Daytona 500

[GLF]

Who watched the Daytona 500 today? Did you see the Earnhardt - Vickers incedent? How do you think Nascar handled it?

I do not like the way they allow blocking, and the below the yellow line. Earnhardt had a fender on Vickers, when Vickers forced him below the line. What would have happened if Earnhardt would not have went below the yellow line? Vickers and Earnhardt would have wrecked.

[Mike]

Earnhardt does tend to get the benefit of doubt on calls( yes he got a 1 lap penalty for not being in the pitbox). If it had of been vickers, I am confident there would be a penalty.

If you have ever been to a live nascar race and seen and heard all the junior fans, it is no wonder there was not a penalty as there would be a riot.

[NO MO BEGGEN]

ya he might have been able to avoid him but if you ask me nascar was alot more exciteing to watch a few years ago when there werent so many rules. bang em hit em raceing thats the way to go

[Losin Lures]

Nascar is going to end up as irrelevant as indy car racing if they keep up the BS they've got going now. No one would have said Boo if Vickers would have been cutting of Dale Sr. and Sr. would have wrecked him. Vickers was stupid to try to block Little E. Blocking is legal in racing to a point but what Vickers did was ridiculous.

[1mainiac]

Sadly NASCAR has been irelevent for decades they have made it a non issue since the early 70's when they began outlawing all the motors Ford and Chrysler built Then Chrysler went under and dropped out and Ford told them to jump off a bridge. So then you had 20 plus years of watching chevies go round in a circle now they don't require a single factory built part. Here's what made NASCAR great you could not race a car that was not available to the general public with the motor and options you raced it with. So in order to race a HEMI Charger they had to sell them to us as well Junior Johnson and Richard sold millions of fast cars to us kids growing up. When was the last time anyone saw a rear wheel drive V8 stick in a Taurus or a Grand Am or any of the crap they race anymore. Peel the decals off and paint them all white and let me know if any one can tell them apart. When King Richard and Cale Yarbough were winning nearly every race you could not find a big block Charger or Torino anywhere in the country GM whines and no more big blocks. Wanna see racing again make em race in what they sell us lets watch them V6 automatic front wheel drive cars going side by side at 80 or 90 and they can brag about gas mileage. I doubt any of these new cars could run against what they ran in 69 and 70. NASCAR was built on cars the common man could buy SCCA and the tuner cars are about the only thing you see raced anymore that you could actually drive to work.

[Nailer]

I agree with most of the above, COT is not a fun car to watch. Make all these races a 20 lap shootout and we may get somewhere.

As far as little E goes, He should of turned Vickers when he went to block him. Nascar has become nothing more than a sponsor billboard.

[Fishwhisperer]

Two wrongs don't make a right. Vickers shouldn't have put the legal block on Jr. and Jr. shouldn't have spun Vickers. It took out Kyle Bush, who had the strongest car.

-nFE9ZXmgIs

[Losin Lures]

It's also legal in one of the New England states to take your cheating spouse into the town square and beat them publicly with a switch no larger in diameter than your thumb. Doesn't make it right. This actually happened a few years back and they couldn't prosecute the guy. Was an old 1800's law that they never repealed.

[GLF]

I dont think Earnhardt meant to crash the field, but it looked like he meant to spin Vickers into the infield.

Blocking has always been one of the biggest issues at the super speedways. If Dale Earnhardt Sr., would not have tried to block Sterlin Marlin, he would probably still be around today.

[Tad Pole]

Um who was it that spun Earnhardt and Jimmy Johnson out at Talladega a couple years ago I forget????

[1mainiac]

Well at least a Ford won cause while I am a ford fan all the way sure have no desire to watch a Toyota or Honda win Daytona maybe next year they will have Kia and Honda and Mercedes and Volvo. Can you picture all them rednecks leaving the race wearing Passat t shirts? Perhaps they can get Al Gore to design a new racing Hybrid cept the pit stops will be 8 hours while they recharge.

[Mike]

Well at least a Ford won cause while I am a ford fan all the way sure have no desire to watch a Toyota or Honda win Daytona maybe next year they will have Kia and Honda and Mercedes and Volvo. Can you picture all them rednecks leaving the race wearing Passat t shirts? Perhaps they can get Al Gore to design a new racing Hybrid cept the pit stops will be 8 hours while they recharge.

Hers is a pop quiz for ya! I am not picking on you 1MANIAC

Out of the 4 manufacturers which vehicle(s) are made and assembled in the U.S.A.

