|| *Comments on the 2017 Auto Club 400:* View the most recent comment <#242> | Post a comment <#post> 1. Altracing posted: 03.24.2017 - 8:43 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) First pole for Larson since Pocono in 2014 2. TeamDCR fan posted: 03.24.2017 - 8:44 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) 20 Years ago, Front Row Joe put Felix Sabates 42 on the inaugural pole for Auto Club. 20 years later, Larson puts the same team on pole. And I think it's the first cup pole for the 42 at this track since Joe did it 3. Altracing posted: 03.24.2017 - 8:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) No Montoya won the pole here in the 42 in 2011 4. Danica10Racer posted: 03.24.2017 - 8:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (4) Surprisingly this ties Danica's best start at Fontana. However, she consistently gets better at this track as the race goes on. She unloaded with top 20 speed, so she should be in the top 15 by the end of the race. She should be running around Kurt and Clint the whole weekend. 5. Sector posted: 03.24.2017 - 8:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What's up with Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson with no qualifying speed? They start 35th and 37th. 6. joey2448 posted: 03.24.2017 - 8:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson spun in practice and tore up the front of his car when he hit the grass on the inside of the track. The 48 team decided to skip qualifying all together because they weren't able to get the backup car any laps. Joey Logano's 22 crew was unable to get thru the preinspection line in time to post a lap in qualifying. 7. Kenny posted: 03.24.2017 - 8:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ok what happened to logono? 8. 2 & 88 Fan posted: 03.24.2017 - 9:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson's fast start to season continues. Joey Logano, Trevor Bayne and a few others couldn't get through inspection and thus didn't get to make a qualifying run. Jimmie Johnson on the other hand spun through the grass in practice damaging the underside of his car and had to go a backup car. The backup was prepared in time to get back out so the 48 team elected not to qualify. 9. Damon posted: 03.24.2017 - 9:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "What's up with Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson with no qualifying speed? They start 35th and 37th." Should be fun to watch both guys racing to the front on Sunday 10. 2 & 88 Fan posted: 03.24.2017 - 9:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) *wasn't prepared in time Goofed a word in my comment. 11. Danica10Racer posted: 03.24.2017 - 9:52 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Eh the one saving grace for Joey, Trevor and Jimmie is that they should be on fresh tires for the race I believe. 12. TeamDCR fan posted: 03.24.2017 - 10:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Juan Pablo's cup career is pretty forgettable so you can understand my forgetting about him 13. The Great Dave posted: 03.24.2017 - 10:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Whats up w/ Almorola? He got out qualified by BKR's second car AND Jay Robinson's main ride. 14. JohnnyJohnson posted: 03.24.2017 - 10:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's always the same guys up front, what ever happened to the days of guys like Todd Bodine winning the poles 15. TeamDCR fan posted: 03.24.2017 - 10:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Almirolas car was junk In qualifying. He aborted two runs and then finally just made a half a$$ run to put a time on the board 16. ol hank posted: 03.25.2017 - 1:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Newman on a roll to start this year 17. rm posted: 03.25.2017 - 1:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Almirola, Menard, Allmendinger, and Patrick can all can have their bad times/no times explained by the fact that they all aborted a run (or in Menard and Almirola's case, 2 runs) before going back out there. Older tires and an ill handling car will make that much of a difference in qualifying trim. A couple cars hit the wall, including Keselowski and Menard. From what they showed on TV, Almirola and Hill looked like they were fighting their car more than the track. Not sure how many laps are in the first segment but I would bet the 51 doesn't see the end of it. 18. Mile501 posted: 03.25.2017 - 7:19 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) It's the first time Chris Buescher has made it into second round qualifying this year, and he starts 20th. That is definitely an improvement over his rough start to the season! And did anyone else see this? "There was a short red flag during practice when an owl landed on the track and had to be moved away." Weird. That seems more like something that would happen at Pocono! http://www.espn.com/espn/print?id=18792484 19. Newman31 posted: 03.25.2017 - 8:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "It's always the same guys up front, what ever happened to the days of guys like Todd Bodine winning the poles" Larson's on the pole while Newman starts 5th. That defiantly isn't the "same guys up front" 20. JSPorts posted: 03.25.2017 - 10:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @18 it was pretty comical. The track crew were slowly trying to close in around it and grab it, of course they didn't take into account that owls can fly. 21. Ferret posted: 03.25.2017 - 10:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @20: For some reason I lost it laughing at the simple fact owls can fly in your comment, that made my day. When I saw it the guys I was watching it with lapsed into a stream of owl puns. I was impressed by how bad Aric's car was honestly, and Newman, he's being decent again, and oddly enough, I've a hunch he may win again. For some reason I'm not expecting much out of two of the Hendrick teams, (Jimmie and Chase), for somee reason I just have this gut instict that Jimmie's not hit his typical form yet, and Chase IMHO needs to sit back and just go with the race's flow. Also, Larson's another dark horse pick IMO, but I got an eye on Joey to either charge from the back, or get mired up in the mid pack issues. Also, I keep seeing that owl video all over social media now. That owl has more fans than some teams. I'm gonna go out on a wing and say the owl's gonna get tagged for a photo opportunity, ya know it's had to claw its fame from nothing. Okay, that's enough bad owl puns...for now. If any other animals show up at races....yeah.... Apparently going by my Facebook news feed my owl puns aren't even close to being the worst ones aorund. NASCAR themselves had a punny title. Still not as fun as my puns.... 22. Windows Millennium Edition posted: 03.25.2017 - 11:26 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Daniel Suarez continues to get better in a Cup car. Qualifying 10th is not an easy task at this track. 23. racefangurl posted: 03.25.2017 - 1:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I saw the owl was hurt. Btw, who will win first, of Chase Elliott, Erik Jones or Daniel Suarez? 24. MJM posted: 03.25.2017 - 1:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @23, I'm thinking Chase is the obvious, but I wouldn't be surprised if Erik wins before him. 25. 02Justin10 posted: 03.25.2017 - 1:58 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) "She unloaded with top 20 speed, so she should be in the top 15 by the end of the race." How in star blazes can you make that assumption? She just qualified 22nd when the #48, #22 and #6 did not even run. If anything, her performance is already slipping since she has already lost her top 20 speed. And she will struggle more this season in Fontana simply because the cars keep getting less and less downforce. Danica is a driver who needs that extra security. This is why her race results continue to get worse in a race winning car. After Johnson, Logano, and Bayne pass her on raceday, she'll be back around 25th. That's not 15th. 26. Ferret posted: 03.25.2017 - 2:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Without diving into the Danica war, I will just throw this out there... Who else is getting hurt by the reduction in downforce and who is being helped by it? 27. Danica10Racer posted: 03.25.2017 - 2:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) "If anything, her performance is already slipping since she has already lost her top 20 speed." She was 17th in the latest practice session. I believe that 17th position means that she is inside the top 20. Yes that information was not available yesterday (however Danica was inside the top 20 in Q1) but your post came after this morning's practice session. You should probably look at those speeds. "Who else is getting hurt by the reduction in downforce and who is being helped by it?" It's definitely Danica. She loses the most by the reduction in downforce because she hasn't had as much seat time as the entire field has. Plus the reduction in testing also hurts her. As for who benefits, probably Larson and Kahne. 