Turner Sports today will unveil RaceBuddy, an interactive element that will enhance viewing and assist fans during its six-week "Nascar on TNT" coverage.
RaceBuddy, which can be activated at http://www.nascar.com/promos/tnt/, is a free service that will enable visitors to choose from among five live camera angles, interact with other visitors and send questions to TNT's on-air personnel during races.
{snip}
RaceBuddy's highlight is an option that enables viewers to watch races online from one of four distinct views:
Battle Cam (on-track action),
Pit Cam,
In-Car Cam (viewers can select from among several drivers)
and Race Robo (action viewed from remote locations).
Visitors can also select Mosaic, which puts all four camera options on-screen at one time.
This sounds like a grand idea.
Check back and let me know if it really is.
As a free service I expect it to be slow and frustrating? Anyone else?
Since there are only 12 tracks, each will have 2 races one early, one late. The dates will be determined by proximity to the last track.No more bouncing back and forth .
There have been some modification to the existing Rule Book.
There will no longer be a ‘template’ for the cars-No COT no #### “run what you brung!”
Prerace inspection (for safety) will be just that- you pass, you’re in.
Post-race inspection (for rocket launchers) will be made by REASONABLE people.
Qualifying will be determined either by a ‘guess the jellybeans in the jar game’ OR last week’s slowest will qualify first. The first race, whoever “sets up camp” first qualifies first. (We don’t give a dip dingle what you did last year)
The field will no longer be frozen during the yellow.(you can race back to the yellow flag)
Lapped cars will restart at the back of the pack.
No top 35 rule (note I don’t think we have 35 drivers anyway) This also means that anyone can just show up at the race and qualify (except full time NASCAR drivers that have been removed from the above drivers list)
NO restictor plate, NO debris cautions,NO lucky dog.
Yellow laps will no longer be counted in the total laps raced.
Pit road speed is whatever you feel safe with and there is no longer a commitment cone.
You are not required to wear pants in the pits.(just for you)
If you spin out twice (without help) you will NOT be rejoining the race.
There is no ‘chase’.It's all or nothin' baby!
And you can use any tire (or tyre) you want!
By popular demand there will be NO announcers from any recognized network.
Kristin Valus has been nominated to lead a team of fellow bloggers (feel free to nominate more)to announce the races. Any Driver that has been ‘cut’ from the list above may also be nominated. (But can be removed from the booth at anytime).
By a pretty even margin, there will only be one and a half boogity’s before the race.
I must tell you all to BUCKLE UP- you’re gonna need all the safety equipment you can find!
I have observed that many commentors on these pages like to bash some of the drivers, crew members, announcers, reporters, and yes, even bloggers that take the time to share their thoughts here on FOXSports.(and elsewhere for that matter)Can we try to remember they are PEOPLE damn it?
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Everybody has a driver (or three) they cheer for, a favourite track (or four), a respected announcer (maybe)
However,
almost without fail every race fan has a driver / track / common-tater / NASCAR rule that they Loathe.
I am conducting a little experiment.
I would ask everyone to nominate one driver / track / common-tater / NASCAR rule that they want eliminated from NASCAR.
For the purpose of my experiment please keep the nominees to Cup racing only.
Dale Jarrett will finally "race" the truck and Lowe's Motor Speedway is offering a special two-day ticket package for just $44 so fans can be on hand Saturday night, May 17, when Jarrett's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered Tour" culminates at the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
.....before Jarrett straps into the No. 44 UPS Toyota Camry for the final time, he'll do something fans have eagerly anticipated, he's going to "race" the truck. After Jarrett is introduced prior to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, he will step into the UPS Race Truck from the UPS ad campaign and take one lucky fan for a ride around the 1.5-mile superspeedway.
I think this is a fitting tribute to Dale Jarrett.
Anyone who gets to attend will indeed have witnessed an important event.
Any of you that get to go had better come back with a full report!
As you may- or may not know my son is in Basic Training in Georgia.
I am the ONLY person that is sending him mail. He's been in almost 2 months and has 5 months left to go.(He'll be done with Basic in April and then he is off to the "next duty station" according to his Captain)
His birthday is this month, and I thought I would ask my friends here if they had the time to drop him a line?
