2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup

[riccoar]

So who do you think comes out on top after the checkered flag in Miami?

http://www.nascar.com/grid.html

[holeinthewall]

I think Harvick points races to the last race. I hope like hell as fast as the JGR cars are they have also had a lot of problems and inconsistencies and hopefully will all be gone by the Homestead.  If one of the Toyotas is going to win I hope it is Truex. I will be pulling for the 2 and 22. The 1, 3 and 34 have zero shot

[riccoar]

Think I'd like to see Logano get there.  Be surprised if Harvick and Kyle Busch are not two of the 4 going into Miami.

[ImHogginIt]

Think I'd like to see Logano get there.  Be surprised if Harvick and Kyle Busch are not two of the 4 going into Miami.

I'm thinking Logono, Keselowski, Harvick and either Kyle B or Hamlin.

And I want Stewart to go nose first into the wall 10 times.

[Racinray]

 

I'm thinking Logono, Keselowski, Harvick and either Kyle B or Hamlin.

And I want Stewart to go nose first into the wall 10 times.

Just 10 times!!!!

[OutlawHawg]

I think it's the year Hamlin finally wins it.

[Racinray]

I think it's the year Hamlin finally wins it.

I hope your wrong, that's one driver I have never liked.

[10thPlanet]

Kyle

[Racinray]

Harvick, more money in my pocket!!

[ImHogginIt]

What a boring race

[Racinray]

What a boring race

That's why I'm switching back and forth from NHRA and NASCAR.

[Buff]

Caution with 4 laps to go.  Does the 24 pit or not?

[Buff]

Truex just went around everybody and took this race.

[Racinray]

He's been strong all year.

[Flying Razorback]

I've long hated the Chase and especially this format.  I think today proves that case.

The winning car failed post-race inspection.  They're going to be penalized points on Tuesday, but it won't matter.  They already get advanced to the next round.

So what's to keep people cheating like crazy, winning the race, and saying "Oh well, on to the next round..."

What stops them from winning the championship at Homestead like that?

Obviously I'm ticked off due to Harvick's luck today.  But still.

[Racinray]

I've long hated the Chase and especially this format.  I think today proves that case.

The winning car failed post-race inspection.  They're going to be penalized points on Tuesday, but it won't matter.  They already get advanced to the next round.

So what's to keep people cheating like crazy, winning the race, and saying "Oh well, on to the next round..."

What stops them from winning the championship at Homestead like that?

Obviously I'm ticked off due to Harvick's luck today.  But still.

You make a very valid point.

[ImHogginIt]

I've long hated the Chase and especially this format.  I think today proves that case.

The winning car failed post-race inspection.  They're going to be penalized points on Tuesday, but it won't matter.  They already get advanced to the next round.

So what's to keep people cheating like crazy, winning the race, and saying "Oh well, on to the next round..."

What stops them from winning the championship at Homestead like that?

Obviously I'm ticked off due to Harvick's luck today.  But still.

I like this format 10 times better than the old points racing crap. Winning races matter all season and and especially these last 10. Much more drama than the old days.

My fault on Harvick. Every time I made him my A driver this year he had a crappy finish. Sorry.

[Racinray]

I like this format 10 times better than the old points racing crap. Winning races matter all season and and especially these last 10. Much more drama than the old days.

My fault on Harvick. Every time I made him my A driver this year he had a crappy finish. Sorry.

I like this format to, but like he said, you win and your on to the next segment even if you don't pass post race inspections, no repercussions.

[ImHogginIt]

I like this format to, but like he said, you win and your on to the next segment even if you don't pass post race inspections, no repercussions.

I thought NAASCAR said zero tolerance now in the chase ?

[riccoar]

The announcers said that there was talk from NASCAR that if cars won and failed post race that the auto advance to the next round could be invalidated.  We shall see.

[ImHogginIt]

The announcers said that there was talk from NASCAR that if cars won and failed post race that the auto advance to the next round could be invalidated.  We shall see.

They are now saying his violation was of the lowest level and won't affect the win.

[riccoar]

They are now saying his violation was of the lowest level and won't affect the win.

Just saw that.  His and Johnson's failed with similar results.

[ImHogginIt]

Just saw that.  His and Johnson's failed with similar results.

How can they pass prerace but fail post. To be fair the 78 was hit by Harvick.

[Flying Razorback]

How can they pass prerace but fail post. To be fair the 78 was hit by Harvick.

They take in to account those types of hits.

