Danica to win pole
If I were to give a car an advantage, I would not try to fake the times. Professional timers can use a stop watch or ’10-key’ system to time cars within 1/100th of a second, and often matches electronic timing systems to the 1/1000th of a second so at the very least, the car/driver has to be within the ballpark for any modification to the times to be realistic. With video, at 30 fps, just about anyone can time the cars to within 1/30th of a second. With HD (60 fps) and high-speed video (120 fps or higher), the accuracy is even higher and by interpolating between frames you can get well into the 1/100th and even 1/1000th of a second range. To be realistic, the driver would have to be within at least 1/10th of a second of what they actually ran, which would require Danica to be at least within the top 2. To fake the times would require a lot of people to be involved, and to prohibit video recording of the qualifying session by anyone. It’s just too easy to detect.
A more practical and difficult to detect method would be in allow certain cars to have performance enhancements such as a different ECU. That’s where I’d target. It’s invisible to the fans and almost everybody else. Only the engineers and McLaren (the ECU suppliers) would know if some ECUs were more equal than others. There is already an engine difference so that is another area to slightly boost performance and just conveniently don’t dyno the engine. Mark C.
02/21/13 Mordichai writes, Dear AR1.com, What a farce! I want to know what happened to all that pole winning speed Danica had, or was it programmed into the timing & scoring computers like I predicted? She started on pole in the first Daytona Duel and the better drivers drove right by her. She finished way back in 17th and never led a lap. If they want her to compete for the win on Sunday in the 500 they are going to have to make "the call" and give her a really big restrictor plate on race day. Mordichai Rosen, Los Angeles, CA
02/19/13 Another reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, Please let the great prognosticator Mordichai Rosen know that NASCAR will store Danica's restrictor plate or timing and scoring software code in a safe place until Austin Dillon needs it to put the number 3 on the pole for next year's 500. Ron Thompson
02/17/13 Mordichai writes again, Dear AR1.com, I was right again, the fix was in. Did you watch the overlay of the cars FOX did. She was behind but on the backstraight she gets this mysterious burst of speed. It is amazing what a computer programmer can do. Hmm, I wonder where that speed came from? She said she was nervous. Must have been because she knew she was computer programmed to win the pole and all she had to do was not crash it. Mordichai Rosen, right again in Los Angeles, CA
02/17/13 This rumor is upgraded to 'fact' with Danica Patrick on pole for the Daytona 500 – a PR bonanza for NASCAR.
02/17/13 If so, you might want to check Monday's want-ads, because the Boys in Ticketing will likely be adding staff if they get a whole week to promote Danica Patrick starting up front for the Daytona 500. Meanwhile, if it happens, prepare for a couple of things: 1. The conspiracy theorists won't have to dig deep to accuse NASCAR of ginning up interest in the 500; 2. When you get to work Monday, you will hear at least 20 versions of the same juvenile joke before you break for lunch. Daytona Beach News Journal
02/16/13 Dear AR1.com, You had better raise the rumor from 'speculation' to 'strong' because in Saturday practice the timing and scoring computers already had Danica fastest. NASCAR has been playing this game with qualifying for years. The PR from this is going to be huge. She is a star. Mordichai Rosen, Los Angeles, CA.
02/16/13 A reader writes, Dear AR1.com, Well it's pole weekend at Daytona again. Will the NASCAR timing and scoring computers put Danica Patrick on pole again this year? I predicted they would put her on pole last year for the Nationwide race and they did. This year it is Sprint Cup and with all the PR around her romance with Stenhouse, it is another opportunity for NASCAR to get a huge PR gain and boost TV ratings for the Daytona 500. With no transponders in the cars NASCAR can program into the timing and scoring computers and make any driver appear to win the pole. And who are you with your handheld stop watch to question it? Mordichai Rosen, Los Angeles, CA
Dear Mordichai, Another conspiracy theory. Are you saying that NASCAR would fix the qualifying results? Prove it. AR1.com staff