Author: Joseph Shelton

Truex scores second Coca-Cola 600 win at Charlotte

Martin Truex Jr. scored his third win of 2019 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday night, as he won his second Coca-Cola 600 by .330 of a second over Joey Logano. Truex had the dominant car of the evening, leading 116 laps after starting 14th, although he had to overcome a cut tire and contact with the wall on Lap 75 when he brought out the caution while leading.

Truex had his hands full on the last restart with five laps left, when he restarted third behind David Ragan and Ryan Newman after pitting for fresh tires. Third-place finisher Kyle Busch restarted fourth, and after a strong restart, Busch appeared to be in position to take the lead until Truex made a four-wide pass for the lead on the backstretch and didn’t look back. Chase Elliott and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top-five.

“What a hell of a team,” Truex said. “We never gave up on it. I thought we were done. We blew a tire and hit the wall. We never gave up on it. I thought we were done. Just kept fighting, just kept fighting. What a race there at the end. That was pretty wild.”

Logano was disappointed with second place but proud of his team’s efforts.

“The Coke 600 is such a big deal to win,” he said, “especially as a Coke driver. You want to make it happen and we were close, but we’ll just have to wait again to next year and go at it.

“I thought we had a good shot when that caution came back out. That was another chance and just didn’t quite get it, but overall, like I said, very proud of it. As far as Memorial Day Weekend and getting to race is a privilege, so for me to complain about second sounds pretty dumb. I’m proud to live in this country and I’m happy that I just get to race.”

Busch, who earned his seventh top-five of the season, said, “I thought that through much of the race we had a fast car. We were there. We led some laps, we ran around. The 4 (Harvick) was fast, the 19 (Truex) was fast. The 19 was the fastest car, so I’m not sure what they had different than us, but obviously we were just off a little bit. Otherwise, I felt like we had a race-winning car capable of at least running second, I guess, but overall the red, white and blue M&M’s Camry was fast, and we brought it home where we should have – or close anyway, I think.”

Chris Buescher, Alex Bowman, Jimmie Johnson, William Byron, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-10. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stops at Pocono Raceway next on June 2 at 2 p.m. ET on FS1.

The race had 16 cautions for 80 laps, the majority of which were due to tire issues. Several drivers such as Truex, Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones, Matt DiBenedetto, and Brad Keselowski all made contact with the wall after having tire issues. However, the race’s biggest caution happened on Lap 317 when Clint Bowyer and Kyle Larson made contact that collected Austin and Ty Dillon as well as Ryan Preece. Larson’s and Austin Dillon’s days ended after the incident.

“I just got in there and lost grip and slid up into Clint,” said Larson. “I just hate that I caused the wreck there. I didn’t do a good job on the restart. Just put myself in a bad spot and got sideways.”

The race saw 30 lead changes among 11 drivers, with many on social media proclaiming positive reviews on the event which further enforces the idea that the current aero package is a step in the right direction. This comes after two of the previous three Coke 600s were won by drivers who led over 375 of the 400 laps (Busch won in ’18 after leading 377 laps and Truex won in ’16 after leading 392 laps).

May 26, 2019
Reddick Wins Charlotte For Second Xfinity Win of 2019

Tyler Reddick scored his second win of the 2019 Xfinity Series season when he won Saturday’s Alsco 300 by 2.10 seconds over runner-up Justin Allgaier. Jeffrey Earnhardt took home third place, while rookies Noag Gragson and Justin Haley rounded out the top-five.

The win was the fifth of Reddick’s career and his third on a 1.5-mile speedway. Reddick began the race in third, but managed to lead the most laps (110) on the way to winning the second stage and the race itself, enduring several wild late-race restarts.

“This is a place I didn’t feel good about, I’m not going to lie,” said Reddick. “I was really worried, Charlotte is kind of been the point in my season where things past Charlotte haven’t really gone good. It’s really nice to come into Charlotte, practice good, come into the race, run good, and come away with a win. Hopefully that means the next couple are going to keep rolling this way.”

The win was the eighth top-four finish for the defending series champion.

Christopher Bell began the race on the pole and led 33 laps and won the first stage, but suffered a tire failure and made contact with the wall around the halfway point of the race. He would finish 31st in his second DNF of the season.

