2013 Nascar Series starts - Daytona 500 today

[jimnyc]

And yes, Jimmie Johnson wins the opening race!! Danica Patrick had the pole position, eventually did lead a few laps to become the 1st woman ever to do so. Congrats to her! She faded a tad in the last lap and finished 8th.

[Robert A Whit]

And yes, Jimmie Johnson wins the opening race!! Danica Patrick had the pole position, eventually did lead a few laps to become the 1st woman ever to do so. Congrats to her! She faded a tad in the last lap and finished 8th.

It was 1962 and I was at Ft. Benning Army base in Georgia. I got wind of the Charlotte SC 500 mile stock car race so using my thumb, got a ride to the race. I tell you, sitting in the stands covered me with rubber from the race car tires. Maybe it was not normal but till I was able to shower, I felt filthy. They went around very fast. Bigger engines than today but I think the top speeds were over 180 mph that day. Look up Firebaugh Roberts and the Petty boys. Those old bootleggers could really fly.

I normally don't watch one of those very long races but today I watched the race. I honestly expected on the last lap she would take 3rd. She as you say faded. I kept thinking, she is losing a lot of dollars in purse money. I don't know the pay outs per position so might be wrong. But it seems the pay for 3 place is more than for 8th. She did fine though. I thought for a minute that Biffle was going to win.

[fj1200]

Danica Patrick had the pole position...

Why does she always look so mad?

[SassyLady]

Why does she always look so mad?

Because she hasn't won yet!?! I don't think she looks any madder than any other "male" racer out there that doesn't win. Seriously, fj, have you ever seen interviews with the losers that are laughing and smiling? Very few.


It was 1962 and I was at Ft. Benning Army base in Georgia. I got wind of the Charlotte SC 500 mile stock car race so using my thumb, got a ride to the race. I tell you, sitting in the stands covered me with rubber from the race car tires. Maybe it was not normal but till I was able to shower, I felt filthy. They went around very fast. Bigger engines than today but I think the top speeds were over 180 mph that day. Look up Firebaugh Roberts and the Petty boys. Those old bootleggers could really fly.

I normally don't watch one of those very long races but today I watched the race. I honestly expected on the last lap she would take 3rd. She as you say faded. I kept thinking, she is losing a lot of dollars in purse money. I don't know the pay outs per position so might be wrong. But it seems the pay for 3 place is more than for 8th. She did fine though. I thought for a minute that Biffle was going to win.

I never for a moment thought Biffle would win and didn't think Danica would either. However, I so did want her to take that third place spot and thought Earnhardt would help her, but he wanted to win and hung her out to dry when he quit drafting with her. Once you lose your push it's like putting a parachute on your car and you are pulled to the back of the pack faster than a greased pig. She didn't fade ... she was sucked backwards because Earnhardt darted out and pushed Johnson ... waiting to pass on the last lap but just couldn't get around him.

On another note, it's great that the Gen-6 cars are actually looking like the cars that they are supposed to represent (those being sold on showroom floors) .... Ford Fusion, Chevy SS and the Toyota Camry.

[fj1200]

Because she hasn't won yet!?! I don't think she looks any madder than any other "male" racer out there that doesn't win. Seriously, fj, have you ever seen interviews with the losers that are laughing and smiling? Very few.

The pictures of her I'm talking about aren't post race, they're just shots of her with her game face as far as I know. It seems like the few NASCAR shots I see happen to be of her which shows how little I pay attention.

[darin]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y59/TravisTollett/Nascar.jpg

[Voted4Reagan]

Anybody but gordon

[jimnyc]

It was 1962 and I was at Ft. Benning Army base in Georgia. I got wind of the Charlotte SC 500 mile stock car race so using my thumb, got a ride to the race. I tell you, sitting in the stands covered me with rubber from the race car tires. Maybe it was not normal but till I was able to shower, I felt filthy. They went around very fast. Bigger engines than today but I think the top speeds were over 180 mph that day. Look up Firebaugh Roberts and the Petty boys. Those old bootleggers could really fly.

