Subscribe to this blog's feed« Qualifying cancelled due to rain - whoever said it never rained in California? | Main | Edwards wins the rain delayed Fontana race »
February 24, 2008
NASCAR never should have started the race
NASCAR in their infinite wisdom decided to start the race shortly after 6PM ET even though the track still had seeping in turns three and four. Because of this we sit under a red flag after a bad wreck because of that seepage, thank God all the drivers involved are OK, especially Casey Mears who ended up getting flipped by Sam Hornish Jr.
I was listening to the scanner before the race and drivers were talking about the seepage in turns three and four while they were under the pace laps, many saying that they need to fix it before they start the race. But, NASCAR started it anyways and there have been two cautions in just 21 laps and a red flag because of it.
NASCAR should have just postponed both races until tomorrow.
February 24, 2008 in NASCAR | Permalink
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451bce769e200e550748aa78833
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference NASCAR never should have started the race:
Comments
EN
Seeing how there's two AMP drinks,the RED kind and the GREEN kind
to be honest its till cold so i'll have to do oficial mixing outside when its hot
right noww this expresso vodka has been working well..... teh red amp and any cheap vodka is ok
K2
dont be sitting next to pac man jones at any strip clubs for your own safety LOL
Posted by: aggie | Feb 27, 2008 2:31:38 PM
Diane, I think you confused my comment with Larry's above. ;) Giddyup on being a Junior fan. I'm not so much--I'll take Tony any day of the week over him, but Kahne's my number one EVERY day of the week!
Posted by: Kari | Feb 25, 2008 4:54:17 PM
Kari,
Didn't mean for you to think that I don't like Jr. Tony's my favorite but Jr. is in my top five.
Well it's time to go watch the Nationwide race. Maybe our guys will do good in this one.
Posted by: Diane | Feb 25, 2008 4:07:38 PM
AGGIE an GRETCHEN,
Seeing how there's two AMP drinks,the RED kind and the GREEN kind,I think JUNIORS merchandise would look better in RED....but seeing how that would look a lot like his old BUDWEISER stuff,HENDRICKS and AMP probably decided to go with GREEN so it would look completely different from his past....for the record,I like the RED AMP drink a lot better than thre GREEN AMP..
Posted by: earnhardt nation | Feb 25, 2008 3:12:30 PM
k2
Sad thing is NASCAR knows how this screws many people on a short week then back to the West Coast..
why dont you guys just stay out there?? what the reason for coming home or do the haulers/cars stay out there??
nascar should market 2 races out there some how and save teams and fans a lot of aggrevation
Posted by: aggie | Feb 25, 2008 1:54:09 PM
Kari,
Re: Casey needs a breakout year, or else.
Bingo.
HMS is so far looking strong today.
Posted by: Jon2 | Feb 25, 2008 1:40:13 PM
Rad
Kinda reminds me of one of those old guys with his pants pulled up to his chest! haha
no kididng
so clue me in they did race last nite?? and its on this afternoon?? after the NNs cars??
K2 and ms G
get real that wacko TC was on pit road ?only in ca!!
Posted by: aggie | Feb 25, 2008 1:39:49 PM
Gretchen, you are a hoot--you definitely have a way with words. While I feel bad for Junior too (funny how I don't feel near as bad for Hamlin--ha ha!), I completely agree with you re Mears and Hornish. I'd really like to see Mears have the breakout year he's been looking for. I fear if he doesn't, he's going to get canned, regardless of his close friendships with Jeff & Jimmie.
