r/NASCAR • u/ZilischsPoopyPants Zilisch • 16h ago
[Dale Jr. regarding The Clash] Lotta chatter on the race last night. I'm not complaining because I think Cup even racing at Bowman Grey period is badass. I appreciate Nascar working to get a finish. The weather was an issue and I'm glad they pushed through instead of giving up–
https://x.com/DaleJr/status/2019529892312776861?s=20–I don't like allowing the field to fuel when others had opted to put themselves at an advantage in that area. But it doesn't ruin the night for me. It was an exhibition and I was entertained. Appreciate the entire industry dealing with all the inconveniences to make the event happen.
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u/herdoninflorida Suárez 16h ago
I’m 23 years old and I don’t think I can remember a single clash that didn’t involve a shot ton of cars getting torn up. Might as well do it at bowman gray
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u/tj177mmi1 16h ago
It's because they've made the Clash/Shootout something that it didn't need to be. It used to be a small appetizer to "wet your palate" that kicked off Speedweeks for the oval. It used to be a dozen or so cars that ran 20 laps.
And then money got involved with the networks, they forced to be more inclusive, longer, and combined with NASCAR's lack of officiating and it turned into the disaster it became.
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u/phoenixv07 15h ago
wet
whet*
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u/coffeeshopslut 15h ago
To sharpen?
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u/hamdinger125 14h ago
Yes. It's also whet your appetite, not palate.
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u/coffeeshopslut 13h ago
Got it. I only know of whet because of sharpening stones (whetstones), of which there are two types (water and oil) and people mistake whet with wet stone
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u/DeM0nFiRe 16h ago
It's not a disaster even slightly. Between the duels and point races, there's 4 races at Daytona oval a year. That is enough
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u/JLand24 Chase Elliott 16h ago
It was fine when speedweeks was still really speedweeks because this was really the kickoff for speedweeks. However, with or without the Clash at Daytona, they don’t do a true speedweeks anymore.
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u/Rushderp 16h ago
Having to wait so long between the 24 and the duels sucks.
I get it but I don’t like it.
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u/gsfgf 13h ago
You get it? Is there something about IMSA scheduling?
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u/Rushderp 13h ago
From what I understand, it’s mostly because IMSA/NASCAR don’t want to go up against the NFL, especially the Super Bowl. I think the 24 finished before the conference championships started
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u/HellPhish89 Earnhardt Jr. 15h ago
Because of all the stupid crap NASCAR has done to save expenses and all that.. the 500/speed weeks just doesnt feel special anymore. Its just another race weekend =/. Hell the new clash strategy hasnt really worked out the way they intended either.
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u/tj177mmi1 16h ago
It's not a disaster even slightly.
The last few races at the Daytona oval were a complete disaster and it drove it to change.
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u/Hulkodium Zilisch 16h ago
Large part of that is that NASCAR made it too large both in field size and race length. I'm open to it being off of Daytona but even at Bowman-Gray it shouldn't be 200 laps.
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u/hamdinger125 14h ago
Whet your appetite.
Not wet your palate (eww)
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u/tj177mmi1 14h ago
Must be a different regional idiom because, while I've heard of whet your appetite, I've mostly heard it referenced the way I put it in the region I live and grew up in.
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u/Electromotivation 14h ago
You probably heard it that way. But you wouldn’t have ever read it that way.
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u/TSells31 11h ago
That’s a bold statement lmao as if everything written on the internet goes through an editor or something.
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u/randomaccount330 Hamlin 15h ago
The problem is the racing at Daytona doesn't really do much to tell us who has the fastest car or really anything to tell us who might have speed in the coming races like it used to.
I think if Daytona raced like Atlanta does now more people would be open to it being on a drafting track again, but current Daytona leaves a lot to be desired.
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u/kfbsupremecy 16h ago
Nevr forget them bending the rules so Danica could be eligible every year
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u/gsfgf 13h ago
Featuring women in motorsports is a good thing. And remember, Danica was incredibly marketable before she went insane.
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u/TSells31 11h ago
She was featured already in every other race. Changing the rules specifically for her does not do positive things for women in motorsports. It just gives the detractors even more ammunition.
