2008 Sprint Cup Testing Schedule

By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Published on Thunder Lounge.

NASCAR recently released the 2008 Sprint Cup testing schedule, so here it is. Those taking notes will immediately notice some interesting tidbits coming up that differs significantly from previous years.

For the folks at home that may not keep up with the testing procedures and policies, these are the “official” tests hosted by NASCAR at Sprint Cup sanctioned tracks.

We already know about the first obligatory session. If not, it’s time to crawl out from under that rock. (That’s a joke, or an attempt at one, so feel free to laugh and at least make me feel better.)

January 7-9: Daytona Preseason Thunder (Jan 10th saved as a rain date.)
Teams finishing in odd numbered points positions in the 2007 Nextel Cup Series.

January 14-16: Daytona Preseason Thunder (Jan 17th for rain.)
Teams finishing in even numbered points positions in the 2007 Nextel Cup Series, plus new entries.

January 28-29: Las Vegas Motor Speedway

January 31- February 1: California Speedway

March 3-4: Phoenix International Raceway

May 27-28: Pocono Raceway

September 23-24: Lowe’s Motor Speedway

There you have it folks. That’s the “sanctioned” tests. Notable are the moving of Lowe’s to September, and the addition of Pocono in May. Last year it was Dover instead of Pocono, which was canceled due to weather.

Welcome to 2008, folks. It’s going to be a great year all around.

Share your thoughts!.

Filed Under: California, Charlotte/Lowe's, Daytona, Las Vegas, Nascar, Nextel Cup, Phoenix, Pocono, Tracks





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By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Wednesday October 10, 2007
11:20pm UTC
Published on Thunder Lounge.

Miller + Coors = Morrs?

Across the yahoo feed came this interesting tidbit. Apparently, in order to go head to head with The Busch Clan, the two manufacturers will be combining to produce their products, and streamline distribution. This little ditty will save an estimated $500 million a year, so they say. Coors already pulled their car sponsorship, moving it to an Official Nascar Partnership, so what could happen to the #2 sponsorship? Hmmm. WTF?

Where’s The Post-Race?

Like this needs little introduction. I just absolutely LOVE a 30 second Victory Lane interview with closing credits slipped in. THEN, to top it off, being cut to a #*$@!#^ informercial. A informercial.

If Dave Chappelle were here, you know what he would say. “Man, ESPN is %#*#$!’ up!”

Yep, that they are. If Nascar wants to know why the television ratings are slipping, they have no farther to look than their broadcast partners. It’s about time Nascar put out some minimum guidelines/requirements for covering its top series’.

So, ESPN, WTF?

One more time, in case they’re hiding out in the cheap seats… W.T.F?

Concord Fiasco

So, now that Mayor McCheese over in Concord knows the Bruton Smith isn’t joking, they’re petitioning the Zone and Planning folks to make sure that construction at the current facility can continue. Hmmmm. Guess McCheese realized his meal ticket was on its way out the door, and had a “change of heart”.

WTF? You either stand by your convictions, or you don’t. I guess hit particular eyes are filled with dollar signs. Imagine that. Wouldn’t look to good on a re-elect if you intentionally cause one of your biggest tax payers to hightail it out of town, now would it?

And there ya have it. The WTF’s for this week. Nope, no ‘Dega complaints here. The show went off without a hitch really, and honestly as well as could be expected. Yeah, it snoozed for a good while, but what can you expect? It’ll get better as the information and data on the car comes in. They learned a lot in the last 50 laps, especially about how much they can use that ol’ chrome horn. They know how much they used it, and what it did to the front end. They know better now what to expect with it in a pack with the draft. Patience, Daniel San. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Join the discussion.

Filed Under: Charlotte/Lowe's, Nascar, Penske Racing #2, Talladega, Teams, Tracks, WTF? Wednesday's





Trackback URL for: It’s Wednesday, So… WTF?

By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Wednesday October 3, 2007
3:41pm UTC
Published on Thunder Lounge.

Welcome to the first edition of WTF? Wednesday™.