Posted by: Kari | Feb 25, 2008 1:27:57 PM
F5,
Weren't those tires, for the most part, just shaved down street tires? I know they were bias-ply which aren't as good at dissipating heat as radial's so I wonder how they got away with even a little tread? Must have been even thinner than now or something. I would have to think about it a while to come up with some techno reason but it is just easier to ask you all! :)
Posted by: Radster | Feb 25, 2008 1:21:01 PM
Maybe he's recruiting Puffs to the Scientology family with all the other creeps
Posted by: Gretchen | Feb 25, 2008 1:03:26 PM
K2 are you refering to "Cole Trickle?"...Yup radster nailed it....But remember back in the day...early 70's race tires sort of had a tread
Posted by: Fan#5 | Feb 25, 2008 12:46:13 PM
Ya'll know I've never been one to suck the anus of my driver- Junior- so that said, in response to larry. I am not so pi$$ed off because of him. I am really pi$$ed about Mears and Hornish.
a) they could have been hurt badly- unneccesarily.
b) They are both in need of good runs, finishes, etc. NASCAR's poor judgement cost them both for this race.
Mears is trying to race his way into keeping his ride. Hornish is trying to prove that he CAN drive stock cars. And IMHFO, that wreck was not the fault of either, but the fault of NASCAR's judgement call.
Posted by: Gretchen | Feb 25, 2008 12:35:23 PM
I agree!
Posted by: jeff | Feb 25, 2008 12:33:24 PM
K2, that guest creeps me out. Always has and I found it to be soooo fitting that he chose THAT pitbox to sit on. A Creep Show all the way around. LOL!!!
Posted by: Gretchen | Feb 25, 2008 12:27:06 PM
Gretchen,
Radster nailed the anwser to the ? you asked on TREAD. To the T..
The race shouldnt have started, i will say it once again.. Screwed the 5, 88 and the 77 for no reason.
Its not that NASCAR is not aware of the seepage issue here. It has always been like this, and will till they do something about it.. But we continue to race here
Gretchen, I wont even comment on the individual in the 48 pit yesterday as a GUEST>
Well lets see if we can finish this today so I can fly home to only return Thursday.. Sad thing is NASCAR knows how this screws many people pon a short week then back to the West Coast..
Posted by: Kurt2 | Feb 25, 2008 12:21:02 PM
Aw, Diane, I'm a true fan! Baby just doesn't understand why Mom can't stay awake to take care of him the next day if I stay up that late! I didn't sleep very well though, that's for sure--a little niggling thought in the back of my mind, wondering if they were racing and I was missing it. When baby woke up at 3:45 am PST, I did check nascar.com to see if they had run the race or not.
Posted by: Kari | Feb 25, 2008 12:19:16 PM
larry - not everyone is a Jr. fan. I don't like that some drivers have torn up cars for today's race but I would be really mad if it had happened to Tony.
Posted by: Diane | Feb 25, 2008 12:16:38 PM
Like most of you true fans, I stayed up until 2 am EST to watch the race, got 3 1/2 hrs sleep and will probably miss the race this afternoon because I won't be able to keep my eyes open. Who in the world was making the decisions last night?
K2 - I bet the drivers and crew members feel like they've been through another Speedweeks. But those 11 or 12 days are being crammed into 4. Stay safe today!!
Keith12 - My concern is the same as Gretchen's. I really don't mind missing a few hours sleep or being inconvenienced. But the drivers should not have been put in danger. Why didn't one of the star drivers tell NASCAR that the track wasn't safe?
Posted by: Diane | Feb 25, 2008 12:08:59 PM
the only ones that hate it is JR fans if it was some one else every thing would be fine.i am so glad that it happen to the great JR
Posted by: larry | Feb 25, 2008 11:56:47 AM
Aggie,
Not that I pay attention to who's wearing what, but I noticed something didn't look right about JR too, I just couldn't put my finger on it. Now I know what it was and you are right.....good observation. Kinda reminds me of one of those old guys with his pants pulled up to his chest! haha
Posted by: Radster | Feb 25, 2008 11:55:34 AM
Hey Gretchen,
NASCAR tried "rain" tires a few years ago but only on the road courses. They seemed to work pretty good (the used them in Japan one time). The reason they don't use them (treaded tires)on speedways (at least to my understanding) is because it cuts the contact patch of the tire down and they generate to much heat. The "tread" on the current slicks is really thin ( I think it's only like 1/8 inch or thinner) so it can dissipate that heat. That's my story and I'm sticking to it (until someone corrects me ;-> )
Posted by: Radster | Feb 25, 2008 11:49:59 AM
btw, i don't CRY keith12, I BITCH. lol
aggie, i like the Guard suit. there's not much they can do with that loud green amp color lol!!! It is FUGLY. You should see my hat......FUGLY too! lmao!!