Michael Annett, Jeb Burton, Ryan Sieg, Austin Cindric, and Brandon Jones rounded out the top-10.

The day was excessively hot, which led to a slick race track and several front-runners suffered tire issues or made contact with the wall, including Bell, Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, Earnhardt, Chase Briscoe, and outside-polesitter Cole Custer. Several drivers were also overheated during and after the race, including Reddick, Haley, and Earnhardt, who was later taken to the medical center after experiencing dizziness on pit road.

Fourth-place starter Austin Dillon had to relinquish his seat to Cup teammate Daniel Hemric with 40 laps to go when the seat in his Kaulig Racing got too hot and began burning his ribs.

The next race will be June 1 at Pocono Raceway for the Pocono Green 250 at 1 p.m. ET on FS1.

May 25, 2019
Rookie of the Year Contenders Shine in GEICO 500

Talladega Superspeedway has always had a reputation for being a total crapshoot. But with that said, it’s still been a venue reputed for giving drivers career runs and in some cases, giving them first wins as well.

Ryan Preece and Daniel Hemric were just short of becoming the first rookies to win since Joey Logano in 2009, but with Preece’s third-place finish and Hemric’s fifth-place finish, they did take advantage of Talladega’s unpredictable nature. Both rookies ran a conservative race and stayed out of trouble and in the draft, and in the end, they kept their cars in one piece.

Preece’s third-place run seems to be more than just luck; the 28-year-old was also a contender in the Daytona 500 this year before getting shuffled back to finish eighth in the final running order. His top-five solidified the fact that he’s an exceptional restrictor-plate racer.

“It was awesome,” said Preece. “I was only here one other time (2016 Xfinity Series) and I was running third with three to go and went for the hole and got flushed. So I wasn’t going to do that today.”

Something else helping Preece on the superspeedways is his own JTG-Daugherty Racing equipment. Preece’s predecessor A.J. Allmendinger managed to score several strong runs at Daytona and Talladega in the No. 47, finishing in the top-five at both speedways on multiple occasions.

Hemric was also quietly consistent at Talladega, his fifth-place run being a career-best so far in his rookie season.

“That was a day the No. 8 needed,” said Hemric. “First off, it’s great to see Chevrolet and all their drivers and teams put in the effort to communicate in the last few weeks to stay dedicated to each other. We’ve never had such unity on the track like we did today. That’s what led us to ultimately have our best finish as a group.”

A large factor for both rookies was the ability to pass with the new aero package. Instead of the freight-train finishes we’ve seen at Daytona and Talladega in recent years, there was plenty of passing and on-track action, with the product receiving positive reviews following the race.

Both Preece and Hemric have managed to keep low profiles this year, and although JTG-Daugherty hasn’t been an A-List team in 2019 they have kept Preece in a position where he can keep his car in one piece and at the same time keep it as a consistent finisher. With the exception of two crashes at Atlanta and Phoenix, he’s been a steady top-25 finisher in 2019.

Hemric hasn’t been as fortunate, with only three top-20 finishes preceding his Talladega finish. But if there’s any justice in the world he can use this run to build momentum as the season progresses. At the moment it looks like Preece is ahead in the rookie race, so Hemric could use any momentum he can get to catch up with the No. 47 crew.

April 28, 2019
Hamlin wins O’Reilly’s 500 at Texas Motor Speedway

Denny Hamlin won Sunday’s O’Reilly’s Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, his second win of 2019 and the 33rd of his career. It was also his third win at the speedway after sweeping both events in 2010.

Hamlin crossed the checkered flag after starting sixth and leading 45 laps, along with earning the Stage Two win earlier in the day. Clint Bowyer was second, 2.74 seconds behind while Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones, and pole winner Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top-five. William Byron, Aric Almirola, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, and Kyle Busch rounded out the top-10.

The win was not without adversity, as Hamlin was penalized twice; he missed pit road in the first stage and was hit with a speeding penalty, then was hit with an uncontrolled tire penalty. However, crew chief Chris Gabehart and team continued to work through and put Hamlin in the position he needed to be in for contention.