28. Windows Millennium Edition posted: 03.25.2017 - 2:43 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "Who else is getting hurt by the reduction in downforce and who is being helped by it?" Helped: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Kyle Larson Martin Truex Jr. Austin Dillon Hurt: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Danica Patrick (not biased at all, just my opinion by her on track performance) Kasey Kahne And before you think I'm pulling random crap out of nowhere, just look at how these drivers have performed since the low downforce package was introduced. 29. Scott B posted: 03.25.2017 - 2:46 pm Rate this comment: (2) (1) "It's definitely Danica. She loses the most by the reduction in downforce because she hasn't had as much seat time as the entire field has. Plus the reduction in testing also hurts her." She's had the same amount of seat time with this aero package that everybody else has, and gets the same amount of testing as everyone else. Let's not drag out the "still making the transition from open wheel" excuse again. 30. Suburban Shaman posted: 03.25.2017 - 2:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @26 I think it helps guys like Larson and others that like looser setups but hurts guys like Jimmie, Dale Jr. and others that prefer more traditional setups. 31. Danica10Racer posted: 03.25.2017 - 2:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) "She's had the same amount of seat time with this aero package that everybody else has, and gets the same amount of testing as everyone else. Let's not drag out the "still making the transition from open wheel" excuse again." That's absolutely a factor though. At least 95% of the current drivers in the Cup series came up through a system that would have put them in NASCAR had they followed it to completion. They have had a greater amount of time in similar cars that allow them to drive low downforce packages easier. Danica has never driven a low downforce car competitively (meaning as a pro) prior to her arrival in the Xfinity series. The testing ban absolutely hurt Danica as well. If Danica was allowed to test more often when she first arrived in the Cup series, she would have had an easier developmental curve with thousands of more laps of seat time than she has right now. 32. Scott B posted: 03.25.2017 - 2:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Almirolas car was junk In qualifying. He aborted two runs and then finally just made a half a$$ run to put a time on the board" I hope this isn't a hint of where his season is headed. He started 2017 well enough, but the same was true in 2016 then results started falling off. I'm feeling like this season as a one car team is the last chance to really turn RPM around. 33. Danica10Racer posted: 03.25.2017 - 3:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @32 He won't be competing for top 10's but he's going to sneak into the top 15 every once in a while. He's not as bad as last year it looks like. He's running around 20th-22nd compared to 25th as he was a year ago. He did have some really bad luck next year. One of the people I thought had a hard time (much like Danica did). 34. Dr. Strangelove posted: 03.25.2017 - 3:08 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) "[Almirola] won't be competing for top 10's but he's going to sneak into the top 15 every once in a while.... and that brings me to a connection with my obsession." Apparently every driver (and possibly every person on the planet) is only one degree of separation from Danica Patrick. When do we get to: "Owl lands on racetrack -- Danica affected most!" Seriously, is posting here part of the therapy assigned by your psychiatrist or what? 35. Danica10Racer posted: 03.25.2017 - 3:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I just mentioned that Aric and Danica suffered from a lot of the same circumstances last year and both probably should have finished higher in the standings than they did. Bad luck takes points away when every point corresponds to a finishing position. However, to your other point. Well you are a Doctor, figure it out. You have a Ph.D, right? 36. Archie posted: 03.25.2017 - 3:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) @34 That's somewhat uncalled for. 37. Danica10Racer posted: 03.25.2017 - 3:17 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @36 I'm used to it by now. It's the life that us Danica fans have to lead. No need to call people out for it, it will only create further strife. 38. Seibaru posted: 03.25.2017 - 3:24 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @37 ...So you're a martyr? 39. Bancupinvaders posted: 03.25.2017 - 3:35 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Its the life you overly obsessive annoying Danica fans have to lead..........no one would be bothered by you if you would stop with your pointless Danica updates every freaking week. How about talk about her once she does something impressive for once...and no...running 18th - 30th is not impressive. I see she was 28th fastest in final practice...thats not exactly helping your "she is gonna run in the top 15" argument. 40. Danica10Racer posted: 03.25.2017 - 3:35 pm Rate this comment: (1) (2) @38 I feel that way sometimes with how this place reacts to anything about Danica. That's part of the reason I didn't comment on the Danica hate blog that was published this week. 41. Eric posted: 03.25.2017 - 3:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @28, I wouldn't be so sure if it is the rule package. The problem is Dale Jr. suffered from post Concussion syndrome and its possible that his struggles are caused his past injuries. Keep in Mind Dale Jr. didn't race after the Kentucky 2016 race to the end of the race at Homestead. There could be some rust on Dale's Jr.'s part or be affects from that concussion he had last year. Drivers tend not to be quite the same driver on the track after a major injury. Case in point is Darrell Waltrip's crash from the 1983 Daytona 500. While Darrell won races after that, Media members from that era and team owners saw a different in how Darrell raced. Remember Dale Jr. already wasn't quite the same after the burns he got from the 2004 Sonoma sports car race. 42. MJM posted: 03.25.2017 - 3:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @40, I'm not a Danica fan, but I don't hate her like some of the haters do. I think that she will do fine if she has no more bad luck this season. She did finish 17th in Atlanta earlier this year, and in the practices for that weekend, she was 27th and 31st in those sessions. @39, Because I said those Atlanta stats, practice speed can be meaningless. It all depends on who can make adjustments better, and who can make them better. 43. JohnnyJohnson posted: 03.25.2017 - 3:51 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) @Danica10Racer Can u explain to me, if Danica is so good, how come she has 0 top 5's in over 100 career starts with A+ Equipment? And why she has never been over 24 in the season standings? I am not by any means hating on you, but you act like she is Jimmie Johnson or Kyle Busch. She is the most famous 30th place driver ever. 44. Bancupinvaders posted: 03.25.2017 - 3:51 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) That was not a Danica hate blog, it simply stated the truth, something your Danica obsessed mind clearly can not handle......its kinda sad really. 45. Chris Crocker posted: 03.25.2017 - 3:53 pm Rate this comment: (1) (3) LEAVE DANICA ALONE!!!!! 46. Denzel Crocker posted: 03.25.2017 - 3:57 pm Rate this comment: (1) (3) Leave Danica Alone! FAIRIES! 47. Danica10Racer posted: 03.25.2017 - 4:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @45 Alright, I'll admit I smiled at that one. 48. Bancupinvaders posted: 03.25.2017 - 4:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @45 Oh god no.... XD 49. Tide1732 posted: 03.25.2017 - 5:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) List of Oldest active NASCAR Drivers (From Winston) Joe Nemechek (1993) Morgan Shepherd (1970) Jeff Green (1997) Matt Kenseth (2000) Bobby Gerhart (1983) Norm Benning (1989) Johnny Sauter (2003) Brendan Gaughan (2004) Elliott Sadler (1997) Carl Long (2000) J.J Yeley (2006) TOP 5 Morgan Shepherd Norm Benning Jeff Green Joe Nemechek Elliott Sadler Frequently Runs Ryan Newman Kevin Harvick Kurt Busch Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jimmie Johnson Scott Lagasse Jr. Casey Mears Former drivers with a Other Series runs Late Models Sterling Marlin Johnny Benson Jr. Chad Boat Steve Wallace Jeb Burton Joey Coulter Jimmy Horton Lance Norrick Ken Schrader David Reutimann Jeremy Mayfield In a other NASCAR Division Runs Brian Keselowski (Random runs) Johnny Bornerman III David Mayhew In other series Brad Sweet (WoW) Rico Abreu (WoW) Robby Gordon 50. Tide1732 posted: 03.25.2017 - 7:46 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) List of the future NASCAR Season 1 #10 Cole Custer 2 #14 Cristhoper Bell (#4 after Harvick retires, and #14 shut down) 3 #4 Kevin Harvick 4 #41 Kurt Busch 5 #31 Ty Dillon 6 #3 Austin Dillon 7 #33 Brandon Jones FRM #34 ? 