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I know that's not right b/c Darrell Waltrip passed Terry Labonte and Dale Earnhardt on the last lap of the fall race in 1987. Was his only win that year.
Any source (other than yourself) for this? and don't interpret my asking as disbelief. Mike Joy made this claim during last years race. If you've got a source where one can get answers to these types of questions please post.
 

Greg29fan

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Any source (other than yourself) for this? and don't interpret my asking as disbelief. Mike Joy made this claim during last years race. If you've got a source where one can get answers to these types of questions please post.
DW knocked Terry out of the way and into Earnhardt when he tried to squeeze back into line but Earnhardt just went up the track and didn't wreck. Labonte spun out.

 

Greg29fan

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No problem. I was a youngster but a big DW fan back then, and he won that fall race at Martinsville three years in a row on my birthday weekend, so I just always remember that one in particular.
 

75cent bleacher seat

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Bristol results...
1. Carl Edwards
2. Kyle Busch
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Kasey Kahne
5. Kevin Harvick

Finishing order for my pics...
1. Kyle Busch - 2nd
2. Kevin Harvick - 5th
3. Jimmie Johnson - 3rd
4. Matt Kenseth - 7th
5. Brad Keselowski - 11th
Dark Horse Kurt Busch 10th

SJ's picks w finishing order
  1. Joey Logano - 8th
  2. Kyle Busch - 2nd
  3. Kevin Harvick - 5th
  4. Brad Keselowski - 11th
  5. Dale Jr. - 13th
Dark Horse Ryan Newman -18th
 

SoxJox

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Wait...are you serious? I confess I dozed off with 15 to go...ugh! ...this is one seriously successful gas-lighting job guys... both here and on the racing site I frequent.
Too bad you dozed off. Looked like Harvick had it in hand and Edwards just couldn't close the gap. And then on the last lap Edwards was finally able to get up close and personal and just nosed Harvick out of the way. Harvick wiggled and lost 3 more spots as the line behind passed him.

On the claim of 1st last lap pass to win at Richmond, I heard it clear as day and couldn't believe it. I probably wouldn't have even given it serious thought had we not had this line of discussion here. Haven't gone on line yet to do my own checking, but I'm skeptical. Richmond has had some bizarre races.

For future picks I think I'm just going to use a dart board. Although I suck at that too.
 

75cent bleacher seat

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Talladega GEICO 500 - Sunday 1pm - Fox

1. Dale Jr.
2. Kyle Busch
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Jimmie Johnson
Dark horse...Chase Elliot

Question...Going into the final lap what is your choice of position (with no teammate in sight) ?

edit to add: answer to question - 1st
 
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SoxJox

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I don't believe Chase will finish where he qualified (1st) but I'll go out on a very short and sturdy limb and predict he will win ROY.

Talladega is always an exciting venue where anything can happen. In consecutive years, 2011 and 2012, the record was set and re-set for most lead changes in regulation and lead changes overall. There have been 5 G-W-C finishes since 2005 (2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, and 2013).

(Qual Posit) [Points Standing]

[It will be a good day for Hendricks]
  1. Dale, Jr. (3) [7] - 3 previous wins.
  2. Jimmie Johnson (5) [3] - 2 previous wins
  3. Chase Elliot (1) [11]
  4. Brad Keselowski (7) [9]
  5. Matt Kenseth (4) [15]
Dark horse: Denny Hamlin (8) [8]
 

Greg29fan

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That was the biggest joke NASCAR has ever put on. Everybody involved should be ashamed. But I know they aren't.
 

ernieshore

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Similar for me. I caught 5 minutes of it (and one Wreck) in the Charlotte airport at Whiskey River - Dale JR's bar, which oddly only had the race on a small screen in the corner.
 

SoxJox

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That was the biggest joke NASCAR has ever put on. Everybody involved should be ashamed. But I know they aren't.
I'm not sure what you mean here. "NASCAR put on"? You make it sound like WWE and these things are scripted. Talladega historically has brought out the riskiest behavior in every single driver - for a host of reasons, and this race was no different. Were there wrecks? You bet. Were there a multitude of lead changes? As always. But in the end they had 4-5 drivers humping their butts and aggressively maneuvering over the final 4-5 laps to cross the finish line first. And that IS what NASCAR is about. So what if only half the field was left for that final sprint? That happens when cars go 200 mph in 4-wides into turns meant for 3.

I know you're more knowledgable than the one liner you offered. So you should know these kind of races happened every once in a while.
 