“Yeah, our car was really, really fast. We obviously saw that,” said Hamlin from Victory Lane. “Once we got out front, we were able to pull away from the pack a bit. Got a little bit loose when we were racing our teammates in the 18 and 20, so I wasn’t able to be as aggressive as I was earlier in the race. We had a super fast car, that’s why we won.”

“Our Mustangs were fast all weekend long,” said Bowyer. “Took awhile for our Mustang to get good. This Rush Trucks Center Cummins car, to be honest, was a little off all weekend long. I was pretty nervous coming into the race, but we made some good adjustments and leaned on our teammates.”

Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch had the dominant car of the race, leading 66 laps before contact with the wall sent him to pit road and a 10th-place finish. Meanwhile, Ryan Blaney led 45 laps before an overheating issue sent him out of the race with a 37th-place finish.

The race saw 26 lead changes among 13 drivers, with five cautions slowing the race for 29 laps. The next race is April 7 at Bristol Motor Speedway, as the Food City 500 will start at 2 p.m. EDT on FS1.

March 31, 2019

Kyle Busch scores 95th Xfinity Series win at Texas

Kyle Busch continues to stretch his record with the most Xfinity Series wins as he raced to victory in the My Bariatrics Solutions 300 at Texas Motor Speedway. The win was his 95th in the series and 203rd national event win overall. Busch also won the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Vankor 350 the night before.

“Not taking any tires certainly [helped us],” said Busch, from Victory Lane. “We jumped the field there and I was worried about the restart because I didn’t think there was gonna be enough room.

“This car certainly had the grip…it was really fast in the long run, just couldn’t get people away from me on the front side of the run to settle into my rhythm and go, and every time I got up to the outside people would drive by me on the bottom.”

Tyler Reddick took second-place ahead of Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell, who dominated the event, winning the pole and leading 128 laps.

“He (Busch) wasn’t better than us anywhere,” said Bell. “He just had track position there. We were starting to struggle and when they said we were going to put two tires on I was all for it, but I didn’t get any better and those guys didn’t slow down.

“We’re in the Dash 4 Cash and that’s pretty cool, our goal was to make sure we were in the top four Xfinity guys. It’s extremely frustrating to lose one like that, but I’m proud of this team and this Supra was pretty fast and the class of the field.”

Chase Briscoe was the highest finishing Ford in fourth, while Jeb Burton finished fifth in his first XFINITY start of the season. Michael Annett finished sixth, and Justin Haley, Jeffrey Earnhardt, John Hunter Nemechek, and Stage 2 winner Ryan Sieg rounded out the top-10.

The next race will be April 6, 2019 at Bristol Motor Speedway as the Alsco 300 will be the first Dash 4 Cash event of 2019.

Xfinity Series Race Number 6
Race Results for the 23rd Annual My Bariatric Solutions 300 – Saturday, March 30, 2019
Texas Motor Speedway – Fort Worth, TX – 1.5 – Mile Paved
Total Race Length – 200 Laps – 300. Miles

