Rea White: Racing on rain tires was the right call
By Rea White - Associate Editor
Monday, August 31, 2009
NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers compete on rain tires in Sunday's NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.
Mark Sluder
NASCAR Scene
COMMENTARY
When NASCAR made the decision to put the rain tires on the Nationwide Series cars for the final 16 laps at Circuit Gilles Villenueve in Montreal on Sunday, even those watching on television could hear the cheers from the crowd.
Crew chiefs interviewed along pit road during the preceding caution had applauded the concept and explained that they were ready to go racing a little longer, to finish what they had started in Montreal. They'd already qualified on the rain tires specific to the series' road courses. They'd seen wet conditions all weekend. In fact, running on the dry track Sunday was a bit of a change from what they'd become accustomed to this particular weekend at the 2.71-mile track.
But once those tires were bolted on and drivers went out onto the wet track, things got crazy. Well, even crazier than they normally do in the final segment of a road-course race. Cars slid into the grass and back across the track. They careened into one another coming into the turns, driving through the turns and exiting the turns.
They continued what had already been a calamitous event in a frenzy of sliding cars. Already the race had endured eight cautions - but the final 11 laps offered up three more.
To the viewer, it was sheer chaos - a random assortment of cars battling hard for position at the front of the field and those fighting to maintain control further back in the pack.
It was the kind of racing that keeps fans on the edge of their seats.
Even if it had not been, NASCAR’s decision to complete the race was a good one. The fans who sat through two days of action deserved to see the race run to its completion.
And what they saw – whether one considers it to have been good or bad - was certainly something that won’t soon be forgotten.
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9 responses to "Rea White: Racing on rain tires was the right call". Post a Comment.
buenperico said:
Aug 31, 2009 at 2:49 PMAnother piece of evidence that the nationwide series really is where the action is. less commercial, more innovative, and not nearly so pompous
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSheilaLovesNASCAR said:
Aug 31, 2009 at 2:53 PMI thought it should have been called. All it did was add more cautions.And I don't like caution laps. That's not racing. Everyone sliding into each other. Marcos should have won and didn't.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAnonymous said:
Aug 31, 2009 at 3:14 PMExcuse me but they kept STOPPING THE CARS while they cleaned up the debris/gravel. They should have let them run out those laps. Once chance at finishing the 15 lap race with rain tires, not fifteen restarts !! Jeesh...Marcos had that race hands down on EVERY restart until Edwards put the bumper to him on one of those last restarts and "rattled his cage" and he over drove it on that LAST restart.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWerner said:
Aug 31, 2009 at 4:16 PM#2...this is a Nationwide race...on road courses they run in the rain...they qualify in the rain...don't try to apply Cup rules where they don't belong...racing in the rain was the only call to make...
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSTP43FAN said:
Aug 31, 2009 at 4:23 PMCars sliding around and hitting one another IS NOT RACING. To call this embarassment a race is the sign you need your head examined. NASCAR should not even be racing in Montreal to begin with and under no circumstances should ever race on rain tires.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWerner said:
Aug 31, 2009 at 6:06 PMit was up to the drivers to control their cars...i don't drive 70mph on an icey road...some drivers weren't driving with their heads...some of the drivers couldn't even keep the car straight on a dry course...
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» Confirm Abuse Reportbuckeye3845 said:
Aug 31, 2009 at 6:42 PMRea White must have gone to dinner when they changed to the rain tires. What a joke. Should have changed to name to the Montreal Demolition Derby.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAndi said:
Aug 31, 2009 at 7:38 PMThis just proved my point that any of the cars in nascar should be run in the rain, it was a mess. I mean road courses are bad enough, add rain tires, and its an absolute mess. These cars, nationwide or cup just were not made to race in the rain. But then again I think racing in the rain is pretty darn dangerous to begin with, rain tires or not, and again, this race solidified my opinion on the whole on rain tires, yes or no. I'm all for the "no".
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» Confirm Abuse ReportOSUSam said:
Aug 31, 2009 at 11:17 PMI think the rain tires were okay, but, they should have done single file restarts in the rain. They proved they can't go through a turn without wiping out a third of the field.
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