Talladega drafting rewind
Sprint Cup cars draft two by two at Talladega in Sunday's Good Sam 500. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR |
Earlier in the week, Ford manufacturers had given orders that they were not allowed to help out the competition, especially those in the Chase. The fact that Chevrolet is celebrating its 100th anniversary could’ve also played a small role in Ford’s decision. Why would you help out the competition - and one celebrating a milestone, at that?
Jack Roush, an experienced team owner, also wanted to make sure his boys would do what they could do to help Kenseth and points leader Carl Edwards stay ahead in the standings for a win and for extra points to be able to win the Cup at the end of the season.
Bayne was put in a pickle; he left Gordon and worked with Kenseth. At that point, Gordon drifted to the right and slowly slid to the back of the pack. What was Gordon doing? Was he slowing down? Hitting the brakes? No, he was being drafted, meaning, he was pushed back by the wind which caused an anti-gravitational force, which is similar to what happens to a sky-diver when he pulls the string on his parachute.
What causes the draft in the first place and why does it seem like we only see it in Talladega and now in Daytona?
The draft is when two cars are technically pushing each other. Two cars running nose to tail are faster than one by itself. Pushing gives the cars more aerodynamic advantage.
The only reason we see drafting in ‘Dega and Daytona is because the tracks are high-banked and big ovals, which make the cars faster; so much faster that they need a restrictor plate to slow them down. There’s no need for drafting at other tracks like Pocono or at New Hampshire Motor Speedway because the tracks are flatter, which helps control the speed.
Because of the draft and the phenomenon of two-car tandems, teams needed to pair up for racing and they worked together on a plan. When Ford announced they wouldn’t allow their drivers to pair up with another team, especially Chevy, this changed plans for Tony Stewart and David Gilliland, who had worked together at the previous restrictor-plate races this season. Fortunately, they had time to re-strategize.
Once on the track, however, drivers who lost their partners because of accidents or other failures were stuck looking for someone else. Such as the incident between Gordon and Bayne. Gordon admitted to being desperate and had said that he wanted to pair up with the No. 13 car of Casey Mears (former HMS teammate). The two, however, did not have radio communications, so that cancelled out Mears and Gordon was stuck looking for another date. It wasn’t wise for Gordon to pair up with another Chase contender, either, so after he lost Bayne, he was on his own and finished the race in 27th position.
Now what about team strategies? Let’s look at it this way: NASCAR is a sport and like other sports, the teams are competitive. In competition, one person or the entire team must have a plan in order to win. They must have direction for all to follow and all players must adhere to the plan in order for it to be executed properly and lead to a win. Without team strategies, the entire race might look like anarchy.
As sweet as it may be for Bayne to apologize and to admit he’d rather lose a race than to have left Gordon high and dry, Bayne needs to remember he was racing. In the world of racing, there comes a time when you need to look out for your team, your sponsors, your manufacturers and your boss, before you worry about being the sweet kid in town that helps everyone out.
How about the other teams?
The 48 and 88 teams paired up again like they did in April at Talladega. Like last spring, the two teams started up front and Earnhardt Jr. and Johnson led a few laps, agreeing to hang low and in the back to avoid crashes. This may have proven to be a good idea and it worked to their advantage, but they were slowed down by a series of late-race cautions. With 25 laps to go, they simply didn’t get to move ahead as planned and had to settle for low finishes. Could this have been an error? Sure it could have, but in the end, playing it safe is a wise idea. A crash that results in a “DNF” (do not finish) is a lot worse than finishing in a low spot on the lead lap. The Hendrick teams took a hard hit at Talladega and they are heading to Martinsville with more work on their back then anticipated. Have they fallen from grace?
In the end, the winner of the race was Clint Bowyer and it was all due to some good old-fashioned, highly competitive racing that he had with his teammate Jeff Burton. Bowyer was the pusher and Burton was the leader after the final caution. On the last turn, Bowyer slid to the left and "raced" Burton to the checkered flag. It was a wild end and some people asked the question, “Why would Bowyer do that?”
Burton should be the only one asking that question because he hasn't won in a few years. But fans, the real answer is: this is racing and if you hang low to help your friend, you’ll finish low. So what Bowyer did was fine; as a matter of fact, since neither of them are in the Chase, it was more than fine. It was two guys having fun making sure that the 100-year anniversary car got to victory lane and making sure that a Cup contender did not win.