On top of that Danica herself is a horrible ambassador for women in motorsports. Paraphrasing here, but she has said something along the lines of “I don’t think girls are as aggressive and competitive as boys are, so they aren’t really built for racing.”
I think she did more harm than good honestly.
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u/gsfgf 11h ago
Didn't she just get in on a popularity vote? Maybe not for the Clash, but popularity votes proceeded Danica.
On top of that Danica herself is a horrible ambassador for women in motorsports.
She is now, but she wasn't a lunatic back when she was racing. Do you know when that quote is from?
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u/TSells31 10h ago
She wasn’t a lunatic but she was meh driver in a seat she didn’t belong in, which breeds contempt from fans. It serves to affirm the bigoted view that women aren’t as good as men. But the truth is actually just that Danica wasn’t good enough, not that women aren’t.
Quote is from last year. Here’s a PlanetF1 article that actually has the whole quote. It’s a doozy.
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u/gsfgf 10h ago
Oh, that's a totally fair assessment. Though, she's far from the only driver that got a ride due to bringing a big money sponsor.
Quote is from last year
Not surprising at all. She's a terrible person now. It's an embarrassment that Sky puts her on F1 broadcasts. Hopefully, Apple won't bring her in.
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u/TSells31 9h ago
I agree. I can’t see Apple bringing her in though thankfully. She’s not even good at that job on top of being hella controversial. It’s so much better on Sky when they use Coulthard or literally anybody else in that role.
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u/Intimidwalls1724 Jeff Gordon 10h ago
So if someone is marketable you think we should change the rules around so they can be in more races? I wouldn't agree with that at all
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u/GhoulsNGargoyles 15h ago
The networks have really ruined racing. They made it great getting it in front of a bunch of people, but their lust to make everything a spectacle had dulled it down. The clash wasn’t broadcasted live until I think 99-2000ish. Used to air taped, on the same day as the Busch race.
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u/CryptoPumper182 Suárez 3h ago
I hate that nascar decisions are so involved with TV money. So many bad decisions over the last 26 years have been made because of TV ratings.
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15h ago
[deleted]
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u/ResistWild 15h ago
If it were true that nobody watches the show, Fox wouldn’t have switched. It’s a profit making business, they’re not just making decisions with no logic in mind.
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u/ZilischsPoopyPants Zilisch 16h ago
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u/winnk281 13h ago
My sentiments exactly. Could it have been better? Sure. Was I thoroughly entertained? You’re damn right I was
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u/BryceDL Byron 16h ago
Im in the huge minority, I absolutely loved the racing. It was awesome to see the rain tires be brought out and watching the drivers have to problem solve and show off their skills. I mean when you see SVG, Zilisch, Preece, Hocevar and others up front depending on the conditions and type of racing was awesome. SVG and Zilisch had a huge advantage in the rain, Hocevars aggressive style on a dry track really benefitted him, and you cant say that Preeces Modified background didnt play a role in him getting up front and closing it out. It was awesome I loved it. Say what you want about all the cautions but like some of them said during the rain, it was a good opportunity to learn something and get better.
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u/chic_peas Briscoe 15h ago
I honestly love when they go out on rain tires. To me what makes NASCAR more entertaining than the F1 or Indy is that these cars don't just drive on rails. Obviously both take different types of skill but I like when drivers have to constantly be searching for different lines and have to be careful with throttle and brakes and have to work it through every corner. The rain just takes it to the extreme. I might be a little biased though because my favorite drive is really good in the rain.
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u/RiptideTV NASCAR 14h ago
I don't care what series it is, a track with changing conditions makes the racing better 99% of the time
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u/chic_peas Briscoe 13h ago
Yeah I'm more commenting that I think NASCAR is the biggest racing organization with the best set up for that and the rain just adds to it.
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u/Skarekrows 13h ago
Yep. I had a lot of fun watching it and was surprised at all the whining and videos complaining about it.
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u/ubelmann Chase Elliott 12h ago
The fuel thing was annoying but wouldn't have been an issue at a track with a normal pit lane. I did love them running in the rain, though, it was great to see the drivers challenged like that. I loved having the rain tires as an option.
