2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season

[NEW.ERA]

Well it's nice to see something new, though it shouldn't be new to any of the drivers. Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer the traditional Buschwackers (Yeah I said Busch) know how to run this thing. SO technically we have another Chicagoland on our hands. I would have preferred them giving Iowa a date but who am I to say where NASCAR goes.

Yeah, I know the recession wrecked NASCAR, and they're just now coming out of it, but they really need to explore options in the Pacific Northwest or in the Denver area again. Throw another 2.5 mile Superspeedway up, put another road course up. Yes the 1.5 mile/cookiecutters are what NASCAR is really all about. Stock cars, on a normal style track. Fans have changed and so has the sport, we need options and whatever happened to NASCAR growing around the world, not just the US. Did they all of a sudden reach their peak and say we're done growing? I'm hearing Montreal might lose their Nationwide Race (Not on NASCAR, but the City) still they're fans all around not just in the Southeast, less and less drivers are from there. Dale Jarrett in 1999 was the last driver from a Southeastern State to win the Championship. And since 1990 only Jarrett (1) and Earnhardt (4) have won championships. So it's time to move around, if you have to cut a few races from Trad markets so be it. It's a lot easier for me to travel to Washington or Oregon, then it is Charlotte or Daytona and I'm sure I am not the only one that believes that. I'll still watch every weekend, but c'mon we need to shake things up!

Rant done.

[RyanMcD29]

Speaking of track dates, the Nationwide Series will be running at Indy instead of IRP next season. I don't like that move too much

[NEW.ERA]

Speaking of track dates, the Nationwide Series will be running at Indy instead of IRP next season. I don't like that move too much

I actually like that. Gives the younger guys a great opportunity to race at the most famous track in the entire world.

[infrared41]

Speaking of track dates, the Nationwide Series will be running at Indy instead of IRP next season. I don't like that move too much

I actually like that. Gives the younger guys a great opportunity to race at the most famous track in the entire world.

You make a great point but I'm with Ryan on this one.

[infrared41]

Well it's nice to see something new, though it shouldn't be new to any of the drivers. Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer the traditional Buschwackers (Yeah I said Busch) know how to run this thing. SO technically we have another Chicagoland on our hands. I would have preferred them giving Iowa a date but who am I to say where NASCAR goes.

Yeah, I know the recession wrecked NASCAR, and they're just now coming out of it, but they really need to explore options in the Pacific Northwest or in the Denver area again. Throw another 2.5 mile Superspeedway up, put another road course up. Yes the 1.5 mile/cookiecutters are what NASCAR is really all about. Stock cars, on a normal style track. Fans have changed and so has the sport, we need options and whatever happened to NASCAR growing around the world, not just the US. Did they all of a sudden reach their peak and say we're done growing? I'm hearing Montreal might lose their Nationwide Race (Not on NASCAR, but the City) still they're fans all around not just in the Southeast, less and less drivers are from there. Dale Jarrett in 1999 was the last driver from a Southeastern State to win the Championship. And since 1990 only Jarrett (1) and Earnhardt (4) have won championships. So it's time to move around, if you have to cut a few races from Trad markets so be it. It's a lot easier for me to travel to Washington or Oregon, then it is Charlotte or Daytona and I'm sure I am not the only one that believes that. I'll still watch every weekend, but c'mon we need to shake things up!

Rant done.

On this one we agree 100%. Almost anyway.

The southeast isn't the only place racing is popular. Racing is really big here in Ohio. There are at least five "local" tracks within 30 miles of where I live and about 15 within 100 miles. When I lived in Upstate New York I was surprised how big racing was there as well. My understanding is it's big in Wisconsin too.

I've always felt that the way to help the NNS and NCTS thrive is to move away from the "combo weekends" where either all three series or two of the three are at the same track on a weekend. In the NNS series, the well attended races are the ones where they're the only game in town. Same deal (although to a lesser extent) with the NCTS. Daytona, Bristol, and Charlotte are fine for the "combo weekends" because of the history of the tracks. There is no reason for Chicago to host both series over a weekend.

