1.
Did the Air Titan do its job?
During the rain delay, I was reading my Twitter and saw that many people were complaining about how the Air Titan was not drying the track any better than the jet dryers. NASCAR said that it would take at least 2 ½ hours to dry the track after the rain finally stopped. That statement proved to be true. So did the Air Titan actually take as much time as the regular jet dryers would have? Well, they did experience a deluge of rain and the track was probably covered with a very thick layer of water. It might have taken even longer with just the jet dryers, but either way we know one thing: it would appear NASCAR still has some tweaking to do with their Air Titan. NASCAR’s Air Titan is very promising and could change the length of rain delays considerably, but I think they still need to keep working on it.
During the rain delay, I was reading my Twitter and saw that many people were complaining about how the Air Titan was not drying the track any better than the jet dryers. NASCAR said that it would take at least 2 ½ hours to dry the track after the rain finally stopped. That statement proved to be true. So did the Air Titan actually take as much time as the regular jet dryers would have? Well, they did experience a deluge of rain and the track was probably covered with a very thick layer of water. It might have taken even longer with just the jet dryers, but either way we know one thing: it would appear NASCAR still has some tweaking to do with their Air Titan. NASCAR’s Air Titan is very promising and could change the length of rain delays considerably, but I think they still need to keep working on it.
2.
What was Ryan Newman really saying?
I remember that Ryan Newman’s comments after having a car land on top of his during the “big one” were very interesting. This is what Newman said that caught my attention: They can build safer race cars, they can build safer walls. But they can't get their heads out of their a---- far enough to keep them on the race track, and that's pretty disappointing. I wanted to make sure I get that point across. Y'all can figure out who ‘they’ is." Of course, “they” is NASCAR, but was he implying that they know a way to keep the cars on the ground, but are putting “action” before safety? Ryan majored in engineering, so he understands the car as much as the team engineers do. He might know that there is a way to manipulate the physics so the cars stay on the ground instead of resulting in the kind of “Big one” we had this time. If that’s true, he was also implying that NASCAR knows this too and isn’t implementing it. At the same time, he might just have been talking about the speed the cars go on restrictor plate races and that NASCAR won’t slow them down because they think that most people want the fast speeds. Either way, I would like him to elaborate on the comments that he made.
I remember that Ryan Newman’s comments after having a car land on top of his during the “big one” were very interesting. This is what Newman said that caught my attention: They can build safer race cars, they can build safer walls. But they can't get their heads out of their a---- far enough to keep them on the race track, and that's pretty disappointing. I wanted to make sure I get that point across. Y'all can figure out who ‘they’ is." Of course, “they” is NASCAR, but was he implying that they know a way to keep the cars on the ground, but are putting “action” before safety? Ryan majored in engineering, so he understands the car as much as the team engineers do. He might know that there is a way to manipulate the physics so the cars stay on the ground instead of resulting in the kind of “Big one” we had this time. If that’s true, he was also implying that NASCAR knows this too and isn’t implementing it. At the same time, he might just have been talking about the speed the cars go on restrictor plate races and that NASCAR won’t slow them down because they think that most people want the fast speeds. Either way, I would like him to elaborate on the comments that he made.
3.
Why do they still have the “double yellow line”
rule?
As they raced around Talladega, it dawned on me: Why do we still have the “double yellow line” rule at this track? It’s the rule that doesn’t allow any driver to go below the double yellow line, while racing, at any time. Personally, I think it would be interesting to see drivers go below the line down the back stretch, in an attempt to gain a few positions, before tucking back in to go around turns 3 and 4. At least, let the “boys have at it” on the last lap! Why not?!
As they raced around Talladega, it dawned on me: Why do we still have the “double yellow line” rule at this track? It’s the rule that doesn’t allow any driver to go below the double yellow line, while racing, at any time. Personally, I think it would be interesting to see drivers go below the line down the back stretch, in an attempt to gain a few positions, before tucking back in to go around turns 3 and 4. At least, let the “boys have at it” on the last lap! Why not?!
