Chrud Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 Don't know how many of you DEI/C2 fans check out DEI's site much, but they have some cool stuff not up on NASCAR.com yet. Here are a couple interesting stats from Preseason Thunder... - Martin Truex Jr was the fastest in Daytona Drafting Practice (NEXTEL Cup) - Paul Menard was the fastest in Daytaon Drafting Practice (Busch Series) - Truex will be in IROC Pretty interesting stuff. With Truex the fastest in practice, I wonder just how good Junior and Michael are and just how much they are sandbagging it. I know I've asked a few times about who will compete with Truex in the Busch series. Menard has a new crew cheif and a few other new things on the 11 team...might be a DEI/C2 top 2 in the Busch Series this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona If I remember right I think Hendrick has a pretty good driver in the name of Busch that did extremely well last season, except for a few rookie mistakes that I don't think he'll be making this upcoming season. I didn't look to see what his stats were at Daytona testing, but at the same time I really don't think these tests hold alot of water either...I've seen way too many POLE sitters fall to the back real quick to have any faith in the fastest lap thing. But do agree DEI has a stable of drivers that will be hard to contend with.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyderpancake Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona Kyle Busch will be moving up to Nextel Cup this season. I think Truex will win the championship easily, and hopefully Menard will do well also. Shane Hmiel and Clint Bowyer should be tough too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrud Posted January 31, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona Blake Feese and someone else will split time in the 5 Hendrick car. So, Hendrick won't win the championship. I think it'll be very easy sailing for Truex this year. Hoping Menard, Bowyer and Hmeil (DEI connection, uses DEI engines) do good this year too. I don't pay a lot of attention to single car practices at Daytona...drafting practice is important though. Doesn't matter where you qualify if you are not 1 or 2, you race in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted February 1, 2005 Report Share Posted February 1, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona Dang you are right I forgot Kyle is moving up to a Nextel ride this season....sorry guys..but I do like what Shane has to offer, and I didn't think he was far off the pace last season.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyderpancake Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona Where do you think Kyle will finish in the points? I may be wrong, but i think it will take some time to turn the 5 team around, just like Vickers and the 25 bunch. I will be suprised to see him finish in the top 15, and I predict that we will have another season without a Rookie of the Year candidate winning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona With the experience and coaching within Team Hendrick I think Kyle will do well..he did exceptionaly well in the Busch Series so I don't see him falling off the pace by much..but we will have to wait and see how he handles the added pressure that the Nextel Series has to offer him..Johnson and Vickers have faired well so I hope Kyle shines as well....and it doesn't hurt to belong to a team like Hendrick either.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyderpancake Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona I think he has lots of talent, but so did Vickers(Busch champion in '03), and he had a pretty tough time his first year. He should be a lot better this year though. I think one of the problems with guys coming up from Busch is that they are used to being faster than 90% of the field and running at the front every week, and they try to do the same thing in the Cup series and overdrive the car and get in trouble. If I were Hendrick, I would have left him in the Busch series one more year and then move him up with Truex in '06. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona I can't disagree with that logic....one question tho..isn't Terry going to drive half the season ??? If so would't it be logical or safe to say that Kyle would only be driving the #5 half the season and the other half in the Busch series ??? I could be wrong on this but the last I heard was that Terry was going to drive half the season.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrud Posted February 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona [ QUOTE ] Where do you think Kyle will finish in the points? [/ QUOTE ] 20-30 place. He'll be similar, or worse, to Vickers last year. Hendrick has rushed both those young drivers out of the NBS. They have all the talent in the world, but they are being rushed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona I agree it's too bad to have to rush such young talent and throw them to the wolfs like they do this day and age... