5 ideas after Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Sequence race at Nashville Superspeedway …
1. Taking Inventory
Greater than a decade after NASCAR modified its playoff format to an elimination-style competitors with a winner-take-all title race, debate stays amongst followers as as to whether it’s the fairest approach to determine a champion.
A criticism in regards to the system you don’t hear typically? Whether or not the win-and-in playoff eligibility is a legitimate approach to decide the 16-driver discipline itself. Even many traditionalists would secretly admit the idea of all 26 regular-season races providing an opportunity at a playoff berth has been an total plus and added intrigue to what was previously an often-dull summer season stretch.
Former NASCAR CEO Brian France at the least had that half proper when he introduced the brand new system in Jan. 2014.
“The drivers will race to no matter format we’ve got, and if that’s a consistency‑primarily based mannequin, that’s how they may attempt to adapt as a result of that could be one of the best ways to realize their purpose,” he mentioned. “You must win, and you need to compete at a better degree. You’re most likely going to need to take extra possibilities and completely different methods are going to unfold. However that’s why we did it.”
Factors racing, at the least for playoff spots, is essentially useless. Positive, there’s a watch on the regular-season title or the highest 10 spots within the standings, which provide playoff factors. However by way of being on the bubble, like Joey Logano was coming into Sunday’s race at Nashville Superspeedway? The belief is factors gained’t safe a postseason berth as a result of the present reduce line will proceed to maneuver up earlier than the common season ends, and that’s the place France accurately anticipated how methods would change.
“Can we level our means in (with the standings main into Nashville)? Positive,” Logano crew chief Paul Wolfe mentioned. “However I really feel such as you’re going to get one other man or two who wins (to shift the reduce line), after which at that time it’s all about successful.”
That’s why Wolfe thought it was well worth the gamble for Logano to try to stretch his gas an incomprehensible 110 laps. If Logano ran out of fuel, Wolfe figured, it’s 20 factors down the drain. However the upside, with a playoff spot at stake?
“I felt like we would have liked to roll with it,” he mentioned.
It was a major threat, backed extra by intestine than knowledge. Probably the most optimistic projection from Wolfe’s engineers had Logano working out of gas on the final lap — and certainly, the No. 22’s engine sputtered briefly.
Besides taking an opportunity outweighed being conservative in what Wolfe felt like was shaping as much as be a must-win scenario for his staff, and it occurred to repay completely.
“As a lot as you wish to say you’ll be able to level your means in, that’s nice — however personally, we’ve been within the mindset we have to win,” Wolfe mentioned.
And that’s actually the place France nailed the modified dynamic. As a substitute of getting out of the automobile speaking a couple of “good factors day,” third-place Tyler Reddick appeared devastated in his interview with NBC Sports activities. Rookie Zane Smith, thirty fourth within the standings, described himself as being “pissed” over a career-best second-place end, as a result of he knew how important a victory would have been.
Sure, incomes a playoff berth by successful 3.8 % of the regular-season races does appear slightly odd. Austin Cindric (twentieth within the standings) and Daniel Suárez (18th) have secured invites this yr on the expense of extra constant drivers who haven’t gained a race.
However at this level, everybody understands the foundations and the format. Irrespective of how common or poor of a season a driver is having, it will probably all be instantly erased and stuck by one nice automobile or technique name. Any Given Sunday, certainly.
“Being on that cutoff spot, man, it sucks. It’s not enjoyable,” Logano mentioned. “That stress is actual, and also you don’t sleep good. You’re continually fascinated about it. It’s good to have the ability to get this win to the place you’ll be able to take the subsequent seven weeks to have the ability to at the least sleep slightly bit.”
2. Quickest Automobile Tracker
Christopher Bell had the quickest automobile at Nashville however crashed it after he bought buried in visitors because of pit technique and “misplaced my cool” whereas attempting to get by means of the sector, as he put it.
However Bell continues to be red-hot. He had the quickest automobile for the fourth time within the final six races, together with for the second straight week, and now has been capable of make that declare a series-high 5 occasions this season.
Notably, this has helped him pile up playoff factors which have been sorely missing for the No. 20 staff in latest seasons. As lately because the Darlington race on Might 12, Bell had simply seven playoff factors and was fifteenth within the regular-season standings (which will get zero additional playoff factors).
