The 2013 Sprint Unlimited - An Observation On The Push Draft or Lack Thereof?

The 2013 Sprint Unlimited has come and gone.  After three segments, Kevin Harvick managed a rather sedate looking race win.  But was sedate a one-time thing, a good thing or a bad thing?

-

NASCAR has been working on appeasing fans ire about drafting at restrictor plate racing.  The modifications they've tried came down to tandem drafting practices over the last few seasons.  Fans were split over this.  Some hated it and some liked it.  Then they restricted radio chatter between drivers.  (Which I hate and think makes it a safety hazard.)

At first I wasn't a fan of the tandem draft and all the rules that NASCAR was laying down to manage the deed.  But over the last few seasons of racing, I started finding the excitement of six to eight cars, lined up in three or four rows, busting it out to cross the finish line first.  And underneath it all, I had recognized that in these mulit-column mad dashes, the driver that was pushing the guy in front of him was willingly sacrificing his potential win to get that other guy his win.

And despite the the tandems, we've had some intensely close finishes in the restrictor plate races.

Now the new Gen-6 car is also supposed to address some restrictor plate issues and I believe one of the issues was to break up the tandem drafting after having "fixed" the pack drafts.   One of the deals I noticed was that during SpeedWeeks practice, cars had issues pushing other cars.  The bumpers no longer matched up between brands.  Ask Dale Earnhardt Jr. when he wrecked another car trying to push draft!  So once a few folks realized this, everyone is pretty hesitant/respectful of pushing.

As the teams learned that the noses of cars don't match up to back bumpers of some of the cars, this became a totally different game.  And in the Sprint Unlimited, I believe we saw the result of the Gen-6 car and the design efforts to modify the draft.

Normally, my blood pressure cranks up in the last few laps of any restrictor plate race as cars start to jockey for that best spot to be in for that final turn towards the finish line.  In Saturday night's race, there were a few attempts at jockeying for that spot, but nothing too major.  Then the pack came around the corner and it looked like the drivers were very respectful of the hazards of the push and jockeying and there wasn't much competition for Kevin Harvick's lead.

In fact, unlike most restrictor plate race finishes, they were spaced out crossing the line.  It was a seriously sedate run for the checkered flag.

Now whether this was a result of Harvick having a strong hold on the lead, or that the other cars were worried about what would come of any attempts at pushing past Harvick, I don't know yet.  We'll see what comes of the Duel qualifier races later this week.  I'm quietly worried this is what we'll see in the Duels and the 500.  But by the end of next Sunday, we'll know for sure what's up.

-

Gotta love the quotes between Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress after he won the race but was stuck on the front stretch after taking the checkered flag:

Kevin:  "I broke it!"

Childress:  "I know, I don't care."

That was great to hear.  (In what would seem to be Fox's "eaves dropping" in-car microphones!)

The 2013 Sprint Unlimited - The New In-Car Camera Look?

If you watched NASCAR's 2013 Sprint Unlimited race, there were a few things fans might have seen in the race.  For one thing, I was wondering if you had noticed the new in-car camera angles?  At least I think I saw a new, unique camera angle that I liked from the telecast.

It's one thing for announcers to tell you how steep the track surface is in any particular turn.  And to also see the cars on the banked turns from an outside perspective, like the network cameras stationed at opportunistic spots in the turns.  But to see just how much of an angle from inside the car is something else altogether different and eye-opening!

During the Sprint Unlimited race, the in-car cams are now mounted in such a way that the camera retains it's position in relation to the outside horizon!  What I mean is that when the car enters a corner, like at Daytona, the camera stays level and does not tilt with the car and you watch the interior of the car tilt, in relation to the world outside the car.

This new camera angle demonstrates the amount of banking the cars are actually on during the race.  And it was very apparent during the Sprint Unlimited.

I know that there are many TV race fans out there that aren't fond of the in-car camera.  I'm sure this new angle will have their attention for at least a few moments.  I myself appreciate the in-car camera angle.  If you're attentive enough, you can watch for a few things in the in-car camera view.  One is how much the car is dancing around on the track at the time of the shot.  You can also see the cars around the car you're in and watch this dance between sheet metal.  It's not evident in camera angles from outside the car how jumpy the cars could be, but the in-car shows some details you won't notice from outside the car.  The other perspective is how busy the driver is inside that car wrangling the steering wheel, even while on the straight-away stretches.  At least for me, that's what I look at and can appreciate.

