2020 Racing News and Rules for Nascar...

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RULES PACKAGE for Las Vegas...

Cup Series cars will feature the same 1.5-mile racing package used in 2019, with aero ducts and a tapered-spacer engine generating a targeted 550 horsepower.

Each team will be allowed three sets of Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials for practice, one set for qualifying and nine sets for the race (eight new race sets, plus one transferred from practice or qualifying).

Las Vegas’ smooth asphalt track does not naturally wear tires. However, with tire wear being such an important factor for cooling and optimum performance, Goodyear has modified the tire to have increased wear on the racing surface.

“The track surface at Las Vegas is one that generates minimal tire wear so we have to design our tread compounds to account for that,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “Excessive heat is the enemy of a race tire and tire performance. On track surfaces that don’t naturally promote wear, it’s important to design a tire that can wear quicker and dissipate that heat. This tire setup, specifically this right-side tire, utilizes a tread compound formulation which does that.”

:cool:

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NASCAR fined three teams for lug-nut violations after the race weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, one in each of NASCAR’s national series.

In the NASCAR Cup Series, the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet driven by Kyle Larson was found to have one lug nut not safe and secure during post-race inspection. As a result, NASCAR fined crew chief Chad Johnston $10,000.

Also in other Competition :
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR fined Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief Ben Beshore $5,000 after one lug nut was found not safe and secure on the No. 20 Toyota driven by Harrison Burton.

And in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, NASCAR fined crew chief Matt Noyce $2,500 when one lug nut was found not safe and secure on the No. 99 ThorSport Racing Ford driven by Ben Rhodes.

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RULES PACKAGE

The baseline rules package for longer speedway tracks will be in play with a target horsepower goal of 550 and aero ducts to foster tighter racing.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Cup teams will be allowed three sets for practice, one set for qualifying and 12 sets for the race (11 race sets plus one transferred from qualifying or practice).

Tire management and conservation should be vital in deciding this week’s race winner. Racing on a more abrasive track, a total team effort will be needed to strategize and execute efficient and effective pit stops throughout the afternoon.

“Racing at Fontana presents multiple challenges for NASCAR teams,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “The track surface is very abrasive, and teams will take four tires all day long. With the Cup teams having 12 sets of tires for a 200-lap race, they will make full use of their complement and stay busy on pit road throughout.”

STATS TO KNOW

– Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to win at Auto Club Speedway in his 20s, 30s and 40s.

– Kevin Harvick holds the longest active streak of top-10 finishes on the West Coast with eight.

– The last five races at ACS have been won by five different drivers: Kyle Busch (2019), Martin Truex Jr. (2018), Kyle Larson (2017), Jimmie Johnson (2016), Brad Keselowski (2015)

– So far in 2020, the defending race winner has won both Cup Series races (Hamlin – Daytona; Logano – Las Vegas).

[4me2c]

By
Staff Report NASCAR.com March 3, 2020 at 4:00 PM

NASCAR fined the crew chiefs for two Cup Series teams and one Xfinity Series team for lug-nut violations that were discovered after the races last weekend at Auto Club Speedway.

Randall Burnett and Mike Shiplett each received a $10,000 fine when one lug nut was found to be not safe and secure on the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet and the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, respectively. Tyler Reddick drove the No. 8 to an 11th-place finish in Sunday’s Auto Club 400 while Cole Custer finished 18th in the No. 41.

RELATED: Full results from Auto Club Speedway

In Xfinity, Dave Rogers received a $5,000 fine for one lug nut found to be not safe and secure on the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Riley Herbst drove the No. 18 to a second-place finish in Saturday’s Production Alliance Group 300.

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New News :

Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron has completed two days of testing the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen car at Auto Club Speedway, becoming the fourth Cup Series driver to take the 2021 car out on the track.

The Next Gen car was on track for its fourth formal test in advance of its planned competitive debut next season — previously, Austin Dillon (Richmond), Joey Logano (Phoenix) and Erik Jones (Miami) took their turns piloting the car and providing crucial feedback to NASCAR officials.

But this time around, it was a new car altogether on the 2-mile oval. Dubbed “P3” internally — the third prototype in the development process — NASCAR officials have described this version as nearly 100 percent complete for debut in the 2021 Daytona 500.

“I’ve been happy with it, especially as we’ve been adjusting it more and tailoring it to this track – this is the biggest track it’s been on so far,” Byron said. “As soon as it started to go for us, I thought the steering felt better and the car felt more stable. It’s been fun the more laps I’ve been able to run.”

https://www.nascar.media/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2020/03/03/next-gen-test-fontana-2.jpg

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NASCAR moving to single lug-nut design for Next Gen car for 2021 :

https://www.nascar.media/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2020/03/02/next-gen-tire-wheel-main.jpg

By
Zack Albert NASCAR.com March 2, 2020 at 3:15 PM

NASCAR officials announced Monday that the Next Gen car for the 2021 Cup Series will have a single, center-locking lug nut for its wheels.

The setup made its debut in the Next Gen prototype’s fourth on-track test, scheduled Monday and Tuesday at Auto Club Speedway. The three previous tests featured a larger aluminum wheel, but with the five-lug pattern that’s been used in NASCAR for decades.

John Probst, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Innovation and Racing Development, said the move away from a 15-inch steel wheel was part of an overall goal to provide more relevance and a stronger correlation to today’s production cars with an 18-inch wheel, but that a strong enough fastener that could hold up under high-speed conditions was a necessity.

“For us we felt like from a standpoint of the wheel is that we wanted to get to an 18-inch wheel, an aluminum wheel,” Probst said. “Once you get to an 18-inch aluminum wheel, the next step for us is to make sure that from a durability standpoint under racing conditions is that it will accept the durability that we need to finish races and then also finish multiple races. To do that, the single nut was our only option.”


https://www.nascar.com/gallery/joey-logano-next-gen-car-testing-ism-raceway-phoenix/#photo-1


https://www.nascar.com/gallery/exclusive-access-next-gen-2021-cup-series-test-at-fontana/#photo-1 :cool:

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RULES PACKAGE

The enhanced 2020 short oval and road course package will be in effect for the first time this year, featuring a significantly shorter rear spoiler and front splitter.

Maintaining tapered-spacer engines with a targeted 750 horsepower, new aerodynamic changes factor in for less downforce to further emphasize handling and driver performance.

Bristol, Dover, Martinsville, New Hampshire and Richmond — as well as the three road courses — will operate under this rules package.

GOODYEAR TIRES

As Cup Series action switches to a short track for the first time this season, it marks the season debut of the Goodyear Eagle Intermediate Radials.

Teams will be allowed three sets of Goodyear tires for practice, one set for qualifying and nine sets for the race (eight new sets plus one transferred from practice or qualifying).

Brand new tire developments to accompany the lower downforce run at Phoenix include increased wear and more stagger to help offer better balance and handling in the turns.

“We were involved in the decision on the 2020 short track package,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “At that meeting with all the industry leaders, integrating tire performance into a reduced downforce package was a key part of the conversations. Our experience with the 2018 rules package, along with recent compound testing on the Next Gen vehicle at Phoenix, gave us a good baseline on increasing mechanical grip through the tires to compliment the reduced aero loading. This decision process was truly a joint effort — stakeholders from all areas coming together to make the sport better.”

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Fun Facts for Phoenix :

STATS TO KNOW

— Phoenix Raceway is now the site of the championship race. The track that has hosted the season finale has hosted an earlier race 22 times throughout Cup Series history’s modern era: Atlanta (14), Riverside (6), Rockingham (1), New Hampshire (1).

— The driver who went on to win the first race at the finale track has only went on to win the championship three times: Terry Labonte (1984), Dale Earnhardt (1990), and Jeff Gordon (1995).

— With a recent Phoenix trend of late-race cautions and restarts, five of the last nine races have had a final green-flag stretch of three laps or less.

— Joe Gibbs Racing drivers have won four of the last five Phoenix races and led the most laps in each of the last six races.

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More Loose Lugs, Lugs was Loose in Stroker Ace also...

By
Staff Report NASCAR.com March 10, 2020 at 1:58 PM

NASCAR officials issued penalties Tuesday to the Team Penske No. 22 Ford team for a lug-nut infraction after Sunday’s Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway.

The No. 22 entry was found with one lug nut not safely secured after Joey Logano drove to victory in the FanShield 500, the series’ fourth race of the year. Crew chief Paul Wolfe was fined $10,000 for the violation, which falls under Section 10.9.10.4 of the 2020 NASCAR Rule Book (“Tires and Wheels”).

Logano’s No. 22 car was otherwise compliant with the rule book, making his second Cup Series win this season official.

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RULES PACKAGE for Darlington :

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for intermediate-sized tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to set a target of 550 horsepower. The cars will use aero ducts in addition to other aerodynamic devices to increase downforce.


GOODYEAR TIRES

As the Cup Series braces for two Darlington events without practice or qualifying, the first race back will start without any rubber worked into the track’s abrasive surface. That should mean abnormally high wear for the Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials, especially in the first few pit-stop cycles before the asphalt begins to take rubber.

Cup Series teams will be allotted 12 sets of tires for the longer Sunday race and nine sets for the Wednesday event.

The tire features the same compound and construction that was scheduled to be used March 22 at Homestead-Miami Speedway before that event was postponed. Tires that were earmarked for that race weekend will be used at Darlington.

“Getting back to racing and doing so at Darlington is a great feeling,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “We’ll come out of the gate by testing teams with one of the most grueling challenges in NASCAR, with the abrasive track surface and tight configuration of ‘The Track Too Tough to Tame.’ Our whole sport has had to become very nimble in coming up with a plan to safely get back to the track. Schedules will change, as will the way we all do business at the race track in the near future, but NASCAR as a sport has always been known for being innovative and able to adapt to ever-changing conditions. We will get back to the track this week and will put on great races for our fans. We’re glad to play a part in leading the way back for professional sports in the country and doing so in a safe, competitive and entertaining manner.”

STATS TO KNOW

— The track has held a traditional Labor Day spot on the schedule since 2015, but two new Cup Series events for May were created at Darlington, a venue within driving distance to the Charlotte-area hub for the NASCAR industry. Coronavirus restrictions have begun to loosen, but race officials have opted for one-day events that minimize travel and at-track exposure for essential personnel. The last time the raceway held a springtime event was April 2014, when Kevin Harvick dominated by leading 238 of 374 laps in his lone Darlington win.

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RULES PACKAGE for Charlotte...

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for intermediate-sized tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to set a target of 550 horsepower. The cars will use aero ducts in addition to other aerodynamic devices to increase downforce.

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GOODYEAR TIRES

Each team will get one set of Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials for Coca-Cola 600 qualifying and 12 sets for the race. The qualifying set can also be transferred over to the race for a 13th set. For Wednesday’s Alsco Uniforms 500, each team will get seven sets.

“While Charlotte is not necessarily considered a high tire wear track, it is one of the most temperature sensitive tracks we race on,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “The Coca-Cola 600 starts during the day and ends at night under the lights, combined with the fact that teams have a large number of sets of tires to go the 400 laps, making this event one that truly highlights the team aspect of our sport.”

Since 2010, for one weekend per NASCAR season, Goodyear has changed the branding on the sidewall of its racing tires in a show of support for the United States military and fallen heroes. This being the 11th year of that program, the official tire supplier to NASCAR’s top three series will work with the “Honor and Remember” organization for the second straight year. The standard “Eagle” on the tires’ sidewall will be replaced by the Honor and Remember logo on all Cup and Xfinity tires at Charlotte Motor Speedway this May.

STATS TO KNOW

— Kevin Harvick, a two-time Coca-Cola 600 winner, emerged from the Darlington Raceway twin bill with his first victory of the season and a third-place finish. He enters Charlotte Motor Speedway’s pair of events as the only driver to net six top-10 results in all six Cup Series races this year, a consistency that has earned him the circuit’s points lead.

— Toyota drivers have won four of the last five 600-milers at Charlotte. Martin Truex Jr. has a pair of those victories (2016, 2019) and Carl Edwards (2015) and Kyle Busch (2018) have the others.

— The last Coca-Cola 600 triumph for Ford came in 2002, when Mark Martin scored his only victory in NASCAR’s longest race. That win was the last in a four-year streak for Roush Fenway Racing,

— NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip heads the Coca-Cola 600’s all-time win list with a record five victories (1978-79, 1985, 1988-89). Among active drivers, seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson leads with four 600 wins (2003-05, 2014).

— Speaking of Johnson, he’s on a better pace through six races with one top five, three top 10s, 22 laps led and a best finish of fifth — compared to last year, when he had zero top fives, two top 10s, four laps led and a best finish of eighth in the same span.

— Joe Gibbs Racing has the most wins since the start of the 2019 season with 21. Denny Hamlin leads JGR over that span with eight victories, including Wednesday’s win at Darlington.