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrud Posted February 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona I can guarantee you that if Vickers would have had another year or two in the Busch Series, he would have been similar to Kahne's rookie season. The kid has a ton of talent but he was thrown into a situtation before he was ready. The EXACT same thing is happening to Kyle Busch. That's why I'm glad Junior is Truex's boss. He's keeping him in the NBS for 2 full seasons. If he wins the title again this year by 600 points, more power to him. Just more seat time. I think Truex will be a top-15 driver when he goes to Cup full-time. I just like the way situtation he's in at Chance2 better than how Hendrick is running his Busch operation. It's all confidence. Truex could be going into the Cup series as the two-time defending NBS Champion. Now that is something to go in on. Vickers will have a very bad year, the sophomore slump will hit him very hard. He has zero momentum from last year and will take a big hit this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona [ QUOTE ] Vickers will have a very bad year, the sophomore slump will hit him very hard. He has zero momentum from last year and will take a big hit this year. [/ QUOTE ] I hope this is not the case, but it seems the most likely senario.. ....Being a Hendrick fan I can only hope that the Vetern drivers can educate him on the go, and soften the blow a tad. I think if he can learn not to try so hard and go with the flow he may fair better in the upcoming season, but as you have said the Sophmore Slump could be his undoing this season.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrud Posted February 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona I want to say that Lance McGrew is going to be the new crew cheif for Vickers this year. I know LM is going to the 25 or the 5. I think he'd be better in a different car to be honest. The 25 team isn't very good no matter who is in that ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona Here it is hot off the Web Pages of Hendrick Motorsports....... Car # 25 will be driven by Brian Vickers and will be Crew Chiefed by Lance McGrew Car #5 will be driven by ROOKIE Kyle Busch and will be Crew Chiefed by Alan Gustafson Terry Labonte will drive 10 races in the Hendrick Sponsered #44, with no mention of the pit crew that I could find...but would guess it will be the same crew used in the Busch Series, but don't quote me on that.. And as for the FAMOUS #24 well we all know where that team stands,,,,right at the top of the heap as usual... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrud Posted February 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona [ QUOTE ] And as for the FAMOUS #24 well we all know where that team stands,,,,right at the top of the heap as usual... [/ QUOTE ] Heap - o - shhhh.....tuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] And as for the FAMOUS #24 well we all know where that team stands,,,,right at the top of the heap as usual... [/ QUOTE ] Heap - o - shhhh.....tuff. [/ QUOTE ] Now Chrud I really thought better of you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyderpancake Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona Now Chrud I really think better of you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyderpancake Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona Am I the only one that thinks Kahne's rookie year was overhyped? Don't get me wrong, I like him a lot and think he is a great driver; he is one of my favorite drivers. But everyone talking week after week about his amazing talent got old. After all, was his performance any better than Kevin Harvick's, who was thrust into a different team, won in his 3rd outing and again later in the year, finished ninth in points even though he missed a race, won Rookie of the Year, and won the Busch championship while he was doing all this? Or Stewart, Johnson, or Newman for that matter. I don't know, it just ticked me off that everyone seemed to have forgotten about them and claimed that Kahne was the best new driver they had seen in years. OK, i'm finished Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrud Posted February 3, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona [ QUOTE ] Am I the only one that thinks Kahne's rookie year was overhyped? [/ QUOTE ] No, you are not. Kasey Kahne had a good rookie year. Not anywhere close to a great one. Why was it hyped? Because of the Chase. He was close to the top-10, so everyone suddenly thought he was a championship contender. He hasn't proven anything to me. He's only won one Busch race and two truck races. He's been overhyped a lot. That wasn't even close to the best rookie season of all time. He's got a long, long way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUDRUNNER Posted February 3, 2005 Report Share Posted February 3, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona [ QUOTE ] And as for the FAMOUS #24 well we all know where that team stands,,,,right at the top of the heap as usual... [/ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Heap - o - shhhh.....tuff. [/ QUOTE ] MAN I LIKE THIS GUY! I DON'T THINK KAHNE WILL HAVE NEAR AS GOOD A YEAR AS HE HAD LAST YEAR.HE'S GOT TALENT,BUT IT MAY TAKE A YEAR OR TWO FOR HIM TO REACH HIS POTENTIAL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted February 3, 2005 Report Share Posted February 3, 2005 Re: DEI/Chance2 at Daytona Everybody loves to hate a winner....#24...all I can say is you'll all have alot more to hate in the upcoming season, Jeff Gordon is going to be turning up the heat to get that 5th. Championship on the mantel. He has the talent, the resources and the personel to get this done.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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