2016 NASCAR Season Thread

[dfwabel]

30 minutes ago, DNAsports said:

Here's a thought, should individual crew members get into the HOF? They put in as much effort as drivers. As far as I know, only team owners and drivers have been elected into the HOF. Maybe a crew chief has snuck in? I'd really like to see more crew chiefs and team members (tire changers, jackmen, gas men, etc) being considered for the HOF.

How does one judge the "best tire changer"?

 

Heck, until this year, NASCAR never cared if all five lugnuts were tightened, so it's really like a different era.

 

Leonard Wood is a crew chief who IS in (2013).

 

And how do/will they debate Chad Knauss, who was suspended in each of the first two Johnson championship seasons?

[dont care]

Chad Knaus is a hall of famer if not 1st ballot, anyone who wins 6 championships will get in. He got suspended, but it was for trying to find the grey areas of the rule book, many other crew chiefs from past eras would have gotten suspended in today's NASCAR with how rigid the rule book is. I remember one of them was for having a fender pulled out which until the COT came in was completely legal. 

[dont care]

The only crew member I can see possibly going in is chocolate Myers but it's more for him just being the most recognizable crew member on Dale Sr. Team when he died. Richard pettys crew chief is in the Hall too, so there is a precedent for crew chiefs to get in.

[dfwabel]

17 hours ago, dont care said:

Chad Knaus is a hall of famer if not 1st ballot, anyone who wins 6 championships will get in. He got suspended, but it was for trying to find the grey areas of the rule book, many other crew chiefs from past eras would have gotten suspended in today's NASCAR with how rigid the rule book is. I remember one of them was for having a fender pulled out which until the COT came in was completely legal. 

Even when Knaus becomes eligible, the pool of worthy candidates will still be very small. Plus, he still has many more years to be caught cheating.

[rvrdgsfn]

Results from Michigan

 

1. Larson

2. Elliott

3. Keselowski

4. Blaney

5. Harvick

6. Johnson

7. Edwards

8. McMurray

9. Hamlin

10. Logano

 

Long time coming Kyle, long time coming. I couldn't be happier to see him win! Chase put on a close race & almost had it but Larson was just so determined to finally get hat first win. I think its only a matter of time before Chase is in the winner's circle. Kyle earned that win though, he drove the wheels off of that car. Just a good Michigan race.

 

Next up, the Lady in Black... Darlington

[Dalcowboyfan92]

Larson got redemption for the last lap at The Glen. Kyle should thank Kes for giving him such a shot, despite him and Chase both spinning their tires briefly.

 

We've got oodles of throwbacks to see on the track in the coming week as the Southern 500 is right around the corner. Call this a gimmick; but I think the whole "throwback mechanic" was just was the Southern 500 needed.

[DCarp1231]

I think there should be changes to the Chase. To be guaranteed a spot in the Chase, instead of one win it should be three wins and you're guaranteed a spot. It would be an increase on the need to actually win.

[stumpygremlin]

50 minutes ago, DNAsports said:

I think there should be changes to the Chase. To be guaranteed a spot in the Chase, instead of one win it should be three wins and you're guaranteed a spot. It would be an increase on the need to actually win.

That's not a good idea if you want to preserve the Chase and incentivize winning. Right now, only Keselowski and Ky. Busch have 3+ wins. If you implement this, you'll essentially make it damn near impossible to guarantee spots into the Chase via wins. You'll see more cautious points racing, as it'd actually be easier to get in that way.

 

The only thing you'd really achieve by doing that is eliminating Chris Buescher from it, and he may not even get in anyway. Even so, he's been the only full-time guy that's won a race and had trouble being in the top 30 anyway, so you'd be overreacting to one case. Let's face it, Front Row Motorsports is a small-time team anyway, so even if they get in, they'll promptly be eliminated the way 16-seed Hampton was when they lost to 1-seed UVA in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

 

My ideas for more excitement:

- No Chase. Instead, to incentivize winning, create the points system with a much larger premium on winning than any points system has ever had.

- More variety in courses. Road courses, for one, are exciting as hell, and it's cool to see the ringers get in there. (See Alex Tagliani who would probably have won Saturday's Road America race if McDowell didn't punt him, but that's another story for another day.) We don't need to go to the same tracks 2x per year, unless we use different layouts - as in the infield road courses in Daytona and/or Indianapolis.

[jc...]