4.
Is it better for a driver to hang in the back or
try to go to the front?
This has been a strategy question stemming from how to avoid the big one. Should a driver try to race in the front the whole race to be ahead of the drama, or should a driver “chill” in the back giving him a better chance to see the wreak in front of him and avoid it. Well, if anyone watched the Talladega Nationwide race the day before, you know what Travis Pastrana thinks. Before the race, Travis expressed that his team’s strategy was to drop to the back and avoid controversy. On lap 71, though, he found himself with nowhere to go as a wreck was happening in front of him. He T-Boned Reed Sorenson, shot back up the track hitting the outside wall, then came to a rest in the grass. In his interview afterwards he seemed frustrated with himself and said basically that he should have tried to run in the front all along. On the other side of things, Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne proved in the Sprint race that being competitive early in the race can result in chaos as well. The two were trying to push to the front, when Kyle accidentally hooked Kasey. We all know what happened next. So which is the better strategy? Wrecks can happen anywhere at Talladega, but personally, I think it’s staying in the front. Which gamble are you willing to take?
This has been a strategy question stemming from how to avoid the big one. Should a driver try to race in the front the whole race to be ahead of the drama, or should a driver “chill” in the back giving him a better chance to see the wreak in front of him and avoid it. Well, if anyone watched the Talladega Nationwide race the day before, you know what Travis Pastrana thinks. Before the race, Travis expressed that his team’s strategy was to drop to the back and avoid controversy. On lap 71, though, he found himself with nowhere to go as a wreck was happening in front of him. He T-Boned Reed Sorenson, shot back up the track hitting the outside wall, then came to a rest in the grass. In his interview afterwards he seemed frustrated with himself and said basically that he should have tried to run in the front all along. On the other side of things, Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne proved in the Sprint race that being competitive early in the race can result in chaos as well. The two were trying to push to the front, when Kyle accidentally hooked Kasey. We all know what happened next. So which is the better strategy? Wrecks can happen anywhere at Talladega, but personally, I think it’s staying in the front. Which gamble are you willing to take?
5.
Is pack racing really better than the two-car
tandem?
Now that we have had 2 races with the “pack” back, it raises the question of if it’s really better than tandem racing. This has race fans split. Personally, I prefer tandem. Why? Because in comparison of the last two Sprint races, I think that tandem had more excitement. With the pack, drivers get stuck and with the new car they can’t even bump draft like they could previously. With tandem, the cars could move around and charge up to the front with the help of a partner. Nationwide still has tandem racing and had 47 lead changes during the race, while the Sprint pack race had only 30. One thing everyone can agree on, though, is both types have produced great finishes. The tandem allows a pair of cars to get so far in front of the rest that the pushing car can separate from its partner and slingshot forward on the last corner, making for an exciting finish. On the pack side, you can go 3 or 4 wide coming to the checkered creating the same excitement as a slingshot. As far as the whole race goes, I think there is more consistent excitement with tandem racing than with pack, but that’s just my opinion.
Now that we have had 2 races with the “pack” back, it raises the question of if it’s really better than tandem racing. This has race fans split. Personally, I prefer tandem. Why? Because in comparison of the last two Sprint races, I think that tandem had more excitement. With the pack, drivers get stuck and with the new car they can’t even bump draft like they could previously. With tandem, the cars could move around and charge up to the front with the help of a partner. Nationwide still has tandem racing and had 47 lead changes during the race, while the Sprint pack race had only 30. One thing everyone can agree on, though, is both types have produced great finishes. The tandem allows a pair of cars to get so far in front of the rest that the pushing car can separate from its partner and slingshot forward on the last corner, making for an exciting finish. On the pack side, you can go 3 or 4 wide coming to the checkered creating the same excitement as a slingshot. As far as the whole race goes, I think there is more consistent excitement with tandem racing than with pack, but that’s just my opinion.
