Any NASCAR fans?

[purplewg]

Not as big a fan as I used to be. I used to work my schedule around the races on TV. I attended the first race at the Daytona International Speedway and many others after that. Then again I was born and raised there.

Favorite Drivers
Richard Petty (retired) simply because he never got the big head.
Bill Elliott (semi-retired) followed him from his first race on. He put Ford back on the map.
Mark Martin always the gentleman.
Carl Edwards reminds me a lot of Mark.

[825joe]

Same here. I am not as into it as I used to be. To many rules and politics in it now for me, but I love watching the old races with the legends.

Favorites
Dale Earnhardt
Cale Yarborough
Richard Petty

[srb08]

NASCAR fan here as well.
Favorite driver: anyone other than Kyle.

[Regulator]

I've been a fan for many years and was a huge Davey Allison fan...I always liked the sons of former racers like Davey, and also Kyle Petty...I had season tickets at Dover International Raceway for a bunch of years but gave them up about 8 years or so ago...I just got tired of fighting a crowd of people trying to get to and from your seats....I always stayed true to the 28 car after Davey died, all the way through when Ricky Rudd ended up in at at the end of his career...here lately, I've been a fan of Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, and a few others...to be honest, I like them all because I truely respect what they all do and know how hard it is to drive one of those cars...(I'm not a big fan of Kyle Busch, but I can respect how good he is as a racer...I liked Kurt a little too, but they seem to have an attitude problem in that family....hahaha!!!)

I haven't been as much of a fan here in the past couple years...I've turned my attentions to my favorite form of racing which is NHRA Drag Racing...I love watching them all, especially the bikes...I've been a Drag Racing fan for as long as I can remember back when I was a kid...I've been to a bunch of different tracks to watch them race, and there's absolutely NOTHING like the feeling and sound of two Top Fuel Dragsters or Funny Cars taking off from the line...it rumbles the ground, and thumps your chest, and if you aren't wearing ear protection, it'll blast your ear drums into cottage cheese...I can't get enough of it...I go to Maple Grove up in PA alot, and also go to a few other tracks if I can find the time...I watch them on TV when they show them on Sunday evenings usually...

I just love racing of all types...still a big Motorcycle Flat-Track racing fan too....

Damn...there I go again typing way more than I intended...sorry for that...

Larry in MD :Jestr:

[825joe]

I can't stand Jimmy Johnson, Kyle Busch. ughh.. I too can respect their driving skill but man...either you love em' or hate em'

[Regulator]

I can't stand Jimmy Johnson, Kyle Busch. ughh.. I too can respect their driving skill but man...either you love em' or hate em'

Hahaha...I guess you are right Joe....I am NOT a Jimmy Johnson fan at all...I guess it's kinda like when Jeff Gordon came up to Winston Cup and was winning way too many races in his first 4 or 5 years...I couldn't stand him either...but, since I've gotten a little older and wiser, I've tried not to get mad everytime a driver like Johnson won a race, because I would be mad way too much!!!....I think Johnson winning 5 Championships in a row almost killed NASCAR...they lost ALOT of their audience's on both TV ratings and at the tracks...I know it kept me from watching hardly any races from 3 or 4 years ago until now...

I always liked to watch the Superspeedway races at Daytona and Talledega because I love that high speed drafting...but in recent years with the new cars where two of them can hook up and drive away, that even got boring to me to watch....my routime with a regular old race used to be, watch the beginning and then take nap...and then watch the last 50 to 100 laps...

I guess that's why I like Drag Racing so much more...it's something happening all the time...

Larry in MD :Jestr:

[825joe]

I agree Larry.

[Regulator]

Joe...it's kind of a shame that people like us get pissed at someone else's great fortune, like Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon with Rick Hendrick's Team, and Kyle Busch with Gibbs, and his own team...Most Nascar fans are like that though....nobody likes it when a guy comes in and dominates a season like these guys have done, no matter that it shows great driver skill, a killer Pit Crew and Chief, along with a first class race organization behind them...

I remember when I used to go to alot of races back 10 - 15 years ago....45% of the people in the stands loved Dale Earnhardt...45% more loved Jeff Gordon, and they other 10% of the crowd liked the rest of the drivers...if Gordon won the race, there would be fights...if Earnhardt won, there would be fights...if one of the other guys won, the Gordon and Earnhardt guys would fight anyway...

It was cool though in 1998...I was at Daytona when Dale Earnhardt finally won the Daytona 500....I was truely amazed, because everyone in that Speedway stood up and gave the "number 3" salute and cheered for him...even the Gordon fans, I imagine because everyone around me was standing up, and there weren't too many dry eye's in the place....it made me think that no matter who you were for, those fans all knew that he had been trying for 20 years to win that race and finally did it, and all the fans gave him the due respect, and admiration for that one victory lap that he deserved...

The true NASCAR fans might hate a driver, but most will still have respect for him for his accomplishments...to this day, I cringe when Jimmy Johnson wins a Cup Race, or Kyle Busch wins a Nationwide Cup or Truck Series race, and am kinda pissed off with NASCAR for awhile afterward...but then when someone like Regan Smith or Paul Menard wins a race, or a Trevor Bayne wins the Daytona 500...I am happy with NASCAR again for awhile...

I love it when 20 some different drivers win during the year...if you think that a Jimmy Johnson will win 1/3 of the races run during the year, most will simply tune out instead of watching, and that's what happened a few years ago...The Carl Edwards/Tony Stewart battle at the end was a big boost for ratings for sure...

