NASCAR

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Probably not a ton of NASCAR fans on Carpokes but then again, who knows? maybe there's more than I suspect.

No matter, I'll post odds and ends here at times and we welcome any and all who might have something to add or talk about. Maybe we can create a repository of data in the Racing sub-forum for all of the many different types of sanctioned racing worldwide - current and historical, professional and amateur. It's a long and rich history.

Back to NASCAR. While I personally prefer road course, GT type racing, enduros especially, any kind of racing has a place of interest for me, and that includes NASCAR which has plenty to entertain, such as driving at 200 or so mph nose to tail, inches away from each other, hoping to survive the (usually) inevitable contact. The drivers are of a different skill set than some others but they are as talented and fearless as any and are incredible in their own right, taking a back seat to none. And yeah, they do run road courses here and there so that's a plus!

I'm a big fan of Autoweek (aka Competition Press) because they have excellent writers with lifetimes of experiences doing a fantastic job covering racing and motorized vehicles of all types. So, there will probably be many links to Autoweek/Competion Press (I love the old name), among others.

For a great introduction to NASCAR, the just completed Autoweek series of articles "75 Great, Historic, and Sometimes Sad Stories That Impacted NASCAR", trace the history and many of the crucial events of NASCAR from its Bill France, Sr. beginnings in 1947 onward, touching on the wild characters, the wild cars, and the wild everything else associated with NASCAR.

The link points to the page containing each of the 75 writings. It's very easy to browse around however you wish.

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nascar/ ... d568259d8a

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"Two Tire Changers Injured During NASCAR Cup Enjoy Illinois 300 Race"

The highly skilled crews doing hot pit work at pro race events work their fannys' off and are always at risk when they go over the wall. They are often unsung, forgotten heroes. Fortunately, both mishaps in yesterday's race ended less badly than might have been the case.

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nascar/ ... d568259d8a


Meanwhile, Kyle Busch won the NASCAR race at World Wide Technology Raceway (formerly Gateway International Raceway and Gateway Motorsports Park).

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nascar/ ... d568259d8a

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Larry Webster (Hagerty Media) posted this today:

"This week, I’m laughing at a 41-second clip my son showed me on Father’s Day of a NASCAR stock car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Chevy stock car ran in the race as an exhibition, a class of one, and was considered a blunt and crude instrument in a field of more sophisticated sports cars. In the video, it passes a car while Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Freebird plays. While the finishing order was irrelevant, Chevy’s effort scored massive publicity and inspired a special edition Camaro ZL1. There are dozens of similarly clever clips. I love the creativity."

https://click.member.hagerty.com/?qs=f2 ... eb6b85492a

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A look back from Autoweek today regarding the nastiness of Pocono.

"Many NASCAR drivers have had horrific meetings with the walls at Pocono over the years."

How Davey Allison survived this 1992 crash is beyond me.

july-19-1992-davey-allisons-ford-sits-inside-the-garage-news-photo-1689787516.jpg (125.67 KiB) Viewed 684 times

Top 5 NASCAR Wrecks at Pocono:

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From a Hagerty Media article, the 1952 Hudson Hornet NASCAR racer that's now part of the National Historic Vehicle Registry. The Hudson Hornets had 81 NASCAR wins between 1951 & 1955.

1952 Hudson Hornet & NASCAR (2).jpg (492.1 KiB) Viewed 662 times

1952 Hudson Hornet & NASCAR.jpg (204.55 KiB) Viewed 662 times

https://driversfoundation.org/register/33?hashed_email=


Hudsons began dominating the burgeoning stock-car racing circuit in 1951 upon the release of the Hornet model. Though Hudson didn’t originally intend for their sporty Hornet to go racing, thanks to a bulletproof, 145 hp, L-6 engine, class leading handling from the “step-down” unibody chassis, and the talent of top drivers, the “Fabulous Hudson Hornets” captured 81 NASCAR race wins and multiple championships from 1951-1955. This particular car, prepared by legendary race mechanic Smokey Yunick, was provided to NASCAR-champion Herb Thomas by Hudson halfway through the 1952 season. Thomas was the most prolific Hudson driver in NASCAR with 78 total podium finishes at the wheel of the Hornets and holds the record for highest win percentage in the sport. This is the only Hudson campaigned in NASCAR known to exist. Herb Thomas and the Fabulous Hudson Hornets were immortalized by Pixar’s Cars movie in 2006.

[WillyDaP]

Great race yesterday at Indy for the Verizon 200 and I know I am just one fan of Mike McDowell's win. Nice to see this true journeyman racer take his second Nascar win , and to have both Daytona and Indy on your racing resume would be good for anyone. Emotional and well received win, and satisfying as he held off road course stalwart Chase Elliott. Of course, personally, as someone who used to race a 2013 Boss 302S W2W, it was gratifying to see a Mustang in the winner's circle.

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Complete Daytona 500 Results

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nascar/ ... d568259d8a


Results - Daytona 500, Monday Feb 19, 2024

1. (18) William Byron, Chevrolet, 200.

2. (7) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 200.

3. (4) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 200.

4. (29) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 200.

5. (24) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 200.

6. (28) AJ Allmendinger(i), Chevrolet, 200.

7. (10) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 200.

8. (11) Erik Jones, Toyota, 200.

9. (38) Noah Gragson, Ford, 200.

10. (20) Chase Briscoe, Ford, 200.

11. (17) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 200.

12. (34) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 200.

13. (14) Zane Smith #, Chevrolet, 200.

14. (5) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 200.

15. (27) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 200.

16. (37) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, 200.

17. (15) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 200.

18. (19) Chris Buescher, Ford, 200.

19. (8) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200.

20. (40) David Ragan, Ford, 200.

21. (21) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 199.

22. (6) Austin Cindric, Ford, 199.

23. (25) Ryan Preece, Ford, 199.

24. (36) Riley Herbst(i), Ford, 199.

25. (30) Josh Berry #, Ford, 199.

26. (22) Justin Haley, Ford, 199.

27. (39) Anthony Alfredo(i), Chevrolet, 198.

28. (23) Jimmie Johnson, Toyota, 196.

29. (3) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, Accident, 192.

30. (32) Ryan Blaney, Ford, Accident, 192.

31. (35) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 192.

32. (1) Joey Logano, Ford, Accident, 191.

33. (16) Brad Keselowski, Ford, Accident, 191.

34. (13) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, Accident, 191.

35. (31) Todd Gilliland, Ford, Accident, 191.

36. (2) Michael McDowell, Ford, 176.

37. (33) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 146.

38. (26) Kaz Grala #, Ford, Accident, 5.

39. (12) Harrison Burton, Ford, Accident, 5.

40. (9) Carson Hocevar #, Chevrolet, Accident, 5.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 157.178 mph.

Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 10 Mins, 52 Secs. Margin of Victory: Under Caution Seconds.

Caution Flags: 5 for 20 laps.

Lead Changes: 41 among 20 drivers.