I normally don't watch one of those very long races but today I watched the race. I honestly expected on the last lap she would take 3rd. She as you say faded. I kept thinking, she is losing a lot of dollars in purse money. I don't know the pay outs per position so might be wrong. But it seems the pay for 3 place is more than for 8th. She did fine though. I thought for a minute that Biffle was going to win.

3rd place - $817,013
8th place - $357,464

That's a lot of dough for one lap of misery!!

The fun is at a dirt track, even though I only did it once, in Toccoa, Georgia while visiting my brother. By the time the race is over you are deaf and dirty. The cars are SO fast in comparison to the track that they are perpetually turning. Fun!

[jimnyc]

Why does she always look so mad?

http://i.imgur.com/EQHeMiw.jpg

[jimnyc]

I will say this much, and even though she faded to 8th, she proved she can hang yesterday. Hitting 195 with 40 other cars within feet of you, not as easy as it sounds!

[Robert A Whit]

Because she hasn't won yet!?! I don't think she looks any madder than any other "male" racer out there that doesn't win. Seriously, fj, have you ever seen interviews with the losers that are laughing and smiling? Very few.



I never for a moment thought Biffle would win and didn't think Danica would either. However, I so did want her to take that third place spot and thought Earnhardt would help her, but he wanted to win and hung her out to dry when he quit drafting with her. Once you lose your push it's like putting a parachute on your car and you are pulled to the back of the pack faster than a greased pig. She didn't fade ... she was sucked backwards because Earnhardt darted out and pushed Johnson ... waiting to pass on the last lap but just couldn't get around him.

On another note, it's great that the Gen-6 cars are actually looking like the cars that they are supposed to represent (those being sold on showroom floors) .... Ford Fusion, Chevy SS and the Toyota Camry.

I was fooling around with this forum at the same time so did not hear the explanation you gave. If you knew that with no explanation you sure know racing. Now that you say it that way, I see what you mean.

Back when I went to a 500 mile race, the cars were much larger. They had wood/steel rails into the puts and Roberts sheared off his right front wheel the day I went. I have gone to these races at the race track not far from Vallejo too.

We can't for get that Danica won an indy car race in Japan. It was reported on the AM news that due to her in the race, TV had 30 percent more viewers. She is gold. I did not think she looked angry either. Tired probably.

At the SC 500 the day I was there, somebody's car flipped over on a curve and upside down stayed on the track for quite a ways. Very strange to see a car do that.

[Robert A Whit]

I will say this much, and even though she faded to 8th, she proved she can hang yesterday. Hitting 195 with 40 other cars within feet of you, not as easy as it sounds!

As you say, that is super tricky driving. Don't forget, she did win an indy car type race in Japan. She can definitely win. I can't fault her since she just happened to be boxed in. At the end of the race she said had she tried to pull to her left to pass, she would be freight trained. I assume she means she would be wrecked. Better to save the car, take her 8th and keep the car in good shape.

Wasn't it Greg Biffle that was in the lead until he suddenly got passed?

[jimnyc]

As you say, that is super tricky driving. Don't forget, she did win an indy car type race in Japan. She can definitely win. I can't fault her since she just happened to be boxed in. At the end of the race she said had she tried to pull to her left to pass, she would be freight trained. I assume she means she would be wrecked. Better to save the car, take her 8th and keep the car in good shape.

Wasn't it Greg Biffle that was in the lead until he suddenly got passed?

For starters, Sassy nailed it. As soon as Danica was pulled out of the draft, without a "partner", she faded, IMO due to no fault of her own. It was Brad Keselowski who was winning until the final caution flag. Jimmie Johnson was leading when the flag went out and chose the outside for the restart. He pulled away from there and wasn't threatened. Dale wanted to pass him but didn't have it, and mainly pushed Jimmie to the victory.

[Robert A Whit]

3rd place - $817,013
8th place - $357,464

That's a lot of dough for one lap of misery!!

The fun is at a dirt track, even though I only did it once, in Toccoa, Georgia while visiting my brother. By the time the race is over you are deaf and dirty. The cars are SO fast in comparison to the track that they are perpetually turning. Fun!

