2020 NASCAR Season Thread

[hkynik_55]

On 5/19/2020 at 10:14 AM, See Red said:

 

I don't really buy that as the reason anyway.  Why do you need to bring the field back together at lap 80 of 250 or whatever when you know there's going to be more cautions to do it later?  The stages feel more to me like NASCAR recognizing the races are too long and people aren't watching races in their entirety as a result and then, rather fixing the actual problem that is the length of races, coming up with a way to make people watch the entire race and doing so in a way that actually makes them longer.

 

On 5/18/2020 at 10:54 AM, bosrs1 said:

 

Why do they have to be brought back together artificially? If one or a group of guys is running away with it, so be it. Deligitimizes the sport IMO, and slows it down more than it already is due to overinflated race lengths anyway. 

 

I don't see the point in the competition cautions if there is a normal caution shortly before a regular caution. Last night, when there was a caution around lap 15, I see no point in throwing another automatic caution at lap 25. The battle for the lead was fantastic at that point. I think Jeff Gordon actually forgot about the competition yellow, and was like "oh yeah, that's why they're checking up." When there's a normal caution so close to that competition caution, I think should just be taken away or pushed back later in the race. By lap 15, you should know what adjustments need to be made anyway. They probably could've finished the race if there wasn't that competition caution.

 

I do think they should shorten most races by about 100 miles each, but I still do like stage racing (coming from a newer fan). There's more racing and less playing it safe in my opinion, and as much as pit strategy is an integral part of NASCAR, I think that it allows for more competition, and less cars laps down because they had to put under green. 

 

Weird proposal: What if the stage restarted with cars around as far apart as they were before the stage end? Kinda like a head start. I have no idea how that would work, but I always feel bad for the leader that's running well on a run a half a lap ahead of the field, gets a few stage points, and then has to deal with a bunch of cars that get a skip-the-distance free card. Unlike other sports, I think NASCAR can be almost entirely luck some races, and not like a weird bounce to the slot in hockey or a strange error in baseball. Because those could really be prevented by the opposition in some capacity even if they are put in a bad spot, i.e. the goalie making the save or the defense lifting a stick, or another player backing up his teammate that made the error. 

 

n NASCAR, you could be in the lead, driving like a saint twenty car lengths ahead of the car behind you with 5 to go, and what do you know, Stenhouse spun himself out three laps down. Now, that twenty car lead is zero, and now you're a sitting duck for drivers who now suddenly have a chance to win. In fact, your luck is so bad that there's a high chance you'll get turned and not even finish the race because the world hates you. 

 

Still, that's what makes NASCAR fun, and I don't know exactly how to change the rules to make it fun and fair.

[dont care]

There is no way you can control that, and it isn’t like any other caution where it bunches up the field. 

[Needschat]

On 5/18/2020 at 10:54 AM, bosrs1 said:

 

Why do they have to be brought back together artificially? If one or a group of guys is running away with it, so be it. Deligitimizes the sport IMO, and slows it down more than it already is due to overinflated race lengths anyway. 

 

Competition cautions are used on "green tracks, ones that have not seen action at all or it rained since the last time the cars were on.  It's to check tire wear.

[Needschat]

On 5/19/2020 at 10:14 AM, See Red said:

 

I don't really buy that as the reason anyway.  Why do you need to bring the field back together at lap 80 of 250 or whatever when you know there's going to be more cautions to do it later?  The stages feel more to me like NASCAR recognizing the races are too long and people aren't watching races in their entirety as a result and then, rather fixing the actual problem that is the length of races, coming up with a way to make people watch the entire race and doing so in a way that actually makes them longer.

 

To check tire wear, usually between 20 and 35 laps.  It's a safety issue.  When there's no practice, how are you supposed to know what the tire limits are?

[See Red]

2 hours ago, Needschat said:

 

To check tire wear, usually between 20 and 35 laps.  It's a safety issue.  When there's no practice, how are you supposed to know what the tire limits are?

 

I was talking about stages.  Sorry if I was unclear.  I'd agree competition cautions are a necessity when there's no practices.

[Needschat]

6 hours ago, See Red said:

 

I was talking about stages.  Sorry if I was unclear.  I'd agree competition cautions are a necessity when there's no practices.

 

The stages are necessary because this aeropackage sucks!  Clean air is everything.   Yes, there are more passing overall, but it's all midpack.  I believe that on road courses and the Roval, at the stage end, throw no caution, let them go.  

[hkynik_55]

They should just close pit road on a green white checkered. If you would've otherwise have gotten to the end without getting tires, you don't need them now. It turns into punishing the leader, and it's not pit strategy. I think I jinxed Elliot with what I was saying before lol.

