2024 NASCAR

wdwfan4ver

Well-Known Member
I am giving my own input on the Pioneer ballot.

Jake Elder is a very good nominee, but don't know about being in the 2021 class. Jake was not much for book smarts, but was a great crew chief in his era. I said not much for book smarts because Jake only had a 3rd grade education.

He was a fabricator with Petty Enterprises starting with the late 1950s before becoming a crew chief with Herman-Moody. Darrell Waltrip even said Jake was as smart as or smarter than anyone he ever worked with when it came to a race car.

He won 2 championships with David Pearson and a part of a 3rd championship with Dale Earnhardt Sr. Jake in his era was not an engineer, or a specialist. He was a master at making a car handle with him being one the best with a chassis. He worked some of the best drivers ever in NASCAR at different times in their career such as Darrell Waltrip, giving Mario Andretti's only NASCAR win, David Pearson, Fred Lorenzen, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Terry Labonte, Davey Allison and Benny Parsons. He played a part in learning Darrell Waltrip and Dale Sr the ropes of cup racing.

Red Farmer is a great nominee and I won't be shocked if he gets inducted the 2021 class. What makes him great is a combination of things. He won a NASCAR Modified Championship in 1956 and won 3 straight Championship in what is now the Xfinity series. He also won a bunch of track championships. Depending who you talk to, he won anywhere from 700 races to 900 races. This man still races to his day in his 80s and explains his win totals. The Pioneer Ballot actually helps drivers are legends in lower levels of NASCAR like him.

Ralph Moody is another great Nominee, but I wish the co-founder of Holman-Moody was with him on the ballot. Holman-Moody had it all with the 96 cup wins. They had great drivers, great engine builders, and great crew chiefs. They played a very important part in cup racing for Ford. I don't know if he would get inducted this year because NASCAR has a grudge against certain people and I gathered they didn't like Holman-Moody leaving NASCAR in 1972.

Banjo Matthews is a great Nominee, but I don't about him getting inducted this year. He was considered the best car builder in from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s. His cars won a lot of races. Banjo was driver turned car builder. He was a team owner for a time also. Banjo was well respected in the cup garage for his car building skills. He built great cars in that era, but it was up to the teams for setting up the cars, engines and other stuff along with the driver. Anyone who wins over over 250 cup races as a cup as a car builder speaks volumes. He did it by the amount of clients he had and he didn't care about the car make at all.

Herschel Mcgriff is a very good Nominee, but I'll be surprised if he gets inducted for the 2021 class. He was one early great West coast stock car drivers. What hurt him to me was he didn't from 27 years old to 37 years old because he wanted to spend time with his family that lived on the west coast. Herschel was a promising cup driver when he was 26 years old with 4 cup wins in 1954, but didn't want to race full time in the cup series in 1955. The ride he gave up was a championship winning ride in 1955. The other problem was Cup racing in 1955 increased their schedule from 37 cup races to 45 cup races.
 

wdwfan4ver

Well-Known Member
The Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis looks at NASCAR as an essential business and wants them to run races in Florida during the coronavirus. Come to think of it, he already called World Wrestling Entertainment as an essential business and wants golf to be an essential business also.
 

wdwfan4ver

Well-Known Member
Speedway Motorsports announced 180 job positions eliminated. This the company that owns Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway, and Texas Motor Speedway.
 

wdwfan4ver

Well-Known Member
Here is my input on the Landmark Nominees:

Janet Guthrie was well known as a female race car driver in the 1970s in Indycar and NASCAR. She was the first woman to race the Indy 500 and the Daytona 500. She also was NASCAR's first female driver in the Modern era. She was better than her equipment and I considered her a late starter in stock car racing. She was 38 years old when she made her first cup start. She was a sports car racer for 12 years before turning into Indycar/NASCAR driver. Her equipment was subpar, but she finished in the top 10 4 in 33 starts. The other thing is she finished 11 to 15th placed 12 times in 33 starts.

She did not have the quality of the teams as Danica Patrick did.

Alvin Hawkins is a person who I never heard of before the Landmark award. The problem is you are dealing a person who died in 1970 and race track in question is well known in reality tv shows back in the 2010s. The cup series used to go there before the Modern era.

Alvin Hawkins besides being a flagman is he was a promoter as to Bowman Gray Stadium. He wa He died in 1970. The race track is well known.

Mike Helton is a person I think everyone heard of Considering he was the 3rd ever President of NASCAR. He took over in the late 1990s over Bill France Jr. NASCAR had popularity in the early 2000's, but NASCAR was on the decline at the time he left the position. I do think Brian France did have a role in the decline considering the decisions he made besides the issues with alcohol.

