NASCAR 2017

No financial terms announced, but two years after Sprint said they would not renew their sponsorship of NASCAR racing, Monster Energy (Drink) has been introduced as the new NASCAR premier series sponsor.

There is still no official series name, logo or trophy....in due time, I guess, but the first race, the Daytona 500, is just 12 weeks away!

I don't know if NASCAR and Monster are looking for nominations for an official series name, but Monster Smash seems appropriate to me.

Silly season has been quiet.

DoubleDipper wrote:There is still no official series name, logo or trophy....in due time, I guess, but the first race, the Daytona 500, is just 12 weeks away!

I don't know if NASCAR and Monster are looking for nominations for an official series name, but Monster Smash seems appropriate to me.

Ooh, beginning on Jan. 1, NASCAR’s top series will be called the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series....very catchy.  

NASCAR made the announcement on Monday in conjunction with the reveal of its first new logo since 1976.

up7587 wrote:Silly season has been quiet.  

Wow. Carl Edwards, a championship contender, is quitting. He's only 37.

up7587 wrote:Wow. Carl Edwards, a championship contender, is quitting.  He's only 37.

Wow is right!

When I saw the announcement I thought it was just more "fake news" until I also saw it here on Pilot Nation.  

Carl has been my favorite driver for almost 20 years, and I'm bummed that he's leaving....it will definitely decrease my interest in NASCAR, but I totally understand his reasons for stepping aside while still leaving the door ajar** to the possibility of returning to racing one day.

(** Leaving the door ajar is just a figure of speech. Anyone who knows racing also knows the doors on those cars are welded shut and the driver has to enter and exit the race car through the space where the driver-side window should be).

The only Monster Energy Cup driver with local connections, Greg Biffle, is not competing this year:

@gbiffle wrote:After a great deal of consideration from all the offers I've received, I've decided not to participate full time in #NASCAR this season....

Speed Week starts tomorrow, and the 500 is a week from Sunday. Time to go!

Lots of changes this year:

"Enhanced competition" with 3 separate segments to every race.

New NACAR sponsor, Monster Energy!

Edwards, Stewart, Biffle gone, and Gordon is in the booth.

Earnhardt is back, but he "married and mellow."

Danica's team is suing Nature's Bakery for $31 million....

There's a whole new penalty and scoring system for the 36 championship races that just got locked down yesterday...just days before the season begins.

And finally, there may be some new fans trying to cross the border to watch the most popular driver in Mexico, Daniel Suarez (the only non-American in the Cup Series) as he moves up after winning the Xfinity Series last year.

It will be interesting to see how the Confederate flag waving crowd takes to this "foreigner" as he replaces Edwards at Joe Gibbs racing.  I'm already rooting for him, but others are probably already asking, can the "Wall" be built in time to keep him out of victory lane?  

DoubleDipper wrote:And finally, there may be some new fans trying to cross the border to watch the most popular driver in Mexico, Daniel Suarez (the only non-American in the Cup Series) as he moves up after winning the Xfinity Series last year.

It will be interesting to see how the Confederate flag waving crowd takes to this "foreigner" as he replaces Edwards at Joe Gibbs racing.  I'm already rooting for him, but others are probably already asking, can the "Wall" be built in time to keep him out of victory lane?  

Oh come on. The script writers have already figured out the plots for this year: can Denny Hamlin finally prevail, will Brad Kesolowski and Joey Logano get in a fight, will Martin Truax overcome multiple obstacles? And of course either Jimmy Johnson or Kevin Harvick will win it all.

Daytona Day coming up. Going to be a little strange: no Biffle, no Cousin Carl, Harvick in a Ford.

Last year, the Roush Fords were bad. It will be interesting to see if Stewart-Hass has any better results with them.

up7587 wrote:Daytona Day coming up.  Going to be a little strange: no Biffle, no Cousin Carl, Harvick in a Ford.

Last year, the Roush Fords were bad.  It will be interesting to see if Stewart-Hass has any better results with them.

I just learned that the 500 is today and I have to drive right by Daytona on I-95. I will be sure to let you know who won while I sit in traffic.

Still haven't made my way to Darlington but I am hoping to this year.

Kurt Busch makes a last lap pass to win his first 500. Big win for Ford and Stewart-Hass Racing.

Tough race for me to watch because all my drivers except Danica have retired....and Danica was knocked out of the race in segment 3 and finished 33rd, but she did pick up 6 points in the new format, I think.

Really like the new, more competitive format with 3 segments and the top 10 finishers in each segment getting points.

Not knowing who was driving what car, I really missed not having the driver's name on the windshields....instead Monster is written on all the windshields. 

Glad Kurt Busch won the race even though he only led the last lap....his crew chief, Tony Gibson, was highly deserving, and car owner Tony Stewart is an old favorite in his first year of retirement as a driver.

