565 replies to this topic

[OvDrone]

Well now, it's that time of the year when all the Series are getting shorter with each race and the winter non-race existential crises loom over the distant cold horizon.

 

'til that happens, I am inviting all y'all unforgivable Motorsport fiends to the controversial Nascar Monster Chase. A playoff system seemingly birthed just in order to make race fans puke hate, vitriol and despair. But I am of those rare corrupt souls that does enjoy this format. I get the hype back for the last races; fake or not whatever. FUN IS HERE; HAVE IT.

 

If you take yourself too serious, life and the Universe will find a way to dump your weak ass behind. So grab a chair and come enjoy rich bastards to round fast for some hours. Isn't that why we are all here?

 

Yes.

 

Here's how it'll go down:

 

 

Got it? Good.

 

So today, in like 1 hour, or 8pm BST, 9pm CET, 3pm EST we go green at our first race in despondent Chicagoland raceway:

 

 

Track layout:

 

 

Cool.

 

Enough of that; time to see who our 16 victims heroes are this year ( in random order

 

Subject A:

 

Kyle 'definitely not racing for Stewart Haas' Busch

 

 

Sun Sign: Leo ♌ - Midsummer - lovably self-absorbed.

 

Subject B:

 

Jamie 'god I wish he'd have a different title sponsor' McMurray

 

 

Sun Sign: Gemini ♊ - the Death of Spring - diversely fickle.

 

Subject C:

 

Kyle 'holy s**t put this dude in every car everywhere' Larson

 

 

Sun Sign - Leo ♌ - Midsummer - creative tyrant.

 

Subject D:

 

Kasey 'whyeven' Kahne

 

 

Sun Sign - Aries ♈ - the Birth of Spring - pioneering chaos.

 

Subject E:

 

Ryan 'THEBRICK' Newman

 

 

Sun Sign: Sagittarius ♐ - the Death of Autumn - natural knowitall.

 

Subject F:

 

Matt 'nobody cares anymore' Kenseth

 

 

Sun Sign - Pisces ♓ - the Death of Winter - compassionate loser.

 

Subject G:

 

Chase 'the least likable young gun' Elliott

 

 

Sun Sign - Sagittarius ♐ - the Death of Autumn - expansive slouch.

 

Subject H:

 

Austin 'why is he even here?' Dillon

 

 

Sun Sign - Taurus ♉ - Midspring - rich sloth.

 

Subject I:

 

Ryan 'making mullets decent' Blaney

 

 

Sun Sign - Capricorn ♑ - the Birth of Winter - ambitious zealot.

 

Subject J:

 

Jimmie '8' Johnson

 

 

Sun Sign - Virgo ♍ - the Death of Summer - pure controlfreak.

 

Subject K:

 

Ricky 'the other Danica' Stenhouse

 

 

Sun Sign - Libra ♎ - the Birth of Autumn - cardinal ambivalence.

 

Subject L:

 

Kyle 'Fear and Loathing' Busch

 

 

Sun Sign - Taurus ♉ -  Midspring - jeweled stubbornness.

 

Subject M:

 

Brad 'coyote' Keselowski

 

 

Sun Sign - Aquarius ♒ - Midwinter - genius non-presence.

 

Subject N:

 

Denny 'infinitely awkward' Hamlin

 

 

Sun Sign - Sagittarius ♐ - the Death of Autumn - truthful idealist.

 

Subject O:

 

Martin '2001 goatee' Truex

 

 

Sun Sign - Cancer ♋ - the Birth of Summer - caring crybaby.

 

Subject P:

 

Kevin 'Jack4ss' Harvick

 

 

Sun Sign - Sagittarius ♐ - the Death of Autumn - optimistic burden.

 

Here you have it. Just one more last thing to do:

 

boogity

 

Boogity

 

BOOGITY

 

Edited by OvDrone, 17 September 2017 - 17:59.

[f1paul]

Loving the OP Ov.   

 

Newman's changed a bit hasn't he!  Think I might be rooting for him her now. 

 

Only joking, I'm rooting for Logano, oh no wait he's not in it. What a massive shame I'm literally crying (with tears of joy).   

[John B]

Busch-Truex Toyota parade to start, until a pit penalty for 78

[jonpollak]

Stellar OP Ov !!! It may take the entire 'playoffs' for me to digest the gravity of it all.

[jonpollak]

PS. Not a Scorpio in the bunch...

[fafan4]

Although I've been watching all year, I'm still not entirely 100% certain about how the playoff points work. Do they carry over all the way to Homestead? Is Truex already as good as in the finale?

