New Nationwide Cars for Daytona?

[edv]

I should follow the news more closely, but is it true that NNS is introducing a new car for this race?
I saw a picture of a Ford and a Dodge, and they both used a front facia that mimicked the road-going Mustang and Challenger. Are they going to run these and is Chevy gonna follow suit? Will they complete the trio by using the facia from the new Camaro?
And what about Toyota?
From the picture I saw, it looked to me like the front ends of the cars were identical aero-wise, and that the 'road car look' sits behind a sort-of clear front wrap.

I am all for much better brand recognition in NASCAR racing all around, even if it is an illusion.

[damg75]

Yes, the nationwide series is introducing its version of the "car of tomorrow" (COT) in tonight's race at Daytona....Ford and Dodge decided to run the Mustang and Challenger while Chevy and Toyota stayed with their volume production cars the impala and Camry. They'll be run in nationwide for 4 races this year and will be run full time next year. Hopefully GM wakes up and decides to use the camaro in the future.

[harvick#1]

it doesnt even matter, everyone is always worried what car should it be, but in the end, its just a few decals and thats it to mimic the car.

now if you wanna see real car bodies, trying touring cars

[damg75]

it doesnt even matter, everyone is always worried what car should it be, but in the end, its just a few decals and thats it to mimic the car.

now if you wanna see real car bodies, trying touring cars
Very true...NASCAR should just change their name to NADSCAR (National Association for Decal Stock Car Auto Racing), lol :D

[wbcobrar]

I love the new nationwide cars . Maby they will inspire an "arrow war" in American pony cars. :burnout: The #22 and #12 had good quall times. Speed set up , or just a fast car?

[harvick#1]

I love the new nationwide cars . Maby they will inspire an "arrow war" in American pony cars. :burnout: The #22 and #12 had good quall times. Speed set up , or just a fast car?

its plate racing, for qualies its 99.5% car

[Jonesi]

it doesnt even matter, everyone is always worried what car should it be, but in the end, its just a few decals and thats it to mimic the car.

now if you wanna see real car bodies, trying touring cars


Which Touring Car series would that be? Because whenever FIA gets involved they seem to end up with +$500k cars with titanium, carbon fiber, magnesium, etc replacing the stock steel parts.

[muggle not]

wooHoo, congrats to jr for bringing the #3 car home.

[Sparky1329]

Way to go Junebug! Woo hooo!

[00steven]

I'm not a Jr. fan but have to say I was real happy to see him win.

[Sparky1329]

I'm not really a Jr fan myself but I always cheer for him when he's racing. I'll be a diehard fan of his dad's until I take the "Dirt Nap". It was really sweet to see that Wrangler paint scheme back on the track and in Victory Lane.

[TURN3]

With Jr. driving the 3 car tonight, was there really a doub who was going to get the W? I appreciate it, sure makes for a great feel good story. But much like his July W in the 8 after Sr. died during the Feb 500, convince me and more importantly the other drivers, it wasn't fixed. Not trying to rain on the parade, it is special, but special is special when it isn't fixed (i.e., enigne, aero, tech, etc.)....come one now NASCAR, be a little realistic.

[muggle not]

With Jr. driving the 3 car tonight, was there really a doub who was going to get the W? I appreciate it, sure makes for a great feel good story. But much like his July W in the 8 after Sr. died during the Feb 500, convince me and more importantly the other drivers, it wasn't fixed. Not trying to rain on the parade, it is special, but special is special when it isn't fixed (i.e., enigne, aero, tech, etc.)....come one now NASCAR, be a little realistic.
You gotta be kidding. :rolleyes:

[Alexamateo]

With Jr. driving the 3 car tonight, was there really a doub who was going to get the W? I appreciate it, sure makes for a great feel good story. But much like his July W in the 8 after Sr. died during the Feb 500, convince me and more importantly the other drivers, it wasn't fixed. Not trying to rain on the parade, it is special, but special is special when it isn't fixed (i.e., enigne, aero, tech, etc.)....come one now NASCAR, be a little realistic.

Yeah, my favorite part was how they got both Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski to slide through their respective pits and have to back up in order to allow Jr. to get to the lead in the first place. :rolleyes: :dozey:



But much like his July W in the 8 after Sr. died during the Feb 500, convince me and more importantly the other drivers, it wasn't fixed.