A brief synopsis: Every Wednesday, we’re going to go the extra mile (and possibly throw “the flag”) to ask the all inevitable question that is lurking on everyone’s mind. WTF? If it’s smelling funny, and has to do with NASCAR, we’re going to ask it.

On to this weeks column.

Kyle Bush and his manifold of gold

As you may or may not have heard, NASCAR failed the #5 of Kyle Bush after he swept through (again) to Victory Lane in the Busch Race at Kansas.

They “deemed” his intake manifold to be “illegal”. Yet, here it is Wednesday already and there hasn’t been a word about it since Sunday. WTF?

Hendrick says it’s legit, and that it’s no different than other times. In fact, they even sent one into NASCAR and they inspected it for 2 days earlier last week.

So, what’s “good to go” this week may be “illegal” the next? WTF?

Late this afternoon, NASCAR announced a “fine” of $10,000 for Mike Bumgarner, the crew chief for Kyle Bush in the Busch Nationwide Series for violations found post-race at Kansas.

Bruton Smith “may” build a new “Charlotte”

Bruton wants a drag racing venue at his current location in the capital of NASCAR. Cool, he’s done it at Bristol and Texas to name a few. He gets the required zoning, and begins.

All of a sudden, the City Council (we’re talking Concord, not “technically Charlotte”) decided the other night to overturn the zoning for the area, leaving Mr. Smith in the middle of a project which (currently) can’t be used. WTF?

Supposedly the “City Council” wanted to pull the reins on all the “noise” in the area, as it’s building up around the track in terms of both business and residential neighbors. OK, whatever.

So, Bruton laid out the terms for all to see. If that’s the way it’s going to be, and “noise” is such a concern, I want my tracks together. If I need to relocate my venues to another part of town, I will.

Huh?

Mr. Bruton Smith went on to compare it to a stick/ball team building a new arena in town. It’s still there, just in a different location. This isn’t a ploy or a threat. It’s the facts. If he has to move it to another area of town, he will. He’s already scouting land around the Charlotte area, and I’d bet there’s a few communities welcoming the move with open arms.

So you’ll hear about Charlotte closing, but really it’s just moving to another side of town.

The question is, what would the track be like? Would it mirror the current configuration? Let’s hope not.

Bruton Smith has a few things at his disposal now. He’s got raw data from various sources, and I’d be willing to bet that if indeed a deal can’t be reached, and he does build a new facility, that it will be the best one on the circuit. He knows what is working, and where the future is headed. Expect the facilities to be top notch, and something viable for not only today, but for decades to come.

What about the track itself? Would it be the same thing, or could it be something unique? Here’s a chance to shine. Do something that hasn’t/isn’t being done. Make that track even more special than it already is. 1.5 miles in length? Nah. 2 miles? Maybe, but Michigan and Cali-bore-nia already do it. 1 mile? Dover, New Hampshire. 1.75 miles? 1.25 miles? Hmmm, 600 miles is divisible evenly at 1.25 miles, 1.75 is a tick off, but almost another full lap.

With all the data available, the chance to truly make a “Beast of the Southeast” exists. The fans would dig it (who wants another cookie?), the drivers would dig it, and most of all it would be something different.

We’ll see what happens on that front, but for now in terms of this “out of nowhere” deal, WTF?

Kansas

We aren’t in Kansas anymore, but thoughts sure haven’t left there.

Why was a race that had not a chance of ending before darkness resumed? WTF?

OK, if I had paid to be there, I’d want as much show as possible.

“Technically”, if all the remaining laps went green it could have made the distance. NASCAR isn’t that dumb, so they said we’re going to 225. WTF?

The thing is, when has there been an opportunity to restart a race at all? It would either:
a) go way into the night
b) not enough daylight left, and no lights available
c) wasn’t enough left for it to be worth it.

Kansas was what, 12 or so laps past halfway? NASCAR made the call to continue with as much of a show as possible, which was a good call for fans, just maybe not for your driver. Then again, maybe your driver came out better than if it had been stopped? Then again, the one who would have benefited most from not resuming, ended up with the bonehead move of the race. “Hey Smoke, there’s smoke coming out of your tire.” But, I digress.

