2014 NASCAR Thread

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cnd01
I think the Jimmie Johnson train is rolling. Question is: will he get unlucky in the chase. With this format, whether or not you wreck at Dega will probably determine who wins the championship
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Don't get too caught up, he just caught up and won at tracks that he's almost expected to win at every year. If Harvick didn't have issue, we may not even see people talking up JJ so strongly.
 
iRevelationz
Did you forget about the final reset at Homestead?
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It'll be hard to get to a final reset if you're 38th at Dega when other chasers are in the top 10 pretty much by default. I'm not saying it will always determine who does what, but it'll screw over one person a year guaranteed
 
cnd01
It'll be hard to get to a final reset if you're 38th at Dega when other chasers are in the top 10 pretty much by default. I'm not saying it will always determine who does what, but it'll screw over one person a year guaranteed
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EDIT - Talladega is the last race in Chase bracket #2 (race #4-6). The three race winners in each bracket are guaranteed to advance (if they are still active in the Chase). The two races before Talladega are Charlotte and Kansas. Everyone will be trying extra hard to win at those two tracks, so that their results at Talladega don't matter.

My guess is that Jimmie wins at Charlotte in race #4. I also think the final ten laps at Talladega will destroy a lot of cars, as the remainder of the "top 12" without a win in races #4 and #5 will be doing everything they can to win race #6.
 
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MustangRyan
EDIT - Talladega is the last race in Chase bracket #2 (race #4-6). The three race winners in each bracket are guaranteed to advance (if they are still active in the Chase). The two races before Talladega are Charlotte and Kansas. Everyone will be trying extra hard to win at those two tracks, so that their results at Talladega don't matter.

My guess is that Jimmie wins at Charlotte in race #4. I also think the final ten laps at Talladega will destroy a lot of cars, as the remainder of the "top 12" without a win in races #4 and #5 will be doing everything they can to win race #6.
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In the older format, a driver could get involved in the mayhem and still have time to recover and win the championship. That driver could score enough points and beat all the other drivers at Homestead but not win the title because of a 20 car pileup in this system. Not the way I would want to go about things.

Also, a road course needs to be in the chase
 
The new system is worse than the old system. Whereas the old system you needed to run 26 races to "qualify" for the chase (which was already ridiculous), the new system is even worse. Theoretically, you could win 35 races, lead all of the laps except 1 and have 36 top 2 finishes and still lose the championship.
 
cnd01
In the older format, a driver could get involved in the mayhem and still have time to recover and win the championship. That driver could score enough points and beat all the other drivers at Homestead but not win the title because of a 20 car pileup in this system. Not the way I would want to go about things.
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I disagree. How many guys have been in a wreck at Talladega and still won the title? I think Jimmie might have done it once. You're not going to beat Jimmie Johnson by points racing the other 9 races unless he also wrecks at Talladega with you. At least in this format, if you can win another race, you can keep going with a real chance to win the title after each reset.

I don't like the idea that a driver could win the first 9 Chase races, finish 2nd in the finale, and lose the title (even if it is JJ).

I'm not sure I like that a driver could theoretically win Chase races 1, 4, and 7, and blow up/wreck/park in the other 6 races and still race for the title in Homestead (insert Harvick jokes here).

But, I do like that one single bad race doesn't keep a guy from having a real chance to win, as long as he is able to win one of the other two races in the bracket. I think this win-and-advance structure will foster a win-at-all-costs mentality, which will create some of the hardest and most exciting racing we have ever seen. Don't expect to see Dale Jr. (or anyone else) riding around in 26th place during the closing laps at Talladega, unless he has already won at Charlotte or Kansas.
 
Also, the McMurray/concrete incident is a prime reason why a one-race-championship is a terrible idea. There's just too many elements that are out of a driver's control.
 
I'm not exactly thrilled about the new chase format, but I'll have to see how it plays out before I decide if I like it or not.

Having it all come down to the finale at Homestead might actually work against Jimmie, as that is one of his worst tracks.
 
I would ditch the chase all together if I were making decisions. It makes the race for 10th in points more exciting than the race at the top for the majority of the season
 
Again, if the rumors are true and both Edwards and Biffle are out at Roush, Roush is either going to two cars or putting Hornish in the 99/16.
 
I would love to see Hornish back in a cup car full time.

Also saw this on Jayski regarding the Biff:

http://www.jayski.com/cupnews.htm#20140527d

Especially this update part:

UPDATE: Old DW may have just spilled the beans on where Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle will wind up next season. And if Darrell Waltrip's body language and hinting is any indication, neither driver will be back with Roush Fenway Racing. During Sunday's prerace show on FOX, anchor Chris Myers asked Waltrip if the two free agents are leaving RFR, and if so, where will their new home in 2015 be. The first part of Waltrip's reply wasn't totally surprising. But then Waltrip dropped an obvious bombshell. Reaching over to put his right hand on the shoulder of younger brother Michael, who just happens to own Michael Waltrip Racing, DW's body language and then verbiage said it all - and left Michael staring straight ahead almost in shock. "And Greg Biffle will go to some two-car team that maybe one time had a third car," Darrell Waltrip said. In an attempt to quickly try and cover up what his older brother just said - and obviously deflect that scenario (probably because MWR isn't ready to make a potential announcement yet) - Michael gave his take on it. "Uhhhhhh, I think Carl goes and Greg stays," Michael Waltrip said. "I think the Biff stays at Roush, he's going to be the veteran, the anchor to that rookie lineup for the young guys that are going to race at Roush. So, he goes, the other cat stays."(NBC Sports)
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iRevelationz
Also, the McMurray/concrete incident is a prime reason why a one-race-championship is a terrible idea. There's just too many elements that are out of a driver's control.
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Like a blown engine, track taking on human elements and getting revenge on the cars for disturbing it :sly:, any other sort of mechanical failure, drivers cheating (looking at you "I didn't do it" Bowyer).