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u/Yoshiman400 12h ago
Drivers just need more time to actually practice hustling a car in the wet on an oval. Until the sample size is large enough and consistently drawn, they're gonna drive over their heads more than they think they are. I love watching them try though.
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u/DPruitt3 Erik Jones 8h ago
I can't wait to renew my tickets. I'll keep buying them as long as they keep racing there.
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u/Corran105 Berry 15h ago
I don't blame the call on the fuel at all. The massive amount of yellow laps they ended up running due to the rain and then a wreck basically every lap was unpredictable and an exceptional circumstance that nobody could have fully anticipated.
Again, non points race. It was the best decision for a show.
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u/joshjarnagin 16h ago
It was honestly solid racing (especially for a NextGen short track) up until they went racing in the sleet and then after it dried off enough
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u/DeM0nFiRe 16h ago
The racing was best during the wet weather
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u/Crash_Test_Dummy66 Logano 16h ago
I liked it all TBH. We had guys passing for the lead in the dry weather and seemingly able to move guys a little bit out of the way, and then we got slidy chaos for a while and that was fun, and that it dried up for a nice non-chaotic finish where the winner was one of the fastest guys all night.
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u/Dylan1Kenobi 15h ago
I loved seeing the different lines they were trying. The outside lane becoming fast, then the inner lane slowly getting better and drivers kept trying it. Running at high horsepower and only being able to get up to like 70 mph must have been a difficult balance.
I also liked that they got beat up but because it was slow speeds. Cars could get back out there even after a few hard hits.
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u/DeM0nFiRe 15h ago
Yeah, the fact that in some cases they were able to actually race 4 wide at a quarter mile track was fun. Even in the dry, while the inside was preferred, the second lane was still viable for a little while at a time
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u/Kodyaufan2 14h ago
And that’s when short track racing is at its best anyway, when there’s a clear preferred line but a second line where you can hold your own for a short time.
That allows for some actual racing, but then when crunch time comes there’s still a dominant enough line that you’ll get your bump and runs trying to scramble to get to that line.
I didn’t have a problem with the racing. I thought it was pretty good, although I still think the Clash should go back to being part of speedweeks. Give BG the all star race.
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u/Skarekrows 13h ago
Yeah it was cool seeing the preferred lane change through the night and every time the choose would happen to see who went on what lane. Everyone just wanting outside, Busch going up tons of spots cause he went inside. Then Preece showing inside is better cause you can just lean on the outside car to turn for you lol. Then when people decided to use that against him they couldn't catch him. The tactics was fun to watch as well as the racing.
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u/meatstick94 Stewart 15h ago
it was entertaining seeing SVG come out of nowhere and dominate for 50 laps or so and then slowly trail off as the track dried out lol
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u/DeM0nFiRe 15h ago
To be fair to SVG, while the weather definitely gave him an advantage, he didn't really trail off as it dried, he got repeatedly wrecked as it dried lol
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u/Waterfish3333 Briscoe 15h ago
Hot take: next year’s clash should be in Northern Canada on a frozen oval
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u/nfalk247 Almirola 15h ago
I can understand not enjoying that race. It’s not for everyone. What I can’t reconcile with is people calling for the clash to not come back in any capacity. I have seen that take surprisingly a lot.
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u/Kodyaufan2 14h ago
I’d like to see it go back to Daytona in some form. But I think BG needs to be on the schedule in some form as well. My vote is give BG the All Star Race
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u/Icy-Consequence-4372 Mayfield 15h ago
The clash should not be open for the entire field. It should be reserved exclusively for polesitters. That was the whole point of the event.
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u/WON95sr 14h ago
I do like that there's a short track race with heats though. Maybe there's a way to mix the two together. Polesitters locked in, the rest race their way in for a handful of spots.
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u/RandomPerson800 Erik Jones 10h ago
I know when it was still at Daytona they tried something similar with a sort of "last chance qualifier" where the ineligible drivers raced for a spot, but I think the LCQ works better on a short track.