8 #38 Todd Gilliand Roush-Yates 9 #6 Trevor Bayne 10 #16 Cris Buescher 11 #17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #60 Darrell Wallace Jr. (Part-time) Yates Motorsports 12 #28 Jared Ivran after, is Harrison Burton 13 #29 Greg Biffle (In final Years) RPM 14 #43 Dakoda Armstrong Ganassi 15 #1 Brennan Poole 16 #42 Kyle Larson LFR (Shut Down) JGR (Coy Gibbs) 17 #11 Ben Kennedy 18 #18 Kyle Busch 19 #19 Daniel Suarez 20 #20 Erik Jones Furntumie Row Racing 21 #78 Martin Truex Jr. 22 #87 John Hunter Nemechek JTG 23 #47 A.J Allmendinger #74 Ryan Blaney? #58 ? Hendrick 24 #5 William Byron 25 #24 Chase Elliott 26 #48 (Retired after Johnson retires) 27 #88 Alex Bowman Penske 28 #2 Brad Keselowski 29 #22 Joey Logano Another new team #01 Danica Patrick (Part-time) #? Gray Gaudling (Full) #? Corey LaJoe or Jeb Burton (Full) FAS 30 #32 Matt DiBenedetto BK Racing 31 #23 Spencer Gallagher 32 #83 Michael McDowell or Clint Bowyer 33 #84 Corey LaJoe or Landon Cassill Wood Brothers (Probably Shut Down) #21 Ryan Blaney? New team (Replaces Premium Motorsports) #55 (Select drivers) 34 #15 Jordan Anderson New team (Only Car) 35 #? Austin Cindric New team with NASCAR Veterans 36 #? Ryan Newman 37 #? Aric Almirola? New team #? (Road Course Select) 38 #7 ? 39 #44? Ryan Blaney? 51. Tyler posted: 03.26.2017 - 9:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) On a completely random note, Corey LaJoie has his best start of the year, 30th. 52. Scott B posted: 03.26.2017 - 11:57 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Qualifying positions for this race are skewed by the cars that didn't post lap times, though. 53. Lucstar88 posted: 03.26.2017 - 12:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Junior will start from the rear, had to change his right rear tire after qualifying. 54. Tide1732 posted: 03.26.2017 - 12:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Driving a Midget Car is most dangerous to Driving a Indy Car driving the Indianapolis 500. 55. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 2:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is a hard chocie for me but I'm gonna go with either Harvick or Truex to win today. 56. Lucstar88 posted: 03.26.2017 - 3:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Going with Larson, because he's really good here and he has to win one soon right? 57. TeamDCR fan posted: 03.26.2017 - 3:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nothing against Larson, but I don't see him winning today only because the pole sitter of a race usually doesn't win, and I think Fox said that only 1 guy has won from the pole here in 27 races 58. TeamDCR fan posted: 03.26.2017 - 3:24 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Derrike Cope making his first California start since 2004, and he's the only driver in this field who was part of the first 59. Newman31 posted: 03.26.2017 - 3:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Next Saturday marks the 24th anniversary of one of racing's greatest tragedies. 60. TeamDCR fan posted: 03.26.2017 - 3:38 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) May AK Rest in Peace 61. TeamDCR fan posted: 03.26.2017 - 3:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Am I the only one who thought that chick singing the National Anthem did some of that funky crap people do when singing it? Personally, I like the simple, straight forward performance, not all that junk people do with the voice pitch changes, holding out notes that should be held out, etc. 62. Damon posted: 03.26.2017 - 3:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Going with Larson, because he's really good here and he has to win one soon right?" The "he has to win soon" also applies to Chase Elliott 63. chevyfan98 posted: 03.26.2017 - 3:45 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) No you're not. She sucked. 64. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 3:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Keselowski spins out with help from Johnson. Probably also caused by the early contact with Hamlin and Newman. 65. Damon posted: 03.26.2017 - 3:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That was an ugly start by Denny/Brad/Newman and just got worse as the 48 spins Brad out. 66. Lucstar88 posted: 03.26.2017 - 3:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actually, the 2 seemed sideways after some side draft with the 13 and the 48 had no where to go as Bayne was behind him. Man, Brad was a pinball there. 67. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 3:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just had a lot of guys pit under caution. Menard stayed out and is now the leader 68. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 3:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Harvick also got damage from that initial start. 69. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Harvick left rear tire down 70. Damon posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:14 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) 68, Whole front nose smashed up 71. joey2448 posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Two heavy hitters, Harvick and Keselowski, have experienced early troubles. Keselowski received some damage on the initial start when his lane got jammed up, and eventually spun out on lap 4. Now Harvick, who also got damage in that initial stack-up, has had to pit for a flat tire and is one lap down. 72. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Green flag pit stops underway 73. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Truex takes the lead from Larson during green flag pit stops 74. Danica10Racer posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (3) Danica running front of Kurt for most of the segment. Improvement. 75. that e-guy posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What happened to Kurt? 76. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson re-takes the lead from Truex 77. Damon posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 75, Car is too loose 78. TeamDCR fan posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yes I know he's driving a car that is 4th tier, but Cope seems to be way off today 79. that e-guy posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good save by Danica 80. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Big save by Danica. Don't know who she made contact with there Larson wins stage 1. 81. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:37 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Keselowski gets the free pass 82. joey2448 posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:38 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) If it wasn't for that contact with McDowell, Danica probably could've won this race. 83. Damon posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Disasterous stage 1 for SHR with Kurt 24th, Danica 26th, Kevin 30th, all 1 lap down 84. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Truex wins the race off pit road to take the lead back 85. Danica10Racer posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) I like McDowell enough. I think he's a great commentator but he does some stupid things out on the racetrack. 86. rwr posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:43 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Timmy Hill is in the pace, 4 laps yes, but not so slow than 2 weeks ago. 87. joey2448 posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Austin Dillon got dinged for speeding on that set of stops, and Ryan Blaney's crew was penalized for removing equipment from the pit box. 88. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) McDowell cuts a tire down and hits the wall. No caution 89. Rob posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:54 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Just tuned in. Has Jimmie Johnson had trouble or is he actually running mid 20s? I know he didn't qualify but neither did Logano or Bayne and they're both in the top 12. 90. that e-guy posted: 03.26.2017 - 4:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @89 He was apart of the 1st caution 91. joey2448 posted: 03.26.2017 - 5:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Clint Bowyer running 14th on lap 85. And Erik Jones 6th. 92. joey2448 posted: 03.26.2017 - 5:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) *Sorry, Bowyer running 4th on lap 85. 93. Jim Davis posted: 03.26.2017 - 5:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Johnson short pitted to get to the lucky dog spot. Knaus doesn't miss a trick. 94. joey2448 posted: 03.26.2017 - 5:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Truex has a 6.5-second lead on lap 104. 95. joey2448 posted: 03.26.2017 - 5:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Stewart-Haas Racing having one good run today with Bowyer in third. All other cars are in trouble with Harvick, Kurt Busch and Danica running 24th, 25th and 26th, respectively. Currently lap 105. 96. Damon posted: 03.26.2017 - 5:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 95, And Danica/Kurt just dropped a 2nd lap, too 97. