2025 NASCAR

[220]

Stages? It’s a race not a Broadway performance.

I am not a fan of them either but I dont think it is stage racing that is the actual problem but the caution period that comes with the end of each stage.
Rewarding the drivers that have run at or near the front for the majority of the race with a few championship points is fair enough but I still struggle with essentially stopping the race to allow everyone to catch the leader and then going again.

[Vaquero]

Stages? It’s a race not a Broadway performance.

I am not a fan of them either but I dont think it is stage racing that is the actual problem but the caution period that comes with the end of each stage.
Rewarding the drivers that have run at or near the front for the majority of the race with a few championship points is fair enough but I still struggle with essentially stopping the race to allow everyone to catch the leader and then going again.

Exactly that's the BS part of it that really pissed me off about the whole thing. I mean they have the damn thing so restricted and they want to put it into a drivers hands. So he builds up a lead only to be slapped back down.
I enjoy this thread but couldn't give two hoots for the stupid sport any more.

RP

[Sir Henry]

Stages? It’s a race not a Broadway performance.

I am not a fan of them either but I dont think it is stage racing that is the actual problem but the caution period that comes with the end of each stage.
Rewarding the drivers that have run at or near the front for the majority of the race with a few championship points is fair enough but I still struggle with essentially stopping the race to allow everyone to catch the leader and then going again.

Exactly that's the BS part of it that really pissed me off about the whole thing. I mean they have the damn thing so restricted and they want to put it into a drivers hands. So he builds up a lead only to be slapped back down.
I enjoy this thread but couldn't give two hoots for the stupid sport any more.

RP

I went decades watching every race telecast to not watching a complete race in 10 years.

[Vaquero]

I am not a fan of them either but I dont think it is stage racing that is the actual problem but the caution period that comes with the end of each stage.
Rewarding the drivers that have run at or near the front for the majority of the race with a few championship points is fair enough but I still struggle with essentially stopping the race to allow everyone to catch the leader and then going again.

Exactly that's the BS part of it that really pissed me off about the whole thing. I mean they have the damn thing so restricted and they want to put it into a drivers hands. So he builds up a lead only to be slapped back down.
I enjoy this thread but couldn't give two hoots for the stupid sport any more.

RP

I went decades watching every race telecast to not watching a complete race in 10 years.

Same thing here Gene, I watched it religiously.
Attended a good number of races in person.
Now, the only time I see it is if I'm at restaurant or a bar, and it's on one of their tv's.

RP

[BigAl52]

I watch it if Im bored and there isnt anything else on. But it doesnt usually take care of the boredom. Its just background noise

[220]

Back to the streets of Chicago and where it all began for SVG this weekend.
Hard to see anyone beating him if he stays out of trouble, his biggest challenger may even end up being the driver who replaced him at redbull racing in aus supercars. Will Brown will be driving a Kaulig car and is the reining supercars champ, Chicago isnt his first cup start, he raced at Sonoma last year with RCR. Didnt have a great start finishing 33rd after electrical gremilns in the race, qualifying also saw him have throttle issues and start from 14th, practice was probably the best indication of his pace and he was 3rd. Given a trouble free race I expect him to run in the top 10.
Another former supercars driver will be making his debut in the Xfinity race, Jack Perkins will be driving a JGR car. Jack hasnt race supercars full time for over a decade, he was never a consistent front runner, he does have a race win, numerous wins and top 5 championship finishes in our equivlent to the Xfinity series. He is the son of a racing legend down under, you can probably compare him to Kyle Petty, a solid racer even a good racer on his day but forever in the shadow of his father.
I honestly dont know how Jack will go, it will be fun to watch, with the number of supercars drivers that have made starts the past few years it is pretty clear if you give an elite supercars driver a decent car they will have top 5 or top 10 pace on a road/street course. Jack isnt an elite driver, more a like a consistent top 5-10 runner in Xfinity who could just never quite land a championship and a mid pack runner when he stepped up to the main series.

