audio recording

From a NASCAR Fan’s View

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Counting this race at Iowa Speedway, NASCAR Cup teams are counting down to the Chase with only four races left to make it in. For some, the time is running out. For others, the time isn’t passing fast enough. There are several that are okay up to this point and some that just need to stop the bleeding.

The summer has been a rough time for some who looked to be ready to be challenging for the championship. Tyler Reddick comes to mind as one who has had a rough time. At one time, much earlier in the season, he looked like he was going to run away with it all. And then, the tide turned. Suddenly, the one that looked to be the most invincible was struggling to finish up front and was losing points to Denny Hamlin. He now sits eighty-four points behind points leader Hamlin. It all happened relatively quickly. Denny kept winning, and Reddick kept having problems. He is now only thirty-six points ahead of Ryan Blaney who sits third in the points.

Ryan has had an interesting year, and his strong point has not only been winning a couple of races, but also being fairly consistent with four top fives and fifteen top tens. That consistency has kept him in the hunt, and he sits only 120 points behind points leader Hamlin. He is by no means out of the picture, and depending on how things go over the next four races, he does have a chance to pull ahead of Denny. I’m not so sure things will go that well for him, but I can’t deny the fact that it could. I don’t think I would be the first to say he is presently a long shot, but he definitely is in the hunt.

Ty Gibbs is right there, also. He is only 135 points out from Hamlin and just fifteen points behind Blaney. The four I just mentioned have clinched their spots in the Chase, so they are set no matter what happens in the four races ahead.

Some of the Toyotas had problems in the practice session, and they are hopeful their crews can figure it out before time for the race. One of those drivers was Denny Hamlin, and another was Chase Briscoe. If they don’t figure out the problem, Denny could be looking at his hold on the points lead fading a bit. You can bet that Reddick, Blaney, and Gibbs will be chomping at the bit if it looks like they can make up even a little ground on the points leader.

Taking a short break from talking about the drivers, Let’s talk a little about the track. I can’t remember a time recently when I’ve heard so many complaints about the condition of the track. Apparently, the surface is aging very quickly, and some even say it needs to be resurfaced. Most of those complaints seemed to be about how rough the track is and how poor the grip is. It seemed the drivers were having trouble hooking up and getting comfortable with the balance. What that means for the race, I am not sure. All I know is that often, when the complaints are through the roof, the racing is generally much better and more aggressive and tighter. Can’t say that will be the case in this one, but the possibility is there. I reckon we will know more when it gets started.

Well… back to talking about drivers and teams…

I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but Carson Hocevar is fifth in the standings heading to the Chase. He has been running fairly consistently and has been collecting those stage points, but there is a definite separation between the first four spots in points and the rest of the challengers. Over one hundred stage points separate fifth place from the top four, and it just gets worse from that point. From this fan’s view, that says something about the top four and how they’ve been running.

 I’ve already mentioned some of the Toyotas experienced problems during the practice and the qualifying. It remains to be seen if their problems carry over into today’s race. From my view, I expect them to run like they have been running. I will be watching to see if more of them are affected with the same problems as Hamlin and Briscoe faced. That could make things interesting.

There are some unexpected strong points for the Chevy teams. Kyle Larson qualified in the front row next to Blaney. That could be a good thing for him, but the way things have been going for the #5 Hendrick Chevy, well, let’s just say he needs a good day and leave it at that. Austin Dillon qualified seventh, Connor Zilisch eighth, and Ross Chastain ninth. There may be hope for the Chevys making a good showing today. With the way most of them have been struggling this season, a good day might be a surprise, but a win an even bigger one…

Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…

From a NASCAR Fan’s View

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

There’s a difference when NASCAR takes it to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is a track steeped in history and tradition. Ask just about anyone, whether it be a driver, crew chief, or crew member. They will tell you that everything just feels different at this place. Even the owners know the feeling and the history of the Brickyard, and every one of them wants to win at Indy. There is just a different air about the place. It is the oldest and most historic track around.

Even with all that history and tradition, things do change somewhat, like what happened in qualifying for the Brickyard 400. Not that it was so unexpected that Carson Hocevar won the pole position. He has shown speed at times, and to this fan, he has shown that he has had the speed more than once to take the pole position. This one was similar to another time when the last one to qualify and possibly beat him out for the pole was Denny Hamlin. However, this time Denny didn’t run fast enough to take it from him. He qualified fifth, much to Hocevar’s delight.

Probably one of the things about the qualifying results that surprises this fan the most is the way the Spire Motorsports cars qualified. I’ve already mentioned Hocevar, but Daniel Suarez qualified next to him on the front row, and Michael McDowell qualified sixth. Michael McDowell is a former winner at Indy, but admittedly, it was on the Indy Road Course in 2023.

The problem I see with the qualifying order and the Spire Teams is that the three JGR Toyotas qualified third, fourth, and fifth. In seventh, just behind McDowell, is another Toyota driven by Cory Heim, who won the Naval Base Coronado Anduril 250. That is pretty much a stacked deck of Toyotas in the top ten. Chase Briscoe is qualified eleventh, and he has been making a strong showing lately and now sits in the eighth spot in the points race to qualify for the Chase. That is a lot of Toyotas that have been showing good speed and winning a lot of races between them this season.

The first Ford doesn’t show up until the thirteenth starting spot, and that’s Ryan Blaney in his Penske number 12. When it comes to the race, I don’t really expect him to stay there. When it comes to the In-Season Challenge, he does have an obvious starting advantage over his competition for the million dollars, Todd Gilliland, who qualified thirty-sixth.