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 5:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Truex wins stage 2 98. Damon posted: 03.26.2017 - 5:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If Tried slips up, Bowyer could steal this thing. Meanwhile, Harvick just got put 2 laps down right at the end of stage 2. So that's 3 of 4 SHR cars down 2 laps today. 99. Damon posted: 03.26.2017 - 5:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Truex 100. Danica10Racer posted: 03.26.2017 - 5:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) SHR performance has been dreadful today outside of Bowyer. 101. racefangurl posted: 03.26.2017 - 5:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 62, I'll say Martin Truex, Jr., Kyle Larson or perhaps Chase Elliot are the most likely winners. 102. joey2448 posted: 03.26.2017 - 5:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Restart with 73 laps to go! Top-3 is Truex, Larson and Eliott. 103. Aric43Racer posted: 03.26.2017 - 5:38 pm Rate this comment: (2) (1) Aric having a great day running 21st. They keep making improvements and hes such an amazing racer, if he had boobs 3/4s of the comments on this site would be about him 104. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 5:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson takes the lead on the restart 105. Danica10Racer posted: 03.26.2017 - 5:47 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) @103 You forgot they can play the diversity card too. That's an important feature. 106. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 5:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Only 45 laps left... 107. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 5:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Michael McDowell isn't having a great day today but at least his #95 Chevrolet looks really sharp. His SS this week is decaled this week so it resembles a classic Woody surf wagon. A real Woody drove around in front of the field before this race started. 108. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson spins sideways on pit road and ends up pitting at a 90 degree angle after he dodged a departing Truex leaving the pits. 109. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch and Ty Dillon are the last drivers to pit during green flag stops, attempting a one-stop strategy. 110. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:05 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) This race is shaping up to be a one-on-one showdown between California's own Kyle Larson and New Jersey's Martin Truex, Jr. It's East Coast vs. West Coast! 111. Seibaru (#PDB) posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @105 It's a little bit of a stretch, but watch this from 6:30 to 9:15. Your statements remind me of the comments he addresses, and his arguments are about the same as ours. Or...don't watch it. I don't care. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92Iac7rIJS0 112. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Truex takes the lead from Larson 113. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And Larson takes it right back 114. Captain Obvious posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:10 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) DW is a fan of Cole Pearn. 115. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson leads Truex by about a second. Chase Elliott is third but 5.5 seconds back with 25 to go. 116. that e-guy posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 3 commercial breaks in 5 minutes. What a shock. 117. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Elliott and Logano on pit road 118. joey2448 posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Logano and Eliott make pit stops with 23 laps to go. 119. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Don't look now but Clint Bowyer is returning to form. He's run up near the front all day and he's now taking third place as Elliott pits. Bowyer is looking for his first top-5 since Bristol way back in August 2015. 120. Aric43Racer posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Is fox going to televise the last 30 laps? 121. joey2448 posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) CAUTION for debris with 21 laps to go! 122. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:16 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Caution for Gray Gaulding 123. joey2448 posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:16 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Gray Gaulding into the wall off turn 2 and on the backstretch. 124. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Gray Gaulding is in the wall in turn 2 and sliding along it on the back stretch, looks like a blown tire. Caution. That changes everything. Kyle Busch and Ty Dillon's one-stop strategies go out the window but it benefits Larson and Truex even though the field now gets to catch up. 125. Lucstar88 posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson wins the race off pit road. JGR goes 2-3-4, while Truex has a terrible stop. 126. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson's teammate Jamie McMurray is up in sixth. Could be a good day for the Ganassi boys. 127. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hamlin gets loose battling Larson for the lead. AND KENSETH WRECKS! 128. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hard hit again for Kenseth 129. joey2448 posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:25 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Restart with 16 laps to go! Larson leads with Hamlin beside him in 2nd! And Matt Kenseth goes around on the backstretch and clobbers the inside wall! The left front of that 20 car is destroyed! 130. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Truex made very slight contact with Kenseth and it resulted in Kenseth getting turned hard into the inside wall. There was so much racing going on for third and fourth on back it's not too much of a surprise that happened. 131. Lucstar88 posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That was a nasty hit, such a beautiful race car too. Thank god he's ok. 132. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race was run the same day as the 2017 Formula 1 season opener at the Australian Grand Prix. The day has seen a couple of long losing streaks end as Sebastian Vettel won the Grand Prix for Ferrari, the Scuderia's first win since Singapore in 2015, and Chaz Mostert won the Supercars exhibition race on the undercard, his first victory of any kind since his big wreck at Bathurst in 2015. 133. joey2448 posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:32 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Back to green with 11 laps to go! Larson and Busch first and second! 134. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Restart with 11 to go...Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson are side-by-side for the lead and they are four-wide behind them! 135. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson prevails for the lead. Hamlin is now second and Truex rockets back into third. 136. stewart14rocks posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) another caution 137. Lucstar88 posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Weekly Corey Lajoie caution. 138. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson pits with right to go and most are coming with him. Only Hamlin, Truex, and McMurray stay out. 139. Lucstar88 posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:38 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I like Larson with fresh ones, especially on the outside. 140. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Erik Jones has been up in the top-10 for much of this race but the young Michigander's finish might not show it, an uncontrolled tire on that last pit stop will put him down the running order. 141. Lucstar88 posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:41 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Both RFR cars are in this latest caution. Bayne turned Stenhouse 142. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson takes the lead from Hamlin as the two Roush cars take each other out! Bayne got loose and banged Stenhouse, spinning out Ricky. 143. Danica10Racer posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:42 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) That's some nice teammate work by the Roush drivers. 144. racefangurl posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rough day for Roush. 145. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Cat in the Hat won't be pleased about that...last caution. 146. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson blasts away on the yellow. Brad Keselowski is somehow second and Clint Bowyer is fighting him for it! 147. Danica10Racer posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:49 pm Rate this comment: (1) (2) Trevor Bayne causes another a wreck. That's like 4 out of 5 races this year. 148. Lucstar88 posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Way to go Larson!!!! 149. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "California Kid" Kyle Larson scores his second career Cup victory with Brad Keselowski finishing second despite that spin in the opening laps and Bowyer finishing third to break his top-5 drought. 150. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:51 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Larson sweeps the weekend following his win in yesterday's Xfinity series race. He becomes just the second driver, after Jimmie Johnson in 2008, to win at Auto Club Speedway from the pole. Hamlin finished 11th after smacking the wall off Turn 4 on the final lap. 151. Pickles posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Atta Boy Larson! Man when Fox gets a phrase they like they jam it down your throat don't they? 152. joey2448 posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) For the second week in a row, rookie Daniel Suarez comes from out of nowhere to grab a 7th-place finish after running 20-something most of the day. 153. David posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Nothing against Larson, but I don't see him winning today only because the pole sitter of a race usually doesn't win, and I think Fox said that only 1 guy has won from the pole here in 27 races" Trends like this are usually coincidental, as Larson proved today. 154. Lucstar88 posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Going with Larson, because he's really good here and he has to win one soon right? I called it lol 155. Pickles posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:58 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Truex is a class act 156. Damon posted: 03.26.2017 - 6:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Harvick manages a 13th after THAT day, impressive 157. Altracing posted: 03.26.2017 - 7:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good to see Larson finally get the win and very happy for Bowyer to come home in third place after running in the top five for most of the race. 158. Tide1732 posted: 03.26.2017 - 7:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson had a potential Superspeedway victory Chip Ganassi's best position in superspeedways was in 2005, with a second position by Jaime McMurray at Pespi 400. 159. Nathan8848 posted: 03.26.2017 - 7:09 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Furniture Row blows another race, making Larson's chances much easier. Keselowski, even with his early troubles still brought it home 2nd. That's crazy. 160. Tide1732 posted: 03.26.2017 - 7:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A New Terry Labonte is coming...., his name is Kyle Larson. 161. Clubber Lang posted: 03.26.2017 - 7:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @61 - I didn't think it was that bad. She's got some pipes. She sang it the way she felt it. She has the right to do that. It's called freedom. 162. murb posted: 03.26.2017 - 7:11 pm Rate this comment: (5) (0) "A New Terry Labonte is coming...., his name is Kyle Larson." Couldn't think of two guys with more vastly different driving styles. 163. Mile501 posted: 03.26.2017 - 7:11 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) #4 - "Surprisingly this ties Danica's best start at Fontana. However, she consistently gets better at this track as the race goes on. She unloaded with top 20 speed, so she should be in the top 15 by the end of the race. She should be running around Kurt and Clint the whole weekend." In fairness, your prediction was partially correct. While Danica was nowhere near the top-15, she did run near Kurt throughout the race (as well as Harvick, though that was due to his early-race issues and he rebounded to finish 13th). Clint Bowyer was very impressive, though, and took on Harvick's usual role of being SHR's top driver. I was pleasantly surprised to see how well he ran all day! 164. TeamDCR fan posted: 03.26.2017 - 7:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson proved me wrong. I thought he was going to find another way to screw up, but he drove a strong race, and finally closed the deal 165. DB1995 posted: 03.26.2017 - 7:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Worked through this race and only caught the overtime on the radio, knew Larson would win one eventually this year. Can someone give me a summary of Brad Keselowski's day, on MRN they made it sound like a miracle he was able to even finish on the lead lap. 166. Danica10Racer posted: 03.26.2017 - 7:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @163 I had a feeling Kurt might be behind Danica for some part of the day because his practice 2 speed was abysmal and was 4 tenths off Danica (who was inside of the top 20). Never saw that speed from Clint all weekend but sometimes you hit the right combination on race day. 167. JSPorts posted: 03.26.2017 - 7:19 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @165 Hamlin spun tires on the start, Brad hit him, then got rear-ended. Fell through the field, got spun by Johnson on lap 4. I think he was a lap down, then put on tires at the end and finished 2nd. 168. Aric43Racer posted: 03.26.2017 - 7:30 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Clint Bowyer becomes the 5th driver to score a top 5 for SHR. 5 out of 6 SHR drivers have scored top 5s for them in their history. 4 out of 6 have scored victory. 169. JSPorts posted: 03.26.2017 - 7:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Clint had a great day today. That's got to have the 14 team excited for the rest of the season. The 4 could've been right up there with him, but the wreck at the start cost Harvick. The 41 was off the pace, so was the 10 (like normal.) 170. BMan0213 posted: 03.26.2017 - 7:42 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I don't know what Chip has done to his cars over the last few months, but he obviously has put the right guys in place and they've hit it out of the park. It's gonna be interesting to see if they they can keep up the pace throughout the whole year. If they can, Larson could very well be the favorite for the championship comes Playoff time. 171. Suburban Shaman posted: 03.26.2017 - 7:54 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Barely saw any of this racr, but congrats to Larson on his performance. He might not have the best attributes between the ears, but he has monster talent and I believe has the best potential of all the young guns if he can learn to run the bottom effectively and reign in his driving style some. Oh yeah, and UNC is going to Phoenix!!!! 172. SMIFF TV posted: 03.26.2017 - 7:58 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) "I don't know what Chip has done to his cars over the last few months, but he obviously has put the right guys in place and they've hit it out of the park. It's gonna be interesting to see if they they can keep up the pace throughout the whole year. If they can, Larson could very well be the favorite for the championship comes Playoff time." I GUARANTEE their success has been a by-product of Stewart/Haas switching to Ford. Now that they're gone from Chevy, Ganassi became the default B team for Chevrolet. 173. Minnowfur posted: 03.26.2017 - 8:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The 31 car finished last at Pheonix in 2016...one year later he wins. The 42 car finished last at Auto Club in 2016...one year later he wins. 174. rm posted: 03.26.2017 - 8:19 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) ^so at this rate...Aric Almirola wins at Martinsville next week? I'm perfectly ok with this. 175. Able Baker posted: 03.26.2017 - 9:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @ 171 - "He might not have the best attributes between the ears" What are you talking about? If you barely saw any of this racr, (we actually call it a "race"), please don't try to comment intelligently. Running the top seems to be working out pretty well for him and he is "Reigning" pretty well in his driving style, as he is the "Reigning" points leader, ha ha. 176. StenhouseFan17 posted: 03.26.2017 - 9:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #42 - Target/Cottonelle #1 - McDonald's All American Games/McDonald's #88 - Axalta/ServiceKing #47 - Ralphs ClickList/Oscar Mayer/Nature Valley #37 - Bush's Beans/Dawn #27 - Jack Link's/Menards #95 - Surfboards by Leavine Family Racing "Woodie Wagon" #20 - Peak Antifreeze and Coolant 177. Sean posted: 03.26.2017 - 9:26 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) "A New Terry Labonte is coming...., his name is Kyle Larson." The current Terry Labonte is...Clint Bowyer I guess. The next Terry Labonte is...Chris Buescher maybe? Kyle Larson is more along the lines of Ernie Irvan or Geoff Bodine in style. 178. stewart14rocks posted: 03.26.2017 - 11:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I GUARANTEE their success has been a by-product of Stewart/Haas switching to Ford" while this was part of it but even then in the summer months of 2016 they found some speed and it has carried over into 2017. usually we see larson and cgr doing catch up during the season. 