Start Time is Looming : http://iptvtalk.net/showthread.php?42866-NASCAR-2020-Race-7-Charlotte-Coca-Cola-600

[4me2c]

NASCAR announces starting lineup, pit stall selection procedures through Talladega

By
Staff Report NASCAR.com May 27, 2020 at 12:56 PM

NASCAR officials released information Wednesday about starting lineup and pit-selection procedures for the next slate of races in all three NASCAR national series, while also announcing a NASCAR Cup Series Saturday practice in advance of the series’ race at Talladega Superspeedway on June 21.

There are 11 total races scheduled at Bristol Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway from May 30-June 21 as NASCAR continues its return from the COVID-19 pandemic that forced the league, and all of sports, to pause its on-track action.

RELATED: 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule

Here is a quick breakdown of the announced policies:
Starting lineup determination

NASCAR Cup Series

There will be a random draw for the next five NASCAR Cup Series races. For races at Bristol (May 31), Atlanta (June 7), Martinsville (June 10), Miami (June 14) and Talladega (June 21), the lineup will be determined in the following way:

• Positions 1-12: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points

• Positions 13-24: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points

• Positions 25-36: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points

• Positions 37-40: Open teams in order of owners points

For all three series, pit stall selections will be ordered based on finishing positions from the series’ previous race, followed by new entries in order of points.

For example, whichever team wins the May 31 NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol would have the first pit stall selection for the June 7 race at Atlanta, the next event on the schedule. The team that finishes second at Bristol would have the second pit stall selection for the next race at Atlanta, etc.
Practice

As noted previously, there will be one NASCAR Cup Series practice session for Talladega Superspeedway, held on Saturday, June 20, from 11:35 a.m.-12:25 p.m. The race is the next day. It is the first scheduled practice for any NASCAR Cup Series event since the sport’s return to action earlier this month.

More Infro for Xfinity and Gander Trucks found here :
https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2020/05/27/nascar-announces-starting-lineup-pit-stall-selection-procedures-through-talladega/

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From Nascar :

Pit stall selection

For all three series, pit stall selections will be ordered based on finishing positions from the series’ previous race, followed by new entries in order of points.

For example, whichever team wins the May 31 NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol would have the first pit stall selection for the June 7 race at Atlanta, the next event on the schedule. The team that finishes second at Bristol would have the second pit stall selection for the next race at Atlanta, etc.
Practice

As noted previously, there will be one NASCAR Cup Series practice session for Talladega Superspeedway, held on Saturday, June 20, from 11:35 a.m.-12:25 p.m. The race is the next day. It is the first scheduled practice for any NASCAR Cup Series event since the sport’s return to action earlier this month.

[dara]

From Autoweek, pending official release from NASCAR

Here is NASCAR’s planned schedule through mid-August.

Saturday, June 27 | Pocono Raceway | Trucks
Saturday, June 27 | Pocono Raceway | Cup
Sunday, June 28 | Pocono Raceway | Xfinity
Sunday, June 28 | Pocono Raceway | Cup
Saturday, July 4 | Indianapolis Road Course | Xfinity
Sunday, July 5 | Indianapolis Oval | Cup
Sunday, July 12 | Kentucky | Cup
Wednesday, July 15 | Charlotte All-Star | Cup
Sunday, July 19 | Texas Motor Speedway | Cup
Thursday, July 23 | Kansas Speedway | Cup
Sunday, August 2 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | Cup
Saturday, August 8 | Michigan International Speedway | Cup
Sunday, August 9 | Michigan International Speedway | Cup

For the 'contest' the All-Star race is not normally a points race, however they might make it so.

[dara]

see this for the schedule news:


https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nascar/a32717862/nascar-delivers-to-cup-teams-schedule-through-august/


The three races not yet tentatively scheduled are Watkins Glen, Dover and the regular season ender at Daytona. Assuming the 10 playoff races are not rescheduled, that makes 35 of the total of 36 accounted for, so there might be another doubleheader at WG, Dover or Daytona.

[dara]

Additional races announced:

https://i.imgur.com/qf3xusQ.png

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Rules and Other News for Folds Race :

RULES PACKAGE

The NASCAR Cup Series will use its 2020 intermediate track package. Cars will feature a 550-horsepower tapered-spacer engine with aero ducts (an adjustment made after the 2019 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway), an eight- by 61-inch rear spoiler and a front splitter with a two-inch overhang.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Tires are critical: The track surface at Atlanta Motor Speedway may be the most worn and hardest on tires for the NASCAR Cup Series. This leads to teams pitting short of their fuel window to take fresh tires or working tire management to their benefit. Some drivers race hard early, while other conserve their tires to make a later run. Teams will be allowed 13 sets of Goodyear Eagles. Atlanta is also where Goodyear runs its multi-zoned tread right-side tire, which debuted in NASCAR in 2013.

“Tires are always something teams and fans think about when NASCAR makes its annual stop at Atlanta Motor Speedway,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “With the abrasive track surface, tires are an important part of the race. Tire management often comes into play as those drivers that are easier on their tires early in a run will profit from that later on. Teams will opt for four tires on every stop, even after just a handful of laps if the opportunity presents itself. That also draws in the team aspect of our sport as the pit crews will be very busy with 13 sets of tires for the race.”

New setup for all NASCAR teams: All three NASCAR national series will run the same tire setup, and it’ll be the first time teams have run either of the two Goodyear tire codes. For the Xfinity Series and Cup Series, compared to what was run last year at Atlanta Motor Speedway, both of the left-side and right-side tires feature construction updates to align with other speedways run. For the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, the tire setup features the same construction updates but also a compound change on the left-side tire — more grip — compared to last year at Atlanta. The right-side tire is a multi-zone tread tire, with a two-inch inboard compound designed for heat resistance (Endurance Zone) and a 10-inch outboard compound to give more grip (Traction Zone). Like all other NASCAR ovals greater than a mile in length, teams will be required to run liners in all four tire positions. Air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.

STATS TO KNOW

— Toyota has not won at Atlanta Motor Speedway since 2013. The manufacturer has made it to Victory Lane at every other active track besides Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Roval since then. Ford has won the last three Atlanta races.

— Kevin Harvick led the most laps in five consecutive races at Atlanta Motor Speedway from 2014-19, trying him with David Pearson for the longest streak at the Georgia track. The driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford won just one of those instances (2018). Harvick also has the most stage wins at Atlanta, with four tallies to his name.

— Bill Elliott is the only Georgia-born driver to win a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and he did so five times.

— Chase Elliott has the best average finish among active driver at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet is averaging a 10.5 finish in four starts. Erik Jones has the next-best result, with a 10.67 average finish through three starts in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Everyone else is averaging a finish outside the top 10.

— Hendrick Motorsports has been dominant at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Chevrolet-backed organization has the most wins (14), runner-ups (16), top-five finishes (59) and top-10 runs (90). Its 3,031 laps led is second most of all teams.

— Three drivers won the last five races at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Brad Keselowski (two), Jimmie Johnson (two) and Kevin Harvick (one). There have been nine different winners in the last nine races held at a 1.5-mile track.

[4me2c]

https://www.news-daily.com/sports/the-history-of-gerald-duke-competitor-in-the-first-atlanta-motor-speedway-race/article_028c53b8-aa4a-530a-8e29-ab0fdc85dc39.html

Passed away on Fri June 05, 2020

HAMPTON — The first racecar driver from Georgia to ever qualify for a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway was a local racing legend from College Park, Gerald Duke.

By today’s terminology, Duke was a man’s man. He served his country during World War II as a paratrooper where he completed 19 jumps behind enemy lines. It was a different era for the driver, Duke didn’t have sponsors to entertain or commercials to make, he raced on the weekends and worked during the week.

[4me2c]

"Ryan Blaney, Ty Dillon, Bubba Wallace, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch from a NASCAR video release pre-race before Atlanta.

‘I will listen and learn’: Drivers unite for message of social change
By
Staff Report NASCAR.com June 7, 2020 at 2:47 PM

NASCAR drivers showed their support Sunday for the movement of social justice after the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others, releasing a video from their social media channels advocating for change and promising, “I will listen and learn.”

The message — organized, led and planned by the drivers themselves — came before the green flag of Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (3 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Further commemorations were held during pre-race ceremonies, including a moment of silence."

More thru this link :
https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2020/06/07/drivers-advocate-for-social-change-atlanta-motor-speedway-pre-race/

IMHO it won't last, as the Ones to first Cry, "Racist" are the Ones that Benefit from it the most... and the Sheeple Still Will Follow...!

Good Luck...!!!

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https://www.nascar.com/gallery/nascars-all-time-winningest-drivers/#photo-1

the Link says it all... + Pictures...!

[4me2c]

RULES PACKAGE

In March, NASCAR officials introduced a reduced-downforce package designed to enhance competition on road courses and the circuit’s shorter oval tracks. The changes include significantly smaller spoilers, splitters and other aerodynamic devices in an effort to place a greater emphasis on handling and driver input with less stabilizing downforce on those tracks. The package draws inspiration from similar rules used in the 2017-18 seasons.

Among the changes for those specific tracks:

A significantly smaller rear spoiler, which shrinks from an 8-inch height to 2.75 inches.
The front splitter’s overhang will now measure a quarter-inch (down from 2 inches), with approximately 2-inch wings (reduced from 10.5 inches).
Alterations to the radiator pan, removing its vertical fencing in an effort to reduce front-end downforce. The dimensions of the pan remain the same.

Pit-stall selection will be ordered based on finishing positions from the NASCAR Cup Series’ previous race — last Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway — followed by new entries in order of points.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Unique set of challenges: Wednesday’s stop at the half-mile Martinsville Speedway presents one similar challenge and one that is quite different, compared to the series’ first short-track race of the year at Bristol Motor Speedway. Similar to Bristol, Martinsville’s corners are concrete, and the tread compounds Goodyear chooses to bring are specifically designed to lay rubber on that surface. The difference is the banking as Martinsville is virtually flat while Bristol is steeply banked. As a result, the constructions of these two tire codes have been designed to optimize the acceleration, deceleration and handling needed on Martinsville’s flat, tight turns. Also of note, since this is the first night race at Martinsville, the Goodyear test at this track last summer that yielded this tire setup was held partially under the track’s new lights.

“Moving the first Martinsville race later in the schedule will have an impact on tires and the track’s ability to take rubber,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “Originally scheduled for May and now being held in June, ambient temperatures will be warmer, which will help the cars’ ability to lay rubber in the concrete corners. Even though this race will be held at night, track temperatures should be warmer than what we ‘normally’ have for this event. In addition to the concrete corners, Martinsville’s lack of banking, long straightaways and tight turns combine for the other challenge teams face. Drivers are hard on the brakes entering the corners and hard on the gas exiting, so our constructions have to be very robust in handling those conditions.”

Goodyear debuts new tire setup: There are two new tire codes NASCAR Cup teams will run at Martinsville Speedway. Compared to what was run at this track last season, this tire setup features construction updates on both sides of the car and compound changes on both sides that will give the cars more grip and introduce more tire wear. This tire setup came out of a test at Martinsville last July. Drivers, and teams who participated in that test were Team Penske (Ryan Blaney), Stewart-Haas Racing (Clint Bowyer) and Wood Brothers Racing (Paul Menard). This is the only track where NASCAR teams will run either of these two tire codes. Also, like most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, teams will not run inner liners in their tires at Martinsville.

STATS TO KNOW

— Both Martinsville Speedway winners in 2019 swept all three stages. Brad Keselowski won both stages and the race in the spring and Martin Truex Jr. won both stages and the race in the fall.

— Team Penske (three) and Joe Gibbs Racing (two) won five of the last six at Martinsville Speedway.

— Ford drivers have won four of the last six races at Martinsville Speedway after the manufacturer failed to win any of the prior 28 races. Brad Keselowski won two of the last six Martinsville races and is the only repeat winner in the last seven races there. Chevrolet has 56 Martinsville wins but has won only once in the last eight races.

— The last five Martinsville Speedway races were won by the driver who led the most laps, while the last five winners led a stretch of over 100 laps in each of their victories. Two of the last five races ended with a last-lap pass; the final lead change in the other three races was with 114 laps to go or more.

— Only once in the last seven Martinsville Speedway races has a driver earned their first win of the season. Clint Bowyer accomplished the feat in the spring 2018 race.

— The past five races at Martinsville Speedway have produced five different winners — Kyle Busch (fall 2017), Clint Bowyer (spring 2018), Joey Logano (fall 2018), Brad Keselowski (spring 2019) and Martin Truex Jr. (fall 2019).

[4me2c]

Woooooooooooooooooo...