Yes it was shocking that the drivers who finished 1-2 in the race in which Dale Sr. died would also run 1-2 in the July race, not to mention that DEI as a team won 10 of 16 restrictor plate races at Daytona and Talladega between 2001 and 2004.

[TURN3]

I didn't watch the race last night so I'm just speculating. All I'm saying is that I called it when they made the deal to race the 3 public. From what I witnessed on the hi-lights, it looked like he didn't need much help to get around other cars but hi-lights don't tell that stroy so I don't know.

As far as the July race back in '01 or '02 or whatever, How many drivers publicly stated how ironic it was that Jr. could drive up around the outside of other cars with ZERO help AND pull away? It was pretty obvious it that race anyway so I won't put anything past NASCAR.

Both are good stories, but manufactured, much like late race cautions. If you don't want to buy into NASCAR's willingness and obvious ability to manufacture drama, then you're not paying attention. Both of Jr's W's are great and feel good stories either way. But sorry Jr fans, it isn't all it's made up to be in my opinion.

[beachbum]

I didn't watch the race last night so I'm just speculating. All I'm saying is that I called it when they made the deal to race the 3 public. From what I witnessed on the hi-lights, it looked like he didn't need much help to get around other cars but hi-lights don't tell that stroy so I don't know.

As far as the July race back in '01 or '02 or whatever, How many drivers publicly stated how ironic it was that Jr. could drive up around the outside of other cars with ZERO help AND pull away? It was pretty obvious it that race anyway so I won't put anything past NASCAR.

Both are good stories, but manufactured, much like late race cautions. If you don't want to buy into NASCAR's willingness and obvious ability to manufacture drama, then you're not paying attention. Both of Jr's W's are great and feel good stories either way. But sorry Jr fans, it isn't all it's made up to be in my opinion.I don't buy into the conspiracy theory, although I am not a big Junior fan. I watched the whole race, and unlike some of Junior's races lately, he stayed very focused and didn't make mistakes. He also wasn't the fastest most of the race. I think there are a number of reasons he won.

1. Some teams were obviously more ready for the new car than others. Penske had very good cars, while some others weren't so good. There apparently were some wide variations in setups and some cars were very loose.

2. This was a very big deal for JR Motosports, Hendrick, Childress and even EGR. They all admitted they put a very big effort into building the best possible car and engine. Being the first race with a new car, the teams that were fully prepared were going to be well ahead of those who didn't do their homework as well.

3. Qualifying showed Penske had the fastest cars, but Junior wasn't far behind. The key seemed to be how aggressive you could get with the setups. Harvick was very conservative and never had the best speed. Others were very aggressive and got slower on long runs. Juniors team seemed to hit the sweet spot in the middle.

4. Junior wasn't the fastest car all night, just very good on long runs.

5. Junior has always been very good with Nationwide cars and restricter plate races. He seems to love Daytona. He also likes non-coil bind setups and this is the first car in some time that ran well without being coil bound.

6. Junior and his team was very motivated and focused. As he himself said, anything less that first was a waste of time. That little extra determination means a lot at this level. He was going to be very hard to pass at the end.

7. His pit crew was his full Sprint cup crew, which gave an advantage

8. He got help when he needed it. Logano pushed him to the front on the last restart and Junior, Lagano, and Stenhouse pulled away.

IHMO, his win was no surprise given those facts.

If there was any surprise, it was Stenhouse in 3rd. Where did that come from?

[harvick#1]

I didnt see the race, but I had no doubt Jr was gonna win, just seemed kinda obvious unless he was caught in a wreck or an engine fail.

in the final laps on the restart, everyone on the outside (except for Kev and Brad) basically did not want to restart and Jr got a clean line. and on the final lap, Logano had a good enough run to make the outside move, but didnt want to. sorry Logano, but thats lame, your not running for a championship, only wins and to be scared that if you win, your gonna get booed cause you pass Jr for the win, then get out of the sport.

[beachbum]

Interesting how many posts start "I didn't see the race" and then progress to some conspiracy theory about what happened.

[harvick#1]

Interesting how many posts start "I didn't see the race" and then progress to some conspiracy theory about what happened.

still saw a recap of the final laps

[wbcobrar]

If Logano had tried anything Stenhouse would have stuck with the #3 and Joey goes from 2nd to , 6th? , 8th? joonyars car was a long run car , in the prime of its run. And Stenhouse just needs to finish the race. As for all of those who have a problem with the car, nothing illegal with maticlious build quality.