Brad Keselowski had an extensive twitter explanation last night talking about "transformer cars".  They shake them on track and it makes them change shape after passing pre race.  The Toyota are doing it the worst and there's some pretty weird videos of it post race to get it back in to shape.  After Chicago yesterday was the worst when there were 20 cars on the back stretch swerving hard back and forth after the race was over.

Jeff Gordon made mention during a race in the spring when DW said "Why are they shaking all over like that?" And Jeff said something like "Let's just say they're doing it for a reason."

[Buff]

Ok that's some amazing ideas.  How do they pull that off, really thin sheet metal?

[Flying Razorback]

Ok that's some amazing ideas.  How do they pull that off, really thin sheet metal?

I think it has to do with suspension linkage.  A new rule was made in that area in the past couple of weeks.  It apparently didn't hit the exact thing that's being done, but it at least shows they are zeroing in on it.

Apparently it all started in the JGR and Toyota Racing Development camp.  So for the first part of the season was kept in the JGR and Furniture Row Racing camps.  But it has since leaked out to other teams and that's why there was such a rash of it going on yesterday.

[Flying Razorback]

This was the backstretch after the race yesterday with almost half the field spread out, swerving hard and driving slow.



One of the race announcers for the radio feed was like "What the heck is going on, half the field is back here swerving around, I haven't seen this before..."

[Flying Razorback]

And this was Keselowski's twitter discussion from last night (read from the bottom up):

[10thPlanet]

Jeff Gordon made mention during a race in the spring when DW said "Why are they shaking all over like that?" And Jeff said something like "Let's just say they're doing it for a reason."

Sure Nuff!

[riccoar]

Here is why:  http://www.jayski.com/cupnews.htm#20160920c

Why are cars swerving after the races are over? Don't stop watching NASCAR's drivers after the checkered flag falls - there are some strange goings on occurring after that. On Sunday following the Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway, multiple drivers - not only the winner - made serpentine moves on the backstretch on the cool down lap that would have been more natural through the esses of a road course - not a straightaway on a 1.5-mile oval. On Sunday at Chicagoland, crew chief Cole Pearn reminded Martin Truex Jr. repeatedly before his burnouts: "Remember to swerve." So what did that mean exactly? The bottom line is that competitors are spinning and swerving to make sure the rear toe returns to legal parameters before the cars are measure on the laser inspection station post-race. NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Office Steve O'Donnell finally addressed the issue on Monday. When O'Donnell was a guest on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, he said NASCAR is looking into the practice. "That's why we put the rules in place that we did prior to the Chase," O'Donnell said. "We don't want to have to react to this. We want to see the best racing possible. We want the cars to come in and race straight up. Unfortunately, it's part of racing, too, is to push the limits. So we have to find that balance. What we want to be talking about is the racing on the track - not post-race, not what occurs on the cool down laps. We've got a job to do to with the team owners to talk about exactly the questions I'm being asked today - which is very fair - but that's where we're headed." On Sept. 7, NASCAR made a change to the rules making welded track bar mounts mandatory - rather than a moveable mount that had the potential to increase side force on the car by promoting right rear yaw. Some team managers contend the rule did not go far enough to discourage the practice.(Motorsport)(9-20-2016)

[riccoar]

How can they pass prerace but fail post. To be fair the 78 was hit by Harvick.

There was talk pre-race about the laser inspection station.  Drivers have been asking things about it's calibration since it gets taken to every race and travels into varying degree changing climates.  They ask how cars pass pre-race and fail post-race.  But my post above that I found on Jayski shows one area they are stretching the rules in.

[Flying Razorback]

Here is why:  http://www.jayski.com/cupnews.htm#20160920c

Why are cars swerving after the races are over? Don't stop watching NASCAR's drivers after the checkered flag falls - there are some strange goings on occurring after that. On Sunday following the Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway, multiple drivers - not only the winner - made serpentine moves on the backstretch on the cool down lap that would have been more natural through the esses of a road course - not a straightaway on a 1.5-mile oval. On Sunday at Chicagoland, crew chief Cole Pearn reminded Martin Truex Jr. repeatedly before his burnouts: "Remember to swerve." So what did that mean exactly? The bottom line is that competitors are spinning and swerving to make sure the rear toe returns to legal parameters before the cars are measure on the laser inspection station post-race. NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Office Steve O'Donnell finally addressed the issue on Monday. When O'Donnell was a guest on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, he said NASCAR is looking into the practice. "That's why we put the rules in place that we did prior to the Chase," O'Donnell said. "We don't want to have to react to this. We want to see the best racing possible. We want the cars to come in and race straight up. Unfortunately, it's part of racing, too, is to push the limits. So we have to find that balance. What we want to be talking about is the racing on the track - not post-race, not what occurs on the cool down laps. We've got a job to do to with the team owners to talk about exactly the questions I'm being asked today - which is very fair - but that's where we're headed." On Sept. 7, NASCAR made a change to the rules making welded track bar mounts mandatory - rather than a moveable mount that had the potential to increase side force on the car by promoting right rear yaw. Some team managers contend the rule did not go far enough to discourage the practice.(Motorsport)(9-20-2016)