Chevy

Ford

Dodge

Toyota

Yes you can google the answer, but lets see how many can get it right without google.

[Nailer]

Um who was it that spun Earnhardt and Jimmy Johnson out at Talladega a couple years ago I forget????

As far as I can find his one and only win.

RESULTS

2006 Official Race Results : UAW-Ford 500

UAW-Ford 500 | October 08, 2006 | Race 30 of 36

FIN ST CAR DRIVER MAKE SPONSOR PTS/BNS LAPS STATUS WINNINGS

1 9 25 Brian Vickers Chevrolet GMAC 185/5 188 Running 228,850

[fishsniffer]

Hers is a pop quiz for ya! I am not picking on you 1MANIAC

Out of the 4 manufacturers which vehicle(s) are made and assembled in the U.S.A.

Chevy

Ford

Dodge

Toyota

Yes you can google the answer, but lets see how many can get it right without google.

i believe toyota is made in kentucky

[1mainiac]

It has nothing to do with the fact that a lot of cars are now made here it has to do with what made NASCAR great watching the car you drove to work win a race. While GM can claimall the manfacture cups it has won you never hear them point out that Ford and Chrysler were not competeing. Chrysler was banned because of the bankruptcy issue in the 70's and when Ford got called out on the carpet at a congress hearing they walked out and ended their racig program for 25 years in NASCAR. So untill Ford and Chrysler got backinto the game it was watch Chevies go round in a circle for years. And like I said they no longer have anything in common with what we drive paint them all white and remove the decals and they are all the same. What we got to drive used to get improved because of the program cause they could not race it if we could not buy it from the dealer. The list of Classic Muscle cars that would have never been built if not for NASCAR would blow your mind. Heres a few that never would have been in the public without NASCAR the 1964 425hp 409 Impala was chevies answer for Junior Johnsons 64 Galaxy 500 with the 427 and Chysler countered with the 426 Red Ram in the Belvedere. Why because if the car was not available to the general public it could not be raced. So by the late 60's into the early 70's if you knew what codes to write on the order form you could drive the same setup the big boys did. A friend of mine owned a 1970 Superbird with the Richard Petty package forget the numbers they gave the insurance company we are probably talking 800hp at full throttle and 170 plus as delevered. That was the final year of the big block racing as NASCAR outlawed the Hemi and the Ford big blocks so in 71 they went to the 355cu in engines. And lighter bodies I owned a 71 Talagadega Torino w a 351 Cleveland 4sp 3.25 full locker rear end totally stock it would run 150 plus I got a copy of the NASCAR specs for the motor and we built it to about 650 hp when you opened the hood it still looked stock. I over slept one morning and left the house in Kent City at 6:05 (walked out the door at 6:05) fired the car up and was in formation for roll call at the Coast Guard station in Manistee at 7:00.

It is 115 miles all 2 lane road you do the math as to how fast I was going. I know I slowed to 90 going thru Baldwin my best guess is based on tach reading I was doing about 190 by Sippy flats near Lilley. Now if you drove like that today you would likely end up in jail for a long time. But the fact is I owe nearly all the cool rides I had as a kid to NASCAR racing development. I never cared much for watching cars go round in circles but I sure liked what the factory had to sell us to allow it. So make a list of all the cool old cars you wish you had and see how many of them were tied to NASCAR then consider what we would have to drive today if NASCAR made the drivers buy from the same dealership we buy from. That is my point.

[1mainiac]

Hers is a pop quiz for ya! I am not picking on you 1MANIAC

Out of the 4 manufacturers which vehicle(s) are made and assembled in the U.S.A.

Chevy

Ford

Dodge

Toyota

Yes you can google the answer, but lets see how many can get it right without google.

heres a pop quiz back which one can you order in rear wheel drive with a 350 cu in v8 and a manual trans.?

[DIRTY DOG]

heres a pop quiz back which one can you order in rear wheel drive with a 350 cu in v8 and a manual trans.?

i beleive a 2008 charger can be a rear wheel with th 5.7 HEMI

my bro. in law {service mangere for chysler} also told me that chrysler is also talking about bringing back the 426 in 2010

and yes toyota is made in ky and also ohio , i think

[Paulywood]

I think the point that was being made is that the Toyota Camry has more US made content than any other vehicle. Last I heard it was around 97%. There was even speculation that eventually it would be 100%. However, all of that corporate money leaves the US. And Jim, GM brought back the Camaro. I would love to see them racing production cars. Camaro versus Challenger versus Mustang. That would be something to see! The new cars that are knockoffs of the old cars look pretty sweet. I'm a Chevy guy so I'd have to cheer for a Camaro though. Either way, it's still just entertainment. everything changes, sometimes for the better, sometimes not.