Fin	Str	No	Driver	Team	Laps	S1Pos	S2Pos	Pts	Status
1	5	18	Kyle Busch(i)	iK9 Toyota	200	2	4	0	Running
2	3	2	Tyler Reddick	Nationwide Children’s Hospital Chevrolet	200	6	3	48	Running
3	1	20	Christopher Bell	Ruud Toyota	200	1	5	50	Running
4	15	98	Chase Briscoe #	Nutri Chomps Ford	200	0	0	33	Running
5	6	8	Jeb Burton	State Water Heaters Chevrolet	200	0	7	36	Running
6	13	1	Michael Annett	Pilot Flying J Chevrolet	200	0	0	31	Running
7	11	11	Justin Haley #	LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet	200	0	9	32	Running
8	14	81	Jeffrey Earnhardt	Xtreme Racing Toyota	200	0	0	29	Running
9	8	23	John Hunter Nemechek #	Romco Equipment Co. Chevrolet	200	9	0	30	Running
10	19	39	Ryan Sieg	CMR Construction & Roofing Chevrolet	200	0	1	37	Running
11	9	22	Austin Cindric #	MoneyLion Ford	200	7	0	30	Running
12	4	7	Justin Allgaier	Cessna Chevrolet	200	3	0	33	Running
13	16	9	Noah Gragson #	Switch Chevrolet	200	10	6	30	Running
14	22	36	Josh Williams	Simcraft Chevrolet	200	0	0	23	Running
15	23	90	Ronnie Bassett Jr	Bassett Gutters and More Chevrolet	199	0	0	22	Running
16	18	4	Ross Chastain	Swan/Perpetua Advisors Chevrolet	199	0	2	30	Running
17	21	86	Brandon Brown #	Brandonbilt Motorsports Chevrolet	199	0	0	20	Running
18	12	21	Kaz Grala	HotScream Chevrolet	198	0	0	19	Running
19	24	99	Tommy Joe Martins	Diamond Gusset Jeans Toyota	198	0	0	18	Running
20	31	52	David Starr	Whataburger Chevrolet	198	0	0	17	Running
21	20	8	Gray Gaulding(i)	GGPure.com/Flywheel Chevrolet	198	0	0	16	Running
22	30	1	Stephen Leicht	teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet	198	0	0	15	Running
23	35	42	Chad Finchum	Amana Toyota	197	0	0	14	Running
24	37	35	Joey Gase	Donate Life Louisiana Toyota	196	0	0	13	Running
25	34	78	Vinnie Miller	Koolbox Chevrolet	196	0	0	12	Running
26	17	51	Jeremy Clements	RepairableVehicles.com Chevrolet	196	0	0	11	Running
27	29	5	Matt Mills	J.F. Electric Chevrolet	194	0	0	10	Running
28	33	66	Tyler Hill(i)	Chris Kyle Memorial Benefit Toyota	191	0	0	0	Running
29	36	74	Mike Harmon	Woobies Shoes Chevrolet	189	0	0	8	Running
30	26	93	Josh Bilicki	The BOSS/Woodshed Chevrolet	184	0	0	7	Running
31	38	0	Garrett Smithley	Trophy Tractor Chevrolet	160	0	0	6	Engine
32	28	15	BJ McLeod	teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet	138	0	0	5	Running
33	2	19	Brandon Jones	jdgibbslegacy.com Toyota	133	5	10	11	Accident
34	7	0	Cole Custer	Jacob Companies Ford	132	4	8	13	Accident
35	25	7	Ray Black II	ISOKERN Scuba Life Chevrolet	79	0	0	2	Accident
36	10	12	Brad Keselowski(i)	Pirtek Ford	68	8	0	0	Accident
37	32	13	Timmy Hill	Chris Kyle Memorial Benefit Toyota	20	0	0	1	Brakes
38	27	38	Jeff Green	RSS Racing Chevrolet	16	0	0	1	Brakes

March 30, 2019

Opinion: Daytona in July too much of a tradition to change

In no way is anyone obligated to stick with a tradition no matter how fixed it is. Change can often bring about positive results and could lead to a greater appreciation for how much that tradition has truly meant to some. When the Southern 500 at Darlington was moved from Labor Day to being the penultimate race in 2004, there was a lot of negative feedback on the move. When it returned as a Labor Day weekend event in 2015 it quickly became one of the most anticipated events of the season.

But there are some things that just shouldn’t be changed regardless of intent or expectation and Daytona in July is a perfect example, considering NASCAR’s recent announcement that the Coke Zero Sugar 400 would cap off the regular season before the Playoffs in 2020.

If you ask anyone about the Coke Zero Sugar 400 or the Coca-Cola Firecracker 250, they immediately get that picture in their head of a group of stock cars pouring onto the straightaway while the sun sets behind them, casting a deep blue/red hue across the sky. That is the defining image of summer for NASCAR’s fans. Back in the day, they’d even imagine Pepsi-Cola’s lettering on the catch fence or even the Pepsi globe right outside the fence. These days it’s the Coke Zero bottle-shaped trophy that was last held by Erik Jones.

This is no reflection on Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but there is no way a July 4th NASCAR tradition can ever fully be rooted than at one of racing’s oldest tracks. NASCAR is a sport with deep roots in American lore and our love for the American V8 and Daytona Beach will forever be linked to the sport because of that love.