Keep in mind there are some very strict rules about what can be sent to him. Mostly just a paper letter in a plain envelope.
No stickers- glitter-red pen-pink envelopes (extra push-ups for those.) No porn or food or cloth or books or (you get the picture)
So if you have the time and would drop him a line that would be great. He knows a bit about my blogging problem so he'll know where I know you from.
Another option is if you just want to e-mail me a note/letter and I can print it out and mail it with my letter.
Thanks in advance
Karl's Mum
I would like ot thank MoonDogSports.com for helping me get this information out. Stop by his site if you have the time
If you don't do anything else, find out if there is someone in YOUR extended family that would appreciate a word or two from you.
I have a reliable source (he was at the race ) who told me that they announced at the track Sunday that LVMS will have a second race.
He claims it is this year but the schedule has not changed.
Was anyone else there and did they hear this announcement? (according to my source the crowd went wild!)
Could it have been an announcement about next year?
Fines- I have updated my Here's your FINEs (from Daytona) blog to reflect the appeals as they come in. ~Plenty of new stuff there~
Edwards updated .
"The No. 99 car driven by Carl Edwards was found to be in violation of Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used do not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-2.1J (any device or duct work that permits air to pass from one area of the interior of the car to another, or to the outside of the car, will not be permitted. This includes, but is not limited to, the inside of the car to the trunk area, or the floors, firewalls, crush panels and wheel wells passing air into or out of the car) of the 2008 NASCAR rulebook. The violations were found during post-race inspection at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 2.
As a result, Edwards and car owner Jack Roush have been penalized 100 championship driver and 100 championship owner points, respectively. In the event the 99 team qualifies for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the team will not receive the 10 bonus points for the UAW-Dodge 400 victory used for determining the Chase seeding order. Crew chief Bob Osborne has been fined $100,000, suspended from the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, suspended from NASCAR until April 30 and placed on probation until Dec. 31."
Robby Gordon's appeal is supposed to be today as well- updates will be made as I (or you) find them.
Gordon Gets 100 Points Back
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A NASCAR appeals committee has amended the penalty levied against Robby Gordon, returning the 100 points the driver was docked for an infraction found in Daytona.
The reversal Wednesday saves Gordon's season by moving him back up to 21st in the standings. The original penalty, combined with a crash in Sunday's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, had dropped Gordon to 37th in the standings.
The National Stock Car Racing Commission also lifted crew chief Frank Kerr's six-week suspension, but raised his monetary fine from $100,000 to $150,000.
As has been stated elsewhere- NASCAR seems to be dragging their feet on the fine issues.
Robby Gordon was penalized for using an improper nose on his Dodge Charger. The infraction was discovered during opening day inspection for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 8.
Driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has been penalized with the loss of 50 championship driver points, while car owner Rick Hendrick has been penalized 50 championship owner points. Crew chief Chad Walter has been fined $25,000 and suspended for the next six NASCAR Nationwide Series events until April 9 and placed on probation until Dec. 31, 2008 for a violation found following practice on Feb. 14. The team used parts that were illegal and altered their rear spoilers.
The No. 0, No. 1, No. 14, No. 64, and No. 77 cars were all found to be using the oil reservoir tank cover was not fastened securely. These violations were discovered during post-qualifying inspection on Feb. 15. Each of the cars' respective drivers and owners — Kertus Davis/Johnny Davis for the No. 0; Johnny Sauter/James Finch for the No. 1; David Gilliland/Carl Haas for the No. 14; David Stremme/Ed Rensi for the No. 64 and Cale Gale/ DeLana Harvick for the No. 77 have been penalized with the loss of 25 driver and owner championship points
**UPDATES;3/5/8 CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - A NASCAR appeals committee on Monday overturned all the penalties levied against Rusty Wallace Racing for an infraction discovered on David Stremme's car before the season-opening Nationwide Series race.