MustangRyan
I disagree. How many guys have been in a wreck at Talladega and still won the title? I think Jimmie might have done it once. You're not going to beat Jimmie Johnson by points racing the other 9 races unless he also wrecks at Talladega with you. At least in this format, if you can win another race, you can keep going with a real chance to win the title after each reset.

I don't like the idea that a driver could win the first 9 Chase races, finish 2nd in the finale, and lose the title (even if it is JJ).

I'm not sure I like that a driver could theoretically win Chase races 1, 4, and 7, and blow up/wreck/park in the other 6 races and still race for the title in Homestead (insert Harvick jokes here).

But, I do like that one single bad race doesn't keep a guy from having a real chance to win, as long as he is able to win one of the other two races in the bracket. I think this win-and-advance structure will foster a win-at-all-costs mentality, which will create some of the hardest and most exciting racing we have ever seen. Don't expect to see Dale Jr. (or anyone else) riding around in 26th place during the closing laps at Talladega, unless he has already won at Charlotte or Kansas.
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The only time I remember Johnson doing that is in 2006 when his team mate at the time Vickers took him and Junior out. Also as last seasons point chase showed to further prove your point, a guy like Junior who did well and gained the most points in the last half or whatever it was in the chase still didn't have a chance to recover from a blown engine in race 2. He would have probably needed to win 3 or 4 races to make up ground to have a chance. This system makes that even worse now.
 
My issue with the chase is that it makes the first 26 races irrelevant as long as reasonable performance and a win is obtained. The driver that has scored the most points for the entire season isn't the champion always in the chase which to me isn't right. It makes the battle all about who's the best at the end and with this format, it makes the chase all about who does the best at Homestead. Watch Kurt Busch win the title this year. Nothing against him personally, but he doesn't deserve the title this year. He's had so many bad results, but if he gets hot at the right time, he can still win assuming he makes the top 12 which he has at the moment
 
Cale
Don't you have to be in the top 20 in points with a win to be eligible?
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Now you do, before you didn't. And I thought it was worse than top 20 even, I'm probably wrong on that last bit.

I mean I'm sure you know since you're always on this thread to but for CND I'd say the prior to this year and last years change. When it was just the top ten even top 12 with the last two wild card spots it wasn't laid back or easy and points racing still meant getting wins because that was the greatest overhaul possible. Now toward the end of the pre-chase season say last 5 or 4 races they'd either be so high up they could play it safe and points race for top tens to keep their spot or they'd have to act like MWR (not all or even most would do this) to get in last minute.
 
Main issues with the Chase:
1. The win and in is going to eventually lead to more controversy and F1 style team orders as we get later and later into the 26 race season. Waiting for the day when somebody intentionally slows or wrecks (again) so that their team mate will be in a winning position near the end of the race.
2. They structured the actual Chase off of stick and ball sport play-offs. The main difference between them is that you play against basically the same 40 people every week, and it isn't head to head. This isn't going to be the first time the final four compete against each other this season, it will be the 36th (Without counting non points, which bumps the number up to where it's flirting with 40th. And that's not counting qualifying, Nationwide races, or even practice).
Not only that, but in racing you still need the other 30 some cars to show up every week, play-offs or not. The Washington Redskins didn't have games in January this year because they sucked in September-December. Danica is going to suck from February-September but she'll still have races in October and November because nobody wants to go see 16 cars run for 500 miles.
 
Team orders in NAZCAR? I seriously doubt it, since giving way to another driver to win them the race doesn't look very nice in your sponsor's eyes.
 
Carbonox
Team orders in NAZCAR? I seriously doubt it, since giving way to another driver to win them the race doesn't look very nice in your sponsor's eyes.
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When you "spin," it's a little easier to make it believable. Looking at Menard and Bowyer
 
Carbonox
Team orders in NAZCAR? I seriously doubt it, since giving way to another driver to win them the race doesn't look very nice in your sponsor's eyes.
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As long as you can do it in a smarter way than Bowyer and crew it wont be an issue. Junior got away with it until he opened his big mouth and at least back then it was funny, when Bowyer did it...I found it quite desperate and harmful to Truex.
 
Ganon83
Again, if the rumors are true and both Edwards and Biffle are out at Roush, Roush is either going to two cars or putting Hornish in the 99/16.
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At this rate, Roush will be going to no cars in 5-7 years. Edwards and Biffle keep them relevant but if they bolt (and they should), ship's gonna sink fast.
 

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