Greg29fan

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Put on, hosted, sanctioned, whatever. It wasn't meant that it was scripted, just that NASCAR was the sanctioning body having the event.

I totally agree with rembrat, it's not racing at all. I don't enjoy it one iota and I've been watching for 30 years.
 

SoxJox

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I don't know. I watched the race from beginning to end and I didn't see anything egregiously atypical of a NASCAR event - but particularly one at Talladega. The primary "fault" in this race - as is often the case in restrictor plate races - was that there were repeated instances of large groups of cars - up to 10 rows deep at 3 wide - drafting bumper to bumper. All it takes is one to wiggle off line in close quarters and it's guaranteed to take out a number of cars. Close quarter maneuvering is risky business.

The resulting - what, 10? - cautions produced a self-licking ice cream cone that served only to repack the bunch.

Another oddity, one that you don't see very often, is a driver being switched during the race. Tony Stewart, still ailing from his injured back, was replaced by Ty Dillon around lap 50. Apparently the switch was planned prior to the race. Stewart, who received a medical exemption for the Chase similar to what Busch got last year, remained the driver of record, so he gets those points.

And Denny Hamlin must have cringed every time he went into the pits. Missed his stall on one stop, backed up and he and Gregg Biffle hit each other. Hamlin got a pit penalty for too many crew over the wall. Later, he got spun out when approaching his stall and Landon Cassill made contact and spun him, requiring him to again back up, straighten out and get into his stall.

This was just one of those races.
 

75cent bleacher seat

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My perception is we see varying degrees of "aggressiveness" at different levels (throughout racing) with Sprint Cup being the greatest...the gloves come off here. Testosterone levels are in the stratosphere I'm sure. Xfinity a little less and ARCA even more so. Couple this with all the factors that come into play on a super-speedway and there aint much room for error. I tend to believe we see more "respect" at the ARCA level as most these kids have their sights set on the next level of racing and realize this. I know Dan Kurzejewski who's son Matt drives the no.52 for Kenny Schrader, I'll ask about this when I see him next.

What should one expect on a super speedway w/o restrictor plates? Some favor (Tony Stewart being one) racing without them. In today's world I believe these cars would easily hit upwards of 240+mph. Rusty Wallace hit 228mph at the end of the straight with an avg. lap speed of 216mph 12 years ago. There is a limit to what these cars/drivers can survive.
 

SoxJox

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Kansas offers the drivers an opportunity to get away from the more prevalent oval tracks.

(Qual Posit) [Points Standing]

  1. Matt Kenneth (2) [15]: Time for Matt to finally get his season rolling. No wins or Top 5 finishes to date. And only 2 Top 10s. 2 DNF...ugh. But he does have 1 previous win in this race.
  2. Denny Hamlin (3) [12]: Hamlin set the course record when he won here in 2012
  3. Kurt Busch (4) [6]
  4. Brad Keselowski (5) [7]: Won here in 2011
  5. Martin Truex (1) [9]
Dark Horse: Joey Logano (14) [5]

This is the rare race where I am picking the top 5 pole qualifiers to finish in the top 5 - just not in the order they qualified.

If history is any indication, this race will be a much more laid back affair compared to the bumper pool last week at Talladega.

The Hendrick team, my favorite, qualified abysmally for this race:

13. Chase Elliot
22. Dale, Jr.
27. Kasey Kahne
15. Jimmie Johnson
 

SoxJox

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Here's where they started from:

  1. Kyle Busch (6)
  2. Kevin Harvick (26)
  3. Matt Kenneth (2)
  4. Ryan Blaney (7)
  5. Austin Dillon (17)
1st, 3rd, 4th, 9th, and 13th rows. Harvick worked his butt off, with a qualifying run 3.265 mph slower than the pole.
 

Deathofthebambino

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I haven't posted much in here, but I'm a long time NASCAR fan (the only one amongst anyone I know in my personal life, so my fandom involves me and my 8 year old watching races together), and I just have to chime in on the restrictor plate stuff. I fucking love it. I think the two Daytona and Talladega races each year are the only two truly "must-see" events on the racing calendar. It doesn't happen as much as it used to, but I'm all set with watching a couple of teams with more money and resources put together cars that are simply better than the competition, and dominate races that have very little passing or even man-to-man racing. If I want to watch the same few folks run away with the race every week, I'll start watching F-1 again.

