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Four Gears: Post-Race Inspection, Cole Custer, Ryan Newman and RCR

Time to cycle through the transmission for another edition of Four Gears.

This week, our crack NASCAR analysts are asked if the recent changes made to post-race inspection are a good or bad thing and discuss whether Cole Custer can make his way into the Truck Series Chase with a win this weekend. We also discuss if Ryan Newman was out of line with his comments about Tony Stewart at Richmond and what the driver lineup will be next season at Richard Childress Racing.

FIRST GEAR: NASCAR on Wednesday made some updates to its rule book just in time for The Chase. As per Kenny Bruce on NASCAR.com this week, “The updates allow NASCAR officials to strip race-winning teams of the benefits associated with a Chase victory, which include the automatic advancement into the next elimination round and any tiebreaker implications, should those teams fail the post-race lug-nut check or the post-race Laser Inspection Station (LIS) platform.” Is this a good thing or a bad thing for the sport?

I think there need to be punishments for breaking the rules. These new rules are fair in my book. — Michael Finley

I’m totally fine with the changes because now the rule actually has teeth with which to do damage. Just look at this past week with Martin Truex Jr. getting “docked” 10 points from his regular season total and not his Chase total. It made no difference that NASCAR might as well not have bothered even handing out the penalty. — Tucker White

This is overkill. They should have left the lug nuts alone in the first place instead of making them the absolute most mundane story of 2016. Now they’re talking about stripping win benefits if the lug nuts are messed with again. The cheek of it all. — Joseph Shelton

SECOND GEAR: Cole Custer enters Chicagoland needing a win to get into the Camping World Truck Series Chase. Can he throw the Hail Mary and win to get in after being so close at Mosport?

No. The No. 00 truck just hasn’t shown a lot of speed this season overall. Don’t think that’s going to change this weekend. — Michael Finley

Can he? Yes. Will he? No. It will probably be one of the KBM trucks winning tonight. — Tucker White

Custer’s niche circles smaller or flatter tracks. Take his two wins (Loudon 2014, Gateway 2015) into consideration, along with Mosport. He’s proved he can win, and he’s had a few close calls this season. That said, he’s had a sub-par 2016 that’s put him in a hole, and he’s going to have to dig deep to put that JR Motorsports truck in Victory Lane. I’m doubtful, but at the same time, I think his chances are pretty high. — Joseph Shelton

THIRD GEAR: Ryan Newman, after being effectively taken out by Tony Stewart at Richmond, called Stewart “bipolar” and said that “(Stewart) thought he was in a sprint car”. Assuming Newman’s sprint car comment was referring to the Kevin Ward Jr. incident as some have speculated, did Newman take a step too far in his comments?

He probably did, and he made a mistake, to begin with by talking to the media ASAP. Stewart was angry as well but he took the higher road and calmed down in his hauler rather than say something so stupid. — Michael Finley

It was heat of the moment. Don’t read too much into it. — Tucker White

Folks were quick to jump the gun in associating Newman’s comments with the Kevin Ward accident. By referring to Stewart as a guy who gets angry easily, and by noting that Googling Stewart would prove his point, he’s just pointing out that many of his accidents and rage-outs are well documented online. Heat of the moment from both drivers, and I wouldn’t read too much into this. — Joseph Shelton

FOURTH GEAR: Speaking of RCR, one interesting exchange on this week’s Radioactive was an angry Paul Menard complaining about how teammate Austin Dillon was racing him. It led to Richard Childress himself getting on the radio to attempt to calm the typically mild-mannered Wisconsin driver. With Ty Dillon repeatedly saying that he will be racing full-time next season in Cup, Newman’s contract running out, and the occasional rumors of Menard jumping to another team (i.e. Penske), what do you think their driver lineup will be next season?

The No. 3 is going to probably stay the exact same. I think Ty Dillon jumps into the No. 31 and Menard will hint at leaving but end up staying at the end. — Michael Finley

I’ll keep it short with this one: Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon and Paul Menard. — Tucker White

You ask me what do I think their driver lineup will be in 2017. Simply put, inadequate. Sure, Newman made the Chase in 2014 and 2015, and almost won the 2014 championship. But when has he won? Never. Not winning puts added stress on a team and 2014 was just a lucky draw for the 31. I don’t think he’s going anywhere, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he left.

I feel bad for Menard. I wouldn’t blame him for going elsewhere considering he’s not getting what he needs to contend as often, and honestly, I think he should. Childress has already pooled his resources into his grandboys, and I don’t think that’s changing.

That said, in 2016 I’ve tried hard to work on my objectivity to the Dillon brothers. If this were the WWE they’d be getting the Roman Reigns push, underwhelming performance despite being crammed down everyone’s throats. Austin has worked for some good runs this season and has earned some decent, consistent results. He earned his spot in the Chase, I will concede that. But however, he needs to realize that nobody is going to give him an inch out there on the track, and that includes his teammates. Ergo, he needs to man up and take his bumps, maybe work harder to prove that he can get a win.