Regardless of your perspective, this will be a new angle for a few moments for some, while others will revel in this new look.  At least there's something to look for in the Daytona 500.

-

NASCAR and Sprint Invite You, The Fans, To Design The Sprint Unlimited

I have spoken about this before, but thought I'd pass along the official press release (It has a few more details and verbage)!

via press release:

NASCAR, Sprint Invite Fans To Design The Sprint Unlimited

For First Time, Fans To Vote On Competition Aspects Of The Sprint Unlimited At Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 21, 2013) – NASCAR and Sprint confirmed today that fans will have a direct impact on several competition elements of the newly titled The Sprint Unlimited At Daytona, the 75-lap non-points race that opens the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

Fans will play an integral part in how the fan-favorite race unfolds on Saturday, February 16 (8 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Deportes, Motor Racing Network Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio) at Daytona International Speedway. By casting their vote, fans are invited to design several competition aspects of the preseason event, including…

-       The number of laps in each segment

-       The type of pit stop a team makes after the first segment

-       How many cars will be eliminated after the second segment

Votes can be cast on NASCAR's new official mobile app – NASCAR Mobile '13 – or at NASCAR.com/SprintUnlimited. All votes made through the NASCAR Mobile '13 app will count twice.

"We are excited to provide our fan base this first-of-its-kind opportunity to directly be involved in determining the race's format and in-race decisions," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. "By allowing our fans this type of interaction, it is our hope that more fans will be tuned in to the event than ever before."  

The voting window for the race format will close on Wednesday, February 13 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The voting windows for the pit stop and elimination will close at various times throughout the race broadcast. Vote results will be relayed to teams during each segment and announced live on the FOX race broadcast.

"Giving fans such a strong voice in the design of the race is a fitting way to launch our 10th season in the sport," said Steve Gaffney, Sprint vice president of corporate marketing. "We are giving them the ultimate access to the sport, the decision-making power to sculpt the type of race they want to see. With today's technology, they can make these decisions in real time as the race is happening."

"Sprint has been a great partner for the sport and I applaud them for developing new and innovative ways to give the race fans an unprecedented role in The Sprint Unlimited," said Joie Chitwood III, Daytona International Speedway president. "We have some of the most passionate and knowledgeable fans in sports and I'm looking forward to seeing the choices they make and how it will impact this exciting star-studded event."

Fan voting categories, include:

·         Length of each of the three race segments:

o    Choice A: 40 laps, 20 laps, 15 laps

o    Choice B: 35 laps, 30 laps, 10 laps

o    Choice C: 30 laps, 25 laps, 20 laps

v  Race format voting ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, February 13.

·         Team pit stop after the first segment:

o    Choice A: No pit stop

o    Choice B: Two (2) tire change

o    Choice C: Four (4) tire change

v  Pit stop voting concludes at the green flag of the first segment.

·         How many cars will be eliminated after the second segment:

o    Choice A: None (0)

o    Choice B: Two (2) cars eliminated

o    Choice C: Four (4) cars eliminated

o    Choice D: Six (6) cars eliminated

v  Elimination voting concludes at the green flag of the first segment.

Fans are encouraged to follow @NASCAR and @MissSprintCup on Twitter to engage in the #SprintUnlimited conversation throughout the voting window.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for one of North America's premier sports. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 175 countries and in 25 languages. In the U.S., races are broadcast on FOX, TNT, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2, SPEED, Motor Racing Network, Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM Radio. NASCAR fans are among the most brand loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as three international series. Also part of NASCAR is GRAND-AM Road Racing and the American Le Mans Series, known for competition on road courses with multiple classes of cars. NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races at 100 tracks in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., NASCAR has offices in eight cities across North America. The next NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will be The Sprint Unlimited at Daytona on Feb. 16 on FOX. For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.nascar.com. Follow NASCAR on www.facebook.com/NASCAR or on Twitter: @NASCAR.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 56 million customers at the end of the third quarter of 2012 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint No. 1 among all national carriers in customer satisfaction and most improved, across all 47 industries, during the last four years. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in both its 2011 and 2012 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation's greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

- - - - -

Can NASCAR Fans Have Too Much Sway? I Wouldn't Worry

In the upcoming Sprint Unlimited race (AKA Used to be called The Shootout) at Daytona, NASCAR is letting the fans choose the rules to the race.

The options fans get to choose include

-

Race Format: How should the three race segments be divided?

• -- 40/20/15 laps
• -- 35/30/10 laps
• -- 30/25/20 laps

Pit Stop: Should there be a required pit stop at the end of the first segment?

