Being in the offseason, whether it's a time between new anime releases or racing seasons, sucks. There's barely anything to talk about and subreddits don't really have much to pass the time. When you're a fan of SAO and NASCAR, this time period where both are off feels like an eternity. So to pass the time, here I am with probably the oddest post I've written on this subreddit.
This was originally a Trivia Thursday post on
/NASCAR, but I thought it'd be fun to share with this subreddit as well. I looked up the air dates of each SAO episode from both seasons in both Japanese and the English dub. After that, I looked up which NASCAR race was held on the same weekend as each episode's air date. With the results, I produced the following tables:
Season 1 (Japanese) Ep. | Air Date | Race | Winner |
1 | July 8, 2012 | Coke Zero 400 | Tony Stewart |
2 | July 15 | Lenox Industrial Tools 301 | Kasey Kahne |
3 | July 22 | No race | No race |
4 | July 29 | Brickyard 400 | Jimmie Johnson |
5 | August 5 | Pennsylvania 400 | Jeff Gordon |
6 | August 12 | Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen | Marcos Ambrose |
7 | August 19 | Pure Michigan 400 | Greg Biffle |
8 | August 26 | Irwin Tools Night Race | Denny Hamlin |
9 | September 2 | AdvoCare 500 | Denny Hamlin |
10 | September 9 | Federated Auto Parts 400 | Clint Bowyer |
11 | September 16 | GEICO 400 | Brad Keselowski |
12 | September 23 | Sylvania 300 | Denny Hamlin |
13 | September 30 | AAA 400 | Brad Keselowski |
14 | October 7 | Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 | Matt Kenseth |
15 | October 14 | Bank of America 500 | Clint Bowyer |
16 | October 21 | Hollywood Casino 400 | Matt Kenseth |
17 | October 28 | Tums Fast Relief 500 | Jimmie Johnson |
18 | November 4 | AAA Texas 500 | Jimmie Johnson |
19 | November 11 | AdvoCare 500 | Kevin Harvick |
20 | November 18 | Ford EcoBoost 400 | Jeff Gordon |
Season 1 (English) Ep. | Air Date | Race | Winner |
1 | July 27, 2013 | Crown Royal 400 | Ryan Newman |
2 | August 3 | Gobowling.com 400 | Kasey Kahne |
3 | August 10 | Cheez-It 355 at The Glen | Kyle Busch |
4 | August 17 | Pure Michigan 400 | Joey Logano |
5 | August 24 | Irwin Tools Night Race | Matt Kenseth |
6 | September 7 | Federated Auto Parts 400 | Carl Edwards |
7 | September 14 | GEICO 400 | Matt Kenseth |
8 | September 21 | Sylvania 300 | Matt Kenseth |
9 | September 28 | AAA 400 | Jimmie Johnson |
10 | October 5 | Hollywood Casino 400 | Kevin Harvick |
11 | October 12 | Bank of America 500 | Brad Keselowski |
12 | October 19 | Camping World RV Sales 500 | Jamie McMurray |
13 | October 26 | Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 | Jeff Gordon |
14 | November 2 | AAA Texas 500 | Jimmie Johnson |
15 | November 9 | AdvoCare 500 | Kevin Harvick |
16 | November 16 | Ford EcoBoost 400 | Denny Hamlin |
Season 2 (Japanese) Ep. | Air Date | Race | Winner |
1 | July 5, 2014 | Coke Zero 400 | Aric Almirola |
2 | July 12 | Camping World RV Sales 301 | Brad Keselowski |
3 | July 19 | No race | No race |
4 | July 26 | Crown Royal 400 | Jeff Gordon |
5 | August 2 | Gobowling.com 400 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
6 | August 9 | Cheez-It 355 at The Glen | A. J. Allmendinger |
7 | August 16 | Pure Michigan 400 | Jeff Gordon |
8 | August 23 | Irwin Tools Night Race | Joey Logano |
9 | August 30 | Oral-B USA 500 | Kasey Kahne |
10 | September 6 | Federated Auto Parts 400 | Brad Keselowski |
11 | September 13 | MyAFibStory.com 400 | Brad Keselowski |
12 | September 20 | Sylvania 300 | Joey Logano |
13 | September 27 | AAA 400 | Jeff Gordon |