When these guys get behind the wheels of cars that are essentially identical, and are forced to drive, the cream usually rises to the top. Due to the close racing, yes, there are more cautions, and yes, the results don't often end up being deserved because guys get knocked out, but that's all a part of it. However, if you watch these races closely, you notice the same guys, the great drivers, Junior, Harvick, Busch 1 and 111, Kenseth, etc. are generally right there in front throughout most of it, and if they happen to find themselves in the middle of the pack, and don't get taken out, watching them use the draft to work the traffic and get back to the front is some of the most incredible driving you'll see over the course of a season. I'm not a mechanic, and don't know the first thing about taking a tool to a chassis, but I can understand the strategy involved in drafting, and pairing up with a teammate or working better with a certain driver vs. someone else. I don't know shit about what's being done under the hood resulting in a guy basically dominating a race from start to finish on a cookie cutter oval where the only real excitement happens when they finally get together after a rare caution. Give me races won on the track, vs. ones won in the pits any day of the week. Sure, sometimes the "fastest" car doesn't win, or even finish, at Talladega or Daytona, but damn, how anyone who loves racing can't watch those races and be entertained is crazy to me. Shit, those are probably the four races per year where you might have a chance to convert the average "I'm not going to watch a bunch of guys drive in circles for 3 hours" non-NASCAR fan, into fans of the sport. I vaguely remember that year where they went away from the restrictor plates, or did something resulting in two man drafting, and it was awful. Last weekend at Talladega (both races) were absolutely riveting, edge of the seat, sports awesomeness and I can't wait for the next one.

Anyway, them's my two cents (Dale Earnhardt is my favorite athlete of all time, and I say all this knowing that if not for restrictor plates, he's probably still alive).
 

SoxJox

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Not saying you said this, but the odd thing about restrictor plates is that the primary reason they're used is not to produce equal cars and make the racing more about driver ability. It's for fan safety. If cars were allowed to drive unrestricted, they'd have a greater tendency to become airborne at the greater speeds. The Bobby Allison crash at Talladega in '87 was the last straw that led to where we are today with restrictor plates. Even so, cars still get up in the air.

And I'm not sure restrictor plates can be correlated with Dale, Sr.'s death. Those last laps in 2001 at Daytona were driven in the more typical single line and 2-wide spread you see after extended racing. Yes, there were groups of 5-8 cars here and there but not the 35-pack log jam that we saw last week at Talladega, where it was more a function of the numerous cautions and restarts. In fact, Dale was in a cluster of about 8 cars that were no more than 2 wide after the restart following the big crash that occurred in the 2001 race around lap 170 or so. Dale simply got tapped by Sterling Martin and wiggled right into a broadside by Ken Shrader.

Unrelated to restrictor plates, I recall immediately after the race when they showed the replays that it just did not seem like he hit the wall all that hard - certainly not by NASCAR historical standards, where other drivers have seemed to hit much harder and survived. In fact, Dale's crash in 1996 at Talladega looks much, much worse. But my mood changed immediately when I watched Dale's ex-teammate and announcer Darrell Waltrip's reaction. He knew immediately something very bad had happened.

Here's what wiki says about the 2001 crash: "A later investigation revealed that Earnhardt's car struck the concrete [not today's SAFER barrier] retaining wall at a heading angle (angle of the vehicle measured from the wall face to the center-line of the car at point of impact) of between 55-59°, combined with a trajectory angle of 13.6° (path of vehicle approaching the wall) and an estimated speed between 157 and 161 mph (253 and 259 km/h). Earnhardt experienced a crash impulse of approximately 80 milliseconds in duration. The result of the wall impact and the impact from Schrader's car combined to yield a change in velocity of approximately 42–44 mph (68–71 km/h). The force exerted was equivalent to a vertical drop from a height of 61.8 feet (18.8 m). Later sled testing of an exemplar vehicle yielded g-forces ranging from −68 to −48 g, variation dependent on method of measurement."
 

