2017 NASCAR Discussion threadNASCAR 

  • Thread starter MustangRyan
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Watch, Dale JR is gonna drive for Corvette at Le Mans before retiring for good.

It'd be nice, but I feel he'll just take a back seat and go full time into his business and maybe try to expand it.

For a long time fan that followed the guy since the 90s, I think it's a good time. Clearly this season isn't going the way anyone at HMS wanted and not just for Junior but Khane and now to a smaller degree JJ. Elliot is the one doing the consistent driving (ironically what Junior was doing for the past several years). I'd say let this season go by and try for it properly in 2018, where you clearly have yourself geared for it. Calling it quits part way through the season that isn't going good tells me you just want it to be done with.

That and he probably will finally be able to say what he really wants about NASCAR once it's over. I'll be done with the sport finally now that he's leaving.
 
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I'm sure Jr. will stay involved in the series in some form, joining Fox or NBC or possibly bringing JRM up to Cup are probably the two most likely outcomes.

Calling it quits part way through the season that isn't going good tells me you just want it to be done with.

I'll cut him some slack considering he's had serious issues with concussions recently.

On a side-note, it should be interesting to see how the line-up sorts itself out in the next 3-4 years considering there are quite a few top seats likely to open in that span.

Looking at the current lineup here are the drivers that will reach 40 within a few years or have already reached that point. Granted drivers obviously have gone on long past that point, but usually "Retirement" starts becoming a topic once a driver nears the big 4-0.

- Jamie McMurray (currently 40)
- Kasey Kahne (37)
- Jimmie Johnson (41)
- Ryan Newman (39)
- Kevin Harvick (41)
- Clint Bowyer (37)
- Kurt Busch (38)
- Matt Kenseth (45)

Adding in the drivers like Kasey Kahne, Danica Patrick and the Roush boys that are sitting on the hot seat and it seems like a very opportune time to be coming through the ranks (providing those cars don't just go away).
 
I'm sure Jr. will stay involved in the series in some form, joining Fox or NBC or possibly bringing JRM up to Cup are probably the two most likely outcomes.

He can't do that, cause he'd have to buy out the partial ownership his current boss has. As for a commentator I could see that easily.

So other than that, I think expanding JRMs role in the lower series as a route to HMS is perhaps on the agenda.
 
Where's that cry emoji? It's dusty in here

That being said, Larson onboard would make Hendrick an unstoppable super team. That being said, the ship is likely leaving port on that one.
My guess is it will go to Landon Cassil or Alex Bowman with Byron or another JRM talent stepping in after a few years and Rick Hendrick will keep the 88 number instead of rebooting the #25 team for reasons known only to himself.
 
I can certainly respect Junior's decision. It's better to have the power to make that decision yourself rather than a Franchitti scenario where circumstances forces your hand.

As for how this impacts NASCAR, what they have going for them is drivers like Larson, Elliott and Blaney showing promise. Even so, I doubt one driver alone can fill in Junior's shoes in terms of popularity. This is going to hurt, one way or another.
 
I can certainly respect Junior's decision. It's better to have the power to make that decision yourself rather than a Franchitti scenario where circumstances forces your hand.

As for how this impacts NASCAR, what they have going for them is drivers like Larson, Elliott and Blaney showing promise. Even so, I doubt one driver alone can fill in Junior's shoes in terms of popularity. This is going to hurt, one way or another.

Funny enough as we've joked over the years about NASCAR changing stuff to help the fan favorite win, perhaps if they didn't pull gimmicks he'd have won something long ago, and keeping him in the sport a bit longer. I mean as a fan I'm sad to see him never get a championship, but he was a good racer and showed power at places like Michigan and Plate tracks like Harvick does with Phoenix. My only hope is he wins a few more before it's all done.

But I do think no one driver can fill his popularity, I mean hell winning seven championships isn't even enough these days. I feel that Larson is probably the most likable after Junior with Chase not that far behind. I'd like to say I'd stay to watch one of those guys go places, but the Sport to me is a joke and I was already mostly out the door (as some you know) before this was announced, this is just what sealed the deal.

I face the same conundrum in about 4-5 years when Hamilton is set to leave F1, but before he came along I was just cheering for teams, so I'll most likely go to that, or Ricciardo full time.
 
2 videos for you guys.
First up is the entire press confrence where Jr. announced his retirement.


Second is yesterdays edition of RaceHub, which i highly reccomend watching if you have 45 minutes worth of free time.
 