As for Ty joining the Cup ranks? I laugh. He’s got quite the little ego on him despite the fact that he’s only earned one XFINITY win in three full-time seasons. He’s never been a serious championship contender, yet he thinks he’s good enough for a Cup ride? What a joke. He constantly shifts blame on other drivers (Regan Smith cleared that up at Watkins Glen in 2015, if only briefly) for his own mistakes and very, very rarely accepts blame for his own mistakes (MoSport 2013, Phoenix 2015, et al.). He needs to mature a lot before he sets foot in a Cup car because let’s be honest…he can’t hang. — Joseph Shelton

September 16, 2016
Four Gears: Kevin Harvick, John Hunter Nemechek, Winston Millon/No Bull 5 and Toyota

It’s time to cycle through the transmission for another edition of Four Gears.

This week, our resident NASCAR journalists were asked if other drivers should be as up front as Kevin Harvick was about his pit crew to affect change. They also considered whether John Hunter Nemechek deserves all the flak he’s gotten for his last lap move at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and if he could’ve handled his last turn differently. Another topic up for discussion was what programs like the old Winston Million and the No Bull 5 NASCAR could do to put emphasis on the crown jewel events and the odds of another Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota title victory at Homestead.

FIRST GEAR: Kevin Harvick was blunt in his criticism of his pit crew at Darlington. Now there’s going to be a big change in the pit crew of the No. 4. In order to affect proper change, should more drivers be as up front and critical as Harvick was?

Yes. Too much “toeing the line” in the sport, and to speak up and affect change on any level in NASCAR is a must. — Joseph Shelton

It all depends on the situation. When it happens once, there’s no need to make a stink about it. After a couple of times, maybe it’s time to talk to the team in private. When it’s a constant thing, it needs to be addressed in public. Harvick has thrown away at least two wins this year because of terrible pit stops and didn’t get a major change until he made it public. — Michael Finley

I would say yes, but I don’t think anyone could match Kevin Harvick’s bluntness from this past week. Sitting in the media center at Darlington Raceway, I had a front-row seat for the show or one question show. When he was asked if he would considering swapping pit crews with another one of his teammates, he got up and left.

But in all seriousness, sometimes you need to chastise someone to get results. If this doesn’t serve as a wake-up call to his crew, then they need to be replaced. — Tucker White

SECOND GEAR: John Hunter Nemechek was subjected to a ton of hate on social media following his MoSport win. Was it justified? Could he really help what happened in that final corner?

Nemechek drove in over his head a bit, but he aggressively went for a win and got it. That’s what a driver is supposed to do, and considering NEMCO doesn’t have the financial cushion of JR Motorsports he’s fighting to keep the team competitive.

As for the hate he was subjected to, it was ridiculous. It was a double-standard among peers and fans for sure. — Joseph Shelton

When you are a young, hungry driver, you do anything to win. Nemechek didn’t just straight up dump Custer like he could have. And unlike a lot of kids coming up today, Nemechek knew when and where to be aggressive like that. It’s smarter when it’s for the win and dumber when it’s for 11th. — Michael Finley

I’m not going to be hypocritical and say the hate wasn’t justified. I also took John Hunter Nemechek to task for his move on the final lap.

But being just two years older than him, I also understand that he’s young and he’s going to make mistakes. I believe it was a heat of the moment decision that he’ll learn from and not be as over the line going for the win again. — Tucker White

THIRD GEAR: With Martin Truex Jr.’s win Sunday, he now has two wins in 2016, both in two of the sport’s crown jewel events. What could NASCAR do to resurrect the Winston Million/No Bull 5 programs of the ’90s and 2000s?

It’d be neat to have a similar program make its return, especially something like the No Bull 5, where a fan also won a cool million. Let’s see what the next series title sponsor has in mind. — Joseph Shelton

A better title sponsor next season could be awesome. The No Bull was dumb to me (Although I did like the fan component of it) but the Winston Million was amazing. Just make the tracks Daytona, Charlotte, Indy, and Darlington and you’ve made important races even more so. — Michael Finley

I’ve always wanted NASCAR to reboot the Winston Million and put more emphasis on the crown jewel races. Other than the Daytona 500, the other three crown jewel events are usually just another race.

Other than a name change, just bring back the Winston Million as it was with the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600, the Brickyard 400 (although it’s hard to consider it a crown jewel event when only 30-50,000 people are in attendance at a track that sits over 200,000) and the Bojangles’ Southern 500. — Tucker White

FOURTH GEAR: What are the odds of another JGR Toyota winning the championship at Homestead?

92 percent. Stewart-Haas Racing has been in the picture, and Team Penske is still right on JGR’s bumper, but as successful as Toyota has been this year I could see a JGR championship again at Homestead. — Joseph Shelton

50/50. Yeah, they have run great all season. But Brad Keselowski has been strong, Joey Logano has been tough. After Dover last season, you cannot count out Kevin Harvick at any time. And all three are higher in driver points right now than any one Gibbs driver. — Michael Finley

According to Las Vegas, Kyle Busch is 5/1, Carl Edwards is 10/1, Denny Hamlin is 10/1 and Matt Kenseth is 12/1 (odds are from Vegas Insider).

What odds I’d give JGR to win? I’d say they’re pretty good. But I’m not going to rule out Team Penske or Stewart-Haas Racing. — Tucker White

September 9, 2016
Four Gears: Lower Downforce, Young Guns, XFINITY Series and Darlington

It’s time to cycle through the transmission for another edition of Four Gears.

This week, our resident NASCAR analysts rate the three races that used the lower downforce package and give their takeaways from it. We also consider what three first-time winners this past weekend says about the level of talent with the young guns in the Truck, XFINITY and Cup Series as well as rate the quality of racing in the XFINITY Series over the last five races given the mix of tracks in those five races. Finally, we discuss whether the Bojangles’ Southern 500 is still among the crown jewel events of NASCAR.

