NASCAR Gen-6

The idea of stock car racing to me has always been the basic car racing on the track looks similar to the model that is on the showroom floor at the dealership. I believe many NASCAR fans share the same thinking. So when the Nationwide cars made a body change a few years back to allow the cars to look more like what they are suppose to be it was a pleasant change even though what was running in the Sprint Cup Series was just a series of cars that looked the same, and the only thing to distinguish one manufacture from another was the stickers on the front that said 'Ford', 'Chevy' or otherwise.

However NASCAR fans got their wish when NASCAR rolled out the Generation 6 car though out the season. Each one was released to rave reviews to many who loved the looks of the cars. What is more impressive is the number of fans, who are brand loyal that have expressed positive comments about the other manufacturers entries.

I'm no different although I consider myself a Ford guy, I actually root for a couple of Chevy teams. But I like the look of all four models, Dodge included, even though they will not compete in 2013.

-Jayski.com/Todd Ice

As a Ford guy who recently bought a 2012 Ford Fusion, I wasn't impressed with the 2013 showroom model. It looked overly sedanish. But when the NASCAR version was rolled out I was more than impressed. It looks sleek, very sporty, and has me hoping Ford issues a sportier showroom model soon. The grill, and lights on the front have a somewhat intimidating look.

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Jayski.com/Furniture Row Racing Facebook

Cheverolet was the last manufacture to introduce their 2013 model. The Cheverolet SS is a showroom model that has yet to be seen, but what will be seen on NASCAR tracks also has a sleek look to it. Many of the paint schemes that have been released hide some of the nice contours of the SS. The best one may be the Furniture Row 78 given the simplified scheme they run. Like the Ford it really shows off the sportiness of the SS.

Jayski.com/JGR Website

The Toyota Camry may be the one model that does not scream sporty like the Chevy, and Ford. But with the line-up of drivers running the Camry does it really matter.

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I will never be a 'Dodge Guy', however even I was impressed when Dodged rolled out the Charger for the 2013 season. The racing lines, and contours gave this car a very nice look. Unfortunately Dodge took it's first hit when Penske announced it was moving to Ford. Then after having several teams interested in moving to Dodge, opted to not run in 2013 after the offers they received were not to their liking. Many hope they will return in 2014, in part because of the car they would have rolled out.

While the styling of the 2013 cars have changed, fans will also have to get use to some other changes in the cars. Specifically some changes in where certain stickers will go, like he headlight number. No longer will it be on the headlight, but below it. The driver's last names will now be on top of the windshield. The other significant change is the addition of a sponsor logo on top of the car.

There are many reasons NASCAR fans are looking forward to the 2013 Daytona 500, on top of many of their lists is seeing these beautiful new cars running side by side, and easily being able to tell who's running a Ford, Chevy, or Toyota.

Mandatory Caution?

One thing NASCAR has shown is that they are willing to listen to their fans. Bruton Smith, and Bristol Motorspeedway listened to fans requests after the spring race and reconfigured the track to take it back to what it was prior to its latest repave. Not long after that Smith had an idea that should not be listened to by anyone.

The idea was a mandatory caution in the late stages of a race. The thinking was that it would make the races more exciting at the end, much like late time outs in stick-and-ball sports do. Problem is, he's wrong in that thinking. Just because a basketball team calls a time out late in game doesn't mean the score instantly changes and brings them back into a game.

The big issue I have with this idea isn't so much the thought it tricks up the racing, but that it essentially makes the previous laps run somewhat meaningless. Look at it this way, if we are watching Dale Earnhardt Jr. run away with the race at Michigan, and this so-called mandatory caution comes out is it fair to Dale Jr. that he has to relinquish that large lead? It is the same as saying that at the 2:00 warning of an NFL game never mind that the Patriots had a three touchdown lead, it's now a one field goal game.

A moot point really since most of NASCAR nation, and NASCAR themselves have dismissed this idea at the instant it was suggested. But it falls in line with a slew of ideas I hear listening to the NASCAR station on SiriusXM. Everyone wants to trick up the racing to make it exciting. Let's give championship points for leading halfway, give drivers "mulligans" in the Chase for bad races, and let's not get into the start-and-park debate.

When I watch a football game I know there is a chance it could be a great game, and a good chance it could be a blow out. Same with hockey, or baseball. I also know when I sit down to watch a race the winner may win without drama like Dale Jr did at Michigan. But I also know that there's a chance I might see what we saw at Watkins Glen with Brad Keselowski and Marcos Ambros.