 

Also, less people watched the Coke 600 this year than last year. This dumbfounds me. It's about a 500,000 person difference.

[DCarp1231]

Kyle Busch being the only Cup Series driver to race in the Xfinity Series races is pretty annoying. Is there a reason he can’t let someone else drive the 54 car? At this point, it seems pretty selfish considering no other Cup Series regulars are currently racing in Xfinity races.

[DCarp1231]

Speaking of Kyle Busch...

 

Chase Elliott got his revenge. Held off Busch in the last 20 laps to win the truck race tonight. To put a cherry on top, he did this-

 

[See Red]

19 hours ago, hkynik_55 said:

They should just close pit road on a green white checkered. If you would've otherwise have gotten to the end without getting tires, you don't need them now. It turns into punishing the leader, and it's not pit strategy. I think I jinxed Elliot with what I was saying before lol.

 

Also, less people watched the Coke 600 this year than last year. This dumbfounds me. It's about a 500,000 person difference.

 

I agree with you actually.  The leader's in a lose-lose situation there since the cars directly behind will often just do whatever the leader doesn't.  Maybe it's just because I'm a fan so I notice it more but Chase seems to have pretty bad luck with late cautions.

[See Red]

On 5/27/2020 at 3:13 PM, See Red said:

 

I agree with you actually.  The leader's in a lose-lose situation there since the cars directly behind will often just do whatever the leader doesn't.  Maybe it's just because I'm a fan so I notice it more but Chase seems to have pretty bad luck with late cautions.

 

I say this and then he gets a 50-some lap green flag run to win it last night.  He's on a hell of a run right now -- could've won at Darlington, probably should've won the Coke 600, and then won last night.  With a truck series win thrown in there too.

[hkynik_55]

I really hate the win-and-your in thing. It was nice to have a driver everyone was rooting for, with a rival I think almost everyone was rooting against, and now it kinda feels over. I hope I'm wrong, but tell me why if you are Chase Elliot right now why you would push hard when you already have a win.

 

Like I said, I'm a pretty new fan (or at least I haven't been into it since I was around 5), so have no idea what I'm talking about. But I am who NASCAR is trying to target right? And I think that the whole system is bad. I have no idea about cars and packages, but it doesn't take an engineer to figure out that who is crowned champion sucks. The old-old pre 2004 format is awful. I mean nearly every year back then, you'd have the championship locked up with ten plus races left. Now, everyone that has a sniff of talent and equipment makes the playoffs because all you need to do is win one of 26 races and then you can take the rest of the summer off. I mean theoretically, the drivers could overthrow the league and get 26 drivers in. It isn't trendy or even a gimmick, it just turns fans off and especially new ones who liked the purple and orange car, and found out their new favorite driver can't do anything significant the whole regular season. I mean I could be wrong on all of this, but that's the whole problem. A toddler can fill out a March Madness bracket, but this is too complicated for a sport founded on fast colorful cars going in circles (or ovals... or quad-ovals or whatever)

 

I don't think 2004's Chase was perfect or anything, but its the best the sport has ever had. If it was up to me, and the slate was wiped clean, I do still think that was the best format. Not every driver got in. You had to be good for 26 races and great for 10 to win. There was advantages to being first in points at the end of the regular season. Since there's basically no new tracks in the playoffs anyway, there shouldn't be qualifying for the playoff drivers, it should just be based on standings so every race matters that much more. 

 

After all, the Sprint Cup era had the most eyes on it, so bringing that format back might draw people back in, and bring new people too. You could even bring back the "Chase for the Cup" name...

 

or even better:

"Kyle for the Cup"

I like it better already.

[See Red]

45 minutes ago, hkynik_55 said:

I really hate the win-and-your in thing. It was nice to have a driver everyone was rooting for, with a rival I think almost everyone was rooting against, and now it kinda feels over. I hope I'm wrong, but tell me why if you are Chase Elliot right now why you would push hard when you already have a win.

 

Like I said, I'm a pretty new fan (or at least I haven't been into it since I was around 5), so have no idea what I'm talking about. But I am who NASCAR is trying to target right? And I think that the whole system is bad. I have no idea about cars and packages, but it doesn't take an engineer to figure out that who is crowned champion sucks. The old-old pre 2004 format is awful. I mean nearly every year back then, you'd have the championship locked up with ten plus races left. Now, everyone that has a sniff of talent and equipment makes the playoffs because all you need to do is win one of 26 races and then you can take the rest of the summer off. I mean theoretically, the drivers could overthrow the league and get 26 drivers in. It isn't trendy or even a gimmick, it just turns fans off and especially new ones who liked the purple and orange car, and found out their new favorite driver can't do anything significant the whole regular season. I mean I could be wrong on all of this, but that's the whole problem. A toddler can fill out a March Madness bracket, but this is too complicated for a sport founded on fast colorful cars going in circles (or ovals... or quad-ovals or whatever)

 

I don't think 2004's Chase was perfect or anything, but its the best the sport has ever had. If it was up to me, and the slate was wiped clean, I do still think that was the best format. Not every driver got in. You had to be good for 26 races and great for 10 to win. There was advantages to being first in points at the end of the regular season. Since there's basically no new tracks in the playoffs anyway, there shouldn't be qualifying for the playoff drivers, it should just be based on standings so every race matters that much more. 

