Not in my experience. You need some previous experience, sure, but it's all at the discretion of the Licensing Director. And that experience is not at that particular track Look at Montoya. The team put her in that race for tons of reasons. The big two, in my opinion: She got experience in a cheaper car and greener field that doesn't mean anything in the long run. She was THE big story for the race. Not so in bigger races.
The way I understand it, you're both right. There's a lot of discretion involved, but at the restrictor plate tracks, NASCAR wants to see some demonstration of competency before they clear someone to race there. Oftentimes, the quickest and easiest way to do it involves running the ARCA race. But the cockier drivers coming in will try to run the ARCA race, then jump to the 500 that same week. Danica is not doing that, and she has a schedule for the rest of the season that looks to be all Nationwide and ARCA. She's not trying to be like Jacques Villeneuve, Dario Franchitti, or other open wheel types that jumped into Cup head first. Instead, she's following the Tony Stewart route. Stewart ran in the IRL while doing some Busch races. He proved his stock car skills in the secondary series before giving up Indy. Danica is following that template, and I think it's the better way to go about it. So yes, some of what she is doing is required, but if Danica wanted to be in a Cup car, she could be this week. Still, I'm sure the fact that she'd grab most of the attention in any Nationwide/ARCA race played into the decision. It also involves less risk. But whatever the motivations behind it, she's still following the right path, and you gotta give her credit for that.
Absolutely. She's working a plan that makes absolute sense. She will be very successful in this series, godaddy will make stupid marketing gains, and shell get the experience she needs to be really good next year.
I couldn't find it, but for shits and giggles I was going to scan and post my NASCAR license. Driving history required? None. $40 at the Daytona Credentials building, and I was good to go. (Best. Souvenir. Ever.) That would have let me enter any ARCA race on their schedule. Same license is required for the other races, like Nationwide, but the Race Director would have required driving experience to be provided, among other information, in order to accept and authorize the entry.
Watching the race now before heading out to the Bacchus Parade. I just wanted to congratulate Netdata for being able to laugh at Wallmendinger going off into the grass and getting stuck in the mud.
Who wants to place a bet that Daytona will be paved before the year ends? Two red flags, how many minutes? All to patch the track. Jesus.
Much as I dislike Junior, in about five seconds I went from "He's overrated," to actually yelling at the television, "Oh, c'mon and just win it! Have it!" Good ending.
I thought it was a pretty exciting finish. Even if it was mostly luck, Jrs run at the end was incredible. I dont know how long it takes to do such things but I would be surprised if it's not repaved by the July race. Those delays were just embarrassing. I won't complain though since it gave me an excuse to drink beers for a couple extra hours.
This was discussed at length at my house yesterday. Is it possible to have it repaved before the July race? (the Firecracker 400) Also, I am happy for Jamie Mac. Looks like Jr Nation has something to be excited about again. We'll see how long that lasts. And, I drank a bunch of beers during the delays.
Daytona will be repaved by the end of the year. Problem is that the pavement takes time to cure to be safe to race on. Also, less than 8 months ago, the Daytona track was completely under water in flooding, so it's not surprising it's falling apart like that.
I can't believe there's even a debate about this. The last time it was repaved was...what? 1978? Longer than I've been alive. Do you know how fucked up the road to my house would be if they repaved it once every 32 years? Give me a break. It shouldn't have to deteriorate so badly and cause over 2 hours of delay on live television to get NASCAR talking about maybe repaving it sooner. Doesn't this nicely illustrate the flawed mentality of some of the brass in this sport? Yeah, it'll be expensive and disruptive. The cost of doing business, I say.
