Author: Missed Gear

The “Roar” has run at Daytona. The “Roar before the 24” sessions of testing and practice have run the laps and the countdown is on to the end of the month for the “ROLEX 24”.  Mark your calendars for the weekend of the 28th-29th and make sure you know where SPEED is on your TV system. (You should know that, anyway…)

This is a full 24 hours of racing! Multiple drivers for each car with two classes of cars running at the same time. The big and low Daytona Prototypes and the more “street common” GT class. (more…)

The Mayans say this year, 2012, is the last year. Or that there will be some kind of great shift in civilization. Or the world will flip like a tossed omelet.
It all sounds very exciting. However, if you are a racing fan, you might have to ask yourself what it all means. We are just a few days into the new year and 2011 is still fresh in our minds. There is so much for the fans to reflect on, pour over and chew on, before the first checkered flag flies this year. We also need to prepare and pack as much as possible into every race in 2012 in case the Mayans are right. (more…)

Realistically…  None of it matters. Yes, close quarter 2×2 racing took its toll and some of the most experienced and fastest drivers were sent to the cap and out of contention. Yes, a record number of cautions and restarts kept the deck shuffled.

This is Daytona! The new surface and the racing style set in motion for the Daytona 500 created a touch and go and hook and push race that created the final scenario of a Wood Brothers Motorcraft #21 Ford victory.

Rookie Trevor Bayne, in his second Sprint Cup start and his first run at Daytona, hooked with some of the best drivers throughout the day, watched as many fell by the wayside in damaged cars, and managed to keep the historic #21 mostly clean and clear to the green-white-checker.

Was this sheer beginner’s luck? No… Not here. Not at Daytona. The 20 year old (birthday the day before the 500) kept his nose and the car clean, backing out of tight spots and driving safe. Beginner’s luck…? Driving nose to tail approaching 200mph for most of 200 laps…? No… Not here. This racing style set up by a new, smooth surface was a new deal for most of the drivers. Drafting isn’t new by any means but requiring it to run at speed lap after lap set tension and fatigue at high levels while magnifying the slightest mistake.

Keeping out of the mess took some driving. Trevor Bayne earned this win. The Wood Brothers needed this win. A team that has been running a short season for the past couple of years and has had to endure hushed whispers in the garage has won the 2011 Daytona 500.

Now we have something new to cheer for in NASCAR. “Go Dale Jr.” has a nice ring to it. Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick….  Johnson…  Gordon…  Whatever hat you have on your head to show your allegiance on race day doesn’t matter when a 20 year old rookie puts some shine back onto an iconic name of NASCAR racing.

The Wood Brothers have Daytona this season and that is something every fan should be able to cheer for.

The Budweiser Shootout is on at Daytona. The speed sprint to showcase the new NASCAR season before the points count at the Daytona 500 is on with some new cars (notebaly to the front re-design), some new colors (the 2011 schemes are sharp) and some sponsor change-ups.

Possibly most noteable is the move of Budweiser from Kasey Kahne to the 29 of Kevin Harvick. Harvick is a good fit for Bud. He is respected among the drivers and generally well-liked in the grandstands.

Perhaps Bud should go to a “Harvick Special” with 29 can cases…

Jeff Gordon is no longer carrying the DuPont colors but will have AARP and the “Drive to End Hunger” on the 24 Chevy for a bulk of the 2011 races.

Kurt Busch is out of the #2 Miller Lite car and into the #22 Shell/Pennzoil but will continue with Penske Racing. Brad Keselowski will be taking the seat of the #2 Miller Lite car.

Kasey Kahne is running with Red Bull Racing, for this season anyway, before making another move in 2012 to Hendrick where he is slated to take the #5. Look for Kahne in the #4 with Red Bull this year.

However, don’t look for these changes at nascar.com. It may be fixed before the Daytona 500 but as of this writing, NASCAR has not corrected the drivers or team colors on their website. Odd, as many of these changes were announced as early as May of 2010!

As for the Bud Shootout – there are currently 20 laps to go. 14 cars remain.  Junior is out. Kyle Busch is out. Mark Martin is out. Two car hookups are the rule for the night.

The first 25 lap segment was uneventful as drivers hooked up and tested the cars and the track at speeds over 200 mph. The second 50 lap segment brought out tangles and touches and the yellow to put several in the garage. The remaining 14 are currently pushing it 2×2 around Daytona to chase the top spot.  Jimmie Johnson started in the back  and has pushed or pulled to the front of the pack. Will the #48 roll out? Will Harvick take the new Bud #29 over the line for three in a row?

Too many questions – I’m going to watch!

The folks at Daytona International Speedway spent a fortune to lay a new surface on the historic high bank raceway and January saw the first real test of the speed available during the Grand-Am Rolex 24. The Daytona Prototypes and GT series put on a fantastic show with Chip Ganassi Racing taking the top 2 spots for the Daytona Prototypes. The top 7 spots separated by 60 seconds after 24 hours of racing. That shows not only the durability of the cars and the tenacity of the drivers but also shows the quality of the new surface at Daytona.

The next big test is the Budweiser Shootout to show how the stock cars of NASCAR take to the surface. It looks promising!

There are some body modifications with a new nose on the cars.  The wing was replaced during last season for a more traditional spoiler in the rear.  The new surface should show the advantages of these modifications with more speed and more control at those speeds.

Let’s go racing. 2011 offers changes in the cars, some changes in drivers and teams, some new sponsors and colors and some new examples of speed.  This new season has put the fire into all the teams to go out and run hard. Every race matters with the new 43 point system so every start should be taken with a go out and run hard attutude. This can only mean a better show for the fans.  Since it ultimately comes back to the fan base anyway, it will be a win-win for the checkered flag and the grandstand. 

Start your engines and green-green go-go-go!

The opinions and thoughts on Facebook and other sites concerning the American debut of the USA version of the popular British automotive show “TOP GEAR” were rather harsh but reflected the enthusiasm car folk often display when it comes to their cars.

“I’ll watch it – Give it a chance…” to “No way – Can’t touch the original…”

So… How was it? I watched it. Despite my love of the British original I sat down at the TV and flicked on the History Channel at 10:00PM Sunday night and tried to pry open the mind to what I suspected would be a distilled version of the original. I was, as much as the pre-show opinions reflected, as much entertained as disappointed. (more…)