FIRST GEAR: How would you rate each of the three races – Michigan 1, Kentucky and Michigan 2 – that were run with the lower downforce package on a scale of 1-10 and what are your takeaways from the package?

Michigan 1, I’d rank it 7/10. Although the racing at times was decent, the race itself was average for Michigan. Joey Logano just had the field in check that day, although Chase Elliott had the lead going into the final quarter of the race. He botched the restart, however, and Logano retook the lead and won the race.

Kentucky, 7/10: Having been on assignment for this entire race weekend, the lower downforce package saved this race. Hard as rock tires and a freshly paved surface made passing extra difficult. But even with the new surface, the lower downforce made these cars a handful to drive. I remember watching a whole mess of cars spinning out and slamming the wall because of the lack of downforce.

Michigan 2, 7/10: It was another average race for Michigan. Kind of like the first time around, the racing could be decent at times, but it was so hard to pass too. It seemed like clean air proved real key for the race leader on the long green runs. In the end, it had a nice finish that saw Kyle Larson finally earn his first trip to victory lane. Or in his case, burnout through victory lane. — Tucker White

Michigan 1, I’d rank a 6/10 because although the racing was decent at best, this package is normally supposed to host good racing. Logano dominated that show and although it was good for him, ultimately, the race wasn’t fun to watch.

Kentucky, 7/10. Racing was a little bit more fun to watch and the best car won the race.

Michigan 2 was 8/10. There were multiple race leaders, close racing, and it does help that Larson finally got that first win. — Joseph Shelton

Michigan 1: 6

Kentucky: 7

Michigan 2: 8

It seems like the more this package is run, the better the racing gets. That’s a pretty good deal there. — Michael Finley

SECOND GEAR: This past weekend, all three national series had first-time winners. What does a weekend like this say about the level of talent with the young guns, be it in the Truck, XFINITY or Sprint Cup Series?

It says two things: This sport is in no danger of talent saturation when the elder statesmen hang up the helmet for at least the next 25 years and corporate America should really consider attaching themselves to one of the available young guns who’s looking for a sponsor. — Tucker White

NASCAR has gotten a lot of grief for being a playground for rich kids with connections in recent years, but considering these winners it’s clear to see that you have to have a modicum of talent in order to succeed in this sport. Moffitt, McDowell, and Larson are all talented drivers whose persistence paid off. That tends to happen when drivers are doing something right. — Joseph Shelton

There is so much young talent in this sport, but sponsors really do need to start taking chances for the good of the industry. After a decent rookie campaign in Cup last season (for the level of equipment he was in), Brett Moffitt has struggled to find work since and was well on his way to becoming just another promising driver that flamed out before this last weekend. I think Brett Moffitt deserves a big shot in the XFINITY or Truck series more than certain ride buyers who only have big team rides because Daddy wrote a check. — Michael Finley

THIRD GEAR: Since the last weekend of July, the XFINITY Series has raced a standalone event at Iowa, a companion event with the Sprint Cup Series at Watkins Glen, a standalone at Mid-Ohio, a companion event with the Sprint Cup Series at Bristol and a standalone event at Road America. What’s been your take on the quality of racing from this five-race stretch and should NASCAR make the XFINITY schedule more like this?

I’ve given the XFINITY Series so much grief this season and for good reason. This season has showcased some abysmal, lackluster racing. It’s often been Sprint Cup Lite. That’s nothing compared to making the schedule more and more a mirror image of the Sprint Cup Series schedule instead of making it more unique to the XFINITY Series itself, which illustrates my biggest problem with the XFINITY Series today.

But with that said, this five-race stretch has been quite awesome to watch. The only lackluster race during the stretch was Watkins Glen, and even that was more meh than bad.

The best race of that stretch was Bristol. Watching the race from the press box, the first half anyway, I was blown away seeing guys run the bottom groove at Bristol again. It was also fun to see these guys try and run around the entire turn through the night to see what groove was faster. I was even outside the media center in Turn 4 to photograph the finish when Kyle Busch and Larson wrecked right in front of me.

To answer the last part of the question, not just yes, but Hell Yes! NASCAR should make the schedule more like this five-race stretch. — Tucker White

This stretch has held some of the best racing in the series. I hope NASCAR sees this stretch as something that defines what the fans want in the XFINITY Series, not the same song, different dance. It has been an enjoyable month for the division, so not looking forward to it going back to the Kyle Busch show. — Joseph Shelton

I’ve always thought that going to a more balanced, half road course, half oval series, would do the XFINITY Series wonders. It would make a niche for the series that isn’t there now and would deter Cup teams from putting huge budgets into full-time rides because there wouldn’t be nearly as big a technical advantage. Part of the reason Gibbs has been great the last couple of seasons is because it’s much easier to transfer data from the XFINITY Series to Cup after the Cup cars reduced their horsepower a couple of seasons ago. — Michael Finley

FOURTH GEAR: The Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway is this weekend. Is it still among the crown jewel events of NASCAR? If so, where would you rank it?