179. RaceFanX posted: 03.26.2017 - 11:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Newly-retired F1 champion Jensen Button was in attendance for this race instead of the F1 season opener. Say Mr. Button, has anyone ever told you how nice Watkins Glen is around August... 180. Anthony posted: 03.27.2017 - 4:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) He picked the right event, the F1 was a snoozefest 181. Willy Redman posted: 03.27.2017 - 7:16 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Last 7 points races, dating to end of last season, Larson average finish: 3.428 6/7 in top 3, wow!!! 182. 02Justin10 posted: 03.27.2017 - 7:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 26th. Not even in the same zip code as 15th. At this point Tony Stewart must be eyeing fresh, new, actual talent because the performance of the 10 car is bad. The organization, and the few sponsors left with that car, cannot be too thrilled about these performances. 183. Clint posted: 03.27.2017 - 8:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Does anyone know of any site that keeps track of the playoff points accumulated so far? How are we supposed to care about these stage wins if we cant keep track of how its actually effecting the "playoffs"? 184. Canadianfan posted: 03.27.2017 - 8:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 179. I like your thinking RaceFanX unfortunately I think he will be back in F1 by that time, Alonso can't take much more of this. That is why they kept Button under contract in case Alonso bolted out of there. 185. RaceFanX posted: 03.27.2017 - 9:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @184 Whoa, I didn't even know that was a possibility. I figured they just kept him under contract as a "ceremonial friendly face to meet with our sponsors." I had no idea Alonso was thinking of leaving. 186. ChasingThe24 posted: 03.27.2017 - 10:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @183 They are on the official point standing reports released after the race. But, here they are for you: 1. Martin Truex Jr. (8) 2. Kyle Larson (6) 3. Brad Keselowski (5) 4. Ryan Newman (5) 5. Kurt Busch (5) 6. Kevin Harvick (3) 7. Chase Elliott (1) 8. Joey Logano (1) 9. Kyle Busch (1) 187. JeffGordon&ChaseElliott24Fan2016 posted: 03.27.2017 - 10:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) On the NASCAR subreddit, there's a guy who posts the full points standings after each race, and he does include the playoff points. Here's the reddit post. https://www.reddit.com/r/NASCAR/comments/61oitq/2017_nascar_cup_series_scorecard_after_fontana/ 188. webmaster posted: 03.27.2017 - 10:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Playoff points are now shown on the standings pages for the series where they are applicable: http://www.racing-reference.info/yeardet/2017/W 189. Clint posted: 03.27.2017 - 10:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ok awesome thanks to all who replied. Itll be interesting to see how that affects the points throughout the season 190. Canadianfan posted: 03.27.2017 - 10:56 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @185 Yup it is true Alonso has one foot out the door already. Webber approached him last year to replace him at Porsche WEC for 2017. But McLaren-Honda assured Alonso that the new car with the new regulations they would be competing for podiums and even the occasional win. Unfortunately the McHonda is at best a 10th place car so far if it doesn't break down. Also Porsche has set their lineup the best Alonso could hope for is the 3rd car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I see Alonso sticking it out until Monaco if the car has not significantly improved by then he is gone and Button is in. 191. David posted: 03.27.2017 - 12:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thanks webmaster! Another great addition to this website! 192. Mannoroth posted: 03.27.2017 - 1:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 3 2nd place finishes and one win in 4 consecutive races for Kyle Larson. If somebody at Chip Ganassi Racing will be as good as Sterling Marlin in 2001, when he won twice and finished 3rd in points, it'll be Kyle. And I bet Ganassi wasn't that strong till now. 193. BMan0213 posted: 03.27.2017 - 1:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @182 I agree but the problem is who's he gonna get. I don't think Kurt Clint or Kevin are going anywhere soon which means anyone who takes the 10 if they get rid of Danica would just be a stop gap for Cole Custer, an I really don't think any big name driver is gonna want to take a ride that they'll be out of in a year or two. IMO if they do move on from Danica it probably wouldn't be till the end of next season and then they'll probably just have Cole replace her for 2019. 194. Damon posted: 03.27.2017 - 1:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 193, Carl Edwards 195. BMan0213 posted: 03.27.2017 - 2:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't think so. If he does come back then it would seem like JGR did in fact and force him out and he wasn't really tired of the grind like he said he was. Personally I just can't see him coming back for a one or two year deal which is what it would probably be if SHR wants to move up Custer. However, if SHR were to loan Custer out to another team like RFR has done with Buescher and Penske has done with Blaney it could open up the 10 long term which could make Carl very much in play. 196. Tide1732 posted: 03.27.2017 - 3:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Next Future Ganassi Team in Cup Series. #1 Brennan Poole #42 Kyle Larson 197. Seibaru posted: 03.27.2017 - 3:18 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @197 I think there's a higher chance of Manor Racing finding funding at the last minute, re-hiring every single employee, returing to F1 with Milka Duno in one car and an infant in the other, and winning both the driver's championship and constructor's championship than that prediction ever coming true. 198. Not Sure posted: 03.27.2017 - 3:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Stage racing and the Monster Energy girls haven't reversed NASCAR ratings slide. Only Daytona thus far has had higher ratings than 2016 (though it was down from 2015). The last 3 races in particular have seen large decreases: Vegas from 4.36 (7.3 million) in '16 to 3.58 (6 million) in '17 (record low for Vegas), Phoenix from 3.6 in '16 to 3.0 in '17 (record low for Spring Phoenix race), and Auto Club from 3.5 in '16 to 2.9 in '17. (It's harder to find these numbers since Jayski decided to essentially nuke the usefulness of his website. Unless it is hidden somewhere, he has no ratings table for 2017.) I wonder what ridiculous changes Brian is cooking up now. I've said it in a few of the race threads this season but I'll say it again: NASCAR is going to adopt their version of a two-minute warning next season. The stages make no difference on the quality of the racing (outside of the RP tracks which had nowhere to go but up) if there isn't a caution relatively shortly before the stage ends. Take your pick: 10, 15, or 20 lap warning before the end of each stage. If you think the drivers would oppose it, think again. Quite a few drivers in the past have openly said there are entertainment cautions and they are for them - except when it costs them a race, then they complain (no men of principle there). If adopted will this stop the ratings slide? Nope. But it's yet another change they'll trot out to further "the racing is better than ever" and "make the drivers race harder" BS - complete with the apologists saying "but the stick-and-ball sports do it" in lock-step - and avoid fixing the real problems with NASCAR. Here's a fun short clip from 2001 or 2002 of DW supporting entertainment cautions: https://youtu.be/nONnjonc0Xw?t=32s 199. Tide1732 posted: 03.27.2017 - 3:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Yates Motorsports (Doug Yates) after Roush closing Future Cup squad #28 Jared Ivran, in next years isso Harrison Burton. #29 Greg Biffle, in final years, after, is Trevor Bayne. 200. TeamDCR fan posted: 03.27.2017 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Corey Lajoie is starting to make me think he doesn't belong in the cup series based on the fact that he's been involved in some sort of incident in every race this year. And there's an article on Jayski that says 43% of cautions involved BK cars. 201. rwr posted: 03.27.2017 - 4:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Entry list for Martinsville: 38 cars #55 not (yet?) entered 202. TeamDCR fan posted: 03.27.2017 - 4:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not sure about the 55 and Cope for this race 203. TeamDCR fan posted: 03.27.2017 - 4:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) *That, not this 204. Eric posted: 03.27.2017 - 5:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The ratings decline isn't a shock. I tried watching the series with the segments, but I found NASCAR better the way it was. I am not watch you call a causal race fan either since I starting watching NASCAR in 1993 as a teenager beginning with the 1993 Daytona 500. I started watching Indycar back in the 1980's. What NASCAR is going is chasing away its long time fans as a way try to get new and younger fans. What they are doing isn't working. They are focussing on the wrong things for improving NASCAR although getting new fans is important. 