Soldato
I've been weighing up whether or not I could be bothered making a thread for the 2013 NASCAR season. Two reasons:
However, despite the loss of Dodge I'm actually quite looking forward to this Cup season. Chief reason for this is the Gen-6 car, the first new NASCAR Cup stocker since the introduction of the Car of Tomorrow in 2007. No longer will the cars be generic shapes with decals slapped on them - now they actually do resemble their respective road cars. There's been a bit more work on safety as well, with larger roof flaps to try and stop the cars getting airborne in a crash, and stronger roll cages for the times when the laws of physics won't be denied. The cars are also lighter - 160lbs has been taken off. 100 from the right-hand side, 60 from the left - the cars tend to run asymmetrical setups even on the road courses, and of course the driver is towards the left side of the car anyway. The manufacturers are now building all the body parts (with the exception of the carbon fibre bootlid) which if nothing else ought to put to rest any bitching about Chad Knaus developing illegal body designs for Jimmie Johnson's #48....
Team and driver changes for 2013
I suppose the first obvious change is Penske. The reigning champions are now running Fords, having set the wheels in motion to dump Dodge before winning the title last season with them. Hey ho. Brad Keselowski will go into this season hungry for further success, but I wonder just how easy he'll find defending his title. Joey Logano is his new team mate, replacing Sam Hornish Jr (who himself had replaced AJ Allmendinger partway through last season after he'd tested positive for a banned substance).
Logano's old ride at Joe Gibbs racing now belongs to Matt Kenseth, who has left Roush Fenway Racing. Ricky Stenhouse Jr graduates from the Nationwide Series to drive for RFR. Regan Smith will drive for Phoenix Racing in the Daytona 500, but won't be running the full schedule for them AFAIK and will instead run the Nationwide Series with JR Motorsports. And Landon Cassill has left BK Racing over a payment dispute, David Reutimann will drive the full schedule in the #83.
The Schedule
Not much has changed from last season, save the Kansas and Talladega Chase dates returning to their previous positions. The old Bud Shootout (the invitational race that kicks off the start of the Cup season) has been renamed the Sprint Unlimited. The field for the race returns to the eligibility rules in place from 2002-08 - pole winners from last season, plus any previous winners of the event who didn't otherwise get in and who qualified for at least one race in 2012. The race will run in three segments, totalling 75 laps. How that will be broken down is the subject of a fan vote, which will be decided next week. The Gatorade Duels have also been renamed, as they're now sponsored by Budweiser.
Rule changes
Qualifying has seen a bit of a shake-up (though the Daytona 500 remains the traditional brain-****!). The Top 35 rule, that guaranteed the top 35 in owners points a start in the race, is no more. Now the first 36 grid positions are set by qualifying times. Positions 37 to 42 are set by provisionals, based on owners points. The 43rd spot goes to any former champion who didn't otherwise qualify, or the next available team in owners points. Instead of using last years owners points for 5 races, they'll now be used for 3. And the qualifying order is now based on random draw, rather than reversing the finishing order from the first practice session.
Tech inspection has changed a bit - laser scans will be taken of each car to ensure that the bodywork conforms. The system was trialled at a few of the testing sessions, seems like all should be well with it.
Finally, the prize money distribution has altered slightly. In a bid to discourage teams from 'starting and parking', less money will be given to finishers in positions 39-43. The 39th finisher will get $4000 less than the 38th, the 40th $4000 less than 39th and so on. The money that would otherwise have gone to those finishers will be redistributed through the rest of the field. Just means there's a bit more incentive to run on and get your car further up the order, and a bit less incentive to park up after ten laps, blame a 'mysterious vibration' and trouser a load of cash from the race promoter!
Predictions
No idea. Honestly, with the new car coming in this one really is up in the air for me. I'd like to see a Hendrick car win it, no question. I like all four of their drivers. Frankly, I'll be satisfied as long as it's not a Toyota driver.
Or the Braindead Moron™.
Or either Busch brother.
- Dodge are gone from the Cup, a hole that only Jeff Gordon winning the title will fill for me
- I'm utterly fed up with motorsport fandom. All of it, NASCAR, F1, touring cars, the whole shebang. Ever taken a step back and looked at just how petty and small-minded most of it is? It's getting like football. Not a pretty sight!