NASCAR was birthed in Daytona. Some of NASCAR’s defining moments occurred in Daytona. What better way for the sport to celebrate our nation’s independence than to go back to where it all began at the high banks of the World Center of Speed?

This isn’t to say that nothing good will come of the race as the regular season finale. In a way, the logic does make sense. To begin and end the regular season at Daytona is an approach that is understandable. It will still be a huge event with tremendous pressure to perform and a reason to revere the circuit’s return to Daytona.

But the Playoff/Chase format is not one of NASCAR’s biggest accomplishments. If anything, it pales in comparison to the legacy and impact that the Daytona International Speedway has left on the sport.

Daytona and the July event had been around for years before the advent of the Playoff system and to use Daytona as the ending of the regular season is an underwhelming idea. Daytona doesn’t need to be brought down by extra gimmicks. Daytona and all of its glory needs to be left to be as it is on the schedule.

This is all speculation. I could be wrong – I hope I’m wrong. This may turn into something that is nothing short of amazing. But when we fell in love with NASCAR, the July event at Daytona became the epitome of summer for us. It was supposed to be fun in the summer sun, cooled down by a soft drink, Pepsi or Coke Zero Sugar, does it matter at this point?

It has always been 40 of the world’s greatest drivers racing down the Superstretch while the sun fades into the July night and a reminder of why we love our country and our sport. It doesn’t get much better than that.

March 27, 2019
Drivers to watch at St. Petersburg INDYCAR opener

With the first race of the 2019 INDYCAR season right around the corner speculation is already rampant in terms of who this season’s favorites are to win the opener. Led by Sebastien Bourdais, this group of drivers are the ones to watch to take the checkered at St. Pete.

Sebastien Bourdais

Bourdais is the obvious pick for the win on Sunday, having won the last two races there. Counting his two victories at St. Pete, five of his six wins in the NTT IndyCar Series have come on road courses with 11 of his 12 career podiums coming on road courses. Considering that his main strength is road course racing (his sole oval win came at the Milwaukee Mile in 2015), and also noting the fact that he’s the reigning St. Pete champion two years running, it’s safe to say Bourdais may be the winner again on Sunday.

Alexander Rossi

Rossi’s 2018 St. Pete performance is noted more for his late-race tangle with a dominant Robert Wickens, but that did not take away from his third-place finish. On top of that, three of Rossi’s five wins are on road courses, with six podium finishes coming on road courses. Rossi is a stellar oval racer, but as his strength lies in his roadracing expertise: Rossi’s brief 2015 stint in Formula One’s Ferrari group proved beneficial in his racing career. This was proven when Rossi earned a podium finish at Daytona with Penske’s DPi Acura team.

Rossi was a contender late in the going at St. Pete in 2018, so considering that led to a career season for his Andretti Autosport group, he could be in Victory Lane after Sunday’s season opener.

James Hinchcliffe

Hinchcliffe broke through in the win column in 2013 at St. Pete. He’s scored 11 podium finishes on road courses including a third in his INDYCAR debut in 2012. He also happens to be one of the most established drivers on the circuit, having had strong runs on every type of track on the circuit, on ovals, road courses, and street courses.

Will Power

Two-time St. Pete winner Will Power (2010, 2014) is undoubtedly one of the greatest INDYCAR drivers to ever live, having a resume which boasts 33 wins since 2008 along with 64 podium finishes and the 2014 season championship. 26 of those wins were on road courses or street courses, and it’s already an established fact that Power is a contender everywhere he goes. It’s not a matter of if he scores a strong run on Sunday; rather, it’s how much of a strong run it’ll be. His third St. Pete win could be around the corner.

Scott Dixon

Dixon is undoubtedly INDYCAR’s goat in this current era. With 43 wins, 102 podiums, and five championships, Dixon could very well begin his championship defense with a win at St. Pete. What sticks out, though, is despite 43 wins on every type of track he has yet to win at St. Pete. Half of his wins are on road courses and street courses, so he is no slouch. But with four St. Pete podiums, it’s time now that Dixon seals the deal and goes after win No. 44 at Sunday’s season opener.