[Marc Sproule]

naybe this will help...

 

https://www.sbnation...ster-energy-cup

[John B]

Interesting.....Gibbs switches Kyle's crew out for Suarez (how many pressure stops did they have this year?) for playoffs, now 2 pit penalties and some investigation under way re tires

Edited by John B, 17 September 2017 - 20:20.

[OvDrone]

PS. Not a Scorpio in the bunch...

 

I knew you would notice that. It's the only Sun Sign that's missing.

 

The bunch can't handle that Scorpio depth.

Edited by OvDrone, 17 September 2017 - 20:11.

[OvDrone]

Although I've been watching all year, I'm still not entirely 100% certain about how the playoff points work. Do they carry over all the way to Homestead? Is Truex already as good as in the finale?

 

The answer from my pov is 'kinda'.

 

Think of the Chase as an exercise in perspective and detached fun.

[John B]

...where the dream final 4 of Kahne, Dillon, Stenhouse, and Newman remains alive...

[OvDrone]

No Chase win in the first Chase race, please.

[John B]

Truex race to lose.... made that look easy. Kyle still down in 17th.

[OvDrone]

My nerves are rising.

[jonpollak]

50 to go and they are ALL good on Sunoco Race Fuel

 

Jp

[OvDrone]

Such an uninpired track for the start of the playoffs. 1.5 mehs of Chigago concrete.

[John B]

Kahne almost lost it twice in front of him on last lap. The pit penalties added only interest.

Edited by John B, 17 September 2017 - 21:56.

[fafan4]

Kahne almost lost it twice in front of him on last lap. The pit penalties added only interest.

I was watching him sliding around just waiting for that overtime caution

[OvDrone]

I am so happy. ^^

[JHSingo]

I like how NASCAR is so irrelevant these days they've just had to copy every other sport in North America by having "playoffs".

 

Would it be so difficult to come up with something that's original and not artificial?

[August]

Well now, it's that time of the year when all the Series are getting shorter with each race and the winter non-race existential crises loom over the distant cold horizon.

 

'til that happens, I am inviting all y'all unforgivable Motorsport fiends to the controversial Nascar Monster Chase. A playoff system seemingly birthed just in order to make race fans puke hate, vitriol and despair. But I am of those rare corrupt souls that does enjoy this format. I get the hype back for the last races; fake or not whatever. FUN IS HERE; HAVE IT.

 

I've been trying to accept the playoff format for the past three years. But yesterday I was just thinking playoffs don't really belong to motorsports.

 

I mean, there was none of the intensity in yesterday's race that I associate with playoffs in hockey or other sports. In general, the race yesterday sucked. And the championship format is complicated.

 

NASCAR has bigger problems than the championship format. Do something to improve the racing. If you've got good racing, people don't even check the championship points before the final race; good racing makes them watch it regardless of points.

[kevinracefan]

I like how NASCAR is so irrelevant these days they've just had to copy every other sport in North America by having "playoffs".

 

Would it be so difficult to come up with something that's original and not artificial?

I like them... been a fan over 50 years...

 

doesn't take too many 2003's to like the chase...

 

and I'm a fan of the '03 champion..

 

if there was no chase you'd be whining that Truex has the season won already with a 200 point lead... YES, you would...

[kevinracefan]

I've been trying to accept the playoff format for the past three years. But yesterday I was just thinking playoffs don't really belong to motorsports.

 

I mean, there was none of the intensity in yesterday's race that I associate with playoffs in hockey or other sports. In general, the race yesterday sucked. And the championship format is complicated.

 

NASCAR has bigger problems than the championship format. Do something to improve the racing. If you've got good racing, people don't even check the championship points before the final race; good racing makes them watch it regardless of points.

the racing is not great only because the toyotas have such a gap right now..  that will cycle around again and again.. the track provides great racing if the cars were more equal, you can run the bottom or the top.. it's not the track

[kevinracefan]

Chase's guys win the UnDarwin award for most stupid... aero modifications on live TV...

 

Crew chief Gustafson and car chief get a week's vacation.. 

 

encumbered, buh-bye stage point...

 

buh-bye 15 penalty points..

 

havaniceday...

[maximilian]

I like how NASCAR is so irrelevant these days they've just had to copy every other sport in North America by having "playoffs".

 

Would it be so difficult to come up with something that's original and not artificial?

 

Oh, this series is still going on?  Didn't realize...

[John B]

Chase's guys win the UnDarwin award for most stupid... aero modifications on live TV...

 

Crew chief Gustafson and car chief get a week's vacation.. 