[220]

Cars have hit the track for the first time this weekend with Xfinity practice complete.
SVG fastest from Zilich and Mayer, Jack Perkins 4th.
A little surprised maybe that Perkins is 4th but nearly 0.4sec slower than SVG.
Lap times really tell the story, while the top drivers are as good as anyone just not the depth of quality road racers, over 1 sec between 1-9, 2sec 1-16 30th over 3 sec slower. Supercars 1 sec often covers the field last time out 0.6sec covered first to last.

[cooperhawk]

I'm planning to watch since it's not on Prime. We have Prime but I like to switch back and forth to other things
and with Prime it's a hassle. Kinda ruins it for me. I suppose tomorrow the Cup will be on Prime again.

[220]

Pole for SVG for both the Xfinity and cup races.
Dont know which is more impressive, jumping in a Xfinity car for the first time this year and putting it on pole or being half a second quicker than the next best in the cup car.

[220]

Another Xfinity win for SVG, not totally straight forward, poor pit call saw him back around 20th at one stage.
Drove through the field and restarted 2nd with 2 to go, took the lead from Zilich into the 1st turn and Zilch was unable to get back close enough to challenge.
A race win and 2 pole positions in the one day, another 24hrs and we will see if he can get the job done in cup as well.

[markiver54]

I went decades watching every race telecast to not watching a complete race in 10 years.

Ditto!

[cooperhawk]

A race win and 2 pole positions in the one day, another 24hrs and we will see if he can get the job done in cup as well.

Never happen.

[220]

A race win and 2 pole positions in the one day, another 24hrs and we will see if he can get the job done in cup as well.

Never happen.

The odds are probably against it but he is 3 wins from 4 starts at Chicago.
I dont expect him to finish in the top 5 unless it is a win, think it will be win or bin the only question is if it is bin who will have put him there

Had a good laugh at AJ on the pre race telecast they asked him as one of the best road racers in Nascar and a former team mate what you need to do to beat SVG. Nothing was his reply, you cant, you pray he makes a mistake

[220]

He has done it again, now the most successful international driver in Nascar history and only half way through his rookie season in cup.
Also only the second driver to ever take both Xfinity and Cup poles and race wins at any track.

[220]

Sonoma this weekend and despite it being his 1st start in a cup car at the track SVG will start the race as the favorite.
Hard to comprehend that as a rookie making his first start at a track he is heavy favorite to win.
Easy to dismiss what he is doing by saying he is a road course ringer but a win this weekend would see him join Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart as the only drivers to win 3 races in their rookie season.
Almost blasphemous to say it but a win at Sonoma would see him with a better career win percentage than Dale Snr and Jeff Gordon and done while still trying to work out how to drive an oval.
I will go out on a limb and say I expect him to make it into the round of 8 in the playoffs. His oval speed has improved massively, the 1st nine races he had 2 oval finishes inside the top 30. The past 10 races he has only finished worse than 30th once. Most of the time he has been running in the teens consistently and at times pushing into the top 10. He is only going to improve further between now and the playoffs and will go into them with a bunch of playoff points. Will only need to stay out of trouble and put up finishes in the teens to advance to the 12. The final race in the round of 12 is the roval so a very good chance of a win to advance to the 8 even if not in position to do it on points.
I think just like his debut race when everyone dismissed him as no chance he is sneaking under the radar when it comes to being a championship contender. A long shot to win it for sure but i think he will be doing far more than just making up the numbers when the playoffs start and who is eliminated if he advances might actually have a big influence on who ends up the 2025 champion.

[Vaquero]

I wish him all the luck there 220.
I remember Stewart doing it, but not JJ, but was never a fan of his.
Hendricks has only had a couple drivers that I ever cared for and the last was Terry Labonte.
Like I've said before I don't follow it anymore, who is he driving for?