Dr. Joseph Mattioli is known as the founder of Pocono Raceway. I have to give him credit of the location of the track. During the early days of the modern era in NASCAR, the farthest northeast they went was Dover International Speedway.

Ralph Seagraves was known for being involved in NHRA drag Racing and NASCAR. Without Seagraves, there would be no modern era in NASCAR. As far as Ralph Seagraves being involved in sporting events, it made sense for him because Cigarette advertisements were no longer allowed on television, and sponsoring is a way to get around it.

Ralph Seagraves was the president of R.J Reynolds Tobacco Company's Special Events Operations. Ralph Seagraves was responsible for improving race tracks, finding teams sponsors, advertising NASCAR, increasing track purse money, and increase amount of money for a team going for a winning a cup championship. He was one the key people for making NASCAR more popular like it or not.

The only problem with Ralph Seagraves was easy to see. The man was a president of a company that has a product that causes medical problems. He was using events to promote the unhealthy product aka cigarettes. The catch is what Ralph seagraves was legal and other tobacco companies in NASCAR were there for getting their product recognized.
 
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Lilofan

Well-Known Member
The Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis looks at NASCAR as an essential business and wants them to run races in Florida during the coronavirus. Come to think of it, he already called World Wrestling Entertainment as an essential business and wants golf to be an essential business also.
WWE is purely a political move. He's a slick Willy.
 

wdwfan4ver

Well-Known Member
NASCAR announced they will be postponing the Martinsville race on May 8th and May 9th. I don't have any details on the new date. This not a shock because back in March, Virginia had stay at home orders even after the Martinsville race.
 

wdwfan4ver

Well-Known Member
There are 2 possible NASCAR Schedule being Floated around by 2 different NASCAR reporters.

The one that Adam Stein is reporting is the following:

Darlington -May 17
400 mile Charlotte Cup race on May 20th
Coca cola 600 on May 24
Bristol for May 27th

The Jenna Fryer version has the following:
Darlington - May 17
Charlotte - May 24th
Charlotte May 25th
Bristol - May 31
Martinville on June 3 despite Virginia has stay at home order through June 10th.
 

wdwfan4ver

Well-Known Member
I am going to answer a couple things with the NASCAR schedule being mentioned. Everything is pointing to Darlington to have 2 cup races this year for the first time since 2004. I think Charlotte could be getting 3 points events in cup this year.

I know North Carolina, Florida and Texas wants NASCAR racing in 2020 for sure based on how the governors act although we all know about Florida's Governor.

I'm under the impression that NASCAR is going to cut races from their cup schedule for this season with replacements.

I can not answer what races for sure. I only know about Sonoma Raceway is having problems with their own government for allowing races without fans.

Michigan is uncertain since you are dealing a state that has major problems with that virus in 3 counties based on what I read. I live in Wisconsin and our stay at home order is longer than Michigan currently despite Wisconsin only having over 5,200 compare to Michigan having over 35,000 cases. The death totals are way bigger at Michigan also. I expect more information on Michigan from a race track standpoint in the future and the same with Chicagoland Speedway for Illinois. Illinois has even more infections than the state of Michigan with almost 37,000 compare to over 35,000 cases, but has over 1,300 less deaths than Michigan.
 
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wdwfan4ver

Well-Known Member
It was announced that Matt Kenseth in the 42 car for rest of the season. Chip Ganassi Racing also filed a petition with NASCAR for granting Matt Kenseth a waiver for running for the 2020 cup championship.

Based information I read, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth were on Chip's short list after Kyle Larson got fired. They contacted Carl Edwards, but he turned them down after taking a day or 2 for making a decision.

Chip Ganassi Racing does have plans for Ross Chastain. They didn't say, but it is to see what they are. In 2020 Ross has a contract for running the Xfinity series championship with Kaulig racing and Chip can't buy out that contract at all. I didn't see a year when Ross's Contract with Kaulig Racing ends, but I think it is after this year.
 
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wdwfan4ver

Well-Known Member
As far as Matt Kenseth's eligibility for the Hall of Fame, it has changed. NASCAR's Hall of Fame rules state you have to be retired from NASCAR for 3 years or meet the 2 thing for eligibility. NASCAR driver can be nominated while active if the driver is in the sport for 30 year or is 55 years old.

This does effect the modern era classes in future years. NASCAR would choose a different modern era nominee instead of Matt. This also would affect Modern era inductions. Matt was going to be a first ballot hall of fame nominee.
 

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