Nascar's off season thread.

[NC_RaiderFan5]

Hey! Time for you to find a #17 avatar, yeah?! I'm ready for NASCAR to start now! NOW!!!

Speculation question:

If Dale Jr. doesn't do well this coming year, do you think he's
out of Hendrick? Do you think he's out of NASCAR as a driver,
as in, he would retire from racing and focus on being an owner?
Or dy'all think he'll just sit back and keep chipping away at it
like Kyle Petty did? If he DOES do well, aka better than this
past year, it's a moot point-- but it seems like he showed
flashes of old brilliance this year and then... nothing. I just
wonder how long it can go on before he himself and/or
Hendrick have had enough.

Yeah, I'm gonna work on that soon...and so am I!

[MarkieMark48]

Yeah, he did. And it was a relief to see. 'Will be interesting to see
if it can be replicated and built on. I guess I've been pretty shocked
by the bad years. It seemed like when he went to Hendrick, it would
just be... really more like what Jimmie has done. It was so nice
to see DJR win in Michigan. 'Made me realize just how dang long
it had been. No doubt it would be good for the sport if he
starts winning again. I always just kind of wonder in horror
though, "But what if he never does?" We shall see...

Nope, not leavin' the Commonwealth in February. 'You goin'?

Yea, I'll be there

[HILLBILLYBLACK]

Yea, I'll be there

You dog.

[Thumper 88]

Hey! Time for you to find a #17 avatar, yeah?! I'm ready for NASCAR to start now! NOW!!!

Speculation question:

If Dale Jr. doesn't do well this coming year, do you think he's
out of Hendrick? Do you think he's out of NASCAR as a driver,
as in, he would retire from racing and focus on being an owner?
Or dy'all think he'll just sit back and keep chipping away at it
like Kyle Petty did? If he DOES do well, aka better than this
past year, it's a moot point-- but it seems like he showed
flashes of old brilliance this year and then... nothing. I just
wonder how long it can go on before he himself and/or
Hendrick have had enough.

No he wont be out of hendrick... He could be the worst driver on the circut and still be with Hendrick because he brings in more $$$ than Jimmy or Gordon ever could.

No he wont leave Nascar because then he would be leaving millions of dollers on table evey year and be leaving as a failure...

Well he's far better than Kyle petty ever was and before the COT came along he was one of the best drivers out there.

He made the chase convincely so I dont see what you mean by how long can it go on? If you mean championship then IDK because everyone always expected Dale Jr. to be his father and he's not so he gets bashed by all the haters when he fails (not fair)

[HILLBILLYBLACK]

He made the chase convincely so I dont see what you mean by how long can it go on? If you mean championship then IDK because everyone always expected Dale Jr. to be his father and he's not so he gets bashed by all the haters when he fails (not fair)

What I mean by "how long can it go on" is that he made the Chase, yeah, but "making the Chase" is far from what anyone ever thought was gonna happen with him at Hendrick. A few years of just "making the Chase" isn't gonna go over very well. Especially if he "makes the Chase" like he did this year, where he dropped like a millstone.

And to make things more complex, next year is another car type again. How well will he adjust?

Last year it seemed like he was enjoying racing again. But you can't tell me in the years leading up to last year, anyone would have been surprised if he had said, "Screw this, I'm leaving racing to start my own team." He didn't seem to be enjoying anything at all about it, not even the money. In interviews he complained about being isolated by his fame, and he seemed like one of the most unhappy people in the world; refusing to do anything to improve his fitness levels, etc.

I'm not a hater. I've just been watching. Yeah, he had a decent year.
But "a decent year" ain't gonna go "on and on" indefinitely. I don't think he himself will settle for an ongoing mediocrity. He'll either find a way to become excellent, or find another way to be involved with racing, IMO.

All that said, I'd love nothing more than to see him win a Championship, and to see him win it right over the top of Kyle Busch. Kyle can win it the year after that.

[DodgerB24]

If Jr finished 25 in points yearly, even with the money he brings in, I don't think Hendrick would keep him.

Honestly if he can make the chase and win a race here and there he'll be driving for Hendrick until he can't climb into the car.

[HILLBILLYBLACK]

Speaking of Earnhardts. Does anyone know if Jeff is gonna do MMA *and* racing, or if he's made a decision on that? He's still listed as a driver on the RWR website, but when was the last time he actually ran? His wiki page (for what that's worth,) says he's gonna be racing for the Go Green N'wide #08 in '13, but the Go Green website doesn't list him in their stable at all. Then again, their site is still running news about the "upcoming" Homestead race in Nov. 2012.