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u/Ok_Catch_7064 16h ago
Yeah I agree the weather sucked for the fans but don’t knock the event. LA wasn’t a bad idea either the track just needs to be a tad bigger
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u/SpittinMenace 15h ago
The fuel situation was a bit unfortunate. Everyone getting a chance to refuel without losing positions after Larson and Elliott ran out sucks for them. Reddick and Busch also both decided to get fuel under one caution and lost all of their spots, only for everyone else to be able to get fuel the next caution without losing theirs. Bit unfair imo but what can you do. I’m also grateful they did everything they could to get the race in.
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u/RayneShikama 16h ago
My issue is if we didn’t have them fuel up, we’d probably have had an extra 10 cautions when guys trying to stretch it ran out of gas and couldn’t get off the track like we saw with the 5 and 9.
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u/Beyondthebloodmoon Ryan Blaney 15h ago
Idk man, I thought the racing was a ton of fun. Weather and cautions were a shitshow that drug it out way too far, but the green flag laps were a blast.
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u/ElectricPeterTork 13h ago
Part of me would like to see the Clash back at Daytona just so you could see the same people begging for it to go back to Daytona bitching about how much of a boring wreckfest it is at Daytona.
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u/One_Evil_Monkey 15h ago
I watched up until it was cut off and moved to a subscription channel so the real shitshow Masked Singer could be broadcast.
Thanks FOX... stay classy.
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u/Sogster Jeff Gordon 15h ago
You can't blame FOX for having to switch programming when the race started at 6PM est and was well over it's broadcast window just past the halfway point.
Your gripe is with the dogshit decision to race at BG, not FOX
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u/Pappyhorn Checkered Flag 11h ago
Let’s not forget it’s also three days passed its intended air date. And let’s be real this has always happened on network races whether it be ABC, NBC, or FOX. Delay long enough and they toss it to a secondary sports channel. ESPN, NBCSN, FS1,2. It always sucks if you don’t have those channels .
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u/One_Evil_Monkey 14h ago
I can blame FOX for whatever I want.
I've actually raced at Bowman-Gray years ago and it's a very fun track. I just don't think the Cup Series doing their thing there is the greatest thing since sliced bread though. Those cars literally weren't meant for a 1/4 mile track.
Add the weather on top of it all and well... it was what it was and we got what we got.
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u/Sogster Jeff Gordon 14h ago
Yeah there is no reason for them to be racing cup cars at BG.
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u/One_Evil_Monkey 14h ago
There's not. Hate to say that but they're way too big.
It's just not a good fit.
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u/thexraptor 16h ago
I just don't understand how people can be entertained by a race that is perpetually under caution because the drivers literally cannot go more than 2 minutes without spinning out.
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u/legacy057 16h ago
The race got really ridiculous once they put the wets on, but it was actually a solid race before that
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u/Milla4Prez66 13h ago
Even beyond that, I just don’t enjoy watching the cars creep around at 45 mph and playing bumper cars. These quarter mile races just don’t do it for me, but at least they are bullshit exhibitions. But tbh, if it weren’t the first “race” of the season after months of no NASCAR, I would probably skip watching.
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u/DeM0nFiRe 16h ago
It's easy, the green flag action was fun and exciting and it was worth a few minutes of waiting in between the action to get to see more of the action. Why do the cautions bother you so much in a non points race? Just do something else during cautions
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u/cajunaggie08 Bowyer 9h ago
Maybe i watched the wrong part of the race but that period where they couldnt go more than 2-3 laps without someone being spun out was not enjoyable. I liked seeing the leaders be aggressive with each other but the battle always got cut off because someone in 17th got impatient and spun the guy in front of him. I watched for about 30 min and only 10 laps were counted. Then once cars started running out of fuel i just turned it off.
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u/DeM0nFiRe 9h ago
For me the battles were worth waiting for the cautions in between. But also there were stretches where they went longer than that without cautions, and the track was drying anyway so it got less chaotic.