Larry in MD :Jestr:

[purplewg]

Hummm, somehow my notification got turned off. NASCAR is playing with the cars at Daytona again. Trying to making more of a pack type race than a 2-car hook up deal. I hope they get it right this time.

Kyle is a spoiled brat in my opinion. Great driver but a spoiled Kid.

[reachpro]

Hello All,

I am not really a NASCAR fan per se. But I did do a shoot for NASCAR promoting Ethanol early last year that was shown during Daytona 500 nationally. :cool:The commercials are "Tractors" & "Teamwork" Here is a link: http://vimeo.com/29794814

The driver is Greg Biffle. The daytona staff was warning us not to drag or put any metal objects on the track because they just spent millions repaving the track. Never imaged how steep that track is looking at it up close...I think they told us a 40 degree bank. Gotta be at least 65 mph to stay on the track or you will roll over. :OhNoes:We shot at tunnel 2 and pit row and garage, and his awesome tractor trailer. I'd say it was louder than I was shooting for Formula1 at St Pete a few years back.

Any shots with Greg Biffle (Ford, I think) is my shot on "Teamwork", with the exception of him at the garage and him with his crew rolling out the race car.
Last 2 shots of "Tractors" are mine. The blue tractors coming out of the tunnels with the camera following them and tilted up to reveal the NASCAR logo. Camera on a 12 foot jimmy jib triangle (high tech see saw)... it ain't easy. Took 13 takes... only 3 were keepers. It was a nice overcast day, but slightly windy. Fun shoot! I love it when I can go to where most normal people can't access to. Hope you guys like it. :BG:

[Regulator]

Reachpro...that's really cool...I was at Daytona a couple times and it is amazing how much banking is in those corners...you really can't tell on TV...when you see it in person, it really amazes most people...

We live near Dover International Raceway, and I've driven the Monster Racing Cars there...those corners are banked pretty wicked there too...once you get up to speed in the cars, you don't notice it much, but when we were doing a pace lap, it really was uncomfortable because your body was smashed against the roll bar cage on the left side...it was amazing how going over 100 mph in those turns plants your ass in that seat!!!

Cool post!!!

Larry in MD :Jestr:

[purplewg]

I have wondered about that commercial. I see all those diesel tractors and they never mention E-Diesel. I don't know of anyone in the South using E-Diesel. I hear it actually costs more also. I run off-road diesel in all my tractors.

[purplewg]

I'm dragging butt today. I stayed up till 1AM watching the race last night. What a strange event with Juan's car breaking and running into the track blower huh?

[Regulator]

I'm dragging butt today. I stayed up till 1AM watching the race last night. What a strange event with Juan's car breaking and running into the track blower huh?

That was the weirdest thing I have ever seen in NASCAR Racing!!!....I watched it to the end too...I hung in there for the result because I figured I had invested way too much time to find out who won the next day!!!...even though I like Dave Blaney and hope he wins a race at some point, I didn't want it to end because of the fire or incoming rain...It was worth staying up to see it through...Roush Racing had a good night, and I was glad to see Dale Jr. finish in second place...I think he's a way better driver than the past 2 seasons have shown...That last wreck was pretty brutal to a bunch of the big teams too...Childress had a really bad night as did Hendrick with Johnson wrecking first thing and then Jeff Gordon's engine shitting the bed later on in the race...I was kinda pulling for Jeff Burton to wn when he was up there at the front near the end of the race...he deserves to win a few more races too...I always liked him and his brother Ward when he was racing for the Caterpillar Team 5 or 6 years ago....all in all, it was a great race to watch...

Larry in MD :Jestr:

[Gator Hunter]

Great Race... Great last 40 laps. It's too bad that Jr. had no one to partner with. He ran a great race. But I can't complain to see Kenseth win... WI boy bringing it all home. Matt and Jr had the fastest cars at the end it seemed. I'm glad the track held up and let the race finish out. Thank God Kyle Bush was no where to be seen!

[Regulator]

Yeah...that's right Kenseth and his old crew chief Robbie Reiser were both Wisconsin Racers before they hit the big show...I've always liked Matt too...soft spoken, and rarely gets riled up if someone does him dirty...doesn't seem like he causes any wrecks because of stupidity like some of them do...plus, he's big into the Rescue Dog thing with team-mate Biffle...that is BIG with me...he was a great Champion for Nascar, and could easily win another before he's done...

You mentioned Kyle being nowhere to be seen...well, I never wish any harm on any driver, especially with them being involved in a hard hitting wreck, but I was a bit more than tickled to see Jimmy Johnson as the driver of the car with the worst damage after that lap 2 wreck...I admire the man as a great driver, but like I was when Jeff Gordon came up and won way too many races, I hate to see him win a race anymore!!!...Even if Jimmy gets a lap or two down because of a flat tire or whatever, you can never count him out until the checkered flag is flown...I've seen him come back from a lap down for most of a race and still end up with a few top 5 finishes...he's one of them guys that just never gives up...

Larry in MD :Jestr:

[purplewg]

Here are some of my opinions.

1. I really don't like Kyle Bush. He is a spoiled kid. Great driver though.
2. I think Jimmy Johnson is a nice guy but given the best of everything. I don't like to see him win.
3. Ditto to #2 on Gordon when he started.
4. I am not overly fond of Harvick.
5. Can't figure Dale Jr out. Car or driver? I like him though.
6. Danika is spoiled also. I wish her well though. She is easy on the eyes but I feel sorry for her husband. lol
7. I would like to see teams/owner limited to two cars.
8. Kurt Bush shat in his nest when he left Penske. He didn't get his way and threw a fit just like he did when he left Roush who gave him a championship.

I'm sure I have more opinions.. lol