By
Official NASCAR Release NASCAR.com June 9, 2020 at 3:28 PM

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 9, 2020) — NASCAR today announced its plan to reintroduce guests at select NASCAR Cup Series races beginning with the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (June 14 on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (June 21 on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NASCAR’s modified event procedures, protocols and number of attendees have been finalized with guidance from public health officials, medical experts and local, state and federal officials. All guests in attendance will be screened before entering, required to wear face coverings, mandated to social distance at 6 feet, and will not have access to the infield, among other revised operational protocols. NASCAR will continue to adapt and improve its procedures to ensure they are effective and can be scaled to support an increased number of fans in the future.

“We have tremendous respect and appreciation for the responsibility that comes with integrating guests back into our events,” said Daryl Wolfe, Executive Vice President, Chief Operations and Sales Officer, NASCAR. “We believe implementing this methodical process is an important step forward for the sport and the future of live sporting events. The passion and unwavering support of our industry and fans is the reason we race each weekend and we look forward to slowly and responsibly welcoming them back at select events.”

NASCAR will continue its long history of honoring military members by welcoming them as the first guests allowed entrance to a NASCAR Cup Series event since March 8. Homestead-Miami Speedway will invite up to 1,000 South Florida service members as honorary guests for the Dixie Vodka 400, representing the Homestead Air Reserve Base and U.S. Southern Command in Doral.

Talladega Superspeedway will allow up to 5,000 guests in the frontstretch grandstands/towers for the GEICO 500. In addition, there will be limited motorhome/5th-wheel camping spots available outside the track high atop the Alabama Gang Superstretch. Tickets are open exclusively on a first come, first served basis to fans who purchased tickets or reserved camping for the originally scheduled GEICO 500 (April 26) and live within a designated proximity to the track.

Additional protocols and procedures for guests planning to attend can be found at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

[4me2c]

WARNING :
May have Offending Wording...

By
NASCAR Statement NASCAR.com June 10, 2020 at 4:45 PM

“The presence of the confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry. Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special.

"The display of the confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties.”

[crazed 9.6]

This is not really a new thing.
Nascar did ban that flag back in 2016
It was a ban from all and any nascar merchandise or anything with the nascar name attached to it... But the crowds could still display the flag anywhere or anytime they wanted.
What nascar has done now is ban the flag completely, meaning it can not be displayed at any nascar event.
Not on a camper , not on a T-shirt, not anywhere in a nascar sponsored event.

[4me2c]

NASCAR will no longer require its teams to stand during the national anthem. Instead, drivers and team members will be allowed to engage in peaceful protest.

According to NBC sports’ Dustin Long, “NASCAR eliminated the guidelines before last weekend’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. NASCAR official Kirk Price knelt during the invocation and raised a fist. Price, who served on active duty in the U.S. Army for three years, remained kneeling during the anthem while he saluted the flag.”


https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2020/06/10/nascar-allow-protests-during-national-anthem/?fbclid=IwAR3NTQtAyBFWFzPlrDyI9VEAS9lAQorHOCfcew0N E8mqv3CnUtK0u-vfy50 :mad:

[4me2c]

Not Nascar Cup but Still Racing News :

" By
Staff Report NASCAR.com June 11, 2020 at 8:43 AM

Though its length was a bit longer than anticipated, the wait for NASCAR fans to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel once more is almost over.

The 15-time NMPA Most Popular Driver Award winner is set to pilot the No. 8 JR Motorsports Hellmann’s Chevrolet in Saturday’s Hooters 250 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio)."...!!!

[4me2c]

" By
Staff Report NASCAR.com June 12, 2020 at 3:06 PM

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Miami for the first time since the COVID-19 shutdown postponed its original scheduled date in March. Homestead-Miami Speedway will play host to Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Although fans will be prohibited from attending like other events held since NASCAR returned to action after the coronavirus outbreak, the 400.5-mile race will host up to 1,000 South Florida service members, while only a limited amount of essential personnel will be permitted on the track’s grounds. It will mark the eighth Cup Series race in NASCAR’s return and the 12th race overall this season."

[4me2c]

RULES PACKAGE

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for intermediate-sized tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to set a target of 550 horsepower. The cars will use aero ducts in addition to other aerodynamic devices to increase downforce.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Heat, humidity and high wear: Since its return in mid-May, NASCAR has run at several high tire wear race tracks, and Homestead-Miami Speedway ranks right near the top of that list. Homestead has come to be known for being one of the most competitive race tracks on the circuit, with its progressive banking, multiple racing grooves and its abrasive surface are part of that. High tire wear puts an emphasis on tire management, with drivers who are easier on their tires early in a run suffering less tire fall-off and making up a lot of track position later in that run. That scenario creates a lot of “comers” and “goers” over the course of a full fuel run, all leading to exciting and entertaining racing for the fans.

“Over the past several seasons we have had some great races at Homestead,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “It has also turned into one of our most high wear tracks, and that is something that both fans and drivers seem to like. For the drivers, it puts a lot of focus on being smooth and managing their tires. Over a long run, lap times will fall off over two seconds from the beginning to the end of the run, so drivers who are able to save their tires early in a run will benefit from that later on. One other nice thing about this tire setup is that these teams just ran it at Darlington a few weeks ago, and at Homestead last fall, so they should have a good notebook from which to work.”

The NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series will all run the same tire combination this weekend in South Florida.

[4me2c]

STATS TO KNOW

— The last four races at Homestead-Miami Speedway have been won by four different drivers — Kyle Busch (2019), Joey Logano (2018), Martin Truex Jr. (2017), Jimmie Johnson (2016).

— The race winner has started in the top-five positions in six of the last seven races.

— Joe Gibbs Racing has won three of the last seven Miami races, while the organization’s former affiliate Furniture Row Racing also won one of those seven races with Truex Jr.

— Kevin Harvick has 12 straight top 10s at Miami, including six straight top fives all coming with Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick is also the all-time leader at Miami in these categories: 11 top fives, 17 top 10s, 6.4 average finish. He also owns an average running position of 4.0 or better in six straight Miami races.

— Kyle Busch has recorded five consecutive finishes of sixth or better, including two wins, all coming with crew chief Adam Stevens. Busch is also the only repeat winner in the last 10 Miami races.

— Ryan Blaney finished second at Martinsville Speedway, but it’ll be a little more of a challenge at Homestead-Miami if he wants to replicate that result. The 1.5-mile track is one of only three places where Blaney has yet to score a top-10 finish, including Darlington Raceway and Richmond Raceway. His best finish at Miami is 11th in 2019.

Source: NASCAR statistics, Racing Insights

[4me2c]

More STATS :

"2019 RACE WINNER

Kyle Busch, who has yet to win so far in 2020, took his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry to Victory Lane in last year’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway to win the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series championship. Busch led 120 of the 267 total laps and finished with a 4.578-second margin of victory over Championship 4 contender and teammate Martin Truex Jr. Busch also won at Miami in 2015 for his first career title."...!!!

ACTIVE HOMESTEAD-MIAMI WINNERS

Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin (two each); Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr. (one each). :cool:

[4me2c]

Nascar "Hall of Fame"

By
Staff Report NASCAR.com June 16, 2020 at 10:04 AM

Rich with history and talent, the NASCAR Hall of Fame is the sport’s most exclusive club and highest honor.

On Tuesday night, the 2021 Class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame will be announced live on NASCAR America at
5 p.m. ET on NBCSN and the NBC Sports App.

This year’s voting process has been unlike any other.

For starters, voting was done last week, and via Zoom teleconference — due to the COVID-19 pandemic, voting did not happen in person and it did not happen on the same day the class was announced as usual.



https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2020/06/15/2021-nascar-hall-of-fame-everything-you-need-to-know-for-today/ :cool:

[dara]

Congrats to Dale Earnhardt, Jr, Red Farmer and Mike Stefanik



https://www.jayski.com/2020/06/16/nascar-announces-nascar-hall-of-fame-class-of-2021-landmark-award/

[4me2c]

https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2020/06/17/talladega-nascar-cup-series-pit-stall-assignments/

Chart showing who will bee in the Pits...!

[4me2c]

RULES PACKAGE

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for superspeedways will be in effect, with additional engine restrictions intended to drop the target horsepower to around 510 horsepower. The cars will use the superspeedway package, but aero ducts will be eliminated and a smaller throttle body will be used. Competition officials introduced the changes May 1 after Ryan Newman’s severe wreck in the season-opening Daytona 500. Learn more about the crash findings and the intent of the safety and competition changes here :
https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2020/06/18/talladega-superspeedway-101-tv-times-key-statistics-revised-procedures-geico-500/

[4me2c]

Rules con't :

GOODYEAR TIRES

Goodyear officials expect tire strategy and not tire wear to be a focal point this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, where traction fall-off is not as dramatic. Cup Series and Xfinity Series teams will run the same tire combination this weekend; it’s the same compound and code Cup Series teams ran last October, but it will mark a new combination for Xfinity Series cars for their 300-miler Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM).

“We have actually seen some tire wear at Talladega since it was repaved about a decade ago,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing, making a nod toward Talladega’s 2010 repave. “Having said that, wear is really not an issue. Teams will have the opportunity to take two tires, or even no tires on occasion, to gain track position and line themselves up with the other teams they are working with in the draft.”

Cup Series teams will have an allotment of seven sets of tires for their Sunday event. Xfinity Series teams will have a maximum of four sets for their race.

STATS TO KNOW

— Ford has won eight of the last nine Cup Series races at Talladega, with Chevrolet’s lone tally to break up the streak coming last April with Chase Elliott’s victory in a Chevrolet. Toyota’s last Talladega win came in May 2014 with Denny Hamlin prevailing. Expect manufacturer alliances to run deep both in the aerodynamic draft and planning pit strategy.

— Six different drivers have won the last six Talladega races. Since Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s springtime win in 2017, the list of winners reads in chronological order: Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Aric Almirola, Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney.

— Brad Keselowski ranks as Talladega’s leader in career wins among active Cup Series drivers with five, but his recent run of luck at superspeedways (Talladega and Daytona) has been dreadful. Keselowski has finished outside the top 10 in his last nine superspeedway events, with six DNFs in that span.

— Martin Truex Jr. broke through in the 2020 win column on June 10, but he’s still waiting for his first Cup Series triumph on a superspeedway. He’s 0-for-60 for his career at those tracks, with 30 winless starts each at Talladega and Daytona and just four top-five finishes between the two tracks in his career.

— Hendrick Motorsports has the most Talladega wins of any organization with 13 victories, led by Jeff Gordon’s six triumphs. Seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson has two Talladega wins for the team, with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chase Elliott, Terry Labonte, Ken Schrader and Brian Vickers netting one Talladega win each for HMS.

— Time for the Green Machine to Show Up...!!!

[4me2c]

https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2020/06/15/nascar-cup-series-talladega-superspeedway-rules-package-update-practice/

" By
Zack Albert NASCAR.com June 15, 2020 at 6:07 PM

NASCAR officials released additional findings Monday from Ryan Newman’s severe last-lap crash in the season-opening Daytona 500, saying that previously announced rules changes designed to improve safety and competition at superspeedways should limit engine strength by an additional 35-40 horsepower.

The details emerged from a Monday briefing with John Probst, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Innovation and Racing Development, and John Patalak, NASCAR Senior Director of Safety Engineering, who previewed the changes ahead of Sunday’s GEICO 500 (3 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM) at Talladega Superspeedway.

NASCAR had announced rules updates for superspeedway events on May 1, introducing safety enhancements with the addition of two roll bars and competition changes intended to slow the cars, including the elimination of aero ducts and a reduction in the size of the throttle body. The rules will be in effect for this season’s remaining Cup Series races at Talladega and Daytona International Speedway. ...

Officials indicated that many of the changes were a result of NASCAR’s investigation of the final-lap crash in the Daytona 500 in February. That incident, which came at the end of a crash-filled season opener, resulted in serious injuries for Newman, who was hospitalized after being removed from his Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford. A NASCAR spokesperson indicated that a full, sit-down debrief with Newman and his Roush Fenway Racing team had not occurred because of COVID-19 restrictions.

“I think obviously when we go to superspeedways, as we said, any of our races, what we do is inherently dangerous,” Patalak said. “Stopping a wreck from happening, that would be pretty difficult. I would say that slowing the cars down surely should and would help from an aero liftoff standpoint. I would say our findings from the Ryan Newman crash, his liftoff was not due to an aero event but from him getting into the wall. The idea there is reducing the speeds of the car, slowing them down. We would expect speeds under the 200 mph barrier here. So from that standpoint slowing the cars down, keep from having as violent wrecks. ...

The changes announced in May are expected to shave horsepower figures from the 550 target at multiple tracks to around 510 for Daytona and Talladega. Probst said that the changes were expected to add more than a second to lap times at Talladega. For reference, Denny Hamlin led opening practice at the 2.66-mile Alabama track last October at 46.734 seconds for a speed of 204.904 mph. Adding one second to that clocking would net a lap speed of 200.612 mph. ...

