Bud Shootout? More like Dancing with the Stars!

What is your take on the 2-car tango at Daytona? Is it a racing or dancing?

updated by @jim-wilmore: 03/12/17 02:02:19PM

What would we rather have ? A 30 car pack waiting for a mistake or seperation that puts it in the drivers hands ?

They can bunch up if wanted but NASCAR has the answer and that it to make these machines overheat if in a draft for more than two laps.

I liked saturday's race (watched in sunday) then found out that NASCAR is seeing too much speed in the draft (206mph). Now they are going to mess with the front grill and the cooling systems to limit a tight draft. The difference between qualifying speeds and race speeds is more than I can recall for a looooong time.

It is back to square 1 and that is NASCAR's manipulation of what these cars do on the track. Daytona used to be about who could get the most out of what they had. Daytona used to really mean something to me but not anylonger.

I guess it could be referred to as a high-speed dance. Ryan Newman said he really couldn't tell the difference between 196 and 206, said the higher speed didn't bother him. It would be nice if we could see some real racing instead of these high-speed drafting exercises..........maybe make the race cars less aerodynamic?

I liked veteran writer Monte Dutton's (Gaston Gazette) comment: "it was a stupid ending to a stupid race..."

Did not watch it from the news on TV it looked like 2 cars pluss 2 cars pluss 2 cars pluss 2 cars i don`t think i missed anything

I enjoyed the race. Sure, it wasn't pure racing. But it showed a stark contrast to racing at Martinsville. It was completely different than what we saw in the Daytona ARCA race.

I thought it showed to what level of desperation a single racer will go to (trusting another racer on the track) for that drug called speed. I also think it said a lot about the cooling innovations that the car teams were able to achieve so many laps pushing.

Of course it helps that I'm a fan of Kurt Bush and Dodge in general.... So there is that.

Quite the analogies here! I like Bobby's quote from Monte Dutton ""it was a stupid ending to a stupid race..."

That is exactly in line with what I was thinking. After 5 laps I realized that the drivers figured out how to go fast to win and threw out everything we've ever known about stock car racing, that it is the driver's skills along with the team's skills to build fast, good handling cars that win races. Now here it is, the Daytona 500, the SUPERBOWL OF STOCK CAR RACING and all we get to look forward to is 500 laps of 21 cars pushing 21 other cars around the track (one car will be the 3rd wheel)....BORING!!!! Congratulations NASCAR and drivers, you've turned the most exciting race of the year into some silly looking tango. And the 2011 Daytona Dancing With the Stars trophy goes too......Derek Cope perhaps?

I think I'll tinker around in the garage Sunday and maybe, just maybe catch the last 5 laps, I need a good laugh.

Doug,

I agree about dirt track. That's a great way to spend the afternoon. But they aren't going 200+. Personally, the Chilly Bowl was one of the best races I expect I'll see in 2011 just because of the way the son / dad play was so reminiscent of other great races.

I know they had plans to put more restrictions in place to limit the number of laps this would work and more strategy will come from that.

I understand that all of the changes upset racers. But really, when haven't new cars and new innovation been a part of NASCAR? There was a time when every year brought new models from the show room. This is a sport where new ideas are a part of the roots.

I understand next year will bring fuel injectors. Now that's a change that will bring a lot of control to the people who make the rules. Especially because of the controller supplier Freescale. I'm not sure how I feel about that but if it drives fuel economy innovation, then I'm down with it.

I watched the whole race and i was glad to see Kurt win in a Dodge.But i am still wondering if i enjoyed it.It was better than watching the cars follow the yellow line in a single line though.So have at it Boys!!

