Loudon, September 22, 2012

[Acadia]

This was a pretty good race. If you weren't there or didn't watch it live, find a recording and watch it.

The first 35 or so laps saw the top 6 or so cars constantly swapping positions. Incredible. Go look a the race review and all the lead changes. Yikes!

The half time break was a real buzz kill. Racing was going great.

The cars never really strung out, no mid race boring freight train. There was racing going on all over.

The typical cars did well. Not too much crazy going on. The racing between the usual cast of characters was pretty good.

Newman faded, came back, faded, came back...

Pennink and the SPEC motor looked very good.

TC in the 3 is pretty good for Modified racing.

The incident between the 3 and 4 happened right in front of me. It was strange. The closing rate between the two cars was very fast, very unusual and certainly unexpected given the circumstances. That move is always kinda slow motion. The car that is behind gets drawn up to the lead car, builds up and pulls out. The 4 was fading at that point and the 3 was getting better. The closing rate between the two cars was so great, almost like the 3 couldn't get going or was slowing. The 4 didn't have it that good at the end to pull up on the 3 like that. It looked like the 4 was taking evasive action to avoid driving through the 3, not just trying to pull off a draft move. But it happened. Bummer for the 3, it had a great run going on. Amazing no other cars were collected in that.


The late restarts were nuts. The cars weren't lining up into position and were lining up 3-wide!!!!! WTF?? I can't believe they were allowed to go like that. Race Control, get it together.

[Rob29]

Excellent race. IMO July's race was better, but both races this year were fantastic. Finish was a bit of a let-down, but it happens. Not all finishes can be like July's.

If you hear Donny talk you can tell he genuinely felt bad about that incident. But I don't think he got to tell TC that before the media found TC. Teddy unleashed a verbal barrage in the media and Donny was the target (obviously). RaceDayinCT has TC's quotes if you want to see them.

[Acadia]

Excellent race. IMO July's race was better, but both races this year were fantastic. Finish was a bit of a let-down, but it happens. Not all finishes can be like July's.

If you hear Donny talk you can tell he genuinely felt bad about that incident. But I don't think he got to tell TC that before the media found TC. Teddy unleashed a verbal barrage in the media and Donny was the target (obviously). RaceDayinCT has TC's quotes if you want to see them.

Yeah, Lia sounded kinda shook up about it. The finish was a pimple on an otherwise pretty darn good race.

I have a hard time feeling sorry for TC if he is wailing about getting wrecked. I hope he's not hurt, and I feel for the BRE team. TC in the 3 is one of the best things to happen to Modified racing in a long time. He's wiped out plenty of equipment over the years. Parts trucks go where TC races. Just because his wrecking rate has attenuated the last year or so, let's not forget what it was like a couple years ago. To hear him complain about getting wrecked and calling another driver stupid is comical, preposterous and hypocritical, he knows how to use the media, especially those that cater to him.

[Acadia]

Let's recall a Loudon race from a couple years ago. Also involving the 3 and 4.

The 3 tried to go under the 4 entering T3 and ended up destroying the 4.

A great race car destroyed by the mistakes of others.

[bud]

Not going to comment on Lia other than I can see why Moss let him go......

[Acadia]

Lia was doing that same move all afternoon. He was letting cars lead a lap and then passed the car to retake the lead by that same move, doing it all afternoon.

Anybody know of video available?

[DaveMc]

I've got video but it won't be up for another day or so. Not the best angle being from the crowd and all but gives a point of view other than the shot on TV going straight down the frontstretch (I assume that's all they have since that's all they kept showing on the Sprintvision Screen).

My opinion, Lia ruined what could have been a 3-4 car battle at the end of the race. He was making a charge back towards the 52 and so was TC, and they might have pulled another car or two with them. It could have easily been a 3-4 car battle for the win coming to the checkered if not for that move.

