2023 NASCAR Season

[Westheim]

It's heeeeeere! The Daytona 500!

ESPN earlier asked in a Youtube community post who'd win. Blaney, Hamlin, or somebody else. I replied with "probably some door knob I loathe".

We'll see.

[Westheim]

Also, Tony Stewart will always look wrong in a suit.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Also, Tony Stewart will always look wrong in a suit.

It's looks like they tried to clean up and put a suit on a troll - the old school kind that lived under a bridge... And, to be clear, he never looked all that good in a race uni...

[Westheim]

First, I love Tony. But he just has such a blue collar face.

Also, I'll just get my displeasure in that somebody let Jimmie Johnson into a car again. I was so glad that 7-time goon was gone.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Westheim

First, I love Tony. But he just has such a blue collar face.

Also, I'll just get my displeasure in that somebody let Jimmie Johnson into a car again. I was so glad that 7-time goon was gone.

Hah! I was somewhat of a J Johnson fan, thought he was a class act. And thought the complete opposite of Tony. He was the ultimate hothead, the very definition of goon, classless jerk, looking for someone to spin out, quickest to dish it out but also quickest to take offense when what comes around goes around (much like that ol' #3 was...).

I'd say we see things a bit differently on this subject

[Déjà Bru]

I am glad to see this thread, Westheim; independent rather than a sub-genre of a "random thoughts" ragbag. Now you can love your sport without fear of your commentary being "nucleized" by bad posting habits.

[Westheim]

When Erik Jones' car careened around and slapped ******* Elliott out of the race, I cackled with glee.

That tells you all you need to know about me.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Westheim

ESPN earlier asked in a Youtube community post who'd win. Blaney, Hamlin, or somebody else. I replied with "probably some door knob I loathe".

Well, there's surely worse door knobs than Ricky Stenhouse jr.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Westheim

When Erik Jones' car careened around and slapped ******* Elliott out of the race, I cackled with glee.

That tells you all you need to know about me.

I tepidly root for Elliot because I like the Hendrick team & folks. But I don't really get why he's consistently voted NASCAR's most-popular driver. I mean, he's kind of a pouty **** so when he does well, I'm conflicted. And when doesn't do well, I'm conflicted. The previous two winners of the award, the very unlike-his-dad Dale Jr, and genuine nice guy Bill Elliott (Chase's dad, which I suppose might have something to do with it) were cool dudes.

My two faves are two Hendrick guys - Larsen and Byron. I also root for Bowman (the other Hendrick guy), Blaney, and Suarez. And the guys I most-intensely root against are the aggressive jerks with varying degrees of obnoxious personalities. In no particular order: Harvick, Hamlin, and Kyle Busch. Anytime those guys crash out, I cheer. Also not a big fan of Logano, Keselowski, Chastain (Grade A knucklehead), and Bubba W.

Originally Posted by Westheim

Well, there's surely worse door knobs than Ricky Stenhouse jr.

Cool to see that. And a single-car team win's the biggest race. Nice!

[Westheim]

Fun Fact: all three of Stenhouse's career Cup wins have come at Daytona or 'Dega.

I never like the guy that everybody likes. Always been this way. If none of you is gonna hate on Elliott, it might as well be me!

I also didn't like Dale jr. during his Cup career, for pretty much the same reason. He's grown much more on me with his broadcasting and podcasting since his retirement.

I do root for Byron, although he has an absolute knack for being squat in the middle of the big bru-ha-ha at these plate races, yesterday being no exception.

William Byron avg. + best finish by race:
Talladega - 18.3 - 2nd
Daytona (400 mi.) - 21.2 - W
Daytona 500 - 30.3 - 21st

[Westheim]

With Kevin Harvick making his 750th consecutive Cup start today (the notoriously flimsy SoCal weather permitting), here's a nice trip down memory lane of the top 25 in consecutive Cup starts all time. Guaranteed to invoke at least four or five "I miss that guy"'s from you.

[Westheim]

19 consecutive seasons with a Cup Series victory for Kyle Busch!

That'll teach the King!

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Westheim

19 consecutive seasons with a Cup Series victory for Kyle Busch!

That'll teach the King!

Ugh! The most-childish guy in the field. Can't argue with his success, though. The Childress/Busch pairing could be very formidable.

[Westheim]

Chase Elliott ruled out of Las Vegas Cup race

Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott will miss this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway following an injury to his left leg while snowboarding in Colorado on Friday. He is scheduled to undergo surgery Friday evening.

NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Josh Berry, who drives for Hendrick affiliate JR Motorsports, will replace Elliott in the No. 9 Chevrolet this weekend.

The "undergo surgery" part makes me think that it might be more than a week.

Not that he'd have trouble making the playoffs if he was out for a month or whatever. As much as I can't stand him, he's just got too much talent.

[Westheim]

Chastain once again drives through another car, wrecks a quarter of the field, but when Denny Hamlin says he parked him intentionally, he's fined $25k

Or as Tony Stewart put it: "Well, the #1 car tends to do that sometimes..."

[Westheim]

I'm having a bad day at the races.

Originally Posted by Westheim

Chastain once again drives through another car, wrecks a quarter of the field, but when Denny Hamlin says he parked him intentionally, he's fined $25k

Or as Tony Stewart put it: "Well, the #1 car tends to do that sometimes..."

(sees the replay from the crash several times, with Harvick losing it on his own, made aero loose by Chastain, who didn't actually touch him with the slimmest sliver of daylight between the cars)

I could eat my words now.

But I'll rather eat a glass.

(takes a bite out of a glass)

Mmmm. Shards in my mouth. (blood runs out of his mouth) It hurts...!

[Westheim]

Boys. Behave. That has to be the final restart. I am *way* past my bedtime!

How about this: if you don't behave on the restart, Guenther will stop playing nice in the booth.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Boys. Behave. That has to be the final restart. I am *way* past my bedtime!

I hate you.

Punks.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by thehef

Wait. Aren't you the guy that openly roots for the jerks in Nascar?

Originally Posted by Westheim

I have this reputation, just because Jeff Gordon beat the crap out of Jeff Burton *once* ...!

Hah!

I had either totally forgotten about that or - more-likely - was during a few years where I wasn't following Nascar much. At any rate, I had a good time familiarizing myself with it, via these:

A good recap of the whole thing & immediate aftermath as it happened: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqf3FIcJf4g ... Hilarious that moments after that shoving match, the two of them shared the same ambulance for the ride to the infield care center!

And this link it to an article that has embedded a years-later interview with Burton. Some somber & sincere feelings about it, and a funny story at the end: https://www.sportscasting.com/jeff-g...-nascar-fight/

(Was weird seeing Truex in the Napa car!)

[Westheim]

I like backmarker teams although sometimes they're just hard to like.

The Iredell County (N.C.) Sheriff’s Office listed [Cody] Ware in its jail records Monday, indicating he was held on a felony charge of “assault by strangulation — inflict serious injury” and a misdemeanor charge of “assault on female.” The sheriff’s records also indicated Ware’s bond was set at $3,000 after his arrest.

Cody Ware suspended indefinitely by NASCAR

Rick Ware must be so proud. Two sons, and both were arrested for assault and slammed with the ban hammer by NASCAR.