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Harvick's 2019 Mustang


blksn8k2

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  • 1 month later...

I really like they went to the Mustang. It’s their only real sports car outside of the GT, and a potential buyer can at least relate the race cars to their production models. Same for the Camaros. 

And hopefully they can pick up where they left off last year following this body change. 

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I don't see Ford having the same issues as Chevy did last year. The new rules package for 2019 will create somewhat of an even playing field. In other words, everyone will be starting from scratch, especially on the intermediate (mile-and-a-half) tracks where not only will they be dealing with different body rules but also reduced horsepower thanks to the new restricted engine package for those tracks. Look for more pack racing and, unfortunately, more wrecks and more unpredictable results. If anything, Ford should have an advantage just based on the recent history of Roush-Yates engines under the old restrictor plate rules. Doug Yates learned well from his dad how to make a choked Ford run and staying up front means staying out of more wrecks.

The other factor that everyone seems to want to ignore is the fact that GM's best team (Hendrick) had very few experienced drivers last year. That meant that it was going to take longer for them to figure out what the Camaro body needed to be competitive as opposed to Ford with their veteran driver lineups at SHR and Team Penske and Toyota with JGR and Furniture Row. 

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2 minutes ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

I really feel like because of the timing of the demise of the SS they didn't bother engineering the Camaro body to the 2018 rules but rather knowing this year would be pack racing they engineered to this year's rules package. 

Maybe, but they weren't really that competitive in pack racing last year either. The only reason Dillon won the Daytona 500 was because he wrecked Almirola on the last lap.

I would also be surprised if anyone, including NASCAR, knew that far in advance what the 2019 rules were going to be. They seem to be in reaction mode trying anything and everything to fill the stands and get kids to look up from their phones.

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4 minutes ago, twintornados said:

Wondering what is so "stock" about that?

NASCAR "stock" cars haven't been stock since the sixties and the same could be said for most racing series everywhere. "Stock" cars wouldn't last 50 miles on the tracks where NASCAR races and very few drivers would survive a serious crash. Even if they did they couldn't see where they are going once the airbags deployed anyway. ?

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6 minutes ago, blksn8k2 said:

NASCAR "stock" cars haven't been stock since the sixties and the same could be said for most racing series everywhere. "Stock" cars wouldn't last 50 miles on the tracks where NASCAR races and very few drivers would survive a serious crash. Even if they did they couldn't see where they are going once the airbags deployed anyway. ?

But there are many series that start with a stock car that's modified. 

The Ford GT that won LeMans is very close to stock.  The main body panels and even the engine type and displacement are the same.  Same for Ferrari and Porsche and all the other GT models.  IMSA is the same way in their GT classes.  They run real mustangs.

There is absolutely nothing about NASCAR that's even close to stock - bodies, engines, transmissions, rear ends.   And there won't be until they give up the high speed oval tracks with concrete walls - it just isn't safe.  Road racing with runoff areas and tire walls is much safer.

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Funny, I somehow missed the roll cage option in the Mustang Ordering Guide. And the air bag delete option. And the racing slicks option... 

They might be close to a stock body but they are not a totally stock car either.

V8 Supercars might look a little more stock than a NASCAR Mustang but they have a tube chassis underneath too.

The bodies that NASCAR rules dictate today have evolved over time for a lot of reasons, some of which were initiated by the manufacturers trying to get a competitive advantage. Remember the Dodge Daytona, Plymouth Superbird, Ford Torino Talladega, Mercury Cyclone Spoiler? NASCAR didn't dictate those bodies but they did try to rein them in. I'm not saying what they have today couldn't be better, but there are reasons why they are what they are and driver and fan safety have a lot to do with it along with trying to maintain a level playing field.

As long as aerodynamics play such an important role in building a competitive and relatively safe race car that will see speeds approaching or even exceeding 200 mph you are never going to see a totally "stock" body in NASCAR. 

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On 1/16/2019 at 12:48 PM, akirby said:

But there are many series that start with a stock car that's modified. 

The Ford GT that won LeMans is very close to stock.  The main body panels and even the engine type and displacement are the same.  Same for Ferrari and Porsche and all the other GT models.  IMSA is the same way in their GT classes.  They run real mustangs.

There is absolutely nothing about NASCAR that's even close to stock - bodies, engines, transmissions, rear ends.   And there won't be until they give up the high speed oval tracks with concrete walls - it just isn't safe.  Road racing with runoff areas and tire walls is much safer.

You can blame NASCAR's rules package for what he have now. Some of the changes were made for safety. But yeah, they don't look anything like stock physically or mechanically. 

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8 minutes ago, coupe3w said:

You can blame NASCAR's rules package for what he have now. Some of the changes were made for safety. But yeah, they don't look anything like stock physically or mechanically. 

Absolutely.   Starting with the move from Tbird to a 4 door Taurus body and then the Car of Tomorrow.  They should have just called it a spec series and done away with production models altogether.  Fans today care more about the driver than the name on the bumper anyway.

 

But going back to stock bodies with custom tube chassis and powertrains wouldn't make much difference.

800+ hp is crazy.   Even the GT cars at LeMans are only around 500 hp I think.

 

IMSA has real stock car racing but it doesn't seem to be very popular outside a couple of events.

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49 minutes ago, akirby said:

Fans today care more about the driver than the name on the bumper anyway.

The casual ones do. The diehard fans still care about Ford v Chevy v Toyota. 

 

And because I can't figure out how to split quotes the way I used to know how to do it with this new format, here's a list I found on reddit of what races will have the new restrictor plate... er, sorry... tapered spacer package (read: pack racing) which limits horsepower to 550

ki3o60ezl6b21.jpg

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5 minutes ago, akirby said:

Why not just make it mandatory everywhere or reduce the displacement across the board?  

Look at the tracks where the new package isn't being used. That's because the tapered spacer leaves the throttle far less responsive than it needs to be on short tracks and road courses, not to mention those 2 types of tracks already provided some of the best racing NASCAR has to offer, especially at Watkins Glen and Martinsville.  I will never miss a race at the Glen. 

Edited by fuzzymoomoo
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9 minutes ago, Trailhiker said:

Not if you judge from me and my friends! Not only are we brand loyal, but also loyal to sponsers of our favorite brands.

I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you guys are probably over the age of 45?

 

I think folks who grew up in the 60s/70s/80s have a very different view of automobiles and manufacturers than those who grew up the 90s and later.

 

I see younger fans identifying with drivers not brands.

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