Official NASCAR Thread

[kk9fan97]

Stewart-Haas Racing just announced that they will be expanding to the Xfinity Series next season. No drivers or car numbers were announced.

#4 (JD Motorsports), #10 and ##14 (Tristar Motorsports) are already taken, but #00 and #41 are both available.

Cole Custer might be the driver.

Edited July 26, 2016 by kk9fan97

[kk9fan97]

NASCAR ran a test today for the Cup Series on the repaved Watkins Glen International course with one car per organization at the test, and Brad Keselowski crashed extremely hard in Turn 1. There's no video but from the picture Keselowski just tweeted it looks like he went straight off in Turn 1 and cleared the skid pad/runoff area and hit the tire barrier head on in the same sort of way that Jimmie Johnson crashed there in 2000, Denny Hamlin in 2011 and Cole Whitt two years ago. It also looks like the car caught on fire after the impact.

 

 

John Wes Townley will be returning to the truck series this weekend at Pocono after sitting out the last two races with a concussion.

 

edit: Keselowski just tweeted video of the crash. Onboard camera - https://twitter.com/keselowski/status/758048354303668224

Edited July 26, 2016 by kk9fan97

[kk9fan97]

BREAKING NEWS: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will not drive the #88 for at least the next two races putting the total number of races he has missed to 5 (NHMS, Indy, Pocono, Watkins Glen and Bristol). Jeff Gordon will remain in the #88 for both Watkins Glen this week and Bristol in two weeks. This weekends start for Gordon will be his 800th career Sprint Cup Series start.

http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2016/8/2/jeff-gordon-dale-earnhardt-jr-driving-88-at-watkins-glen-bristol.html

[Wastelander (Suzuki)]

BREAKING NEWS: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will not drive the #88 for at least the next two races putting the total number of races he has missed to 5 (NHMS, Indy, Pocono, Watkins Glen and Bristol). Jeff Gordon will remain in the #88 for both Watkins Glen this week and Bristol in two weeks. This weekends start for Gordon will be his 800th career Sprint Cup Series start.

http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2016/8/2/jeff-gordon-dale-earnhardt-jr-driving-88-at-watkins-glen-bristol.html

I hope my boy Dale Jr. can return to racing soon, aleast Ryan Newman (my second favorite driver and my dads fav) and Chase are still Racing.

[kk9fan97]

Well we just had the big one in the Xfinity Series race at Walkins Glen.

 

Involved - #90 Todd Bodine, #44 J.J. Yeley, #74 Nicolas Hammann, #39 Ryan Sieg, #14 Tomy Drissi, #18 Kyle Busch, #70 Derrike Cope, #6 Darrell Wallace, Jr., #15 Scott Heckert, and #10 Jeff Green

[kk9fan97]

Well that was a new one. Derrike Cope's car literally exploded. He said he lost the brakes going into turn 1 so he started limping it around the track when the car exploded in the middle of the bus stop chicane shortcut and has no idea why it happened. NASCAR has impounded his car to look into what happened.

 

http://nascar.nbcsports.com/2016/08/06/derrike-cope-on-explosion-in-35-years-of-racing-i-dont-think-ive-ever-seen-that/

 

edit: NASCAR has given the car back to Cope's team.

 

edit: Cope's crew chief says the right front tire exploded.

Edited August 7, 2016 by kk9fan97

[theGTAking101]

Well Erik Jones and 5-Hour Energy are moving to FRR next year in the 77. I was hoping and expecting it would be the 87, but whatever. I don't really like Erik but it's a great opportunity for him.

 

 

 

[kk9fan97]

wow a lot of penalties today..

 

#48 Johnson - Uncontrolled tire, speeding, then tried getting fuel on his pass through penalty and had to do a second pass through then got caught speeding on his pass through forcing him to have to serve a stop and go penalty

 

#19 Edwards - tire violation

 

#47 Allmendinger - speeding

 

#5 Kahne - over the wall to soon

 

#88 Gordon - pitting on a closed pit road, too many crew members over the wall

 

#21 Blaney - speeding

 

#46 Annett - did not stop after cutting the bus stop chicane

 

edit:

 

#22 Logano - speeding

 

edit:

 

#83 Dibenedetto - uncontrolled tire

 

edit:

 

#27 Menard - throwing the fuel can

 

#34 Buescher - throwing the fuel can

Edited August 7, 2016 by kk9fan97

[kk9fan97]

big, big crash in the same spot as Ryan Newman and Michael McDowell's huge crash two years ago and Sam Hornish, Jr., Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton's huge crash in 2008.