To put it simply, the Bojangles’ Southern 500 is still a crown jewel event in NASCAR. If you had asked me a few years ago, I would’ve put the Coca-Cola 600 ahead of the Southern 500. But it’s prestige, to a degree, has been tarnished by lackluster racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the last few years. The combination of returning Darlington Raceway to its rightful place on Labor Day weekend and the low downforce package not only produced the best race of the 2015 season but shot the prestige of the Southern 500 back up a few notches. The biggest race in NASCAR will always be the Daytona 500, but the Bojangles’ Southern 500 is a clear second. — Tucker White

The Southern 500 at Darlington will always be a crown jewel in NASCAR. Before Daytona and the 500, Darlington was the be-all, end-all of the sport. It has the history and the levity; it’ll always be a sacred place for stock car racing. — Joseph Shelton

It’s the second biggest race in the sport. Daytona is Daytona and the Coca-Cola 600 has had some boring-to-bad races the past few years that has hurt the prestige of the race just a little bit. Meanwhile, only people actively working in the industry think Indianapolis is still a special race for the most part, as evidenced by all the empty grandstands every year. Finally, Homestead puts on some great races, is in a great location, and crowns the Sprint Cup champion but just doesn’t have the history yet of the other four tracks I talked about. The Southern 500 is almost always a great race, has a great theme, and has more history than any other race on the calendar. — Michael Finley

September 1, 2016
Four Gears: VHT, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Surprise Winners

It’s time to cycle through the transmission for another edition of Four Gears.

This week, our NASCAR experts answer if VHT should be used at other tracks, whether Jeff Gordon will be in the car again this season* if Kevin Harvick is back in championship form after his win at Bristol and if we’ll see another surprise winner with three races remaining before the Chase.

*The question of Gordon’s future in the 88 car was sent to our writers prior to the announcement that he would be back in the car at Darlington.

FIRST GEAR: Should the resin used on the track this last weekend to make an artificial lower line be tested at other tracks besides Bristol?

It would be fun to see this be used at a place like Richmond. It would also be really cool to see this applied to the apron at Darlington, could totally see drivers try a “banzai” entering the corners. — Michael Finley

The two tracks I would say give it a try at are Charlotte and Kansas where the racing has been either hit or miss. — Tucker White

Wouldn’t hurt. There are some speedways out there that could use some experimenting with different ideas for better racing. That was one of the better Bristol races I’ve seen; let’s see what else this resin can do. — Joseph Shelton

SECOND GEAR: If Jeff Gordon does not race for the rest of 2016, will we ever see him in a Sprint Cup car again?

With how often these cars change, there will come a time where anybody just won’t be competitive unless they are racing every week. The fact Gordon has scored more points since returning of any other Hendrick driver is impressive, but good things don’t last forever. — Michael Finley

As much as I don’t think it’s right for Rick Hendrick to ask Jeff Gordon to drive the car even after he retired last season, he’s probably in there as long as he’s needed. — Tucker White

Please, for the love of Dale Sr., no. I love and respect Jeff for all that he did behind the wheel, but he doesn’t need to be “That Guy” who shows up sporadically in a stock car (looking at you, Bobby Labonte) just to loiter, even if he’s only helping a friend. — Joseph Shelton

THIRD GEAR: After the past few months of bad luck/bad pit stops for Kevin Harvick, did the Bristol win show the No. 4 Chevrolet is back on track to compete for a championship?

The thing about this team is that time and time again, they are good bets for when the chips are down. In 2014, they needed to win at Phoenix to get to Homestead and they did. In 2015, the only way they could get past the first round of the Chase was to win at Dover, and they ended up dominating. It’s hard to bet against them not being in the mix come Homestead. — Michael Finley

Were they ever really off-track? Kevin Harvick has led the points virtually the entire season. He’s only got two fewer top-10 finishes than he had at this point in 2015 and his finishing average is on-par with his finishing average from 2015. Sure there’s been bad pit stops from his crew, but that’s always been with Harvick in his time at Stewart-Haas Racing.

To answer the question, they’re not back on track because they were never off it. — Tucker White

Kevin is always a contender for the championship, even when he has a streak of bad luck. He’s Mr. “Where Did He Come From?”; never count him out. — Joseph Shelton

FOURTH GEAR: The last three races of the regular season are a good mix of tracks- a two-mile track in Michigan, an intermediate track in Darlington and a short track in Richmond. Will we see any more surprise winners?

Kyle Larson will be a sleeper at Darlington. His two starts there have resulted in two top tens and he’s always going to be tough at high groove racetracks. — Michael Finley

“Surprise winners” to me would be anyone not named Trevor Bayne, Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Outside of those six, I don’t see anyone else winning who hasn’t already won. — Tucker White

Honestly? Nope. There will be a few drivers like Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson who’ll make a valiant go of things, but it’s a Joe Gibbs Racing/Team Penske world these days. Everyone else is just living in it. — Joseph Shelton

Please share your comments below and join us again next week as we discuss the latest in the world of NASCAR.

August 25, 2016
Four Gears: Road Courses, Justin Marks, Track Themes and the XFINITY Chase

Time to cycle through the transmission for another edition of Four Gears.

This week, our NASCAR experts talk whether Mid-Ohio bettered the case for more road courses in NASCAR and whether Justin Mark’s win was more on him and Ganassi or a stroke of luck. We also discussed possible themes that other tracks can do with Darlington’s throwback weekend as a model and rated the first year of the race to the XFINITY Chase.