14 | October 4 | Hollywood Casino 400 | Joey Logano |
14.5 | October 11 | Bank of America 500 | Kevin Harvick |
15 | October 18 | GEICO 500 | Brad Keselowski |
16 | October 25 | Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
17 | November 1 | AAA Texas 500 | Jimmie Johnson |
18 | November 8 | Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 | Kevin Harvick |
19 | November 15 | Ford EcoBoost 400 | Kevin Harvick |
Season 2 (English) Ep. | Air Date | Race | Winner |
1 | March 28, 2015 | STP 500 | Denny Hamlin |
2 | April 4 | No race | No race |
3 | April 11 | Duck Commander 500 | Jimmie Johnson |
4 | April 18 | Food City 500 | Matt Kenseth |
5 | April 25 | Toyota Owners 400 | Kurt Busch |
6 | May 2 | GEICO 500 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
7 | May 9 | SpongeBob SquarePants 400 | Jimmie Johnson |
8 | May 16 | All-Star Race | Denny Hamlin |
9 | May 30 | FedEx 400 | Jimmie Johnson |
10 | June 6 | Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 | Martin Truex Jr. |
11 | June 13 | Quicken Loans 400 | Kurt Busch |
12 | June 20 | No race | No race |
13 | June 27 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Kyle Busch |
14 | July 11 | Coke Zero 400 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
15 | July 18 | 5-hour Energy 301 | Kyle Busch |
16 | July 25 | Crown Royal 400 | Kyle Busch |
17 | August 1 | Windows 10 400 | Matt Kenseth |
18 | August 8 | Cheez-It 355 at The Glen | Joey Logano |
19 | August 15 | Pure Michigan 400 | Matt Kenseth |
20 | August 22 | Irwin Tools Night Race | Joey Logano |
21 | August 29 | No race | No race |
22 | September 12 | Federated Auto Parts 400 | Matt Kenseth |
23 | September 19 | myAfibRisk.com 400 | Denny Hamlin |
24 | September 26 | Sylvania 300 | Matt Kenseth |
If you skim the winners section, you might notice that in the Japanese version of Season 1, it's a tie between Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin with three, while Kenseth recorded the most in the English dub with three (and he ties Johnson for the most of Season 1 with five). In Japanese Season 2, Brad Keselowski led the way with four, though Kenseth continued his domination in the English dub with five. In total, Kenseth recorded the most wins with ten.
I suppose that means Kenseth would be the Black Swordsman of NASCAR, which is somewhat fitting in a way. Both Kirito and Kenseth are really good in their respective categories, but are known to be quiet personality-wise. Despite this, both can get fired up pretty easily, such as Kirito during his race to the World Tree in the Fairy Dance arc and
Kenseth during his race to get back at Joey Logano for an
incident earlier in the year.
So you're probably thinking, "If Kenseth is Kirito, then who would be the Asuna of NASCAR? Klein? Sinon?" I guess the closest to Asuna would be Johnson; prior to SAO, Asuna had little experience when it came to video games and yet she became the game's best player and a natural leader of the clearing party. Likewise, Johnson didn't have a great stock car career at first (
as shown when he stuffed it in the foam at Watkins Glen), yet he is NASCAR's
top driver today and the
de facto leader of Hendrick Motorsports. To further add, both Asuna and Johnson are somewhat polarizing among the anime and racing communities, respectively; while they're loved by many, they're also disliked by others – in Asuna's case, the people who think she's a damsel in distress, while in Johnson's case, by those who think he's far too successful as a result of the Chase system and a cheater. Not to mention they're both pretty good-looking in their own regard.