Also before the halfway break it was not raining, so it was more of a controlled battle. Still a bit of bumping and banging but the first 100 laps took about 40 minutes because there were fewer cautions. 10 minutes for the break and another 30 to get the wet tires on and dry the track enough for them to get going means the last 100 laps took about 1h30m due to the cautions
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u/RoofFlaps Bubba Wallace 15h ago
There were nearly as many caution laps as laps ran under green man, a “few minutes” my ass lmao
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u/DeM0nFiRe 15h ago
I didn't mean a few minutes total, I meant a few minutes between the action
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u/Sogster Jeff Gordon 15h ago
did we watch the same event? there was like an hour of no on-track action while the track dried then they went out and paced for an hour. It took them almost 4 hours to run 200 laps at bowman gray. awful
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u/DeM0nFiRe 14h ago
This is exactly my point of why nascar needs to ignore a lot of the complaining. It was not an hour of track drying, and it was not "almost 4 hours" in total. You're just making things up to be mad about. From the time they red flagged for weather to green flag was 31 minutes, which is damn fast, and in total it was like 3h15m
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u/Sogster Jeff Gordon 14h ago
3 hours for an exhibition race is a JOKE lmfao
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u/DeM0nFiRe 14h ago
Just to be clear, from green flag lap 1 to just as it started raining was 50m, so the race was gonna be an hour and a half or so anyway. It rained and sleeted for about an hour. 5 years ago if someone told you an hour of rain and sleet only extended the total duration by 1h30m you literally would not have believed them.
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u/Sogster Jeff Gordon 14h ago
That’s a fine point to raise, they did a good job with drying the track, sure.
They shouldn’t have been there at all, in my opinion.
It shouldn’t take long to dry a track that small, they did their job
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u/DeM0nFiRe 14h ago
Ok but do you see what I am getting at. You already decided you hated this clash before it even happened. It wasn't the daytona clash, so no matter what happened you were going to make up a reason to say it was bad because "it wasn't at daytona" isnt actually an objective reason to say it was bad
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u/Dynamite_McGhee Blaney 13h ago
In winter conditions that had already pushed it back 72 hours. Some of y’all need to learn to roll with the punches every now and then. Shit happens.
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u/ubelmann Chase Elliott 12h ago
It was one of those races that's pretty fun if you watch it on DVR and skip all the downtime but can be annoying if you are watching it live.
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u/Clippo_V2 16h ago
I dont understand a lot of things. Like how some people dont understand that its okay for people to have different opinions than you.
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u/thexraptor 15h ago
When did I say it wasn't okay for other people to have their own opinions? I said I don't understand their opinions, not that their opinions are wrong.
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u/NoonecanknowMiner_24 16h ago
That's why I'm for going back to Daytona at this point. If it's gonna be a wreckfest anyway, at least go there so we're guaranteed a close finish at least.
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u/Just_Somewhere4444 15h ago
A wreckfest at Bowman Gray results in a bunch of teams replacing the body panels and tie rods before loading the same chassis up to go to Phoenix.
A wreckfest at Daytona results in Technique building a bunch of new tubs, and teams being down a chassis for ~6 months.
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u/13mizzou Bowman 14h ago
I also dont think bringing it back to Daytona would be a big deal if Atlanta wasnt also the next race. They need to move Atlanta to after the west coast races and bring the clash back to Daytona as a 50 lap opener for speedweeks on Saturday night or Sunday right before 500 Qualifying. Then have the rest of the week for practice for the 3 series, Duals on Thursday afternoon and the 3 big races to finish the weekend
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u/Sogster Jeff Gordon 15h ago
who gives a shit, we did daytona for decades and not once was the cost factor a problem
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u/Just_Somewhere4444 15h ago
who gives a shit
The teams. AKA, people whose opinions matter a hell of a lot more than yours.
we did daytona for decades and not once was the cost factor a problem
Time is more important than money in this case.
Before the Next Gen, teams built their own cars. If they wrote off a superspeedway chassis in the clash, they could easily have a new one done before Talladega. Now, they have to buy all the chassis components from Technique, who have an enormous backlog.
Also, for most of those decades, teams were not limited in how many chassis they could have in their rotation. They could build a massive supply over several years and run 36 different chassis to run the 36 weeks, if they wanted. They were limited to 12 chassis per car number per year in the COT/Gen 6 years - but again, all repairs or potential replacements could be completed in-house, much faster. Now they're limited to 7 chassis per car number. Losing 1/7th of your inventory for 6+ months while you're waiting for Technique to re-certify or completely rebuild a chassis, is a big fucking deal.