 

After all, the Sprint Cup era had the most eyes on it, so bringing that format back might draw people back in, and bring new people too. You could even bring back the "Chase for the Cup" name...

 

or even better:

"Kyle for the Cup"

I like it better already.

 

Not to defend the current system too much, but I think the win and your in thing came about because people wanted winning races to be more important than it had been.  I don't like it... I'd rather the points rewarded represent wins being more important, but on the other hand, the races will be a lot less stressful as a #9 fan. As far as Chase's incentive to win races from here on out... what else is he going to do?  He has to show up and drive the car. Why wouldn't he try and win?  Plus, winning more races benefits you in the first round, I believe.

[PrimalCookie]

18 hours ago, See Red said:

 

Not to defend the current system too much, but I think the win and your in thing came about because people wanted winning races to be more important than it had been.  I don't like it... I'd rather the points rewarded represent wins being more important, but on the other hand, the races will be a lot less stressful as a #9 fan. As far as Chase's incentive to win races from here on out... what else is he going to do?  He has to show up and drive the car. Why wouldn't he try and win?  Plus, winning more races benefits you in the first round, I believe.

Playoff points (stage wins and overall top tens) add to your total after the initial reset, but also continue to carry over and add to your starting points total every round right up to the final. While the regular season (and everything up to the final race) still doesn’t matter much, it’s better than the 2014-16 system where everyone would be on an equal field starting in the round of 12. 
 

IMO the current system is inherently flawed when you can have a guy win the first 35 races, finish 2nd in the final race, and not be the champion. Obviously that’s an extreme example, but we did have 2018 where the “Big Three” of Harvick, Truex, and Kyle Busch combined to win 20 races and dominated the season but Joey Logano won the title. What’s the best solution? The purist in me says get rid of the Chase entirely, but if that’s too much I’d go back to the 2011-13 system. At least that made ten races matter instead of one.

[See Red]

1 hour ago, Magic Dynasty said:

Playoff points (stage wins and overall top tens) add to your total after the initial reset, but also continue to carry over and add to your starting points total every round right up to the final. While the regular season (and everything up to the final race) still doesn’t matter much, it’s better than the 2014-16 system where everyone would be on an equal field starting in the round of 12. 
 

IMO the current system is inherently flawed when you can have a guy win the first 35 races, finish 2nd in the final race, and not be the champion. Obviously that’s an extreme example, but we did have 2018 where the “Big Three” of Harvick, Truex, and Kyle Busch combined to win 20 races and dominated the season but Joey Logano won the title. What’s the best solution? The purist in me says get rid of the Chase entirely, but if that’s too much I’d go back to the 2011-13 system. At least that made ten races matter instead of one.

 

Yeah, I just hate that all of the races just amount to a build up to the final one instead of every race having equal importance.  I'm with you -- either get rid of the chase or go back to when the points reset once and then it was 10 races to name a winner.

[floydnimrod]

Can we talk about how bad the NASCAR on FOX theme is? It sounds like two separate songs mashed together, with no regard for tempo and key.

[hkynik_55]

Heard it was the highest attended Bristol day race since them darn Toyoters ruined the sport

[hkynik_55]

What do we think about Nashville Superspeedway? I would write here, but I already went off about it in a 2021 schedule thread I started. If anyone wants to have more of a discussion about the future of NASCAR instead of the 2020 season, that's there for anyone that wants to put their two sense in.

[raysox]

On 6/3/2020 at 12:39 PM, hkynik_55 said:

What do we think about Nashville Superspeedway? I would write here, but I already went off about it in a 2021 schedule thread I started. If anyone wants to have more of a discussion about the future of NASCAR instead of the 2020 season, that's there for anyone that wants to put their two sense in.

I would love to see this as a 4D chess play where the city of Nashville sees how well supported the Superspeedway races are, and gives NASCAR a sweetheart deal to fix up the short track at the fairgrounds.

I obviously have no basis for what I said, but the contract is for 4 years and that should be enough to completely renovate it and open again.

[DCarp1231]

ICYMI, more races coming soon-