If O'Donnell wants fans and the media to be talking about the racing on the track on Monday and not all this other stuff then they need to quit pussyfooting around and take away Truex's automatic advancement.

The reason people are leaving the viewership and talking about all this instead of the racing is BECAUSE they'll announce things like "car failed post race" but then giving them the benefit of the win anyway.  You can't say "Well it was outside of the rules, but only outside the rules by this much."  And also be able to explain on Monday morning "We know that they're creating cars that get out of shape on track and they mess with them afterwards and get them back in or close to spec.  But he gets to keep the auto advancement because he almost got it back in to spec, he was only a little bit outside of it still..."

All of this falls back to the auto advancement rules of this Chase.  They keep having to come up with more and more complications to try and keep that in place and the teams will keep breaking other rules and then NASCAR doesn't want to take away their genius auto advancement idea. 

So now you have Truex, who has failed post-race two weeks in a row and they have to make excuses as to why that doesn't matter, and yes we said we'd take away advancement but we didn't think people would actually cheat so now we won't...

[Buff]

Won't matter, Truex is looking so strong again today. 

Something has to be up with all of this Toyota dominance. 

[ImHogginIt]

Looks like standing room only crowd yet again 

[Racinray]

I'll catch up when NHRA is over!

[ImHogginIt]

I'll catch up when NHRA is over!

Only been a couple of cautions . Driving in circles. Probably be a fuel mileage finish.

[Buff]

I missed the end of the race, thought Harvick was doing good for points in 4th place.

But.....Woohoo!!!

[Flying Razorback]

Awesome ending, makes up for last year's race.  Probably means he won't survive Talladega though!

[ImHogginIt]

I missed the end of the race, thought Harvick was doing good for points in 4th place.

But.....Woohoo!!!

Last 30 laps was nice but damn what a boring 270 before that

[riccoar]

This represents the first cut race.  McMurray, Dillon, Stewart, and Buescher are the bottom 4. 

[Racinray]

You can get your racing fix today if the rain holds off.

[Buff]

Truex is looking strong in the Chase so far.  Wow.

[Racinray]

Was anyone surprised that both of Ganassi cars got knocked out?

[riccoar]

Updated

[riccoar]

Gonna be a mad dash to get the auto transfer win at Charlotte and Kansas before the Big ONE.  For sure Harvick and Truex make round of 8, IMHO.

[Flying Razorback]

Gonna be a mad dash to get the auto transfer win at Charlotte and Kansas before the Big ONE.  For sure Harvick and Truex make round of 8, IMHO.

I don't know if it's that for sure for Harvick.  I agree with Truex, I bet he wins at Charlotte.  However, Harvick only made it in to the round of 8 last year because of the wreck he caused at Talladega during the G-W-C which led to the race ending under yellow and he finished p13.  His car wouldn't go faster than 70 mph at the time and he couldn't take the white flag so he blew the field up after the line.

I'm betting that type of karma catches up with the 4 team and he misses the transfer this year based on a wreck at Talladega.  He has finished very few plate races in the last 6 years and I don't see that trend changing.

[riccoar]

I'll be shocked if Truex has the kinda car he did for the 600.  But I think Harvick and him should be favorites to get to 8.

[Flying Razorback]

I'll be shocked if Truex has the kinda car he did for the 600.  But I think Harvick and him should be favorites to get to 8.

I think it's fair to call them favorites.  I've just watched Harvick regress and test his luck too much this yeae.

Don't sleep on Keselowski and Kyle either.  They are both quietly dominating

[riccoar]

That would be a great final 4.  Truex, Harvick, Kyle, and Kes.

[ImHogginIt]

Swapped elliott for bowman this am. Boy was that dumb