Talladega is this weekend, Cup Qualifying is on Fox Saturday afternoon and the Cup Race Sunday. Hopefully it won't be a follow the leader race.

Around the rumor mill these days.... the possibility of Richard Petty Motorsports shutting down at the end of the season, possibly sooner. That will be a sad day in Nascar if this rumor turns out to be true. 

Nascar and ISC to merge https://nascar.nbcsports.com/2019/05/22/nascar-announces-merger-agreement-with-international-speedway-corp/ Not really news worthy since the France's own or control both company's. 

Wonder if we'll see any fist fights after the Coca cola 600 this Sunday night. I hopeBubba Wallace can at least repeat his finish in the All Star Race in the Coke 600, that would be a boon for that struggling team. 

Greg Biffle will be racing this Friday night in the Truck race @ Texas in the #51 KBM truck https://nascar.nbcsports.com/2019/06/04/greg-biffle-in-final-prep-for-first-nascar-race-since-2016/

Greg Biffle won in Texas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTSygnk1BNs Always been a fan of Biffle. Hope he does a few more truck races.

Biffle races trucks now? Did he quit racing cars??

He was forced out at Roush a few years ago for Trevor Bayne and hasn't been in a nascar race car since the Truck race in Texas. The truck race was a one race deal but who knows he might race a few more if Kyle Busch asks him too run his truck or if another team tries to nab him.

 

This Sunday will be the final one for Darrel Waltrip in the racing announcer booth, he will retire afterwards and he deserves too relax after the career he's had behind the wheel and the microphone.

Edited June 20, 20197 yr by Spike

One final note the next generation of Cup cars might go hybrid for 2021, on a recent Dale Jr podcast Mike Helton hinted at if the manufacturers go down the electrification road then the chassis should have room for it as well. They'll probably do something like F1 has. Not sure how I feel about this though, I enjoy the sounds of the V8's but it seems the days of v8 cars is coming near an end within the next decade or so if manufacturers say they want hybrids racing Nascar probably won't say no.

Here in Ireland (and in several other countries in Europe), sales of new petrol (gas) and diesel engined cars will be banned by 2030. In Ireland, they are currently saying that all petrol and diesel cars will effectively be forced off the roads by 2045. Love 'em or hate 'em, electric vehicles will take over.

FYI: According to 2018 figures that I found, NASCAR uses 5.86 liter V8 engines which rev to around 10,000rpm and produce around 800-850HP. F1 uses 1.6 liter hybrid V6 engines which rev to around 15,000 rpm and produce over 900HP. F1 introduced hybrid engines in 2014. I also tried to find out which was more efficient, but with America using different sized gallons to the UK, I couldn't be bothered with the math(s).

I can't imagine NASCAR running on electricity!

On 6/20/2019 at 6:12 PM, HossC said:

Here in Ireland (and in several other countries in Europe), sales of new petrol (gas) and diesel engined cars will be banned by 2030. In Ireland, they are currently saying that all petrol and diesel cars will effectively be forced off the roads by 2045. Love 'em or hate 'em, electric vehicles will take over.
 

I just don't see that happening. Battery technology is nowhere near where it needs to be for all electric vehicles to get the same traveling mileage as you do in gas or diesel vehicles and until that happens combustion engined vehicles aren't going anywhere. That 2030 ban will probably be pushed back another decade or so. I'll tell ya one thing an outright ban won't work here in the USA, No way is the Government going to tell me what I can and can't drive and I know a whole bunch of people feel the same way. I can see where gas electric hybrids will probably be the next evolution in automotive transportation and most likely in a decade there will probably be more hybrids on the road than non hybrid vehicles. That'd be the better way to go in terms of traveling mileage and you get the best of both technology's. 

Aren't battery cars quiet? Can you imagine NASCAR without the noise? 

On 6/25/2019 at 6:08 PM, RogerDuke said:

Aren't battery cars quiet? Can you imagine NASCAR without the noise? 

I imagine it would sound a lot like this 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZJ-aSYtDA8

I watched one of these when it was on Fox last year or two years ago out of curiosity. I ended up turning the channel after 10 laps or so. When they pit the drivers switch cars because the batteries only last half a race.

I'm trying to imagine fireworks without any bangs or a concert without any noise. It just wouldn't be the same. 

Big news week concerning the 2021 season and Gen 7 cars: 

https://autoweek.com/article/monster-energy-nascar-cup/nascar-track-2021-gen-7-debut-engine-timeline-less-clear

https://autoweek.com/article/nascar/hyundai-could-be-track-enter-nascar

Quote

The powertrain may be delayed until 2022 or even 2023, as NASCAR is being told by the manufacturers that the engines must be more relevant to what is being sold. The target horsepower has already been set at 550, but that is accessible by most any hot-rodded V-6, so there is no guarantee that the Generation 7 car will be powered by anything resembling the current V-8, and Schemera said a V-6 engine was a possibility that was mentioned in NASCAR talks.

Also, manufacturers – not necessarily fans, but definitely manufacturers – are pushing heavily for electrification in every series, including NASCAR. That doesn’t necessarily mean all-electric engines, but some sort of hybrid system with an electric motor that would help power the gasoline engine. That could be on every track, or just on short tracks and road courses, where you’d get heavy use out of “regenerative” brakes, which are designed to act as generators, pumping juice back into the onboard batteries....

...

So who besides Hyundai might be interested in NASCAR, 2021? Let’s handicap:

--Nissan, with a lean motorsports program controlled largely outside the U.S., has engines that compete in the NASCAR-owned IMSA series, but the company has declined to make the investment to come aboard as an official partner. It would take a major management change at the motorsports decision-making level to approve a NASCAR program.