Newt Moore, crew chief for Johnny Sauter at Phoenix Racing, had his suspension reduced from six weeks to two weeks by the three-member National Stock Car Racing Commission. Charlie Wilson, crew chief for Cale Gale at Kevin Harvick Inc., had his $15,000 fine reduced to $5,000 by a separate three-member panel.
for the 0 not good-",
it is the unanimous decision of the National Stock Car Racing Commission to uphold the original penalties assessed by NASCAR.The Commission notes that crew chief, Gene Allnutt, began serving his suspension last week, so the adjusted penalty notice to correct for the deferral will reflect this.(from NASCAR.com)
for the 14 something different
By a majority vote, the National Stock Car Racing Commission decided to amend two of the three original penalties assessed by NASCAR as follows:
• Loss of 25 Nationwide Series Championship Car Owner Points and a $15,000.00 fine for car owner Carl Haas, with the fine payable by the current majority owner of Richardson-Haas Motorsports, Donnie Richardson.
• Loss of 25 Nationwide Series Championship Driver Points for driver David Gilliland.
• Suspension from NASCAR for the next six (6) Nationwide Series Championship Events; suspension from NASCAR until April 9 (not including testing), and probation until Dec. 31 for crew chief Robert Edwards.(from NASCAR.com)
In the Craftsman Truck Series, the Daytona race winning No. 30 Germain Racing crew and driver Todd Bodine were penalized 25 driver/owner points while their crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. was fined $10,000, suspended for the next four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events and placed on probation until Dec. 31, 2008 for infractions found during pre-qualifying inspection. They were using a device which reduced the bed panel height during inspection.
The No. 33 truck, driven by Ron Hornaday Jr. was found to be in violation of Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (truck parts, components or equipment that doesn't conform to NASCAR Rules); and 20B-3.1.1 (spoiler braces exceeded the maximum one inch width). Crew chief Rick Ren has been fined $5,000 as a result of the infraction. This violation occurred during opening day inspection on Feb. 12.
There are more in the article.
Now I thought pre-race inspection was just that, after failure you were give a chance ot 'fix' it and re-inspect.
Post qualifying I understand -sort of- why not just back of the pack them?
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A pair of high-profile Nationwide Series teams owned by drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip likely will be penalized after NASCAR inspectors found technical violations before qualifying Friday.
It's not another Daytona cheating scandal - not yet, anyway - but inspectors did impound Earnhardt's No. 5 Nationwide car Thursday night after spotting an illegal modification to his rear spoiler. The team got its car back - minus the spoiler and rear deck lid - Friday morning.
Officials also confiscated the carburetor from the No. 99 Nationwide car driven by David Reutimann, who drives for Michael Waltrip Racing. The carburetor's venturis were too large, allowing more air to pass through and providing a potential horsepower advantage.
Waltrip's Cup series team was penalized for an illegal fuel additive in the Cup series at Daytona last year, touching off a major cheating scandal.
This is my personal take on the subject and anecdotal evidence does not create fact I know.
My BFF when I was a teen, was a racin’ man. He raced ON THE TRACK. When it came to cruisin’ on the street, he was much safer that the other yah hoos because of his Saturday night outlet.
The city kids with their fast cars that ‘played’ on the city streets were a very dangerous crowd, without the discipline achieved ON THE TRACK. (we had a good friend wreck and die squirreling around on the street)
Trust me, if you make a bone head move and push a geezer (seasoned veteran) into a wall or a spin, your happy butt WILL hear about it in the pits.
My son grew up around us racing . As soon as he was old enough to ‘not get too hurt’ he was out there wrenching right beside us.
As soon as he was tall enough, he was THE tire guy in the pits. Sometimes 3 or 4 different drivers would holler at him to help. Friday night and Race day were GREAT.
Changing engines (two hours before the race) Changing all four tires (mark that left rear one would you) Pull that ####, Charge my battery, Tighten this, Bend out that, Find me a piece of sheet metal (this size) Where’s that extra radiator hose Why is that still leaking?
(man I love those days)
Heck half the ‘grown men’ had him use the tire machine, cause he was quicker at it. By this time he knew as much about the cars as the owners/drivers.
But I digress.
I had no problem with him driving ON THE TRACK. (I think he was 14 the first time –he had to wait till he could reach, we wouldn’t change the set-up of the car from the primary driver) [practice]
He knew every risk, and had seen what the cars COULD do. We had seen a few fellows carted off to the hospital through the years.