After sweeping the levels on Sunday, Bell elevated his playoff level complete to a series-leading 24 (yet one more than Kyle Larson) and is sixth within the standings, which might assist him gather an extra 5 playoff factors.
In the meantime, Logano was beneath no illusions he gained with a “mediocre” automobile on Sunday.
“We weren’t the quickest automobile under no circumstances,” he mentioned. “However Paul’s technique labored actually, rather well all through many of the race, and we simply stayed aggressive the entire day, and it labored out.”
Quickest Automobile Rating: Different Automobiles 11, Quickest Automobiles 10.
Quickest Automobiles by Driver: Bell 5, Kyle Larson 3, Denny Hamlin 3, Tyler Reddick 2, William Byron 2, Joey Logano 2, Michael McDowell 1, Martin Truex Jr. 1, Todd Gilliland 1, Ty Gibbs 1.
3. Q&A
Every week on this house, we’ll pose one query and try and reply one from the previous.
Q: When will Kyle Busch flip issues round?
Logano’s victory basically eradicated Busch’s probabilities of making the playoffs on factors. These hopes had been already slim anyway, however now Busch is a whopping 104 factors behind the reduce line (which might get moved up once more earlier than the common season ends).
This yr, and this present droop, has been not like something Busch has skilled in his Cup Sequence profession. He has completed twenty seventh or worse in 5 of the final seven races, and his final top-10 end was Might 5 at Kansas Speedway. In the meantime, he’s on tempo for profession worsts in some main classes, together with top-fives (he solely has two this season and his profession low is eight) and top-10s (at the moment: 5; profession low: 13).
However in fact, the massive stat column is the one which bothers him probably the most — and likewise the one which might repair all the pieces. Busch is at the moment winless and, primarily based on the best way Richard Childress Racing is working in the meanwhile, there doesn’t appear to be a lot hope to vary that.
And that may be gorgeous as a result of Busch has by no means gone by means of a season with out at the least one victory. He even gained twice in his rookie season as an adolescent. Busch’s Fontana win final yr moved him previous Richard Petty to develop into the only real record-holder in consecutive successful NASCAR seasons (19), and he’s not prepared for that streak to finish. Plus, a victory within the subsequent seven races would additionally vault him into the playoffs.
Besides the place can Busch win proper now? Even when he shook off the dangerous luck and completed the place the automobile is able to, the remaining regular-season schedule doesn’t unfold very favorably:
— Indianapolis, Pocono and Michigan? These are massive tracks the place Busch’s former groups, Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing, must be the highest contenders.
— Chicago? Busch is a succesful street racer, however he hasn’t gained on a street course since 2015.
— Richmond? Extremely unlikely, contemplating RCR’s short-oval efficiency of late.
— Darlington? That is extra of a driver’s monitor, however Busch hasn’t led a lap at Darlington in three races with RCR and hasn’t gained there since 2008.
— Daytona? This is likely to be his greatest shot, primarily based on final yr’s Talladega win and this yr’s near-victory at Atlanta, however numerous drivers will probably be saying that. Busch was main at regulation of final yr’s Daytona 500, however he’s 1-for-38 in his Daytona profession and, like Darlington, hasn’t gained there since 2008.
Something can occur, particularly for one of many best drivers to ever sit behind the wheel of a inventory automobile. However when his staff’s efficiency isn’t placing him within the ballpark of pace he must win, it’s robust to ascertain Busch standing in victory lane once more earlier than time runs out on the common season.
A: How will Chicago race?
That was our query in final yr’s post-Nashville column, and it’s enjoyable to look again now at what the expectations had been heading into the inaugural Chicago Avenue Course race.
Busch had mentioned it might be a “survival race” on the slender format with tight corners, and it certain was that means for a lot of drivers — together with Busch, who introduced out the primary warning of final yr’s race by getting caught beneath the tire barrier after which completed fifth anyway.
However who might have foreseen the torrential downpour that left the monitor soaked and added much more of a survival component to the race? It made for a wildly entertaining occasion, and the course really drove significantly better than drivers anticipated by way of passing alternatives.