 

#48 Jimmie Johnson, #16 Greg Biffle, #17 Ricky Stehouse, #3 Austin Dillon involved. Boris Said, Casey Mears, and A.J. Allmendinger all did a good job just missing the crash.

 

red flag

 

 

edit: 3-Time Indianapolis 500 starter and former Chip Ganassi Racing development driver Bryan Clauson was seriously injured in a horrific crash in the Belleville Nationals. He apparently got run into the wall by a lapped car and went into a series of flips and then was hit directly in the top of his car by another driver. Track crews cut the roll cage off of his car and he was airlifted to the hospital. His family posted an update on his facebook page a little while ago and said he is in critical condition with serious injuries.

 

http://motorsports.nbcsports.com/2016/08/07/clauson-hospitalized-in-critical-condition-per-family-update/

 

 

 

I am not too surprised about Erik Jones going to Furniture Row Racing. It had been rumored for quite some time...

 

also that's not the first time that 5 Hour Energy has been on a #77 car in the Cup Series -

 

 

The only thing that surprised me was the car number. I figured they would use #87 like they did when they ran a second car part time in 2008 -

 

 

edit: and another big wreck - #19 Carl Edwards, #31 Ryan Newman, #23 David Ragan, #55 Alex Kennedy, and #15 Clint Bowyer involved

 

edit: and another big crash and red flag. #4 Kevin Harvick, #34 Chris Buescher, #23 David Ragan, #95 Michael McDowell, #83 Matt Dibenedetto, #44 Brian Scott, #43 Aric Almirola, and #10 Danica Patrick involved.

Edited August 7, 2016 by kk9fan97

[kk9fan97]

BREAKING NEWS: USAC just announced that 3-Time Indianapolis 500 starter and former Chip Ganassi Racing development driver Bryan Clauson has died from injuries sustained in Saturday night's crash at the Belleville Nationals.

 

Clauson was 27.

[Ex Hellraiser]

I was shocked to hear about Clauson. I haven't kept up with him and even though its been years since he drove in NASCAR, I immediately remembered him when I saw his name pop up on my Facebook feed. So sad to hear about another death in sprint cars. Jason Leffler, Kevin Ward Jr, now Clauson (and I'm sure I missed a name or two from recent times). RIP

 

I haven't posted yet about my trip to Indy, but boy, was it fun! Indianapolis isn't the most spectator friendly track there is, but I didn't care. I just loved the atmosphere. The entire place was such a spectacle. I walked the pit road before the race, and I was blown away by how truly huge the track is. Its one thing to see it on TV and think "That's big" but its entirely different to be standing at one end of pit road, and barely being able to see the other side of the track, over a mile away. It was amazing. And the engines are just ear-splittingly loud! It was like a 737 at full throttle flying by 50 feet away, 160 times. Even just idling, the cars were insanely loud.

 

 

I managed to get a picture of all three of my favorites together in race trim:

 

[kk9fan97]

You got on to pit road? nice. I've been on both pit road and the frontstretch at NHMS.

 

 

it's not just in sprint cars that we've lost drivers in over the last few years. Justin Wilson in IndyCar, Jules Bianchi in F1, and Allan Simonsen in sportscars to name a few.

 

 

 

Over the last week or so more throwback paint schemes have been revealed for Darlington. -

 

#11 Blake Koch (Darrell Waltrip Mountain Dew throwback) -

 

 

 

#11 Denny Hamlin (Darrell Waltrip Budweiser throwback) -

https://www.facebook.com/joegibbsracing/photos/a.182656744221.122892.74504559221/10154436861059222/?type=3&theater

 

#14 Tony Stewart (Bobby Allison Coca~Cola Throwback) -

 

 

 

#21 Ryan Blaney (David Pearson Motorcraft throwback) -

 

 

 

#23 David Ragan (Dr. Pepper throwback) -

 

 

 

#27 Paul Menard (Al Unser Jr. Valvoline throwback)-

 

 

 

#48 Jimmie Johnson (David Pearson Lowe's throwback - Pearson ran this scheme in one of the races that he was a substitute driver for an injured Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt never ran with the Lowe's sponsorship)-

 

 

 

#83 Matt DiBenedetto (Orange Crush throwback) -

 

 

 

#95 Michael McDowell (Richard Childress throwback) -

 

 

 

 

Ragan's team should have used either one of the Dr. Pepper Schemes that Tony Roper ran in the Xfinity Series in 2000 or the scheme that Kevin Grubb and Bobby Hamilton, Jr ran in the Xfinity Series in the early 2000's...

