Running 2023 Motorsports thread

I can’t imagine a reason for professional athletes to be on social media unless they have a specific goal of enacting social change. The idea of risking millions of dollars for a “random” like is unfathomable to me.

If you are a pro athlete (or celebrity, or influencer) you MUST know you are going to get scrutinized for EVERY SINGLE INTERACTION on social media. You should probably delete every social media post every six months.

 

They could get Townies who used to steal cars and run them around Charlestown as consultants.

 

Gragson was suspended, too, because the 42 is switching to Toyota next year and he's a Chevy guy. The indefinite suspension buys Legacy/Toyota time to craft a small buyout on their terms and prepare for Nemechek's kid to take over the ride.

 

End of the Michigan race today was excellent, despite being essentially decided with 10 laps to go.

Either the crew chief or the rear tire changer of the 45 team needs to be fired — the former because he yelled at the tire changer and caused the 45 to lose a tire under green, a lap and the whole race in one fell swoop, or the tire changer for not standing up to the crew chief. It seems like it’s not the first problem the 45 has had in the pits this year, so the crew chief might end up taking the fall.

 

This is good, but at the same time telling that Formula 1 has to release a highlight video of 14 times races were won on a last lap pass. Not surprisingly, only 3 of the 14 have come in the last two decades.

 

Michael McDowell wins on the Indy road course to race his way into the Cup Series playoffs.
In perhaps bigger news, NASCAR ran a Cup Series road course race in which the last 76 of the 82 laps were run under green. One caution the entire day, on Lap 2. Has that ever happened in NASCAR? Tire barriers and gravel pits are tourist attractions every time those guys get on a road course.

 

Joey Logano ran out of brains and brakes before the flyover pilots landed. I guess they got spread out after that. Weird to see overhead views of the track and see open parking spaces across Georgetown and 16th. I guess the Speedway locals don't get much revenue from NASCAR fans parking in yards like they do in May.

 

Gotta say, seeing a longtime grinder like McDowell win, and then celebrating with his wife and kids as they all kiss the bricks, kinda warms the heart.

 

The Speedway announced “just over 60,000” attendance for Sunday and around 130,000 for the three days (figure 5,000 for Friday).

I was thinking of the yard parkers driving down Georgetown Road in the morning. One “Welcome Race Fans” sign and one guy trying to wave people into his yard.

 

Used to get 60K for qualifying at Bristol.

 

Qualifying was also paired with the Busch race.

I didn't think it was a horrible turnout. Stands in oval 4/road course 1 were two-thirds full, and that's even with the restart zone moving back eliminating the Banzai moves in 1. And I thought it was a decent race. Lots of action at the edge of the top 10 and back in the pack.