As much as I hate to say it, Sinon would be Tony Stewart. Both of them were involved in a certain incident (Just take the first result on YouTube when you type in his name and make the connection to her. I'm not going to go into detail.) that have affected their images among the public. It is why Shino was bullied and why Stewart received a lot of flack on social media. On a more lighter note, they're the definition of
don't give a fuck, and are both able to have some fun... at the expense of
their friends.
Speaking of Hamlin, he's probably the Klein of SAO. While Klein has trouble getting women, Hamlin has trouble when it comes to
keeping himself healthy. In an even more closer similarity, they can be considered foils to their respective buddies (Kirito and Kenseth). While Kirito is the cool sort of guy, Klein's more of the social type. While Kenseth is normally calm and collected,
Hamlin is doing the dougie. Furthermore, both have proven to be reliable and successful teammates, such as Klein's work running a guild and Hamlin
winning the Daytona 500.
I know he's not a driver, but Chad Knaus is probably the Lisbeth of NASCAR. Like how Liz works on weapons for her friend Asuna, Knaus works on cars for his
friend Jimmie Johnson, and if you remember who I connected Johnson to earlier....
Anyway, both Liz and Knaus are considered the best in the business by their peers, but had their own starts through humble beginnings. Liz started her blacksmithing shop with
just a mat, while Knaus was a crewman for Jeff Gordon before she bought a shop and he became a crew chief. While Liz doesn't have any cheating allegations and Knaus doesn't have pink hair, a good player is supported by a good blacksmith, like how a good driver is supported by a good crew chief. You don't become one of the best players in SAO without a good sword courtesy of a great blacksmith, and you don't win 7 championships without a good car courtesy of a great crew chief.
This is a dumber comparison than the others but this entire post is already pretty dumb so let's keep going: Silica and Chase Elliott. Both of them started playing SAO and driving in NASCAR's national series (respectively) at very young ages; in the former's case, she was younger than the recommended age to play the game. In the latter's case, he was only 18 when he
won the NASCAR Nationwide (Xfinity) Series championship. Fast forward to about two years later in their respective timelines and Silica is now a popular figure among the SAO playerbase, while
Elliott is a fan favorite. To further add to this comparison, Silica "lives in her more successful friend Asuna's shadow" like how Elliott "lives in his more successful friend/teammate Jimmie Johnson's shadow." He probably won't be doing so any longer this year since many expect him to get his first win in the Cup Series.
So there you have it. SAO and NASCAR have a lot more in common than you might have imagined. In other news, I'm questioning my life decisions and how they led to me writing this.
submitted by LEBANON, Tenn., Friday, July 20, 2001 - Greg Ray returned to his usual strong qualifying form, edging Indy Racing Northern Light Series points leader Sam Hornish Jr. to win the MBNA Pole for the Harrah's Indy 200 with a lap of 199.922 mph July 20 at Nashville Superspeedway.
It was the fourth MBNA Pole of the season for Ray in the No. 2 Johns Manville/Menards Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone and the 13th of his Indy Racing career, extending his series record. He qualified an uncharacteristic 10th at the last Indy Racing event, the Ameristar Casino Indy 200 on July 8 at Kansas Speedway. Ray has 22 front-row starts during his Indy Racing career.
Ray was one of five drivers to break the 200-mph barrier in the final practice this afternoon on the 1.33-mile concrete oval, but light rain that delayed the start of qualifying by 40 minutes changed conditions.
"The track didn't have quite the same grip," Ray said. "The air's a little muggier. We never got to top gear. We had a pretty good lap there at the end, but we could never get up to top gear.
"We thought we could do exactly what we did in practice if not a little better. The rain definitely changed things for us."
Hornish was second at 199.750 in the No. 4 Pennzoil Panther Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone, tying his career-best starting spot. Hornish led the afternoon practice at 201.037.
The Harrah's Indy 200 starts at 7 p.m. (CDT) Saturday. The race is sold out and will be televised live on ESPN.