RP

[220]

Drives for Trackhouse who have almost as interesting story as SVG. Chevy team but second tier compare to the likes of Hendrick.
Started 2021 with a single leased charter, running Mexican Daniel Suarez, purchased the Chip Ganassi organization and brought in Ross Chastain as the second driver. Chastain won 2 races in 2022 and everyone remembers his wall ride to force his way into the final 4. Suarez also had a win so they had both cars in the playoffs in essentially their first year.
A team that thinks outside the box, 2022 was also the year they announced they would run the 91 car as a part time entry for international drivers, former F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen made 2 starts with respectable finishes.
2023 they put SVG in the 91 car for a one off drive at Chicago and the rest is history, he won on debut, they gave him a second race and he finished top 10. last year they formed an alliance with Kaulig and they ran SVG for the season in Xfinity and limited cup starts.
They purchased a 3rd charter from Stewart Hass and promoted SVG to cup for this season in the hope he might win a road race, make the playoffs and earn the dollars that come with it. A gamble that has paid off big time.
This year they have an alliance with Dale jnr team, they running SVG in a few Xfinity races and running Conner Zilisch who is under contract to trackhouse full time. They announced Suarez's contract will not be renewed for next season, it is expected Zilisch will be promoted to cup. I hate to say it but Zilisch might just be the next Gordon 18yo and probably the most talented road racer apart from SVG in Nascar, has already won on ovals as well in the Xfinity series.

[220]

While talking about Trackhouse forgot to mention there is a lot of talk about a manufacturer change for them.
With Dodge announcing they are back racing Nascar, they will be racing trucks next season and would like to have cars on the cup grid in 2027 they need a team or two.
They wont get a top tier team, of the second tier teams Trackhouse have 3 charters, have won consistently over the past 5 years on all types of tracks with all 3 charters and drivers. Even if it takes a few years for the Dodge to be truly competitive with the driver lineup they have they would be competing for wins of road and super speedway tracks from season 1.
Couple that with trackhouses record of thinking outside the box, taking risks, gambling and everyone is thinking if any of the second tier teams makes the switch it will probably be them.

[Cowboy Gun Fan]

I wish him all the luck there 220.
I remember Stewart doing it, but not JJ, but was never a fan of his.
Hendricks has only had a couple drivers that I ever cared for and the last was Terry Labonte.
Like I've said before I don't follow it anymore, who is he driving for?

RP

I always like Terry and his brother Bobby too. Glad to see Terry win 2 Championships.

But after Terry at Hendrick, there was Kyle Busch. Took me years to like him, lol, but I've been a Kyle Busch fan for years now. I always wondered how much Rick regretted letting him go when he was winning races like crazy.

On the other subject, SVG is just lucky that Nascar runs all these road courses now. He sure is a great road course driver, but without them he would be presently about 30th in points.

[Vaquero]

I wish him all the luck there 220.
I remember Stewart doing it, but not JJ, but was never a fan of his.
Hendricks has only had a couple drivers that I ever cared for and the last was Terry Labonte.
Like I've said before I don't follow it anymore, who is he driving for?

RP

I always like Terry and his brother Bobby too. Glad to see Terry win 2 Championships.

But after Terry at Hendrick, there was Kyle Busch. Took me years to like him, lol, but I've been a Kyle Busch fan for years now. I always wondered how much Rick regretted letting him go when he was winning races like crazy.

On the other subject, SVG is just lucky that Nascar runs all these road courses now. He sure is a great road course driver, but without them he would be presently about 30th in points.

I was/am A KB fan from the get go, I remember, his brother was racing for Chip Ganassi and doing quite well.
He once said something like if you think I drive pretty good then you should see my brother. And he wasn't kidding.
I was tickled pink when Gibbs picked him up from Hendricks and was kicking their Asses regularly.
I talked with a friend of mine the other day who is a Large fan of his and has a collection that is amazing.
He said he just hasn't found a good handle of this new car.
He also said that Nascar is about like the old IROC series as the cars are just so identical it's stupid.

I see Jr. has been ing making some kind of headlines these days, Never a fan of him or Sr., but I couldn't care less and won't even try to read about it.
Taking absolutely nothing away from ole Sr., that man could flat drive a race car.

Good to see ya pop in over here buddy.

RP