He is 21 now and off to Fort Benning in 2 weeks.
Granted, what sparked this comment (it started out as a comment for one of the above blogs and grew to this) was the possible changing of the minimum age for CUP drivers. I don’t agree with the 21 rule.
Now if you were to tell me that Richie Rich was going to drop a bunch of bucks and buy a car and try to qualify the next day, it wouldn’t matter what age he was.(I assume the PTB would put a stop to it)
To sum up and try to achieve topic.
*When they learn it they earn it.
* NO ONE lets a STUPID Rookie on the track without testing their metal. The other driver WON’T let it happen.
*If they can’t drive it, they won’t stay.
*Track experience makes a street driver safer and more aware.
*This blog has very little to do with the blogs referenced above.
Again ---this persons opinion
Note: Still my BFF and still racing. (the blonde is the trophy girl)
Thank you Fox Funhouse for including me on your hot list today!
Under the new format, all the drivers will now make their attempt at the end of the session.
The end? Doesn't that give them a better chance of being rained out? (ok maybe not- see below)
On pit road, the crew will be allowed to push the car just three pit box lengths to get it moving after a service stop.
Added for photogr- see comment below
NASCAR also announced it will donate all money collected through fines to the NASCAR foundation as a part of the sport's charitable initiative. The fines previously were put into the points fund that was split among the drivers at the end of the year. Fines usually average around $200,000 a season, but the amount was close to $1 million last year as NASCAR cracked down on violations.
They decided to donate the funds to THEMSELVES?
I know there needed to be some changes, but I see possible problems with these three.
Paraphrasing and inaccuracies may appear anywhere in this post.
I am not attacking any one person/place/thing/blogger/commenter/post. Y’all keep writing what you are writing, I’ll keep reading.
Hot Topics
MLB players are outed.
They’ve been using what? Drugs?
College student/Athletes are under-educated.
They are cheating on tests?
NFL players are breaking the law.
And they think they are above recrimination?
Coaches are looking to the highest bidder.
They aren’t in it for the love of the game? It’s a money deal? They are cheating ?
No sport has a playoff systemn that the fans approve of whole-heartedly.
It's not fair!!
And don’t forget Television coverage of EVERY SINGLE SPORT leaves a lot to be desired.
It’s not as good as being there?
Most of these issues are the same as you telling me that my neighbor and good friend is ‘a little light in the loafers’
Heck he is #### (read bleep as politically correct term for non-heterosexual)–flamingly so (and a great hairdresser btw)
And your point is……………………………………..?
All of these revelations are no brainers. They make great debate topics and headlines, but seriously except for some individual names, did any of these stories tell you anything you didn’t already know?
Is any of this going to change anything? Really?
Don’t get me wrong I don’t have a solution for any of the planets ails. (well maybe one but that is not important)
Granted I am not explaining in depth each of these issues. Others here have done so quite prolifically. I do hope they continue to do so.
One of the issues I wanted to address is the fact that there are people in the know that are touting OUTRAGE yes, outrage that so-and-so was cheating or breaking the law or doing drugs or selling out or boinking bambi.
They knew all along. Hell we did how could they not?
Do they really think that a thinking person (such you, esteemed reader/blogger) believes their denials and their outrage?
Are they outraged because so-and-so did these awful things? Or just that he/she/it got caught?
Or could it be they too have a skeleton in the closet?
That’s my .02 CC’s
Read someone you never read before! You may find a new friend.
Avid NASCAR fan. .I am generally quite friendly, and I don't bite (much).
- I like comments, I bet you do too. So I will comment.
I am not here for a pat on the head, however, I would like a wee bit of a comment if you happen to read anything I write.
According to my sources I am the first person to get 2 Game Balls in the same week. Check out "Hatchetman's parade of sports" ..March 2008 accused of being Best "most congenial" blogger: by LisaH
GGW Racing crew chief #2
~~~~~~**Don't feed the TROLLS** ~~~~~~
ARG an I are a Pirate[see moniker] (non sports related-unles s you count pillaging as a sport)....... ............. ......visit yeemum.blogsp ot.com....... ............. .
If you stop by my camp and pee in my campfire----- ------------- ---DO NOT expect to be invited to dinner
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