 

Roper - http://www.jayski.com/schemes/2000bgn/50drpepper-side.jpg

 

Grubb/Hamilton, Jr. - http://www.jayski.com/schemes/2002bgn/26drpepper-buschladies.jpg

 

and http://www.jayski.com/schemes/2003/busch/26drpepper-rear.jpg

 

 

Jayski has a full gallery of the throwback schemes that have been announced for the Cup Series - http://www.jayski.com/news/schemes/story/_/page/2016-NASCAR-Darlington-Throwback-Paint-Schemes

 

so far everyone but #1, #5, #15, #16, #20, #30, #34, #38, #42, #44, #46, #55, and #98 have unveiled throwback schemes - Kenseth's is being unveiled next week.

 

 

 

Bryan Clauson saved 5 people by donating his organs - https://twitter.com/BryanClausonInc/status/763442477097291776

 

NASCAR is making special decals available for the Xfinity Series teams to run this weekend at Mid-Ohio in honor of Bryan Clauson -

https://twitter.com/NASCAR/status/763454978811912192

Edited August 10, 2016 by kk9fan97

[theGTAking101]

There always seems to be something bad happening in August. Last year it was Wilson, 2014 it was the Stewart/Ward incident, and 2013 it was Stewart breaking his leg.

[kk9fan97]

Crazy, crazy race today for the Xfinity Series, I didn't get to watch it, but I listened to most of it on radio while at work.. They raced in the rain and just about every lap drivers were going off course. Ray Black, Jr., Kenny Habul, and Darrell Wallace, Jr. all had probably the most off road excursions during the race, with Wallace, Jr. going off course multiple times while leading. There was also multiple multi-car pileups and on one restart they had at least 8 different drivers get off course in different corners with a few drivers going off multiple times, some of which went off after the caution was put out.

 

 

The winner of the race is

Justin Marks who was driving the #42 for Katerra Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.

 

Edited August 14, 2016 by kk9fan97

[theGTAking101]

I expect nothing less from this Mid-Ohio, the sport needs more road courses.

[DoctorMike]

10/10

Sexy and on the other hand, creepy

Edited August 14, 2016 by MikePhilips

[kk9fan97]

Here is an updated list of drivers for NASCAR Heat: Evolution -

 

1. #1 Jamie McMurray

2. #2 Brad Keselowski

3. #3 Austin Dillon

4. #4 Kevin Harvick

5. #5 Kasey Kahne

6. #6 Trevor Bayne

7. #7 Regan Smith

8. #10 Danica Patrick

9. #11 Denny Hamlin

10. #11 Matt Tifft

11. #13 Casey Mears

12. #14. Tony Stewart

13. #15 Clint Bowyer

14. #16 Greg Biffle

15. #17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.

16. #18 Kyle Busch

17. #19 Carl Edwards

18. #19 Daniel Hemric

19. #20 Matt Kenseth

20. #20 Erik Jones

21. #21 Ryan Blaney

22. #22 Joey Logano

23. #23 David Ragan

24. #24 Chase Elliott

25. #27 Paul Menard

26. #29 Tyler Reddick

27. #31 Ryan Newman

28. #32 Bobby Labonte

29. #34 Chris Buescher

30. #38 Landon Cassill

31. #41 Kurt Busch

32. #42 Kyle Larson

33. #43 Aric Almirola

34. #44 Brian Scott

35. #46 Michael Annett

36. #47 A.J. Allmendinger

37. #48 Jimmie Johnson

38. #78 Martin Truex, Jr.

39. #83 Matt DiBenedetto

40. #88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

41. #93 Ryan Ellis

42. #95 Michael McDowell

 

NASCAR NEXT drivers - Julia Landauer, Alon Day, Harrison Burton, Todd Gilliland, Collin Cabre, Spencer Davis, Tyler Dippel, Noah Gragson, Gary Klutt, and Ty Majeski.

 

 

Youtuber Jeff Favigano and Brad Keselowski did a livestream from DMi/Monster Games Charlotte HQ last week and then Favigano has put out several videos showing the diffrent settings, and game modes in NASCAR Heat: Evolution. It was confirmed during the livestream that on consoles the game will play at 30 fps (framerates per second) and on PC it will be 60 fps. It was also confirmed that online multiplayer will be capable of having 40 car fields.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w9pBgDnZC8

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY1_Gj3S8UY

 

Keselowski/Favigano livestream -

 

 

Jamie McMurray unvieled his throwback paint scheme today on his instagram page. He will be running a Mac Tonight throwback car that looks like the Mac Tonight #94 car that Bill Elliott drove.