Deathofthebambino

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Obviously, it's impossible to say whether restrictor plates caused his death or not, but does the big wreck that led to the caution prior to his death occur if the 40 cars are more evenly spread out over the course of the 2.5 miles, as opposed to constantly bunched up in packs because of the need to draft to gain an edge? Who knows, but I know Senior was a staunch opponent for restrictor plates for a long time. The real cause of his death, in my opinion, was the fact that instead of racing for the win (which he finally got a couple years earlier), he spent the last laps of that race essentially blocking the field from getting to Michael Waltrip and Dale Jr., who were both driving cars owned by Dale Sr. (who ironically always drove for Richard Childress and not his own team). Waltrip, who was like another son to Dale Sr., ended up getting the win, his first win in something like 500 starts and Junior finished 2nd. If Senior hadn't won a couple years earlier, and finally got that monkey off his back, he's probably much more aggressively racing for the lead, as opposed to acting as a blocker. The end of that race was so surreal. DW's reaction between excitement over Michael's win, and then immediate concern over Senior was one of the most memorable moments in sports for me. People remember where they were when certain things happened, and I remember exactly where I was and everything that happened during the end of that race. It was such an awesome race, and then to have it end like that. I've honestly never been that upset about anything in sports as I was after that. That was worse than the '86 series for me, by a wide margin.
 

SoxJox

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Actually, you've latched onto something that I had not quite connected the dots on - Senior's efforts to protect Michael and Junior ahead of him. I always assumed that Senior was such a driven person (no pun intended) that he was ALWAYS racing for the win. But I think it was clear that day, and especially over the last 20-30 laps that his car just couldn't produce what he needed to challenge. So he maneuvered to protect. I think his maneuvering and positioning relative to this likely contributed much more than any overall effect of the Big One beforehand. Absent the Big One, but keeping all other factors the same, Senior likely would have raced the same.

Thanks for your insight. Great stuff, although in a tragic context.
 

SoxJox

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Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan Motor Speedway this week.

(Qual Position) [Points Standing]

  1. Denny Hamlin (4) [12]: Back-to-back wins in this race in 2010 and 2011.
  2. Tony Stewart (3)[36]: For his first top 5 this year.
  3. Jimmie Johnson (16)[6]: Won in 2014
  4. Carl Edwards (11)[4]: 2007 winner.
  5. Kurt Busch (17)[2]: Last year's winner. Another win in 2003.
Dark Horse: Dale, Jr.
 

SoxJox

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Picks for Race #16 of the season: Toyota Save Mart 350 at Sears Point in Sonoma, CA. Only 30 drivers in this week's race. For this season, NASCAR reduced the standard lineup from 43 to 40 (36 charter and 4 open team cars), so this is a very small field - even though pit row upgrades in 2002 at Gilligan's Island increased capacity from 34 to 40.

Sonoma Raceway is a 1.99 mile road course, which I really enjoy (if for no other reason than it is a format at which my old favorite Jeff Gordon excelled (5 wins in this race). It's a also a race that saw Indy star Juan Pablo Montoya win in 2007 (in a Dodge of all things!) - crossing the finish line on fumes.

(Qual) [Standing]

  1. Martin Truex (3) [8]: 2013 winner
  2. Carl Edwards (1) [4]: 2014 winner
  3. Joey Logano (7) [5]
  4. Denny Hamlin (6) [5]
  5. Brad Keselowski (12) [3]
Dark Horse: Kyle Busch (8) [9]: reigning champion plus a win in 2008
 

SoxJox

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Maybe if it were Harvick, Danica, or Kurt Busch, but not Hamlin.

But you're right at least in one regard. No sooner had Darrell Waltrip said, "Tony needs a caution," the caution flag came out, putting him in the lead as others pitted (Stewart had just come out of the pits a lap earlier).

I'm happy for Tony. He's now met one of the two required conditions (for him) to qualify for the chase: 1) a win; and 2) finish in the top 30. He gained 3 spots and sits at 32 after the race.

Although finishing a disappointing 21st, Chase Elliot continues to cement his ROY quals - now at #6 n the overall standings, with 6 T5s and 11 T10s in the first 16 races. He's going to win one at some point.
 

SoxJox

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Race day this week is Saturday for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. 7:45 ET start. Coverage for the remainder of the season now switches from FS1 to CBS (except for the Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen on 8/7, which will be covered by USA).