It will take me awhile to figure out who will become my favorite drivers/owners/crew chiefs going forward.

I think I'll root for Ryan Blaney (that would be #21, DD) and Wood Brothers Racing. I like the Fords, but I have a hard time rooting for Harvick. And the Roush cars just aren't competitive any more. Watching Bayne (#6) and Stenhouse (#17) crash out together is just so typical for RFR.

up7587 wrote:I think I'll root for Ryan Blaney (that would be #21, DD) and Wood Brothers Racing.  

Once Danica was out of the race after being as high as 2nd place, I was pulling for the #21 because of his aggressive nature getting to the front and his "no fear" style.

Of course the Wood Brothers are long time favorites, but it's like watching the World Series when my team is not playing....it will take awhile before I know who my favorite(s) will be.

Oh yeah, Kurt Busch has a long sponsorship relationship with Monster Energy. So of course he won the first race under the Monster Energy Series era. Nice scriptwriting.

Martin Truex Jr. pretty much dominated the Kobalt 400 yesterday, winning all three stages in Las Vegas, but it took a post-race scrum to add any real excitement to the day....



Kyle Busch is a very good race car driver, but his ability as a fighter needs a lot of improvement.  Besides a way too slow and telegraphed right hook, he needs to pick a more favorable spot than in the middle of his opponents crew....he's lucky he only had a scratch on his forehead when it was over.

Yeah, Kyle squeezed Joey down low, and Joey didn't let up; why should he. Just aggressive racing. And here I thought Kyle was maturing.

Kesolowski had the race won, but something broke on his car, letting Truex regain the lead and the win.

Finally visited Darlington today! I have a new appreciation for NASCAR. The steepness of the turns at Darlington was already a sight, but I had the fortune of being taken around in the pace car! I hope I can make the Southern 500 this year.

SouthCarolinaPilot wrote:Finally visited Darlington today! I have a new appreciation for NASCAR. The steepness of the turns at Darlington was already a sight, but I had the fortune of being taken around in the pace car!

I'm jealous! What kind of car? Did you get up to speed?

Just returned from one of my favorite tracks, Phoenix International Raceway...no bad seats, and mine were free!

Fun that Logano again (indirectly) caused Kyle Busch to lose the lead and the race resulting in a very popular win for Ryan Newman (and Richard Childress Racing) after he stayed on the track during a yellow while most others stopped for 2 tires.

Don't know what the official temperature was, but it was definitely close to 100 degrees in the grandstand.

Also spent a couple of days watching the LPGA golfers at Wildfire Golf Course....and although it was cooler than the racetrack, it was still hotter than a wildfire for those of us who have spent the last 5 months in the PNW.

Pretty cool though that a Norwegian golfer who attended ASU was the winner....

I turned on the race just after Logano crashed. How far back was Newman before he stayed out? Old tires almost never works, but fortunately for RCR, two other guys also stayed out and gave Newman the opportunity to build enough lead to win.

I hear Phoenix is a fun venue. Sounds like you had a good trip.

up7587 wrote:I turned on the race just after Logano crashed.  How far back was Newman before he stayed out?

I hear Phoenix is a fun venue.  Sounds like you had a good trip.

Newman was in 7th before the caution came out.  It was a gutsy call by his crew chief to stay out, but it resulted in the crew chief's first-ever cup series win.  I didn't know it at the time, but it was Newman's first win in 128 races.

Yeah, it was a very good trip....no basketball!  I watched virtually every conference's tournament leading up to the NCAA Tournament and was in deep basketball fatigue/overload, but now I'm ready for the Sweet 16 to begin!

EDIT:  I just looked at the Pick 'em bracket, man there's a lot of red there this year.....good thing I took the year off.

DoubleDipper wrote:I'm jealous! What kind of car? Did you get up to speed?

It was a Chevy Silverado with some modifications on it to make it safe for the track. The truck would noticeably crouch down when in the turns. We probably only got up to around 150 mph because it was a little overcast and rainy. Had to keep it safe. But, man, I can't imagine going faster with other drivers on the road!

SouthCarolinaPilot wrote:It was a Chevy Silverado with some modifications on it to make it safe for the track. The truck would noticeably crouch down when in the turns. We probably only got up to around 150 mph because it was a little overcast and rainy. Had to keep it safe. But, man, I can't imagine going faster with other drivers on the road!

I'd say 150 mph in a truck at Darlington is FAST! Even at the fastest tracks, like Daytona, most trucks barely exceed 190 mph in qualifying.

Not sure I'd want to go that fast in a Chevy Silverado....

 

Silverado, absolutely not.  Something'd break for sure.  But in an F-150, it'd be way cool to go that fast.  

Stock cars.

All I can think when I see those things is, boy! That sure looks a lot like the wheels mrs geez drives around grocery shopping...