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Nascar Thread part II
Robby Gordon's parents have been found dead.
The violent deaths of Robert “Baja Bob” and Sharon Gordon – the father and step-mother of well-known race car driver Robby Gordon – shook the racing community Thursday.
“This is devastating,” his son said, fighting back tears. “He taught so many, and I want everyone to know what a good man he was.”
Some details emerged Thursday evening: A day earlier, Bob Gordon died from injuries consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the results of an autopsy by the Orange County coroner’s office, while Sharon Gordon died from strangulation.
The police are investigating the deaths as a possible murder-suicide, said Lt. Fred Lopez of the Orange Police Department, adding that it doesn’t appear that police had answered calls to the house before.
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Schedule for Sundays race (ChicagoLand)
SUNDAY, SEPT. 18:
2:00 p.m.: NSCS Drivers Introductions.
2:30 p.m.: Intro Presentation of Colors: 347th Fighter Squadron Honor Guard.
2:30 p.m.: Invocation by: Michael McDowell, Driver of the No. 95 Thrivent Financial Chevrolet.
2:31 p.m.: National Anthem: Jim Cornelison.
2:37 p.m.: "Driver's, Start Your Engines" by: Greg Cipes, Voice of Michelangelo, TMNT and The Kids of NASCAR
2:46 p.m.: Start of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 (267 Laps, 400.5 Miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
-- 5:15 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race
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Martin Trues takes Chase Race number one, nicely done.
Too bad the late race caution fell when it did, likely cost Chase Elliot his first win. Kudo's how well he handled himself in the post race interview, mature way beyond his years.
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Does Nascar have a hard on for Truex? Seems like time after time they go out of their way to screw this team over. Come on guys, failed by that much in the exact spot Harvick intentionally drove into him, get a job.
Furniture Row Racing said in a team release Monday that it accepts NASCAR's failed post-race inspection ruling, while also citing on-track contact with the No. 4 Chevrolet ofKevin Harvick as the likely reason for being out of compliance.
"The right rear of our car was well within the tolerance margin, which showed that we were trying to be conservative," the statement read. "However, the left rear wheel alignment was off by approximately ten-thousandths of an inch, which in high probability was due to damage in that area as a result of being hit by the No. 4 car.
"We believe the laser inspection numbers were correct and accept NASCAR's decision that was made following Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway."
Truex Jr.'s race-winning No. 78 Toyota, along with the No. 48 Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson, failed post-race inspection after Sunday's Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series opener at Chicagoland Speedway.
NASCAR recently updated its rules for "encumbered" victory penalties during the postseason, but those are not be in effect for Truex Jr. because it was the lowest grade of failure for the LIS platform.
Any penalties will be announced later in the week, according to NASCAR.
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Oh, and they never did do anything about old Smoke and his on track BS two weeks in a row.
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NASCAR announced Wednesday that it will solidify its post-race inspection penalty structure for infractions stemming from the laser inspection station (LIS), eliminating the P2 and P3 levels for those violations. The P4 level for LIS infractions remains, and violations at this level will remain encumbered.
NASCAR also announced that neither the No. 78 driven by Martin Truex Jr. nor the No. 48 driven by Jimmie Johnson will be penalized for failing post-race LIS following last Sunday's Chicagoland Speedway.
"The use of the LIS platform in post-race was really driven by the industry," NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O'Donnell said in a teleconference Wednesday evening. "We had everyone collaborating to create the appropriate deterrent penalties if there was a a violation. As we headed toward the Chase, we were asked to further develop an enhanced deterrent for the Chase. ... The important development was the new language surrounding the concept of an encumbered win."
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I
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ZR
NASCAR announced Wednesday that it will solidify its post-race inspection penalty structure for infractions stemming from the laser inspection station (LIS), eliminating the P2 and P3 levels for those violations. The P4 level for LIS infractions remains, and violations at this level will remain encumbered.
NASCAR also announced that neither the No. 78 driven by Martin Truex Jr. nor the No. 48 driven by Jimmie Johnson will be penalized for failing post-race LIS following last Sunday's Chicagoland Speedway.
"The use of the LIS platform in post-race was really driven by the industry," NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O'Donnell said in a teleconference Wednesday evening. "We had everyone collaborating to create the appropriate deterrent penalties if there was a a violation. As we headed toward the Chase, we were asked to further develop an enhanced deterrent for the Chase. ... The important development was the new language surrounding the concept of an encumbered win."
Can someone translate that into English for me? NASCAR is the only sport on the planet that changes the rules by which they play on a weekly basis.
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^ They wrote the book on it.
Would make fantastic politicians.
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Huge win for Elliot Sadler, locked into the next round.
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Dale Jr will be on the 88 pit box this weekend.
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Too bad it was because he sucked and not because he was taken out by any driver he has purposely crashed into in the past.
