The Chase Rolls Under the Lights
Thursday October 11, 2007
This Saturday night at Lowes Motor Speedway the 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup faces the only night race in the Chase. The 2007 Bank of America 500 will feature two Hendrick Motorsports stars. Jeff Gordon currently leads the points but has struggled at Lowes Motor Speedway in recent years. His teammate Jimmie Johnson comes into the race second in points.
Johnson's team must be feeling confident coming into this race. Jimmie Johnson has dominated racing at Lowes Motor Speedway for more than four years now. Five wins in the last nine races and only one finish outside of the top three highlight the impressive resume that Johnson brings into Saturday night's race.
Comments
The Ford 400 @ Homestead is also held at night…….
I don’t know about the rest of you diehard nascar fans, but thanks to Rulescar-nascar at KC and the unpredictable Talladega, the “Chase Run” from here on out is a 3 man race. With the consistency of Jimmie and Jeff, its pretty much theirs to lose. Bowyer has an outside chance, but I think the old wreck bug will probably bite him. I have to say this is probably one of the worst nascar seasons I have seen in a while (been a fan for 30+ years). I hope next year nascar will learn from their mistakes and do better.(stick to their rules and don’t make them up as you go!!!)
I love the sport but nascar is worse than our goverment, The new points rule totaly stinks, tired of them changing or making new rules every other race & what about alowing toyota place a car in a usa founded sport. Toyota was first built over seas not in america “THAT GOES TO SHOW US THATS ITS ONLY ABOUT THE MONEY”……
GORDO FAN24 4 LIFE leave politics out of this site we don’t care you like it here or not. don’t like it LEAVE I been far worse places than here.
This week Bruton Smith said that if the people around the Lowes Motor Speedway don’t let him put a drag strip there for NHRA races, he will move … track and all.
I would love to see him try that!
good old strong iron effect.
Why do people have to bring politics into everything? Is it that some only have small thinking capacity? I for one really don’t care about others opinions (on this site anyway) about who they did or did not vote for or what they think about this government. As is the other comment there sure is worse places than here, maybe the original poster should try one on for size. It’s only an opinion and choices that’s all. Most what they talk about is only what they THINK it is true and very little fact base anyway. Either party!!!!
This is about NASCAR lets keep it that way!!!!!!!!
The Ford 400 is scheduled for 3pm. Unless it rains it is over while there is still plenty of daylight.
John: When did NASCAR change Homestead to a night race? The schedule I looked at has the race starting at 3:00pm. Anyway I agree it’s going to be down to wonder boy and Johnson. However, there is a very small chance that Stewart could still be there at the end. He needs Gordon and Johnson to have some bad luck for a couple of races.
Unfortunately Politics is ALWAYS involved with money. NASCAR is a business like any other. They are there to make money for the drivers, owners, teams, themselves, everyone involved. The racing is secondary. This is sad but true like any other sport or business.
Jimmy has incentive to win here. He came close last week and at his sponsors track, he’d love to have a win and prove he is worthy of being champ again. But then again, knowing how Smoke is, he’d love to play spoiler and have the Home Depot car in victory lane at Lowes Motor Speedway. Either way, it will be good to see them racing under the lights at LMS.
The ORIGINAL poster said that the last race of the year is a night race also. “AN OPINION” he said that! And that is all he said. Where did you think that he even insinuated anything else? These are your words about the original poster “maybe the original poster should try one on for size”
Im sorry I dont understand what your point was about the first poster. It was truly about NASCAR and nothing else.
The politics I was referring to #3 when he had to bring the government politics up, not the business politics up a differance.
9fan sorry my mistake. What I meant by The ORIGINAL poster was not the #1 poster it was referring to #3 poster The ORIGINAL poster that had to bring politics in to this. Sorry
OK!!!! SOMEBODY FINALLLY REALIZED IT’S NOT WHAT MATTERS TO YOU OR ME OR THE DRIVERS! IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY! MONEY TALKS AND THE BS WALKS! IN THIS MATERIALISTIC WORLD WE LIVE IN WHY WOULD YOU THINK IT WAS MORE THAN JUST MONEY?