The officials said an evolution of safety changes through the years kept Newman from being more seriously injured when his car made impacts with the outside retaining wall and Corey LaJoie’s No. 32 Ford. In the debut of the Gen-6 car for 2013, NASCAR added more roll bars, a laminate windshield and new window net mounting structure. ...

The officials also said that the addition of slip tape to the rear bumper cover at superspeedways would reduce friction during bump-drafting, decreasing the chance of hooking or spinning the lead car when bumpers make contact. “We’re trying to make the rear bumper of the car being hit like ice,” Probst said, “where they slide across, don’t contact and start influencing the car in front laterally, left to right, if you will.”

In another change adapted in the wake of Newman’s crash, NASCAR mandated a check valve for the oil reservoir tank or overflow expansion tank to mitigate the amount of fluid lost if a vehicle overturns in a crash.

Drivers’ first test run of the new superspeedway package will come in Sunday’s 500-miler, after NASCAR officials announced last weekend that the Cup Series will race without a scheduled practice session. The series has held eight races since returning to action after the COVID-19 outbreak, and none have included practice as officials try to limit travel time and exposure with coronavirus safety protocols still in place." ...!!!

[4me2c]

https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2020/06/22/richard-petty-statement-bubba-wallace-stand-shoulder/

Richard Petty statement: ‘I stand shoulder to shoulder with Bubba’...!

" By
Staff Report NASCAR.com June 22, 2020 at 12:44 PM

Team owner Richard Petty issued the following statement Monday morning:

“I’m enraged by the act of someone placing a noose in the garage stall of my race team. There is absolutely no place in our sport or our society for racism. This filthy act serves as a reminder of how far we still have to go to eradicate racial prejudice and it galvanizes my resolve to use the resources of Richard Petty Motorsports to create change. The sick person who perpetrated this act must be found, exposed, and swiftly and immediately expelled from NASCAR. I believe in my heart this despicable act is not representative of the competitors I see each day in the NASCAR garage area. I stand shoulder to shoulder with Bubba, yesterday, today, tomorrow and every day forward.”...!!!

[4me2c]

whoever the scumbag was who put that chit on Bubba's car will be found out.
I'd hate to be that guy when he is found out ! Frigging scumbag !

Go Go Bubba !!!

Just Heard on Me loco Fox News Chnl :

The noose found hanging in Bubba Wallace's garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway had been there since at least last October, federal authorities said Tuesday in announcing there will be no charges filed in an incident that rocked NASCAR and its only fulltime Black driver.

U.S. Attorney Jay Town and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp Jr. said its investigation determined “although the noose is now known to have been in garage number 4 in 2019, nobody could have known Mr. Wallace would be assigned to garage number 4 last week.”


https://www.chron.com/sports/article/NASCAR-Bubba-Wallace-noose-garage-stall-no-charges-15361104.php

Meanwhile, another One has been FOUND at Sonoma Race Track...!


https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2020/06/23/nascar-noose-apparently-found-sonoma-raceway-police-investigate/3243197001/ :mad:

[dara]

"Noose" turned out to be a garage door pull rope that had been here for months, per FBI investigation. Just a really bad misunderstanding.

[crazed 9.6]

I saw you guys posted this news at damn near same time.
I moved 4me's post here with your's dara

And thnx guys ... I was really really down in the dumps about all this since reported yesterday.
It feels so good to know it was a simple misunderstanding and not a deliberate action against Bubba :)

Them FBI guys are on the ball :)

Now what the heck is happening at the Sonoma Race Track ??!!

[4me2c]

"An apparent noose was discovered by an employee at Sonoma Raceway in California on Saturday, prompting an investigation, as racing deals with the aftermath of another noose being found in Black driver Bubba Wallace's garage at Talladega Supersweedway on Sunday.

Sonoma Raceway general manager Steve Page said in a statement that an employee found a piece of twine fashioned in the shape of a noose on a tree on the track's property Saturday morning.

“On Saturday, a Sonoma Raceway staff member discovered a piece of twine tied in what appeared to be a noose hanging from a tree on raceway property," the statement read. "Our staff, on-site business tenants and local law enforcement have been contacted and asked to share any information they may have. The incident is under investigation by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department. Sonoma Raceway takes this incident very seriously and is dedicated to operating a facility that is welcoming to everyone.”

"You can reasonably interpret (it) to be a noose," Page told NBC Bay Area.

"(The employee) was understandably very upset about it.

"To have something like that show up on our property is disgusting."

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office told NBC Bay Area that the perpetrator, if arrested, could be charged with a hate crime."...

No Picture so Maybee just a Copy-Cat at work...!

[crazed 9.6]

Thnx 4me

After what happen at Teladega, that situation at Sonoma sounds like something some dumbass no brained idiot would do to scare up some chit and then sit in his little basement bedroom somewhere and watching for the results on his TV

On the other note about Teladega... that noose which had been (according to investigation)put there last year, could have been something used as a tool, in a way.
I say this because in my truck I have this thing that is on a recoil string and on one end it holds a bic lighter. The other end is a clip to hook on your belt loop or some place.
What I do thou is take some string and make a loop at one end and then tie off the other end somewhere on my dashboard or rear-view mirror in my truck... then I clip that recoil device on to the loop I made with string. The loop I made was a 'noose' and with 13 knots too. I did the 13 knots to go with what the Hangman would use as a legal noose to hang criminals in the outlaw cowboy days and nothing to do with the memory of the plight of the enslaved people.
Main reason I used a noose type loop in first place was that it looked better hanging there instead of just a clumsy looking loop knot hanging there on my dashboard.

I picked up a hitch hiker about a year ago thou and he was offended by that noose, not so much that he wanted to kill me, but enough to let me know about it. I explained to him it was a hangman's noose and was fitting to be a cigarette lighter hanger as them cigs will kill yea... and not a vigilante or KKK type noose, but I removed that noose anyway and never made another one since.
Oh, and I have also quit smoking since then too :)

Just saying all this because now that we know the 'noose' was not directed at whats going on these days, but in fact may have been totaling innocent when it was originally made.

[4me2c]

"Noose" turned out to be a garage door pull rope that had been here for months, per FBI investigation. Just a really bad misunderstanding.


In neither instance at the Race Tracks are there pictures of the So-called Noose's... W/O Pics it is Hard to Determine just what was seen and what reaction there should bee...

On a Side-Note, Glad You Stopped Smoking Now quit Spinning those Tires, Rubber cost $'s...!!!

[crazed 9.6]

In neither instance at the Race Tracks are there pictures of the So-called Noose's... W/O Pics it is Hard to Determine just what was seen and what reaction there should bee...

On a Side-Note, Glad You Stopped Smoking Now quit Spinning those Tires, Rubber cost $'s...!!!

I did stop spinning them truck tires too... since I bought a little sporty car .. GrandPrix GTP Supercharged, I don't drive the truck much anymore :)

[Gabacho]

This site is turning into a NASCAR site instead of an IPTV site!!!

[crazed 9.6]

This site is turning into a NASCAR site instead of an IPTV site!!!
There is a reason for that, or an excuse for that , maybe is more so correct ...

There been some big money and big time invested into our nascar pools and pool members, since going on many years now. It goes back a few years here and with another few years at a previous website. Just setting up every race thread and tallying posting results is amazing to see each and every race.
Every year there is a Diecast thread showing the diecast winners from random races during the season and for the podium winners at season's end.
This year's thread is not been created yet due to 'world events', but dara is our soul winner so far this year.
Check the Sticky threads for the 2018 and 2019 threads.

Here is an example of diecast that can be available to choose from...
http://iptvtalk.net/showthread.php?38327-2018-Diecast-car-list

So you see we do have quite alot invested in our pools.
Anyone can join our pools anytime, although starting at the season beginning would greatly help your chances, but we do hold random diecast races too, but not so much this year thou with the way things are out there in that scary world of ours.


You are lucky its an exciting sport, I tried doing a some-what similar thing with Golf, but there was only two of us in that pool... me and myself.. I did win lots :eek:

[4me2c]

Only 2 in Golf...?!? All the Ones 4me has tried had at least 3 Entrants in them ie : Me, Meself and I...!

[4me2c]

https://racingnews.co/2020/06/23/fbi-concludes-investigation-of-noose-at-nascar-race-in-talladega-its-been-there-since-october-2019/

Picture :
https://twitter.com/Mike79824465/status/1275387692570869761/photo/1 Open that ^^^ at Your Own Risk or just c/p the Top Link to the story and scroll down to the Pictures...!!!

[4me2c]

Read This, Then Read It Again :

"Wood Brothers Racing

The Wood Brothers Racing team used the same No. 4 garage stall back in Fall 2019. Pictures surfaced from 2019 of the Wood Brothers #21 in the garage. The door pull rope was tied like a noose, even back in 2019 and before the Wood Brothers occupied the stall.

This type of knot is commonly seen on garage door pull ropes. It just makes it easier to pull closed, they can be found on many garages that don’t feature garage door openers.

The NASCAR team released the following statement on Tuesday:

“We are thankful that there was no one involved in perpetrating hate during this weekend’s race,” a statement from Wood Brothers Racing said.

“Just like the rest of the NASCAR garage, we were shocked and appalled to learn of the existence pf the rope fashioned like a noose. One of our employees alerted us yesterday morning that, without knowing the details of the incident, he recalled seeing a tied handle in the garage pull-down rope from last fall.”

“We immediately alerted NASCAR and have assisted the investigation in every way possible. What transpired over the past day plus is a unity that has only served to strengthen the bonds between each and every crew member, fan and non-fan alike.”

“The Wood Brothers organization is proud to stand with Bubba Wallace and the entire industry as we work to make every race fan a part of our NASCAR family.”

Related: A noose was also hung at Sonoma Raceway
Commentary

There were some mistakes made here, no question.

But, absent from any comments above is the fact that a noose was in fact hung from a tree at Sonoma Raceway on Saturday. It was tied out of rope and hung from a tree on the property. (Not Twine...!!!)

Without knowing for certain, you can assume the team members in Talladega were alerted to the incident at the NASCAR track in California.

Until that point, they weren’t looking for a noose. Before that, the loop on the garage door is just a knot.

When the noose was discovered at Sonoma, the team returned to the garage at Talladega Superspeedway with that on their minds on Sunday. Assumptions were made, but it was also out of safety and caution.

That’s the only explanation for what’s gone horrible wrong here. At the same point, it is a relief to know a monster isn’t walking amoung the garage area."

[4me2c]

At Sonoma :
https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/12/56/65/19590489/3/920x920.jpg

Open @ Own Risk...!!!

[Orziz]

I can see how this could be misconstrued.
I’m really hoping things are going to be better soon.
Bubba went on CNN and well, that wasn’t his best interview- it appears his PR team may have put him on a better path through Twitter today.

[4me2c]

Pocono In the Pits :
https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2020/06/24/pocono-1-nascar-cup-series-pit-stall-assignments/

[12icer]

This is not about a noose. Hell I had one hanging from my rear view for years. Had quite a few black Americans in the car, never heard a word about it. It is all about moving the wall they stand you against, and slapping you harder till you get enough. The longer you take it the stronger they become and the weaker you get. Two weeks ago was two weeks too long. As for NASCAR, no flag, southern Heritage shunning, means the same as taking a knee on a football field to me. They aren’t worth the beans that could be growing on the land their tracks take up. Most of my ancestors came through Ellis island or walked the trail of tears so I have only about 1 in 16 that was involved with the Civil war here. I do know the real history of our world, and the real history of this country and the idiots out in the streets protesting and warring don’t have a clue about either. BTW I mostly learned both from non USA sources that were very thorough and used eyewitness accounts and written correspondence of involved personnel.

[4me2c]

RULES PACKAGE

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for intermediate-sized tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to set a target of 550 horsepower. The cars will use aero ducts in addition to other aerodynamic devices to increase downforce.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Because Pocono Raceway is a flat track, teams will use various tuning tools to maximize grip and performance, with one of those being adjusting left-side air pressures. Goodyear has integrated multiple construction updates over the past several seasons, allowing teams to be at the bottom end of left-side air pressure recommendations without harming the structural integrity of the tire. Observing those minimums are an important part of maximizing durability.

“Pocono has a unique track layout and always presents a challenge,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “Being 2.5 miles in length, fuel windows are relatively ‘short’ in terms of the number of laps. … Depending on how the cautions fall, we may see some varying pit strategies that could jumble the field. Also this weekend, with back-to-back races in the Cup Series, it will be interesting to see how teams use the information from Saturday’s race to make adjustments and improvements for Sunday. Since we have restarted the season, teams have had no practice, so Sunday will really be more like a ‘normal’ race where teams have had a chance to adjust on their cars from day to day.”

Teams in all three NASCAR series will run the same tire setup. It’ll feature the same right-side tire code ran at this track last season, but the left-side tire is a new code with a construction update.

