Nascar: 2010

[Wayne Maybury]

Last Friday, I saw in USA Today that 13 out of 26 "experts" predicted that Jimmie Johnson would win the Daytona 500. I don't think that anyone picked McMurray.

I couldn't find a channel that carried the last 39 laps so I missed the finish.

One of the reasons that they have so many laps under caution is to allow everyone to go in the pits to get gas and tires. There are 2 ways to make a caution shorter. Firstly, go back to green the second that the piece of debris has been picked up even if 30 or 40 cars are in the pits. Secondly, run the pace car flat out like they do in F1, none of this 55 mph crap. In other words make pitting under caution somewhat of a risk instead of a routine. I also agree that they should not count the laps under cautrion as has already been mentioned.

Wayne

[Don]

Cup series caution Laps, 2009 not available, with 10,707 laps run for all the Cup races:

2008: 1445/13.7%
2007: 1615/15.0%
2006: 1578/14.7%
2005: 1786/16.6 %

Includes all types of cautions: debris, accidents, competition. In the 2009 Daytona 500 , 35 caution laps of which 4 were for debris only. But the race was shortened due to rain.

The 2010 Daytona had 21 lead changes, a new record for the race and track.

Whether the caution laps are legitimate ( debris ? ) or too many/long, possibility of additional 13 to 16 % + or - laps, extending the race. Then there is the situation of clearing the accidents with wreckers and medical personnel on the track with the pace car at full speed.

Wayne, Firstly, go back to green the second that the piece of debris has been picked up even if 30 or 40 cars are in the pits. Sure would add more race strategy for running on the old tires and the decision of filling a tank when only needing a few or less gallons. Believe it was Johnson that either did not pit for tires or took only 2 to get track position in his 125 win, but that's probably why the #48 has been successful.

rustyBob........good point.

[Wayne Maybury]

Don

I am not suggesting that the pace car should rip through the medical staff and/or emergency equipment at full speed. However I do get tired of watching that pace car plod along at 55 mph going round and round giving every car a chance to get into the pits, fill up, and get new rubber every 10 or 15 minutes while the TV channel runs their manditory 3 or 4 minutes of commercials.

I guess that phantom debris is the one that really drives me nuts. Even some little chunk of metal or plastic seems to result in 5 or more caution laps when 1 lap is more than enough to get the piece of junk off of the track.

Wayne

[rustyBob]

I would say if they stopped the race long enough to clear the wreckage from the track then tell all the drivers to lineup in the running order they where in when they stopped the race and put hem back to green when they get lined up and if someone wants to pit they can do it under green...........
no more cut tires under yellow and the cleanup crews can work without the fear of getting run over........

[Michael C Henry]

Some of the older tacks have had water problems in the past. When they built Daytona and later when they banked it they didn't putt enough attention to reduce those effects. Water under asphalt just doesn't work. And those swalls just do not work at those speeds. Times for some major rebuilding. Let's see if they actually do anything substantial.
OH! our power went out as everyone was arriving and was off for about 1 1/2 hours. Between the power outage and the pavement cautions, we had more than enough time to chat and snack.

[Ron61]

Mike,

To bad you couldn't get your power outage to coincide with the times they were under the red flag. I think it is time they did a major repaving job on the speedway. And put in some kind of drainage system too.

Ron

[Don]

Wayne & rustyBob.........I agree

The debris only cautions, NASCAR needs to have the debris brought to a central point and then shown on TV.....,would add some creditability to the caution, and/or make the official think twice about the need for the caution. However, they would need to take into consideration the possibility of a cut tire if the debris happens to be more than paper.

The drivers add to the cautions for their own purposes. An example, Johnson was calling for a caution thinking the start of the " Daytona Pothole " created a leaking rear tire , when he really had a broken axle, to which he admitted. But following Waynes suggestion, their would be no advantage.

Looks like the entire subject of all types of cautions needs to be reviewed

[Ron61]

How about no caution laps count. After a set number, maybe 4, they red flag the race and stop them until they clear up whatever excuse they are using for the caution. No pit stops under caution.

Ron

[rustyBob]

they should throw the red flag everytime there is a wreck anyways......
stop the cars and clean up the wreck........

[Don]

" The Daytona racing surface hasn't been repaved in 31 years, and opinion has been mixed as to whether the old, bumpy surface needs a facelift. Braig told SceneDaily.com this week that the surface could be repaved within the next three years, a move some drivers would champion "

" Sister track Talladega Superspeedway required five months to be repaved,....."