I BELIEVE IT’S NOT ABOUT SPORT OR FUN OR ENTERTAINMENT! LIKE THE GOOD OLE DAYS WHEN A DRIVER RISKED HIS LIFE EACH AND EVERY RACE BECAUSE HE WAS A COMPETITOR! HIS GOASL IN LIFE WAS TO WIN THE DAYTONA 500 AND HOLD THAT TITLE! NOW FROM ADVERTISEMENT TO MARKETING TO WHATEVER IT HAS BECOME A CORPRATE HOSTILE TAKE OVER AND IS OUT OF THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE DRIVERS! NASCCAR LIKE NASA TAKE IT TO THE MOON FOR ALL I CARE!!! LOL!!!
JUNKIE
I just hope that the fans at Lowe’s will not get as drunk as the fans at Talladega. I was at Talladega and that was what I saw the most was people who were drunk! You can go to a race and have a great time without getting so drunk. Now I know why the fans at Talladega throw things at Jeff Gordon, they are so drunk they don’t know what they are doing.
Everybody that gets to go to this weekends race have fun and be safe.
Thank you
I think the new cars are ugly and I hate the chase format. All the format does is give guys a secound chance to beat the real points leader. It’s just not fair at all. Jeff Gordon would be wrapping up his 6th title right now if not for this system. If I was not such a fan of Jeff I would have given up being a fan of this race series long ago. I hope NASCAR figures out the old format was much better and figures it soon.
It will however be interesting to see if Jeff and Jimmy can race each other cleanly for a championship. Thats got to be hard to do.
Maby the 24 /48 will take each other out and Tony will win this time…
Hey guys… all this nonsense about Toyota ruining “our” Nascar.
Collectively the Japanese auto makers employ about 60,000 Americans at their various plants and including dealerships, some 450,000 Americans get their paychecks from a Japanese brand name.
They’ve proven with their trucks they can compete and raise the bar… I’m happy to see them start to have an impact in Nextel as well.
Sorry ..had to rant… I love the chase. We 24 fans know who one the season… like every other sport it is now about the playoffs… I find that the format has made these last ten races more compelling to watch… I think its exciting that it is still up in the air.
Course in my opinion they should just hand the trophy to Jeff at Daytona in the spring and everyone else can race for second.
I don’t know about the rest of you but I am ready to start fresh in February. I agree with those who do NOT like the current points system and the fact that NASCAR seems to make up the rules as they go along. It’s getting old fast! The past is behind us, current is tiresome (smiles), so I am looking forward to our future in February!
“AN OPINION” gotcha! I do agree with you in the fact that it seems like evertime SOMEONE thinks foul play is involved, they tend to compare that to politics. Politics and Religion gets things stirred up quick. That may also be the reason poster #3 mentioned politics. He knew by doing that it would get a reaction.
I also agree with you “AN OPINION” that more and more folks (here and in real life) seem to be throwing their opinion around — as if it were fact — !! I am getting older now and I hear that crap at work every night FRANKLY I cant stand it anymore! I always joke that I just bought a new BS detector and it is going crazy now. I say that every time I feel Im being “SHUCKED AND JIVED”
Unfortunately though this is a blog DEDICATED to our OPINIONS. So carry on all. Just keep it clean PLEASE
Y’all need to go drink a beer & just watch (or football) the race. This series belongs to NASCAR & they (NASCAR) will run it as they see fit, just as y’all would if you owned it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I watch the race on TV & listen to it on the radio. That way Rusty & ESPN don’t upset me each week with all their stupid coments & (facts) This way I don’t miss any green flags!
Didn’t The Speed Chanel(sp) crew & D. W. pick Jeff to win way back a couple of months ago?
Go Tony Go
Many people come on here to bash the “Chase” format. I do not like it either. I prefer the old days where ya “run what ya brung”, what wins on Sunday, sells on Monday, and the desire to win came from the heart, not the sponsors wallet.
But, those days are gone. Get over it.
NASCAR had to do something to compete against the NFL. As soon as the NFL season starts, NASCAR looses a ton of viewers. NASCAR had to do something to the end of the season to spur some excitement, thus the “Chase”.
NASCAR is run like a business just like any other business, it is all about profits. They will do whatever they need to do to grow profits. As much as we all would like to think they sit in meeting rooms thinking of ways to please the fan and put profits second, that is not the real world. It is a tough business world and if you do not generate profits, you will sink. What NASCAR is loosing sight of is the support of the fans that helped them grow this sport to the point it is today. The blue collar worker is the person that helped take this sport from a primarilly southeast sport and make it global. There are ways to make a product global without loosing sight of the core customer. Nascar has some work to do there.