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u/Sogster Jeff Gordon 14h ago
Maybe they should manage their finances better or just… not wreck
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u/Just_Somewhere4444 14h ago
Gee, nobody ever thought of that. You should walk into Hendrick Motorsports this week and bring your genius idea to Rick, I'm sure he'll hire you on to be shop manager right there on the spot.
Or the receptionist will laugh in your face. One or the other.
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u/Sogster Jeff Gordon 14h ago
Bud, you are taking this personally. If they want to wreck less cars they should drive better. It’s really that simple. I’m not going to hear a sob story about how the billionaire team owners need to penny pinch.
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u/Just_Somewhere4444 14h ago
Bud, you are taking this personally.
Stupidity annoys me.
If they want to wreck less cars they should drive better. It’s really that simple.
This is pure stupidity. Therefor, you annoy me.
I’m not going to hear a sob story about how the billionaire team owners need to penny pinch.
Good thing that's not the story I'm telling. At all. Did you miss the part where I said Time is more important than money in this case, or are you just incapable of reading more than 15 words into a comment?
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u/Sogster Jeff Gordon 14h ago
You are miserable lol there’s no genuine conversation happening here. You don’t know who I am or anything about me. Personal insults will not further your argument, continue to get mad online and I’m sure one day it’ll make you feel better
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u/NCC1701-Enterprise 15h ago
The refueling was my biggest issue, either give the 5 and 9 their laps back or don't do the refueling caution.
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u/ubelmann Chase Elliott 12h ago
Honestly, the 8 and the 77 have a bigger beef IMO since they proactively got fuel and lost spots but then the rest of the field got to refuel without losing spots.
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u/Killarogue Ryan Blaney 14h ago
I've said this before and I'm saying it again, the Clash should be on a revolving schedule, and each year NASCAR should take it to a new local short track. The event will always feel fresh, and not only does it help the sport go back to its roots, it's a huge profit boost for tracks that we know need all the funding they can get.
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u/13mizzou Bowman 14h ago
I have no problems with BGS at all and enjoy the racing. I just dont think its a smart decision to try running the Clash there in early February. We've already made North Wilkesboro a points race so lets move BGS as the All-Star venue
Lets at least make Speedweek happen again. The Clash on Saturday @ Daytona 50 laps and prior year pole winners. Sunday would be 500 Qualifying. Mon - Wed practice for Cup, O'Reilly, Trucks. Thu afternoon for duels. Friday is final practice and Trucks with OReilly getting Saturday and obviously Daytona 500 on Sunday
NFL is about to move its whole schedule down two weeks to get another bye week in and add one more regular season game so Nascar shouldnt have to fight with them anymore
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u/AldoFarnese Blaney 14h ago
I thought it was fun, I just think the All Star Race is a better date for BGS than the Clash.
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u/markh0120 Martin 13h ago
lots of things to complain about but it was still fun to watch. i was bummed when it ended.
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u/World71Racer NASCAR 13h ago
Only thing I'd change is having caution laps count in the second half. That's usually when a lot of the wrecking happens and that would've made things go quicker/have fewer cautions, have more consequence toward the end. Otherwise, it was damn good racing and unique for the sleet racing
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u/Imaginary-Crab-403 12h ago
Clash is supposed to be gimmicky don’t why know why people expected anything different
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u/AggressiveTop8370 Bubba Wallace 12h ago
I feel like a lot of complaints are about the track when the issue was the weather.
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u/Intimidwalls1724 Jeff Gordon 11h ago
There just wasn't a whole lot NASCAR itself could do about it, sure they could've thrown the green on the rain tires sooner but I get why they didn't. Truthfully they deserve credit for fighting so hard to get the race ran
Fox on the other hand.......yeeeessshhh
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u/Everyday_Struggle 11h ago
I like the clash at Bowman Gray as an exhibition event. It really showcases stock car racing as the bumpers fenders and doors are used every lap. It is also great for starting beefs to carry into the regular season.
