RunningWolves wrote:

EasternNCstyleBBQueWolf wrote:

hunwolf wrote: To be fair, nobody wanted to run with Trevor Bayne and he ended up winning that thing somehow.

Hell, didn't Derek freakin' Cope win it back in the day?

Probably the worst restructor plate racer in modern history is Carl Edwards. There's not a single pack of cars he doesn't relish destroying.

I think Cope won when Dale Sr. either ran over something or ran out of gas...    but yes, Cope is a 500 winner.

Earnhardt ran over a transmission part, and Cope has it framed after Dale Sr. gave it to him.  I was at that one and it was the damndest thing watching the Earnhardt fans go from joy to glum in about 10-15 seconds.  Cope had no fans, of course, so really, there were very few people that left happy.

basementwolf wrote: You are wrong, that left lots of people happy, all of the people who pulled against Ironhead. So that day he had lots of fans.

RunningWolves wrote:

EasternNCstyleBBQueWolf wrote:

hunwolf wrote: To be fair, nobody wanted to run with Trevor Bayne and he ended up winning that thing somehow.

Hell, didn't Derek freakin' Cope win it back in the day?

Probably the worst restructor plate racer in modern history is Carl Edwards. There's not a single pack of cars he doesn't relish destroying.

I think Cope won when Dale Sr. either ran over something or ran out of gas...    but yes, Cope is a 500 winner.

Earnhardt ran over a transmission part, and Cope has it framed after Dale Sr. gave it to him.  I was at that one and it was the damndest thing watching the Earnhardt fans go from joy to glum in about 10-15 seconds.  Cope had no fans, of course, so really, there were very few people that left happy.

EastChapelHill04Class wrote:

JesseBolt wrote:

EastChapelHill04Class wrote:

PackChem91 wrote:

EastChapelHill04Class wrote:

Engineer65 wrote:

EastChapelHill04Class wrote:

I'm glad his interviews show maturity...show me race wins, show me a Sprint Cup Championship, show me that he's not the most over-rated, over-hyped driver this side of Danica Patrick.

You seem as if you have your mind made up, and are not willing to change it, so it would be a waste of time to try to convince you of anything.  Dale Jr's record speaks for itself, at least to those who are willing to listen.

The same could be said for you.

Engineer, just remember you're entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.

FACT: He has been driving for Hendrick Motorsports for 5 years, the same team as 5-Time Champ Jimmie Johnson and 4-Time Champ Jeff Gordon, AND HE HAS 2 WINS IN 5 YEARS.

FACT:  In over a decade in the Cup Series, HAS ZERO CUP CHAMPIONSHIPS and HASN'T EVEN COME IN 2ND IN FINAL STANDINGS IN ANY YEAR.

You're right, that record absolutely speaks for itself...enjoy another season of disappointment rooting for "Juuuunneee-yerrrrrr"

Someone's seems angry.

One other point:  He's still the biggest draw in the sport, and the sport needs him.  If you were a TV exec or track owner, would you want him involved or not?

I like the guy, would love to see him win more, though, like apparently many others, my interest in sitting thru a race, save for Daytona, Talledaga, and perhaps a few of the short tracks, has waned significantly. 

The comparison to Danica is not even remotely similar.

Show me one fact I mentioned that is incorrect.

Like I said earlier, Dale Jr=UNC-Chapel Hill Football, TV execs can root for both, but neither ever win nearly what they are annually hyped to...and yet the annual hype for both is never ending...

OK chapel hill we get it, you love to hate on JR over and over. Who is your driver?

Hate away bro...haha

I would wager major money that Danica had the help of nascar in winning the pole (whether it was turning a blind eye during inspection or giving a slightly larger plate or helping with the timing of the laps).  For that matter, I'll bet that most drivers were happy for her to win because they know it will result in more ticket sales and more publicity which will bring more viewers on race day.  That will be good for the sponsors, which will in turn be good for the drivers.

If anyone thinks it is all completely legit with her winning the pole, then....WOW!

FLWolf88 wrote:

I would wager major money that Danica had the help of nascar in winning the pole (whether it was turning a blind eye during inspection or giving a slightly larger plate or helping with the timing of the laps).  For that matter, I'll bet that most drivers were happy for her to win because they know it will result in more ticket sales and more publicity which will bring more viewers on race day.  That will be good for the sponsors, which will in turn be good for the drivers.

If anyone thinks it is all completely legit with her winning the pole, then....WOW!

