LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: START YOUR ENGINES

Welcome to the first installment of the Nascar 2013 season.

We have quite a few changes in the world of Nascar, beginning with the new Gen-Six car.



The Gen-Six car is to forge a closer match with street vehicles, giving fans better identification elements than in previous years, when all of the competing models were quite similar.

“If you’re into racing, you want to watch cool cars go around the track,” said crew chief Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief. “I think the simple fact is in ’13 we have cooler cars.”

Earnhardt Jr. said everything about the new car makes it “instantly recognizable. You don’t have to think about the driver and the team itself to associate with a manufacturer. You look at the car, and you can see it instantly. That is a great feeling for me. I can appreciate the cars for that fact.

“I think there is good potential for this. The car looks great; it looks like a race car to me. I can get excited about that. I can get behind that.”

There also are other design changes. The driver’s name will be placed at the top of the windshield, and one sponsor identification can be placed on the roof of the car. (That’s so San can find BB back in the pack this year.)


This Thursday – Saturday, Daytona will be busy with what is known as Preseason Thunder.


Daytona Preseason Thunder, the annual three-day NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test session at Daytona International Speedway in advance of the prestigious season-opening 55th annual Daytona 500, will be held on Jan. 10-12.

The test sessions mark the first time the new 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars, which highlight greater brand identity for the manufacturers, will turn laps on Daytona International Speedway’s 2.5-mile tri-oval.

The new-look cars will conduct test sessions between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day, weather permitting. Each session includes a lunch break from noon until 1 p.m.

“Daytona Preseason Thunder is an exciting time for both the teams and the fans as NASCAR begins the roll out of the new 2013 car,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. “NASCAR fans are looking forward to seeing the production modeled race cars on the track beginning with the sport’s most prestigious race of the year – the 55th annual Daytona 500.”

Race fans can also rev up their new year at the Daytona Preseason Thunder Fan Fest – the companion event to the January test sessions. Along with watching Daytona Preseason Thunder track activity from the Sprint FANZONE, fans can enjoy Fan Fest on Thursday, Jan. 10 from 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.


Finally we come to.....

NASCAR FANTASY 2013 PREVIEW


2013 FANTASY PREVIEW:

A revised points system will place more emphasis on winning each race, as will weekly cash prizes. Two bonus categories have been added to the game to incentivize players to return every week, which makes this one of the most interactive contests around.

In 2013, the NASCAR Fantasy Live game will have two segments, just like the Cup series. The regular season will consist of 26 races that are followed by a 10-race Chase. And just like the Cup series, points will be reset during the Chase with bonuses provided for winning weekly during the regular season.

The points system will continue to reward both strength and consistency. Points will be awarded for laps led, fastest laps run, spots gained or lost from the official qualification position, and a driver’s finishing result. In 2013, however, the game will score at least one additional strength-based category and points can be earned for the number of quality passes (a pass for position while racing inside the top 15).

Players will continue to field a team of five Cup drivers and will manage them against a fixed salary cap of $100. Drivers’ values will increase or decrease based on recent performances and players can change their lineup every week so long as they do not exceed the salary cap. As with last season, however, placing and holding drivers for too long comes with a risk because certain teams are much stronger on certain types of tracks.

NASCAR is a team sport, so points will continue to be awarded for teams that execute superior pit stops. Instead of awarding points to every team for their positions gained or lost on pit road as with the 2012 rules, this category will provide bonus points in 2013. Players will be required to pick a pit crew each week, and if they are among the five best in terms of positions gained on pit road, a 10-point bonus will be awarded. Another 10-point bonus can be earned by picking the winning manufacturer. Selections must be made every week—they will not carry over from the previous race—but the hidden good news in that rule is that players are required to analyze their roster regularly.

Once these points have been added up when the checkered flag waves, they will be converted into race points with the winner of the league receiving 47 points, the second-place finisher receiving 42 points, and then each player in order receiving one less point, which will more closely replicate the NASCAR Sprint Cup points system.

