For us "newbies"

[race aficionado]

When does the season start?
When does Juan and the rest of the Nascar drivers start practicing?
Is this like in F1 where different teams test on the same tracks?

[Jonesi]

Mid January there will be a two day test at Daytona for half the teams, followed by a two day test for the other half. Usually the Nascar teams move into Daytona a couple of days after the 24 hour race, but this year there's an extra week in between (probably Super Bowl conflict). So expect to see news from the track about Feb 6-7. Race is Feb 18. The IROC race is about Feb 15 (if they find sponsorship) and I would think JMP would be a likely invitee.

[harvick#1]

IROC will not invite JPM.

IROC invites the top 5 in NNC points, Busch Champ, CTS champ, WoO champ, IRL Champ, Indy 500 Winner, I think the IRL top 3. and maybe another WoO driver

[Alexamateo]

I think in ths case they could bend their own rules, assuming of course that the series even takes the green flag this year.

[RaceFanStan]

Yeah, they should give JPM special treatment, he is the mesiah to some people .... http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g202/gr8link/erm/e4.gif

[DonnieDarco]

Thats Messiah, to you Stan :D

[Alexamateo]

Yeah, they should give JPM special treatment, he is the mesiah to some people .... http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g202/gr8link/erm/e4.gif


Special treatment? NAh! 7 Formula One wins, 27 podiums (top 3), 11 CART/Indycar wins including the Indy 500, a CART championship. He would merit an invite and join a list of IROC F1 invitees such as Emerson Fittipaldi, Graham Hill, JAmes Hunt, Jody Schecter, Denis Hulme et al. :p :

[RaceFanStan]

It's a "what have you done lately ?" thing. :laugh:

[harvick#1]

Special treatment? NAh! 7 Formula One wins, 27 podiums (top 3), 11 CART/Indycar wins including the Indy 500, a CART championship. He would merit an invite and join a list of IROC F1 invitees such as Emerson Fittipaldi, Graham Hill, JAmes Hunt, Jody Schecter, Denis Hulme et al. :p :


IROC doesn't look at past history, they look at what they won this year.

I forgot to mention the previous IROC champion gets invited as well

[Alexamateo]

IROC doesn't look at past history, they look at what they won this year.

I forgot to mention the previous IROC champion gets invited as well


Oh, then that's why Scott Sharp and Ryan Newman were there in 2006 for their stellar 2005 seasons :dozey:

[harvick#1]

I haven't followed the IROC series since they went to Speed in 04' or 05' thats how the rules have been, then I'm not sure why newman or Sharp got in

[#6CupFan]

From thier website... "Drivers are selected and invited to compete in the International Race of Champions by the IROC organizers. Drivers who have won major championships or major races at major tracks are given primary consideration by IROC."

Should be noted that Penske Racing is a partner of IROC racing....might answer your Newman question ;)

[Lee Roy]

When does the season start?
When does Juan and the rest of the Nascar drivers start practicing?
Is this like in F1 where different teams test on the same tracks?

A good resource for keeping up with things going on in NASCAR is http://www.jayski.com

http://www.jayski.com/teams/testing2007.htm


2007 Testing News:
NASCAR has set its 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series testing schedule that includes seven different venues that will provide the teams an opportunity to prepare for the various track layouts and surfaces that they will face over the course of the season. NASCAR determined the test schedule with the input and cooperation of each of the teams’ crew chiefs.
The testing sessions begin at Daytona International Speedway with the NASCAR Jackson Hewitt Preseason Thunder at Daytona, beginning Monday, Jan. 8 running through Wednesday, Jan. 10 for approximately half the teams. Thursday, Jan. 11 is the rain date, if necessary. Test sessions will resume Monday, Jan. 15 through Wednesday, Jan. 17, with Thursday, Jan. 18 as the rain date for the remaining teams. Test sessions at Daytona are scheduled for 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., weather permitting, with an hour lunch break from noon until 1 p.m.

[race aficionado]

Thanks Lee Roy
:)

[jslone]

In regards to JPM,he has not done a full schedule in Busch or Cup,but his past as a champ in Champcar should count but I doubt IROC goes that far back,in this case JPM does not merit special treatment from IROC.

[RaceFanStan]

JPM has NEVER competed in IROC before ! :eek:
Several times when he WAS a champion I'm sure he was invited.
For whatever reason JPM declined the invitation(s).
JPM's last Championship was CART 1999, now he goes to NASCAR .....
JPM to IROC 2007 ? NO F'ing way ! :p :

[oldhippie]

i hope this year all the drivers are champions and not a wannabe like newman

[harvick#1]

thats what the IROC should be but they don't do that

[oldhippie]

then they shouldnt call it a race of champions imo

[Alexamateo]

Good night people!

In a perfect world, yes only the champions of each and every major series would be invited, but in the imperfect world in which we actually live, drivers accept or decline for all sorts of reasons like sponsorship issues etc. The most important factor is avalibility and scheduleing. It's usually not a problem for NASCAR Drivers because they run on Nascar tracks on NAscar weekends, but it can and does have problems with drivers in other series.

An example is Sebastian Bordais, who I am sure Iroc would have loved in 2006. He won an IROC race in 2005, and was a champion in 2005 with many race wins. He could not participate because of scheduling conflicts. It's rare the all the first choices get to go. Look through all the past history, there's plenty of marginal drivers with not even a quarter of the credentials of JPM.

Remember, it's a made for tv event, so another consideration is who will put fans in the seats or eyeballs on the tv screen.

Plus wasn't the original question whether the series was even going to exist or not this year. There's no sponsor right now, and there have been skipped years in the past when there was no sponsor.

Let's find out if there even going to have it this year before we worry about who does or does not merit an invitation.

[race aficionado]

As a newbie I have been doing a lot of learning and I'm getting to like this type of racing as every race weekend goes by.

What I have learned is that yes, all have the same chassis but the key is the different motors and all motors are obviously not alike. I know for a fact that my man Juan does not have a car fast enough to have him fighting for the top 2 and i just hope that Dodge catches up with the Chevies soon enough.

Also, can some one please explain to me what a "tight" car is?

a "loose car"?

And why is it sometimes good to be "tight" or "loose"depending on??????

thanks.

:s mokin:

[harvick#1]

loose is when the rear comes around or slides (man this is fun in racing games)

and tight is when the front end doesn't turn very well

[RaceFanStan]

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g202/gr8link/vis/tightloose1.jpg

[harvick#1]

Loose is so much more fun than tight. I had being tight in racing :D

[Alexamateo]

I'll add "Tight" = "Understeer"
"Loose" = "Oversteer"

I'm sure you've also noticed that they will talk about being "tight" on entry , and "Loose" off. Well it means that entering the corner the car is understeering, so they'll have to back off more to set the car, but when they get back on the gas, the car is oversteering and it wants to spin out.

Then there's "tight in the middle" and "forward bite" and endless variations. Isn't NASCAR fun? :D :D :D

[race aficionado]

Thanks guys! :)