There was another year where he did the same thing and turned the 36 into the 2 wrecking both of them for the win. I remember everyone in the crowd blaming TC for "wrecking Szegedy". I know TC ain't exactly Mr. Nice Guy but I think some people need to get their eyes checked after they watch a race.

[wrench1]

Excellent race. IMO July's race was better, but both races this year were fantastic. Finish was a bit of a let-down, but it happens. Not all finishes can be like July's.

If you hear Donny talk you can tell he genuinely felt bad about that incident. But I don't think he got to tell TC that before the media found TC. Teddy unleashed a verbal barrage in the media and Donny was the target (obviously). RaceDayinCT has TC's quotes if you want to see them.

it was ununtentional my blank blank blank.who is lia kidding. tc ran him up the lap before,then the 4 wrecked him.lia is lucky tc wasnt hurt too bad.too fast to wreck someone like that.he was pissed at tc and wrecked him,plain and simple.

[bud]

Pretty much the way I saw it to. Wonder why moss tossed him.....

[Acadia]

Pretty much the way I saw it to. Wonder why moss tossed him.....

Where did you see it?

[DaveMc]

Video is up. Like I said before, not the best being in the stands with all the heads in the way but it gives an alternate view.

http://youtu.be/SiuHr-N3NhY

[Acadia]

Nice work. I was to your left, top row. The contact happened right in front of me.

Look at how fast the 4 closed on the 3, and how fast the 52 pulled away from the 3.

[Lugnuts]

For those of you that really think Donny wrecked TC on purpose really need to think again. For someone to intentionally wreck someone at the speeds they were running, especially running up would have a potential disastrous outcome. You really need to think again. First off I must defend Donny as I know him personally and know first hand that he would not wreck someone like that. Secondly if that were the case I really don't believe that Bob Garbarino would tolerate that either.

For the TC fans out there lest not for get that he has wrecked many a racer, he no angel.

Let not forget that Donny has fielded his own equipment before racing with Garbarino. He knows first hand what it takes to field a car, finance the car etc. so that being said I think you need to take a good look at the situation. Besides the only one that really knows what happened is the guy driving the car, all other facts in my opinion are speculation.

As far as you saying or commenting as to why Randy Moss let him go, I think you shouldn't comment or start rumors on that either unless you truly know the facts.

[Lugnuts]

I forgot to add that for those of you that say Donny didthe same thing in 2009 and wrecked TC and Todd Szegedy, I think you need to review the video and open your eyes. TC clearly comes up across in front of Donny clipping his bumper causing the wreck.

[Acadia]

Lugnuts, no need to defend Lia. If the 3 was driven by anyone else, this wouldn't be getting this kind of attention. But because TC was in the affected car, that is completely taboo according to some. They believe TC is above reproach and all other cars are the problems.

Looks like TC will have to field his own car. I don't think any owner will put him in a car at this point, maybe with a $100k bond against damages.

[Bob T. Racer]

Lugnuts, no need to defend Lia. If the 3 was driven by anyone else, this wouldn't be getting this kind of attention. But because TC was in the affected car, that is completely taboo according to some. They believe TC is above reproach and all other cars are the problems.

Looks like TC will have to field his own car. I don't think any owner will put him in a car at this point, maybe with a $100k bond against damages.

Once again you're the fountain of misguided information, T.C. will be in Wayne Andersons car this weekend!!

[DaveMc]

Last time I checked, wrecks that involved one driver getting right-turned into the wall always got a lot of attention, regardless of what drivers it involved. I'm not gonna go out and claim Lia did it on purpose, the only person who will ever really know that is Donny Lia, but let's not act like it wasn't a dangerous move that probably could have been avoided by a 2-time champion.

[RBH]

What about all the NASCAR officials haters out there? I can't believe in the inconsistency in rules enforcement by the officials! You can't jump the restart, you can't have incidental contact & spin someone during the race without penalty, but you can stuff somebody on the last lap & no penalty.

