...and it's probably the best thing that could've happened to Stewart-Haas Racing.
No one can really doubt that Tony Stewart's going to win races. For Ryan Newman, it's been a very. long. time in making it back to Victory Lane. Making the Chase last year was great for him, and for SHR, but in the end, racing is about *winning*. As good as SHR was last year, the possibility was there for it to become a one-sided team. For his part Tony's received kudos for what's been going on since he became co-owner of the former Haas-CNC team, but having wins for both cars, and as both a driver and an owner separately as well as driver/owner... it has the potential to really take the relatively small two-car team (which yes, gets a LOT of technical support from the megateam that is Hendrick Motorsports) to the next level.
Congrats to Ryan, Smoke, Tony Gibson, the #39 crew, and also to Gene Haas, who probably didn't really anticipate this sort of thing when the idea of giving Smoke a 50% stake in his team.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Whoops....
I've sorta let this slip a bit, but since it's a NASCAR off-week, it's as good a time as any to look at some of the other series going on (and let the smoke and debris die down from Atlanta).
Formula 1 gets off to their start in Bahrain, as does IndyCar in Brazil. Maybe.
See, IndyCar has already had to delay qualifying because sections of the Sao Paulo course are too slick and bumpy to control the cars. Seriously... I understand that they really only had a few months to get everything ready, but a part of me still wonders why they even TRY when situations like this come up. These are safety-critical conditions, so they're not really the thing you put off until the end, and yet, it's a pretty common thing for new/revamped facilities and events to have a track or course that isn't drivable.
This. Isn't. Good. Texas was so fast a few years ago that IndyCar canceled the race. Tire issues for Michelin at Indianapolis preceded the loss of the only American Grand Prix. Now, the strengthened IndyCar circuit is hitting the streets of Sao Paulo, only to find that they can't actually drive them. Seven Brazilian drivers are in the field, so this is more than mildly embarrassing. With all the engineering and technical expertise in these sports, can we really not find some way to prepare, or at least evaluate, these courses prior to everyone arriving? Sure, once some rubber's laid down, the courses will probably come in just fine... but I seem to recall some processes for doing that that DON'T involve waiting until the last moment, even when weather comes in and wreaks havoc. There are things that can be done, and again, at least knowing what to expect BEFORE putting drivers and equipment at risk, would be nice.
But such is life. Maybe they just ran out of time in rushing to get things ready. Or maybe they never really took the concept of time seriously in making promises to the sanctioning body. But let's remember: a successful event is dependent on the quality of racing; the quality of racing is dependent on the quality of the course.
Formula 1 gets off to their start in Bahrain, as does IndyCar in Brazil. Maybe.
See, IndyCar has already had to delay qualifying because sections of the Sao Paulo course are too slick and bumpy to control the cars. Seriously... I understand that they really only had a few months to get everything ready, but a part of me still wonders why they even TRY when situations like this come up. These are safety-critical conditions, so they're not really the thing you put off until the end, and yet, it's a pretty common thing for new/revamped facilities and events to have a track or course that isn't drivable.
This. Isn't. Good. Texas was so fast a few years ago that IndyCar canceled the race. Tire issues for Michelin at Indianapolis preceded the loss of the only American Grand Prix. Now, the strengthened IndyCar circuit is hitting the streets of Sao Paulo, only to find that they can't actually drive them. Seven Brazilian drivers are in the field, so this is more than mildly embarrassing. With all the engineering and technical expertise in these sports, can we really not find some way to prepare, or at least evaluate, these courses prior to everyone arriving? Sure, once some rubber's laid down, the courses will probably come in just fine... but I seem to recall some processes for doing that that DON'T involve waiting until the last moment, even when weather comes in and wreaks havoc. There are things that can be done, and again, at least knowing what to expect BEFORE putting drivers and equipment at risk, would be nice.
But such is life. Maybe they just ran out of time in rushing to get things ready. Or maybe they never really took the concept of time seriously in making promises to the sanctioning body. But let's remember: a successful event is dependent on the quality of racing; the quality of racing is dependent on the quality of the course.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Say it with me: The Tach is your friend.
You know, I really shouldn't be amused at the fact that Danica couldn't seem to manage pit road speed.
But the psychologist in me is greatly amused at the evidence of perceptual feedback gone awry. See, ride height impacts the perception of speed; Danica is familiar with Auto Club Speedway.... in an Indy car. Basically, what this is going to translate to is an underestimation of speed in the stock car, because it's going to seem slower (the same phenomenon led to some issues back in the day with taxiing Boeing 747s).