FIRST GEAR: Did Mid-Ohio strengthen the argument for road courses in NASCAR? If given the chance to practice more in rain conditions on road courses, would the racing get any better, à la Formula One?

Honestly, yes. It’s a different venue, for one, and it’s something different from what we’re normally used to. You can never go wrong with road courses in NASCAR, and considering Mid-Ohio had all the elements that we look for in a race (strategy, an underdog winner, excitement, so on), I think the current fixation on 1.5-mile race tracks is pointless. Bring Road Atlanta, Lime Rock, or even Laguna Seca into NASCAR. Fans would come running. — Joseph Shelton

Different is better. Saturday’s race, if anything, was different. The racing reminded me kind of like an old Bristol race – carnage everywhere, a thrill a second as the TV crews barely had time in parts to show all of the action. If the cars practice more in the rain and Goodyear brings a better rain tire, it would be just as exciting without all of the run-offs. — Michael Finley

I’m not too fond of racing in the rain, not just from this past Saturday, but from my years of following Formula 1. With that said, that was pretty damn entertaining to watch. It doesn’t so much strengthen the case for road courses, because road courses already have a strong case, as much as it shows that doing the five-year sanctioning agreements with the tracks was an incredibly stupid idea. Hopefully, the road course racing over the next four years shows NASCAR that it needs to move away from two-date races at some tracks and move to some more road courses. — Tucker White

SECOND GEAR: Prior to winning at Mid-Ohio, Justin Marks had only two top-10s in the last two years, with a career-best finish of sixth at Mid-Ohio in 2014. Was this win all about Marks and his Ganassi team, or was this just a stroke of luck?

Marks is an exceptional road racer. It does help that he’s gotten a lot of seat time in the No. 42 this season, considering he’s in better equipment than when he first started. Luck had a hand in his win, but Marks has had career days on road courses, and he had the car to beat in Mid-Ohio. — Joseph Shelton

Kind of both. Marks got lucky with the rain, but there’s no doubt he had more skill than most to drive those big stock cars in the rain. — Michael Finley

I’d say it was 30 percent Justin Marks and 70 percent luck. He’s a great road racer, but that rain made it damn hard to drive without spinning out multiple times a lap. — Tucker White

THIRD GEAR: The throwback theme for the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway has now turned into a big deal that we hear about all year long. What are some other themes we can approach, and where would be a good track to hold them at?

This is a tough one, honestly. The throwback weekend for the Southern 500 is great on all fronts in regards to the fans and personalities who truly appreciate the nostalgia as well as merchandise sales. There is no better place to celebrate throwback weekend than at Darlington, for that matter, which was the sport’s Daytona before Daytona was built. I don’t think there’s any way this could be topped. — Joseph Shelton

It would take a lot to get through movie licenses and Hollywood red tape, but it would be awesome to see a race at Auto Club with all movie cars. Movies such as Stroker Ace, Days of Thunder, Ricky Bobby could be represented through paint schemes, along with cars promoting new movies in general. Heck, maybe even somebody could run the Elvis car from the 1967 flop Speedway. — Michael Finley

I would say movie themed cars for Auto Club Speedway, but I can’t imagine it being so easy to do with licensing and copyright red tape. I’m not sure something similar could be done at another track. — Tucker White

FOURTH GEAR: With the XFINITY Series regular season all but wrapped up, how would you rate the first season of the XFINITY Chase?

Ha. A joke is what it is. I still can’t wrap my brain around what the logic in developing a Chase system for the XFINITY season was. Poor idea, considering only three XFINITY regulars (Daniel Suarez, Elliott Sadler, Erik Jones) have won a grand total of five races in 2016. — Joseph Shelton

Mostly terrible. Two-thirds of the XFINITY field eligible to compete in the Chase will be in it. That’s 66 percent of the eligible field. Ryan Reed, a driver who has all of three top 10’s in 21 starts, is all but locked in. That’s ridiculous. Meanwhile the “win and in” marketing NASCAR uses is a joke in this series when a grand total of three eligible drivers have won. Either do the Chase right and handicap non-series drivers to a certain amount of starts while cutting the fat off the Chase grid or don’t have a Chase at all. — Michael Finley

I compare it to Blues Brothers 2000. It was something that nobody asked for and nobody demanded. Yet someone in the big mahogany offices down in Daytona Beach got the idea to take a series that was already suffering an identity crisis and make it even more like the Sprint Cup Series with a Chase.

To make it even worse, they didn’t keep Sprint Cup drivers out of the XFINITY Series. Whatever speck of hope it had of succeeding was killed with that decision.

Only three, count them, three, XFINITY regulars have won a race this season. The rest have been won by Cup drivers or one-off XFINITY drivers.

With that, I rate this season a 1/10. — Tucker White

August 19, 2016
Four Gears: Burnouts, Bristol, Wipers and Auto Racing

Time to cycle through the transmission for this week’s edition of Four Gears.

This week, our staff takes a look at some of the hot topics in the world of NASCAR. We ponder if it’s time for NASCAR to crack down on cars being destroyed during burnouts, what effect the recent “polishing” of Bristol will have, whether or not the Joe Gibbs Racing contingent found an aerodynamic advantage running the windshield wipers at Watkins Glen and what’s been the biggest surprise – be it good or bad – in the world of auto racing this year.

FIRST GEAR: This past Tuesday on The Morning Drive, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell hinted that NASCAR may come down on drivers who damage their cars during burnouts in the wake of Denny Hamlin’s burnout at Watkins Glen this past Sunday. What are your thoughts?