205. Damon posted: 03.27.2017 - 5:34 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) 198, Go here for your NASCAR ratings info http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2017/03/nascar-ratings-down-fontana-overnights-fox/ 206. Tide1732 posted: 03.27.2017 - 5:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In future we have a 27-30 car field in Cup Series. Brian France needs upgrade. 207. Incognito posted: 03.27.2017 - 5:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Corey Lajoie is starting to make me think he doesn't belong in the cup series based on the fact that he's been involved in some sort of incident in every race this year. And there's an article on Jayski that says 43% of cautions involved BK cars." That's been pretty constant throughout BK Racing's existence in this sport though. Their equipment is trash. 208. MONSTER ENERGY posted: 03.27.2017 - 5:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What happened to the lap-by-lap driver chart??? 209. Danica10Racer posted: 03.27.2017 - 5:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Everyone is also missing the point that there are only 2 star drivers in the current incarnation of NASCAR. In previous years there were at least a handful but now we are only down to 2 and both could be gone by the end of the season under specific circumstances. 210. webmaster posted: 03.27.2017 - 5:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @208: As of 2017 NASCAR no longer publishes that data. 211. Anthony posted: 03.27.2017 - 6:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) only 38 cars for Martinsville 212. Damon posted: 03.27.2017 - 7:08 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Jenna Fryer sums up Nascar's problem: "How about this? NASCAR, no matter how many story lines or rule changes or celebrities lining the grid, is an underwhelming overall product." http://racing.ap.org/article/column-nascar-fast-start-ratings-still-sink 213. Niles Y93 posted: 03.27.2017 - 7:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @209 Jimmie Johnson and Junior? Well, let's not forget Kyle Busch. And maybe his brother. Brad has a pretty good fan following. I know Logano has a pretty decent fan base. But in all seriousness, you're saying Jimmie's gonna pull a Nico Rosberg? 214. David posted: 03.27.2017 - 8:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^Pssst...he means Danica and Junior, in that order. 215. chevyfan98 posted: 03.27.2017 - 8:40 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I can assure you that Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott, to name a few, will still be around next year. 216. skippyjif posted: 03.27.2017 - 8:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) One of those can get seriously injured and end their careers. So no, you can't assure anyone that they'll be around. We don't know what the future holds. 217. cjs3872 posted: 03.27.2017 - 8:51 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) And that might actually be a good thing, @211, because fewer cars means more room for the cars that do get to run the race. Having 43 cars run at Martinsville and Bristol, as was the case until recent years, never did make any sense, and 40 might have even been pushing the envelope at those two short tracks. One reason races at Martinsville had been plague by caution-filled races in recent years has to do with there simply being too many cars on the track for the size of the track they were racing at. Fewer cautions also means a better flow to the race, although it must be noted that the relative dearth of action on the track in the first 60% of the races this season has to be alarming. The race at Auto Club Speedway marked the second time this season, if you discount the incident at the very start of the race, that little to nothing has taken place in the first 60% of the event, as that also happened at Atlanta earlier this season. I wonder if the stage racing has had the opposite of the desired effect, because from what I've seen, there has been less racing in the first half of the races than was the case last year, and a lot of that goes to pit strategy that would not have taken place last year. On another note, when are the sanctioning bodies finally going to realize that angled walls are DANGEROUS, because there was another example of that this weekend with Matt Kenseth's crash. Indy had this problem in the 60s and 70s with the crashes that took the lives of Dave McDonald and Eddie Sachs in 1964 and the terrible crash that would take the life of Swede Savage in 1973. Daytona had this problem with several crashes between 1978 and 1984 that involved, among others, Richard Petty, David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison, Harry Gant, Ricky Rudd, and Randy LaJoie. Then there was Jeff Fuller's horrifying wreck at Kentucky in that track's early years, Jeff Gordon's terrible crash at Las Vegas in 2008, and this crash with Kenseth at Auto Club Speedway, among others. (By the way, Kenseth crashed at almost the same exact place where Greg Moore flipped into that same wall in 1999, losing his life.) Why tracks still have angled walls is beyond me, given the focus on safety in racing today. 218. WarriorMan48 posted: 03.27.2017 - 8:52 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) In my opinion, there are at least 11 drivers that casual fans would know: Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Danica Patrick, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Daniel Suarez (international appeal), Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. And you could make an argument for Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth and Trevor Bayne (the 500 win was a huge upset, and gets mentioned a fair amount). 219. WarriorMan48 posted: 03.27.2017 - 8:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And I think Larson is getting there quickly. 220. mowman posted: 03.27.2017 - 8:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Funny how the announcers said at the beginning of the race that the infield was packed and so were the stands. Didn't look that way to me when the camera panned over the stands while the race was going on. Getting to be less and less every race. 221. JSPorts posted: 03.27.2017 - 9:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yes, especially after I saw some clips from old races there. Many more fans there in previous races. 222. Mile501 posted: 03.28.2017 - 9:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) #212 - "Jenna Fryer sums up Nascar's problem: "How about this? NASCAR, no matter how many story lines or rule changes or celebrities lining the grid, is an underwhelming overall product."" Ouch. I wonder how NASCAR feels about that statement. 223. George posted: 03.28.2017 - 9:56 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Q: "I wonder how NASCAR feels about that statement." A: "We need even MORE gimmicks, er, I mean 'rule changes'!!!" What else can they do? NASCAR is perceived as a sponsor/media-controlled sport with heavily-managed "competition" (as opposed to real competition) and a bunch of boring, personality-free corporate robots driving around in circles. Absolutely nothing that NASCAR has done to attract new fans has worked, but they have succeeded in permanently alienating long-time fans with all the gimmicks; constantly declining TV ratings and shrinking attendance don't lie. The lower two of the top three series are dying a slow death that, if anything, will only accelerate to a faster death, and once a certain Cup driver decides to hang it up a certain "Nation" is going to hang it up along with him and if you think ratings and attendance are bad NOW.... 224. Damon posted: 03.28.2017 - 9:56 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 222, I'm sure they don't love it, but what can they really say to dispute it? 225. Archie posted: 03.28.2017 - 10:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Maybe NASCAR needs to try to figure out how the sport grew so massively in the 1990s and early 2000s and get back to doing whatever it was which caused that success. It couldn't have been 100% personality driven -- people didn't simply turn out to worship or despise Dale Earnhardt and adore or loathe Jeff Gordon -- there had to be something interesting going on during the races. Conversely, they can try to figure out how what happened to get the decline phase (which we've been enduring for at least 10 and possibly closer to 15 years now) underway and *stop* doing whatever it is that's caused that to happen. For example stop flailing around like a drowning man and work on determining how to make the racing interesting again to the majority of fans. Some decline was inevitable because nothing grows forever, but once things started rolling downhill and picking up speed that was the time to figure it out instead of panicking, e.g. "A really boring driver won the championship too easily in 2003 so we need to blow up the way we've always counted the points! And then keep changing it every year since we've never gotten it right since then!" 226. Scott B posted: 03.28.2017 - 10:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 211 "only 38 cars for Martinsville" A bit unexpected, since 39 made the Western swing with a lot more travel from their home base. Only explanation I can come up with is Premium is looking at the high risk of damaging a car if they run the #55 at a short track. 