[Jonesi]

You gotta be kidding. :rolleyes:

It doesn't really take much to do it. Assuming a top 5 car/driver (which DE jr is at plate tracks) all it takes is 1/64" larger restricter plate. Neither the driver or crew need know they were helped (although they may secretly suspect).

Back to the subject of the thread: The new cars really seem loose and bouncing around. I hope it is more Daytona needing repaving than a problem with the cars.

[beachbum]

It doesn't really take much to do it. Assuming a top 5 car/driver (which DE jr is at plate tracks) all it takes is 1/64" larger restricter plate. Neither the driver or crew need know they were helped (although they may secretly suspect).If he had a bigger restrictor plate, he should have more HP and more straightway speed than other cars - he didn't. More speed could also come from less drag in the car.

But I just don't understand why some people think there must be some conspiracy when a driver runs well.

Was there some trickery in the Penske cars that made them so fast in qualifying? A few years ago, Mark Martin just dominated at Charlotte. Did he "get the call"? When Kyle Busch runs down the whole field, is there some conspiracy at work?

Could it be that on that day with that driver, they were just better than the rest?

That why they run the races. To see who is the best on that given day. Someone wins, someone doesn't. Sometimes the winner is exactly who is expected to win, and sometimes it is a surprise.


Back to the subject of the thread: The new cars really seem loose and bouncing around. I hope it is more Daytona needing repaving than a problem with the cars.Daytona looks a LOT rougher this year that previously, but I think the new cars have less downforce, which would have "stuck" them to the track better. Some cars looked pretty stable, like the Penske cars in qualifying, and some seemed to miss the setup by quite a bit. Like the COT, they will figure out what setup is the best overall, but it will take a few races.

[Alexamateo]

Just an observation, on the last pit stop (the one before the g-w-c, Dale Jr. and others did not pit on the yellow before the g-w-c), both Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski slid through their pits and had to back up losing time. As a result, Dale Jr. beat everybody out of the pits and Kyle and Brad were ~7th and 12th more or less. Had Dale Jr. messed up that stop we'd be hearing it to no end about how he's a "no-talent hack that finally has a chance to win a race and chokes under pressure".

With some, if he wins, it's rigged and/or pure luck, and if he doesn't, well you know what they say.

[muggle not]

Just an observation, on the last pit stop (the one before the g-w-c, Dale Jr. and others did not pit on the yellow before the g-w-c), both Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski slid through their pits and had to back up losing time. As a result, Dale Jr. beat everybody out of the pits and Kyle and Brad were ~7th and 12th more or less. Had Dale Jr. messed up that stop we'd be hearing it to no end about how he's a "no-talent hack that finally has a chance to win a race and chokes under pressure".

With some, if he wins, it's rigged and/or pure luck, and if he doesn't, well you know what they say.
You hit the nail pretty much right on the head. There are some fans, in the minority though, that jump on Jr regardless of how he performs.

[Sparky1329]

Just an observation, on the last pit stop (the one before the g-w-c, Dale Jr. and others did not pit on the yellow before the g-w-c), both Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski slid through their pits and had to back up losing time. As a result, Dale Jr. beat everybody out of the pits and Kyle and Brad were ~7th and 12th more or less. Had Dale Jr. messed up that stop we'd be hearing it to no end about how he's a "no-talent hack that finally has a chance to win a race and chokes under pressure".

With some, if he wins, it's rigged and/or pure luck, and if he doesn't, well you know what they say.

+100

[Mark in Oshawa]

Just an observation, on the last pit stop (the one before the g-w-c, Dale Jr. and others did not pit on the yellow before the g-w-c), both Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski slid through their pits and had to back up losing time. As a result, Dale Jr. beat everybody out of the pits and Kyle and Brad were ~7th and 12th more or less. Had Dale Jr. messed up that stop we'd be hearing it to no end about how he's a "no-talent hack that finally has a chance to win a race and chokes under pressure".

With some, if he wins, it's rigged and/or pure luck, and if he doesn't, well you know what they say.\


Oh so true. I cant count the number of people I know on FB who think it is a fix...and it makes me laugh. Dale Jr. hasn't been competitive in a lot of races lately, but no one who follows the sport seriously would ever discount his chances at Daytona or Dega. The guy always finds his way to the front. He hasn't won a points race there in 6 years in Cup, but he always is competitive....