Posted by: Gretchen | Feb 25, 2008 11:27:52 AM
sarcasm aside----for just a minute. MY issue with yesterday is about the whole "safety" concern. IF in fact the track was too slippery or whatever, they should not have started the race. Someone said that while riding around pre-green a lot of drivers were saying that those two turns were slick. Needed more drying. As a fan at home watching I could see the "seeping" from the cracks through the tv. We all know these tires are not good in rainy conditions-lol.
Question for F5, K2 or anyone else that would know. Has NASCAR ever put treaded tires on the cars and run in conditions such as those before? If not why?
As a fan, I like to see them race under decent conditions. And I prefer to watch a race in one day. Not part 1 on Sunday and Part 2 on Monday. Just my opinion.
Posted by: Gretchen | Feb 25, 2008 11:24:46 AM
ok is it me or does JR's new suit look like its pulled up right up to under his armpits?? worse looking drivers suit in cup!!!
itfits him like an amp 88 life raft.......wft do they have for designers at hms?? grannies in a sewing club??? or they order suits from some tent and awning makers in NC??
JR used to look so sleek fit trim in that red bud suit, now he has this FUBAR 88 suit??
iam dying to hear your thoughts gretchen on Jr's new suit cause its fugggggggly
k2 that suit must be cutting off the blood circulation to his head after heaing your comments on his decision on the appeal lol
Posted by: aggie | Feb 25, 2008 11:18:52 AM
Thanks Gretchen, its good to see you took a break from your crying to respond sarcastically to my rant. I knew it was coming too. Make sure them tears do not get into your keyboard. Was that seepage from the rain, or was it from the fans tear ducts?
Seriously, sarcasm aside, if the race was postponed, everybody would be saying, hey, the track was dry enough, nascar rushed into postponement. its like that with any decision they make. sure, nascar has made some very poor decisions over the years, but good grief, they have made some good ones too. granted, more bad than good since the BF era.
Posted by: keith12 | Feb 25, 2008 11:16:12 AM
Somebody correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think they have ever started a race over. Regardless of the situation, that is not the right thing to do here either. Not saying the guys wrecked out didn't get a bum deal, but so did Jeff Gordon a few years back when the track was coming apart and messed up the front end of his car. Just because Jr. was caught up in this would be NO reason to change anything...now after this race is over....if they want to say new rules apply in case this type of thing ever happens again, fine, but not midstream. That would just make me think I was right about them fixing races when it suits them. And I know they don't want people thinking that. LOL
Posted by: 9fanatic | Feb 25, 2008 11:11:52 AM
Ok when is this race today or was it last nite?? they could not have been serious about running it midnight could they?? its anot april 1st is it?? LOL
Posted by: aggie | Feb 25, 2008 11:10:00 AM
Luckily, this fiasco will hurt NASCAR where it hurts them the most, and that is in the continued poor ratings, and the upcoming TV renewal . I'm sure people were tuning out in record numbers yesterday, as even a good Cali race is boring, if anything the slick track made it semi-interesting. Today will be just "lets all just ride around , so we can get through and go home" racing.
Posted by: clay | Feb 25, 2008 11:08:08 AM
I think they pushed it a little too far, because they knew they had to get the Nationwide race in, too. But, I agree they probably should've just waited.
DJ, I hear you. I miss Rockingham, too. I might head down there for a little ARCA race, in May. You can't really beat a $10 race at "The Rock."