I’ll keep mine short. While I see NASCAR’s point in terms of shutting down the “black helicopter pilots,” what’s the point of doing this since an illegal car keeps the win in this sport? — Tucker White

I hate sounding like a hypocrite because I think those types of burnouts are awesome. I love how wild and nuts they can be. But I’m the guy who loathes it, absolutely hates it, when drivers who are pissed off at each other take to ramming each other instead of getting out and settling things face-to-face because that necessitates unneeded work from the guys back at the shop and negates all of their hard efforts.

By that logic, body-shredding, engine-grenading celebrations also negates my team’s hard efforts at putting together a precision race car and is a bit excessive. Therefore, they should keep it simple when celebrating. Heck, I miss the days drivers did a victory lap with that checkered flag. That being said, NASCAR should come down on those who decide to destroy their cars following a victory. — Joseph Shelton

New rules like that wouldn’t really change much. It’s strange to me how fans and some media members jump on victory celebrations for being suspicious but don’t comment/report on most of the cars swerving around wildly on the cool-down lap most races this season or crew chiefs telling drivers to “go through the checklist” after races over the radio. The easiest way to deter cheating is to make the possible penalties for it more meaningful. — Michael Finley

SECOND GEAR: Bristol Motor Speedway announced they are “polishing” the bottom groove of the track surface in preparation for next week’s festivities. Based on what you’ve heard, what do you expect to see?

From what I’ve heard from Bristol, this is meant to promote two-wide racing. Though I really think this is meant to make the bottom the preferred groove again.

I’ll hold off any judgment of this until after the checkered flag flies. I thought the low downforce package would force these drivers to run the bottom back in April which they were for most of the weekend but were back to the wall groove on race day.

I do have the stats to show that the racing at Thunder Valley now statistically is virtually on par with where it was back in the “good ole days.” I’ll argue that the racing is better now because you can actually pass another car at Bristol and not have to wait for the car in front to either get loose or make them get loose.

It’s my home track at the end of the day. So I’ll always love Bristol no matter what groove is run. — Tucker White

Pre-2007 Bristol, before the overhaul, was perfect Bristol. Since the overhaul, racing hasn’t been as exciting as it once was. Therefore, any talk of a Bristol overhaul or “polish” is something I take with a grain of salt and just a dash of dread. I fear it would only wreck the product even more. — Joseph Shelton

I’ve given up on predicting what’s going to happen at the fall Bristol race. Every season it looks like it may be an exciting race, it becomes a bore fest. Every season it looks like it’s going to be a snoozer, it’s a highlight-a-minute thrill-show. All that is a sure thing is that until Speedway Motorsports, Inc. makes the low groove the preferred/only racing line and NASCAR lessens aero dependence of the cars, it’s not going to be the old “bump n’ run” Bristol older fans long for. — Michael Finley

THIRD GEAR: All four of the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota’s and Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing were running optional windshield wipers on a clear sunny day Sunday that had no chance of rain forecasted while the rest of the field didn’t. Do you believe the Gibbs program found that running the wipers provided an aerodynamic advantage or do you believe it was done to mess with the competition?

I’m not an engineer and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I do listen to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Listening to Mike Bagley, windshield wipers – if it’s meant to act as a dorsal fin to stabilize the car – won’t do much at a track like Watkins Glen where speed is more in play than handling. I have even more doubts that it had any aerodynamic advantage considering the wipers were being moved by the air during the race.

So I think it was done solely to mess with the competition. I’m willing to bet that come next season, everyone else will show up with their wipers left on and the JGR cars will leave them off. — Tucker White

I LOL’d at the folks on Twitter who honestly believed this was some sort of game/advantage the JGR Toyotas were playing with the rest of the field. I don’t know why they went with windshield wipers, honestly, but I doubt it was to mess with the rest of the field. That’s a tinfoil hat claim if there ever was one. — Joseph Shelton

Gibbs seems to be like the Joker in the Dark Knight this season. They have been just two or three steps ahead of everybody so far this season, so I’d be shocked if they didn’t find something that worked in those wipers. — Michael Finley

FOURTH GEAR: With most of the motorsports world in a “summer break” at the moment, what has been the biggest surprise – be it good or bad – in the world of auto racing this year?

For me, the biggest surprise this year has been just how far off Ferrari has been in Formula 1 this year. In the season-opening Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne, Sebastian Vettel got the jump on Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg off the start and had the race in check before a bad pit stop just past halfway cost him the victory.

Despite that, I came away thinking “We got a title fight this year.” I thought Ferrari was ready to take the fight to Mercedes.

However, Ferrari has posed virtually no threat to Mercedes since. Vettel blew an engine on the warm up lap the very next race at Bahrain and didn’t even start, and hasn’t had a podium finish in four of the last five races. Kimi Raikkonen hasn’t had much more success either sitting just two points ahead at the summer break.

They were even leap-frogged by Red Bull Racing – despite all their off-track issues with Renault last season – who managed to put Max Verstappen on the top step of the podium with a win in Barcelona, and that was largely due to the two Mercedes drivers taking each other out on the first lap in Barcelona.