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Race this week is Saturday night, hope the weather holds.
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The Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway has been postponed to Sunday at Noon ET due to inclement weather, setting up a doubleheader for the second consecutive weekend. The Sprint Cup Series race will be broadcast on NBC, with the NASCAR XFINITY Series race following on NBCSN.
The decision to postpone from Saturday night to Sunday at noon was made at approximately 10:30 a.m. ET Saturday after rain pelted the track and surrounding area as the outer bands of Hurricane Matthew made their way through. Weather forecasts varied initially, but a change to Matthew's trajectory Saturday morning led to the call to postpone.
As of Saturday at 11 a.m., Matthew was a Category 1 hurricane after making landfall at McClellanville, South Carolina (about 55 miles southwest of Myrtle Beach), according to the National Weather Service.
Sunday will now serve as a doubleheader, putting on two races the same day on the same track for the second consecutive weekend.
The Sprint Cup Series race goes green at noon ET, with TV coverage on NBC and radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The XFINITY Series race will follow, with a projected start time of 4:30 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on NBCSN with radio coverage on PRN SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
According to Charlotte Motor Speedway, the gates will open at 9 a.m. ET. Bank of America 500 tickets are valid for both races on Sunday; Drive for the Cure 300presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina ticketholders will be admitted after the Bank of America 500 ends.
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Nice on Jimmy showing them how it's done. A shame Elliot got caught up in that wreck, hell of a race from the rookie driver.
http://static.nascar.com/content/dam...Johnson-VL.jpg
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. said it would be hard to explain, the perspective that he's gained being sidelined from NASCAR competition.
The driving part, he clearly misses. The related appearances, autograph sessions and other obligations have gained newfound enjoyment during his absence from the cockpit. The challenge for when he plans to return to driving full-time is finding a way to savor the two parts together.
Earnhardt described the contrasts Wednesday at Martinsville Speedway, taking part in the announcement that the .526-mile track would add a lighting system as part of its 70th-anniversary season celebration in 2017. The driver, sidelined since July with concussion-related symptoms, also discussed how his time out of the car has spurred a recent health kick, offered him time to assist in planning his offseason wedding to fiancée Amy Reimann, and how it's taught him to relish race-weekend moments that go beyond his driving duties.
"When I was driving, I really didn't enjoy everything I did outside the car, reluctantly, just to do the driving part," Earnhardt said. "Now that I'm not in the car, I enjoy all the stuff that I'm doing outside the car that I've always done. I'm getting up in the morning race days to do the hospitalities or coming to do the winner's circle (appearances) here or Talladega, I've really enjoyed doing those things.
"The pressure of racing made the majority of everything that came with it miserable, and I probably am responsible for controlling that, right? And so, I think being out of the car has shown me that I've got to find a way that if I'm going to race more how to not feel so much pressure that it makes everything else intolerable or hard to do."
Earnhardt Jr., who turned 42 earlier this week, had his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season cut short after 18 races because of concussion-like symptoms. The unexpected absence has allowed Earnhardt to participate in activities he would've otherwise missed, such as attending a drag-racing event in Concord, North Carolina, and taking in his high school's homecoming football game.
But his time away from the circuit's entry lists has also meant an unburdening, removing the weekly stress of performing for his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team, which has found able substitutes in Jeff Gordon and Alex Bowman while keeping Earnhardt Jr.'s name on the windshield and above the drivers' side window.
"I think once I get back in the car, I've got to have a whole new frame of mind about how I handle the pressure of driving and the pressures of performing and finishing well and all that good stuff," Earnhardt said. "… The driving is fun, and I never really had a problem with that. I enjoy being at the track, and I enjoy doing the hospitalities. I'm going to go do a Wal-Mart appearance somewhere in freakin' who-knows-where, and I would be so frustrated about that because of what I was going to be doing on a race weekend.
"It wasn't the appearance that had me bent out of shape. It's just the pressure of week to week to week, performing, performing, performing -- the expectations of everything, myself and everyone else made all that sort of a heavy, heavy weight on my back. Now without the performance and the worry of having to perform, I go do this stuff and have fun. So I've got to figure out how to race and have fun, if that makes any sense."
Another unintended byproduct of his time away has been weight loss. With Reimann's encouragement, Earnhardt said he's had more of a dedicated fitness routine, something he never had to consider much during his weekly racing obligations since drivers routinely burn hundreds of calories inside the car during a race weekend.
"The only thing I ever had to worry about was just making sure I fit in my suit," Earnhardt said, adding that he's lost roughly eight pounds since beginning his rehab regimen for his concussion-like symptoms. "Any time we had to alter the suit, I had to start watching what I was eating, like we're getting out of control here."
And Earnhardt Jr. has also kept busy with planning his upcoming nuptials with Reimann in the offseason.