 

encumbered, buh-bye stage point...

 

buh-bye 15 penalty points..

 

havaniceday...

 

If it was the tape on the spoiler (caught on the TV interview background per one story) hard to imagine a team with that pedigree would do something at that level....

 

It's also another cheating scandal for Napa....remember that was a big issue for them with MWR, that effectively triggered the organization's demise, sending Truex to Furniture Row.

[kevinracefan]

^ironic, isn't it??

[Branislav]

I think it's Martin's to lose...

 

How much horse power these cars have?

[kevinracefan]

people have been using 850 for a while.. I'd guess Toyota is approaching 900 + or -

[Prost1997T]

Looks like the Charlotte roval will have a chicane: https://twitter.com/...870102962262016

[Atreiu]

Wait, a roval? Awesome.

[Prost1997T]

people have been using 850 for a while.. I'd guess Toyota is approaching 900 + or -

 

850? Then how are they flat on 1.5 milers in qualifying? It was reduced to 750 in 2015 (admittedly I don't know if that was clawed back later).

[Branislav]

I found on wikipedia it says 725 hp. But I don't think all 3 manufacturers have the same power. Nascar should equalize that to be fair.

[kevinracefan]

let google be your friend, NOT Wikipedia...

from 2011:

**************************************************************************

The engines in Nascar Sprint Cup cars are 90-degree pushrod V8s, just like those that have powered many vehicles on American roads for more than 50 years. But today, the engineunder Jimmie Johnson's hood is a custom-made 850-hp 358-cubic-inch thoroughbred that's optimized to run flat-out for no more than 1000 miles.Apr 8, 2011

Nascar Sprint Cup Series - Nascar Stock Engines - Popular Mechanics

www.popularmechanics.com/cars/.../5-ways-nascar-stock-engines-arent-actually-stock

********************************************************************

 

They're approaching 900 now...

 

someone said that already, LOL...

[Branislav]

But that is from 2011. Rules changed.

[jonpollak]

Man this is boring.

[OvDrone]

Man this is boring.

 

Was out with some good female friends tonight. And I am more pshyched by the IMSA race.

 

Just got home in time for the last stage. Hope the Top 3 will change soon.

[OvDrone]

Kahne and Drama.

[OvDrone]

Congrats to Rowdy; gotta say... I'll miss the Magic Mile from the playoffs next year. Another copy paste 1.5 miler is not what the sport needs.

[John B]

It was scorching heat in NH, unusual for Sept. Not much of a race but Johnson was gracious enough to do a bunch of autographs heading for the helicopter.

[ensign14]

 

Would it be so difficult to come up with something that's original and not artificial?

 

Well, the team owners are originally being the only people on the planet to support Donald Trump's oppression of free speech.  Astonishingly NASCAR is devolving back to its 1948 status.
 

[Prost1997T]

Cup win #41 for Kyle. Maybe he'll surpass his Trucks win total by next year

[Myrvold]

But that is from 2011. Rules changed.

Shhh. Details...

[Risil]

Well, the team owners are originally being the only people on the planet to support Donald Trump's oppression of free speech.  Astonishingly NASCAR is devolving back to its 1948 status.

 

Story here. Sad that NASCAR's team owners have chosen to inject politics into the sport.

[Jim Thurman]

I like how NASCAR is so irrelevant these days they've just had to copy every other sport in North America by having "playoffs".

 

Would it be so difficult to come up with something that's original and not artificial?

 

The "playoffs" were likely at the behest of the "television partners" (granted, NASCAR went along with it)

 

Would it be so difficult to come up with something original and not artificial?, for TV folks, yes, very  

[OvDrone]

Story here. Sad that NASCAR's team owners have chosen to inject politics into the sport.

 

Richard Childress is a backwards dullard anyways.

 

There are some real cartoon like characters in Nascar. Idealistic nonsense and naivety.

[kevinracefan]

But that is from 2011. Rules changed.

damn.. you're right.. I stand corrected..  

Edited by kevinracefan, 25 September 2017 - 20:02.

[kevinracefan]

Story here. Sad that NASCAR's team owners have chosen to inject politics into the sport.

I don't think "injecting' is needed..  they're pretty much that way forever and always...

[jonpollak]

Rumour mill has Monster bailing out ASAP from the Trump cesspool. However, I really loved DaleJr's tweet. He needs to replace France.... The family not the country.

[Myrvold]

Story here. Sad that NASCAR's team owners have chosen to inject politics into the sport.

Weˋll probably never see Suarez or Bubba in a Childress car then.