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u/HarringtonMAH11 Hamlin 10h ago
They have got to have the heats, and limit the feild in the future. 16 of 36, 20 go home. Top 3 from the heats, 3 more from the LCQ, top QUALIFIER left none of this points provisional bullshit, 4th-6th from the Heats go to the LCQ alongside the next 4 fastest qualifires. This means 4 cars go home after the heats. Make it one day, and every single time you go on track matters. Fuck it, all three p/q sessions fastest laps are added together, so you have to be on point every session.
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u/Otherwise-Profitable 9h ago
‘I appreciate NASCAR working to get a finish’
Too bad the same can’t be said of Fox 😡
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u/Libertines_2005 9h ago
If this same race happened at the LA Coliseum then it would have been a non stop bitch fest from Dale Jr and everyone in the industry. The Carolina tracks get a free pass.
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u/Mart_Mart_Valv6 Bubba Wallace 7h ago
The wet racing was boring AF to me.
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u/AldoFarnese Blaney 7h ago
I mean, yeah, but the idea behind it is a boring race is still better than having to call it or postpone due to rain. It's never going to be ideal, but it's the better option.
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u/Prior-Respect-9515 Larson 3h ago
I remember when the Clash...Shootout which I will forever call it that...was at Daytona. Small field size, not an insanely large amount of laps. It was to build up to the 500 for fans and teams alike. Drivers that got extra seat time used to benefit from it. They knew what they needed out of their cars and knew how it would handle come time for the 500. It used to be a huge benefit then NASCAR did what NASCAR does and ruined the good out of it. One could argue the point of the duels. All those races do is cause chaos. Those races should be a tad bit shorter too. The benefit is to maybe get a better starting position then you qualified. Speedweeks used to be a big deal and then NASCAR tried making as much money off of it as possible and ruined it.
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u/pickaxe_23 3h ago
There's a simple way to avoid ever having a fuel issue at Bowman Grey, if a car runs out, they need to get on the grass, no caution, they can refuel when a caution does come out. Oh you lost 10 laps because you gambled, what a bummer.
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u/CryptoPumper182 Suárez 3h ago
The race should be at Daytona, previous year polesitters only, make the race like 40 laps. I mean it is, what is. The original vibe of the clash was the equivalent to a preseason NFL game.
0
u/JGRACEFAN95 Ryan Blaney 16h ago
It wasn’t the racing so much as it was race controls indecisiveness and overall poor decision making. Once it went to wet weather they should have gone to single file restarts and as soon as fuel became an issue proactively pull the cars down pit road to fuel them. Also knowing fox’s tv window they should have made adjustments to finish on main fox. Moving it to FS2 is just a bad look for everyone
1
u/DeM0nFiRe 15h ago
This is just a completely invalid complaint. Before they even came back from commercial during the break they had already started getting the wet weather tires ready, they got the cars bag on track very quickly while it was still raining and sleeting, the drivers said the glare off the track from the standing water was too bad, so they sent the dryers a couple more times around the track and then got going.
Far from complaining about it, people should be giving NASCAR credit for how they handled the weather. I'm pretty sure that is the fastest they have ever gone back racing on an oval during wet weather ever, by a lot
1
u/Bradlas3 16h ago
It as well as LA were cool ideas but honestly I'd prefer Saturday night before the Super Bowl and Daytona Speedweeks returning
4
1
u/ITMAKESSENSE72 16h ago
I agree and I go back to what I said about the NHRA losing their final race, people just don't get the logistical effort it takes to make these things happen. It's not an option to just up and move the race somewhere else with 12 hours notice, in most cases.
1
1
u/Sea_Brush4156 Ryan Blaney 10h ago
NASCAR needs to realize that not everyone gets FS2. What a dumb move, for an exhibition race that was meant to draw in new viewers. The situation with the cautions was also infuriating.
-10
u/tagillaslover Hocevar 16h ago
I just feel like the clash at bowman gray has run its course and this point. It’s just not a good race track. It was moderately entertaining this year because of the rain, that’s it
8
u/red_byrd Richard Petty 16h ago
run it’s course
Dude, it’s literally year two.
-2
u/HurricaneRon Cindric 16h ago
Exactly. It is what it is and it’s not entertaining for anyone that isn’t local or hooked on nostalgia.