But in the end, the lesson learned: USE THE TACH!! The tachometer is your friend. Maybe someday they'll put speedometers in those cars, but really, would you want to know just how fast you're driving with 42 other crazies? Let's think about this...
As it happened, though, Carl Edwards seemed to have the same issue; the difference is, he knows stock cars... however, he does have good reason to have other things on his mind. Hooray for the Nationwide Series.
But the psychologist in me is greatly amused at the evidence of perceptual feedback gone awry. See, ride height impacts the perception of speed; Danica is familiar with Auto Club Speedway.... in an Indy car. Basically, what this is going to translate to is an underestimation of speed in the stock car, because it's going to seem slower (the same phenomenon led to some issues back in the day with taxiing Boeing 747s).
But in the end, the lesson learned: USE THE TACH!! The tachometer is your friend. Maybe someday they'll put speedometers in those cars, but really, would you want to know just how fast you're driving with 42 other crazies? Let's think about this...
As it happened, though, Carl Edwards seemed to have the same issue; the difference is, he knows stock cars... however, he does have good reason to have other things on his mind. Hooray for the Nationwide Series.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Daytona 500, Endurance version....
...well, not exactly... Drivers didn't swap out, they didn't need to; the red flags provided opportunities for rest. But one good thing about it was that the red flags weren't for 'The Big One' or any other major accidents.
Instead, they were caused by a hole on the apron. Yes, Daytona International Speedway formed a pothole, made worse over time throughout the race. A lesson can be learned by all road engineers. And NASCAR, and ISC, because this isn't the first time this has happened.
Asphalt Cracks + Precipitation + Temperature Changes = Potholes. Even in race tracks. What a concept.
But seriously, couldn't we have some better method for determining how to fill said holes, because they DO occur...
But anyway, beyond that, the new larger restrictor plates seemed to do the job, didn't cause any more chaos than usual, and maybe even helped avoid 'The Big One', since more horsepower was available to keep control of the cars when the draft got a bit unpredictable. The drivers seemed to keep their cool, and so NASCAR had no trouble keeping their word to let them police themselves. The race arguably finished under Green, thanks to the second of three possible Green-White-Checkered restarts, which means that the new rule changes might actually work out... at least they did for one race of thirty-six.
Oh, and congratulations to Jamie McMurray for coming through with a win for EGR.
Instead, they were caused by a hole on the apron. Yes, Daytona International Speedway formed a pothole, made worse over time throughout the race. A lesson can be learned by all road engineers. And NASCAR, and ISC, because this isn't the first time this has happened.
Asphalt Cracks + Precipitation + Temperature Changes = Potholes. Even in race tracks. What a concept.
But seriously, couldn't we have some better method for determining how to fill said holes, because they DO occur...
But anyway, beyond that, the new larger restrictor plates seemed to do the job, didn't cause any more chaos than usual, and maybe even helped avoid 'The Big One', since more horsepower was available to keep control of the cars when the draft got a bit unpredictable. The drivers seemed to keep their cool, and so NASCAR had no trouble keeping their word to let them police themselves. The race arguably finished under Green, thanks to the second of three possible Green-White-Checkered restarts, which means that the new rule changes might actually work out... at least they did for one race of thirty-six.
Oh, and congratulations to Jamie McMurray for coming through with a win for EGR.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Daytona Short Stuff
...yeah, it's another one of those... I should feel guilty. But I don't.
1) Mark Martin and Dale Jr make the front row for the Daytona 500, and then don't really do much in the Duels... can't blame them though, really... they didn't need to do anything at all. But really, damaging the car wasn't cool, Junior. =P Since I didn't see it, I'll have to go with the claim that it was "body" damage, and Lance and Co. will take care of it. We'll know soon enough (Sunday, if you lost track).
Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne went on to win the duels (beating out Kevin Harvick, the Bud Shootout winner, and Tony Stewart, respectively).... So, basically five of the top six starters in the 500 are Chevrolets, with a lone Petty Ford in the mix, and of the five, four are Hendrick-powered..... Hmmmm.....
2) A chick speed geek is required to be a Danica Patrick fan, right? Well, either way, I am. The ARCA race was her first real stock car test, and she came through it in one piece and won some respect. A top-10 finish may not seem that impressive, but the races at Daytona are always crazy, the ARCA one is no exception, and Danica had to pull off some major moves to keep her car intact for that run to the front.