• -- No pit stop
• -- Yes, 2 tires
• -- Yes, 4 tires

Elimination: How many cars should be eliminated at the end of the second segment?

• -- None
• -- 2 cars
• -- 4 cars
• -- 6 cars

-

Sprint Cup Girl Firesuits

-

Voting ends on February 13th.
(See link for voting at bottom of article)
(Did you catch who the new Sprint Cup girl is for 2013?)

- - - - -

This seems to have inspired some conversation as to whether the fans have too much to say within the sport of NASCAR.  I don't think so.

-

Fans Don't Have THAT Much Control

For one, I think it's pretty awesome that NASCAR does turn to the fans to get their opinion.  How many sports do you know do that?

For another, in a survey taken by statisticbrain, 56% of internet users are on any one social network, with 54% of them on Facebook and 10% of them on Twitter.  (I don't suggest the aforementioned survey be the end-all of stats on this matter, but survey samplings can be pretty close to the mark, giving a general consensus on an issue.)

And though we might think that social networks, especially like Twitter, might have an impact, I think NASCAR understands that though vocal, the Twitter demographic does not represent a huge percentage of fans.  Just the vocal ones.  At least right now.

But then NASCAR takes it a step further and eliminates that particular potential for skewing any free-for-all trend by holding their surveys on their own website.  This could in fact, de-trend the voice of Twitterees, and make the voting a more fair process.

But my final perspective on this issue of fan control is that though some think fans have the control, it's not so much as you think.

-

Fan Control Filtered

If you think about it, fans may all have their own ideas about what is or isn't good for the sport.  And that NASCAR is listening to the fans or the NASCAR Fan Council.  But if you take a step back and look, NASCAR is still guiding the fans.

If there were absolute fan control, original ideas and content could be making it to the head offices of NASCAR.  But some of the fine ideas fans come up with don't clear the first hurdle!

Instead, what NASCAR does is present options for fans to vote on, like in this latest poll for the Sprint Unlimited race.  Fans don't have a blank option to fill in, but rather, they vote on options that NASCAR has chosen to provide.

In the end, NASCAR has the control, but is letting fans fine tune the end results.  Period.

But it's still pretty special that fans have this kind of interaction and influence on some of the details with the sport of NASCAR.

[source links:  NASCAR Sprint Unlimited Poll; Statistic Brain]

If you like my perspectives,
you can always follow this site on
social networks like Twitter & Facebook & G+.
- -

NASCAR Season Starter Has New Name + DirecTV Cancels Hotpass

Today I saw that the season starting race that used to be called the Budweiser Shootout, now has a new name.

Sprint has partnered up with Daytona International Speedway and is sponsoring what used to be "The Shootout" and now calling it "The Sprint Unlimited at Daytona."

Yes, it's still a non-points, and yes the usual rules still apply.  That being that this event will be comprised of pole winners from last year and previous winners of this event.

The Sprint Unlimited at Daytona will run on February 16th at 8 p.m. ET and what's curious (which I expect a quickie rule change any day now for next year) is that last year's champion, Brad Keselowski, is not in the field.  He might have won the title, but he did not snag any poles doing it.

The other oddity is that AJ Allmendinger, is eligible.  (He won the pole at Kansas, and has been reinstated from his substance abuse suspension last year.)

This new title, just doesn't ring well with me in as much as what it's trying to convey with the message.  Unlimited might imply something else besides a select few drivers who qualify for an event.  We'll see how it pans out.  As far as we all know, this might just be phase one of a big change of events for the race or the opening weekend.  It might just work.

= = = = =

Sports Business Daily is reporting that DirectTV is ending its relationship with NASCAR, which includes a sponsorship deal and the NASCAR Hot Pass service.

It looks like they're cutting/saving costs.

The Hot Pass was initially a fee service, but no one took to it, so they produced the feed and released it for free.  But over time, the cost of producing that service was becoming too much for their bottom line.  Part of the cost issues came from the sublicensing fees from Fox, Turner and ESPN.

DirecTV says they will look to stay with NASCAR, but in a much smaller capacity of displays at select tracks.

-

I wonder, with DirecTV stepping back, if Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s television production company, Hammerhead Entertainment, might step up to the plate on this one.  They're involved in many other aspects of TV production of the sport with some of its sponsors (AMP Energy, Diet Mountain Dew, GoDaddy.com, Hendrick Motorsports, Nationwide Insurance, SPEED & more) and had a decent TV series in the past.  They are fully capable.

(Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Many Companies)