Mark Dismore qualified third at 199.239 in the No. 28T Delphi Automotive Systems/Bryant Heating & Cooling Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone. Billy Boat was a season-best fourth at 199.175 in the No. 98T CURB Records Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone. In fact, it was Boat's best start since winning the pole in July 1999 at Atlanta.
Eddie Cheever Jr. rounded out the top five at 199.100 in the #51 Cheever Indy Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone.
Defending series champion Buddy Lazier was sixth at 198.681 in the No. 91 Tae-Bo/Coors Light/Delta Faucet Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone. Lazier is second in the Northern Light Cup standings, 60 points behind Hornish.
Qualifying produced a tight field, as 14 drivers were within a half second of Ray.
Full race video DETROIT--Michigan International Speedway, which has played host to two of the three closest finishes in Champ Car history during the past two years, will be primed for another this weekend as the FedEx Championship Series returns for the Harrah's 500 Presented by Toyota (1:30 p.m. ET, live, ABC-TV).
The two-mile oval located in the Irish Hills of southeast Michigan has hosted some storied Champ Car events of late, beginning with Tony Kanaan's 0.032-second victory over Juan Montoya in 1999, which stands as the second-closest finish in Champ Car history. Kanaan had inherited the lead two turns from the checkered flag when Max Papis of Team Rahal, who had led a race-high 143 laps, ran out of fuel.
Montoya was again a principal in last year's FedEx Championship Series event at Michigan, as he and Michael Andretti waged a dazzling wheel-to-wheel duel over the final 20 laps before Montoya nudged ahead for a 0.040-second victory at the checkered flag. The race featured a whopping 52 lead changes at the start/finish line--third in CART history--and an unofficial 162 on the race track overall, and Montoya's margin of victory stands as the third-closest in Champ Car history.
As the series prepares for its final visit to Michigan, Andretti (Motorola Honda/Reynard) arrives looking to reverse last year's outcome. He claimed his record-41st CART victory in spectacular last-to-first fashion on the streets of Toronto last week, a triumph that moved him from sixth into second place in the FedEx Championship Series championship. With 73 points, Andretti trails championship leader Kenny Brack (84 points) of Team Rahal by 11 as the season approaches its midway point.
Andretti is a two-time winner at Michigan Speedway (1987, '89) and has led 705 laps in 20 career starts at the venue. He is one of four former Michigan winners in the field this weekend, and the only one among the top five contenders for the FedEx Championship Series championship.
Brack (Shell Ford-Cosworth/Lola) has built his championship lead on a pair of victories at Japan and Milwaukee--the first two of his FedEx Championship Series career--and a consistent record of finish that has seen him score championship points in seven of nine completed events this season. He leads the series in points scored on ovals, with 59, and has also collected 330 of his series-leading 359 laps led on oval circuits.
Brack qualified 10th and finished 22nd due to contact in his inaugural appearance at Michigan International Speedway as a rookie last year.
Andretti's victory at Toronto extended a run that has seen him finish among the top eight drivers in four of his past five starts, including a podium result of second at Milwaukee. Of the other three former Michigan winners in this year's field, two are currently driving for Mo Nunn Racing: Kanaan (Hollywood Honda/Reynard), whose 1999 Michigan victory came as a member of McDonald's Championship Racing; and Alex Zanardi (Pioneer Honda/Reynard), who won at Michigan in 1997 en route to his first of two consecutive FedEx Championship Series championships for Target Chip Ganassi Racing.
The other former Michigan winner in this weekend's field is Jimmy Vasser (Patrick Racing Toyota/Reynard) of Patrick Racing, who won The Inaugural U.S. 500 in 1996.
The weekend's entry list also includes one driver who already has a 500-mile victory to his credit this season, reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Honda/Reynard) of Marlboro Team Penske. Castroneves stands third to Brack and Andretti in the FedEx Championship Series championship, with 70 points.
