Ok. So Chastain's martinsville move....

[devilmaster]

I'm sure most of us have seen this, mostly because it was talked about everywhere (including F1 drivers loving it).

I'm conflicted about this.

I doubt this could have been done without the aid and smoothness of the safer barrier, being metal square tubing that runs parallel to the ground. I'm thinking the old concrete wall would have probably torn the car up and he would have not gained any advantage. He did pass ~5 cars and broke the track's lap record on the last lap.

Just curious to see how you all thought of this.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1Fbfcz_EhI

[opinionated ow]

Brave, ballsy, rash and unconventional and one of the greatest headline makers NASCAR has had in years. Chastain is an unconventional driver so it kind of fits his personality. The risk of damage is so great that people will not start doing it on the regular.

[SteveH]

Like a move out of a video game. Sort of the same level as Zanardi at Laguna Seca. Obviously it’s something that can’t be done at every track. Will NASCAR create a rule to disallow this?

I’m ambivalent on it. As I am with NASCAR.

[pfc_m_drake]

I'm pretty neutral on it also. It won't work at many tracks, it's a 'video game' move, but the only reason everybody is falling all over themselves is because it worked. It's not one-in-a-million, but if he does it 50 times, it probably 'works out' maybe7 to 10 out of the 50.

If he goes up there, sticks it in the wall, cuts down a tire, and grinds to a halt people probably say, 'What an idiot.' and nobody gives it another thought.

But I do agree - with the old concrete walls on a previous generation car, it ends up being a non-starter. If anything it ended up working out 'for the worst' as I understand yesterday's championship race was rather anticlimatic (though I didn't watch myself).

[Elmo T]

This was a really good discussion on the whole incident. It was fair with a small touch of fanboy admiration with a huge dose of reality.

Unrelated, I am always impressed listening to Dale Jr speak.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpqxnYdBeXo

[nissan gtp]

Excellent discussion on that video. I need to watch it more often.

[opinionated ow]

Excellent discussion on that video. I need to watch it more often.

I kind of assumed that he would just be a mouthpiece because he was the most popular driver so often, son of a legend etc. I've been pleasantly surprised listening to Jr the last few years. He's very insightful, passionate but also prepared to go into murky waters when needed. His interview with Jeremy Mayfield was fascinating and I'm interested to hear the Brian France one in a few days too.

[devilmaster]

I kind of assumed that he would just be a mouthpiece because he was the most popular driver so often, son of a legend etc. I've been pleasantly surprised listening to Jr the last few years. He's very insightful, passionate but also prepared to go into murky waters when needed. His interview with Jeremy Mayfield was fascinating and I'm interested to hear the Brian France one in a few days too.

To be honest, I saw early podcasts and it was painful to watch. He's definitely gotten better at it, good for him.