re: 2023 NASCAR Season Thread - 2023-24 Offseason

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Don’t the results say otherwise?

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Bubba has been on a good run here the past few weeks, but Reddick hasn't been bad outside of Darlingont in that stretch though. The contrast are the races where Bubba did not do well and Reddick was out front. Reddick has more Stage Wins, more Stage Points, More Top 5's, More Top 10's, More Wins, and a higher AVG Finish. I think both are having good seasons. The real test will be this summer stretch. Reddick has typically lit it up with the tracks coming up the past two seasons, especially with 4 road/street courses coming up where this is the point in the season we have seen Bubba lose his temper and confidence in seasons past.

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a non know it all response

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I personally love the sport and enjoy seeing people with interest in it, even if it's just passing. Bubba doing well along with others can increase interest and hopefully bring more to the sport. I'm not a fan of some of Bubba's off the track antics, that said I do think he is a talent and belongs in the sport. His only issue is he doesn't have Busch level talent, though at times he does have a Busch level temper. They were both able to calm down and change the narrative, so hopefully he can do the same. I also think a lot of people don't understand his family and community pressure he faced following George Floyd. Bubbas cousin was shot by police in Mobile reaching for a phone to call his mom when he got stopped. Being silent wasn't an option. I do think he leaned into it some with the flag and garage pull incidents, but can see how a young man with his struggles with mental health and confidence may have been riding the high of pats on the back and attention after failing to meet the same on track success of his two best buddies once reaching the Cup series.

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Bob Pockrass

@bobpockrass

Chase Elliott has been granted a waiver to miss WWTR Gateway and remain playoff eligible.

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Better put Lonnie on suicide watch.

ETA: The melts on Reddit are epic

NASCAR made sure to jump on the train of corporations making sure the world knows how inclusive they are:

Saw a post on a dedicated racing board I frequent from a NASCAR fan in Chicago (who is not really in favor of the street race) who said Dale Jr., Jeff Burton and AJ Almendinger were in town yesterday to hype the thing up.

Apparently a TV station took Jr. around the course and interviewed him as he discussed the layout, and there’s one place on the course where because the pavement changes, the cars are gonna friggin’ GET AIRBORNE before they have to slow down to make the next corner, and the drivers won’t be able to brake until their cars come back down on the track.

That sounds like loads of fun …

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Apparently a TV station took Jr. around the course and interviewed him as he discussed the layout, and there’s one place on the course where because the pavement changes, the cars are gonna friggin’ GET AIRBORNE before they have to slow down to make the next corner, and the drivers won’t be able to brake until their cars come back down on the track.

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Dale Jr definitely mentioned that during the CBS 2 ride-along.

It was interesting because the CBS 2 sports guy said the bump was on Balbo, which is in the middle of the course. Meanwhile, the ABC 7 guy claimed Dale Jr said the bump was on Jackson, the north end of the course. I'm sure Dale Jr doesn't know the street names of Chicago too well, so I don't know if there was a misunderstanding or there are potentially two airborne bumps.

I bought one today as well just because of Blaneys scheme on sunday(although I drink BodyArmor all the time). It was good!

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I have zero opposition to a street race in general, unlike some. I remain to be convinced that a street race in this particular venue is a good thing. Not because of any perceived crime/safety issues. Because I don’t think that many people in Chicago proper are going to give a crap about this race or about NASCAR, ever.

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I have a few conflicting thoughts on this.

I've posted before that I believe there is still an appetite for the sport in the area. It obviously doesn't compare to areas around the South, but Chicagoland used to be peppered with short tracks, the most famous of which was probably Raceway Park. It was actually known as "The World's Busiest Track" at one time, and was still open through the 90s.

With that said, the sport has become a ghost in the market since Joliet was taken off the schedule. Now NASCAR wants to drop a grand, full-weekend event into Chicago's front yard, and charge big bucks for admission? New or casual observers, who may have been willing to check it out, may not want to drop a few hundred dollars to do so.

IMO putting Joliet back on the schedule for a year or two before trying a Chicago race could have helped build interest/momentum for such an event. However, given the nature of the Chicago political machine, I understand if NASCAR felt it was now or never.

TLDR I'm cautiously optimistic this will be a success for everybody. According to WGN, NASCAR stated they have sold tickets to people in 48 states and 12 different countries, and that the weekend is estimated to inject $120 mil into the local economy.

I remember visiting the Illinois Stock Car HOF and was stunned to learn there were races at Soldier Field. Had no idea before then.

Incidentally, there's a NASCAR bar about 2 miles from my parents up here that I used to go to with my dad. I learned recently from an older family friend that there used to be another track just west of the bar location during the 50s and 60s. The dots suddenly connected.

Website of the bar for those who don't believe me. Looks like it's still there.

Corey LaJoie, driving the 9 car, was out qualified by Carson Hocevar who is driving the 7 car (Spire Motorsports) that LaJoie usually drives.

Yikes.