JesseBolt wrote: ^  Sr had a way with his fans I have never seen with anybody else ever. The thing is we knew how good we had it when he was here but we never thought he would be gone so soon.

I hope to race him one day in the big track up in the sky.

hunwolf wrote: Is this the first time ever for an all-female front row for Daytona? I've been looking up the archives and couldn't find specifics.

RJWolfpack wrote: I think Kurt and Kyle Busch have both sat on front row together, just not sure if they did so at Daytona.

hunwolf wrote: Is this the first time ever for an all-female front row for Daytona? I've been looking up the archives and couldn't find specifics.

packmanncsu wrote: Let's look at this objectively instead of throwing out conspiracy theories.  Stewart qualified 3rd (which doesn't count because of the Duels on Thursday) so if Danica had the same setup, it's not unrealistic to think she could win the pole.  Also, Stewart is no Mark Martin (this is coming from a Stewart fan, so some of you can cool your jets). 

Let's say Smoke has Danica by a good 80-100lbs.  There's your difference in speed right there.  Heck, she's gotta be lighter than Gordon too, so she gets to the line 2 thousandths of a second faster.  Next, take into consideration that Daytona and Talladega are easily the 2 places where the car matters more than the driver and it's not hard to see that it's very plausible for them to have nailed the setup.  Now, the actual race, that's probably going to be a different story, but only time will tell.

I was personally hoping Danica to NA$CAR was going to be an experiment and that Harvick would take her ride next year, but it looks as if she's here to stay.  Mainstream publicity and the women's rights fans/horny male fans aspect will ensure she has a sustainable audience to keep her in a car.

hunwolf wrote:

RJWolfpack wrote: I think Kurt and Kyle Busch have both sat on front row together, just not sure if they did so at Daytona.

hunwolf wrote: Is this the first time ever for an all-female front row for Daytona? I've been looking up the archives and couldn't find specifics.

Eh...forgot about that. Will have to check.

FeloniousQ wrote:

packmanncsu wrote: Let's look at this objectively instead of throwing out conspiracy theories.  Stewart qualified 3rd (which doesn't count because of the Duels on Thursday) so if Danica had the same setup, it's not unrealistic to think she could win the pole.  Also, Stewart is no Mark Martin (this is coming from a Stewart fan, so some of you can cool your jets). 

Let's say Smoke has Danica by a good 80-100lbs.  There's your difference in speed right there.  Heck, she's gotta be lighter than Gordon too, so she gets to the line 2 thousandths of a second faster.  Next, take into consideration that Daytona and Talladega are easily the 2 places where the car matters more than the driver and it's not hard to see that it's very plausible for them to have nailed the setup.  Now, the actual race, that's probably going to be a different story, but only time will tell.

I was personally hoping Danica to NA$CAR was going to be an experiment and that Harvick would take her ride next year, but it looks as if she's here to stay.  Mainstream publicity and the women's rights fans/horny male fans aspect will ensure she has a sustainable audience to keep her in a car.

Keselowski said on Twitter yesterday that your theory would be right at a non-plate track, but it's actually the exact opposite on a plate track.  You want the car as low to the ground as possible to keep the spoiler out of the air.  The heights of the cars are measured empty.  So Fat Tony is getting tenths of inches that Danica isn't.

Whether she had other artificial assistance is another story.

LETTERL wrote: I, for one, am proud of her. She has persevered and ignores criticism from those who says she has no business trying to be a major player in NASCAR.

JesseBolt wrote: ^  Sr had a way with his fans I have never seen with anybody else ever. The thing is we knew how good we had it when he was here but we never thought he would be gone so soon.

I hope to race him one day in the big track up in the sky.

RunningWolves wrote:

JesseBolt wrote: ^  Sr had a way with his fans I have never seen with anybody else ever. The thing is we knew how good we had it when he was here but we never thought he would be gone so soon.

I hope to race him one day in the big track up in the sky.

Richard Petty in his heyday was the only one who really came close.

Denverpacker wrote: How Danica is not driving the Victoria Secret car is a complete miss by somebody.  There is sooo much solid publicity in that.

RJWolfpack wrote:

RunningWolves wrote:

JesseBolt wrote: ^  Sr had a way with his fans I have never seen with anybody else ever. The thing is we knew how good we had it when he was here but we never thought he would be gone so soon.

I hope to race him one day in the big track up in the sky.

Richard Petty in his heyday was the only one who really came close.

Richard Petty set the standard for all in regards to fan interaction.