1978 is fucking ridiculous. All things considered, the track has held up well. That said, drivers seem to really hate repaving. Remember all the reassuring they had to do to them surrounding the repaving of Darlington? Skilled drivers love those gritty, tire-eating, slick, handling-rewarding old tracks. I guess it's more fun? It separates the good from the bad? Increases the strategic consequences of running up top VS in the bottom groove? Plus a lot of initially-paved tracks become one-groove borefests for a few races after. Still, I don't think Daytona will be a one groove track, so long as they keep the restrictor plates wide open, but I can understand the reluctance to change things. In the end, you're right though. The mere threat of having to cut short the Daytona 500 due to a pot hole was ridiculous, even if 90% of the drivers were joking about driving around it. Could you imagine two years of aborted 500s in a row, especially with the possibility of Jimmie Johnson being champ again? It'd kill the series. While I didn't mind the delays because I used it as a chance to go on a beer run and take a nap, the network was probably pretty pissed. That track will be repaved by summer. Then out of nowhere people will be surprised when the old setups/tires don't work there. That said, I have one question for you, Net. If they repave the NASCAR part, do you think they would do the same to the infield track, too? If so/if not, how will that change future 24 hour races there?
Has any other driver in history been as lucky as the 48 throughout the last 4 years (now 5)? HOW THE FUCK CAN YOU GET CAUGHT IN A PIT STOP WHEN THE YELLOW COMES OUT & END UP LEADING THE FUCKING RACE??? Sorry, I had to vent a little. My wife is sick of hearing about it. Seriously. if it would have been the 17 (my driver) He would have been stuck at the back of the field. This isn't a conspiracy theory, although there have been some fishy things that have happened over the past few years that make me wonder.
YES. Someone needs to hit him in the knees or something. Seriously. And do it before he accumulates enough points to clinch the championship in August. I'm sorry, I hafta call bullshit. Remember 2003? I do. It seems like only yesterday when Kenseth could fall in shit and come up smelling of roses. In fact, I remember a road course race where he lost a tire just before the entrance to the pits, pitted seconds before an unrelated caution came out, coasted in for new rubber and coasted out the leader (since pitting just before a caution in a road course works in your favour). Now, were you complaining then? But even I can admit that this Johnson love-in has gone on long enough.
Just let him bring some of that luck down to Texas again. I was at the TMS last year when he crashed and the sheer amount of redneck joy was palpable. In the only real moment of inciting a riot I've had thus far (surprised there hasn't been more) I started chanting "nah nah, nah nah nah nah" and all all the little mulleted, malboro red-smoking, lonestar-drinking inbred malnourished hillbillies around me picked up "huay huay huay, buuuuuu bahhhhiiiii!!!!" And they serenaded his ass all the way to the garage. I'm too much of a damn sissy to try it, but I'd be willing to wager someone is either going to punk his ass off the track, or pound him into the wall on it (and given Johnson's latent homosexual tendencies, he might actually enjoy the pounding).
I was at Martinsville last fall and everyone was cheering for anyone to crash JJ. The hate for him is strong.
3 disctinct differences. That was a road course, that happens all the time. Matt doesn't get that lucky 6-7 times a year (remember last year when Jimmie had something go wrong in a stop & went 4 laps down, then getting 4 CONSECUTIVE lucky dog awards?) I don't hate Matt Kenseth
Fuck. This might actually be the year that I kill myself. Seriously, somebody needs to take Johnson out.
Why all the hate for Jimmie Johnson? Is it because he wins too much or what? I'm not a NASCAR fan, but I'm curious, because he and Jeff Gordon are the type of drivers that are going to bring in new fans (esp. non-redneck ones) and grow the sport, and they are also the two guys I hear the most shit talked about.
I would like Jeff Gordon, if it weren't for one reason: Jeff Gordon cheated on his wife. I have an issue with that. Jimmie Johnson is just a boring driver, and his strategy (which happens to be a winning one) is to basically work the system and use the early races to discover the best setups for the chase, winning just as often as necessary to ensure that he makes it. He turns NASCAR into a chess match, and I don't like that as a fan. Cars going in circles is boring enough as it is -- bump and grind, don't be afraid to be overly aggressive or get fined, and put on a show like the little driver monkey that you are. It's not an intelligent sport; don't bring statistics and mathematics into it. I wish I was into the sport when Earnhardt was in his prime. Since I wasn't, I follow Kyle Bush (and a few of others: Logano, Martin, Edwards, Kurt Busch) that actually keep it interesting.