Daytona Truck Race...

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

About a half hour left before they take the green...
If you haven't watched a truck race at Daytona, check it out!!!
They get with program!!!

[Sierrajack]

Dean,
My other TV is whacko and can't watch the truck race. Wife is watching a rented movie tonight so can't watch the trucks. Had to go to Wally World to get a replacement TV before the "Big One". Had to convince wife that this was the sane thing to do. Please let me know what happened.
Stuck In Lodi Again!!!!!!!!

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

SJ,
Well, you know without restrictor plates and all that horsepower, it had to be exciting, Right?
The finish was wild...
Three wide, first went to third as they crossed the finish line. All three trucks separated by a couple of feet at most. Jack Sprauge won it, Johnny Benson took second and Travis Kvapil wound up third. Mike Skinner was fourth and Todd Bodine rounded out the top five.
Personally, even though the trucks have a ton of drag, I think they put on a way better show at Daytona than the cars.

[Dennis T]

The trucks do put on the better show. I think it is the Bush league now. Getting a start into racing on the tracks that someday the hopefulls will run on when they make it to the "Cup" & Cup Lite" league.

Dennis T

[Sierrajack]

No doubt about it, the trucks always have me on the edge of my couch!!
Restrictor plates are flat dangerous and I don't know why NASCAR hasn't taken another route? Oh, yes, it's the wrecking that brings the fans back, how could I forget? We started out racing with a 1100 Dominator and the engine produced 735 horsepower which was wayyyyyyy too much for short tracks. So all the drivers got together after spending perhaps thousands if not millions of dollars fixing broken race cars and came up with an answer. Restrictor plates take away throttle response and makes everyone race in a pack using the air as a manuevering element. So we elected to go to a 500 CFM carb and that took away 180 HP and that slowed us down. The NASCAR "tour" series mandates a 9.5:1 compression engine and that keeps everyone pretty much under control. So if NASCAR would lower the compression ratios and make the teams use smaller carbs, it would do the same thing EXCEPT take away throttle response. Tracks are too big promoting big speed numbers only to have them restricted by a plate - so what's the advantage? What you wind up with is a race where you fall asleep about half way through.