The NASCAR Cup Series will have six sets of tires for each race. The NASCAR Xfinity Series will have five sets (Sunday, 12:30 p.m. ET on FS1). The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series will have four sets (Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET on FS1).

STATS TO KNOW

— Toyota drivers have won the last five races at Pocono Raceway. Kyle Busch has won three (July 2017, July 2018 and June 2019) of those five in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Martin Truex Jr. took the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota to Victory Lane in June 2018. Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota took the July 2019 checkered flag. All those drivers happen to race for Joe Gibbs Racing now, too.

— Chevrolet, meanwhile, is winless in the last seven Pocono Raceway events. Kurt Busch was the last Chevrolet driver to win at the Pennsylvania track with his former No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing entry in June 2016.

— Hendrick Motorsports has the most starts (245), wins (17), poles (13), top fives (70), top 10s (126) and laps led (3,270) at Pocono Raceway.

— Four drivers have scored their first career win at Pocono Raceway: Jeremy Mayfield (June 1998), Denny Hamlin (June 2006), Chris Buescher (August 2016) and Ryan Blaney (June 2017).

— In the last six Pocono Raceway events, only two drivers have led the most laps. Kyle Busch has four times: 100 in June 2017, 74 in July 2017 (won), 52 in July 2018 (won) and 79 in June 2019 (won). Kevin Harvick handled the other two races: 89 in June 2018 and 62 laps in July 2019.

— Only two of the 12 stage winners at Pocono Raceway went on to win the race. Kyle Busch (August 2017) and Martin Truex Jr. (June 2018) both won Stage 1 en route to their overall victories.

Source: NASCAR statistics, Racing Insights :cool:

[4me2c]

Jimmie Johnson stays hopeful amid ‘wide range of emotions’ after positive COVID-19 test
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By
Zack Albert NASCAR.com July 4, 2020 at 12:15 PM

Jimmie Johnson said with some measure of understatement Saturday morning that “2020’s been interesting.” Indeed, the seven-time champion entered his final full-time season with designs on an eighth, capping a triumphant final ride in the No. 48 Chevrolet, before the coronavirus outbreak made the campaign a disjointed one for the entire NASCAR industry.

Now those objectives come with a large amount of perspective. Johnson revealed a positive test for COVID-19 on Friday, a diagnosis that will keep him under isolation and away from the track for the near future. But the primary concerns for the rest of the year are now much deeper than competition-related goals: Parenting two virus-free daughters, ages 9 and 6, as he and his wife, Chandra, isolate from them with positive tests; maintaining personal health safeguards to contain the spread; and speaking out with a message of staying safe to help others.

“I can be down and out on my situation, but if I turn on the news and see how this virus has impacted so many others, I quickly feel thankful that I’m asymptomatic and I don’t have any major issues,” Johnson said Saturday morning from his Colorado home. “It’d be very easy right now to get bummed out and look at this the wrong way, but I’m healthy, my wife is healthy, my kids are. My prayers are that it stays that way. We’re hopeful that through our situation that maybe some others can learn from this as well.

“I mean, if it wasn’t for Chani’s diligence on trying to do the right thing at all times, we would be going on with life as normal, and who knows who we could have come in contact with and the repercussions that could have had. I know our country and the world right now is over quarantine and over these technicalities that we need to deal with, but as a family that’s been very safe and very cautious to end up testing positive just shows how diligent you truly need to be through all this.”

Johnson will miss Sunday’s 400-mile race (4 p.m. ET, NBC) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, ending a streak of 663 consecutive Cup Series starts. Xfinity Series veteran Justin Allgaier will drive the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 in his place, and Johnson will not return to competition until receiving two negative test results at least 24 hours apart, plus clearance by a physician.

RELATED: Johnson reports COVID-19 results | Starts streak to end

Johnson said his wife had exhibited allergy-like symptoms earlier in the week, which prompted her to visit a local hospital for testing. When those results came back positive around 9 a.m. Friday morning, Johnson said he and his children quickly followed suit for their own tests. Johnson said he and his wife tested positive; their children, negative — a divide that has made parenting an especially difficult challenge.

Johnson said the time period since receiving news of his positive test has been a whirlwind, trying to inform all those he had potentially come in contact with in the last several days. That list included Hendrick Motorsports personnel that were with him during last weekend’s events at Pocono Raceway, one of which has self-quarantined from at-track duties out of precaution.

[4me2c]

RULES PACKAGE for Indy :

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for intermediate-sized tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to set a target of 550 horsepower. The cars will use aero ducts in addition to other aerodynamic devices to increase downforce.

GOODYEAR TIRES

The downforce package the NASCAR Cup Series will run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend is hard on tires, with high loads generated down the long straightaways. Search for grip will be important. Teams will have nine sets of tires for Sunday’s race.

Set-up will feature the same right-side tire code as last season but a new left-side code with a construction update — all the same as last weekend at Pocono Raceway.

“Indy is a very tricky place to get right for a stock car,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “Last year’s race was run in unseasonably cool temperatures in the low 70s with overcast skies, so there was plenty of grip. This week’s forecast is for 90-degree temperatures and teams will be looking for grip on a hot, slick track and tires will be a key factor. With no practice, and the Xfinity cars running on the road course and not the oval this year, team will have to tread lightly going into this race.”

The NASCAR Xfinity Series, meanwhile, will run the same tire code on all four tire positions. It’ll be the same as the set-up ran last season at Road America and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Teams will have two sets of tires for Friday’s practices and five sets for Saturday’s race. They will also be allowed up to four sets of “wets” (two for practices, two for race) if NASCAR decides weather conditions warrant the switch.

STATS TO KNOW

— Nine drivers won the last 10 races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch (2015-16) is the only repeat winner during that timespan.

— Ford has won the last two races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after failing to win in the prior 18 events. Meanwhile, Chevrolet has won 13 of the last 17 races and only one of the wins was within the past five years.

— The final lead change came with two laps to go in three of the last five races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch passed Joey Logano (finished second) for the win in 2015, Kasey Kahne passed Brad Keselowski (finished second) for the win in 2017, and Keselowski passed Denny Hamlin (finished third) for the win in 2018.

— Hendrick Motorsports has 10 wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, while the eight other organizations with wins there have 16 victories combined. HMS has never gone more than three years without winning at the Brickyard. It has been two years since its last win (Kasey Kahne, 2017).

— Jimmie Johnson’s four wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway rank second all time to Jeff Gordon (five), but Johnson also has 11 finishes of 14th or worse there, including five of the last six races.

— Kevin Harvick, who has won three races in 2020, has the longest active top-10 streak at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with six, spanning from 2014-19. Kyle Busch has the all-time longest streak with seven, but it ended in 2016.

Source: NASCAR statistics, Racing Insights

LIVE COVERAGE

Tune in to television coverage Sunday on NBC (4 p.m. ET) or on the NBC Sports App for both events. For full radio coverage from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, listen in to IMS Radio Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on-air.

[4me2c]

By
Staff Report NASCAR.com July 8, 2020 at 2:58 PM

NASCAR announced the next installment of the rebuilt 2020 schedule on Wednesday, a 19-race update that begins at Michigan International Speedway on the second weekend in August and ends at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on Aug. 30.

The final breakdown: six points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races, five NASCAR Xfinity Series races, four NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series races and four ARCA Menards Series events, one of which is the East Series. The schedule features a shift in venue for the weekend of Aug. 14, seeing NASCAR take on the Daytona International Speedway road course in full force for the first time in history. It all starts with the ARCA cars running it that Friday followed by Xfinity action on Saturday and a Gander Trucks/Cup Series twin bill on Sunday at the “World Center of Racing.”...

Road America and Dover International Speedway will also host events during the homestretch in advance of the NASCAR Playoffs. The NASCAR Cup Series regular season is still scheduled to conclude with a race on the 2.5-oval layout at Daytona on Aug. 29.

More details on NASCAR national series dates, including the playoffs, will be announced at a later date.

Additionally, NASCAR’s modified event procedures and protocols have been finalized in accordance with public health officials, medical experts and local, state and federal officials. NASCAR will determine if fans are allowed entrance to NASCAR Cup Series races on a market-by-market basis, in accordance with local and state guidelines. ...

Date Track Series Distance Network Start Time (ET)
Fri., Aug. 7 Michigan Gander 200 mi FS1 6 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 8 Road America Xfinity 182 mi NBCSN Noon
Sat., Aug. 8 Michigan Cup 312 mi NBCSN 4 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 9 Michigan ARCA 200 mi MAVTV 1 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 9 Michigan Cup 312 mi NBCSN 4:30 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 14 Daytona (road) ARCA TBD MAVTV 5 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 15 Daytona (road) Xfinity 182 mi NBCSN 3 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 16 Daytona (road) Gander 153 mi FS1 Noon
Sun., Aug. 16 Daytona (road) Cup 231 mi NBC 3 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 21 Dover ARCA East 125 mi TrackPass 2 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 21 Dover Gander 200 mi FS1 5 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 22 Dover Xfinity 200 mi NBCSN 12:30 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 22 Dover Cup 311 mi NBCSN 4 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 23 Dover Xfinity 200 mi NBCSN 1 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 23 Dover Cup 311 mi NBCSN 4 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 28 Daytona Xfinity 250 mi NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 29 WWT Raceway ARCA 150 mi MAVTV 6 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 29 Daytona Cup 400 mi NBC 7:30 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 30 WWT Raceway Gander 200 mi FS1 Noon

Other notes:
— Both Dover and Michigan will host Cup Series doubleheader weekends, with the “Monster Mile” playing host to five national series races in three days from Aug. 21-23.

— The historic races on Daytona’s road course will replace NASCAR’s annual visit to Watkins Glen International, as New York state health and safety regulations cannot allow for the previously scheduled NASCAR weekend to happen there at this time.

— World Wide Technology Raceway, which was originally slated to host the first race of the Gander Trucks playoffs, will now become race No. 14 of the regular season.

[4me2c]

On a Brighter Note :

By
Staff Report NASCAR.com July 8, 2020 at 8:35 AM

NASCAR officials on Wednesday cleared Jimmie Johnson to return to competition this weekend at Kentucky Speedway.

The seven-time Cup Series champion self-reported a positive COVID-19 test last Friday, forcing him out of the circuit’s most recent race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He is set to return to the driver’s seat of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet in Sunday’s Quaker State 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) in the Bluegrass State.

“My family is so grateful for the incredible love and support we’ve received over the last several days,” Johnson said in a team release. “I especially want to thank Justin Allgaier for stepping in for me at Indy and being a true pro. I’m excited about getting back to business with my team this weekend.”

RELATED: Every Jimmie Johnson victory

Johnson, 44, met the criteria established by NASCAR officials since the sport returned to action in May after the coronavirus outbreak. The requirements include two negative COVID-19 tests at least 24 hours apart, an absence of symptoms, and medical clearance from a physician.

According to Hendrick Motorsports, Johnson tested negative twice this week – on Monday and Tuesday – and was cleared by his physician Tuesday evening in accordance with NASCAR guidelines. The driver never experienced symptoms.

Following Johnson’s diagnosis, four Hendrick Motorsports crew members were tested for COVID-19 with all four receiving negative results, according to a team release. The No. 48 team will have its regular personnel roster for Sunday’s event at Kentucky

Johnson became the first NASCAR driver to reveal a positive coronavirus test. A member of Hendrick Motorsports’ road crew who had been in closer contact with Johnson was also self-quarantined after Johnson’s positive test.

Allgaier, an Xfinity Series regular for JR Motorsports, finished 37th Sunday at Indianapolis in an interim role in the No. 48 Chevy. His fill-in role ended after just 17 laps after he was snared by a multi-car tangle on pit road during the first round of stops.

The driver change ended Johnson’s streak of consecutive Cup Series starts at 663, a span that stretched back to his rookie season in 2002.

[dara]

Summarizing the cup schedule changes to the end of the season..

2 more Sat/Sun weekend double headers at Michigan, and Dover
Daytona Roval will replace Watkins Glen.

This also stuffs 7 Cup races in August over 5 weekends.

https://www.racingcircuits.info/assets/components/phpthumbof/cache/Daytona-Road2018.2f65238ae67aa0e62cffdce73d42987d.png

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continued from Post #59...

" By
Zack Albert NASCAR.com July 10, 2020 at 10:34 AM

An upbeat Jimmie Johnson said Friday that his feelings have spanned anger, anticipation and ultimately optimism in the week since his positive test for COVID-19, setting an emotional tone for his return to stock-car racing this weekend at Kentucky Speedway.

Johnson’s remarks came Friday morning in his first interview since he received clearance to return to NASCAR competition. The seven-time Cup Series champion will be back in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for Sunday’s Quaker State 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). ...
https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2020/07/10/jimmie-johnson-kentucky-speedway-coronavirus-return/

on a Side Note...