Rounding out the top five drivers in the championship chase are Dario Franchitti (KOOL Honda/Reynard) of Team KOOL Green, fourth with 65 points, and defending FedEx Championship Series champion Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Honda/Reynard) of Marlboro Team Penske, fifth with 58. Franchitti recorded a podium finish of third to Montoya and Andretti at Michigan last year, while de Ferran was runner-up to his Marlboro Team Penske teammate Castroneves at this year's Indianapolis 500 in May.
All FedEx Championship Series entries ride on Firestone Tires, the Official Tire of CART.
The Harrah's 500 Presented by Toyota is Round 11 of 21 in the 2001 FedEx Championship Series. The series visits seven countries and four continents during the season and climaxes with the season-ending Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota on Sunday, Nov. 4, at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Thanks to a partnership between Marlboro, Toyota, CART and California Speedway, the winner of the season finale will collect $1 million, one of the richest paydays in all of motorsports. An additional $1 million, as well as the prestigious Vanderbilt Cup, will be awarded to the driver who wins the FedEx Championship Series championship.
Following the Harrah's 500 Presented by Toyota, the FedEx Championship Series completes a run of six events in seven weeks with Round 12, the Target Grand Prix Presented by Energizer, July 27-29 at Chicago Motor Speedway in Cicero, Ill.
WHO'S HOT
• Michael Andretti (Motorola Honda/Reynard) of Team Motorola has finished eighth or better in four of his past five FedEx Championship Series starts, dating to a runner-up finish at Milwaukee and including a victory last weekend at Toronto. The run also includes finishes of fourth at Detroit and eighth at Portland, and has moved Andretti into second place in the FedEx Championship Series championship with 73 points, 11 behind championship leader Kenny Brack (Shell Ford-Cosworth/Lola) of Team Rahal, who leads with 84 points. Andretti's victory last Sunday was the 41st of his career, tops on CART's all-time list and gave him at least one win in 14 different seasons--also a CART record--including the past eight in a row.
• FedEx Championship Series championship leader Kenny Brack of Team Rahal has scored championship points in six of his past seven starts, dating to a runner-up result at Nazareth and including back-to-back victories at Japan and Milwaukee, the first of his FedEx Championship Series career. He also finished ninth at Detroit, 11th at Portland and sixth at Cleveland and enters this weekend's Harrah's 500 Presented by Toyota as the FedEx Championship Series championship leader, with 84 points. Brack has also qualified third or better in six of 10 qualifying performances this season, with poles at Mexico, Texas and Milwaukee and outside poles at Long Beach and Nazareth.
• Christian Fittipaldi (Kmart Toyota/Lola) of Newman/Haas Racing finished 12th at Toronto to extend a run that has seen him score championship points in six of his past seven starts, dating to a fifth-place finish at Nazareth. He also finished fourth at Japan, fifth at Detroit, third at Portland and 11th at Cleveland. Fittipaldi has improved from 22nd when the run began to ninth in the FedEx Championship Series championship, with 49 points.
• Max Papis (Miller Lite Ford-Cosworth/Lola) of Team Rahal owns points-paying finishes in five of his past six FedEx Championship Series starts, including a victory from the pole at Portland. The run also includes finishes of sixth at Japan, eighth at Milwaukee and Toronto and 11th at Detroit. He stands 11th in the FedEx Championship Series championship, with 43 points.
• Roberto Moreno (Visteon Toyota/Reynard) of Patrick Racing has collected championship points with seven of his past eight FedEx Championship Series finishes, including podium results of second at Detroit and third at Portland. The run also includes finishes of eighth at Cleveland, 10th at Japan, 11th at Long Beach and Toronto and 12th at Nazareth. Moreno stands 12th in the FedEx Championship Series championship with 43 points.