[MJProcko]

not the biggest fan of either driver but the 4 didn't wreck the 3 on purpose, it was just bad driving on his part as he tried to pull the same crossover move that the 3 just put on him the lap earlier.... just miss judged it. He wouldn't wreck him there, he would have waited a lap because wrecking him there killed any chance he had at the win.

[Acadia]

People, and others, go back and read my earlier post where I explained how the incident looked strange. The incident happened right in front of me. I saw the whole thing happen right in front of me.

Then watch the video again. Watch not as an advocate of a favorite car or driver, or as a hater of a car or driver. Yes that video is accurate, it is what I saw. ;)

Okay, cut to video. On the restart, the 4 was behind the 3. The 4 passed the 3 by the end of the front stretch. The 4 passed the 3 just as he was passing cars all day using the same technique. Pull up, pull out, pass. badda-bing… done. The 3 then went very low to regain the lost position, overdrove the car in and low, washed up into the 4, used the 4 as a moving wall, pushed the 4 up in T2, disrupted the 4. The 4, 6, 93, and 7NY were all affected by that slide job.

Now note the gap between the cars as they exit T2 and head down the back stretch. The 3 has about a four car lead over the 4. The 4 leads the pack of the 6, 93 and 7NY.

The 4 now has the 6, 93 and 7NY in tow, right behind him, or on his rear corners. They are closing on the 3 by the time they enter T3, and really close up in T3/4, by the time they are approaching the line, they as a pack are on the 3. How was a four car lead eaten up in about a half a lap?

One very plausible explanation is that the 3 was hurt when it washed up against the 4 in T2 with that slide job. It happens. Amazing that a driver with all that experience drove like that and put all those cars at risk. He wouldn’t intentionally wash up into the 4, would he? The 3 must have hurt the alignment, and/or hurt a tire. With the way the cars were running, there was no way a four car length lead could be eaten up in half a lap like that if the 3 wasn’t having problems, problems as a result of the T2 slide job on the 4.

Like I said earlier, the closing rate was very high, unusually high. The 3 came up on the 4 very fast, much faster than cars the 4 was passing all day. Yes, that’s the way it looked like it happened because the 3 was slow as evidenced by the way it was caught so quickly, a half lap, after the T2 slide job. The 4 was not just pulling out to get a run, it was evading the 3. Look at the closing rate of the pack of the 4, 93, 6, and 7NY. It looks like Lia didn’t realize how slow the 3 was and how fast he was going to be on it. That high closing rate might have led to a timing misjudgment on the pull out. But I doubt it was intentional. It probably wouldn’t have happened if the 3 wasn’t so slow at that point.

BTW, the 3 is one of my favorite cars. It was very disappointing to see this happen. TC proved that the 3 is indeed a very competitive car.

[DaveMc]

Closing rate seemed normal to me. TC ran Lia up the track, everyone fell back behind TC and Coby got a nice lead. TC was caught in the middle with no draft or push where everyone behind him did. It was only natural that the guys behind him would close up fast. If the wreck hadn't happened, they probably would have freight trained right past Coby since he was stuck out front without a pusher.

[Acadia]

Closing rate seemed normal to me. TC ran Lia up the track, everyone fell back behind TC and Coby got a nice lead. TC was caught in the middle with no draft or push where everyone behind him did. It was only natural that the guys behind him would close up fast. If the wreck hadn't happened, they probably would have freight trained right past Coby since he was stuck out front without a pusher.

I tried that perception but it didn't sit right. The 4, 6, 93 and 7NY were not in an effective aero formation. The 6 and 93 were side-by-side behind the 4, not an aero pusher arrangement, with the 7NY waiting behind for a mistake by someone ahead of him. Side-by-side is the worst for speed. They were not tight and side-by-side is not an effective aero pusher formation. And until the apex (T3/4), there were four cars 2x2 behind the 4, not an aero efficient arrangement at all. It was the last lap, they weren't working together to hunt down a lead car, they were out for themselves. The 4 had no help from behind at all. And as such, they still ran the 3 down in half a lap.