" By
Staff Report NASCAR.com July 10, 2020 at 1:04 PM

Justin Allgaier has been medically cleared to resume all racing activities after a medical evaluation for a non-racing related issue, NASCAR confirmed Friday afternoon.

The driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet finished 20th on Thursday night at Kentucky after being involved in a hard-hitting last-lap wreck.

Allgaier, Ronnie Bassett Jr. and Timmy Hill all were sent to the infield care center after the incident, as is standard NASCAR procedure. Bassett and Hill were cleared and released while Allgaier was transported to an area hospital for further evaluation.

Allgaier was treated and released from a local hospital earlier Friday morning for non-racing related medical purposes. He underwent further evaluation before being cleared to race.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series completes its doubleheader Friday night in the Bluegrass State (8 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)."

Justin Replaced JJ last Weekend...!!!

[4me2c]

RULES PACKAGE

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for intermediate-sized tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to achieve a target of 550 horsepower. The cars will use aero ducts in addition to other aerodynamic devices to increase downforce.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Teams in all three NASCAR national series will run the same tire setup. This will be the first time teams run these Goodyear tire codes at Texas Motor Speedway, though they ran them at Kentucky Speedway last weekend and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in February. For Cup Series and Xfinity Series, the setup features a compound change to add more grip on the left side and a construction update on the right side. For the Gander Truck Series, the setup will have construction updates on both sides but the compound change for more grip on the left side.

“Repaved tracks create their own set of challenges for us and the teams of NASCAR,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “At places like Texas, high tire wear is not the issue. In fact, it’s the opposite. After being repaved just a few seasons ago, Texas’ track surface is still very smooth, so we have to design our tread compounds to wear. Tire wear is a good thing and is especially important on a smooth surface. When a tire wears, that means the tread is shredding rubber and allowing some of the heat generated to be dissipated from the tire. That makes the tire run cooler with better grip and performance.”

The Cup Series will be allowed nine sets for the race. The Xfinity Series will have five sets. And the Gander Truck Series will have four sets.

STATS TO KNOW

— Kevin Harvick has won three of the last six races (fall 2017, fall 2018 and fall 2019) at Texas Motor Speedway since the track was repaved and reconfigured in 2017, including two of the last three. Otherwise, three different drivers made a trip to Victory Lane: Jimmie Johnson (spring 2017), Kyle Busch (spring 2018) and Denny Hamlin (spring 2019).

— Sixteen of the last 18 races at Texas Motor Speedway were won from a top-10 starting position. Three of the victories came from the polesitter (Jimmie Johnson, fall 2012; Kyle Busch, spring 2013; Kevin Harvick, fall 2019).

— The driver who led the most laps won three of the last nine races at Texas Motor Speedway. Also, the race winner led more than 115 laps in three of the last four Texas races.

— The final green-flag stretch was 30 laps or longer in four of the last six races at Texas Motor Speedway. Both of the 2019 events had a final green-flag run of 74 laps or longer.

— Team Penske has won three times at Texas Motor Speedway, but the last was the spring race of 2014 by Joey Logano. All three of the team’s drivers have won at least one race this season. Logano and Brad Keselowski each have two wins, while Ryan Blaney has one.

— Erik Jones, who has yet to win a race in 2020, boasts the best average finish (9.43 in seven starts) at Texas Motor Speedway among all active drivers.

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Jimmie Johnson to test a Ganassi IndyCar UPDATE
July 28, 2020
UPDATE 3: Jimmie Johnson finally fulfilled his childhood dream of driving an Indy car with a test session Tuesday. When the seven-time NASCAR champion finished turning laps, he was sold on figuring out how to race next year in the IndyCar Series

[4me2c]

RULES PACKAGE

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for short tracks and road courses will be in effect, a reduced downforce package that features a 1.17-inch tapered spacer used to achieve a target of 750 horsepower, significantly smaller rear spoiler at 2.75 inches, a quarter-inch front splitter overhang with approximately 2-inch wings and alterations to the radiator pan and the removal of its vertical fencing to reduce front-end downforce.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Since it is relatively flat, New Hampshire Motor Speedway produces minimal load compared to more high-banked tracks. Grip is therefore generated through the compounds Goodyear selects for its tire setup. Both the left- and right-side compounds have changed since last year’s race and will add grip. Teams will also try to gain grip by going below the recommended air pressures. Low left-side pressures, which some teams run down into the single digits, can cause the sidewall to over-deflect and damage the tire carcass to the point of air loss.

“We have a different tire setup at New Hampshire this year, and it is the same as what we run at Phoenix (Raceway),” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “This setup has different tread compounds than we ran at Loudon last year, and teams should see a grip enhancement as a result. The real benefit is that Loudon and Phoenix are now aligned once again, which is how it had been in the past until Phoenix was repaved about a decade ago. This will give playoff teams another race with this setup and will help them as they build their notebook for championship weekend in November.”

Teams will be allowed seven sets of tires.

STATS TO KNOW

— Kevin Harvick has won three out of the last five New Hampshire races, while the last eight events have either been won by Harvick or a Joe Gibbs Racing driver. Denny Hamlin, the other heavy championship favorite this season, has earned one win in that eight-race span.

— Are a couple of rookies set to heat up as the playoffs inch closer? With a win at Kentucky Speedway under his belt, Cole Custer has finished in the top 10 in three of the last four races in 2020 as has Tyler Reddick. Christopher Bell is no stranger to Victory Lane at New Hampshire, winning in both Xfinity Series starts and one of two Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series starts.

— Aric Almirola enters Sunday with an eight-race string of top-10 finishes, best in the Cup Series, but the Stewart-Haas Racing driver only has one top 10 in the last eight races at New Hampshire.

— Brad Keselowski is quietly enjoying his career-best Cup Series season. Keselowski’s 14 top-10 finishes so far this season are his best all time through 19 races. For the No. 2 Team Penske driver, New Hampshire ranks third among most top 10s in his career, owning 12 top 10s in 19 starts.

— Martin Truex Jr. owns top 10s in the last five races at New Hampshire, but he leads the all-time list when it comes to laps led in Loudon without a victory, pacing the field for 744 laps in 26 starts. Truex’s best finish is third.

Source: NASCAR statistics, Racing Insights

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Oh Hell's Bell's :

" By
Staff Report NASCAR.com August 4, 2020 at 10:58 AM

Bob Leavine announced Tuesday morning that he sold his family-owned racing team, indicating that Leavine Family Racing will cease operations at the end of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Leavine has fielded cars in NASCAR’s top division since 2011, when it embarked on a four-race stint with veteran David Starr. The team currently campaigns the No. 95 Toyota for Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Christopher Bell, who ranks 23rd in Cup Series points.

In a teleconference with reporters, LFR team president Jeremy Lange did not identify the buyer(s), saying “it’s their news, and we’re going to let them make their announcement.”

[4me2c]

RULES PACKAGE

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for intermediate-sized tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to set a target of 550 horsepower. The cars will use aero ducts in addition to other aerodynamic devices to increase downforce.

GOODYEAR TIRES

The NASCAR Cup Series and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series will use the same combination of Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials this weekend. While this tire setup is new for Michigan, it has been used at a handful of intermediate-sized tracks — Texas Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway — already this season. Compared to the most recent Michigan race a year ago, both right- and left-side tires will feature a construction update; the left-side tires have a new compound to improve grip, and both sides will have compounds intended to introduce wear.

“With limited track time under the current schedules, teams enter this weekend’s races at Michigan already being familiar with this tire setup,” said Greg Stucker, director of racing for Goodyear. “In the past, under more ‘normal’ conditions, teams would be able to work through the practice sessions to dial in on their car setups, with a big part of that being finding the balance on how the tire is working with the track. We’ve aligned this recent group of race tracks based on the smooth track surfaces and similar factors like speeds and loads, and that helps teams as they build their notebooks from which to work. That will be enhanced this weekend, of course, as Cup teams will run races on consecutive days, so it will be interesting to see who unloads strong on Saturday and who will be able to make adjustments and improve for Sunday.”

Cup Series teams will be allowed six sets of tires for each race. Gander Trucks teams will have a four-set allotment for their 200-mile event Friday.

STATS TO KNOW

— Ford drivers have won four consecutive Cup Series races at Michigan, where the contest for manufacturer bragging rights runs especially high. The three automakers will be competing for the Heritage Trophy, which will reside with the top performing marque from the weekend. Chevrolet’s last Michigan win came in 2017, and Toyota last prevailed at the 2-mile track in 2015. Ford also leads all manufacturers with 39 Michigan wins, with Chevy second on the list at 26.

— Kyle Busch enters the weekend aiming to shake a season-long funk. His 20 winless races match the most to start a season since he joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008 — this also happened in 2017 and he then won five of the next 13 races. Busch has one Michigan victory, which occurred in 2011. He has recorded top-10 finishes in each of his last six Michigan starts.

— Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick have taken turns atop the Cup Series’ win column this year, and Hamlin enters the weekend with a 5-4 edge in the category. In the series’ most recent weekend doubleheader at Pocono Raceway, Harvick led Hamlin in a 1-2 finish in the Saturday opener, then the two flip-flopped their finishing positions as Hamlin won the Sunday capper. The two have finished 1-2 twice before at Michigan, in 2010 and 2019; Harvick won both times.

— Hendrick Motorsports has hit a recent rut, going the last five races without a top-five finish for any driver in its four-car fleet. Team owner Rick Hendrick has eight Michigan wins, but none since the 2014 campaign, when Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon combined for a season sweep.

— Aric Almirola is still enjoying what has been a career-best streak of consecutive top-10 finishes. The No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing driver pushed that string to nine last weekend at New Hampshire with a seventh-place run. He has also savored good fortune in the random draws for starting position, lining up in the No. 1 spot three times in the last seven races.

Source: Racing Insights, NASCAR statistics...

[4me2c]

By
Staff Report NASCAR.com August 6, 2020 at 8:03 PM

Erik Jones will not return to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2021, the team announced Thursday night.

Jones, 24, is in the midst of his fourth full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series. He joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 2018 after spending his rookie season with the now-defunct Furniture Row Racing. The two organizations had an alliance, and Jones moved into the No. 20 after his rookie campaign.

[4me2c]

By
Zack Albert NASCAR.com August 3, 2020 at 2:44 PM

Team Penske locked up one of the NASCAR Cup Series’ top free agents Monday, reaching a contract agreement to keep Brad Keselowski in the No. 2 Ford.

Terms of the contract extension were not disclosed. The deal keeps Keselowski with the Roger Penske-owned organization that has been his home since late in the 2009 season.

“I have been racing for Team Penske for the vast majority of my NASCAR career and to continue to represent Roger Penske, our partners and his organization is exactly where I want to be,” Keselowski said in a release provided by the team. “We’ve accomplished a lot of things together over the years, including winning both the Cup and Xfinity Championships, the Brickyard 400, the Southern 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. Now, my goal is to win the Daytona 500, another championship and continue to build Team Penske into the best NASCAR team in the garage area.”

[4me2c]

for Daytona :

" By
Zack Albert NASCAR.com August 6, 2020 at 1:28 PM

NASCAR officials announced Thursday that starting lineups and pit-stall selection will be determined using a competition-based formula, eliminating the random-draw element from all three national series through the end of the season.

The changes are set to take effect for the NASCAR tripleheader weekend scheduled Aug. 15-16 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.

The formula will use three performance metrics, which will be weighted and averaged to determine the lineup and pit selection order:

Finishing position from the previous race (weighted 50%)
Ranking in team owner points standings (35%)
Fastest lap from the previous race (15%)

The competition-based formula will also bring with it the awarding of the Busch Pole Award in the NASCAR Cup Series and the Cometic Gaskets Pole Award in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.

Since NASCAR returned to racing in May after a two-month shutdown because of the COVID-19 outbreak, only one race — the Cup Series’ Coca-Cola 600 — has been held with qualifying. Competition officials announced July 21 that racing would continue without pre-race practice or qualifying through the end of the year, a measure intended to limit at-track exposure for drivers, crew, safety personnel and officials.

RELATED: Chicane added to Daytona Road Course | NASCAR sets remainder of 2020 schedule

In the majority of national series events since NASCAR’s May return, starting lineups have been set either by random draws according to groups ranked by team owner points or — in the case of consecutive events for a series at the same track — by an inversion of the top 20 finishers from the previous race. Pit stall selection had previously been determined by the finishing order from each series’ most recent race.

Scott Miller, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, said the new structure would draw on performance from both individual races and season-long results, rather than leaving a range of starting spots up to chance.

“We kind of consulted the playoff teams and then a few other ones as to what would be the best way to go,” Miller said. “We beat up several different things and feel really good where we landed. We feel like where we landed kind of serves both ends of the field — the perennial front-runners and then the rest of the cars still will have an opportunity to improve their starting spot. We feel like these metrics actually serve the field pretty well.”