March 8, 2019
Daytona 500 Finish Shows Manufacturer Solidarity Can Be Detrimental

Following Sunday’s Daytona 500, Joey Logano and Michael McDowell had a brief exchange on pit road where Logano explained that he believed that had the two linked up, Ford driver to fellow Ford driver, they could have contended for the win instead of Logano finishing fourth and McDowell finishing fifth.

“Typically you kind of expect manufacturers to work together like the Toyotas do or the Chevys do, and just was expecting that, as well, in that moment coming to the checkered flag. I was very surprised by his decision,” said Logano. But according to McDowell, not only did he feel that Logano would have slowed them down due to damage on his rear end, he was adamant that he had to look out for himself in the final run to the finish.

“My team doesn’t pay me to push Joey Logano to the win, it’s as simple as that,” said McDowell. “At 200 mph, I made a split-second decision about who had the fastest car, and that’s where I went. I wanted to put myself in the best spot to win the race, and the Fords weren’t that friendly to me this weekend.”

Although manufacturer solidarity is usually prevalent on the superspeedways as well as other situations when in the hunt for a manufacturer’s championship, sometimes it’s been shown to be a liability for drivers in search of a win, especially in the case of McDowell, who has never won a Cup race in 286 starts. This is in comparison to Logano, who along with winning the 2015 500, also won the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship last season.

Late in the going of any race, it should always be every driver for themselves regardless of team or manufacturer loyalty. Sure, it may be a few extra bucks in bonuses after the race should a manufacturer sweep a position, but putting manufacturer goals ahead of driver goals essentially robs the the fans and the drivers who are participating. Last October at Talladega the race was dominated by the Stewart-Haas Racing Fords, who at times were several seconds ahead of the rest of the field before SHR driver Aric Almirola took the checkered flag.

Of course, in terms of team loyalty, it’s common and in some cases expected for Hendrick Motorsports drivers to help each other out or for Team Penske drivers to give each other a push. Given the circumstances surrounding the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas entering this year’s Daytona 500, it’s only fitting that they finished 1-2-3 at the checkered flag.

But when it counts late in the going, the overall goal is for a driver to go for the win regardless of team loyalties. Even then, manufacturer loyalties shouldn’t have as much clout as team loyalties, because much like the Owner’s Championship, the Manufacturer’s Championship is nothing more than a paper title in order to get a few extra bucks.

Obviously a few extra bucks goes a long way in an organization’s daily operations, but when the goal of racing becomes more of a battle for cash instead of the ultimate battle for a win, then it’s obvious that the racing isn’t fun anymore.

McDowell’s point was valid and true: His team doesn’t pay him to push Logano or any other Ford driver to the win. He’s there to race and succeed, which is and should be the ultimate goal of any race car driver.

February 18, 2019
When It Comes To The Daytona 500, Mayhem Is The New Standard

It doesn’t seem like that long ago where suspense was the name of the game in terms of the Daytona 500. Looking back at the 1998 Daytona 500 where Dale Earnhardt was leading late in the going, the CBS booth’s tense commentary as the laps wound down was nothing short of memorable as the fans were on the edge of their seats watching Earnhardt, Bobby Labonte, Jeremy Mayfield, and Rusty Wallace all slice and dice for position while trying to oust that black No. 3. Anyone who watched the race can close their eyes and hear the near shout of the announcers as the No. 24 of Jeff Gordon fell off the pace with three laps left due to engine issues.

That race was just one example of many, including the 2004 Daytona 500 finish, the 1993 Daytona 500 finish, or for that matter even the 1984 Daytona 500 finish. The suspense during the finishes of these races was a real, palpable thing with fans and peers on the edge of their seat.

These days, it’s all about carnage in the Daytona 500. Mayhem, anarchy, madness, destruction; these are all adequate words to describe what to expect in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season opener. Instead of waiting breathlessly for some gonzo pass for the lead, the question is now, “Who’ll wreck next? How big will the wreck be? How banged up will the winning car look like? Will Lionel make a raced version of the diecast?”