There is no minimum number of players for each league, although a maximum of 43 has been set, and a player can be in as many as five separate leagues. In order to qualify for cash prizes, however, the league must have at least 16 players; having at least 16 players makes this a prize-eligible league, which is important for the overall reward as well. Once a league has been entered, the player cannot be removed from it. Leagues may be started at any time during the season, but still need to have at least 16 members to be prize-eligible.

The winner of each prize-eligible league will be entered in a random drawing for a weekly award of a $100 NASCAR SuperStore gift card and will receive three bonus points to be awarded at the beginning of The Chase. For example, a player who wins eight of the 26 regular-season races would start the Chase with 24 points, and the past couple of seasons have proved that this is extremely important to winning the overall championship.

Bragging rights are not the only thing at stake; the player who manages the team with the most race points earned during the Chase along with accrued bonuses during the regular season, and who is in a prize-eligible league, will win $1,000 and an all-expense paid trip for two to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Award Ceremony during the 2013 Champions Week in Las Vegas.


I’ll be getting the league going as soon as it is available. So I guess the first thing on the agenda would be to name our league and find out who is interested.

LETS GO RACING!!!!

Alrighty then!!! It's race time!!!!!

Grill, thanks for the nice new blog... great info, for the most part.....only thing I would say is inaccurate is.... "(That’s so San can find BB back in the pack this year.)" ......

Now, to the points.....if I'm reading the new point breakdown correctly, we will no longer have the PIT pts + or - next to each driver......and only earn PIT bonus points, if the PIT crew, we pick each week, is in the best 5...... Not sure about it, but that is how I interpreted it.....

The other new point section, is the bonus points for manufacturer.....again, looks like you have to pick this one, each week, also.....

And then, there is the...... In 2013, however, the game will score at least one additional strength-based category and points can be earned for the number of quality passes (a pass for position while racing inside the top 15). This one will be interesting.....Who defines a "quality" pass? What exactly will that be.......How many points will be awarded, for each "quality" pass......will the driver getting passed, have points deducted?

I kinda like the idea of the passing category.....so much weight is put on "laps led"......this might level the point field, a bit more....

Then, there is the final race position, points awarded.....It appears Nascar is moving in the right direction, with this one.....the winner, now will get 47 points, with 2nd place, at 42, 3rd at 41, etc..........I like this move, also.....

LOL, thought I would be able to slip that one by ya unnoticed. I like the direction that the Fantasy racing league has gone. Gonna be an interesting year that's for sure.

Oh and San, You're missing one little thing with your post there.....

Great article on the Gen - Six car.

http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2013/01/06/2012-generation-6-car-collaboration.html

Not a bad looking car even if it is HIM.....

LMAO Cocoa!!!

That is a good lookin car....

Thought this page had some interesting tidbits....... http://www.jayski.com/news/pages/story/_/page/2013-NASCAR-Sprint-Cup-Team-Driver-Chart

Nicely done cocoa. I'm looking forward to whooping some azz this year.

Garages open and cars getting ready for the first day on the track.

Speed.com will be doing updates from 9-noon today.

Thanks, Cocoa....guess I'll have to turn the TV on, in the background......

edit..... guess it is not on SpeedTV.....:-(

Any big news at the track today?

From their live blog page....

http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-live-blog-daytona-nascar-sprint-cup-series-preseason-thunder

No embed code for this one....but, is the draft test, between Hamlin and Kennseth...

http://bcove.me/5t9c43uw

And, I guess......what would this blog be, without e's girlfriend......

http://bcove.me/qy5z2o85

CUP: Bowyer, Gordon Feud Still Rages
Tensions linger between Clint Bowyer and Jeff Gordon after last November's run-in at Phoenix...
Lee Spencer | http://www.foxsports.com/ | Posted January 10, 2013 Daytona Beach, FL


RELATED
Live Stream: Daytona Testing
NASCAR on SPEED Facebook
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Clint Bowyer (15) and Jeff Gordon (24) tangled memorably last November at Phoenix, collecting Joey Logano. (Photo: Getty Images)
Clint Bowyer doesn’t know how he ended up on P. Diddy’s yacht on New Year’s Eve while on holiday in St. Barts.

