NASCAR 2012

[Miles]

What a freakin' start (err finish?)!

[Lavabe]

Still in a delay, but it looks like the track is repaired. Problem is, it's starting to drizzle.

[throatybeard]

NASCAR's gotta do something about this. By this I mean not rain, which they can't do anything about (although would it kill them to build rooves that are open over the infield but cover the track at the most important venues?). I mean restrictor-plate Armageddon crashes. Contrary to stereotype, racing fans do not enjoy the wrecks more than the racing. Crashes lead to sitting around looking at safety vehicles diddling around for hours at a time. I'm a casual fan, so I may not know what I'm talking about, but it seems like every time I tune in for one of the races at Daytona or Talladega, half the telecast is crash delays. It's terribly boring and it's boring to have a bunch of the field taken out early in race. Or at any point really.

Imagine if every football game you ever saw has a 90-minute delay to scrape two linebackers and a running back up off the field.

I don't know what the technical solution is.

[Lavabe]

NASCAR's gotta do something about this. By this I mean not rain, which they can't do anything about (although would it kill them to build rooves that are open over the infield but cover the track at the most important venues?). I mean restrictor-plate Armageddon crashes. Contrary to stereotype, racing fans do not enjoy the wrecks more than the racing. Crashes lead to sitting around looking at safety vehicles diddling around for hours at a time. I'm a casual fan, so I may not know what I'm talking about, but it seems like every time I tune in for one of the races at Daytona or Talladega, half the telecast is crash delays. It's terribly boring and it's boring to have a bunch of the field taken out early in race. Or at any point really.

Imagine if every football game you ever saw has a 90-minute delay to scrape two linebackers and a running back up off the field.

I don't know what the technical solution is.

It may be boring, but it's kept me awake enough to be at the point where I'm almost done grading midterms.

And they are now under caution. Red flag has been lifted.

A number of drivers who crashed earlier are back on. Nemecheck has been racing, and Kurt Busch has been racing a little too. Almost ready for more racing.

[Lavabe]

Still pacing, but initial communication from Junior is that the repaired surface is NOT raceable.

Blaney and the other top four will stay out as long as they can, in hopes of having the race called.

[Lavabe]

36 laps to go; still under yellow.
Casey Mears car has run out of juice. Fuel pressure issues.

The front four have yet to pit, so they are coming in.
Kenseth goes to the lead.
Blech and Edwards come in and top off, with tires. Both are starting at the rear of the lead lap.

[throatybeard]

Still pacing, but initial communication from Junior is that the repaired surface is NOT raceable.

Blaney and the other top four will stay out as long as they can, in hopes of having the race called.

Now it's raceable and they're racing, but the announcers are talking like it won't be for the full 40 laps. What a cluster.

In other news, I miss Bill Elliott.

Ah good, now that they're actually racing, Fox went to commerical.

[Lavabe]

Racing again.
30 laps to go.
Kenseth and Biff are at the front. Jr and Harvick behind him.
Watch out for Hamlin. He's been good all night. He just had to slow a little because Logano nearly sideswiped him, but Hamlin has power, and Truex will push him (repayment for Hamlin's push for Truex to take the midway point cash).

[Lavabe]

23 laps to go: CAUTION
Ambrose sliding with Mears, but all are safe. No more than those two slid. Looks like Almirola was affected by Stenhouse, causing the problem with Mears and Ambrose. Ambrose has a little damage, but will continue.

[throatybeard]

Racing again.
30 laps to go.
Kenseth and Biff are at the front. Jr and Harvick behind him.
Watch out for Hamlin. He's been good all night. He just had to slow a little because Logano nearly sideswiped him, but Hamlin has power, and Truex will push him (repayment for Hamlin's push for Truex to take the midway point cash).

Shake-n-bake?

[Lavabe]

14 to go... alliances are forming...
NASCAR wanted to get rid of tandem racing. Ycch!

[Lavabe]

13 to go: CAUTION
Multicar wreck in mid-pack, around 15th through 27th.
Almirola, JamieMac, Kes, KK got the worst of it.
Stewart missed it by inches, but got some damage. Blaney missed it.
Edwards has some damage, but he's still going on.

[throatybeard]

NASCAR's gotta do something about this. By this I mean not rain, which they can't do anything about (although would it kill them to build rooves that are open over the infield but cover the track at the most important venues?). I mean restrictor-plate Armageddon crashes. Contrary to stereotype, racing fans do not enjoy the wrecks more than the racing. Crashes lead to sitting around looking at safety vehicles diddling around for hours at a time. I'm a casual fan, so I may not know what I'm talking about, but it seems like every time I tune in for one of the races at Daytona or Talladega, half the telecast is crash delays. It's terribly boring and it's boring to have a bunch of the field taken out early in race. Or at any point really.

Imagine if every football game you ever saw had a 90-minute delay to scrape two linebackers and a running back up off the field.

I don't know what the technical solution is.

Given events of the last five minutes, allow myself to quote...myself.

[Lavabe]

Regan Smith got through it... somehow.
Ambrose is getting some work done.

9 laps to go. Still under caution.
BOWYER has made it back onto the lead lap.
Newman is up near the top ten.
Stenhouse is in good position too.
Reutimann in 14th.
Smoke in 15th.
Gilliland 16th.

[Lavabe]

7 to go... RACING again.

Hopefully no BIG ONE will take place.

Fog is slowly coming in. OY.

[Lavabe]

4 to go: Caution
Blech and Smoke and 4 more cars: Reutimann got hit.
Smoke needs tires, but saved it.
Stenhouse turned around.
Newman also slid.
Blech slid, but survived.
Started when Gilliland tapped Stenhouse.
Stenhouse tapped Smoke.

When they restart, it will be green, white, checker.

[throatybeard]

Hottica is still actually in the race.

She should have stayed in the sport where racing actually occurs.

[Lavabe]

And of all the weird luck, EDWARDS is now 12th.

BASICALLY, it's Kenseth vs. Biff, with Hamlin & Jr pushing.

[throatybeard]

Kenseth just won that mess like a 1.07-legged man in an ass-kicking contest where most guys have no legs.

[Lavabe]

Kenseth WINS!!!!!
Order of finish:
Kenseth, Jr, Biff (BIGTIME TEAMMATE), Hamlin, Burton, Menard, Harvick, Edwards, Logano, MM
Bowyer, Truex, Ambrose, BLabonte,Blaney, Smoke, Blech, TLabonte,Raines, Stenhouse
Newman, Cassil, Gilliland, Smith, Mears, Reutimann, Sadler, Nemechek, KK, McDowell
JamieMac, Kes, Almirola, Dinger, Bayne, JPM, Stremme, Patrick, KuBusch, JG
RGordon, JJ, Ragan