Running 2023 Motorsports thread

Cautions. NASCAR's version of third-down defensive holding in the final 2 minutes.

 

You can’t throw that yellow!

 

Next year get one of those Armour Potted Meat advent calendars and you won't have that kind of a liturgical meltdown.

 

Does the Armour Potted Meat advent calendar have recipes? Because sometimes a big skosh on a saltine just ain't enough.

 

I like to think that Daytona requires a little more skill than Talladega. At Daytona you kind of have to be in the top 10 near the end to have any chance, whereas Talladega you can go from 10th to first in a lap just by one little lane opening up. Obviously, the better you run the easier it gennerally is to be clear of a pack and avoid the big wreck as well. Stenhouse had some luck tonight, certainly, but he was in the top five or so when he made his move to get the lead.
But then you look at a result like tonight where a couple of guys (Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson) were in a good position to be factors, racing for the lead, get tapped from behind, and that's that. An afternoon of good work down the drain.

 

Considering the number of NASCAR drivers who dabble in the Indy 500, I wish more drivers from outside the series tried their hands at Daytona. Perhaps the course and race is always such a crapshoot that it isn't worth the effort - but it would be more interesting if top drivers from around the world were competing for NASCAR's biggest race - kind of like the US Open in golf and tennis. The field just lacks big names.It really could use Lewis Hamilton to spice things up.

 

Brad Keselowski 0-for-14 at Daytona and skipped the media
Weird Keselowski fact: He’s from Rochester Hills, Mich., and never has won at Michigan International Speedway

 

Few NASCAR drivers do Indy anymore. I think Kurt Busch was the last one. Helio Castroneves was supposed to do Daytona this year but couldn’t find a half-decent ride. Last Indy guy before him (at least last one who wasn’t transferring to Cup full time) was Al Unser Jr. IIRC.

I like how NASCAR guys are doing a lot more dirt stuff now. A few have done the Chili Bowl in recent years, and the example of Kyle Larson adds to it. Lighter cars, of course, but if you can control an Outlaws car on dirt, you’ll be fine with a Cup car.

 

I read the story last night about Travis Pastrana giving it a go Sunday. I don't keep up with Nascar and haven't been to a race in probably 20 years. But seeing that he drove at Daytona gave me a bit of a pop. I actually thought about maybe going to Talladega, or at least watching some races. And then I saw that it was a one-off.

Meh.