Nor does he know how his NASCAR rival Jeff Gordon ended up at the same party.

But Bowyer, who hails from the Sunflower State, realized quickly he wasn’t in Kansas anymore.

“It was the damndest boat you’ve ever seen in your life,” Bowyer remarked of the ship owned by the rapper also known as Sean “Puffy” Combs. “I’m from Kansas. We don’t have big boats in Kansas. We don’t have very big bodies of water. So, I think he was on that same boat. (Bowyer laughs) But there were a lot of other people on there and there was a big time being had. So, yes, he was on there. I think it was on the same island.

"I’m pretty sure he was on there. It was pretty late.”

But the "Battle in St. Barts" or the rematch between Bowyer and Gordon following their ongong feud from 2012 never materialized. And Bowyer didn’t want to discuss it. Yet when pressed for details, the affable driver couldn’t resist.

“Yes, we held hands and walked on the boat, discussed the past year and enjoyed ourselves throughout the whole vacation,” Bowyer said with a grin. “That was the one person that I definitely wanted to vacation with. Yes, I couldn’t wait to get there for that very reason.”

As rivalries go, the feud between Bowyer and Gordon — which ignited at Martinsville Speedway in April and escalated throughout the season before exploding in Phoenix after the four-time champion dumped Bowyer's No. 15 Toyota — appears far from over.

Throughout last year, the grudge lingered primarily from the Hendrick Motorsports side. After the Phoenix row Gordon acknowledged he was simply “fed up” with the way Bowyer raced. And he still hadn’t forgiven the Michael Waltrip Racing driver for taking him out in the Goody’s 500 at Martinsville when Gordon was contending for team owner Rick Hendrick’s 200th win.

St. Barts seemed to be the NASCAR go-to vacation spot this offseason and the rivals knew beforehand that they would both be in the same place.

When Gordon was asked at the Sprint Cup Champion’s banquet in Las Vegas last month to offer odds on if the battle in St. Barts would decide it all, he replied, “I think it just shows the love and passion that Clint has for me, that he chose to take his only two weeks off and come hang out with me in St. Barts.”

Bowyer finally squashed the discussion on Thursday with an exasperated, “Who cares?”

He was more than willing to discuss his time on the island even though after this trip Bowyer and Kevin Harvick will forever be known as the party crashers.

“The coolest thing was just being down there," Bowyer said. "I’ve never been much out of the country – the Bahamas. I found that place (St. Barts) a few years back and went down there. It’s a neat place to vacation – so, so different from any place I’ve ever been. Just to be able to hang out and ring in the New Year in such a cool fashion. It was almost surreal to be on a boat like that. It’s just incredible. P. Diddy’s boat . . . we just stumbled down there. I don’t even know that we were invited. We just went. Harvick and I just made our way down there. It was bigger than my 14-foot jon boat I can promise you that.”

Photos from today.....

http://photos.speedtv.com/gallery/CUP_Daytona_Testing_Thursday_Morning_0113/slideshow/Kyle_Busch/0fqn3Lx3Xn5N1

Welcome to Daytona. This is gonna leave a mark....

http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2013/01/11/daytona-preseason-thunder-wreck-video.html

Figures Jr. would be involved..

http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/8836233/twelve-cars-testing-daytona-caught-crash

this should be fun...I heard there will be a roosters revenge this year,,,,

You can probably get a few from the old Bunker...

Great blog Cocoa. You all need to watch out. I did some learnin' last year and now I'm ready to whip some butt.

Thanks Scout. Good Luck this year!


Thursday was scheduled to bring another step in the Gen-6 car’s progression, but persistent rain canceled the first day of a two-day test at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Teams are slated to be back on track Friday during an extended session from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a half-hour lunch break at 12:30. The test will not be extended an extra day.


