Nascar 2020 - Fontana

[GA_Boater]

Out to sunny California for Cup and X-Men racing this weekend. Mostly sunny, anyway - Late Saturday and Sunday may may be soggy. Took a peek ahead and Phoenix next week may be dry. I hope so!

38 teams on the Cup roster, so everybody races. Here is the MRN schedule;

[h=1]Auto Club Schedule of Events[/h] All Times Eastern (Local Time 3 Hours Behind)

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Friday, February 28
Xfinity Series First Practice: 3:05 p.m.-3:55 p.m. (FS1)
Cup Series First Practice: 4:00 p.m.-4:55 p.m. (MRN/FS1)
Xfinity Series Final Practice: 5:02-5:27 p.m. (FS1)
Cup Series Final Practice: 5:30 p.m.-6:25 p.m. (MRN/FS1)

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Saturday, February 29
Xfinity Series Qualifying: 1:05 p.m. (FS1)
Cup Series Qualifying: 2:30 p.m. (MRN/FS1)
Radio Pre-Race: 3:30 (MRN)
TV Pre-Race: 3:30 (FS1)
Xfinity Series Production Alliance Group 300: 4:00 p.m. (MRN/FS1)

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Sunday, March 1
Radio Pre-Race: 2:30 p.m. (MRN)
TV Pre-Race: 3:00 p.m. (FOX)
Cup Series Auto Club 400: 3:30 p.m. (MRN/FOX)

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News and Notes

• Don't adjust the color on your TVs while watching the Cup race. In honor of Kobe a lot of teams are displaying LA Lakers colors, yellow and purple.
• Beginning next year, some tracks will only get 1 year contracts or year to year contracts from Nascar, replacing 5 year deals in place now. This doesn't mean tracks are losing races, it means that Nascar can easier work schedules on those tracks they say. Ummm, wonder if these are tracks not owned by Nascar?
• Ryan Newman had special therapy yesterday;
  
• Newman also stopped in at the Roush-Fenway garage;
  
• The only post-race penalties at Vegas were loose lugs.
• TV ratings for Vegas earned 5.5 million viewers for Sunday's, up 8% from last year's second Cup race (at Atlanta), and up 7% from last year's spring Vegas race (in March). Schedule changes from last year mar direct comparison difficult. But I wonder how many tuned in to see another big wreck?

iBoats Fantasy Live

• Second race and 64osby is our second winner this year. Check under your seat, you get a :first:. Congrats 64.
• 64 is also the new league leader. For now a 21 point lead.
• The pole locks at 2:35 PM EST on Saturday, the 28th.

Good luck, iFL'ers,

Humpty

 

[64osby]

I looked under my seat... ...I found rib bones.

 

[GA_Boater]

Call Oprah! She's losing her touch. :rofl:

 

[GA_Boater]

We have a taker!

Kevin Harvick put a 50 grand bounty on The Whining Twerp in the Truck Series when TWT won his 7th consecutive Truck race last Friday at Vegas. The bounty is collectible by a Cup driver beating TWT in one of the remaining 4 Truck races he will drive this year. Gander owner Marcus Lemonis matched Harvick, raising the bounty to 100 grand. Nascar has no objections and a Cup driver has to come in ahead of him and TWT can't wreck out.

TWT said in a Bsar Stool podcast that he didn't expect any Cup driver to take up the challenge and he wouldn't rent a truck to a Cup driver and Bowyer, who was mentioned as a possible, can't rent a Toyota truck as he's a Ford driver. He also said no Cupper would put up $140,000 to go after him. Wrong thing to say!

Within hours after the podcast, the Cup most popular driver, Chase Elliott stepped up to the plate. He is entered in the Atlanta Truck race to try to claim the bounty. Elliott will drive for GMS racing, who he drove for in Xfinity and Trucks.

If TWT isn't beat, the money will go to the Bundle of Joy Fund—a charity established by Kyle and Samantha Busch. No word on what Chase will do with the money.

Autoweek has the story - https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nasc...-busch-bounty/

 

[GA_Boater]

Kyle Larson has signed up for the Beat The Twerp Truck Series. He'll be teaming up with GMS Racing at Homestead.

BTTTS kinda has a nice ring to it. LOL

 

[GA_Boater]

First Cup practice just finished. Top 5 are Bowman, Larson, Reddick, Busch1 and Matt D.

Chase Elliott's crew chief Alan Gustafson showed up at the track today with his arm in a sling.

“I wrecked my mountain bike while riding in Laguna,” Gustafson told NASCAR.com. “It was pretty gnarly. I have a torn AC joint and a hairline fracture in my clavicle, along with no skin left on my arms and elbows.”

After wrecking he had to carry the bike 2 1/2 miles off the trail to get medical attention.

 

[GA_Boater]

5 fastest in the final Cup practice - Bowman, Blaney, Wallace, Busch1 and Bell. Bowman led both practices.

iFL pole locks at 2:35 EST tomorrow.

 

[GA_Boater]

Preece had change his motor and will start at the read tomorrow.

Qualifying is at 2:35 and pole locks 5 minutes before.

 

[GA_Boater]

Pre-qualifying inspections - Busch1 failed twice and lost a crewman, Truex failed 3 times and lost a crewman and will start at the back with no qualifying time. He has to pass to race on Sunday.

Cars are impounded after qualifying until the garage opens tomorrow.

Qualifying has started.

 

[GA_Boater]

Truex passed on 4th time.

McDowell is leading Q'ing with 15 cars making a run so far.

 

[GA_Boater]

Now it's Joey through 22 cars.

 

[GA_Boater]

8 to go and Bowyer is fastest.

 

[GA_Boater]

Top 10 qualifiers - Bowyer, Johnson, Bowman, Busch1, Harvick, Almirola, Joey, McDowell, Larson and Stenhouse.

Your iFL rosters lock at 3:41 EST tomorrow.

X-Race flags off in about 30 minutes.

 

[GA_Boater]

Brandon Jones has led every X-Lap today, winning heat 1 and 2.

Bowyer tweeted after winning the Cup pole earlier

Hell has froze over!!!! Pole baby!

Guess it's been a while.

 

[GA_Boater]

Harrison Burton, Jeff's son, won his first X-Race after 12 starts.

Cup coverage on begins on FOX at 3:30 Eastern tomorrow and roster locks at 3:41.

 

[GA_Boater]

More pre-qualifying fall out;

Both Stenhouse and Preece received an L1 penalty for something affecting airflow over the body. Fines, loss of driver/owner points, crew chiefs suspended for the race and starting at the rear.

3:41 is still the roster lock time.

 

[FlaCowboy]

I looked under my seat... ...I found rib bones.

That could be grounds for disqualification...:laugh:

Congrats Osby...good pickins...:thumb:

I better get started with better picks...I am way behind

 

[GA_Boater]

I am way behind

You should stay there. :lol:

 

[FlaCowboy]

You should stay there. :lol:

LOL

I was saving my big dogs for later in the season...but my puppy picks didn`t help me much...:faint2:

 

[GA_Boater]

26 races and 10 max picks per driver make it difficult. It's tough to balance.

Then some bones fall out of the sky. Wait - Those are the raindrops Humpty warned about. :blue:

What happened with Stenhouse and Preece? Bob Pockross fills us in;

There was a piece on the 37 and 47 cars designed to deflect air that nascar noticed at some point in qualifying. Would make car go faster. Ejected crew chiefs because of violation and a way of ramping up the penalty after what they have seen in garage last couple of weeks.

Seen in the garage last couple of weeks? Heavens, are Nascar teams cheating? Well kiss my grits!