--Honda has said time and time again, publicly and privately, that the aren’t interested. A new, cheaper car with a hybrid powertrain would get their interest, and premium brand Acura is already racing in the IMSA series, but NASCAR just doesn’t fit Honda’s image. Tough sell.

--Volkswagen very nearly entered NASCAR with Andretti Autosport, having submitted a list of requests to then-NASCAR President Brian France, and most of them had been agreed to when the “Dieselgate” scandal hit, and the program was cancelled, leaving Michael Andretti a bitter man, again – Dodge did the same thing to him, to the point where he even acquired shop space in North Carolina before Dodge pulled the plug. Still, there’s interest at VW, and curiosity at its corporate partner, Audi.

--Speaking of Dodge, a couple of years ago corporation head Sergio Marchionne said at a Ferrari gathering that he would personally like to return to NASCAR, and that talks were underway. The only talks were the ones he and the France family were having: Dodge promptly investigated the possibility of returning but said there were “too many zeroes” at the end of what it would cost. Dodge’s future with cars is uncertain – the Dodge Charger dates back to 2006 and a Mercedes-Benz-designed platform – and corporate partners Alfa-Romeo and Fiat are expected to supply products in the future that could be badged as a Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep (the Jeep Renegade is on a Fiat platform). Where would NASCAR fit in? At this point, Alfa is almost more likely than Dodge.

--Mercedes-Benz? Not as big of a stretch as you’d think.

--Mazda, Subaru, Volvo, Jaguar? Check back when there’s a Generation 8.

Wow a v6 Nascar cup car, I think it's too soon. I definitely wouldn't watch that. Hyundai isn't surprising though I did a Nascar survey a few years back that had several questions about Hyundai/Kia entering the sport.

Edited July 10, 20197 yr by Spike

There are some familiar names from F1 in that list. Mercedes have been the dominant team for a few years now After a disastrous re-entry into the sport with McLaren, Honda's engines seem to be coming good with Red Bull. This season has seen the return of the Alfa-Romeo name when they took over the Sauber team. There were also stories that VW planned to enter F1 before "Dieselgate".

Audi had success a few years ago with their LMP cars at Le Mans, but now seem to mainly compete in the German DTM series.

BTW. F1 used to be a mix of V8s, V10s and V12s, but is now restricted to V6s.

3 hours ago, HossC said:

BTW. F1 used to be a mix of V8s, V10s and V12s, but is now restricted to V6s.

V6! Maybe I should see if my 1975 Mustang II is still in the scrap yard. I wonder if they would let an old redneck race. 

On 7/10/2019 at 6:23 PM, HossC said:

BTW. F1 used to be a mix of V8s, V10s and V12s, but is now restricted to V6s.

Same with Indycar. I remember USAC/CART/Indycar of the 1980's was somewhat still a run what you brung for the Indy 500, especially engine wise with v8's from Chevy, Cosworth, Offenhauser etc.. and Turbo v6's from Buick. Roger Rager even brought an old used Chevy Bus engine and led a few laps in the 1980 Indy 500.

Nascar's Xfinity series back when it was the Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series and then Busch Grand National series ran v6's or v8's depending on the track or teams resources up until 1995 when they limited teams to V8's.

Silly season is starting to heat up again...

David Ragan to step back from full time season in 2020 https://nascar.nbcsports.com/2019/08/14/david-ragan-stepping-back-from-driving-full-time-after-the-2019-season/

Matt Dibenedetto out at LFR # 95 Camry https://nascar.nbcsports.com/2019/08/15/matt-dibenedetto-out-at-leavine-family-racing-after-one-season/ This isn't shocking news as a few weeks ago Joe Gibbs Racing said they were looking for a Cup team to put Christopher Bell in till Denny Hamlin or Kyle Busch retires so it looks like Bell will be driving the #95 next year. Rumor has it Matt Dibenedetto will take over the #38 Ford at FRR.

Ford has revealed the changes to the Xfinity series Mustang for 2020 https://nascar.nbcsports.com/2019/08/15/ford-reveals-2020-mustang-model-for-xfinity-series/

 

https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/dale-earnhardt-jr-plane-crash/4514012/

Dale Earnhardt Jr, his wife, and daughter, along with their family dog, another person and two pilots were in an air plane accident on their way to Bristol. Sounds like everyone is OK, went to the hospital to get checked out, but seem to be doing OK. Dale Earnhardt Jr will not be in the booth for tomorrow night's Bristol race, but will stay with his family. Sounds like the plane caught fire after crashing as well. 

Am so glad that everyone is OK...the pictures look super scary!

It's been awhile since Dale Jr has made the news because of a crash. I hope this is the last time. 

23 hours ago, RogerDuke said:

It's been awhile since Dale Jr has made the news because of a crash. I hope this is the last time. 

Yeah...me too. 

1 hour ago, Garrett Duke said:

Yeah...me too. 

I see they hauled the wreck away. Can you imagine driving down the road and seeing Dale Jrs wrecked plane on the back of a flat bed semi!. That sounds like a scene out of a Dukes episode. 

It's on the local news every day! I'd hate to have seen if anybody had gotten hurt, what kind of fuss they would've made!

I don't think I'd want to see it. Made me upset reading it, seeing it would be worse. On other Dale Earnhardt Jr news...he is still planning on racing in the Xfinity series Darlington race NEXT weekend. Nothing against the Xfinity races, but had my hopes up at first it would Monster energy series...ah well.