Earlier than the race, former F1 champion Jenson Button mentioned, “It doesn’t matter how fast you might be, you additionally must have slightly little bit of luck in your aspect.” However that truly wasn’t true, as a result of Shane van Gisbergen drove by means of the sector (from seventeenth to first) after the technique bought flipped, famously successful in his Cup Sequence debut.
After nonetheless drying out from final yr’s deluge, we’re hoping to not see rain for 12 months 2 of Chicago. However with drivers having their first strive at a avenue course behind them and van Gisbergen again within the race to defend his victory, expectations are a lot increased than coming into 2023 by way of seeing a aggressive race worthy of a significant highlight.
4. NASquirks
There appeared to be some delicate hand-wringing over the report 5 overtimes in Sunday’s Nashville race, as greater than 41 miles getting added to what was imagined to be a 400-mile race appeared extreme.
However what’s the answer? Frankly, the present additional time guidelines are the perfect NASCAR has ever had, and there shouldn’t be any temptation to vary that. Sadly, I’ve lived by means of among the ridiculous alternate options and have seen how they’ll have a destructive influence.
Chances are you’ll recall:
— The unique additional time in 2004 (“green-white-checkered”) was a optimistic growth as a result of NASCAR was attempting to present followers an actual end as a substitute of simply working out the laps beneath warning. However there was an issue: Just one GWC was used, so it generally created additional controversies like when Jeff Gordon gained at Talladega in 2007 earlier than taking the white flag (and had his automobile pelted with beer cans since he handed Dale Earnhardt Sr. in wins).
— NASCAR later expanded the GWC rule to a few makes an attempt as a substitute of 1, however that got here beneath hearth as a result of it was seen as creating an excessive amount of carnage at superspeedways. So officers reversed course and reverted again to at least one try at a GWC end in 2015.
— That arrange the notorious 2015 Talladega race, through which Kevin Harvick appeared to deliberately crash Trevor Bayne with a view to grasp onto a playoff spot earlier than his dying engine price him too many factors. NASCAR then realized it couldn’t hold a rule that could possibly be so simply manipulated.
— Then got here the worst answer of all: The Time beyond regulation Line on the backstretch. There have been limitless makes an attempt, but when the drivers made it a half lap (and crossed the road), then the race could be official. Besides the issue was NASCAR was inconsistent in officiating when to throw the warning if there was a wreck close to the road, so this generated numerous criticism (probably from yours actually).
All of these variations laid the groundwork for the present rule, which is actually limitless GWC makes an attempt. The chief should take the white flag, which really makes the “Time beyond regulation Line” the beginning/end line.
Sure, loopy issues can occur at occasions — like on Sunday. However given even three overtimes is pretty uncommon and 5 was remarkable earlier than Sunday, let’s not all of the sudden suppose one other change is critical. That is one rule that definitely doesn’t want any adjustment.
5. 5 at No. 5
Our mini energy rankings after Race No. 21/38 (together with exhibitions):
1. Christopher Bell (final week: 1): He had the quickest automobile once more and swept the opening levels. A crash doesn’t change how briskly the No. 20 staff has been lately.
2. Denny Hamlin (final week: 5): The entire narrative would have been completely different had Austin Cindric not spun within the closing laps, as Hamlin would have gained a series-high fourth race and reestablished the No. 11 staff as a high title contender heading into the guts of the summer season stretch.
3. Kyle Larson (final week: 2): One other driver who was in place to win the race had circumstances unfolded just a bit in another way with the extreme overtimes. There’s nonetheless no motive to low cost the No. 5 staff as a critical championship menace.
4. Ryan Blaney (final week: 3): The technique bought tousled, however Blaney nonetheless completed sixth because of the entire additional time makes an attempt. Blaney has scored probably the most factors of any driver during the last 4 races.
5. Tyler Reddick (final week: not ranked): Reddick might have gained New Hampshire had NASCAR not been so decided to dry the monitor, then was high three in each levels at Nashville and doubtless ought to have overwhelmed Logano for the victory. Total, Reddick has 5 top-10 finishes within the final six races and must be a contender on the Chicago Avenue Course.
Dropped out: Chase Elliott.
GO DEEPER
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(High picture of Joey Logano celebrating Sunday’s win: James Gilbert / Getty Pictures)