RELATED: Choose rule in effect at most races starting at Michigan

Current rules that include the grouped random draw will remain in place for this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series events at Michigan International Speedway, plus the Xfinity Series’ Saturday visit to Road America. Miller said competition officials stressed the importance of implementing the new lineup formula before the playoffs began in each series, allowing some time for officials to make tweaks to the system as needed before each circuit decides its championship.

“We want the experience. We want the teams to get used to it,” Miller said. “Anything that we may need to slightly adjust, we would like to have all that fine-tuned by the time we get to the playoffs.”

The points standings for each series are reset at the start of the postseason and again after each round of the playoffs are completed. Therefore, those resets will keep championship-eligible drivers at the front of the field when the starting lineups are calculated in the playoffs.

The new procedure is just the latest shift in what’s been an unprecedented season of adaptation to hold races after the coronavirus outbreak. Competition officials and crew chiefs had previously held virtual meetings by teleconference for the starting lineup draws, and on-track time and team rosters have been streamlined in an effort to restrict the disease’s spread.

“It’s been a heck of an industry-wide cooperative effort to be able to get us here,” Miller said, acknowledging the flexibility of NASCAR’s partners to operate under pandemic conditions. “These changes, especially the lineup one, when we did the random draw thing in the beginning, we looked at that as temporary. I think we all looked at and hoped — had our fingers crossed — that COVID was going to be a short-term thing. Well, it’s turned out to be obviously quite the opposite of that. So leading into the playoffs, it was just apparent to us that the random draw thing had served us well, but the playoffs needed something different, for sure.”

[4me2c]

Some Downloadable Games and Stuff for the Nascar Fans with Kids and even for the Ones that don't :


https://www.accelerationnation.com/downloads/#

[4me2c]

"RULES PACKAGE

The developed rules package for the GoBowling 235 combines elements of both the 2020 rules packages currently in use. The high downforce aero package, which is also high in drag, will be combined with the 750 horsepower engine used at short tracks and road courses. This package is only scheduled to be used at the Daytona Road Course.

GOODYEAR TIRES

The Daytona Road Course is expected to be a fast course that incorporates much of the 2.5-mile superspeedway oval. Therefore, with speeds expected to be close to what cars run at Watkins Glen International – as compared to a slower, more technical course like Sonoma Raceway – the Watkins Glen tire was determined to be the best fit.

“Our history in other series at Daytona, plus our extensive experience with these cars on the oval, helped us come up with our decision,” Goodyear director of racing Greg Stucker said. “We are very familiar with the requirements of running the banking as a part of this road course, and that helped us with choosing a tire with the correct compounds. While we were not able to run a test with the Cup cars on the course, we did confirm our recommendation using the simulation data that NASCAR and the OEM’s generated. The Watkins Glen tire is a good choice for this high speed course from a technical standpoint, and it is also a known quantity for the teams.”

NASCAR’s three national series will all run the same tire. Goodyear will also bring its wet weather radials for use in the event that rain occurs during a race.

The Cup Series will be given seven tire sets. The Xfinity Series will receive six. And the Gander Truck Series will have five. All three will be allotted two sets of “wets.”

STATS TO KNOW

— Two drivers won six of the last seven road-course races. Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. split the wins at three victories apiece.

— Ford has only one win in the last seven road-course races. Ryan Blaney took the 2018 checkered flag at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval after the leaders wrecked on the final corner.

— Six of the last seven road-course winners started in the top 10 when the initial green flag dropped.

— Six (again) of the last seven-road course races were won by the driver who led the most laps.

— There has not been an overtime finish in the last 17 road-course races.

— The Stage 2 winner has gone on to win the race in the last three races of 2020, and Ford drivers have won Stage 2 in the last nine races.

Source: Racing Insights, NASCAR statistics"

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RULES PACKAGE

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for intermediate-sized tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to set a target of 550 horsepower. The cars will use aero ducts in addition to other aerodynamic devices to increase downforce.

RELATED: Preview Darlington throwbacks

GOODYEAR TIRES

Each Cup Series team will be provided 13 sets of Goodyear “Blue Streak” Speedway Radials. The blue-streaked side wall makes a reappearance for the annual throwback weekend.

The test of man vs. machine will be on display, as teams attempt to outduel their opponents with increased tire wear and pressure-filled pit road strategy. Racing on one of the most abrasive surfaces on the circuit, tires will wear at a rapid rate and teams will likely take four tires at every opportunity.

“It will be a busy and exciting slate of racing at Darlington this weekend,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “Not only are all three national series in action, it is ‘Throwback’ weekend and the first race of the Cup playoffs. Darlington is a major challenge for all involved, with the Cup cars having to go 500 miles on a tight track with an abrasive track surface. Drivers that are better at tire management will improve their lot over the course of a full fuel run — being easier on their tires early in a run and maybe giving up a few spots, but gaining a lot back as we go 30, 40, 50 laps. However the race plays out and the caution flags fall, racing at Darlington is always great for the fans watching.”

PLAYOFF STATS TO KNOW

— The Round of 16 in the NASCAR Playoffs takes place at three tracks: Darlington Raceway, Richmond Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway. With each playoff-eligible driver’s points adjusted to a baseline number of 2,000, playoff points earned during the regular season are then added. Playoff drivers who win a race in the Round of 16 automatically advance to Round of 12.

— Chad Knaus leads all active crew chiefs with his 17th NASCAR Playoffs appearance, leading the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro piloted by William Byron. Teammates Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman also join the HMS stable in the playoffs, placing them in a three-way tie for second-most cars in the field. Stewart-Haas Racing leads with four.

— Kevin Harvick has won at least one playoff race in each of the last eight seasons, earning the veteran the longest active streak in the series. The record is 13 seasons, set by seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson.

— Kurt Busch has made the playoffs seven times during the elimination format but has never made it to the Championship 4, giving him the most playoff appearances by a current playoff driver without making the Championship 4.

— The last playoff race won by a non-playoff eligible driver was Phoenix 2017, was won by Matt Kenseth who had been eliminated during the Round of 12.

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Bubba Wallace won’t return to Richard Petty Motorsports in 2021

By
Staff Report NASCAR.com September 10, 2020 at 1:23 PM

Richard Petty Motorsports confirmed Thursday that Bubba Wallace will not return to the organization’s No. 43 Chevrolet for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.

RELATED: Cup Series standings | Silly Season’s key figures

RPM officials released a statement Thursday afternoon. The news was first reported by The Athletic.

“Earlier this morning, Darrell ‘Bubba’ Wallace Jr., informed Richard Petty Motorsports he will not be returning for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) season,” RPM said in a prepared statement. “We will complete the season with Wallace behind the wheel of the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. We look forward to the next chapter in the making for the iconic No. 43 team. We will announce our new driver in the near future.”

Wallace, 26, will round out his third full Cup Series season with the Richard Petty-owned organization this year. He sits 23rd in the Cup Series standings with five top-10 finishes — a career best for a single season.

“This was not an easy decision as I have nothing but the utmost respect for Richard Petty and his family, but I believe it’s time for someone else to take over the reins of the No. 43,” Wallace said in a statement released on his social media channels. “Thank you to the King and everyone at Richard Petty Motorsports for giving me the opportunity to start my Cup Series career. I’ve grown so much as a driver and as a person since joining them. We’ve got nine more races together, and I hope we can finish the 2020 season on a high note.”

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NASCAR suspends Mike Wallace indefinitely

By
Staff Report NASCAR.com September 10, 2020 at 5:20 PM

NASCAR issued an indefinite suspension to driver Mike Wallace on Thursday for a social media post that violated its member conduct guidelines.

According to the penalty report, Wallace violated NASCAR Rule Book Sections 12.1, 12.8 and 12.8.1.e (Member Conduct Guidelines), the last of which states:

“Member actions that could result in a fine and/or indefinite suspension, or termination:

“Public statement and/or communication that criticizes, ridicules, or otherwise disparages another person based upon that person’s race, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, or handicapping condition.”

As a condition of the behavioral penalty, Wallace must also perform sensitivity training as directed by NASCAR before his reinstatement.

Wallace, 61, has driven the No. 0 Chevrolet for owner Johnny Davis in three NASCAR Xfinity Series events this season. He has four wins in 497 career Xfinity starts. Wallace also has five wins in 115 starts in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and has made 197 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series.

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LMAO...


https://www.nascar.com/gallery/nascarcasm-ideas-for-jimmie-johnsons-next-job/#photo-1

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Can't Find the Rules Package for Richmond...!?!

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RULES PACKAGE

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for short tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to set a target of 750 horsepower. The cars will use a reduced downforce package with a shorter spoiler, a shorter splitter overhang and other aerodynamic changes.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Each team will be provided with nine sets of Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials for the race.

Richmond’s abrasive surface continues the strategic focus from Darlington – tire management. With high tire wear and additional effort to conserve tires for potential long runs, drivers and crews will have to take risks to gain spots later in the race. The good news for teams is they have run this set-up on similar tracks twice this season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway — the site of the 2020 Cup Series Championship race.

“We’re on a back-to-back stretch of the NASCAR playoff schedule where we race on high-wear race tracks,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “Richmond is known for several things – being a racy short track, being a favorite of drivers and fans, and now as a high-wear track. The tire set-up for Richmond is aligned with two other tracks that are of similar length — Loudon and Phoenix. That is especially important in this current racing climate with no practice. Having the same tire set-up on a similar track will help teams tune in quicker on their car set-ups, which is even more important with the shorter race distances of short-track racing.”

PLAYOFF STATS TO KNOW

— Sunday’s race at Richmond is the third race in a slate of five consecutive nighttime races. That stretch continues with the Round of 16 finale at Bristol Motor Speedway and the Round of 12 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

— Heading into the 28th race of the season, this marks the latest Kyle Busch has gone without a win. With nine races left to extend his 15-year winning streak, his best chance may come at the next two tracks, where he has 14 career wins between the two.

— Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch and William Byron are the only drivers to finish in the top 10 in both races at tracks under 1-mile this season. Keselowski, Busch and Byron each currently sit above the Round of 16 cutline.

— Since May, Kevin Harvick has passed Junior Johnson, Ned Jarrett, Lee Petty, Rusty Wallace and Kyle Busch on the all-time wins list — 46% of Harvick’s wins have come after turning 40.

Source: Racing Insights

Found Them Finally...!!!

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RULES PACKAGE

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for short tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to set a target of 750 horsepower. The cars will use a reduced downforce package with a shorter spoiler, a shorter splitter overhang and other aerodynamic changes.

GOODYEAR TIRES

There are three factors that stand out when it comes to racing at Bristol Motor Speedway. First, the banking creates more speed and load than the “flatter” short tracks like Martinsville Speedway or Richmond Raceway. This makes Bristol race more like a speedway than a short track in some ways. Second, Bristol has a full concrete surface, which wears tires fairly aggressively when the track is “green” with no rubber built up on it. Goodyear designs its tread compounds for Bristol to take the right amount of rubber and not “cake up” on the surface, leaving cars with a good level of grip. Third is the fact that Goodyear, NASCAR and the track operations staff will work together to apply the PJ1 grip compound to the lower four feet of both sets of corners for this weekend’s races. While this does necessarily impact tire wear, its primary purpose is to give drivers a competitive, alternate lane late in which to race.

“Bristol provides several unique challenges for both Goodyear and the race teams,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “We have worked hard in recent years to refine the tread compounds that we bring there, as well as the other concrete tracks on the circuit. The key with concrete is to get it to take rubber, but just the right amount of rubber. It is easy to see that process once the race starts as the track turns from white to black, and lighten again as cars pick up some of that rubber when they are not at speed under cautions. … While the track has progressive banking, adding the grip compound to the bottom lane in the corners gives the drivers a viable, second groove.”

PLAYOFF STATS TO KNOW

— Saturday night’s race at Bristol will be the first NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race ever at the track.

— Denny Hamlin is the only Bristol winner in the last eight races that is not a past Cup Series Champion, and the only active driver that is not a past Champion in the last 15.

— The only two drivers to finish inside the top five in each playoff race so far are Austin Dillon and Joey Logano.

— Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske have combined to win each of the last 11 races at short tracks. Martin Truex Jr. (three) and Brad Keselowski (two) are the only drivers who have taken the checkered flag in the last five.

— In May, there were 17 cautions at Bristol — the most in the last 28 trips to the track and most in any race since Martinsville in 2015 (18).

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https://fordplayoffspromo.nascar.com/?utm_source=nascar&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=n_20_email_2

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"RULES PACKAGE

Cup Series cars will feature the same 1.5-mile racing package used in 2019 and the 2020 spring Vegas race, with aero ducts and a tapered-spacer engine generating a targeted 550 horsepower.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Each Cup team will have nine sets of Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials for the race.