"We're definitely not being lazy and pushing everything off until the last minute, but it feels like it's right around the corner," Earnhardt said. "We just want it to be a great day. I think that's the same way everybody kind of feels. They just want everything to go right and not have anything go wrong. We're just making sure we've got all our T's crossed and all our I's dotted, so that that day's a special day for us."
While he's finding advice on floral arrangements and other details to make the event go off without a hitch, he's also been receiving unsolicited advice from all corners about his treatment plan. If there was a Highlights for Children etiquette lesson on how best to interact with people with his condition, the would-be physicians lighting up his XFINITYSeries team's switchboard fall under the heading of Goofus as opposed to Gallant.
"I think the wrong thing to say would be to give any kind of medical advice because you've got to listen to your doctors," Earnhardt said. "We've got people calling every single day to JR Motorsports: 'tell Dale to try this, tell Dale to drink this drink, tell him to eat this, tell him to quit milk' -- all kinds of crazy, hare-brained reasons why I'm ill or need to get better, what'll speed it up and all that stuff. I've got doctors, they're smart, they know everything I need to do and that's who I need to listen to, obviously."
And the right way to offer support?
"'Look forward to seeing you back at the track,' sounds awesome," Earnhardt said. "I want to hear that. 'Get well' is great. I like to know that people want me to be well, so anytime, that feels good."
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Will Truex notch another win? Dude must be flying high with confidence going into todays race.
http://static.nascar.com/content/dam...Truex-hero.jpg
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Dale Jr said in the latest edition of the Dale Jr. Download podcast released Monday that his rehabilitation from a concussion is "going along as planned" and that he has been driving a simulator but still misses competing in a race car most.
Earnhardt Jr. talked for about eight minutes at the start of the podcast, praising the efforts of his substitute driver Alex Bowman, who finished seventh at the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.
Junior added, however, that he wished he could have been the one driving the No. 88Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
"We've been running around and trying to do everything we're supposed to be doing outside the car while we're not able to drive just yet," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Boy, today (Sunday) was a day where I would have liked to have been in there for sure running that high side. That's really enjoyable."
He added that he's "still working on all my rehabilitation and doing all the stuff the doctors have been asking me to do. All of that is going along as planned, no setbacks."
The simulator work is part of the "outside the car" activities that have kept him busy in recent weeks, along with sponsor appearances and a visit to Martinsville Speedwaylast week to help unveil the track's new lights.
RELATED: Martinsville to add lights
"I've been doing that (simulator), which has been a lot of fun," Earnhardt Jr. said.
Still, it's no substitute for actually taking the wheel of a race car. Earnhardt Jr. said he will be at Talladega Superspeedway Friday through Sunday, and it will be difficult to simply watch; Bowman again will fill in for Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88.
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Ratings are gonna be off the charts, guaranteed!!
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join NBC's broadcast team for parts of the network's coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway andMartinsville Speedway, NBC announced Wednesday on "NASCAR America."
Junior, who has not raced since July as he recovers from a concussion, will reunite with his former crew chief Steve Letarte and work alongside race announcer Rick Allen and fellow analyst Jeff Burton. Sunday will mark Earnhardt's first ever NASCAR Sprint Cup broadcasting assignment.
"I'm excited to see these races from a different vantage point and hopefully offer some insight to the viewers," Earnhardt Jr. said in an NBC release. "I thoroughly enjoyed my opportunity to broadcast the XFINITY race at Michigan earlier this year, so I expect getting to spend time in the booth with the NBC team to be just as fun."
NBCSN presents the second elimination race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup from Talladega on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. Next weekend, NBCSN presents the first race in the playoff Round of 8 from Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 30, at 1 p.m. ET.
"With five races left in the Sprint Cup playoffs, we are thrilled to welcome Dale Earnhardt Jr. into our broadcast booth as we present two of the most unpredictable and exciting races in the Chase," said Jeff Behnke, VP of NASCAR Production for the NBC Sports Group. "Dale is incredibly respected and the viewers and fans will be treated to his perspective on two very different race tracks."
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GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. may not be competing in NASCAR'sSprint Cup Series as the 2016 season begins to wind down, but the series' most popular driver still has plenty to keep him busy.
"Going to the races, doing all my (sponsor) appearances, doing everything I was doing before, just not driving," Earnhardt said Wednesday during a stop at the corporate headquarters of Wrangler.
"Take the driving part out of it and everything else I'm still doing."
Earnhardt was joined by team owner Richard Childress to help kick off the second annual "Jeansboro Day" celebration and reminisce about the long relationship Wranger has enjoyed with Childress and Earnhardt.
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I had high hopes when Kezy was outta the race but all was lost when Leg a no won.
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I like how they are limiting Cup drivers participation in the lower level races next year.
