JR, which will finish around 23rd/24th. But, Dale had more mis-adventures, not necessarily all his fault, than the other 3 Hendrick Teams combined

[Ron61]

Don,

Dale Jr. is not the driver his Father was either and when Hendrick first signed him he brought that cousin along as his crew chief. He could not get a car set up well at Earnheart Corp. and never could. The past few races Jr. has ran better for longer than has been the norm. He would start out well and then just sort of fade away. Maybe next year will be different for him. And he has had some bad luck with engines and other things. But at times so have most of the others. And as mentioned above, luck plays a big part in any type of sports if you win a championship.

Ron

[Ralphy]

I guess JJ has been lucky for four years now! lol

[Ron61]

He has to a certain extent. Just look back at the wrecks he managed to get through without a scratch on his car. When you get through one of those big wrecks and you are right in the center of it an have no damage to your car, it is luck more than driving.

Ron

[Ralphy]

By running up front you avoid many of the wrecks. The double file restarts has helped with this.

[Ron61]

That is one of the few new rules that NASCAR has made lately that I think has really helped. Getting those lap down cars back in the rear where they should have been is great as that lets the ones on the lead lap fight it out on a restart instead of having to try to pass 15 lap down cars to get back to the leaders.

Ron

[Ralphy]

Yeah, at Daytona you could be running sixth being back six rows. Then you pick the wrong groove behind the slow train. Bam! your running 23rd.

[Ron61]

Well next weekend it will all be over for a while. I saw on the NASCAR site that they acknowledged the crowds are down and that some sponsors are going to be leaving. But they stopped short of saying they may have to have drive and park cars to fill out some of the fields next year.

Ron

[Don]

" Start & Park " Teams have appeared a number of times in the Nationwide series, it's the choice of the Team, not NASCAR. These underfunded and non-major/primary sponsored Teams need the start money to either support another car or allow full participation at other races. Realistically, the practice has been allowed when it is quite evident there would not be a full complement of cars.

More & more Teams in the Cup series have multiple major/primary sponsors during the year to share the costs, even Gordon's DuPont #24 has used this approach with Pepsi

During 2009 I cannot recall any race where there was just 43 cars so all automatically qualify. Some races have had upwards of 48/50 + cars attempting to qualify.

Is it luck or driving/Team skill when the top drivers are able to come from far back and be a top 5 or 10 finisher, even navigating the traffic when lapping other cars, a skill JJ has to plan his moves.

[Ron61]

Don,

I think there was one race this year where they had to have 1 more car. As for coming from the back, it is not only JJ that has done that, but it takes not only skill but luck if you don't get caught up in someone else's mess. Lapping traffic is a hard thing to do as they don't want to go a lap down and will fight until they cause a wreck or whoever is trying to lap them finally gets by. As the economy improves I believe there will be more sponsors willing to go part way on a team. But I do believe the day of the major sponsor is over where one company sponsors a whole team.

Ron

[rustyBob]

I think i will skip next weekends NASCAR fiasco....
Ron Hornagay already won the truck championship.......
Kyle Busch will win the nationwide championship.......
Jimmy Johnson will win the sprint cup championship.....
thats the way the script reads..........

[Don]

Source: BostonGlobe.com

" HOMESTEAD, Fla. - So what’s the big secret? What is the reason behind Jimmie Johnson’s unparalled run at a fourth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship? "

" They represent an extension of the 530-employee powerhouse operation at Hendrick Motorsports back in Charlotte, N.C., where visitors to the race shop housing Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 team and Johnson’s No. 48 team are greeted by a sign that reads, “Teamwork is what allows common people to react. Now it can be told. It’s his team, all 23 people who travel weekly to the 36 races and provide Johnson with support at the track. From the seven-member pit crew to the tire and shock specialists, the front and rear-end mechanics, engine tuner, the race engineers, scorer, spotter, and yes, even, the truck driver. "

Complete Article:


http://www.boston.com/sports/other_s...ess/?page=full

[tcrist]

It's never one person that wins these races. It is the whole team. The crew chief and the driver have a bunch to do with it though. It is also the owner that has to bring the right people together at the right time.

Look at Hendrick, three of his four teams are right at the top. I think that Dale Jr. is a good driver and at times he shows that he can be a great driver but he is to inconsistant.
It could be that Tony JR and Magroo(sp) just cant get ahold of what the new car needs. It could be that Dale Jr lost it a little when he wrecked and got burned at Infinon (Sears Point) at that test a few years back. It seems (to me anyway) that he has not been the same since then.

Terry

[Ron61]

Terry, I think with Dale Jr. it is a combination of things. He over rules his crew chief a lot and then complains the car is worse. Also I don't think he has the right type of chemistry with his team. Listen to JJ or Jeff Gordon when they are telling their crew chiefs what the car is doing. They do it where the car is and the crew chief can see where they are. Jr. really doesn't do a great job of describing just what is going on. It is to loose to drive or this car is junk is not a good description for the crew to work off of. He starts off great in a lot of races but as they progress he gets worse and worse.

Ron