#truex

[howeaboutthatrace]

Howe About That Race? The Clash at the Coliseum

The NASCAR Cup Series season is unofficially underway thanks to the second of running of The Clash at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. I’m Jonathon Howe and I ask, Howe About That Race?

Since this is the first edition of this series, let’s talk a little bit about what you can expect from Howe About That Race? Well, as a big fan of racing, pretty much anything with an engine and 4 wheels, (sorry Moto GP fans, maybe you’ll get me on board this year), deserves discussion. My goal is to watch as many races this season as I can and talk about them in this space. NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1 are the main things I will be watching but given the fact I work as a commentator at my local dirt track, Merrittville Speedway, I’m sure we’ll mix in some dirt talk as well. We are going to review races from current seasons, and maybe even watch some old races via live stream. I’ll offer some takes, listen to yours, and hopefully we can all have fun talking about fast cars, big stars, and good clean racing.

Back to The Clash, NASCAR’s experiment with a purpose-built temporary racetrack inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The first year of this pre-season event was tame. It was the first race with the NEXT Gen Cup car, and it came when most teams were still working through a parts shortage. Rather than teams building their own parts pieces to assemble a race car, these Cup cars are now vendor cars, with each team buying the same parts and pieces, creating a spec series of sorts. Well, the concept is good and has increased parity in the series, it affected last year’s event.

            Teams and drivers really took it easy in The Busch Light Clash last year. They had to, they wreck their cars, they may not have enough to race in the coming weeks. Plus, it was the first race, they didn’t know what to expect from the cars. How they would drive, how a sequential gear box would work, how a rack and pinion steering setup would handle a quarter mile track, the shortest on the schedule, etc. etc. Flash forwards a year, the parts shortage is over, a lot of questions about this new car have been answered and the drivers were prepared to put on a show.

            Let’s start with the heat racing. I think heat racing is a fun added element to NASCAR Racing, one I’d like to see in some regular season events. Get rid of stages at short tracks and give out bonus points for a top 3 finish in a heat. Something like that I think would be welcomed by the NASCAR crowd. The 25 lap Heat races came with a different added pressure, only the top 5 made the big show, with other drivers in the heats needing to race their way in via Last Chance Qualifier races. That led to some great desperation moves for final transfer spots and hard racing. The incident where Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick all traded blows, resulting in Harvick driving underneath both in the final corner and beating Elliott to the line for the final transfer position was a highlight for sure, only made possible the added element of heat racing. I thought the heats were fun, and I figured the use of the chrome horn was only out of necessity.

            After the field was set, the sun set and a full moon rose over the California sky, which any short track racing fan knows the race is bound to be chaotic. It certainly was. While the first 75 laps were mostly tame with only a few cautions, we did get the sense that this year’s Clash was different. Drivers pushed the limits of the cars, pushed themselves, and a lot of times had to push each other out of the way to make passes. That gave me some vintage Bristol and Martinsville vibes. Except with the new composite bodies on NASCAR Cup cars are a lot tougher, so we didn’t get the attrition those vintage short track races produced. Toyota drivers like Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, and Martin Truex Jr. showed that they came much better prepared for short track racing this season. Kyle Busch, now in the number 8 Chevy for Richard Childress also had an impressive first half.

The second half of the race was where the full moon chaos really took place. Multiple drivers found themselves pointing the wrong direction after contact in the corners. Most of the races 16 cautions came in the second half of the race. Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Bubba Wallace were all victims of what Joey Logano via Denny Hamlin might describe as “just short track racing”. The final restart came with 7 laps to go, and leader Martin Truex Jr. used the inside line to hold off the duo of Austin Dillon and Busch, who drove back through the field after getting turned by Joey Logano with 65 laps to go. Ryan Preece showed strength leading late before a fuel pump problem dropped him back a few places. Alex Bowman was also impressive in the second half of the Busch Light Clash finishing fourth.

            So, with all that I ask, How About That Race? For me, I was entertained. While the almost comical number of cautions hampered my feelings, the racing was still better than last year’s event. Cars could move through the field if they had the set up right. It even seems like there was a second line coming in. The event is a spectacle and while the concerts weren’t exactly my cup of tea, the Busch Light Clash at Coliseum has become a must watch event and if there are future events at the Coliseum, be it exhibition or as a points race, it would be on my radar to attend. And with that I now ask you, How About That Race?