While NASCAR is hoping for closer racing with the "Gen-6" car, it is naive to think that every race on the schedule needs to come down to two or three cars beating and banging to the finish line because it just doesn't happen. As well finishes should not be manufactured by trick rules. Just because Greg Biffle was running away with the spring Texas race doesn't mean there wasn't excitement coming from the rest of the field.

Many complain they get bored with the middle of the race. Their answer, shorten the races. Well there's still a middle of the race. And good fans know there are turning points in the middle of races. Points where you say, "remember that moment at the end".  Many times in 2012 I watched a driver have handling issues, make a mistake, or issues on pit road that put them back in the pack. A number of times I watched those drivers work their way back up through the field. Biggest example may be the fall Kansas race when Jimmie Johnson spun  and hit the wall mid-race. The work on pit road to get him back on the track, then his work to get into the top 10 would have been the focal point of his season had he won the championship. Everyone would have looked back on that race and pointed to that moment.

What has to be remembered is it's a race, no different to a marathon like the 100m dash is no different to an NHRA drag race. Just because we have blowouts in football we aren't begging the NFL to shorten the game, and trick it up. Why must we trick up NASCAR?

The 2012 That Was, and the 2013 That Will Be

There is no question the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season started out with a bang. A rain out of the Daytona 500 forced the race to a Monday night prime time slot that would lead to a race that finished well into the night after Juan Pablo Montoya found a jet dryer.

The race was filled with story lines that began with the rain, punctuated by the jet dryer, and ended with Matt Kenseth in victory lane. Who knew that a few months later Kenseth would announce his plan to leave the team he had been with since he began his NASCAR career.

The season would only continue to see driver changes, tension, and some good racing. Top ten lists have been thrown around as the calendar has turned to 2013.

Possibly the biggest story was the all around year for Penske. From announcing they would change manufacturers, which led to their change in engines, to having to release AJ Allmindger after he failed a drug test. But the season would end like no other had for Roger Penske when Brad Keslowski piloted the Blue Deuce to the Sprint Cup Championship.

The stories didn't stop there. A brewing situation that began at Martinsville in the spring between Jeff Gordan and Clint Bowyer exploded when the two got together at the fall Phoenix race. The Phoenix race wasn't just relegated to the 24 and 15 smack down. Jimmie Johnson's championship hopes took a big hit after hitting the wall. Kevin Harvick began the week with a report he was going to Stewart-Haas in 2014, then finished the weekend with his single win of the year.

Marcos Ambros, and Keslowski dueled to the finish at Watkins Glen with controversy flying about oil on the track that helped take out Kyle Busch, and infuriated Gordan. However the last lap battle and weaving around the track between the 9 and 2 eventually overshadowed the rest. The final laps at Texas in November also provided some thrills when Keslowski and Johnson battled through a series of restarts that eventually saw Johnson in victory lane, and a seven point lead going to Phoenix.

Dale Earnhardt Jr experienced one of his best seasons that enveloped into a lost year. Leading the points for a short time, then after qualifying for the Chase, had to step out of the car for two races after a second concussion suffered in a last lap crash at Talladega. The initial concussion came in an innocent test session at Kansas when a tire blew out and sent Dale Jr. into the wall.

In a series of moves the 88 ride received an unlikely fill-in when Regan Smith became available. Smith's time at Furniture Row was cut short when the Denver Colorado based team brought in Kurt Busch for the final six races of the year. Smith worked his way up to the top 10 at Charlotte before the engine gave out, then followed that up with a top 10 at Kansas. It would lead to a 2013 ride in the JR Motorsports 5 car in the Nationwide Series.

Busch in the meantime had a year he'd like to forget, and remember. Starting with Phoenix Racing he had a chance to win a few races. However comments to a member of the media after a Nationwide race had him in the hot seat with NASCAR. He would eventually be suspended for a race and wondered if he would be welcomed back to the 51 ride. He was welcomed back before leaving for the 78 team where he finished the year with three straight top tens, the best stretch for Furniture Row.

Through the course of the year the biggest change coming to 2013 was introduced in stages as each manufacturer wheeled out the new 2013 cars starting with the Ford Fusion, and ending with the new Cheverolet SS. Dodge also had wheeled out a 2013 car before deciding it would not return for 2013.

While 2012 had its moments, 2013 may easily top it with the new car, a return to the older qualifying format, interesting driver changes, and the Camping World Truck series hitting the dirt. The questions will come for 2013, and some of those will be answered in the next few weeks as teams will be testing at Daytona, and Charlotte. But the excitement that is running through NASCAR nation continues to point toward the 2013 Daytona 500.