Arena Raise Hell, Praise Dale - NASCAR/North American Racing Series Discussion

Ugh!

Is there anything worse than a Jimmie Johnson victory?

 

A Jeff Gordon Victory?

 

A Kyle Busch victory.

Finally a few good tracks coming up in the schedule.

 

I'm looking into going to Dover this year. It would be my first track visit.

What tracks do you like the best Mak?

 

I love Talladega, Martinsville, and Michigan.

 

Bristol should be fun coming up. And let me just say I can't stand Jimmy Johnson. :}

 

I think it's safe to say that Johnson and the 48 team have been the best since coming in the series in 2002.

I used to like Bristol. Then Kurt Busch came around.

 

I agree that Johnson has been the best since 2002. I find this especially interesting, as I am a Jeff Gordon fan. I thought Jeff would continue his dominance after winning the 2001 Championship, but things never materalized. Though with the old rules, he would have won the 2004 Championship, he's never been quite the same. So what is clicking with Johnson and his team? I remember watching Jimmie in the Busch series, and I was never impressed with the guy. He was outstanding, statistically, as I recall, either. But for Johnson to be performing like this is amazing. This era of NASCAR is so competitive, and the guy is pretty much in contention to win every race, almost like the Jeff Gordon of the '90's. But how ever he's doing it, he needs to share some info with Gordon!

 

Johnson has been consistent for the most part but if I was going to hazzard a guess, I'd say it has a lot more to do with the people behind him. He's had good cars...very good cars.

 

But like Waltrip says, the one thing you know for sure about Bristol is that somebody's feelings are gonna get hurt. I'm hoping it's Kurt's turn.

 

Gordon's probably happy with the situation right now because of all the dollars rolling in. I would be too.

Isn't it amazing that Jeff is the oldest driver at Hendrick Motorsports now? That is crazy.

 

Almost "too" good

Yeah, I know everyone cheats, but Knauss seems to be cheating more effectively and openly than everyone else and not getting caught. Ah well, too bad the big money rolled in and the old days when It was about the driver moreso than the car are long gone.

 

I wish I had been watching in the old days. I used to think like a lot of people that it was just driving in a circle, but when I started to watch it, I realized it was a lot more. I get a kick out of watching some of hte old films.

 

Well it was a Busch anyway. And let me just say that I thought that COT was the ugliest car ever.

 

Well if it ain't Kurt it's Kyle. However, I'm not complaining because he's on my fantasy team.

A lot of complaints from drivers about using too much brake yesterday. Should be interesting since they are using the COT next week at Martinsville.

Anyone else think it's sad that we are ahead of Michael Waltrip in the standings?

I wish I had been watching in the old days.

It's actually more competitive now because more teams have a shot at winning. When I started watching it seemed like it was just the 2 black cars of Ironhead and Rubberhead going at it every week. Rubberhead was my guy.

 

Anyone else think it's sad that we are ahead of Michael Waltrip in the standings?

Poor Mike.


Hmmmmm Ironhead is Dale but I had to look up Rubberhead since I wasn't watching back then. So it's Rusty? LOL.

I found this note on an old forum;

I also remember one time Dale put an open can of sardines under Rusty's seat before a race & Rusty had to ride around all day smelling them cook !!!

Now I'm going to wonder when I look at the cars what else might be going on with the newer drivers. Ha ha.

 

Rusty got back at Earnhardt by taking his steering wheel one time though.

Why can't there be any good rivalries anymore?

 

The rivalries are too toned down by the desire for a clean corporate image. Sponsors don't seem to want to have the "bad guy" drive for them.

Earnhardt and Wallace was a great rivalry because you got the impression that six days out of the week they might have actually liked each other. Then on race day that was all forgotten.

I still think that some of the best Wallace/Earnhardt moments were the year Gordon won his first championship. Jeff had it effectively locked up, but the last 5-6 races of the year it was Wallace and Earnhardt going at each other non-stop. It was exciting to watch and Gordon's first Cup title seemed to be almost a secondary issue.

Then again, I was biased toward one of the two other drivers. (Not Rubberhead)


Mariah, keep your eye on ESPN Classic. They'll show old races every now and then and those are fun to watch. For me there's a bit of nostalgia remembering when drivers drove different models of cars for different sponsors.

 

I'm going to Dover this June.

What tracks has everyone been to? I've gone to Michigan, Daytona, Texas, Indy, and Chicagoland.

 

you are going to dover?
I might be going too.

 

Someone, please explain to me, why I should enjoy a NASCAR race. Also, how does one understand what's going on? It just seems like a bunch of cars turning left and driving as fast as they can until some car part gives out and they need to replace it(tires, fuel, etc.)

 

You can't just watch one race. You have to follow the drivers and see all the races. I don't know if I could really explain the attraction to you. So like it, some don't. I remember the first NASCAR race I saw on TV was the DAYTONA 500 in 1998. I was bored, and I knew it was Nascar's "superbowl" race so I watched. The didn't know any drivers so I pulled for the guy up front in the cool looking rainbow car, Jeff Gordon. Now, the 2 races at Daytona and Talldega are the best to watch on TV. Perhaps, if I had been watching a race at a different track, i wouldn't have gotten hooked, but watching the 500 I did. You have 43 cars inches away from each other for 500 miles going 190 mph. Constant lead changes, drivers going from first to 15th in one lap. Very exciting stuff. So anyhow, Jeff Gordon is upfront and with one lap left, he loses a cylinder and finishes like 20th. The guy I pulled for the entire race finished 20th. It really bothered, suddenly I realized I was invested in the outcome and results, and I knew I was hooked. I watched every minute of every race religously that year. And trust me, that was a great year to be a Gordon fan. 13 wins, battling up front for the win every race and a championship. That had a lot to do with it. When your guy is up front dominating all the time and making history, you want to see that. After Gordon's dominance wanned in the mid 2000's I stopped watching as much. But it's exciting stuff. Plus, if you know the drivers, it gets exciting too. Like if Tony stewart is racing Jeff Gordon, I gonna pay attention because they have history. Or the exciting photo finishes. In 2001, Jeff gordon lost in a photo finish to Kevin Harvick would have just started driving Dale Earnhardt's car. If you watch race after race you be get interested, I promise you that.

 

^ What he said. It's funny. You think it's boring until you start watching it, then somehow the next thing you know you get hooked. The easiest way is to pick a driver, drivers or team to follow. Once you do that you start to see how so many little things go on to affect a race and the personalities and back stories.

 

If you want to know the attraction, just go to a race.

Or you should join a fantasy racing league. It definitely gets you interested. Me and my family have a league that we run every year(2006 champ right here) and it definitely is fun.

 

I've been to Chicagoland, but not for a race.

The only race I've attended was the second Brickyard race.


I need to get to Bristol one of these years.