Is there some sort of reason for the combo weekends?

[Jahgee]

Kentucky's been a good race so far.

EDIT: And Kyle Busch wins, what a surprise.

[Lights Out]

Good news: Reutimann came in second.

Bad news: Kyle Busch won.

[NEW.ERA]

He's the best driver in the Sport this year. 99th win in all NASCAR competitions. As annoying as he can be, It'd much rather see him holding up the Sprint Cup Championship at Homestead in November, over Jimmie Johnson.

[oddball]

He's the best driver in the Sport this year. 99th win in all NASCAR competitions. As annoying as he can be, It'd much rather see him holding up the Sprint Cup Championship at Homestead in November, over Jimmie Johnson.

I love what Kyle Petty said on Friday, about this whole Kyle Busch crap about his wins in all three divisions. It's pure crap. Does anyone else mention Dale Earnhardt's total wins (86 Cup + 21 Busch = 97 wins_, or DW's (97), or Bobby Allison's (87) or Mark Martin's (96)? Nope. So if you're a true NASCAR fan, you will not ever talk about Kyle Busch's total wins. Just mention his Cup wins to DW, Rusty, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon (89). If you want to talk about Kyle's Nationwide wins and compare them to Mark Martin's or his truck wins to whoever has the most then fine, but please understand that his win total across all series means absolutely nothing. Richard Petty had 200 Cup wins and Kyle has 22 wins in the Cup series. End of story. His 48 Nationwide wins are impressive and he is second on the truck series wins list with 29. Don't buy into the media crap about total wins, which really means nothing, because it's a truly media stat that they created trying to compare him to something because he runs all three series.

[infrared41]

He's the best driver in the Sport this year. 99th win in all NASCAR competitions. As annoying as he can be, It'd much rather see him holding up the Sprint Cup Championship at Homestead in November, over Jimmie Johnson.

I love what Kyle Petty said on Friday, about this whole Kyle Busch crap about his wins in all three divisions. It's pure crap. Does anyone else mention Dale Earnhardt's total wins (86 Cup + 21 Busch = 97 wins_, or DW's (97), or Bobby Allison's (87) or Mark Martin's (96)? Nope. So if you're a true NASCAR fan, you will not ever talk about Kyle Busch's total wins. Just mention his Cup wins to DW, Rusty, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon (89). If you want to talk about Kyle's Nationwide wins and compare them to Mark Martin's or his truck wins to whoever has the most then fine, but please understand that his win total across all series means absolutely nothing. Richard Petty had 200 Cup wins and Kyle has 22 wins in the Cup series. End of story. His 48 Nationwide wins are impressive and he is second on the truck series wins list with 29. Don't buy into the media crap about total wins, which really means nothing, because it's a truly media stat that they created trying to compare him to something because he runs all three series.

I could not agree more. We should be about as impressed with Kyle Busch's truck series wins as we would be if Albert Pujols hit 60 home runs in AA ball next season. The real surprise in the truck series is when Kyle runs in a race and doesn't win it.

[dfwabel]

Nice job with the gridlock Kentucky Speedway.

[sportsfan0518]

Now its on to New Hampshire for the Cup and Kyle Busch is the new points leader.

I found this story interesting: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/nascar/2011-07-12-kentucky-speedway_n.htm

Those fans who sat in traffic though were actually lucky because they missed a snoozer.

[oddball]

So let me get this straight, Bruton Smith talked about how Kentucky Speedway will be the #1 race on the tour and yet in all their wisdom they can't figure out in 10 years how to get people in and out of the track without a massive traffic jam? Oh and this wasn't the first time for Kentucky and traffic jams! On top of that Bruton sits there and talks about how Homestead doesn't deserve the last race of the year and he calls it "Northern Cuba" and that his track deserves the last race of the year. Last time I check Bruton has a good majority of the cookie cutter tracks that people hate to watch races at. If Bruton Smith went away and took with him Charlotte, Atlanta, Texas, Kentucky, and Las Vegas and NASCAR went to some other tracks, the series would be better. Bruton Smith is all that's bad about NASCAR.