Thanks for the figures. She lost a half million bucks on that final lap. That is a bunch of cash.

The good part. She did not wreck. Winning that much, she still won a bunch. I imagine that taxes won't impact that purse due to the operating expenses deductions and other expenses.

[jimnyc]

Btw, it was Kenseth who lead the most until his engine blew out, followed by Kyle Busch.

[Robert A Whit]

For starters, Sassy nailed it. As soon as Danica was pulled out of the draft, without a "partner", she faded, IMO due to no fault of her own. It was Brad Keselowski who was winning until the final caution flag. Jimmie Johnson was leading when the flag went out and chose the outside for the restart. He pulled away from there and wasn't threatened. Dale wanted to pass him but didn't have it, and mainly pushed Jimmie to the victory.

Oh, okay. I was messing with this forum at the same time and was not facing the TV. That clears it up for me. I was confusing Biffle for Johnson. Should have faced the TV or I plain forgot. :laugh:

[Robert A Whit]

Btw, it was Kenseth who lead the most until his engine blew out, followed by Kyle Busch.

Gordon led a bunch of laps too. I guess messing on this forum and having the race on, I got distracted more than I realized. Kenseth did seem to lead a lot of laps. Do they get paid per lap they lead? I know Indy did that, probably still pay for a lap that is led.

[jimnyc]

Gordon led a bunch of laps too. I guess messing on this forum and having the race on, I got distracted more than I realized. Kenseth did seem to lead a lot of laps. Do they get paid per lap they lead? I know Indy did that, probably still pay for a lap that is led.

Depends if they win or not! The scoring is odd, and too hard/long to explain, read here:

http://nascar.about.com/od/standings/a/nascarpoints.htm

[Robert A Whit]

Jimmie Johnson proved the fastest on Sunday, garnering himself far more than a simple confetti parade and a big ole’ trophy — the pay day for Johnson’s first place finish was a cool $1,525,275.
But he wasn’t the only one to walk away from the track with a fat paycheck. The total Daytona 500 payout came in at just under $20 million. The $19.3 million spread out amongst all the drivers is the most in the history of the race and, simply put one big chunk of change for a single day.
Here’s the full payment breakdown, according to SB Nation (http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2013/2/24/4025524/2013-daytona-500-purse-prize-money):
1) Jimmie Johnson: $1,525,275
2) Dale Earnhardt Jr. $1,104,814
3) Mark Martin $817,013
4) Brad Keselowski $707,855
5) Ryan Newman $573,271
6) Greg Biffle $481,864
7) Regan Smith $411,822
8) Danica Patrick $389,464
9) Michael McDowell $368,121
10) J.J. Yeley $338,738
11) Clint Bowyer $373,086
12) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. $373,399
13) Aric Almirola $358,449
14) Denny Hamlin $330,739
15) Bobby Labonte $337,647
16) David Reutimann $324,872
17) Dave Blaney $322,785
18) Marcos Ambrose $340,072
19) Joey Logano $339,057
20) Jeff Gordon $362,229
21) Paul Menard $343,279
22) Michael Waltrip $309,554
23) Scott Speed $305,514
24) Marin Truex Jr. $340,114
25) Travis Kvapil $317,038
26) Terry Labonte $307,838
27) Trevor Bayne $308,789
28) Kurt Busch #336,234
29) Casey Mears $312,314
30) Jeff Burton $311,031
31) Austin Dillon $313,583
32) Jamie McMurray $328,933
33) Carl Edwards $334,164
34) Kyle Busch $377,610
35) David Ragan $308,188
36) Kasey Kahne $334,118
37) Matt Kenseth $544,306
38) David Gilliland $283,879
39) Juan Pablo Montoya $318,593
40) Josh Wise $276,953
41) Tony Stewart $321,179
42) Kevin Harvick $346,418
43) Joe Nemechek $264,354

[fj1200]

http://i.imgur.com/EQHeMiw.jpg

See? Mad. Those shades she always wears don't help either. Not that she doesn't have other redeeming qualities. :cool:

[Abbey Marie]

Fj, she's probably just posturing in a male-dominated field.