• Mauricio Gugelmin (Nextel PacWest Toyota/Reynard) of the PacWest Racing Group has scored championship points in five of his past six FedEx Championship Series starts. He comes to this weekend's Harrah's 500 Presented by Toyota off a season-best finish of seventh at Toronto last weekend. Gugelmin's current run also includes finishes of 10th at Milwaukee, Detroit and Cleveland and 12th at Japan. He also owns a pole position at Cleveland, his first since establishing a world closed-course speed record of 240.941 miles per hour in the 1997 season finale at California Speedway. Gugelmin stands 20th in the FedEx Championship Series championship, with 17 points.
• Alex Tagliani (Player's/Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Reynard) of Player's Forsythe Racing finished second to Michael Andretti at Toronto, the best result of his two-year FedEx Championship Series career. He has scored championship points in three of four of his past five FedEx Championship Series starts, dating to a 12th-place effort at Milwaukee and including finishes of 12th at Portland and ninth at Cleveland.
Full race video (240p)
Playlist of full race in 15 chunks (480p)
Entry, spotter's guide, practice, qualifying and race results Articles, notes and press releases What the hell is this? In the long off-season we're rewatching the 2001 CART and IRL seasons, in chronological order. This is round 11 of the CART series and round 9 of the IRL, and you can discuss the races below. Enjoy! submitted by Find Casino Cashier jobs in Fontana, CA. Search for full time or part time employment opportunities on Jobs2Careers. Find Landscape jobs in Fontana, CA. Search for full time or part time employment opportunities on Jobs2Careers. PAMPANGA -- The casino reportedly owned by gambling tycoon Jack Lam has been shut down as ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte. Officials of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and Angeles City Police Office temporarily shut down the main casino and 15 casino rooms in Fontana Leisure Parks and Casino in Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga. Glassdoor gives you an inside look at what it's like to work at Fontana Leisure Parks & Casino, including salaries, reviews, office photos, and more. This is the Fontana Leisure Parks & Casino company profile. All content is posted anonymously by employees working at Fontana Leisure Parks & Casino. San Manuel Casino (157) Albertsons (156) Starbucks (145) Vons (139) PetSmart (134) Circle K (132) Papa John's (126) Palace Entertainment (121) Paramount Residential Mortgage Group (105) Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (103) Riverside Community College District (103) TARGET (102) El Pollo Loco (101) St Bernardine Medical Center (98) H&R Block (98) United States Army, Active Duty and Army ... Fontana Leisure Parks stands out among the rest of the courses because of the various services it offers. It has a clubhouse, fitness gym, golfer’s lounge, pro shop, sauna, spa, water park, and casino. All these establishments have contributed to Fontana Leisure Parks’ title as one of today’s extravagant leisure parks in the country. Fontana Leisure Parks C.M. Recto Highway, CFZ 2023, Pampanga, Philippines Tel No: 63 (45) 599-5000 Fax No: 63 (2) 843-9123. RESERVATIONS TEL : 63 45 599 5000 local 5719 to 5723 MOBILE : 63 917 553 7598 FAX : 63 2 843 9123 EMAIL :[email protected] Fontana Leisure Parks & Casino is located in a 300-hectare property within the Clark Special Economic Zone at Clarkfield Pampanga, just 80 kilometers north of Manila.It features the the security and comforts of an American planned community with wide access roads and generous open spaces. Fontana is also the only resort in the country with […] fontana leisure parks & casino mabalacat photos • fontana leisure parks & casino mabalacat location • fontana leisure parks & casino mabalacat address • fontana leisure parks & casino mabalacat • fonta leisure parks mabalacat • fontana mabalacat • fontana atlanta 1 mabalacat • fontana casino mabalacat • fontana florida mabalacat ... Careers - Games; Novibet Casino: Claim a 100% deposit bonus up to £250 + 30 no wagering Fontana Casino Jobs free spins . Sign up for an account today at Novibet Casino, make a minimum deposit of £10 to bag yourself a 100% deposit bonus up to £250 + 30 no wagering free spins on your first deposit. Visit Casino T&C's Apply. 200. New Online Casino; Big Welcome Bonus; Live Chat Support ...