 

 

 

Edited August 15, 2016 by kk9fan97

[theGTAking101]

I watched his first Heat Evolution video when it came out and enjoyed it, and I was looking forward to the new career mode video. The second one was ok I guess, but there's still room for improvement.

 

One thing that I don't understand, is DMR said that that they're including the Daytona 500 paint schemes, yet some of the schemes aren't the ones they ran in the 500. McMurray's, Stewart's and Annett's to name a few.

 

But overall, I'm excited for it. The AI racing on simulation mode looks pretty good. I'm not sure how stable the multiplayer is gonna be with 40 players though, but we'll see.

 

I mean it can't be worse than the ETX games.

Edited August 16, 2016 by theGTAking101

[kk9fan97]

The paint schemes they use have to be pre approved by the teams and sponsors. They can only use what the teams give them. That is why those cars are different. Bobby Labonte is in a different car in game as well. Their Daytona 500 sponsor pulled out of racing so they have him in a Can-Am car in game instead.

 

 

edit: new paintscheme for Kasey Kahne this weekend -

 

 

 

 

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr will be running a throwback car this weekend. He is running the same Fastenal scheme that Bryan Clauson had when he drove the #40 for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Xfinity Series in 2008.

 

 

Clauson's car -

 

 

also in the Verizon IndyCar Series, Conor Daly who drives the #18 for Dale Coyne Racing, the same team that Clauson drove in part for with Jonathan Byrd's Racing in the Indy 500 this year is changing numbers for this weekends race at Pocono to #88 in honor of Clauson. Clauson drove the #88 car in the Indy 500. Pippa Mann will be driving the #19 car for Dale Coyne Racing in honor of Clauson at Pocono.

 

 

The three men arrested for the assault of Mike Wallace and Lindsey Wallace are facing more charges - http://www.jayski.com/cupnews.htm#20160816c

 

edit: Darrell Wallace, Jr. is going to be running a Mark Martin throwback car in the Xfinity Series race at Darlington -

 

Edited August 16, 2016 by kk9fan97

[kk9fan97]

I think Matt Kenseth wins as far as best throwback paint scheme for Darlington goes. They just unveiled his car -

 

video - https://twitter.com/JoeGibbsRacing/status/765613452211564545

 

 

throwback to the #17 that Darrell Waltrip drove, the #5 and #10 that Ricky Rudd drove and the #32 that Scott Pruett, Ricky Craven, Bobby Hamilton, Jr., and Travis Kvapil drove.

 

edit: Craven, Rudd and Waltrip were all at the announcement (they are with Kenseth and Gibbs in the orange Tide shirts in the background - Rudd is blocked by the guy in white, Craven is on the left, Waltrip on the right, with Kenseth and Gibbs in front)

Edited August 16, 2016 by kk9fan97

[theGTAking101]

Gibbs and Roush have had the best throwback schemes of the year. My favorites this year are Bayne's, Kyle Busch's and Edwards'.

Jamie's is nice too. I like Dale's, but it doesn't feel as special since he's used the "Grey Ghost" on his primary scheme as well. Pretty much all they've done is changed the colors.

Edited August 17, 2016 by theGTAking101

[kk9fan97]

meant to post this last week.

 

Last week they had an auction for the family of Bryan Clauson and one of the items put up for auction was one of Clauson's favorite helmets. Tony Stewart bought it for $32,000 and proceeded to give the helmet back to Clauson's fiancee Lauren Stewart. So not only did Stewart give them $32,000 but he gave them the helmet.

 

 

that right there is why I am a fan of Tony Stewart. He does all these good things and does not want the publicity for it, a lot like Dale Earnhardt.

 

The truck Series is supposed to be racing at Bristol tonight, but are currently in a holding pattern due to storms in the area. If they can't run it tonight, they will move it to tomorrow morning at 10am edt and the Modified Series race was stopped due to the weather and will finish following the truck series race. They can't run the truck series race tomorrow night due to the lack of infield space and the need to park the haulers for the Xfinity Series and Cup Series teams.

Edited August 18, 2016 by kk9fan97

[theGTAking101]

I'm surprised nobody posted this yet.

 

KBM driver William Byron will move up to JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series in 2017. Looks like Sadler is out of a ride. The number will probably get changed back to 9.

 

 

I think this is amazing news for Hendrick, since they really needed more young drivers, especially with their current drivers getting up there in age.

• Kahne might be out the door once his contract expires due to him underpreforming (although it't not all his fault, Rodden isn't the best crew chief plus the 4th HMS car is never as good as the others)
• Earnhardt is up there in age, and with his health, nobody really knows how much longer he'll be around. (But we all know he wants to keep racing and has no plans to quit just yet, so we'll have to see).
• Johnson is also in his 40s, but he's in great shape and he already said he's gonna be still racing past his contract. I can see him being around for at least another 4-5 years.

 

So that's possibly 3 seats that will need to be filled in a short amount of time. Larson could possibly take one, and we'll see who takes the other. Maybe Bowman or something. Hendrick is the opposite of Gibbs at the moment, where Gibbs has way too many drivers than they have room for.

 

More info.

Edited August 19, 2016 by theGTAking101

[kk9fan97]

Bryon was originally with JR Motorsports in late models. All four Hendrick drivers still have time left on their contracts so they can't move him up to cup until at least 2018 and that would be a stretch. The talk of Kahne getting the boot is idiotic. Everyone seem to forget that in his first 4 years with Hendrick he has done beter than Junior did in his first 4 years with them.

 

 

Hendrick Motorsports has confirmed to Motorsport.com that if Dale Earnhardt, Jr. can't drive at Michigan next week Alex Bowman will drive the #88. Due to a prior commitment Jeff Gordon can't drive the car at Michigan.

 

http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/bowman-not-gordon-will-sub-for-dale-jr-if-needed-at-michigan-808258/

[theGTAking101]

I think the Kahne issue is similar to the Jr. issue, bad crew chief. Kasey did good in 2012 and 2013 but he and Rodden just don't go good together. Kasey is a good driver but there's only so much you can do when you're paired up with the wrong crew chief. Just like how Dale and McGrew didn't click and as soon as he got Letarte his results started getting better.

[kk9fan97]

They need to put Kenny Francis back on the #5 pit box as Car chief at the very least. Rodden worked as car chief under Kenny Francis when Francis was the team director (Evernham's title for crew chief) of the #9 car with Kahne from 2006 when they won 6 races until 2010 when Kahne quit on RPM and was promptly fired by the team. Rodden was then car chief under Francis when Francis was crew chief on the #4 Red Bull car with Kahne and then again on the #5 car until he left to be crew chief dor McMurray in 2014.

 

Francis and Rodden worked some serious magic when they were on the pit box together. Pretty much the entire #9 team moved with Kahne/Francis/Rodden to the #4 and then the #5, even Kahne's spotter/cousin Kole Kahne followed him to both before parting ways a few races into 2012.

 

That was about the only thing Kahne had going for him from 2006 to 2012 (not counting the last 5 races of 2010 when he drove the #83 for Red Bull) was the consistency of the people around him. After 2012 and that sort of went away with the change of spotter and Rodden leaving then coming back. Kahne needs some consistency from the team and all these rumors about first Harvick going to Hendrick then the Larson rumors and the stuff with Bryon it can't be helping him any.

[theGTAking101]

With Allgaier replacing Annett tonight, I wonder how he'll do. We know he's a better driver than Annett, but HScott, especially the 46 team is terrible so it might not do much.

But you never know, Bowyer and DiBenedetto had good runs in April, and Bristol is a good track for the underfunded teams so I'm expecting at least an improvement. It's a good track for Justin, he almost won last night and he had some good runs in the 51, finishing in the top 20 in all 4 races he ran here.

[kk9fan97]

don't forget Allgaier won his first Xfinity Series race at Bristol and finished 2nd last night.

 

I'm glad they put more of the rosin down on the track overnight.

 

edit: the race is delayed. It's raining, and there is lightning in the area the possibility of hail.

 

edit: race went green, now red flagged for rain on lap 38. Teams have been told to cover the cars and the drivers have been told that they can get out of the cars.

Edited August 21, 2016 by kk9fan97

[kk9fan97]

well that was a huge wreck

 

#2 Keselowski, #41 Kurt Busch, #42 Larson, #44 Scott, #20 Kenseth, #21 Blaney, #48 Johnson, #24 Elliott, #27 Menard involved. #2, #20, #21, #27, #41 to the garage.

[theGTAking101]

Not too sure what Allgaier and Scott were thinking while trying to avoid those wrecks, they both f*cked Larson over.

 

I hate Harvick, but I'm glad he won over any of the Gibbs drivers. Plus the double burnouts were cool to see.

 

What a run for Stenhouse, he loves this track and this track loves him. Impressed my Buescher as well, the stronger Roush alliance is really showing now.