Maybe the summer break will give Ferrari the opportunity to find something to put up a last ditch effort, but 2016 is a lost cause for the boys of Maranello. — Tucker White

In the world of NASCAR, Tony Stewart’s comeback run. So many people had written Stewart off as a has-been who had zero chance at success in the Sprint Cup Series ever again, but here he is riding a hot streak that includes a strong win at Sonoma in June. He’s not going to be a one-hit wonder in the Chase; he may very well be a threat.

Altogether? Alex Rossi’s Indy 500 win. It was a strategy move that landed him in Victory Lane, but this is the Indy 500 we’re talking about. America’s most prestigious auto racing event. Yet somehow a rookie who wasn’t even doing that well managed to pull off the biggest upset since Trevor Bayne won the 2011 Daytona 500. It was a thrilling account of how in motorsports, anything can happen. — Joseph Shelton

How Stewart-Haas Racing kept the biggest manufacturer switch since Gibbs went to Toyota a secret for months in an industry full of moles, I’ll never know. What a grab by Ford and what a punch in the gut for Chevrolet and Hendrick. — Michael Finley

Please join us again next week and become a part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts in the comment section below.

August 11, 2016
Four Gears: Chris Buescher, crew chief swaps, road courses and ‘ringers’

Time to cycle through the transmission for this week’s edition of Four Gears.

This week, our staff takes a look at some of the hot topics in the world of NASCAR. We discuss Chris Buescher getting into the Chase, ponder if Hendrick Motorsports should make some crew chief swaps, move a road course into the Chase and wonder if the bygone days of the “road course ringers” are a good thing or a bad thing for NASCAR.

FIRST GEAR: Chris Buescher enters this weekend six points behind 30th in points. After his shocking win at Pocono, can the driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford get into the top 30 and steal a spot in the 2016 Chase?

On the one hand, I want to lean towards no because their performance has been no better than a 27.8 average finish. On the other hand, given Chris Buescher’s relationship with Jack Roush, perhaps Roush Fenway Racing and the folks at Ford Performance might step in to ensure that he makes the Chase. I think, for this week, the jury is out. — Tucker White

Absolutely. Chris Buescher is the most underrated rookie in the Sprint Cup Series right now, and although he hasn’t had the results that Ryan Blaney or Chase Elliott has he’s made the most of his Front Row Motorsports equipment. He’s good on his equipment as well as with his equipment, and keep in mind he’s no slouch on road courses, having won at Mid-Ohio in 2014. — Joseph Shelton

If Roush is going to be providing more support to the team after that win, they should be in the top 30 by a comfortable margin. — Michael Finley

SECOND GEAR: Paul Menard has had a down year in general, but Richard Childress Racing changed his crew chief last week and Menard responded by being fast all weekend. Save for a third at Indianapolis due to a late charge by Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports has struggled ever since Sonoma. With Darian Grubb waiting in the wings at HMS, should Hendrick hit the panic button and make some crew chief changes or should any possible changes wait until the end of the year?

I think it worked at Richard Childress Racing because they’ve been up on performance this year. Hendrick Motorsports is just down right now. Regardless of whatever is plaguing HMS all of a sudden this season, I have my doubts that swapping crew chiefs mid-season will make that much of a difference. — Tucker White

Maybe making the changes at year’s end would be the best, and it’ll have to be something more than Crew Chiefs. Maybe some key faculty changes as well. HMS also had a down year in 2000, winning only four races, but after making appropriate changes they took home the 2001 championship. Following what they did all those years ago could help. — Joseph Shelton

Yes, they should reunite Greg Ives with Chase Elliott and Alan Gustafson with Jeff Gordon, then replace Keith Rodden with Grubb for Kahne. It’s obvious the 5 team needs a shake-up, and Ives worked so well with Elliott in the XFINITY Series they would be better together. — Michael Finley

THIRD GEAR: Entering Watkins Glen weekend, the track president has projected a record crowd for a race that has arguably put on some of the best races of the past few years. Should NASCAR move this race into the Chase or is it better not to mess with perfection?

I’ve been pushing for a road course in the Chase for years. I know we only run it two times a year, but if Talladega can be in the Chase, which isn’t my way of saying it shouldn’t be in the Chase, there’s no reason we can’t have a road course in the Chase. — Tucker White

A thousand times yes. Road course racing defines the true spirit of NASCAR, and Watkins Glen never fails to put on an excellent show. It should be in the Chase as well. We try to determine the season champion by using the Chase; NASCAR should recognize that an over-saturation of cookie cutter racetracks isn’t an accurate way to determine a champion. Add a road course! — Joseph Shelton

It should be moved to between Bristol and Darlington so that the regular season ends on a strong note with four really good racetracks. — Michael Finley

FOURTH GEAR: With only one road course “ringer” in the field this week (Boris Said in the No. 32 Ford), it seems the days of road course specialists are at best numbered. Is this good or bad for the sport?

Perhaps I’m not the best to speak on this because I came into this sport long after the days when the series regulars started to out-perform the road course “ringers,” but I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing for NASCAR because I believe it truly speaks to the talent of the drivers in NASCAR. It shows they’re capable of more than just turning left for three hours. They can also drive the cars left and right on road courses with muscle and technique. These are traits of a true road course racer and it speaks volumes on just how great the drivers in this sport are. — Tucker White

I loved the days of road course ringers, especially Boris Said. But now that the days of road ringers are about gone, it is good for the sport. Those guys who make the field week in and week out, are the focus of the sport and the focus should be on them and their talent on the track, no matter if the track is a road course or a short track. — Joseph Shelton

It’s a bad thing because the ringers ensured there would be some different guys near the front rather than the same old, same old. It created a variety that wasn’t available at other tracks and made both road course races more special — Michael Finley

Please join us again next week and become a part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts in the comment section below.

