The 2022 running NASCAR, IMSA & other racing things thread

As doctorquant said, Daytona, Talladega, Indy and Pocono are massive facilities. It can be pouring in one spot and sunny in another. The 1975 Indy 500 immediately comes to mind, where a number of cars spun out when the skies suddenly opened up and dumped enough water on the track that cars were throwing up roostertails.

Having said that, it's a pretty bad look for NASCAR to let the entire field drive straight into a downpour at full song without any warning from somebody who should have been quicker on the radio and hit the yellow caution lights before, not after the fact.

I know it's 20/20 hindsight, but if radar is showing anything that close to the track/airport, you need to throw the yellow right then. It had to have had a pretty significant signature on doppler (unless that storm happened to move suddenly in the middle of a radar sweep), and NASCAR has state-of-the-art weather equipment.

At the same time, the officials who are posted around the track are all on the inside apex of the turns, because they're looking up the banking for possible debris. So if the rain came from the south, it's possible it hit the track before any official got wet and could alert the start-finish flagmen. But if you've lived in Florida for any length of time, you can "see" the squall boundary pretty easily. How many times have you cranked the wipers on full because you can see it coming down in buckets ahead?

The spotters are all on the roof of the main grandstands, near the start/finish line, so they have a clear view of the track but not the track surface. I'm certain they were caught off-guard as much as anybody, even with binoculars, because Turn 2's almost a mile or so in the distance.

Again, damned if you do, damned if you don't. But Daytona's already a dangerous track without making it worse by trying to beat the rain.

Of course, I'm assuming a major racing sanctioning body would be proactive when it comes to safety. But this is NASCAR, where wreckin' is racin'.

 

Especially this year, they've been really slow to pick up on stuff in the corners. You'd figure billionaires like the France family could afford to station a couple of people in the stands above the track, too.

 

All they had to do was peer over past Turn 1 and see the big black cloud and the rain pouring from it. Maybe stick a guy on the roof with binocs and see if anyone on the Interstate 95 bridge is using their wipers.

 

One story I read said they had reported some sprinkles on the previous lap. Maybe it was that way on one part of the track, and a downpour on another.

 

This video seems to poke holes in the rain-started-at-the-exact-worse-time theory.

 

23XI is moving Bubba Wallace and his crew chief, Bootie Barker, from the 23 to the 45 for the remainder of the season because the 45 is higher in the owner points. Ty Gibbs will race in the 23 for the rest of the season.

Source: Pockrass on Twitter

Not sure if KuBu is done for the season. It’s essentially a number swap.

 

So Bubba is competing in the owners' playoffs? Interesting.

 

This is just weird. Why do people do stuff like this?

NASCAR Truck Series driver Tanner Gray clears name after iRacing user makes racial remarks using his likeness

Also Junior is racing tonight at North Wilkesboro. Ain't forking over $24.99 to watch one race, but I'm interested in how he does.

 

Maybe this will help with that fire problem.

 

WITAELF.

North Wilkesboro expected to host 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race

Bob Bahre and Bruton Smith, waiting in purgatory, just threw phones against the pearly gates and they don't know why.

 

Hell. to the. Yeah.

I was there the day Elmo Langley wrecked the pace car!

 

Wow. They just blew off the dirt track racing next month because of logistics, although I see NASCAR thinks the track surface is fine without a repaving. A neat nod to the past -- and based on Darlington having the entire backstretch closed and covered by signage last week -- they might be able to sell out that venue.

I still can't believe NASCAR is going to spend money to put down asphalt and tear it back up at the Coliseum again.

Hell, go run Bowman-Gray instead.