Summary from SceneDaily.com regarding the " Daytona Pothole ":

http://www.scenedaily.com/news/artic...eventable.html

[Joe Wicked]

The year Texas had the water problem did not result in a repave, that was Homestead I believe. Texas had the issue the year we were flooding from all the rains. The same week Nascar was here, we had whole neighborhoods evacuated from lakes flooding over and flooding them out. The water began filling the infield and was pumped out. It then began seeping back in through the track.

[Don]

Just got to looking at Monday's USA Today. The " Daytona Pothole " got more coverage on Page 1 of the Sports Section with a 7.5 X 6 color photo ,than Jamie McMurray with a 2.5 X 3.5 color photo underneath the larger photo.

Unfortunate for Jamie, would have been nice to see him get his day in the spotlight. The Daytona 500 win will be with him for a long time.

[rustyBob]

Did you guys see Jamie on the Leterman show.......Letterman showed a picture of the hole in the track and i can see why they stopped the race you could have lost a small animal in there and they used Bondo to fix it with......now thats funny.......

[Don]

Note the opinions on whether Daytona should be resurfaced, from USA Today:

" On the surface, drivers oppose Daytona repaving "
By Nate Ryan, USA TODAY:

" DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The pothole that nearly derailed NASCAR's marquee race has been filled, but Daytona International Speedway still faces a quandary in fixing the surface of stock car racing's most storied track.
Would repaving the 2.5-mile oval create a new void in the Daytona 500?

A week-long evaluation by track engineers began Monday on the weathered and abrasive asphalt, which hasn't been resurfaced since 1978. But applying a fresh coat of asphalt isn't a sure thing despite the 52nd running of the "Great American Race" being delayed twice for more than two hours of repairs.

"They're going to spend a lot of time (on) an assessment," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said.

The cure might be more complicated than it seems. Two-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart said last week that he "would hate to see them repave because drivers (play) a huge part."

That's because a rough track is more difficult to navigate, putting a priority on a car's handling and a driver's talent.

Talladega Superspeedway was repaved five years ago, and its glass-smooth surface produced a single-file race last year that was excoriated by drivers and fans.

Greg Biffle, who finished third Sunday, said repaving Daytona would be unfortunate "because the grip level is perfect. You can't go (at full throttle) like Talladega and stay in line."

Daytona began mulling a 2011 repaving last year. Track President Robin Braig, though, was leaning against it Sunday after a race with a record 21 leaders (including winner Jamie McMurray, who passed Biffle with a lap left). "

[Ralphy]

Check out Bobby Labonte staying off the inside wall. Pretty damn good driving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhLo0LBt5L4

[Ron61]

A complete repaving of the track wouldn't be the best thing I don't believe. But they do need to check and take out the questionable places and see if they can fix some kind of drainage under them and then pave them back to where they are even with the old surface. They may have to use some kind of bondo to get new asphalt to stick to the old in the holes or it will just come up again.

Ron

[Don]

USA Today updates on pave or no pave. Notice the cost if/when the Track is repaired. Seems with the patch, no guarantees that the same situation will not reoccur. NASCAR mentioned the track was inspected on Sunday morning and the problem did not exist. Now that the pothole has happened, for the future until a repave, if that's the decision, I would guess NASCAR will have the best material and equipment available for hopefully an immediate and timely repair.

" Track president Robin Braig said a team of engineers and asphalt specialists from North American Testing Corp. decided a strip of pavement will be removed and a reinforced concrete patch will be poured in the area where a significant pothole developed during Sunday's race

The patch in the asphalt surface will be about 6 feet wide and 18 feet long, and should hold up until the 2-1/2 mile, high-banked superspeedway undergoes a $20 million repaving scheduled for as early as 2012. The current surface was paved in 1978. "


http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor...-repairs_N.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor...a-repave_N.htm

[Michael C Henry]

I also think that drainage should be part of any future fixes. Before they put all that nice new black top over water seeping to the surface. They need to find a solid bottom to stop the setteling where the track keeps sinking.

[Ron61]

I agree with you that drainage should be improved a great deal. And where the track has settled and made the bumps needs to be looked at too. It has had a lot of hard use and actually has stood up quite well over all.

Ron

[Ron61]

Hey Don,

What do you think this will do to the racing at Bristol? I really like the short tracks and I don't think it will hurt the racing much once they get used to the lost 3 feet.

http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/head...ion/index.html

Ron