NASCAR Clash at the LA Coliseum

You should try to find a local short track near you. Or maybe watch short track racing on TV like MavTv. It's pretty easy to develop an appreciation for them.

This type of racing is from the roots of American racing. Heat Races, LCQ's, Smaller fields. As @racin4ds said above, it's easy to become somewhat numb watching the Superspeedways and mile and a half's.
The Superspeedways are my favorites, remember Bill Elliott tearing em' up with his swirl head engines built by his brother Ernie. :D
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You should try to find a local short track near you. Or maybe watch short track racing on TV like MavTv. It's pretty easy to develop an appreciation for them.

This type of racing is from the roots of American racing. Heat Races, LCQ's, Smaller fields. As @racin4ds said above, it's easy to become somewhat numb watching the Superspeedways and mile and a half's.
I've seen plenty of local short track racing. What transpired yesterday doesn't qualify as racing.
 
They are throwing a lot of torque down that drive shaft to the gear box.
I meant specifically what's failing. See if there's something they need to beef up to handle the torque better. It would be a shame for gearbox failures to be so common that good cars get taken out of contention at every race.
 
We had a great time!! I kept trying to meet up with @slo town but it just didn't happen. But there are more races to go to. Our seats were awesome!! We were in section 405 which ended up being a club type seat section. Jeff Gordon was in the suite over my right shoulder. As for the stands, I took my pictures after the heats. Remember, this is Los Angeles, people show up to a Dodger game in the 3rd inning and leave in the 7th.

If we had to have a downside, it was traffic. We got to the exit for the 110 at 9:50 but didn't pull into the parking lot that was less than a mile away until almost noon.

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I meant specifically what's failing. See if there's something they need to beef up to handle the torque better. It would be a shame for gearbox failures to be so common that good cars get taken out of contention at every race.
I was listening to his scanner after he broke. He said he pushed the clutch in, revved the engine, and let the clutch out. The transaxle they use by XTRAC should be able to handle the power. They will just have to either not do clutch drop burnouts, or be a bit less rough with the setup.
 
We had a great time!! I kept trying to meet up with @slo town but it just didn't happen. But there are more races to go to. Our seats were awesome!! We were in section 405 which ended up being a club type seat section. Jeff Gordon was in the suite over my right shoulder. As for the stands, I took my pictures after the heats. Remember, this is Los Angeles, people show up to a Dodger game in the 3rd inning and leave in the 7th.

If we had to have a downside, it was traffic. We got to the exit for the 110 at 9:50 but didn't pull into the parking lot that was less than a mile away until almost noon.

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Thanks for the pics. (y)
 
I was listening to his scanner after he broke. He said he pushed the clutch in, revved the engine, and let the clutch out. The transaxle they use by XTRAC should be able to handle the power. They will just have to either not do clutch drop burnouts, or be a bit less rough with the setup.
That crossed my mind too, that maybe they'll just have to modify the way they leave their pit box. Overall the car seems to be quite robust. I noticed that after Ryan Blaney crashed and bent his right rear suspension, they had it repaired very quickly and returned him to the track. With all the beating and banging, I also don't recall any cut down tires.
 
Calling @bdcardinal and @slo town

I hope you guys are getting as excited about this race as I am!
I'll take a short track any day over another race at Daytona.

And by the way... It's RACING SEASON again! :)

Have a blast at the races. I'm so jealous.
Hello Everyone:

What an OUTSTANDING weekend!!!!! We got back yesterday afternoon and I'm just now getting back on BITOG.

First, my overall impressions. I watched the television broadcast last night. As is typical with any sport, the television broadcast doesn't come close to doing it justice.

The cars looked MUCH faster when seeing them in person. And those cars were snorting, bucking BEASTS!! The sights and sounds were amazing! For the main 23 car race Sunday afternoon the solid concrete LA Coliseum literally VIBRATED under your feet. This exhibition race on Sunday was a spectacle that exceeded even my wildest dreams.

A quick word about the cars. They are a brand new package this year. Everything is new. They now have a spec chassis frame that is built by a single supplier. They now have rack and pinion steering, independent rear suspension, rear mounted Xtrac transaxles, full carbon fiber bodies, 18" BBS center look wheels, and MUCH larger brakes.

I'm a chassis/suspension geek. One thing I noticed was how much the cars bucked and porpoised at low speeds, their front and back ends heaving up and down, the cars clearly unhappy when first rolling out of the pits at low speeds. But when the drivers warmed up their tires or turned laps the car had virtually no body roll. It was my impression that the cars were relatively softly sprung (springs) but had wicked stiff roll stiffness (anti-roll bars).

We were there both Saturday and Sunday. We pretty much had the place to ourselves on Saturday. A few pictures when we first walked in on Saturday. The last picture with "Welcome Fans" - that picture has meaning. We were in those suites, the upper level.