Then you have the finish. Biffle cut the motor off coming out of 4 on the final lap, to make sure he had enough fuel to do a burn out. He had half a gallon left, by the way, but NASCAR made him walk over to Victory Lane. WTF? Why couldn’t the guy do a burnout? WTF?

“Da rules” state a reasonable speed, and NASCAR said it was. Some of the competitors didn’t think it was, so they passed under yellow. NASCAR said the field was frozen, so that was that. OK, but also if you pass under yellow, don’t you get a penalty? So if that’s true, and Biffle wasn’t maintaining a reasonable speed (almost half the pace car speed as he crossed the line), then wouldn’t Casey Mears have won with Jeff Gordon finishing second? But, the field was frozen and Biffle maintained a reasonable speed. WTF?

Not even the mighty scoring loops of NASCAR got it right. It had Bowyer listed at 1st, followed by Johnson. Talk about a Charlie Foxtrot drill. Anyone want to wager about a slight modification to the wording in “Da Rules” about this for next season? If there isn’t, we have our last WTF?

2 comments. Add your 2 cents!.

Filed Under: Busch Series, Casey Mears, Charlotte/Lowe's, Clint Bowyer, Drivers, Features, Greg Biffle, Hendrick Motorsports #24, Hendrick Motorsports #25, Hendrick Motorsports #48, Hendrick Motorsports #5, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Joe Gibbs Racing #20, Kansas, Kyle Busch, Nascar, Nextel Cup, Richard Childress Racing #07, Roush Racing #16, Teams, The Chase, Tony Stewart, Tracks, WTF? Wednesday's





Trackback URL for: WTF? Wednesday…

By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Sunday May 27, 2007
10:54am UTC
Published on Thunder Lounge.

According to Lowe’s Motor Speedway President H. A. “Humpy” Wheeler, attendance for LMS Pole Day has been in steady decline since 2001.

His explanation for this is a combination of the Top 35 being locked in, and a lack of entertainment with current qualifying procedures.

All of this according to an interview with Marty Smith.

I will agree that current qualifying is a little dull in terms of entertainment value. However it probably isn’t a good thing that qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 also takes place on Thursday, either. It sure isn’t helping. Also, since the Top 35 was only implemented last season, while it isn’t helping at the moment, my math would tell me that there was a 5 year decline already in place prior to 2006.

Humpy suggests running qualifying in four 15 minute sessions, 25% of the field at a time, fastest speeds overall do the deed. There is a hint of canning the Top 35 rule as well.

I disagree, in part.

The Top 35 needs to go. It’s too much.

I do think that a few teams should be locked in. Let’s face it. We need sponsors in NASCAR. In return, those sponsors need some sort of a guarantee that they are investing their marketing dollars wisely. However, 35 is just too large.

So, overall, here is what I feel would be pretty darn cool.

Increase The Field To 45

Increasing the field by 2 cars really isn’t that big of an addition. It just rounds out the numbers a little better. Plus, there isn’t a risk of a short field and needing a filler any time soon. Adding 2 additional spots would also help ensure that down the road as well.

Lock In The Top 15

Locking in the Top 15 is plenty. Enough to give some sponsors (and teams) some breathing room, but it isn’t overkill. I think Top 20, or Top 25 would still be pushing the limit. Plus, with 45 cars, that’s only 1/3 of the field.

Run Qualifying Heat Races

Pretty similar to what Humpy had in mind, with 4 qualifying sessions, then again, maybe run 2 heats instead like for Daytona. It would add some excitement for sure. Then again, with either heats or sessions, there is always the possibility of an accident. If run in sessions though, an accident would have much less impact than it would if it were heat races.

I can’t say that there is any one good answer, or that NASCAR has any plans to do anything about any of it. Humpy seems to think that NASCAR will be making some sort of change for 2008.

The only question is, will it be for the better or the worse?

Join the discussion.