K2, I feel your pain. 2 am EST is not the time to drop the green rag. Let the drivers and crew members get a little rest, already.
Posted by: dave | Feb 25, 2008 10:42:52 AM
Oh I thought the descision to have the race was a good one. I also think NASCAR makes no err's in judgment in regards to it's handing down the fines and penalties. I love the new cookie cutter pc responses most drivers make in interviews. I LOVE jimmie Johnson's interviews, his attitude, his cc's "massaging" of the rules, AND his coice of guests on his PB Sunday. That Tom Cruise...wow. Seepage, schleepage. Drive the cars boys. Most of them raced on dirt before, so what's a little slick track? Big Whoopie.
NASCAR should get no complaints, no gripes, no bitching at all. Fans should not complain one bit. This descision was a good one. This sport is without fault, nor fallacy. Quit bitchin people......
How was that keith12? Sounds good to me.
Posted by: Gretchen | Feb 25, 2008 10:29:34 AM
Consistency: Something applied to the hand slapping faction of NASCAR only. Sorry Robby, your clerical error will cost you $100k. Now let's get going on this slick track people, we have sponsors to please..
A: I'd love to see a thorough explanation of why they tried racing Sunday
B: Why they kept telling us X hour, only to change X hour to Y hour every time.
C: I felt like an F1 fan, staying up till all hours to try and catch the action.
D: What "Safety Concerns" prompted canceling the event at 2 in the morning, ET? Not enough AMP because 5 good teams were taking out of the race from a slick track?
Posted by: Bruce Simmons | Feb 25, 2008 10:18:13 AM
let me clarify, only two cars wrecked because of the seepage, obviously more than two cars wrecked in the race
Posted by: keith12 | Feb 25, 2008 10:17:56 AM
Consistency: Something applied to the hand slapping faction of NASCAR only. Sorry Robby, your clerical error will cost you $100k. Now let's get going on this slick track people, we have sponsors to please..
A: I'd love to see a thorough explanation of why they tried racing Sunday
B: Why they kept telling us X hour, only to change X hour to Y hour every time.
C: I felt like an F1 fan, staying up till all hours to try and catch the action.
D: What "Safety Concerns" prompted canceling the event at 2 in the morning, ET? Not enough AMP because 5 good teams were taking out of the race from a slick track?
Posted by: Bruce Simmons | Feb 25, 2008 10:16:12 AM
Everybody, shut up and quit crying and complaining, in 87 laps, only two out of 43 cars wrecked, obviously, if it was so hazardous as you say, alot more would have wrecked. casey mears didn't know what happened until he heard everyone talking about the seepage, then that is what caused the wreck.
the worse thing about nascar, is the fans bitching every single week, and then keep coming back to watch, only to find something else to bitch about. go watch something else.
Posted by: keith12 | Feb 25, 2008 10:06:58 AM
It just goes to show you where NASCAR ranks safety, somwhere between taco sales and TV rankings. What a freakin' farce!! Oh yeah, and what happened to the perfect California weather?
Posted by: Rich | Feb 25, 2008 8:46:13 AM
Kurt..
This would be too simple. It would have some redeeming value for the fans, who deserve to see a race for the time and money dedicated to this event. Since it is on a Monday, NASCAR will do anything possible to shorten the race. Load up the big red trailer and head to Vegas. Why not start the race with a full field of cars? Who in their right mind is going to watch anymore of this boring fiasco as it unfolds?
California in February has got to be taken back to the drawing board.
Posted by: jim | Feb 25, 2008 8:19:33 AM
Sorry, I see they're just continuing it. My bad.
Posted by: Kurt Smith | Feb 25, 2008 8:09:22 AM
So now if they're starting the race over, do Mears and Earnhardt get to drive new cars and race again?