What he said (#24)!!!!
I disagree with 1969rs theory about the chase. It came after the newbie’s to the sport didn’t stop and found out how the point system worked. When Matt kensith won the championship by being consistent instead of winning lot of races the newbie’s complained then the chase started. It didn’t start until then.
Myself I don’t find it exciting. What I find exciting when a team (all teams) might find something in the late of the season and charges to the end, Now it is only a 12 car race, and after the third chase race then it becomes a 1 or two car race.
Nascar is MONEY.. Hasn’t Anyone ..Got That Yet???
The Big Teams.. With The Money$$$$
Will Always Be The Top Contenders In The Chase….”BORING”!!!!!!!
What is this thing you people being saying “GOT THIS or GOT THAT or GOT IT” ? Learn it from your third graders kids?
Nascar is all about money and thats all, and john is right the chase did not start until Marr K. won that year and nascar decided to change the format.
I’ll be a LMS this weekend. I’ll still be hootin’ and hollerin’ for Kasey Kahne (who won this race last year), even though he’s not a Chaser. No matter when the Chase came to be, it sucks, and seems to me, enough fans are b*tchin’ about it, maybe NA$CAR will wise up. I agree with John above — might as well be just 12 cars going around b/c they’re all running safe, trying to avoid what happened to Kurt Busch and Denny — chasers snagged in a wreck.
Charlotte is awesome. May not be restrictor plate/bump/drafting stuff, but maybe it won’t be single-file, follow the leader for 399 laps, either.
This is for GOT WHO CARES
a recipe for confusion!
Your questioning if posters got this or got that or got it from third graders.
You must be From the Stone age, Why?
The Biggest Ads and TV spots shove this down our little minds all day long not some clueless 3rd grader.
Got Milk?
As any English student knows one of the most frustrating things to learn are all the various uses of “GET”. Get is used as a verb by itself with various meanings. One of the most difficult areas of usage is how “get” combines with prepositions for form phrasal verbs. Add to these problems the variations in colloquial usage and you have got
This is where NASCAR is struggling!!
What is wrong with Harvick this year? He just can’t keep up with the top dogs anymore. Is it him or is it his cars. He usaully was a threat to win any race he got into now they hardly even mention his name. Am I missing something.
Is there anyone that just watches the race’s without complaining about everything?…I mean,it’s still a great show,I love being able to sit in my easy chair and watch a night race anywhere in the country,I would watch Midgets,Sprints,Latemodels,sportsman,Motorcycles,nascar,usac,Irl…There is nothing wrong with Nascar…It’s the spoiled Fans thats the problems.In 1970 you were lucky to see 1 race on TV a year…Maybe if Nascar blacked out the races for a year there would be some different comments.It’s All Good!
Bruce Guess not even you are complaining about something. “Think about it”.
Spoiled fans? Well if you call fans still remembers what good racing was, even in the 80’s when we watch races weekly spoiled, well so be it. A great show it once was.
Bruce
You fall under the old saying of your living in the stoneage. That comes to mind after hearing your child like remarks,But If its a easy chair for you so be it.
The Bottom Line is NASCAR could no more Black out races at this point then go back to twenty dollar seat’s.
The machine has control over all this,The more up to date thing would be to threaten us with Pay Per-view style
formats. This would fly like a dead duck,It wouldn’t. How would they ever be able to get the marketing dollars if we had to pay pay 25 to 50 dollars a Pay per-view and enjoy commercial free racing. By the way that would still be cheaper then attending a race. I can in vision the stands being filled with poster people.
NASCAR is just along for the ride as are the fans, drivers, crew, sponsors and everyone else involved.
I predict a Crew of 3 to 5 being from all theses avenues to be making calls someday. This will be your new and improved NASCAR!!!
hotrod nascar already tried pay per view with the pocono race several years back. It still was a boring race even then.
I have some complaints every weekend i watch the race.Its life!Things r gonna change.I still watch cause its the sport i love and even though JR. is havng bad luck now i’ll keep watchin and cheering him on.People have opinions and always will.Let em! I’ll go to a race in a heartbeat when i can.