[Mike]

The only car manufactured and assembled in the U.S. is the Toyota Camry, the others are assembled in Canada.

Maniac1 I see your point, some of the legendary old stuff was actually dynoed at twice the rated output. There are way 2 many rules in nascar today and it certainly has moved a longways from its roots. One thing to keep in mind when we look at a track like Daytona is Nascar mandates a restrictor plate for driver safety as well as FAN safety, the tracks are just not designed to let all the ponys out.

And as far as electric cars, and hybrids. Your country and mine can not afford to keep looking at the gasoline engine as a viable means of transportation.

As efficient as a gasoline motor is today, you still lose 2/3 of all the power made to thermal,friction and other losses.

Thats enough for now.

Did someone say Ethanol!! Well don,t get me going on that one.

Does anyone know why GM purchased over 20% of Toyota(the short version)

[1mainiac]

The only car manufactured and assembled in the U.S. is the Toyota Camry, the others are assembled in Canada.

Maniac1 I see your point, some of the legendary old stuff was actually dynoed at twice the rated output. There are way 2 many rules in nascar today and it certainly has moved a longways from its roots. One thing to keep in mind when we look at a track like Daytona is Nascar mandates a restrictor plate for driver safety as well as FAN safety, the tracks are just not designed to let all the ponys out.

And as far as electric cars, and hybrids. Your country and mine can not afford to keep looking at the gasoline engine as a viable means of transportation.

As efficient as a gasoline motor is today, you still lose 2/3 of all the power made to thermal,friction and other losses.

Thats enough for now.

Did someone say Ethanol!! Well don,t get me going on that one.

Does anyone know why GM purchased over 20% of Toyota(the short version)

Well until we actually come up with a viable means of transportation it is what we have so far the stuff they are putting out while cute and cuddly is a waste of time. Frankly the majority of these only will work for people who for the most part don't actually need a car to begin with. Cities need to improve their mass transportation system and get people to use them light rail and bus systems make more sense for large cities. But for those of us who live in the country the only vaible option is and will continue to be for many years to come versions of what we now have with some improvements. And while uscountry folk get more stuff rammed down our throats because we get outvoted on every issue one should remember we feed you, all you truelly produce in a big city is money and many need to consider how long they can bad mouth the hard working men and women who provide their groceries. Picture what happens when the farmers all decide they can't afford the BS anymore and stop or decide that they will not take a loss anymore and raise prices cause we now can only harvest a little each day because it takes 8 hours to recharge the batteries on the combine and it ony runs a couple hours at best on a full charge.

I am fully in favor of Green Ideas but some of the loonies who want to be in charge could care less if the whole world starved if they could lower pollution. And as long as Al Gores house uses more electricity then a small village why whould anyone listen to him.

[Tad Pole]

When Bill Elliot qualified at Talladega at over 212 mph they then put in the restrictor plate rule,now i know that the "stock cars' weigh more than other types of racing cars but as far as big time racers they are by far the slowest cars racing.so why don't they put any restriction on the other types of racing for instance F1 and there tracks are far more open than any nascar race track with the possible exception to the two road courses but those lead sleds can't achieve anywhere near F1 speeds on those tracks.In F1 any little thing to gain a little more speed is acceptable.

the other thing that is bothering me in NASCAR is the single minded determination to bring parity to the sport,in this i agree with mainiac, the manufactures don't have to worry about aero dynamics or fuel economy or power because NASCAR will make it all even in the end.

I have been a very devoted fan of NASCAR racing since 1994 and lately i have been frustrated with the road they have chosen to follow.I have many more grips but this post is already to long

[Mike]

Isn't this what happens to all sports. The governing body gets to much control and makes changes that are in the best interest of the governing body which alienates the fan and ticket payer. F1 is a prime example.

[1mainiac]

Yep Mike that about sums it up. As to Bill Elliot my bet is if he had been driving a Chevy he would hv been a hero but since he was driving a Ford who was not sponsering any NASCAR races at the time at least not directly involved. The simple NASCAR answer was to slow them all down as you can't have private racing groups making the factory guys look bad. And Mikes comment applies to nearly all forms of government as we see here in the USA where the Government is now more concerned with how to protect the Government then the people.