Of course, 400 miles leaves a lot of time for a lot to happen in the race within the race. Since this is Indy, I won’t say Gilliland’s chances are small, but I will say the deck might be slightly stacked against him. He only has to finish ahead of Blaney. He doesn’t have to win the race. As long as both are still running, they both have a chance for the million. An accident for one or both of them could decide things depending on where they end up in the final results. (Gee, that doesn’t sound like there’s any pressure involved on either one of them, does it?)

Alex Bowman, starting eighth, is the highest qualified Hendrick Chevy. From this fan’s view, it goes without saying, He could be a contender in this one. Since he has his contract extension with Hendrick for another year and he says 2027 will be his last year in full-time Cup racing, I’m sure he would love nothing better than to surprise everyone with a win at the Brickyard. I’m not going to rule him out even though he has struggled most of this season.

His teammates, William Byron and Chase Elliott, had to be disappointed with their qualifying times. Byron starts twenty-first and Elliott twenty-seventh. Once again, from this fan’s view, they can only hope their crew chiefs can find them more speed as the race goes on. Once again, this is Indy, and it is a long race where a lot can happen. When it comes to what I really think their chances of winning this one are, well, let’s just say it would be surprising if one of them does. I’m not saying the odds are against them, but considering their performance lately, I just don’t expect it.

That brings us to the last Hendrick driver, Kyle Larson. He qualified in the tenth starting spot and has been known to pull off some surprising finishes at times. Right now, he is in the middle of a long stretch without a win in Cup. It has been over a year since his last win. It’s not that he’s been running badly. He has had chances to run up front and even take a win this season, but something has always happened to cause him to fall back from taking a win, even when it looked like it was inevitable. He is not only in a slump from winning, but he is going through an extended period of struggling with “bad racing luck” that has affected him just about every week in some way. I am sure he would like nothing better than to win at the Brickyard and break that losing streak.

With the strength the Toyotas have been showing almost every weekend, I’m not really expecting Kyle to break the streak with a win in today’s race at Indy. But I will admit he is more than capable of pulling a win off if anyone can…

Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…

From a NASCAR Fan’s View

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

It’s again time for short track racing under the lights. The place is North Wilkesboro Speedway. It kind of reminds me of my younger days, except that it is going to be on a Sunday night. The reason I bring that up was an advertisement I remember from one of our local radio stations a long time ago. It always started with the excited statements of “Saturday night under the lights! Saturday night under the lights!” Wow! Does that bring back some memories. Well, it just doesn’t have the same ring to it when it says “Sunday night under the lights.”

You might ask what does that have to do with this race at North Wilkesboro. To be honest, not a whole lot. It’s just a memory from the past of this old NASCAR fan, and this old track brings out that old memory. 

What is important is that this is the first points race at this place in thirty years. It couldn’t happen at a better time since, counting this race, there are six races for the drivers to make the Chase. That’s not a lot of time for some, and some feel it is too long a time, the way their season has been going. It is also the semi-finals of the In-Season Challenge, with the two finalists taking their hope for winning a million dollars to Indianapolis next week.

With the season winding down to its final weeks to make the Chase, it is pretty obvious that Denny Hamlin has a great chance of being the season champ. He is already leading by twenty-four points and looks pretty good to keep on leading until Daytona. The closest to him is his fellow Toyota teammate and his 23XI employee, Tyler Reddick. Between them, they have nine wins this season, and though Denny now leads, Reddick led for many weeks after winning five races early in the season. Both of them looked to be untouchable when it came to points and they kind of cornered the headlines for weeks on end.

Then Ryan Blaney showed that consistency pays off when it comes to accumulating points. As it stands, going into this race at North Wilkesboro, he has drawn to within sixty-five points of leader Hamlin. Because qualifying was rained out and he won last weekend’s race at EchoPark, he will be starting on the pole with a chance to move even closer to cutting more points from Hamlin’s and Reddick’s lead, depending on how things go for all of them in today’s race. It could make this points race even closer with the drama to match.

This being a short track, a lot can happen at any time that could change the look of the points race for any or all three of the ones I just mentioned. With the rule changes made to the front end of the cars, it is possible for just about anything to happen to any of them that could cost them in points dearly. All it takes is a big pileup with a lot of front-end contact. Just being in the wrong place at the wrong time with the weaker frontends could make the difference between having a good day and a bad one.

With thirty-eight cars on the track at once. There is also the elevated possibility of an encounter with the old nemesis, “bad racing luck,” and the difference between having a good points day and a very bad one. I realize there is no guarantee that nothing bad will happen to those at the top of the points list, but there is equally no guarantee that something bad will happen. It can all come down to that thing called racing luck.

Speaking of bad racing luck, there is something that stands out to this fan, and it concerns a former champion. Yeah, I’m sure you know I’m talking about Kyle Larson. There is something that jumps out to me concerning just how much run-ins with bad racing luck can affect a driver’s season. Looking at the stats, Kyle has led 637 laps so far this season, which is second only to leader Denny Hamlin. He has taken more stage points than leader Hamlin at 169 to Hamlin’s 151. Because of his struggles in some of the races, he only has 594 points which puts him in sixth spot in the points standings and 197 points behind the leader.

From this fan’s view, he has his work cut out for himself if he wants to catch up to the present leaders. In fact, if his run of bad luck continues, he may have trouble even making the cut for the Chase. If things had gone a little differently for him during this season, he could have been in the top four and maybe even the top two and just ahead of Reddick. If that doesn’t say something about how having some really bad race days mixed in with some really good ones can make the difference between a championship year and a mediocre one, I don’t know what does.

Look, I know the season isn’t over yet, but time is running out. Not just for some… but for everyone who has hopes of making the Chase. North Wilkesboro Speedway may make a way for someone, but it could also break bad for another. With all that’s going on, the season could turn out even worse for one or more of the front-runners. That is one of the things we won’t know for sure until this one is over…

Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…