Filed Under: Charlotte/Lowe's, Nascar, Nextel Cup, Tracks





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By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Wednesday May 23, 2007
9:11am UTC
Published on Thunder Lounge.

OK, so it wasn’t Hendrick. It was, yet again, Chevrolet. That’s just how it goes, and looking back there have been times when Ford was stinking it up as well. But, we’re not here to necessarily discuss this.

The All-Star race was far from a spectacular show. It should have been dubbed the All-Star Show, not race. Is this the fault of the drivers or teams? No.

The “show” last weekend was a product of an over cautious tire, one that has little grip on the surface and makes for some pretty loose race cars.

During the All-Star coverage, many, many drivers mentioned this. Some that tend to not mention things like this and just go out and (try to) race. The broadcast team even made mention of it, and “said” it probably wouldn’t be an issue on the series’ return this fall.

If you know your car is loose as a goose, you’re not going to chance wrecking it just to gain a spot. Points on the line or not, a wreck isn’t fun. With the 600 this weekend they have to keep the big picture in mind, knowing full well the demanding physical situation of the longest distance in NASCAR.

On top of all this, four 20 lap heats just didn’t cut it. There is no doubt that this format didn’t work. Perhaps a 20/20/30/40 format might be better, and bringing back the inversion for all segments except the first. Granted, not having a fan vote as we know we are all too predictable on that one. The lottery-style machine used previously would be fine.

All in all, it was a lackluster event. No wonder is wasn’t on a mainstream channel. Not to say Speed didn’t do a good job, but shouldn’t the “All Star” event be on mainstream TV?

2 comments. Add your 2 cents!.

Filed Under: Busch Series, Charlotte/Lowe's, Nascar, Nextel Cup, Tracks





Trackback URL for: All-Star Weekend Indicative Of Things To Come In Charlotte?

By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Thursday May 17, 2007
10:21am UTC
Published on Thunder Lounge.

While the Wood Brothers obviously have high hopes for young Jon, according to the Atlanta Constitution-Journal they are facing the hard facts of life.

Bring out of the top 35 in Owner’s points, they’ve struck a deal that will see “Awesome Bill From Dawsonville” make a brief return to the series. In a Ford, obviously, which he hasn’t done since he moved from his own Bill Elliott Racing over to the #9 for Ray Evernham.

He’ll start with the Coca-Cola 600 a week from Sunday, and has also filed entry for Dover the following week.

The obvious advantage: 6 guaranteed races. With Dale Jarrett having burned up all his freebies, Elliott will make the show.

Provided Elliott gets it back into the coveted Top 35, and there are provisionals remaining, he could very well be the safety net the Wood Brothers have needed. It’s a long way to the Top 35 though, so who knows.

Hello, Newman

While still under contract with Penske Racing South, through 2009, the Winston-Salem Journal seems to think that Newman could be looking for a new ride. This coming at the time the #12 Alltel Dodge Pit Crew was wrapping up a win over the #43 team in the Pit Crew Challenge. Needless to say, it probably isn’t going to get any better as we roll towards Homestead, with just a race over the 2/3 mark remaining in the season. Oh joy.

Get Your Junior Gear Here…

Also, according to the Associated Press, while the so-called “experts” believed there would be a dip in the sales of red merchandise to the Junior Nation, this has yet to happen. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Sales have skyrocketed 107%, according to the report, but who knows if this is temporary or will hold up. Either way, someone’s raking in some cash.

Wrapping it up

So now we’re prepping for the All-Star race this Saturday. The trucks are back on track Friday night, and in a new twist for Saturday the crew chiefs will be running little roadsters around the 1/4 mile front stretch track before the other festivities begin Saturday night. Heck, that might be a pretty cool little show.

6 comments. Add your 2 cents!.

Filed Under: Bill Elliott, Charlotte/Lowe's, Dale Earnhardt Inc #8, Dale Earnhardt Junior, Drivers, Nascar, Nextel Cup, Penske Racing #12, Ryan Newman, Teams, Tracks, Wood Brothers #21





Trackback URL for: Thursday Catch-Up: Elliot, Newman, And Some Other Items