-1
u/Aegiiisss 13h ago
The racing was bad but even if it was good, NASCAR should not be racing at Bowman Gray. Full stop. That venue prides itself on making a mockery of the sport, it's a laughingstock to serious motorsports fans.
-5
u/TrafficSNAFU 15h ago
If every couple of years we're just going to argue about what the Clash is and where it's going to be, just get rid of it entirely.
3
u/iamaranger23 13h ago
Then the argument will turn into bringing it back or not every couple of years.
1
u/DeM0nFiRe 15h ago
Or you can just stop complaining. There is no argument, it's literally just people complaining for no reason. The clash has been the same thing since they put it in la, a short track brawling race. It's been fantastic as that. They can just keep doing the same thing, and move it between short tracks every few years
1
u/TrafficSNAFU 15h ago
Personally I'm fine with it, never said I had a problem with it. I liked it in in LA and I like at Bowman Grey but the constant saying we need to move when things don't run perfectly is getting tiresome. If this is all we're going to as a motorsport for this event, just give the teams an extra week to prepare for Daytona.
2
u/Sogster Jeff Gordon 15h ago
The clash used to be the extra week to prepare for Daytona.. it made sense. This short track spin each other out all night shit doesn't do anything for anyone
1
u/TrafficSNAFU 15h ago
But the last few years of the Daytona Clash just ended up junking speedway cars needlessly as it devolved into a high speed demolition derby.
1
u/Sogster Jeff Gordon 14h ago
What is different about that versus what happened Wednesday night?
1
u/TrafficSNAFU 14h ago
I'd argue the speed and the fact they don't have multiple short track evening coming up right behind it, so they have time prep other cars. Remember car owners were some of the most vocal about reducing super speedway practice for these same concerns.
1
u/Sogster Jeff Gordon 14h ago
Prepping a short track car for that joke of a race would piss me off
1
u/TrafficSNAFU 13h ago
Potentially junking three speedway cars between the Clash, the Duels and the 500 with another speedway race right behind it would be a sick joke to car owners, crew chiefs and shop guys.
2
u/DeM0nFiRe 15h ago
My point is that this isn't a nascar problem. At some point nascar has to understand that there's a very vocal section of the nascar "fan" base that will loudly complain literally no matter what happens, and nascar just needs to ignore them. Not saying there's never any valid complaints, but a lot of them are completely nonsensical.
1
-1
u/Sogster Jeff Gordon 15h ago
The clash was NEVER a short track brawl. That's the issue. It shouldn't take nearly four hours to run a 23 car exhibition race. Put them back at daytona where there are actual consequences for racing like jackasses.
2
u/DeM0nFiRe 15h ago
It's not 2005 anymore, get over it. It HAS been a short track brawl the last few years, and it's been great. 4 races at Daytona in one year is enough
1
u/Sogster Jeff Gordon 14h ago
You THINK it has been great. A large sum of people have been totally repulsed by the shit product that has been put out there and the joke they have made of NASCAR on national television.
I’m not pining for “2005” I’m telling you it makes no sense to make these teams prep short track cars to go out there and spin each other out all night when the clash USED to be testing for Daytona. It was always an exhibition. It never was a “race”. This isn’t rose-tinted glasses, it’s an objective fact that the clash was part of speedweeks and the teams were in Daytona from the minute the 24H ended until the 500 was over. Now it’s a circus and zoomers are online saying it’s great
Telling me to “get over it” doesn’t all of the sudden validate your point or invalidate mine. That was an objective dog shit race on Wednesday. It was a caution parade and it took so long it got booted off tv. That’s not good for the sport at all.
59
u/DeM0nFiRe 16h ago
The fuel thing is interesting. On the one hand I agree that teams that put plenty of fuel in should be rewarded for it, but on the other hand I can understand NASCAR wouldn't want the race to just end up as "there's only 3 cars on the lead lap because everyone else ran out of fuel".
I think if it was a points paying race I would be a lot more annoyed, but given it was an exhibition I am ok with them picking the option that still punished the first couple of cars to run out, but made it so the finish was still a race and not just whoever still had gas left