Wow!

Scott

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Waiting for slo town (Scott) to share his experience and pics. ;)
We had VIP passes and had access to the garage and pits. A few pictures that you will enjoy. I know I did!

First, Chad Knaus was incredibly friendly. He and I talked for 10 minutes. I told him I considered him the "Adrian Newey of NASCAR". He seemed genuinely flattered by my comment. He told me he was reading Newey's chassis book, the same one I have on my own nightstand! And after Sunday's race I saw him sign autographs for AT LEAST 30 minutes. He seemed very approachable and seems like a genuinely nice guy.

Richard Childress could not have been nicer. I told him I remember when he used to be a driver. He laughed and said I have been watching NASCAR a long time. I also told him Austins's crash (his son) at the Daytona summer race must have scared the heck out of him, being a parent and all. He told me he literally felt himself blanch at the sight. Richard Childress struck me as a genuinely "classy guy".

I had an opportunity to get a picture with Tony Stewart. He looked pretty buffed and fit. I told him it looked like he'd been hitting the gym. He replied, "Hell no, I'm allergic to gyms!" Too funny. When taking the selfie I took my glasses off and took too long to get my camera ready. I couldn't see what I was doing. But he waited patiently. Tony, if you somehow find yourself reading this, thanks for putting up with my fumbling!

Late Saturday afternoon I saw Michael Waltrip standing up in the public area all by himself. I walked up and chatted with him. He is EXACTLY like what you see on television. I think he'd make a really easy, trouble free friend; the kind of guy you'd keep in regular contact with.

Scott

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We had a great time!! I kept trying to meet up with @slo town but it just didn't happen. But there are more races to go to. Our seats were awesome!! We were in section 405 which ended up being a club type seat section. Jeff Gordon was in the suite over my right shoulder. As for the stands, I took my pictures after the heats. Remember, this is Los Angeles, people show up to a Dodger game in the 3rd inning and leave in the 7th.

If we had to have a downside, it was traffic. We got to the exit for the 110 at 9:50 but didn't pull into the parking lot that was less than a mile away until almost noon.

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bdcardinal:

I am so sorry we didn't have the opportunity to meet. To those here on this forum, I replied back to bdcardinals's text message with he and his mom with this picture of my wife and me. My wife and I met in 1974. The first time I asked her out, literally the first time I asked her out, was to go to the races with me at Laguna Seca. And 47 years later she's still going to races. I am so fortunate!

Scott

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More pictures. Logano's car. I got shooed away while taking closeup pictures of another car. But a team Penske member was standing by Joey's car. I asked him if I could take some closeups. He said find, just don't touch anything. Fine by me!

Notice the tethers. You can see the Xtrac transaxle in the rear suspension shots. The front suspension shots show just how much these cars are pure racing machines. Look at those A-arms. And check out the different mounting points so they can alter the roll centers. I find this kind of stuff fascinating.

See the little blue thing on the rear suspension shot? All the cars had it. Not sure what it was. As I understand it the transponders used for timing and scoring are in the nose of the car.

I spoke with several crew members. Every one of them were polite and considerate. I spoke with Brian, one of the engine guys from Front Row Motorsports, for at least 30 minutes. He couldn't have been more friendly and engaging. Besides talking engines we talked about life on the road with NASCAR. Tough jobs these guys have, away from home 39 weeks of the year. Mondays and Tuesday are their only days "off", and even if they make it home on those days they are partly air travel.

Scott

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We were guests of NASCAR and were in Founder's Suite #207. Food and soft drinks were free in our suite, a nice young woman coming in every so often to freshen things up and bring new food if needed. NASCAR provided us a personal concierge to tend to whatever needs we may have had.

In the open area, free drinks and even more food and choices. We had everything thing we would could have possibly wanted.

Everything related to our time there was made with ultimate precision and remarkable courtesy. I was very impressed with everything NASCAR did for us. We are so, so grateful for a true lifetime opportunity and experience. I may forget my own name one day, but I will not forget this weekend!

Scott

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Outstanding pics Scott, like the close-ups of Joey's Pennzoil Mustang. thanks for sharing had to have been epic. (y) (y) (y)
 
Check it out! Our suite mates!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The entire Kyle Larson clan, including Kyle himself.

Their kindness and approachability will be forever cherished. This is a really nice family.

Kyle's 87 year old grandfather, Ted. He and I talked the entire time. We even hugged each other when we finally said goodbye. What a DELIGHTFUL MAN! His son-in-law (grandson-in-law?) told me he is a wicked good ping pong player and can play with both hands using two paddles. Whoa!

Once again, the generosity given to us by NASCAR will forever be cherished. I SMH as I write this, still in a state of disbelief over our good fortune this weekend.

Thank you so much NASCAR and the Larson family!

Scott

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