Due to holding her own in the ARCA race, her debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series has been stepped up to be Saturday... That race is always interesting to watch, and it'll only be more so with Danica joining a field of Sprint Cup regulars. It'll be a real test of her skills, and Tony Eury Jr's crew chief skills to make it through... but then, Tony Jr's had such cases before.
3) NASCAR's upped the number of Green-White-Checkered attempts from one to three, in an effort to finish the races under green... which is why they added the G-W-C in the first place. =P Of course, then they started wrecking under the shootout conditions it created.... Hmmmmm.... Me wonders what might happen this time... current prediction: three times the chaos. but hey, I've been wrong before.
...and that should more or less catch everyone up for a bit, or at least get you traveling over to NASCAR.com to see what I didn't mention. =P It's Daytona, there's always more side stories than laps to the race.
1) Mark Martin and Dale Jr make the front row for the Daytona 500, and then don't really do much in the Duels... can't blame them though, really... they didn't need to do anything at all. But really, damaging the car wasn't cool, Junior. =P Since I didn't see it, I'll have to go with the claim that it was "body" damage, and Lance and Co. will take care of it. We'll know soon enough (Sunday, if you lost track).
Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne went on to win the duels (beating out Kevin Harvick, the Bud Shootout winner, and Tony Stewart, respectively).... So, basically five of the top six starters in the 500 are Chevrolets, with a lone Petty Ford in the mix, and of the five, four are Hendrick-powered..... Hmmmm.....
2) A chick speed geek is required to be a Danica Patrick fan, right? Well, either way, I am. The ARCA race was her first real stock car test, and she came through it in one piece and won some respect. A top-10 finish may not seem that impressive, but the races at Daytona are always crazy, the ARCA one is no exception, and Danica had to pull off some major moves to keep her car intact for that run to the front.
Due to holding her own in the ARCA race, her debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series has been stepped up to be Saturday... That race is always interesting to watch, and it'll only be more so with Danica joining a field of Sprint Cup regulars. It'll be a real test of her skills, and Tony Eury Jr's crew chief skills to make it through... but then, Tony Jr's had such cases before.
3) NASCAR's upped the number of Green-White-Checkered attempts from one to three, in an effort to finish the races under green... which is why they added the G-W-C in the first place. =P Of course, then they started wrecking under the shootout conditions it created.... Hmmmmm.... Me wonders what might happen this time... current prediction: three times the chaos. but hey, I've been wrong before.
...and that should more or less catch everyone up for a bit, or at least get you traveling over to NASCAR.com to see what I didn't mention. =P It's Daytona, there's always more side stories than laps to the race.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Ferrari leads Valencia testing....
Bleh. Just bleh.
Yes, I'm completely biased. Yay, McLaren. Btw, Hamilton ran third yesterday, and Button ran fourth.... behind de la Rosa (Sauber) and Schumacher (Mercedes), but Mercedes had their own problems.
Nevertheless, so long as Ferrari's setting the pace, one of my colleagues at the university will be smug. =P Ah, well, preseason testing is just setting the stage. We won't really know who's competitive until Bahrain in March.
Yes, I'm completely biased. Yay, McLaren. Btw, Hamilton ran third yesterday, and Button ran fourth.... behind de la Rosa (Sauber) and Schumacher (Mercedes), but Mercedes had their own problems.
Nevertheless, so long as Ferrari's setting the pace, one of my colleagues at the university will be smug. =P Ah, well, preseason testing is just setting the stage. We won't really know who's competitive until Bahrain in March.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Grand Am: Team wins debut race!
...as I've already rambled on a couple of times, this was opening weekend for two very different race series of interest to me... I've already covered how the Rally America opener ended, but the Rolex 24 at Daytona ended a couple of hours ago as well... with a new team, Action Express Racing, winning in their debut... how much of a coup is this? Well, it's endurance racing, they beat a Ganassi car, a team that has a number of victories in this particular race, by better than 50 seconds (which in an endurance race such at this isn't really that large a margin). It's pretty impressive... even the Brawn GP dominance at the opening of last year's F1 season was based on a previous team and a very experienced executive at the helm. I'm not sure on the background of Action Express Racing, but I suspect there's a lot of head-scratching going on in the Daytona International Speedway garage right now.
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