NASCAR Has Lost its Goddamn Mind

[Yobbo NZ]

Some lovely onboard with SVG.
About the 20min mark if you want to watch the lead up to the hip and shoulder on Austin Hill.

[Random]

Some lovely onboard with SVG.
About the 20min mark if you want to watch the lead up to the hip and shoulder on Austin Hill.

Observations in no particular order:
T2 is a spicy pass.
The track really looks different without the old control building in the infield.
The sticker tailpipes on the "Camaro."

[Rare White Ape]

The sticker tailpipes on the "Camaro."

All three of the manufacturers have similar graphics on the rear. Truck and Cup don't have the same thing, it's just Xfinity now.

People did big when headlight graphics were mandated in the early 00s, and now that sort of thing is normal.

[Rare White Ape]

The Iowa Cup race was really good. Like, proper good. NASCAR has struggled with producing exciting racing with the new 7th gen car but it's turning around now, and Iowa is a result of that.

If you're a NASCAR fan, don't sleep on it!

Iowa is a very banked 7/8th-mile tri oval which just had its corners partially repaved. Next weekend is New Hampshire, on a flat 1-mile oval... should be interesting. Then after that is Nashville on a fast 1.2 mile tri-oval, and early in July, they go back to the streets of Chicago

[Rare White Ape]

So last week's New Hampshire Cup race was really good to watch. After a short rain delay they bolted on some wet tyres and sent them back out on a damp track. First time ever, and they made it work! It was fantastic: cars going all over the place to find the grip, and well deserved win.

Then today we were treated to a great race at Nashville with what was looking like a tense finish, then all hell broke loose and they collectively broke the record for GWC overtime restart attempts, at five. Pure iRacing shit - a 300 lap race turned into a 330 lap race

It was so fun to watch.

Next week: CHICAGO!

Then POCONO!

Then INDY!

[Yobbo NZ]

No doubt RWA will be the only one to comment. SVG 3 wins in a row in Xfinity after today and trying for his 2nd win in the cup car tomorrow.

[Rare White Ape]

No doubt RWA will be the only one to comment.

You're absolutely right about that

Are you familiar with how the playoffs work in NASCAR? Race wins net a driver 5 points and a locked-in position in the playoffs, and stage wins give 1 point.

SVG is currently 11th in regular season points, and leads the playoff points table with 17, based largely off his three wins. He will go into the playoffs in an extremely strong spot if he also wins at Watkins Glen later in the year and gets stage points wherever he can. We are about to start heading to tracks he's raced at before so it will be interesting to see how he goes after August. I would say he'll get to Kansas with 24 playoff points, tops.

The Round of 12 of the playoffs has one road course race at Charlotte Roval. It's likely that Gizzy can win that one too, but even if he doesn't win he would still probably make it to the Round of 8. The Round of 8 will be tough because he will not be mega strong at Vegas because he DNF'd there earlier this year, he's never raced at Homestead, and Martinsville is an unknown where anything could happen. If he DOES win Roval it might put him in with enough of a points buffer to make it to Phoenix for the final race. Earlier this year at Phoenix SVG came 6th, so you never know what might happen.

His closest playoff rivals (Justin Allgaier and Chandler Smith) have two wins apiece and sit at 15 points. Sheldon Creed has zero wins and zero playoff points but leads the regular season points. If it stays that way Creed gets a playoff spot and 15 points automatically. It's highly likely that the guys at the pointy end will get one or two more wins each so that'll level them with SVG for wins but they will have more points based on the number of stage wins. The entire season is heavily stacked against a road course ringer doing well, but to get in to the final round would be an amazing effort.

[Tom Servo]

FWIW, it has way less to do with a lack of enthusiasm for SVG than the fact that almost nobody watches Xfinity.

Hell, the only reason I know it's called Xfinity is 'cause you guys mention it. I don't even think it's available in my part of the country.

[Rare White Ape]

Today’s race:

[Rare White Ape]

FWIW, it has way less to do with a lack of enthusiasm for SVG than the fact that almost nobody watches Xfinity.

Hell, the only reason I know it's called Xfinity is 'cause you guys mention it. I don't even think it's available in my part of the country.

It should be on one of the NBC networks for you at this half of the season. You’d probably get trucks on FS1 as well. I know people on the west coast who watch all three series.

If broadcast TV fails you, there’s always DD12.