I thought I would share a few thoughts from 2012 and going into 2013 for those that are interested.  First off, I was glad to see the #2 car win the championship.  I think they have been the best team the last year and a half and did a brilliant job of executing.  It was also nice to see Roger Penske get his first cup championship. From the few times I have met him and the people I know who have worked for him, he is extremely impressive.  He demands a lot, but he always gives his people respect and the resources they need to be successful.  He is one of the most respected men in all of motorsports for good reason.

As some of you know I spent most of last year working with the #10 car.  That was an extremely enjoyable experience and I learned a lot.  I really enjoyed working with Danica and wish her success.  She is extremely personable, humble, respectful, and great to be around.  I think she has a very good feel for what the car is doing and has a burning desire to learn what she needs out of the car.  The biggest things I think she needs to continue improving is to trust what she is feeling and have confidence to push the car.  Some of that comes from experience and some of it is a mentality.  In the Indy car series they only have 2-3 cars so it is a big deal if you crash one.  In our series the cars are somewhat disposable since they get rebuilt after every run.  The guys that are really fast may not like crashing a car, but they are quick to shake it off when it happens.  Most of the top guys have torn up a bunch of stuff going through the learning curve and that is just part of it.  I think Danica just needs to continue to work on the confidence to push the car on low tire pressure and early in the race.  She had many times where she was as fast as guys running in the top 5-10, so the next step is to start each run at that pace.  I know she has the right attitude, focus, and skill to get there.

Near the end of the season, I switched over to the #39 car as part of a team reorganization.  That was a neat experience to get to work with Ryan.  He is by far the most “plugged in” driver I have ever been around.  It is amazing the things he picks up on and how slow the game seems to move for him.  Ryan is very in-tune with what we are doing, which can be a challenge to keep up w/ him, but also very helpful to stay on the right track.  I feel we struggled a little with speed at the end of 2012, but did a really good job at execution allowing us to finish with two top 5s.

For the 2013 season, I am remaining with the #39 car.  I am really looking forward to the challenge and I think we can achieve great things.  The entire team is hungry to show that we can find speed and execute good strategy.  The most obvious change for this year is the new body, but there are a few other things that may be even more significant.  First off there are changes to the rear suspension rules outlawing many of the things (toed housing, rear axle skew, rear swaybars, truck arm bushings) that teams were using to turn the car.  I doubt there is a team in the garage that will not have to make any significant setup changes to work around these rules.  The car weights have also changed, so there will more emphasis than ever on building lighter parts.  Finally, NASCAR has gone to a new laser measurement platform for the chassis portion of the inspection process.  Learning how to work within the framework of the new system will be a challenge for the teams in the early going. 

Anyhow, we are off to a good start at SHR with speed in all of our cars during Daytona qualifying.  It will be interesting to see how that translates into the draft.  Then the real learning process begins at Phoenix and Las Vegas.  I hope everyone enjoys the season, and I will try to check in periodically with my experience from the road.

GO PACK!!! GO SHR !!!

PackME01VT0308 wrote:

I thought I would share a few thoughts from 2012 and going into 2013

SidsSouljahBoy wrote:

LETTERL wrote: I, for one, am proud of her. She has persevered and ignores criticism from those who says she has no business trying to be a major player in NASCAR.

Because she doesn't. She's been given her opportunity, she hasn't done diddly squat to earn it. If she succeeds that's fine, but there are much more deserving drivers out there that haven't been given the gifts she has to move up in the rankings so quickly.

I've had my own suspicions that NASCAR has had it's fair share of rigged moments for years and if it were to be true I'd be pretty pissed for the simple fact they didn't throw Kyle Petty a bone at some point after Adam's death before he finally decided to hang his helmet up for good. Was waiting for that rig to come for years and it never did.

I do think the split in the fanbase over Danica is exactly what NASCAR wants. They need her loyal fans to love her, the men to want to bang her and  the rest of the fans to love to hate her or root against her. She needs to find a way to post decent results for it to work though or people will start to get bored. It's an important year for the sport. They've lost a lot of fans and sort of peaked if you will. Need to find a way to get those fans back and a lot from my personal experience are life long loyal fans who got fed up with the quality of racing.

I'd be curious to know Danica's merchandise sales in comparison to average drivers and in comparison to big sellers like Johnson, Gordon and Jr.