Posted by: Kurt Smith | Feb 25, 2008 8:06:33 AM
Absolutely the dumbfunkest NASCAR decision of 2008...to start the race after 6 o'clock EST. How in this world can NASCAR keep engineering so many screw ups and stay in existence. Racing is supposed to be about fans and competition. Both suffered greatly with the decision to not wait until Monday in this case. Makes no difference who you pull for...no one wants to see any of the competitive cars go out in the first 20 laps of an event. This is the wrong time of the year to attempt to run a California speedway. So much for NASCAR's "Driver Safety First" slogan kinda matches the "Lets See How Old Robby Will React To This Penalty" slogan. This whole event made me understand why the "Dog left the gut wagon".
Posted by: jim | Feb 25, 2008 7:50:52 AM
We are going to attempt to do this at 11pm West Coast time, so my body and all others are on a 2AM time frame....
This is beyond insane. Been here since 6am West Coast time today...
I guess hwy wanna know how bad do you have it....
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Posted by: Kurt2 | Feb 25, 2008 1:44:09 AM
I live on the west coast and I don't think I'm even going to make it for this tonite. I've got a two-month-old so I'm half asleep as I type this...I feel sorry for all the east coasters, and especially the teams who can't be well-adjusted to the three-hour time difference between Cali and home base.
Posted by: Kari | Feb 25, 2008 12:52:51 AM
The pace car took 2 drivers out on the track before they started the race to examine the track. Would NASCAR have started the race if those drivers had said the track wasn't ready?
Hang in there K2. Last report I heard they are starting the race again about midnight EST. Will they run the full 500 miles or stop at half way. What excuse will they give if they don't complete the full race?
Why didn't they just wait until Monday? That's when they're running the Nationwide race.
NASCAR is lucky no one got seriously injured.
Posted by: Diane | Feb 24, 2008 11:38:41 PM
What the crap is wrong with you people.I come on here every year and tell you idiots,it's all about money folks. GO FIGURE!If they call it today,they will have to pay all those people,that work at the track,again tomorrow.They got the fans ticket money,that's what it is all about.It isn't a sport anymore,it is big business,at it's best.Wake up people.
Posted by: Charlie | Feb 24, 2008 11:25:25 PM
This bites, night people. I can't wait til midnight for the race. Have to get up at 6:00a.m.
Posted by: Graceann | Feb 24, 2008 11:03:58 PM
This is the price the drivers and teams are paying for Nascar's insistence on racing in Southern California during the rainy season. The N in Nascar should now stand for Nimrod.
Posted by: ron | Feb 24, 2008 10:58:08 PM
They are very lucky no one got hurt. I was screaming get out!
Posted by: Graceann | Feb 24, 2008 10:41:01 PM
I know, heard many drivers talk about it, but yet they made a point to mention on TV that they talked to drivers before the race started and said no one complained? They just wanted to get this race to halfway today, period and safety obviously wasn't an issue for them today.
Posted by: Kathy | Feb 24, 2008 10:33:10 PM
Scared the crap out of me. It seemed like it took for ever to get Casey out. Jr. was so mad he was talking in broken sentences, couldn't hardly understand him. Don't blame himone bit. KK was saying on the scanner it was wet & Kenny said he kept telling them but they said it was ok. He said he talked to JG pit box and they were complaining also. Guess NASCAR wasn't listening to them until the crash.
Posted by: Graceann | Feb 24, 2008 10:09:43 PM
I have to agree that this race shouldn't have started. If it goes full term as Nascar hopes it will be ending at some ungodly hour here on the East Coast. Not to mention I am sure that rating will be down for obvious reasons.
Posted by: Scott | Feb 24, 2008 10:08:06 PM
This is one of the weirdest races I've seen. It's right up there with the chunk of concrete that decided to jump up and get Gordon at Martinsville. NASCAR couldn't do anything about that, but it's too bad they didn't prevent this situation tonight.
Posted by: Nathan ATX | Feb 24, 2008 10:06:49 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
Advertisements