Agreed with having no chase. The old Latford system worked fine. Except the points for winning, which was 175 plus 5 points for leading a lap for 180. The 2nd place guy got 170, so if he lead the most laps, he'd also get 180, same as the winner. An increase to 300 points for winning I think would have helped. 

[DCarp1231]

Idea: Have an open playoff format. Meaning, do away with the Chase, but emphasize the final 10 races are crunch time. Maybe double points in the final 10 races? NASCAR is a sport where it should be fair game for all of the athletes. Do away with the "must be above 30th in points to be eligible for championship" bullcrap. Also, please... PLEASE get rid of Homestead-Miami as the final race. It's not exciting. Go with Las Vegas, Charlotte, or hell even Texas as the final race.

 

Final thought: throw a road course into those last 10 races.

[stumpygremlin]

10 hours ago, DNAsports said:

Idea: Have an open playoff format. Meaning, do away with the Chase, but emphasize the final 10 races are crunch time. Maybe double points in the final 10 races? NASCAR is a sport where it should be fair game for all of the athletes. Do away with the "must be above 30th in points to be eligible for championship" bullcrap. Also, please... PLEASE get rid of Homestead-Miami as the final race. It's not exciting. Go with Las Vegas, Charlotte, or hell even Texas as the final race.

 

Final thought: throw a road course into those last 10 races.

I'm confused about your proposal...

 

I will piggyback about the road course and say what I've said before: NASCAR doesn't need to visit the same track twice in a year, unless it's different layouts (as in using the road course versions of Daytona or Indianapolis). They could add road courses easily that they don't go to. The Xfinity Series uses Mid-Ohio and Road America. NASCAR also happens to own Panoz Motorsports Group, through which they own two tracks Road Atlanta and Sebring Int'l Raceway.

[LAWeaver]

Dale Jr. Will not return for the remainder of the 2016 season. Alex Bowman & Jeff Gordon will split time in the 88. 

[DCarp1231]

Just now, mr.nascar13 said:

Dale Jr. Will not return for the remainder of the 2016 season. Alex Bowman & Jeff Gordon will split time in the 88. 

Honestly, I'd rather it be only Alex Bowman finishing the season in the 88.

 

Also, at the NASCAR Banquet after the season, does Jr continue his streak of Most Popular Driver or does someone else take that title (at least for this year)?

[Dalcowboyfan92]

1 hour ago, DNAsports said:

Also, at the NASCAR Banquet after the season, does Jr continue his streak of Most Popular Driver or does someone else take that title (at least for this year)?

 

Junior may still win the MPD award, but I would not be surprised if Chase Elliott sniped the title away from him.

[LAWeaver]

One of the dirtiest ways to win a race. John Hunter Nemechek: you better watch yourself around Cole Custer. 

 

 

[HedleyLamarr]

Hick fight!

[rvrdgsfn]

Results from Darlington:

 

1. Truex Jr.

2. Harvick

3. Larson

4. Hamlin

5. Logano

6. Kenseth

7. Kahne

8. Newman

9. Keselowski

10. Elliott

 

Toyota gets the manufacture triple crown with Truex Jr. gets the win in the Southern 500! Truex had one of the better cars out there as did Harvick but bad pitstops cost him. Next up, the final race to make the Chase, Richmond.

[DCarp1231]

6 hours ago, mr.nascar13 said:

One of the dirtiest ways to win a race. John Hunter Nemechek: you better watch yourself around Cole Custer. 

 

 

THAT, is how a race finish should be.

[LAWeaver]

Don't get me wrong, it was an exciting finish, as I was jumping out of my couch and literally yelling at the TV for Custer to win. However, there's a difference between racing hard and flat-out wrecking someone like that. He could've at the very least put him in the grass/wall and went back on the track. The fact that he held him there and pinned him to the wall is what I have a problem with. 

[DCarp1231]

1 hour ago, mr.nascar13 said:

Don't get me wrong, it was an exciting finish, as I was jumping out of my couch and literally yelling at the TV for Custer to win. However, there's a difference between racing hard and flat-out wrecking someone like that. He could've at the very least put him in the grass/wall and went back on the track. The fact that he held him there and pinned him to the wall is what I have a problem with. 

If there wasn't a giant wreck behind them, someone else could have easily driven by them to win.

 

Also, the Custer-Nemechek ordeal could easily turn into a Kenseth-Logano type situation from last year.