2018 Nascar Season Thread

[JEBar]

what a way to start next season's thread .. https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs...ZL1_Nascar-Cup-Race-Car-0003.jpg&action=click .. nice looking rig .... its good to see the Camaro on the top circuit :

Chevrolet dipped into its rich motorsports history in assembling the race car that will tackle the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2018, announcing Thursday that it will bring the Camaro ZL1 name to the sport

History, in this case, doesn’t mean a relic, not with seven-time series champ Jimmie Johnson’s grand introduction of the freshly race-ready car — a snarling, fast-revving Thursday afternoon rip on Detroit’s East Jefferson Avenue echoing off the towers of General Motors’ Renaissance Center headquarters. The deep-blue car, which will replace the outgoing Chevy SS next year, was adorned with the No. 8, the favored car number of pioneering racer and company founder Louis Chevrolet.

It was enough to make longtime Chevy driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. consider his garage-space options back home in North Carolina.

“Certainly, yeah!” said Earnhardt, who arrived at Thursday’s ceremony in the Camaro pace car used this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. “I’ll build some space, whatever we’ve got to do.”

http://www.nascar.com/news-media/2017/08/10/chevrolet-unveils-camaro-zl1-monster-energy-race-car/

 

[Elf]

2018 will see some youngsters arrive .Hopefully Danica gets another year .

 

[JEBar]

for 2018, the 77 car has been rumored to be the prime open seat for drivers like Kahne and Kenseth ... it appears that there is a good deal of truth in the last sentence in the article

Furniture Row Racing owner Barney Visser said the team is searching for sponsorship to continue running the #77 car next season but hasn't found any.

We've got no sponsorship right now for the 77, Visser told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Wednesday. So we've got to find something. We don't want to give up that car, but if we don't get sponsorship, we'll have to. We're doing everything we can to get that to come together.

The team added the #77 this year for rookie Erik Jones, who signed a one-year contract. Jones will go to Joe Gibbs Racing next season, replacing Matt Kenseth. That leaves an opening with the #77 car.

Asked on The Morning Drive about the health of the business side of the sport going into 2018, Visser said: I'd certainly like to see it better. I'm sure if you can run up front you can deliver to the sponsors what you're promising them. I don't even know how to answer that question. It's a pretty tough business right now.

http://www.espn.com/jayski/cup/2017/story/_/id/20295493/future-77-team-depend-sponsorship

 

[Johnny Acree]

Have you seen this? it's a list of NASCAR silly season drivers status
http://www.jayski.com/news/pages/story/_/page/2018-NASCAR-Cup-Team-Driver-Chart

 

[JEBar]

with his youth movement, Hendrick is positioning his team for the long term .... I can't help but wonder which (if any) will under perform in the mode of Kasey Kahne .... also will be interesting to see if he moves the current 24 team to the 9 car

 

[Coss]

Elliot is moving to the 9 and the 24 is being retired (heard it the other day)

 

[JEBar]

I believe its the number 5 that Hendrick is taking out of competition next season

"Hendrick newcomer next year, William Byron, will take over the No. 24 for his rookie season. Elliott will steer the No. 9, Alex Bowman is slated for the retiring Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 and of course, seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson remains the one constant in the equation — steering his Hall of Fame-bound No. 48. The team will not use the No. 5 next year."

http://www.nascar.com/news-media/20...ott-surprised-touched-by-hendrick-using-no-9/

 

[Coss]

Works for me .... Yeah 9 hopefully he'll get past this sophomore jinx and do like dad

 

[JEBar]

I know next to nothing (or even less) about William Byron.... for Hendrick to put him in the 24 car, he must have a good bit going for him .... Elliott is now a known quality, hope you are right .... Alex Bowman did a good job as a substitute for JR .... I think he'll be solid but I don't see any magic

 

[Coss]

Agreed, Bowman is just a mid pack runner, I don't see him making a big splash drive to the big time. Kind of like a Danacan't
Bryon is the biggest splash for right now, but I've only seen him win 1 race, and other times .... Well it's checkers or wreckers, and he's been a lot of the later in the Busch League.