Feb 1, 1969: The King wins in his Ford debut at Riverside
Stock Car Racing History
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Forum Activity for @tmc-chase
Looking for Ontario pics ... and RR member
Stock Car Racing History
On the old site, one of our RR members had some great photos from Ontario. Specifically, I remember some from 1977ish taken on pit road - including one of Richard Petty riding a bicycle. Don't recall member's name, and my search attempts have failed. Anyone remember who it was? Hopefully he is still here & hasn't dropped off the site which would remove the pics. Thanks.
Search feature for photos
Administrative
We now have a search feature for members and forum posts. I request again a search feature for photos. The overall search feature is simply too basic and only returns a limited number of photos without an easy way to view additional ones that meet the search criteria.
The collection of photos is arguably this site's greatest asset. We really need an easier and more effective way for folks to explore and enjoy them.
updated by @tmc-chase: 01/18/20 05:20:38AM
Racing History Minute - 1974 Winston Western 500 at Riverside Raceway
Stock Car Racing History
Bump
updated by @tmc-chase: 01/18/20 05:20:38AM
Need a Translator? I can help... maybe
Current NASCAR
A fair (and *slightly* cynical) question bud. Ha. Yes, I agree. The twins - and other exhibition races - will continue to be on the schedule. Not sure if they remain because of profitability, contractual obligations, opportunistic marketing (well, the video of THAT wreck was from one of our races that didn't really count), last shred of tradition, or what.
But I've been on record for several years that the Clash and ASR are no longer needed, and I'm adding the twins to that list. Teams have screamed "help us with cost containment". And drivers have tweeted from aboard their luxury coaches and private planes that their lives and schedules are simply too packed. The flip-flop execs claim they hear them. IMO those three events could be whacked to accomplish both goals. Cut costs, give teams a few extra days off, focus on races THAT COUNT, etc.
I realize I'm in the minority with that opinion, but I'm OK with that too.
And as NASCAR heads into year 2 with the charter system, I'm no more certain what the long term future holds for that model any more than I was one year ago when it was announced.
Need a Translator? I can help... maybe
Current NASCAR
I'll admit I'm not yet fully versed in the details of Monday's announcement. But a few initial thoughts.
As with other radical changes made in recent years, it is again a shame it's come to this. Yes, as a long-time fan, I'd rather just see the races play out naturally. Some are instant classics with photo finishes. Others are boring runaways like Kyle Petty at Rockingham in the 90s or Cale Yarborough at Nashville and Bristol in the 70s.
But ... I'm becoming part of the past vs the future. Many have said NASCAR is trying to push away long time fans. I don't think they're doing that. Why would they? They need cash from ALL age groups. Many fans may CHOOSE to quit following, but I don't think the beach suits are deliberately trying to oust their increasingly aging fan base.
I believe a lot of the noise surrounding this change is exactly that - noise. Yes, the new points formula is more complicated. But face it, who in stands or at home was tracking points during a race either with a pre-Latford system, the Latford era, or the multiple post-Latford systems. You read the box score afterwards, you listen to the pundits, you do your own ciphering, whatever re: possible scenarios that may help your fave driver. But I've never really fretted one way or other about the 43's points "as they run now".
Bottom line, the premise of the last 3 years hasn't changed. Right? Win and advance? Apparently "The Chase" is no longer a thing & has been replaced by "playoffs". One, I'm glad I get my tainted name back! And two, I AM humored that the suits now embrace the word that they glared at the media for using just a few short years ago. But that IS the system they have now, and nothing changed significantly about it Monday.
To Bobby's point, I think Monster had little to do with this. The sense I get is this has been underway for some time & was driven more by TV networks. NBC and FOX are in a world of hurt. They're locked into 8 more years of so of an inflated contract and have to be pushing NASCAR for an urgent fix moreso than a brand new title sponsor who isn't paying much more than a sponsor for a top-end single car.
The one element that DOES bug me is the plan to award points in the Daytona twins. The races are not official events as they were in the pre-Winston era - yet points will be awarded for them. To me, this is a band-aid on a flesh wound. The twins were once relevant & impacted some teams making the 500. In an era of plate racing and guaranteed charters, the starting field for the 500 is all but set. This has resulted in boring 150s. I suppose NASCAR is trying to make them relevant again. But the elephant in the room for me is that the twins ARE OBSOLETE. Rather than award points, they should simply eliminate them. No way will that happen. But IMO, the twins, Clash and All Star Race are no longer needed - and haven't been for a number of years.
updated by @tmc-chase: 01/24/17 11:48:37AM
Let Me Know What Problems You're Having Posting
Using The Site
[quote="Dennis Garrett"]
I tagged Andy's photo with (5) tagged words: WINSTON CUP NASCAR MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY APRIL 27 1975 VIRGINIA 500
Only problem is the tag dates like the example: 4/27/75 or 4/27/1975 When I typed the tagged word: NASCAR I get a funny messaged like just typed a three letter or least word But NASCAR tagged word would come up in box x NASCAR If I click on x, I will dielect the NASCAR tag If I click on NASCAR, it would go on to tagged NASCAR page with the tag cloud button is shown
What is a tag cloud?
http://racersreunion.com/tags/virginia%20500
[/quote]
Couple of thoughts Dennis. I personally tag pics with just a year vs a specific date. The specific date might be useful in the photo's caption / description. But it's very limiting when trying to ID pics with same tag. In the Andy pic you referenced, I suggest using 1975 vs. 4/27/75.
Also, I have historically used just one word for a track (e.g. Martinsville, Charlotte, Daytona, Nashville) vs. multiple words. Quicker to type plus the single word may make it easier for outside search engines to find the pics. (I do,however, type full names for people.)
Easiest way to define 'tag cloud' is to quickly identify all the pics on the site that have the same tag. In the link provided, I only see 1 pic with the tag VIRGINIA 500. That's likely because no other pics have been tagged that way yet. Here is another example where I've tagged pics of mulitiple users with RICHARD PETTY.
http://racersreunion.com/tags/richard%20petty
Looks like site now has separate deal too called Tag Cloud that shows a bunch of words representing the various tags used. The larger the word - the greater the number of items tagged with that cloud. What I DON'T yet know is if the cloud of words represent the tags I personally have used - or all tags across the site. I think it's the former.
updated by @tmc-chase: 01/23/17 11:21:47AM