The 2024 running motorsports thread

Update: Got home around 1:30 a.m. after bolting immediately following the Truck finish. Went expecting to see a lot of terrible driving, and got exactly what I paid for.

1. I really don't think they ever ran more than six or seven consecutive green-flag laps before crashing.
2. Corey LaJoie has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer when trying to bump draft.
3. The Truck Series wasn't created to run at places like Daytona, and it shows. Thankfully, everybody walked away.
4. I have never been happier to see a white flag than last night. Had no interest in multiple green-white-wreckers at that point.

I did see some talented young drivers driving with their brains turned on -- Tyler Ankrum, Christian Eckes, Ty Majeski, Daniel Dye -- but the veterans and returning series regulars were the worst offenders. I realize it's the first race of the year and adrenaline is high, but you got to have some restraint and patience for a 100-lap race. There's no reason for drivers to be shoving and slamming like Matt Crafton did to set off a huge pileup six laps in.

 

Should’ve stopped the second Bodeen had that bad wreck.

Speaking of Geoffrey, sounds like his new book is interesting.

 

Even as a self-proclaimed "truck guy" I've never been a fan of the truck series. I guess because in my mind, trucks aren't meant to be raced in that manner. They're trucks.
I was doing a ride-along with Austin Dillon once and asked him if the trucks were hard to drive because in my mind, they should be light in the rear end. He said they were actually easier because they create a ton of downforce.

 

Actually sat pretty close to where Geoff augured in for the first 20 laps last night -- just because I like to experience the sensation of sight, sound and shaking created by motorized vehicles whipping by at 180-plus mph -- then moved to a higher perch because the nuts behind the wheels were bound and determined to send someone through the fence. But if you haven't done it, the "wake of air" that comes off the spoilers creates a cool vortex about a second or two after the pack goes by.

It's not like it was when Petty, Pearson and Inc. were running the full-bodied cars with no restriction and it felt like you were getting sucked out of your seat, but it's as close as NASCAR comes to those days when the aluminum bleachers would rattle a few seconds before 40 or more cars even got to the trioval.

 

There's no more of unique sensation than being on the starting line when two Top Fuel dragsters slam the loud pedal. Every part of your body vibrates.

 

Tailgate up or down?

 

According to Dillon, the downforce is created by covering of what would be the bed. So, I guess, tailgate up.

 

Behold Bathurst:

https://www.youtube.com/live/FC2n8tjup3o?si=tAEn0UImWRqOoHWQ

 

Yup. My stepfather bought a compact pickup to commute 60 miles one way to school to use up his GI bill benefits.

Eventually – to let the air of the back and improve aerodynamics – he had the tailgate removed. Not just down over the rear bumper like almost everyone else either because they're too lazy or because they wore out the striker from overuse ... removed.

Also, fully agree with your post about truck racing. They're trucks. Do people try to haul regularly using subcompacts? Are we racing crossovers yet? There's good reason we don't.

 

The guys at Mythbusters addressed this two decades ago. Driving with the tailgate up creates a vortex flow above the bed that creates a smoother flow of air over the truck — essentially forcing the air coming across the front to go much higher over the back of the truck.

 

They should have a race of about 60 laps, with the front 10 rows having to haul Yeti coolers full of ice and PBR with tailgates down, and the rest of the field running regular. Front row has bigger coolers, more ice and beer. Second row, less of both. Third, same, and so on.

Wreck? Ice and beer cans on the track? Pffttt, keep running. That's just a regular road or highway in the Southeast.

 

He did this on the truck three decades ago, so it wasn't out yet.

(I get your point .. it's valid. Know you better than that. But it wasn't out there yet.)