[Lights Out]

Indeed. Bruton Smith's bull , the new style of restrictor-plate racing, Jimmie Johnson winning every goddamn year, the overkill of oval tracks, the offseasons full of change for the sake of change that piss off the fanbase... I'm not sure how much more I can take of this crap.

[Mings]

Kentucky Speedway was bad in 2002 (I think it was 02, or 03 or 04) as far as gridlock after the race and that was 40000 seats less and NNS and ARCA only. I can only imagine what it was last weekend.

[Jahgee]

Indeed. Bruton Smith's bull , the new style of restrictor-plate racing, Jimmie Johnson winning every goddamn year, the overkill of oval tracks, the offseasons full of change for the sake of change that piss off the fanbase... I'm not sure how much more I can take of this crap.

Hey, just wait on the restrictor-plate racing, they were testing the waters of a 4-car draft, that will be a storyline for 'Dega after the 1st practice.

[sportsfan0518]

Indeed. Bruton Smith's bull , the new style of restrictor-plate racing, Jimmie Johnson winning every goddamn year, the overkill of oval tracks, the offseasons full of change for the sake of change that piss off the fanbase... I'm not sure how much more I can take of this crap.

Hey, just wait on the restrictor-plate racing, they were testing the waters of a 4-car draft, that will be a storyline for 'Dega after the 1st practice.

I'll believe it when I see it. Bring back the pack!

[oddball]

Indeed. Bruton Smith's bull , the new style of restrictor-plate racing, Jimmie Johnson winning every goddamn year, the overkill of oval tracks, the offseasons full of change for the sake of change that piss off the fanbase... I'm not sure how much more I can take of this crap.

Hey, just wait on the restrictor-plate racing, they were testing the waters of a 4-car draft, that will be a storyline for 'Dega after the 1st practice.

I'll believe it when I see it. Bring back the pack!

You won't see pack racing until the surfaces loose more grip and Daytona's bumps start to return. I don't see the four car draft working if pack drafting isn't working because all four cars have to be perfectly in line and touching to make it work. I think they've done aero research that says two cars is optimal and three cars will actually slow you down.

[RyanMcD29]

Bestwick, Briscoe to Expand Roles in ESPN's NASCAR Coverage: Allen Bestwick and Nicole Briscoe, two veterans of ESPN's NASCAR coverage team, will have expanded roles as ESPN's telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races of the season begin next week. Bestwick, who has filled a variety of positions since ESPN returned to live NASCAR event coverage in 2007, will move into the booth as the lap-by-lap announcer for all ESPN NASCAR Sprint Cup telecasts, including races, practices and qualifying. He will be joined by analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree when ESPN starts its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series coverage with the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 31. Briscoe, who has been a host and reporter for ESPN2's daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now since joining ESPN in 2008, and a fill-in host for the pre-race NASCAR Countdown show since 2010, will become the regular NASCAR Countdown host for all NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series telecasts on ESPN. Briscoe will work with analysts Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty in the ESPN Pit Studio at racetracks. Bestwick has been in the NASCAR Countdown host role since midway through the 2007 season. Marty Reid, who has been primary lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN's coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series since 2009, and for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series since 2010, will continue to call NASCAR Nationwide Series race telecasts on ESPN as well as practice and qualifying telecasts. In addition, Reid also will continue as lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN's coverage of five races in the IZOD IndyCar Series, including the Indianapolis 500, with the next event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Aug. 14.(ESPN PR)(7-20-2011)

Oooo boy I can't wait for this. I liked Marty Reid and how well he worked with DJ and Petree last year, but Allen Bestwick back in the booth's gonna be awesome and I think if some of the Nationwide races he's called are any indication, he'll gel in nicely with that crew

[NEW.ERA]

Allen Bestwick next to Mike Joy is easily the best NASCAR commentator. Agreed cannot wait for this!