Speaking of retired drivers here is a super non-interesting cool story bros but I was super bored at work so here goes. I bought a signed AARIS Carl Edwards diecast a month or so back. I hate the AARIS scheme but bought it anyway. I would have preferred the Stanley colors autographed but the AARIS car was a good deal and I already had a Stanley one I bought last year. So in my boredom I took apart both diecasts and swapped the signed windshield from the AARIS car onto my Stanley one. The windshields are riveted in. Didn't expect that. Here are some pics if you are interested. I don't care about car value just hate that AARIS scheme lol

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Crazy to think that within the space of a year and a half, Gordon, Stewart, Edwards, Biffle (which was so quiet, no one seems to have noticed he's not in a car this year), and now Jr have all stepped away from the driver's seat. No idea what NASCAR has planned for this one. I'm willing to bet that ticket sales will go through the roof for the rest of the year, but after that...
 
John Andretti is fighting stage IV colon cancer.

http://www.wthr.com/article/dave-calabro-follows-john-andrettis-battle-with-cancer

Best of luck to him.

Having lost my mother to this exact same cancer, I really wish for him to pull through this.

Crazy to think that within the space of a year and a half, Gordon, Stewart, Edwards, Biffle (which was so quiet, no one seems to have noticed he's not in a car this year), and now Jr have all stepped away from the driver's seat. No idea what NASCAR has planned for this one. I'm willing to bet that ticket sales will go through the roof for the rest of the year, but after that...

Its definitely been interesting the amount of retirements in such a short span of time. Seems now its no longer a question of if someone will, but only a question of who's the next guy to hang up his helmet.
 
Did anyone watch the Xfinity race? I was listening to it on MRN and it sounded like the overtime restart was a complete mess. What I heard was Ryan Reed crashed out of turn two before the leaders crossed the overtime line and the caution lights came on but the leaders still took the white flag.
 
Did anyone watch the Xfinity race? I was listening to it on MRN and it sounded like the overtime restart was a complete mess. What I heard was Ryan Reed crashed out of turn two before the leaders crossed the overtime line and the caution lights came on but the leaders still took the white flag.
Caught the end. Reed and a number of others crashed out of turn two, but the leaders had passed the restart line before NASCAR threw the caution, but the flagman was only waving a white flag instead of white/yellow or Checker/yellow or whatever procedure demands while the caution lights were on. I think everyone held position, but it was running 1/2 speed just in case NASCAR mucked up the call.

They didn't, Flagman did, 42-Larson wins over 7-Allgaier.
 
It'll never make sense to me how Stenhouse wrecks everywhere else but when they go to Bristol, he's suddenly top tier and incapable of wrecking.
 
Stenhouse made a nice comeback though.

As for the rest of the race, several drivers legit violated the new pit entry rule. But Truex seriously got jobbed. He had all 4 wheels under the orange box. Maybe they should just go back to the orange cone like they used to use everywhere so it wouldn't be a judgment call.

Aside from that, I'm still trying to figure out why NASCAR was throwing out cautions whenever a couple of cars barely touched the wall. And putting the yellow out for a damn towel UNDER the racing line out of turn 4? Why??
 
Calling it quits part way through the season that isn't going good tells me you just want it to be done with.
I'd bet the decision was already made before the season started

Maybe they should just go back to the orange cone like they used to use everywhere so it wouldn't be a judgment call.

Too much risk of the cone getting thrown onto the track. It's too close to the racing surface
 
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I'd bet the decision was already made before the season started

After the press conference yeah it was obvious that he was going to retire soon, but usually you say so before you get a third of the way into the season to do so. Which tells me it was on the to do list, but was there was still a chance for one more season out of him in 2018.
 
After the press conference yeah it was obvious that he was going to retire soon, but usually you say so before you get a third of the way into the season to do so. Which tells me it was on the to do list, but was there was still a chance for one more season out of him in 2018.

There could have been sponsor or track obligations. Maybe he was wanting to but was waiting till they got the ok from other entities like Nationwide
 
There could have been sponsor or track obligations. Maybe he was wanting to but was waiting till they got the ok from other entities like Nationwide

Maybe, I don't care either way, I barely watch the series after 20 years of being a fan, and with him gone as I said I wont bother even catching highlights or going to NASCAR.com to check standings. I'm glad he's good with his decision, but it's hard to understand it being called this late in the season compared to others that let you know during winter. That's why I was partially curious.
 
With Jr. retiring, I believe the most tenured full time driver is Matt Kenseth, and both of them were rookies in 2000...I feel old now.

Would you like a Cane or a Walker? :lol:
 
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