Nascar - The Club From Fontana

GA_Boater

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Coming up is the first race in California this year, the Auto Club 400 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. The race weekend kicks off Friday with Cup and X-Men practices, ending with Cup qualifying. No worries about making the Cup field because again only 39 entrants will try. Trucks return to action next week. The MRN schedule;

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It never rains in Southern California as Albert Hammond sang in 1972 and in 2017, the weekend forecast agrees.


News and Notes
  • Let's start with penalties;
    • Keso flunked post-race inspection and received Nascar's equivalent of the Death Penalty, 35 team/owner points and 3 race CC suspension along with a $65K fine. The #2 failed laser beams and minimum weight. No word if Penske is appealing.
    • Harvick wasn't hit as hard for "an unapproved track bar slider assembly". The hit is 10 team/owner points and a 1 race CC suspension with a $25K fine. The bad slider (White Castle takeout?) was found in the R&D center as the #4 was one of the impounded inspection cars. SHR has appealed the ruling.
    • Non-Penalty - For the second week, Nascar shows why the sport is falling into the abyss. Austin Dillon intentionally wrecked Cole Custer during caution in Saturday's X-Men race. He was parked for the rest of the race, not that it meant anything because the car looked too damaged to be repaired under the 5 minute crash clock rule. Dillon was not penalized! The same punishment meted out to Kyle Busch for slugging Logano following the end of the Vegas race. :facepalm: doubled!
    • So how does The Twerp sneer at Nascar? By selling t-shirts with "Everything is great" for 22 bucks. He used that phrase repeatedly following the Nascar hauler meeting with Logano before the 1st practice last week. Where is Jimmy Spenser when you really need him!
  • The hauler for Furniture Row's #77 Erik Jones was involved in a hit and run wreck early this morning on the way to Fontana. No one was hurt and the trailer/equipment was undamaged. The tractor was damaged and a recently installed Russian dash cam in the truck was used to assist Broderick Crawford of the "Highway Patrol" in the apprehension and arrest of the miscreants.
  • No butts! We know how to fix that. Charlotte is removing some turn 4 seats, this the second time the track has cut seating capacity. The Atlanta, Kentucky, Las Vegas and New Hampshire tracks are re-purposing seats as well.
  • Looking at empty seats in the stands at Phoenix this past Sunday, will the upcoming modernization program which includes "New and upgraded seating and hospitality areas located in what is currently the Turn 2 portion of the facility" lose seats? The crowd was estimated at 45,000 at a track, about 6,000 less than the number of seats.
  • TV ratings or What Ratings? A 3.0, the lowest in the 12 years of Cup racing at Phoenix. This also tied for the 4th lowest ever for a Fox broadcast Nascar race going back 16 years.

iBoats Fantasy Live

A new iFL winner surfaced at the conclusion of Sunday's race. JBB Blazer came out on top. Congrats and you get one of these rare trophies.

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A new overall leader emerged! Sam60 is sitting on top with a 50 point lead over 64osby.

Make changes, bribe track officials, grease the track - Whatever it takes to win! :D But get it done by the time the green flag drops on Sunday.​



Humpty_Boater, Esq.
 

WIMUSKY

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They'll keep pulling seats until someday they'll be able to say, "The grandstands are full" again...... Then they can pat themselves on the back when they claim to have revitalized "their sport".......:facepalm:
 

MTboatguy

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First Red Flag right after practice starts!

There was an OWL sitting in the middle of the race track!
 

GA_Boater

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Whoo?

Johnson wrecked in practice. It was the owl's fault!



Logano, Bayne, Gaulding, and DiBenedetto didn't make it through qualifying inspection. The four didn't turn a wheel!
 
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GA_Boater

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Qualifying put Larson on the pole. Then Hamlin, Keso, Truex, Newman, Kenseth, Harvick, McMurray, The Twerp, Suarez, Run 'em over Dillon and Kahne.

The Twerp didn't try to punch anyone and Dillon didn't try to run over another car. But the weekend is early.

For the 1st time this year Elliott isn't starting in the top 12. Keso and Jamie Mac. are keeping their top 12 start streak alive, the only drivers.
 

MTboatguy

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Man, I tell you what, Larson is on a roll as of late, that guy is getting so good, he is scary!
 

GA_Boater

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X-Men just finished and Larson won, followed by 3 more X-Whackers. 5th was Byron, highest finishing X-Man.

Nascar warned ADillon not to hit anymore cars during caution after last week when he ran into Custer. Aw!
 

GA_Boater

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To the back for tire changes - Menard & Dale Jr, back up car - Ragan and transmission change - the other Earnhardt.

There may be a few fans in the seats - Very few!


Green flag for Heat #1.
 

GA_Boater

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Keso got dinged body work on the start by Hamlin and fading early.

And he spins! Yellow #1.
 

WIMUSKY

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Haven't found a driver to follow since J Burton left a while ago. Been watching Logano for a while. I think Logano will be my new driver.... Joey, Joey!
 

GA_Boater

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48 laps in and only 21 cars on lead lap. Time for a Mystery flag. :doh:
 

WIMUSKY

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Mystery flag will come in 7 laps, I mean Segment 1.......:facepalm:
 

GA_Boater

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Danica almost brought out the flag. She saved it!

Mystery yellow, I mean Heat #1 over.

How long before green? Plenty of time to catch the end of BB.
 

WIMUSKY

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Haven't found a driver to follow since J Burton left a while ago. Been watching Logano for a while. I think Logano will be my new driver.... Joey, Joey!


Did I mention this?????????? :cheer2::horn::bump: :attention::first::bolt:
 
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