It’s hard to be angry when this is considered today’s normal standard. But look at Sunday’s 500; the amount of unscathed cars could be counted on one hand. Jimmie Johnson scored a ninth-place finish without a rear bumper, a left-rear fender, or a left-front fender. Seventh-place finisher Kyle Larson seemed to be involved in almost every accident late in the going.

For that matter look at the 2018 500. Sure, the eight cautions weren’t as bad as the 12 cautions on Sunday, but at least 17 cars were banged up from one crash or another. In 2017, Kurt Busch’s winning ride barely had any paint on the right side of the car and looked to be made more of duct tape than anything.

But look at the 1994 500, which had four cautions for 23 laps. The 1998 500 only had three cautions for nine laps. The 1990 500 also had three cautions, but in that case that was for 15 laps. The 1984 edition had seven cautions for 39 laps, but in the end Cale Yarbrough was victorious in a long green flag run that saw him hold off Earnhardt. Once again, the focus wasn’t on mayhem, but rather another suspenseful finish.

Of course, NASCAR racing today is an entirely different product compared to what it was all those years ago. Pack racing, stage racing, a new breed of driver, all are ingredients into the sort of carnage we’re seeing in the 500 these days. The racing product is still excellent, with side-by-side action late in the race as the drivers still in contention do what the can to go to Victory Lane in the Great American Race. But there’s a lot more wrecks, a lot more red flags, and fewer cars out there are going home unscathed.

This is the new normal. It is no longer the era of legendary passes and clean green flag finishes. It’s now the era of keeping the fingers crossed, multiple NASCAR Overtime restarts, and lots of duct tape. The only thing still the same is that it is the Daytona 500, and drivers will do anything to win it, even if it means bringing home the steering wheel instead of the trophy.

February 18, 2019
Saturday’s NASCAR Racing Experience 300 a solid race with few flaws

Following Michael Annett’s long-overdue win in Saturday’s NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona, many fans and NASCAR peers took issue with the show the Xfinity Series put together, calling it lackluster and boring.

It’s easy to see why many of those who watched the race were upset, since there wasn’t constant three-wide racing, a huge crash, and leaders only leading for a lap at a time (if that is the benchmark for great racing these days). But in terms of numbers, the race actually put together a solid show for the fans and the racing world. Four cautions for 19 laps (the two extra being for debris and a single-car spin, respectively). 13 lead changes among nine drivers. A .278-second margin of victory. To top it all off, a perennial underdog became a first-time winner.

On the flawed side of things, it makes sense why people would be upset at the late laps of the race, with the majority of the leaders waiting until the very end to make a (failed) move for position while otherwise running single-file. So many times, fans and drivers are robbed by the single-file run to the finish at Daytona and Talladega, many times ending in an anti-climatic trip to Victory Lane by a winner who was otherwise unchallenged.

Despite all that, though, there were multiple attempts by drivers to go for it and gain position. Guys like Noah Gragson, Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, and Jeffrey Earnhardt were all pulling their weight and trying to make a go for the lead. But with the nature of the draft and the single-file racing the most they could accomplish was a leap-frogging run to the front. On that note it can’t be said that they didn’t make an effort to race and put on a good show, especially in comparison to absolute flops like the 2014 Xfinity season opener or the 2003 edition of this race, which featured a whopping two lead changes.

If anything, it’s become difficult to differentiate between a good, solid race and a reeeaaalllyyy great race. To some, every Daytona race needs to have no fewer than 38 lead changes, three multi-car accidents, and the leader needs to be wrecked at least a half-mile before the checkered flag. But that doesn’t mean the 2019 edition of this race was without fun or suspense. Every driver drove a solid, clean race, and with 28 drivers on the lead lap at the checkered, it could have been anyone’s race. The driver who led the most laps didn’t exactly dominate – he inherited the lead late in the going and managed to hang on to it through excellent defensive driving. There was the suspense of whether or not he could seal the deal and score his first win. There was even a touch of weird; Brad Keselowski was forced to retire from the race when his roof hatch flew off of the car.

The fans and NASCAR contemporaries are going to have their own opinions as to what constitutes an excellent NASCAR race and what counts as a NASCAR flop. That said, Saturday’s race was a solid, fun event. It wasn’t excellent, but it’d be close-minded to say the race was a flop.

February 17, 2019