With limited on-track practice time and testing, Goodyear Racing has relied even more heavily on feedback from the drivers and their teams to develop an effective compound at each track. After receiving this feedback at the conclusion of the first half of the season, changes were made to the right-side compound for a series of tracks, starting this weekend at Las Vegas. Increased grip at tracks with lower tire wear will be an increased focus with the new compound to allow optimum performance.

“Key to making the optimum tire recommendation is the review of all the data that is generated, whether it be from practices throughout a weekend, testing, or as is the only opportunity right now, from the actual races,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “What we’ve seen and heard at several of the low-wear tracks, is the Cup cars could stand to have a little more grip, so we have made a step in that direction for Las Vegas, as well as Kansas and Texas. Vegas and Texas shared the same tire set-up at their earlier races, and we brought that same right-side to Kansas as well, so they have been basically aligned all season. They remain so with this new right side as we enhance the grip level at all three.”

PLAYOFF STATS TO KNOW

— Kevin Harvick holds the longest active streak of NASCAR Playoffs victories with nine consecutive seasons featuring at least one trip to Victory Lane. Jimmie Johnson is the all-time record holder at 13 in a row.

— Ford dominated the Round of 16, winning each of the three races: Kevin Harvick winning twice (Darlington Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway) and Brad Keselowski once (Richmond Raceway).

— Only two of the 163 NASCAR Playoffs races were won by drivers getting their first win: Clint Bowyer in 2007 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Brian Vickers in 2006 at Talladega Superspeedway.

— Nine of the remaining playoff drivers have wins at tracks in the Round of 12, but only six of them have ever made it to the Championship 4."

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RULES PACKAGE

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for superspeedways will be in effect, with additional engine restrictions intended to drop the target horsepower to around 510. The cars will use the superspeedway package, but aero ducts will be eliminated and a smaller throttle body will be used. Competition officials introduced the changes May 1 after Ryan Newman’s severe wreck in the season-opening Daytona 500. Learn more about the crash findings and the intent of the safety and competition changes here.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Cup Series teams will have seven sets of Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials for the race.

Tire management and taking risks might be the theme of this week, as it is possible to pit here without losing a lap. With the importance of track position and chances to make moves at the end of a stage, working with teammates and manufacturer groupings to perfect a winning strategy will be a focus for drivers and crew chiefs all afternoon.

“While not known as a high-wear track, we do actually see some wear at Talladega,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “Talladega was repaved in 2010, but tire wear is really not an issue. This leaves open the possibility for some pit strategy, with teams having the opportunity to take two tires, or even no tires on occasion. This will impact them in two ways — to gain a little track position and help them stay close to teammates or other cars they are working with in the draft.”

PLAYOFF STATS TO KNOW

— Team Penske drivers have won five of the last six playoff races at Talladega. Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, the team’s two remaining playoff drivers this year, have a combined eight career wins here. Ryan Blaney, who was knocked out of the playoffs after the Round of 16, has won the last two Talladega races.

— Kurt Busch has made the playoffs seven times during the current elimination format but has never made it to the Championship 4. With his win at Las Vegas, he advances to the Round of 8 but still has a point total that is below the cutline.

— Martin Truex Jr. and Alex Bowman are the only remaining playoff drivers who do not have a superspeedway win in their Cup Series career.

— Kyle Busch has just six races left to extend his 15-year win streak. He has four runner-up finishes this season.

Source: Racing Insights

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ch Ch Changes in posting of New Setup again...

All three road courses on the Cup Series schedule will have the new rules in place:

Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (2.28 miles)
Sonoma Raceway (2.52 miles)
Watkins Glen International (2.45 miles)

“When we consider changes to the aero package, we often can look back on our playbook, if you will, from seasons past,” Probst said, “and there’s obviously some trade-offs that you make between introducing something completely new that the industry has never seen versus something that we have run before where we have a playbook from our side and (teams) have setup books from their end. We felt like we were going to look at aero packages that we have run in the past, and looking back at a lot of competitive metrics that we track, we feel like the 2017 levels of downforce on those types of tracks had pretty good side-by-side racing that our fans enjoyed.

“So instead of just coming out and creating a completely new aero spec that’s unknown to possibly us and more importantly the industry, we felt like we’d go back to something that’s tried and true for us and go back to a package that we had run recently. At the same time, we did make some small adjustments to that package so that it would fit with our current intermediate speedway package so that we’d minimize further the necessity of the teams to have to develop this package.”

Probst said that the aerodynamic changes were met with a “broad base of support” in meetings that were initially held with stakeholders — spanning drivers, team engineers and managers, Goodyear representatives, manufacturers and broadcast partners — during NASCAR Champions Week in December at Nashville, Tennessee.

“Certainly from our standpoint, we feel like this is a step in the right direction to create more side-by-side, exciting moments during the race,” Probst said. “Obviously the proof will be in the pudding, but this is certainly something that we have run before that’s had good results.”

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Finally Found it :

RULES PACKAGE

The Cup Series will use the adjusted 2020 package for short tracks and road courses, featuring a reduced rear spoiler and front splitter with engines remaining optimized to produce a targeted 750 horsepower.
GOODYEAR TIRES

Teams will be provided with eight sets of Goodyear Eagle Road Course Radials for the race.

Despite running a section of the main Charlotte Motor Speedway oval, this week’s focus is set to zone in on maneuverability and tire pressure for right-hand turns.

“We treat the Roval as a road course from a tire construction perspective,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “But the Roval is distinct from other, more traditional road courses that these teams run. Running the majority of the oval, inserting the two chicanes and then having the infield portion of the road course really provides its share of challenges. As on other road courses, the front tires will have higher pressure recommendations to handle the hard braking into the corners and acceleration off the corners. In deference to the oval, the right-front tire position will have the highest pressure recommendation to handle the loads on those sections.”
PLAYOFF STATS TO KNOW

— Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Elliott are tied for the most road wins among active drivers with four apiece. Elliott has won each of the last three Cup Series road-course races dating back to 2019.

— Heading into the Round of 12 elimination race, no driver has locked into the next round on points only. Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch secured advancement with wins.

— Alex Bowman has the best average finish of all Cup Series drivers at the Charlotte Roval: 3.0. He and Clint Bowyer are the only drivers to finish inside the top five in both races.

— Martin Truex Jr. has led laps in the last 10 road-course races, tied for the second longest streak in series history. Despite not always coming out on top, he has arguably been in a good position to win the last nine.

Source: Racing Insights

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RULES PACKAGE

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for intermediate-sized tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to achieve a target of 550 horsepower. The cars will use aero ducts in addition to other aerodynamic devices to increase downforce.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Kansas Speedway is not considered to be a high tire-wear track, but it has aged some since its repave in 2012. Teams can expect to see approximately a second and a half of fall-off in lap times over the course of a full fuel run.

Cup Series teams will get nine sets of Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials for the race, while Xfinity Series teams will get five sets and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series teams will get four sets.

Teams in all three national series will run the same left-side tire code, but the Cup cars will run a different right-side tire code this weekend that is designed to provide more grip.

PLAYOFF STATS TO KNOW

— Three drivers who advanced to the Round of 8 matched or improved their deepest playoff run: Chase Elliott (R8), Alex Bowman (R12) and Kurt Busch (R8).

— Kevin Harvick is the only repeat winner during this season’s playoffs with wins at Darlington Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway.

— Kurt Busch has made the playoffs seven times during the elimination format but has never made it to the Championship 4, the most playoff appearances by a current playoff driver without making the season finale.

— Alex Bowman is the only Round of 8 driver without a win at either of the three tracks.

Source: Racing Insights

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RULES PACKAGE

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for intermediate-sized tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to achieve a target of 550 horsepower. The cars will use aero ducts in addition to other aerodynamic devices to increase downforce.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Each Cup Series team will be allotted nine sets of Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials for the 501-mile race.

Increasing familiarity with tire setup is a benefit for teams heading into the weekend, as the same combination was used in September’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway last weekend. With the inability to practice and iron out wrinkles, looking back on previous races is each team’s best bet — even on the smoother Texas track.

“Since its repave a few years back, the smooth surface at Texas has provided a challenge in that it does not wear tires on its own,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “We have aligned several similar tracks that don’t naturally wear tires – Texas, Las Vegas and Kansas – and bring tread compounds that introduce some wear. Like we said for Kansas last week, getting tires to wear is a good thing. Tires that wear will run cooler because they shed rubber over the course of a run and dissipate heat out through the tread.”

PLAYOFF STATS TO KNOW

— The last 28 Cup Series playoff races have been won by playoff-eligible drivers. The last playoff race won by a non-eligible driver was at Phoenix Raceway in 2017 when Matt Kenseth, previously eliminated in the Round of 12, earned the victory.

— After Kyle Busch’s elimination in the Round of 12, three of the four drivers from the 2019 Championship 4 remain in contention.

— Jimmie Johnson (four) and Kevin Harvick (three) have combined to win seven of the last eight playoff races at Texas. Harvick has won the last three.

— The eventual Cup Series champion has finished inside the top 10 in the Texas playoff race in five of the six years of the elimination era. But the winner of the race has never gone on to win the title under the current format.

Source: Racing Insights

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RULES PACKAGE

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for short tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to set a target of 750 horsepower. The cars will use a reduced downforce package with a shorter spoiler, a shorter splitter overhang and other aerodynamic changes.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Each team will be outfitted with nine sets of Goodyear Eagle Short Track Radials.

Later into the fall season, adjusting for cooler track temperatures is a key factor in developing the right tire compound that produces the desired wear. It is important for the tires to have the ability to lay rubber in all areas of the track, creating alternate racing grooves throughout the race.

“The last time we raced at Martinsville, it was June and both ambient and track temperatures were not a concern,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “We’ve had a lot of cold weather races at this track over the past several years, so we did some work on developing tread compounds that would lay rubber in the concrete corners in those conditions. The results have been good, as we’ve seen the surface turn from white to black in the corners, giving drivers the ability to move up the track to find grip. The resulting second lane has helped produce some great racing along the way.”

PLAYOFF STATS TO KNOW

— Only Joe Gibbs Racing has competed with multiple Championship 4 drivers in the same year (2016, 2019), and Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. are still in contention for 2020. This trend will change if Brad Keselowski joins Team Penske teammate Joey Logano for the final run at Phoenix Raceway.

— Neither Hamlin or Kevin Harvick have won in the last three races, tying the longest winless streak between the two for the entire 2020 season.

— With his win at Kansas Speedway, Logano tied Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Fred Lorenzen for 31st in all-time Cup Series wins with 26. Logano currently has a three-year multi-race win streak and has won multiple times in six of the last seven seasons.

— Alex Bowman is the only remaining title contender who has never finished inside the top five at Martinsville. He heads into this weekend in a potential must-win situation, sitting 25 points below the cutline.

Source: Racing Insights

2019 RACE WINNER

Martin Truex Jr. put on a historic display of dominance in last year’s playoff race at Martinsville, leading 464 laps and picking up his first win at the track. Truex swept each stage and punched his ticket to the Championship 4.

RELATED: Who does this race favor?

ACTIVE MARTINSVILLE WINNERS

Jimmie Johnson (nine wins); Denny Hamlin (five wins); Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch (two wins each); Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman (one win each).

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4me BOL...

RULES PACKAGE

Teams will use the enhanced 2020 short oval and road course package, featuring a significantly shorter rear spoiler and front splitter. Cars are fitted with a tapered-spacer engine targeting around 750 horsepower and emphasizing lower downforce due to aerodynamic changes.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Cup Series teams are provided with nine sets of Goodyear Eagle Intermediate Radials. Goodyear is accounting for the changes made to the series’ short track package by increasing mechanical grip through new tread compounds. Running with lower downforce, tire wear management will come into play throughout the afternoon for teams and may be a key factor in deciding the race winner.

“This package that the Cup cars run at Phoenix — the tires, horsepower and aero — really produced some great racing when we debuted it in March,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “The sport as a whole came together to come up with ideas to improve this short track rules package, and that enabled us at Goodyear to bring a tire that adds mechanical grip and wears a bit more. Those are two important factors, as the mechanical grip replaces the loss of aerodynamic grip with the lower downforce, while the ability for tires to wear is always a positive.”

CHAMPIONSHIP STATS TO KNOW

— The season finale has been won by a Championship 4 driver in all six years of the current format. Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott and Joey Logano are this year’s drivers looking to keep the streak alive.

— Logano (2018) and Keselowski (2012), Team Penske teammates, are the only previous Cup Series champions in the 2020 Championship 4 and both started the season with new crew chief pairings.

— Alan Gustafson, crew chief for Elliott, has three wins at Phoenix with three different drivers. His three victories at this track are more than the other three Championship 4 crew chiefs combined.

— Four of the last seven drivers to reach nine wins in a season failed to win the championship, including the last two: Kevin Harvick in 2020 and Carl Edwards in 2008.

Source: Racing Insights