[hey-im-doris-day]

Lizanne Truex and Jane Fischer OKLAHOMA! (1955) Dir: Fred Zinnemann

[slashthrashandcrash]

I'm more of a Carl Edwards fan, but Jimmy Gibbs Jr is pretty cool too I guess

[hookhausen]

not that i watch nascar at all but i do know some of their racers threw hands at each other a couple weeks ago and i feel like f1 should let some of their racers do the same like fuck it

let oscar and carlos fight it out

pierre and esteban have been waiting for forever to fist fight

and while i would say brocedes i think they just need therapy

[jack-doohan]

okay i’m sorry and this is NOT chase hate whatsoever, but how does he keep winning most popular driver 😭😭

[music-wrestling-nascar-fangirl]

@userblaney @rosenqvists @acunasmvpszn

Carl talking to Martin and Jimmie during the drivers meeting earlier today. I miss him being at the track every week 😭

[devilbarista]

he’s my emotionally distant boyfriend in my beautiful mind

[citrisz]

[mani4milfs]

What am I supposed to do know that my wife is retired... Like... Find a new one? Hell no. I'm loyal to my old man.

[sortanonymous]

I really don't know what to think of... that finish, but if the deciding factor is the Hail Melon-esque move, that shouldn't eliminate Bell because he didn't pass anyone with it. He had already passed Bubba and nobody else was on his lap. Just wanted to get that out there. But clearly way more to it than that. What even is this?

EDIT: Way too much time longer...

Uhhhhhh.... What the hell was that? They cite the safety violation when Bell didn't even pass anyone, and meanwhile turn a blind eye to Chevy essentially pulling Spingate on steroids! Great job beating those Hendrick bias accusations, NASCAR!

Why does this sport need to shoot itself in the foot so much again?

[unknownracer19]

Forever a fan of yours, Martin Truex Jr. 🥹

I love this man so much in my life ❤️

[gordonstanheight]

the nascar race tonight is like

truex: i’m going to kill myself and everyone around me

larson: oh boy! i hope i win this race!

reddick:

[ishootthelightsout]

Mark posting about Nascar on instagram👌👌👌👌👌

[whipplefilter]

Sonoma 2024

I was looking at my habit-tracking app today, and saw that I hadn't written any fanfic on Monday. And I was like, "Why tho? What did I do instead?" and I didn't realize until Stage 3 today that it was because I spent an entire hour and a half of my life on Monday stressing about Kyle Larson's stupid playoffs waiver!! Why. Why do I do this.

Sonoma is one of my home tracks (though I've only ever driven past it), so I have a fondness for it. It had a repave for this year, and I feel like nothing--not even personally driving on newly-paved roads in real life--drives home how much character asphalt can have until you put some race cars on it. I think it's awesome how much it can change the entire personality of the track, even if the unknown of it--how will it race, will it race well--is anxiety-inducing.

With regard to that repave, the first half of this race was a ride. A LITTLE EMBARRASSING, TOWARD THE MIDDLE THERE--🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨--but it cleaned up in Stage 3 and we got the best of both worlds. The pit strategies in this race were a Lot.

Standouts:

Denny blowing up in spectacular fashion 2 laps in (to be followed by mayhem for every single JGR car. I knew that FUCK AROUND AND FIND OUT Corolla was an omen).

Cliff once again impressing me with his cucumber cool "the strategy is going to come out in our favor" radio updates and his daring long-pits, which I do not have the confidence/bravery for, ahaha. Coupled with KL working up the field well, this was a great race for them (even though I was rooting for KyBu and MTJ. Well, once KL took the lead, then I was rooting for him. But if MTJ had kept it, I would've been very happy).

MTJ. RUNNING. OUT. OF. FUEL. For the second week in a row, fuel becomes a race-wrecking issue. MTJ powering his car to the line with *the starter* rather than actual fuel is one of the saddest things I've ever seen. Look at this sad hungry slug of a car:

He was 100 yards from his Piston Cup! D;

Chastain spinning KyBu out from a T5 finish down to P17 finish is an ACT OF WAR. Nemesis status renewed. Unforgivable. Let this sad man live. Let him know an ounce of happiness.

[loverofracecars]

tony stewart and martin truex jr via @TonyStewart on twitter

[jack-doohan]

(allegedly) the top 5 currently for nascar’s most popular cup series driver:

blaney

busch

elliott

larson

truex jr