PackME01VT0308 wrote:

I thought I would share a few thoughts from 2012 and going into 2013 for those that are interested.  First off, I was glad to see the #2 car win the championship.  I think they have been the best team the last year and a half and did a brilliant job of executing.  It was also nice to see Roger Penske get his first cup championship. From the few times I have met him and the people I know who have worked for him, he is extremely impressive.  He demands a lot, but he always gives his people respect and the resources they need to be successful.  He is one of the most respected men in all of motorsports for good reason.

As some of you know I spent most of last year working with the #10 car.  That was an extremely enjoyable experience and I learned a lot.  I really enjoyed working with Danica and wish her success.  She is extremely personable, humble, respectful, and great to be around.  I think she has a very good feel for what the car is doing and has a burning desire to learn what she needs out of the car.  The biggest things I think she needs to continue improving is to trust what she is feeling and have confidence to push the car.  Some of that comes from experience and some of it is a mentality.  In the Indy car series they only have 2-3 cars so it is a big deal if you crash one.  In our series the cars are somewhat disposable since they get rebuilt after every run.  The guys that are really fast may not like crashing a car, but they are quick to shake it off when it happens.  Most of the top guys have torn up a bunch of stuff going through the learning curve and that is just part of it.  I think Danica just needs to continue to work on the confidence to push the car on low tire pressure and early in the race.  She had many times where she was as fast as guys running in the top 5-10, so the next step is to start each run at that pace.  I know she has the right attitude, focus, and skill to get there.

Near the end of the season, I switched over to the #39 car as part of a team reorganization.  That was a neat experience to get to work with Ryan.  He is by far the most “plugged in” driver I have ever been around.  It is amazing the things he picks up on and how slow the game seems to move for him.  Ryan is very in-tune with what we are doing, which can be a challenge to keep up w/ him, but also very helpful to stay on the right track.  I feel we struggled a little with speed at the end of 2012, but did a really good job at execution allowing us to finish with two top 5s.

For the 2013 season, I am remaining with the #39 car.  I am really looking forward to the challenge and I think we can achieve great things.  The entire team is hungry to show that we can find speed and execute good strategy.  The most obvious change for this year is the new body, but there are a few other things that may be even more significant.  First off there are changes to the rear suspension rules outlawing many of the things (toed housing, rear axle skew, rear swaybars, truck arm bushings) that teams were using to turn the car.  I doubt there is a team in the garage that will not have to make any significant setup changes to work around these rules.  The car weights have also changed, so there will more emphasis than ever on building lighter parts.  Finally, NASCAR has gone to a new laser measurement platform for the chassis portion of the inspection process.  Learning how to work within the framework of the new system will be a challenge for the teams in the early going. 

Anyhow, we are off to a good start at SHR with speed in all of our cars during Daytona qualifying.  It will be interesting to see how that translates into the draft.  Then the real learning process begins at Phoenix and Las Vegas.  I hope everyone enjoys the season, and I will try to check in periodically with my experience from the road.

GO PACK!!! GO SHR !!!

JesseBolt wrote:

PackME01VT0308 wrote:

I thought I would share a few thoughts from 2012 and going into 2013 for those that are interested.  First off, I was glad to see the #2 car win the championship.  I think they have been the best team the last year and a half and did a brilliant job of executing.  It was also nice to see Roger Penske get his first cup championship. From the few times I have met him and the people I know who have worked for him, he is extremely impressive.  He demands a lot, but he always gives his people respect and the resources they need to be successful.  He is one of the most respected men in all of motorsports for good reason.

As some of you know I spent most of last year working with the #10 car.  That was an extremely enjoyable experience and I learned a lot.  I really enjoyed working with Danica and wish her success.  She is extremely personable, humble, respectful, and great to be around.  I think she has a very good feel for what the car is doing and has a burning desire to learn what she needs out of the car.  The biggest things I think she needs to continue improving is to trust what she is feeling and have confidence to push the car.  Some of that comes from experience and some of it is a mentality.  In the Indy car series they only have 2-3 cars so it is a big deal if you crash one.  In our series the cars are somewhat disposable since they get rebuilt after every run.  The guys that are really fast may not like crashing a car, but they are quick to shake it off when it happens.  Most of the top guys have torn up a bunch of stuff going through the learning curve and that is just part of it.  I think Danica just needs to continue to work on the confidence to push the car on low tire pressure and early in the race.  She had many times where she was as fast as guys running in the top 5-10, so the next step is to start each run at that pace.  I know she has the right attitude, focus, and skill to get there.