However, despite the loss of Dodge I'm actually quite looking forward to this Cup season. Chief reason for this is the Gen-6 car, the first new NASCAR Cup stocker since the introduction of the Car of Tomorrow in 2007. No longer will the cars be generic shapes with decals slapped on them - now they actually do resemble their respective road cars. There's been a bit more work on safety as well, with larger roof flaps to try and stop the cars getting airborne in a crash, and stronger roll cages for the times when the laws of physics won't be denied. The cars are also lighter - 160lbs has been taken off. 100 from the right-hand side, 60 from the left - the cars tend to run asymmetrical setups even on the road courses, and of course the driver is towards the left side of the car anyway. The manufacturers are now building all the body parts (with the exception of the carbon fibre bootlid) which if nothing else ought to put to rest any bitching about Chad Knaus developing illegal body designs for Jimmie Johnson's #48....
Team and driver changes for 2013
I suppose the first obvious change is Penske. The reigning champions are now running Fords, having set the wheels in motion to dump Dodge before winning the title last season with them. Hey ho. Brad Keselowski will go into this season hungry for further success, but I wonder just how easy he'll find defending his title. Joey Logano is his new team mate, replacing Sam Hornish Jr (who himself had replaced AJ Allmendinger partway through last season after he'd tested positive for a banned substance).
Logano's old ride at Joe Gibbs racing now belongs to Matt Kenseth, who has left Roush Fenway Racing. Ricky Stenhouse Jr graduates from the Nationwide Series to drive for RFR. Regan Smith will drive for Phoenix Racing in the Daytona 500, but won't be running the full schedule for them AFAIK and will instead run the Nationwide Series with JR Motorsports. And Landon Cassill has left BK Racing over a payment dispute, David Reutimann will drive the full schedule in the #83.
The Schedule
Not much has changed from last season, save the Kansas and Talladega Chase dates returning to their previous positions. The old Bud Shootout (the invitational race that kicks off the start of the Cup season) has been renamed the Sprint Unlimited. The field for the race returns to the eligibility rules in place from 2002-08 - pole winners from last season, plus any previous winners of the event who didn't otherwise get in and who qualified for at least one race in 2012. The race will run in three segments, totalling 75 laps. How that will be broken down is the subject of a fan vote, which will be decided next week. The Gatorade Duels have also been renamed, as they're now sponsored by Budweiser.
Rule changes
Qualifying has seen a bit of a shake-up (though the Daytona 500 remains the traditional brain-****!). The Top 35 rule, that guaranteed the top 35 in owners points a start in the race, is no more. Now the first 36 grid positions are set by qualifying times. Positions 37 to 42 are set by provisionals, based on owners points. The 43rd spot goes to any former champion who didn't otherwise qualify, or the next available team in owners points. Instead of using last years owners points for 5 races, they'll now be used for 3. And the qualifying order is now based on random draw, rather than reversing the finishing order from the first practice session.
Tech inspection has changed a bit - laser scans will be taken of each car to ensure that the bodywork conforms. The system was trialled at a few of the testing sessions, seems like all should be well with it.
Finally, the prize money distribution has altered slightly. In a bid to discourage teams from 'starting and parking', less money will be given to finishers in positions 39-43. The 39th finisher will get $4000 less than the 38th, the 40th $4000 less than 39th and so on. The money that would otherwise have gone to those finishers will be redistributed through the rest of the field. Just means there's a bit more incentive to run on and get your car further up the order, and a bit less incentive to park up after ten laps, blame a 'mysterious vibration' and trouser a load of cash from the race promoter!
Predictions
No idea. Honestly, with the new car coming in this one really is up in the air for me. I'd like to see a Hendrick car win it, no question. I like all four of their drivers. Frankly, I'll be satisfied as long as it's not a Toyota driver.
Or the Braindead Moron™.
Or either Busch brother.
Well, watching the NASCAR at any rate. Still not decided just how many of the F1 races this season I can be bothered to watch live, and have long since given up on the BTCC!