Genevieve is a freelance writer and aspiring novelist living on Lake Norman in North Carolina where she loves the night life as well as exercise, ride boats, read, write, go out for dinner at the infamous Birkdale Village and spend quality time with her niece. Genevieve has been a part of media at local press conferences, Charlotte and NH races and at a few charity events hosted by NASCAR drivers. You can follow Genevieve on Twitter at
@C_Genevieve
Talladega drafting rewind
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Rating:
Stuart Little Series: Who mentioned mice are abominable animals?
ReplyDeleteThe picture assumes the tale about group of gangsters have been gunned down by the Mumbai
police in 1991. There is a catch, however, to purchasing the vehicle.
Here is my blog post :: http://letmewatchthis1channel.wordpress.com/ ()
Social markeeting for a business is aall about making money.
ReplyDeleteOnne way to receive cheap business broadband is to combikne your business
broadband and phone packages. These computer models
basically take a snapshot of what the weather iss doing across thhe country at four specific times each day.
A comparison of lab spectra from the University of Virginia Black And White Jordans astrochemistry group with the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) Prebiotic Interstellar Molecule Purple And White Jordans Survey (PRIMOS) has identified a new interstellar medium molecule, an isomer of methyl formate, toward Sgr B2. These results highlight the synergy Jordan 1 Black And White between laboratory chemistry and astrochemistry. The difference in the rotational temperatures of the two conformers of methyl formate suggests that they have different spatial distributions in this source, or the system is not in thermodynamic equilibrium..
ReplyDeletePlace pan in oven, uncovered, and Yeezy Boost 350 Cheap bake 15 to 17 minutes, or until set. Run Cheap Jordans For Sale a silicone spatula around edges of pan and flip frittata onto a plate, or scoop out slices. Serve warm.. I contacted Canmore and asked if would it be ok Yeezy Boost 350 Cheap if I had these 17 20 year old girls competing and they agreed. So three of my girls came out of retirement to compete! I had my last team and my three that came out of retirement competing. They Black And Yellow Jordan 1 were all in the same session and all competing against each other and it was just so fun.
Ace Aaron Sanchez is on the disabled list. Yeezy Boost For Sale Noah Syndergaard has a muscle tear and is out of the Mets rotation. Justin Nicolino is pitching with triple A New Orleans Baby Yeezy Boost 350 Black Cakes, Miami farm team Could have sworn I had a kid in my Hebrew school class named Jacob Silverberg Can make this stuff up.
A common thread that soundtrack producer Joel P. West weaves masterfully throughout the film is the emotional weight of music. When Stevenson visits Rockdale County Jail as a student, he initially connects with inmate Henry Davis (J. Calgary has several multi day, indoor markets, and Vancouver Granville Market has been providing a warm Yeezys For Sale place for great food vendors for decades. But the concept is relatively new to Edmonton (a multi day, indoor market called Mother Market opened in 2014 at 10251 109 St. For a year before shutting down)..
Give you a one line statement, would be great if you could do something yellow and a sweet dessert. It really up to us to go back and brainstorm, State said. Story is the critical foundation, but we also have to have a food item that not only tastes Coach Outlet Clearance Sale great but is [also] something guests want. Coach Outlet Online 80 OFF
ReplyDeleteNO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. CT (the "Sweepstakes Period"). If they split up, they don't have any guaranteed rights to each other's property, and may have to fight through the courts. Jordan Shoe Stores If their partner dies, on the other hand, and they haven't made a will, they have no automatic MK Outlet Online inheritance rights, so they might have to leave their shared home," Coles added."If they're MK Outlet Sale together for 50 years, an unmarried couple could end up worse off than their married counterparts."Heterosexual couples win right to civil partnerships after pair win Supreme Court legal challengeSteve Webb, director of policy at Royal London, added: "Millions of people are currently missing out on rights that are available to married couples and same sex civil partners."It looks as though it could be a year or more before the consultations have finished and the new law is in place, Cheap Nike Air Force 1 and in the meantime cohabiting couples will continue to miss out. But this is a huge step in the right direction."Here are a handful of benefits that up to three million more people could receive Coach Outlet Purses On Clearance as civil partnerships are extended to all.If you live with your partner but aren't ready to take the next step, here are some safety net steps you can take Cheap Air Forces to protect your money.1.