The Charlotte test also offers teams another opportunity to roll through NASCAR’s laser inspection system, which will debut for 2013. The device -- which uses lasers to scan different points on the car -- was also available for teams to try at Charlotte, Talladega and Martinsville last season, and Pemberton said teams have been in and out of the NASCAR Research and Development Center matching the new system to what they see in their simulations back at the shop.

Pemberton said teams will go through the new system at Charlotte to help work out any final bugs. “We’ve gotten some pretty good feedback about it,” he said. “Teams, now that they know how we’re going to measure, they’re able to recreate a similar type of number system at their facility, not using a laser platform. … Some of them have done a really nice job. They’ll come in, and the numbers will match identical to what they had at the shops.”

It will be interesting, to see who, if anyone, decides to draft again..........

After an almost four hour delay, cars on on the at Charlotte testing. Teams can test until 7:30pm/et tonight. There is no scheduled televison or online streaming of the testing. Of Note, when the cars go out, the #11 will be tested by Michael McDowell, standing in for Denny Hamlin, who is still on baby watch. There are no plans for testing to continue or be expanded on Saturday, Jan 19th.

It won't be long now folks. San and Cocoa are going down this year!

Ok cocoa, I put a feeler out on the Bunker to recruit some peeps. Here's my post. I put it on one of Libs racing blogs:

I wasn't sure where to post this comment but since this is a racing blog, it seemed fitting. Hope you don't mind Lib.

If anyone is interested in participating in the Nascar fantasy league again, or if any newcomers want to join, let me know. I keep in touch with Grill and she was going to continue with the league Sea started last year for us. I don't know what info I'll need (I'm guessing an email address) but for now I'll take a list of names and we can go from there.

Great, thanks Aug. I really appreciate it.

StAugustineFL wrote:It won't be long now folks. San and Cocoa are going down this year!

LMAO bring it on little one.

“Introducing Taylor James Hamlin!!! Born Jan 20 at 20:20! Weighting 6lb 5oz and 20 inches in length.”

NASCAR on SPEED ‏@NASCARonSPEED
.@FR78Racing crew chief Todd Berrier says his long career working w/ variety of drivers has prepared him to work w/ @KurtBusch.


GOOD LUCK TODD! Gonna be an interesting year.

Gen-6 cars took damage at Preseason Thunder crash, but no tires left the ground

Last Friday’s drafting accident during the Preseason Thunder test at Daytona International Speedway seemed the perfect recipe for sending a vehicle into the air -- cars at the front of the pack being turned sideways, others skidding through the infield grass, several spinning down onto the apron or jouncing up and down in the turf. And yet they all remained on the ground, thanks in part to the larger, redesigned roof flaps on the new Sprint Cup Series cars, the latest weapon in the battle to prevent vehicles from going airborne at restrictor-plate tracks.

In addition to being much larger than those used on the previous-generation vehicle, the new roof flaps also appear to deploy quicker, popping up before an out-of-control car reaches too severe an angle. They also contain what Pemberton calls “parachutes,” pieces of canvas stretching from one corner of the flap to an opposite corner of the housing, designed to further disturb air and raise the speed required for a car to go airborne.

The new flaps were mandated by the shapes of the new cars, which include a great deal more brand identity and are not uniform from one manufacturer to another. Daniel Honeycutt, director of vehicle engineering at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center, had been experimenting with improved roof flaps before the series phased out the previous car, Pemberton said. When it came time for NASCAR and its manufacturer partners to design new vehicles to roll out in 2013, the series needed roof flaps in a different configuration to better wrap around the tops of the cars.



http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/videos/2013/1/11/nscs-daytona-international-speedway-testing-crash.html

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing announced a new partnership with Cessna / Textron.