[fj1200]

Fj, she's probably just posturing in a male-dominated field.

Were you taking into account that last shot when you said that? :poke:

[Abbey Marie]

Were you taking into account that last shot when you said that? :poke:

No. I was actually doing something rather rare around here: responding directly and sincerely to your question/comment. Therefore, not understanding the poke-icon.

Whaddevuh. :laugh2:

[Robert A Whit]

No doubt to me that in that Danica photo in the car, she posed the way the Camera person wanted her to. She probably smiled in other photos but the photo selection we saw no doubt was not the pose she may have wanted. I notice at the race she is serious. Maybe to some that looks angry. I doubt she is angry very often.

[fj1200]

No. I was actually doing something rather rare around here: responding directly and sincerely to your question/comment. Therefore, not understanding the poke-icon.

Whaddevuh. :laugh2:

I suppoooooose I was a bit flip there but you may be right. It's just that her expressions always seem very stern but then I don't pay much attention to other drivers. If they even make the Yahoo headlines. When I flipped past the coverage the other night and saw the three male announcers, I thought to myself that it's good they don't put those guys on TV too often.

[SassyLady]

I suppoooooose I was a bit flip there but you may be right. It's just that her expressions always seem very stern but then I don't pay much attention to other drivers. If they even make the Yahoo headlines. When I flipped past the coverage the other night and saw the three male announcers, I thought to myself that it's good they don't put those guys on TV too often.

Just so you don't think she always looks mad:

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[SassyLady]

Robert ... freight train does not mean being crashed.

[Robert A Whit]

Robert ... freight train does not mean being crashed.

What did she mean?

[SassyLady]

What did she mean?

Means she becomes one of the cars in a long straight line of cars....like a freight train.

Here is an interesting video you might enjoy about "bump drafting".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2-Yl2Yr8xo

[Robert A Whit]

Means she becomes one of the cars in a long straight line of cars....like a freight train.

Here is an interesting video you might enjoy about "bump drafting".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2-Yl2Yr8xo

I dunno, she was already in a line of cars ergo she was already freight training.

Thanks for the video. I however have long known of drafting and how it works.

I was very puzzled since she was in that line of cars and used the reason for not moving to the open spot to the left as being freight trained. That is why it puzzled me.If you recall, had she moved left, nobody would be in front of her on the final lap. i think she did not make that move fearing the loss of draft.

[SassyLady]

I dunno, she was already in a line of cars ergo she was already freight training.

Thanks for the video. I however have long known of drafting and how it works.

I was very puzzled since she was in that line of cars and used the reason for not moving to the open spot to the left as being freight trained. That is why it puzzled me.If you recall, had she moved left, nobody would be in front of her on the final lap. i think she did not make that move fearing the loss of draft.

Well, I don't remember her making that statement so have no reference. Perhaps you can provide a link and I'll try to discern what she meant.

[Robert A Whit]

Well, I don't remember her making that statement so have no reference. Perhaps you can provide a link and I'll try to discern what she meant.

I tried to find it but what I did find in an article is the comment that the track had grip on the outside and a lot less on the inside.

I almost put that race on DVD but alas did not. She was standing outside her car and a reporter was talking to her. The idea of pulling out to pass came up and that is when she explained why she did not pass on the inside.

[SassyLady]

I tried to find it but what I did find in an article is the comment that the track had grip on the outside and a lot less on the inside.

I almost put that race on DVD but alas did not. She was standing outside her car and a reporter was talking to her. The idea of pulling out to pass came up and that is when she explained why she did not pass on the inside.

I did record it and just watched her interview again. The only thing I can think of is that if she dived low there would be no one there to push her and then the top line would have freight trained past her not allowing her to get back in. Happens frequently in this race.

[Robert A Whit]

I tried to find it but what I did find in an article is the comment that the track had grip on the outside and a lot less on the inside.

I almost put that race on DVD but alas did not. She was standing outside her car and a reporter was talking to her. The idea of pulling out to pass came up and that is when she explained why she did not pass on the inside.

Found this but it came AFTER the interview I mentioned.

http://youtu.be/VRvTTt3pyFQ