227. KW posted: 03.28.2017 - 11:06 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm afraid the 90's were more about Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon than you think. 228. cjs3872 posted: 03.28.2017 - 12:15 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) And Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, and the sport's other top personalities, even those that weren't winning races, @227. We must also remember that in the 90s, most of the people responsible for building the sport to what it became were still very much involved. After all, not only was Richard Petty a car owner, but so were some of his chief rivals, such as Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison. (David Pearson also tried his hand at being a car owner, but found it wasn't to his liking.) And old-time owners that also helped build the sport, such as Junior Johnson and Bud Moore, were also still involved as car owners. It also seemed that it was a more diverse sport back then, if only because of the number of teams that were capable of competing. Now, it's basically only five or six superteams that are doing the winning, but during most of the 90s, while there may not have been as many cars capable of winning on such a frequent basis, there were more organizations capable of competing for wins, including several owner-drivers. In fact, 12 different TEAMS won races in 1992, and one that didn't, the Wood Brothers, were very competitive in the first half of the decade, winning races in 1991 and '93. Not only that, but for most of the decade, the action on the track was better because the cars could actually stay closer together on the track, which made for better racing. Not only that, but the tracks they raced on back then was, itself, more diverse than what you have now. 229. JSPorts posted: 03.28.2017 - 1:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You hit the nail on the head. I really don't think the problem is lack of personalities, I think it's lack of competition. You have about 6 teams that can win a race every week, and save for an upset like Ryan Newman, those 6 teams will dominate and win every race. And, though those 6 teams have 18 cars between them, only about 10 of those cars are in contention on a consistent basis and have speed - the 24, 42, 2, 22, 4, 14, 11, 18, 20 & 78. At least through the first part of 2017. Though that changes, the number has been around 10-16 for a while now. 230. Clint posted: 03.28.2017 - 1:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 225 Id say the biggest contributor to the decline has been the car of tomorrow. Ever since that car was introduced they have struggled to put a car that can race side by side and put on a good show. 2008 and 2009 were the 2 years where watching racing was comparable to watching paint dry, it was terrible. That forced nascar to reach into their bag of gimmicks with double file restarts and debris cautions that drug it down ever farther. Double file restarts may be "exciting" but it turns a race between the best cars and turns it into who has the best lane. There is no easy fix for nascar they need to put a good racing product on the track and hope fans come back. Nascar is no different than any other business it comes down to your product. 231. TeamDCR fan posted: 03.28.2017 - 1:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) As far as the 55, Cope is driving when they have enough money. Not having major funding the entire west coast swing probably put a strain on the 55 team. Unless they get funding, 55 probably won't show up 232. 52 posted: 03.28.2017 - 1:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great post CJS. 233. Suburban Shaman posted: 03.28.2017 - 3:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hey @172 I know you are the same guy that's been posting the races on youtube recently (thanks btw!) but are you the same guy as Smiff_99 and Smiff_2? 234. Jason posted: 03.28.2017 - 3:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Since there are 38 cars I doubt we'll even see 40 cars until Talladega due to the 96 or 7 running part time this year but I would like to see somebody from the xfinity garage or maybe trucks to come to Cup but it probably won't happen 235. 18fan posted: 03.28.2017 - 3:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) While the ratings were not what they were at their peak, they had stabilized in 2012-13, but then the elimination chase was created and the ratings began the significant decline that they are still in. 236. Damon posted: 03.28.2017 - 3:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "While the ratings were not what they were at their peak, they had stabilized in 2012-13, but then the elimination chase was created and the ratings began the significant decline that they are still in." Correct, also losing ESPN/TNT after 2014 for FS1/NBCSN doesn't help either. 237. Scott B posted: 03.28.2017 - 4:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) TeamDCR fan (#231), I'd be curious to know what the payouts are for the field-filler finishing positions, but NASCAR doesn't make those public anymore. We haven't been seeing a lot of obvious start and parks this season, so I'm assuming that has been addressed by taking away the financial incentive. Making an honest effort to run the full race length and just having a lousy car should fall into a different category, though. 238. Not Sure posted: 03.28.2017 - 7:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @230 - http://i.imgur.com/NKy6WS6.png 2002 was the first season (since at least 1990) with over 1 debris caution per race. By 2005 it had gone up to nearly 2.5 per race, the all-time high (at least through 2013). It has gone below 1.5 per race only one time (2010) since then (I doubt this has changed in the three unchecked years, but if it has I'm sure it's still higher than 2002 and 2003). In this article (http://www.thescore.com/nascar/news/463780) about how NASCAR shut down the guy making these charts which told some uncomfortable truths, there is a graph comparing the ratings for the Daytona 500 and the final 10 races. The so-called 'boring' finish to the 2003 season had a 4.2 rating for the final 10 races. I doubt the Chase had anything to do with it (Stewart ran away with things in 2005 Chase or no Chase), but the ratings were higher in 2004 and 2005 and roughly the same for 2006. 2007 was the first Chase season to have lower ratings for the end of its season than the 'boring' 2003, and the ratings have fallen ever since. It doesn't list them, but I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere in 2014-2016 is a rating half that of 2003. 239. Not Sure posted: 03.29.2017 - 2:07 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Here's the 2014-2017 debris caution stats added to that image. Debris cautions per race 2000: 0.5 2001: 0.75 2002: 1.1 2003: 1.2 2004: 1.6 2005: 2.5 2006: 2.3 2007: 2.0 2008: 2.2 2009: 1.9 2010: 1.4 2011: 1.6 2012: 1.5 2013: 1.9 2014: 2.3 (82 total) 2015: 2.0 (72 total) 2016: 1.4 (51 total) 2017 thus far: 0.2 (1 total) That's right, Jacques has only made one appearance this year (63 laps into the final stage at Atlanta). 240. Anthony posted: 03.29.2017 - 3:58 am Rate this comment: (2) (1) Wait till the Chase starts 241. JSPorts posted: 03.30.2017 - 12:21 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Team rankings (average finish) for full-time teams through 5 races: 1st: Chip Ganassi Racing: 8.6 (1 win) 2nd: Team Penske: 9.2 (1 win) 3rd: Wood Brothers Racing: 11.8 4th: Furniture Row Racing: 12.5 (1 win) 5th: Hendrick Motorsports: 15.7 6th: Richard Petty Motorsports: 16.2 7th: Roush Fenway Racing: 18.0 8th: Joe Gibbs Racing: 18.6 9th: Stewart-Haas Racing: 18.9 (1 win) 10th: Richard Childress Racing: 19.5 (1 win) 11th: Germain Racing: 20.0 12th: JTG Daugherty Racing: 23.0 13th: Leavine Family Racing: 23.8 14th: Go Fas Racing: 24.2 15th: Front Row Motorsports: 26.3 16th: TriStar Motorsports: 26.4 17th: Premium Motorsports: 30.7 18th: BK Racing: 33.2 19th: Circle Sport/The Motorsports Group: 33.8 20th: Rick Ware Racing: 35.8 242. Rich posted: 12.15.2020 - 7:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Gordon were the commentators. Matt Yocum, Vince Welch and Jamie Little were the pit road reporters. Larry McReynolds was the in-race analyst. Chris Myers and Michael Waltrip were in the Hollywood hotel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: