The 2022 running NASCAR, IMSA & other racing things thread

I was always aware of NASCAR but I was never a big fan, all up in it. The only race I saw live that was a landmark sort of thing is that I was at Atlanta International the day that Richard Petty won and the purse put him over a million dollars in career winnings.

That was <ahem> a few years back.

 

Look, NASCAR, no matter how big you make the restrictor plates it's not going to help the racing.

 

At this rate, either stop racing at Daytona and Talladega or take away their machines at those tracks and give them Radio Flyer wagons.

I get their attempts at reasons, but between too many Big Ones and not enough experience among the drivers left, it has become more Charlie Foxtrot than ever.

 

Jeez, I know I'm old and haven't paid attention but what happened to NASCAR running the Firecracker 400 on July 4 weekend? And they run a road race?

 

Allows them to do something besides another oval race, and there seemed to be a lot of grousing that too many random storms in Volusia County caused the former Firecracker to finish either far too late on race day or be delayed a day or two. Also, Daytona isn't exactly comfortable in July.

 

I can't really believe I'm saying this, but NASCAR has too many road courses. Today's at Road America was a pretty good show (even if the sheer size of the facility sometimes makes things look a little janky), and even though the rumor is RA is going to lose that date to a Chicago street circuit (which will be a disaster), six seems like overkill. In particular, running the Indy road course is just plain stupid. I know the racing on the oval isn't great, but going to the trouble of going to Indy and running the road course is like having the Open at St. Andrew's and then playing the Himalayas putting course. I also think the Roval is dumb. I'd go back to running Charlotte's playoff race on the real track and if they really want to have a playoff race on a road course to kick Kansas or Texas out and replace it with Watkins Glen or COTA.

 

It was plenty comfortable at 10 a.m. on July 4, and the rain usually didn’t start until after the race was over. But they moved the race to the last date of the regular season instead.

 

If you’re going to do seven road courses, Road America should be one of them. It’s one of the most notable courses in the world, and it’s in this country. I’d take Road America over Watkins Glen… but NASCAR owns Watkins Glen.

I wonder how Chicago residents and businesses will feel about having a few choice blocks closed off for a week or two in preparation.

 

Everybody could get to the beach for the rest of the afternoon. It really was a brilliant race, except for TV.

 

I was going to post that when the Firecracker 400 started at 10, the afternoon rains weren’t an issue. But since a couple of folks pointed out that when the Firecracker 400 started at 10, weather wasn’t an issue, I don’t need to post that when the Firecracker 400 started at 10 am, weather wasn’t an issue.

 

I blame global warming. Pepsi and Coke. Musco lighting. And Brian France. But not necessarily in that order.

 

I was always much more interested in Indy, but I guess I can remember seeing the original broadcast when Cale went over Sam McQuagg's car and the wall at Darlington (long before it was included in the Wide World of Sports highlights).

I used to "race" my Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars in my bedroom, imaging them to be Buddy Baker, Fred Lorenzen, Charlie Glotzbach, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Tiny Lund and Darel Dieringer. (Along with Richard, David, Cale, Bobby and Donnie, of course.) I used a white grease pencil to write numbers on each car's roof.

I loved the Superbird/Torino era. Those were awesome cars. I know Big Bill hated the aerodynamic advancements -- because he thought NASCAR should be helping sell cars -- but I'd love to imagine where NASCAR could be 50 years later if it had evolved from there.

So that would put me pre-Dale Jarrett but post-Ned Jarrett. (Although I seem to remember him in the slanted 11.)