NASCAR announced new participation guidelines for its three national series Wednesday, limiting the amount of NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races that full-time drivers in its premier series will be allowed to compete in, starting in 2017.
Beginning next year, the rules parameters will limit Cup Series drivers with more than five years' full-time experience to a maximum of 10 races in the NASCAR XFINITYSeries and seven events in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
The new guidelines will also prohibit premier series drivers at that experience level from participating in those two series' final eight events of the year -- a span that includes the regular-season finale and the seven-race Chase playoffs for both circuits. In the case of the XFINITY Series, full-time Cup Series competitors will also be restricted from the four races in the Dash 4 Cash program.
The guidelines don't apply to drivers with fewer than five years of full-time premier series experience, which includes, among others, Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon and Chase Elliott.
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Should have taken it further limiting larger teams from using multiple drivers through the year. Limit should have been more specific to 10 races per car or something like that. It was a decent effort but left a gaping loophole that will still see top flight drivers in all the races.
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Some fun analysis using the iRacing sim to demonstrate some things.
http://nascar.nbcsports.com/2016/10/...-martinsville/
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Perhaps they will revisit down the line but a good first shot at fixing it.
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I was hoping JG would have grabbed it in the #88.
If JG wins in Dales car, who gets the clock? lol
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Would be extra cool if Jeff pulled it off.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. and officials with Goody's announced a new promotion Sunday that will consist of trading cards featuring NASCAR's most popular driver inside boxes of the pain relief product.
But the Hendrick Motorsports driver believes fans will see him back on the track in the future as well.
"My intentions are to race and that's the plan that we have going forward so we're booking things as normal," Earnhardt said during the morning press conference at Martinsville Speedway. "We're doing all our photo shoots and everything with the anticipation of our sponsors marketing me as the driver of the (No.) 88 car. I think that that's perfectly on track and a reasonable goal, to be in the car (and) to be competing at Daytona.
"We can't sort of sit and wait … those types of things have to be decided quite early. So we're moving forward with the plan for me to be in the car and I don't see anything that says that's not going to happen. Things are good."
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He certainly showed em how it's done................come on Jimmy.
http://static.nascar.com/content/dam...-line-hero.jpg
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First lap of practice, Kyle Busch pounds the wall and forced to a back up car.
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FORT WORTH, Texas -- A day after crashing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, driver Matt DiBenedetto met with the media shortly before the start of Sunday's AAA Texas 500 just as his fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers were gathering at the pre-race drivers meeting inside the garage nearby.
DiBenedetto was not medically cleared to compete in Sunday's race following the single-car accident on Saturday. The driver is in concussion protocol, sidelining the 25-year-old for safety precautions, according to BK Racing.
Visibly disappointed not to race in Fort Worth, DiBenedetto said he will follow the protocol and visit doctors Monday in Charlotte, North Carolina, so he can get medical clearance to compete next week at Phoenix.
At Texas, Jeffrey Earnhardt will drive DiBenedetto's No. 83 ZAK Backs the Blue Toyota, which is honoring fallen Dallas police officers.
"I'm a racer, a die-hard racer and (BK Racing owner) Ron (Devine) knows this," DiBenedetto said. "It's in my blood and I probably handle these kind of situations of not being cleared to drive the car worse than any guy in the field. I've really been struggling with it.
"I feel perfectly fine so it's really going to be very difficult for me watching my car go around the race track. But Jeffrey Earnhardt will do a good job. He's one of my best friends and I'm glad and appreciative of him for stepping in for us in this situation. I know it's not great. No practice and he'll have to fire off. But we trust him.
"I'm definitely discouraged, but we'll go through this, go through their protocol. I have to, even though I feel fine, but they have a protocol and things set in place that I have to follow, whether I like it or not. I will do it, get it done and look forward to Phoenix."
Devine offered his support in making sure DiBenedetto goes through all the proper protocol to make a start at Phoenix.
"It's OK to err on the side of caution, but we'll get through it and I think at the end of the day, they've done the right thing," Devine said. "They felt it was best he go through the process and be sure. That's as simple as it is. It's about making sure he's OK. We'll meet with them to understand the process better and see what they saw. In the meantime, it's better not to have him in the car."
In hindsight, DiBenedetto smiled slightly and wondered if perhaps he should have handled things differently immediately after the accident. He insists he didn't feel any medical repercussions from the impact.
"Not the slightest bit, not even two seconds after the crash," DiBenedetto said. "If I could redo the situation knowing now how it turned out I would have sprinted down (the banking), maybe done jumping jacks. But everything happens for a reason.
"At this time I need to remain calm and remember they are doing their jobs."
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Anyone else see the vid footage? Dude could hardly walk, seemed to be disoriented, bell clearly rung hard. Nice he wants to be back in the car today but with their protocol in place he has no choice until doc's clear him next week.
Seems prudent to me.