Well Jim, since I have only seen a couple of responses and nearly all have been in disapproval of the race and Nascar in general, I suppose tv ratings for the 500 are in the tank and the grandstands will probably be close to empty on Sunday. Naw,that isn't going to happen. Everybody complaining will be sitting in front of the TV watching just like always wishing it was 1979 all over again. Folks, the reality is, time and innovation has passed these big old tracks by. When Big Bill started all of this they were running bone stock race cars. They are turning over 9500 rpm's in the draft now in purpose built racing machines. Can we really expect them to turn these things loose at over 200 mph and not expect disaster. 10 years ago this weekend this sport changed forever. If any of you wached the show about the"DAY" then you could obviously see the emotion that these people carry still today. They are human too. I really have no desire to see any other driver lose their lifeor ability to do what they do at these super speedways any more so I applaud Nascars efforts to keep it under 200 and unfortunately the quality of racing is probably going to suffer.I am old enough to remember racing in the 70' and 80's and truthfully it wasn't really all that much better.Do you remember when Ford teams would whine until they got an advantage and then Chevy teams would have their turn and then Dodge.Oh I almost forgot,we hadOldsmobiles, Buicks,and Pontiacs too.Do you remember when there were no Dodges?This sport has been an ever changing evolution since the beginning,we just have selective memeories.At the beginning of those races only a handful of drivers really had a chance of winning and several races were pure runaway events.For this race you could pick 5 drivers that could win and you would probably be wrong. In 1975 you could pick 5 drivers and probably be right.I see the problem as time is passing us by and we really would like it to be like it was when we were younger. It's not the racing we hadback then but it is what we have now, I remember so vividly the day Dale won this race,that was probably the very best Daytona 500 ever to me,not for the race itself,it wasn't that much different than any other,but it was the emotion of seeing him achieve the dream,so I will be in front of the tv Sunday with bells on,loving every minute of it because I know I will see somebody do something spectacular,and maybe even see Mark or Bill pull off a miracle and beat these young whippersnappers.Do you remember the year Bill made up 3 laps under green and won? Man,all the Chevy fans thought that stunk,they whined and cried for days.The reality is,I still love the sport and I am addicted to stock cars just like all of you. I will find the good,find peace with the bad and thank God we still have something,even if it is not what it was way back when! Thanks for putting up with my longwindedness and I truly hope you can find some satisfaction and hang on to those memories of what it was because now "it is what it is" or whatever Nascar decides it is going to be.

Well said, Tommy......and you're right, we all love the sport. Otherwise, we wouldn't even be on this website. The memories of "way back when" are wonderful and I wouldn't take anything for them. And yes, I'll be watching on Sunday.....not even on TV, but at the track. And I'm sure I'll be watching next year and thereafter.....for as long as I'm able - because it runs through my veins and always will. However, as I've stated before, I still believe NASCAR has made some changes over the last 6-8 years which I don't see as beneficial to the sport............the biggest of which is the "Chase" format, and some other changes to a lesser degree. I could just never bring myself to agree with that one............just my opinion. Beyond that, the sport has evolved into something very different from what I remember from the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s............and I recognize that change is inevitable as parts and safety measures improve. I suppose one thing I wish NASCAR would consider is to not try fixing things "that ain't broke". If I could make one prediction of changes to come, I will predict that NASCAR will scrap the "Chase" format in the future - I just hope I'm still here to see it.

I thought the race was pretty good compared to the "Pack" racing we've seen over the last 10 years or so. I liked the fact that 2 cars could team up and run down the lead group. The closing speed was fun to watch. I admit it wasn't the same as when I was young but it was a good show. The only way to get back to the racing that most of us grew up with is to make the cars more boxy, cut the rear spoiler in half and make mechanicl grip more important. Then we would all love the show!

Tommy you summed it up pretty well. Thanks

Wow. Dale and Eric just went 200mph in the Nationwide practice.

Speed much! Ya, I'm ok watching this.

Tommy,

I see your point however, I'm not hoping for racing the way it was, I'm want to see racing the way it ought to be, driver against driver. If watching cars get pushed around the track is something we can expect from the super speedways of 2 miles or more I'd rather not watch it and NO, I will not be watching the Daytona 500 if this is what I can expect on Sunday. Again, I'll watch the first few laps and if it's more of the same I will find something better to do with my time.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHORT TRACK!

Absolutly non racing. Put the radiators in front of the bumpers and then let them try to push each other. I didn't like "bump drafting" and I sure don't like train racing. Take them back to stock sheet metal and see who has the best car. NASCAR has been going steadly down hill ever since they closed North Wilksboro and started catering to the wine and cheese crowd. I started going to races in '63 and never missed an Atlanta race and attended a lot of races elsewhere until the late 90's and then never went back.

How the heck do you get spell checker to work here????

When they took the short tracks out of Nascar. They took the heart out of Nascar. It became about how many more people/fans can we fit into a track. North Wilkesboro was one of my favorite races every year gone. Bristol is about the only race I look forward to now. I usually just look for a local dirt track running close by. You guys all have good points. Nascar lost my interest years ago.