Cessna wil be the priamry sponsor for #1-Jamie McMurray in 10 races in 2013 and will be displayed across all Ganassi's racing platforms.
McDonald's and Dr. Pepper also will be on McMurray's #1 Chevy.
Bass Pro Shops, which joins #14-Tony Stewart in 2013, will remain the primary sponsor on McMurray's #1 for two races this season.
The #1 has just four races where McMurray is not sponsored.
All seven Ganassi drivers will race in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Chip Ganassi says Kyle Larson is testing today. Announcements on Larson are forthcoming

Hendrick: All cars fully sponsored except 88. Lots of interest, even a sponsor that wants whole car, but couldn't take b/c of other sponsors

Thanks for all the updates, Cocoa!! Sounds like the better "roof flap," is already making a safety difference.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/daytona-international-unveils-plans-upgrade-215431071--nascar.html


CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Daytona International Speedway could be getting a facelift.
The speedway unveiled artist renderings Tuesday that show what a proposed redevelopment of the historic 53-year-old Florida racetrack would look like. The plan calls for five new modern entrances, a second pedestrian bridge for easier access to the track and an expanded grandstand area with thousands of new seats. The project, if approved, would also have upgraded concession areas, ticket gates and more common areas to view the race from different vantage points.

Speedway President Joie Chitwood said the cost of the project hasn't been determined.
''If you think about what (NASCAR co-founder) Bill France did in the late '50s of creating this world center of racing, this is our chance to do the same for the next 50 years,'' Chitwood said at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte. ''It's a chance to take something great and make sure that it is prepared to last the next 50 years.''

There have already been meetings with the city of Daytona Beach and Volusia County on zoning rules. Along with the approval from the board, several local and state permits would still need to be obtained before construction can begin.

However, Chitwood said the track was eager to show its plans to the public. He said the track's history leads to high expectations from fans, and that means keeping up with the times.
''There are a lot of challenges in terms of making sure the property is up to snuff for all of our fans,'' Chitwood said. ''We've got seats out there that were original to the property from the late '50s and so for us we've continued to make sure that we're focused on fan amenities. ... Some of the renderings we showed have that professional updated feel to them in terms of architectual skin, massive gates and entryways and a lot of new structure.''

He said that new structures would give the Speedway a chance to focus on improving the fan experience.

This would not Daytona's first renovation. In past years, the speedway has upgraded the infield, garages and the club areas.

For now, the project will be put on the back burner until after the Daytona 500 on Feb. 24.
''I hope to have something more creative in (late) February and I have to get in front of our senior management later in 2013 and hopefully at that point I will know cost because that's when I have to ask for approval,'' Chitwood said. ''Then I will have more details about the timing.''

This is a pretty interesting write-up on the start and parks.

http://espn.go.com/racing/blog/_/name/newton_david/id/8870438/nascar-eddie-gossage-says-pull-plug-start-parkers

San, Thanks for the article on Daytona. They really need to do something about getting into and out of the track better. Some things were accomplished when they did the upgrades years ago but getting in and out of there is still a nightmare.

They definitely need more and better parking.

Wow, Cocoa......that would really shake things up, if Nascar does what Gossage wants!!

Y'all have been a little busy over here.

The Rolex 24 is this weekend in Daytona. Great race and quite a few NASCAR drivers have taken on the Challenge. So if your bored. Go check it out.

Another up and coming driver. Chip off the old block. Just like his Dad.

Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing him race this year.

http://billelliott.com/news/2013/01/in-chase-nascar-has-another-elliott-in-pipeline/

FASTER TRACK DRYERS IN THE WORKS AT NASCAR

http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2013/01/22/new-track-dryers-to-debut-at-daytona.html

Sounds promising. Hope it works. Would be great for the sport.

I'm sorry E. Danica is taken once again....

APNewsBreak: Danica says she's dating Stenhouse

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CAR_NASCAR_DANICA_DATING_STENHOUSE?SITE=GENERIC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-01-25-07-33-16

Cocoa - add Scoos to the list of participants for fantasy league. He was on WB proposing starting his own league but he's now aware you are doing one as well and he likes the idea of you putting it together.

FYI - been PM'ing a little with Scoos (he even included cocoa and san one one of the PM's). Bottom line is he's firing up a blog on WB to get some more peeps involved for fantasy league. If y'all aren't lurking over there I'll compile a list of names of those who want to play.