The remaining schedule (all times ET):

SAT 7/9, 7:30 PM: Quaker State 400, Kentucky Speedway
SUN 7/17, 1:30 PM: New Hampshire 301, New Hampshire Motor Speedway
SUN 7/24, 3 PM: Crown Royal Presents the 'Your Hero's Name Here' 400 at the Brickyard, Indianapolis Speedway
SUN, 7/31, 1:30 PM: Pennsylvania 400, Pocono Speedway
SAT 8/7, 2:30 PM: Cheez-It 355 at the Glen, Watkins Glen International
SAT 8/20, 8 PM: Bass Pro Shop's NRA Night Race, Bristol Motor Speedway
SUN 8/8, 2 PM: Pure Michigan 400, Michigan International Speedway
SUN 9/4, 6 PM: Bojangles' Southern 500, Darlington
SAT 9/10, 7:30 PM: Federated Auto Parts 400, Richmond International
SUN 9/18, 2:30 PM: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400, Chicagoland International Speedway
SUN 9/25, 2 PM: New England 300, New Hampshire Motor Speedway
SUN 10/2, 2 PM: NASCAR Sprint Cup October Dover Race, Dover International Speedway
SAT 10/8, 7 PM: Band of America, Charlotte Motor Speedway
SUN 10/16, 2:15 PM: Hollywood Casino 400, Kansas Speedway
SUN 10/23, 2 PM: Alabama 500, Talladega Superspeedway
SUN, 10/30, 1 PM: Goody's Fast Relief 500, Martinsville Speedway
SUN 11/6, 2 PM: AAA Texas 500, Texas Motor Speedway
SUN 11/13, 2:30 PM: CAN-AM 500, Phoenix International Speedway
SUN, 11/20, 2:30 PM: Ford Eco-Boost 400, Homestead-Miami Speedway
 

SoxJox

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Picks:

(Qual) [Standing]
  1. Chase Elliot (24)[6]: This is the week with some mojo as he qualifies at this numbered position - 24, with a less than stellar qual speed (0.636 off the leader) so he'll have some work cut out for him
  2. Jimmy Johnson (8)[7]: Jimmie snaps back from the doldrums he's been in for the past 4-5 weeks.
  3. Brad Keselowski (5)[4]
  4. Kurt Busch (10)[2]
  5. Austin Dillon (6)[14]
Notes:
  • Dale jr. is the reigning champion in this race, with an additional win in 2001.
  • Tony Stewart has the second most wins (tying Cale Yarborough with 4 and trailing leader David Pearson's 5) in 2012, 2009, 2006, and 2005
  • Woods Brothers Racing has the most team wins with 9, but hasn't won since 1983. Hendrick is second best with 6 team wins. Rousch has 4. Gibbs and Childress each have 3.
  • Chevrolet and Ford have dominated this race, with 18 and 17 wins, respectively, in the 52 races. Toyota has won 1 race - Kyle Busch in 2008.
 

SoxJox

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Picks for the New Hampshire 301.

(Qual) [Standing]

  1. Kyle Busch (2)[6]: Reigning champion
  2. Kurt Busch (4)[3]: 2 previous wins in this race (2004, 2008)
  3. Jimmie Johnson (1)[9]: 2 previous wins in this race (2003, 2010)
  4. Joey Logano (6)[5]: Winner in 2009
  5. Denny Hamlin (5)[11]: Winner in 2007
Battle of the Busches.

There are reports that Jeff Gordon will drive for Dale, Jr. next week at Indianapolis of Earnhardt can't drive due to concussion-like symptoms (possibly from recent wrecks at Kentucky and Daytona).

Again rooting for Chase.
 

SoxJox

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Brickyard 400. ;)

(Qual) [Standing]
  1. Gordon (21)[-]: Sentimental, of course. Won the inaugural race back in 1994 and is only 2 years removed from his last win (2014). Plus, in between he squeezed in wins in 1998, 2001, and 2004. 5 total.
  2. Tony Stewart (3)[28]: Tony needs to keep working hard to meet the second condition of qualifying - finishing within the top 30. He met the first condition with his exciting last-minute bump and squeeze win over Denny Hamlin back in Sonoma a few weeks ago. He has wins here in 2005 and 2007.
  3. Ryan Newman (6)[12]: A win here in 2013 with the 3rd fasted average speed in the 22-race history
  4. Jimmie Johnson (13)[8]: Jimmie's been stalled for the past few week, but has wins here in 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2012. 4 total.
  5. Kevin Harvick (7)[1]: A win in 2003
 

ernieshore

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This happened at my local short track this past Saturday night. Figured I'd put this here -- technically it is a NASCAR track. Fun race to be at -- and not totally unusual.

 

ernieshore

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Would one of the Meyers (sp?) be involved? Their reputation is well know up here in N.Y.
Hah! The Myers run in the Modified Series and this was the Sportsman. You tend to see fewer wreck in the Modifieds, but Jason Myers was involved in one with Tim Brown, the other top driver in the Modifieds, this same night that helped his brother win.