Ross

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Johnny Tran &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">apparently you havent read 98% of my posts on this site....or ever talked to me outside of the interweb </TD></TR></TABLE>

'Course I have, dummy. Me saying "You're too serious" was total satire, because I was a bit surprised to see you taking anything seriously.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Some of you just need to step back (or get slapped back) into reality once and awile and realize that the type-r is not gods gift to racing. </TD></TR></TABLE>

You need to just quit sipping the haterade and buy one.

Hracer

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Formula Racing &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It pisses me off when my driver is benched for someone who specializes in each track</TD></TR></TABLE>

I would venture to guess that the majority of the teams who have been doing this are either mid-pack, or some even back-of-the-pack efforts and it is these events in which they have any kind of a chance to run further up front. I don't blame them because it makes sense.

My number 1 complaint about oval racing other than safety issues is that imo, equipment plays a relatively much bigger role in an oval race than it does in a road race. In something like a 10+ turn road course, it seems that there are just a lot more variables involved that a driver has to manage to the best of his/her ability, than the same driver would encounter on a 2-turn oval. The more dynamic the conditions are, the more it is up to the driver to make the difference. If you have the budget to afford 15+ cars (one for each type of track) and do tons of testing to get those perfect setups, you'll likely also have a car that handles very well and optimizes its grip through those 2 turns found on an oval. If you have a good engine program, that also takes care of the other half of the track: both straights. Imo on an oval - and I’m not even considering the restrictor plate tracks - a driver has a whole lot less to play with, relatively speaking, to overcome another (possibly not as good) driver that just happens to be driving a car that sticks a little better in both of the 2 turns of the oval and powers down the straights with a slightly better motor. On a road course, equipment is still very important, but with the significantly more variables that are in play, a better driver has a relatively better chance to make a bigger difference. For this reason I believe most of the mid-pack Nascar teams choose to bring in road course veterans for these events because it’s the single most significant thing they can do to increase their odds at a better finish compared to their regular results at other venues. Specifically speaking of the Mexico race, I don't know if it was due to the overheating issues or what, but it looked like Boris Said's car was towing a boat down the straights compared to the eventual winner's car. Still, the winner did drive well and did not make any big mistakes at the end, which was the only possible way Boris would have had a chance at the win.

I watched about half of the race on and off and it was a fun. But as others have said, the absence of local yellows made it ridiculous! Did the corner workers just
"forget" overnight what local yellows were from the prior GA races? Or did the Nascar PR politics come into play and would not allow any new, possibly threatening, elements to be introduced that might just rattle up a little bit all of the Nascar fans watching. lol Oh and the absurd commentary, well it was simply hilarious.

Ross

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Catch 22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">That race wasn't any worse than any Grand Am or WC race in terms of crashes and incidents. What makes it SEEM worse is that NASCAR throws a full course yellow for EVERYTHING.

Half of those yellows should have been locals or even debris flags.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I kinda lost interest in the race. My original post was about the qualifying, which I watched. And really, every lap or two someone was flying off into the dirt.

krshultz

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Ross R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I kinda lost interest in the race. My original post was about the qualifying, which I watched.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Actually some of the footage I saw of the qualifying *was* pretty bad. I especially liked the guy going all Joey Chitwood through that chicane...he was lucky he didn't flip that thing.

Dented Rx7

Not to mention that Boris did put the hunk of metal on the pole even though it appeared to lose power in the race

Honda318dx

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by krshultz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Actually some of the footage I saw of the qualifying *was* pretty bad. I especially liked the guy going all Joey Chitwood through that chicane...he was lucky he didn't flip that thing.</TD></TR></TABLE>

That was AWESOME! He was probably doing 140-150 mph too...

Catch 22

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Honda318dx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

That was AWESOME! He was probably doing 140-150 mph too... </TD></TR></TABLE>

Agreed.
That was a helluva catch of an airborne 3500lb car.

Anybody find a still of that? I need new wallpaper.

Evan55

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Hracer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My number 1 complaint about oval racing other than safety issues is that imo, equipment plays a relatively much bigger role in an oval race than it does in a road race. In something like a 10+ turn road course, it seems that there are just a lot more variables involved that a driver has to manage to the best of his/her ability, than the same driver would encounter on a 2-turn oval. The more dynamic the conditions are, the more it is up to the driver to make the difference. If you have the budget to afford 15+ cars (one for each type of track) and do tons of testing to get those perfect setups, you'll likely also have a car that handles very well and optimizes its grip through those 2 turns found on an oval. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I think thats based on a misunderstanding about oval track racing. You have just as many variables, they are just different. The track may be less challenging, but you have more traffic, more cars, more drivers in closer proximity than any road race. The good circle track drivers navigate and deal with traffic much more than any road course drivers.
road racing is more about the driver vs the track. circle track racing is more about the driver vs other drivers.

Sean O'Gorman

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by krshultz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Actually some of the footage I saw of the qualifying *was* pretty bad. I especially liked the guy going all Joey Chitwood through that chicane...he was lucky he didn't flip that thing.</TD></TR></TABLE>

The ironic thing is, he was a Mexican road racer. That was the TV highlight of the year for me so far.

Raceworks

As far as the multiple yellows thing goes, you have to remember something. NASCAR isn't about racing, it's about entertainment. They like to keep the show consistent, because they truly believe that their fan base isn't intelligent enough to comprehend a change in format (to be fair, this is a prevalent attitude with the entertainment industry in general, which is why most of what they produce is homogenized crap). Ovals have to have a full course yellow any time there's a wreck, so they've got to have them on the road courses or the fans might not understand.

Also, yellow flags also allow you to maintain the illusion that your series has closer competition than it really does. If you toss a caution every 10-20 laps, things bunch up and you have the opportunity for those crazy restarts. This is also why you rarely see penalties when somebody tosses a glove or piece of rollbar padding on the track. If they didn't have so many cautions, there wouldn't be anywhere near the number of close finishes.

There's also the fact that those 3,400lb lead taxis just don't hold up very well to long green flag runs. Part of the reason road-course cars have gone to lighter weights and high-tech materials isn't merely technological snobbery. Even with all the extra horsepower, a 2,200lb GT car is much easier on brakes, tires, and drivelines than a 3,400lb stocker. It wouldn't make NASCAR look too good if 3/4 of the field dropped out due to brake system & driveline failures, or if the race got strung out as the drivers played strategy with their equipment just like the endurance racers do.

As far as the driver talent thing goes, if you want to believe that the "ringers" get the same equipment that the regulars do, be my guest. I've seen Said, Pruett, and Fellows have markedly different performances when they have top-notch equipment in NASCAR.