Near the end of the season, I switched over to the #39 car as part of a team reorganization.  That was a neat experience to get to work with Ryan.  He is by far the most “plugged in” driver I have ever been around.  It is amazing the things he picks up on and how slow the game seems to move for him.  Ryan is very in-tune with what we are doing, which can be a challenge to keep up w/ him, but also very helpful to stay on the right track.  I feel we struggled a little with speed at the end of 2012, but did a really good job at execution allowing us to finish with two top 5s.

For the 2013 season, I am remaining with the #39 car.  I am really looking forward to the challenge and I think we can achieve great things.  The entire team is hungry to show that we can find speed and execute good strategy.  The most obvious change for this year is the new body, but there are a few other things that may be even more significant.  First off there are changes to the rear suspension rules outlawing many of the things (toed housing, rear axle skew, rear swaybars, truck arm bushings) that teams were using to turn the car.  I doubt there is a team in the garage that will not have to make any significant setup changes to work around these rules.  The car weights have also changed, so there will more emphasis than ever on building lighter parts.  Finally, NASCAR has gone to a new laser measurement platform for the chassis portion of the inspection process.  Learning how to work within the framework of the new system will be a challenge for the teams in the early going. 

Anyhow, we are off to a good start at SHR with speed in all of our cars during Daytona qualifying.  It will be interesting to see how that translates into the draft.  Then the real learning process begins at Phoenix and Las Vegas.  I hope everyone enjoys the season, and I will try to check in periodically with my experience from the road.

GO PACK!!! GO SHR !!!

Great post! Please keep us informed as much as you can.

PackME01VT0308 wrote:

I thought I would share a few thoughts from 2012 and going into 2013 for those that are interested.  First off, I was glad to see the #2 car win the championship.  I think they have been the best team the last year and a half and did a brilliant job of executing.  It was also nice to see Roger Penske get his first cup championship. From the few times I have met him and the people I know who have worked for him, he is extremely impressive.  He demands a lot, but he always gives his people respect and the resources they need to be successful.  He is one of the most respected men in all of motorsports for good reason.

As some of you know I spent most of last year working with the #10 car.  That was an extremely enjoyable experience and I learned a lot.  I really enjoyed working with Danica and wish her success.  She is extremely personable, humble, respectful, and great to be around.  I think she has a very good feel for what the car is doing and has a burning desire to learn what she needs out of the car.  The biggest things I think she needs to continue improving is to trust what she is feeling and have confidence to push the car.  Some of that comes from experience and some of it is a mentality.  In the Indy car series they only have 2-3 cars so it is a big deal if you crash one.  In our series the cars are somewhat disposable since they get rebuilt after every run.  The guys that are really fast may not like crashing a car, but they are quick to shake it off when it happens.  Most of the top guys have torn up a bunch of stuff going through the learning curve and that is just part of it.  I think Danica just needs to continue to work on the confidence to push the car on low tire pressure and early in the race.  She had many times where she was as fast as guys running in the top 5-10, so the next step is to start each run at that pace.  I know she has the right attitude, focus, and skill to get there.

Near the end of the season, I switched over to the #39 car as part of a team reorganization.  That was a neat experience to get to work with Ryan.  He is by far the most “plugged in” driver I have ever been around.  It is amazing the things he picks up on and how slow the game seems to move for him.  Ryan is very in-tune with what we are doing, which can be a challenge to keep up w/ him, but also very helpful to stay on the right track.  I feel we struggled a little with speed at the end of 2012, but did a really good job at execution allowing us to finish with two top 5s.

For the 2013 season, I am remaining with the #39 car.  I am really looking forward to the challenge and I think we can achieve great things.  The entire team is hungry to show that we can find speed and execute good strategy.  The most obvious change for this year is the new body, but there are a few other things that may be even more significant.  First off there are changes to the rear suspension rules outlawing many of the things (toed housing, rear axle skew, rear swaybars, truck arm bushings) that teams were using to turn the car.  I doubt there is a team in the garage that will not have to make any significant setup changes to work around these rules.  The car weights have also changed, so there will more emphasis than ever on building lighter parts.  Finally, NASCAR has gone to a new laser measurement platform for the chassis portion of the inspection process.  Learning how to work within the framework of the new system will be a challenge for the teams in the early going. 

Anyhow, we are off to a good start at SHR with speed in all of our cars during Daytona qualifying.  It will be interesting to see how that translates into the draft.  Then the real learning process begins at Phoenix and Las Vegas.  I hope everyone enjoys the season, and I will try to check in periodically with my experience from the road.

GO PACK!!! GO SHR !!!