[Thumper 88]

What I mean by "how long can it go on" is that he made the Chase, yeah, but "making the Chase" is far from what anyone ever thought was gonna happen with him at Hendrick. A few years of just "making the Chase" isn't gonna go over very well. Especially if he "makes the Chase" like he did this year, where he dropped like a millstone.

And to make things more complex, next year is another car type again. How well will he adjust?

Last year it seemed like he was enjoying racing again. But you can't tell me in the years leading up to last year, anyone would have been surprised if he had said, "Screw this, I'm leaving racing to start my own team." He didn't seem to be enjoying anything at all about it, not even the money. In interviews he complained about being isolated by his fame, and he seemed like one of the most unhappy people in the world; refusing to do anything to improve his fitness levels, etc.

I'm not a hater. I've just been watching. Yeah, he had a decent year.
But "a decent year" ain't gonna go "on and on" indefinitely. I don't think he himself will settle for an ongoing mediocrity. He'll either find a way to become excellent, or find another way to be involved with racing, IMO.

All that said, I'd love nothing more than to see him win a Championship, and to see him win it right over the top of Kyle Busch. Kyle can win it the year after that.

that's the problem, people expect to much from him because his father was one of if not the best ever to drive a race car. It's kind of like the Yankees if they don't win a championship they are failures

[HILLBILLYBLACK]

that's the problem, people expect to much from him because his father was one of if not the best ever to drive a race car. It's kind of like the Yankees if they don't win a championship they are failures

Honestly, I disagree. I don't think it has anything to do with being like the Yankees because of his father. I think he earned the expectation all on his own, by past performance. I think it's the same for any young driver who comes out swinging, and then fizzles.

I think a lot of "Junior Nation" follow him because they were fans of The Man In Black and just decided to be Junior fans when Sr died, but I think NASCAR fans have seen enough 3rd and 4th generation racing families, they may have supported him because of his father, but that's different than expecting him to be as good or better than his father. In fact, I've met very FEW Junior fans who have expressed such a sentiment.

It may also be that Junior was smack dab in the middle of one of the greatest hype machines ever, and while it has made him a very wealthy man, it must also have been crushing.

Also, I hate the Yankees, so any comparison between a NASCAR driver and them probably isn't going to fly with me.

[TheBigCheese12]

What I mean by "how long can it go on" is that he made the Chase, yeah, but "making the Chase" is far from what anyone ever thought was gonna happen with him at Hendrick. A few years of just "making the Chase" isn't gonna go over very well. Especially if he "makes the Chase" like he did this year, where he dropped like a millstone.

And to make things more complex, next year is another car type again. How well will he adjust?

Last year it seemed like he was enjoying racing again. But you can't tell me in the years leading up to last year, anyone would have been surprised if he had said, "Screw this, I'm leaving racing to start my own team." He didn't seem to be enjoying anything at all about it, not even the money. In interviews he complained about being isolated by his fame, and he seemed like one of the most unhappy people in the world; refusing to do anything to improve his fitness levels, etc.

I'm not a hater. I've just been watching. Yeah, he had a decent year.
But "a decent year" ain't gonna go "on and on" indefinitely. I don't think he himself will settle for an ongoing mediocrity. He'll either find a way to become excellent, or find another way to be involved with racing, IMO.

All that said, I'd love nothing more than to see him win a Championship, and to see him win it right over the top of Kyle Busch. Kyle can win it the year after that.

If i have to wait for Jr to win a championship before Kyle then i might just have to stop watching Nascar

[HILLBILLYBLACK]

If i have to wait for Jr to win a championship before Kyle then i might just have to stop watching Nascar

I'm sorry man, that really wasn't very nice of me to wish on you Kyle fans. I apologize.

[Thumper 88]

We could see big to small changes in drivers and how good they are now with this new car... It happened with the COT and it can happen with this one.

[NC_RaiderFan5]

T-minus 3 days until Daytona testing!

[dynasty7961]

Getting real excited!!!

[HILLBILLYBLACK]

NCRF5... man, we almost got detention for passing NASCAR notes in Raiders class! *PHEW!*

This has felt like one of the longest off-seasons EVER, and I have no idea why.
I'm just so excited to see how all the changes effect the upcoming season.
REALLY looking forward to seeing how it all shakes out!!!

LET'D DO DIS THANG!!!