August 5, 2016
Four Gears

This week our staff takes a look at some of the hot topics in the world of NASCAR. We look back at New Hampshire, glance ahead to Indianapolis and rate the season to date. Our staff also tackles the question of penalties and when/if those penalties should affect the outcome of a race. We are joined by guest contributor, Katelyn Kinnett, co-founder of NASCARFemale.com.

1st Gear: How would you rate last weekend’s race at New Hampshire on a scale of 1-10 and why?

I would rate it a 7.5/10. It’s not a race I’ll look back at years from now and say “Boy, that was an awesome race at Loudon back in July of 2016,” but I think it was good in the context of the 2016 season. At this point, I’d probably list it as an honorable mention when I do my list of the best races of 2016 in December. – Tucker White

I’d put it at around a 7. It wasn’t too bad because there was a lot of racing at the front of the field, a lot of going back and forth for position, leaders were within striking distance of each other, et al. Sure, it wasn’t ideal like Atlanta considering the majority of laps led were led by Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas, so there wasn’t much diversity up front manufacturer-wise. But with the field being bunched up by both lapped cars and cautions, this allowed for better racing and kept everyone’s attention. – Joseph Shelton

I’d give it a 5. Nothing much happened in the first 200 laps, the last 101 were much better. If it wasn’t for the last 101 it would probably be a 2. The Toyotas are just on another level right now. – Michael Finley

I would most likely give it a 6, only because of the long green flag runs that spread the field out. Then again, you could give it an 8 because when that occurs, you get lapped traffic in the mix, and there were several instances where the leader got caught racing lapped traffic and it allowed the second place driver to catch up – which, in turn, improved the racing. It’s truly a catch-22. The cautions at the end of the race definitely provided the fans with great racing – especially during the restarts, so with all of that said, I’d be inclined to up my initial rating to a 7 – just to meet both sides halfway. – Katelyn Kinnett

2nd Gear: Does the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway still hold as one of the crown jewel events of the sport? If yes, where would you rank it?

The answer is yes. It’s not the most entertaining race of the season, but it’s one of the cathedrals of auto racing. The order of importance to me is the Daytona 500 at No. 1, the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at No. 2, the Coca-Cola 600 at No. 3 and the Brickyard 400 at No. 4. – Tucker White

The Brickyard 400 will forever be a crown jewel of NASCAR. It’s a historical track where many racing legends, not just NASCAR drivers, have visited Victory Lane. It’s the epitome of racing elegance and is a pillar of American motorsport. That said, it’s not as prestigious as it once was because it’s been marketed out and watered down.

Thing is, in NASCAR, you mention the Daytona 500 and you can just feel that awe, that majesty, that the event inspires. It has never been the Coca-Cola Daytona 500, or the Toyota Services Daytona 500, but just the Daytona 500. It’s a mighty track, the grandest venue NASCAR races at. But you can’t say that for Indy. Aside from the fact that Indy wasn’t originally built with stock cars in mind, it’s hard to take as series. Plus, look at the name over the years. It’s been the Crown Royal 400 at the Brickyard. It’s been the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

Selling the naming rights to a race at Indy waters down the prestige, in my honest opinion. That and bringing in the Xfinity Series when the division is at its worst has definitely diminished Indy NASCAR racing in my eyes. Of NASCAR’s biggest events, I place Indy at the bottom rung. – Joseph Shelton

No. It has had terrible racing for a long time, on a track that just wasn’t designed for stock cars. Sure, the race was a novelty the first five to ten years, but it has long overstayed its welcome. Indianapolis is a great city for a race, though I think I’d rather watch the cars rub fenders at Lucas Oil Raceway Park than go watch a parade around a rectangle. And with the recent reports that IMS has only sold roughly 35,000 seats as of Monday, the fans seem to agree. – Michael Finley

I would say that it is still considered a crown jewel; however, I feel that it has lost its luster with bringing the XFINITY Series into the mix. In my opinion, the NXS series should have never left O’Reilly Raceway Park. It was a niche track and the fans loved it. I mean, who doesn’t like short-track racing? The Brickyard was known for being the place where Cup drivers could make their dreams come true “at the yard of bricks” but with adding an additional NASCAR touring series it has definitely knocked down the race a peg or two in my book. Daytona is, and always will be, the crown jewel. The Southern 500 would be second, with the Brickyard coming in as a close third. – Katelyn Kinnett

3rd Gear: With this past weekend being the first race of the second half of the season, what was the biggest surprise – be it good or bad – of the first half of the 2016 season?

It’s hands down Tony Stewart winning at Sonoma Raceway. Given his performance and off-track issues the last three years, I was convinced that Tony Stewart’s win at Dover in 2013 was going to be his last. In the last seven races, Stewart has finished outside the top-10 twice, and his bad finish at Pocono was a wreck that took him out while he was running in the top-10 where he had been most of the day. His other dud finish was Daytona which is a whole other animal. As much as I hate the “Smoke gets hot in the summer” cliché, that seems to be the case this year. – Tucker White

The quality of racing has been the biggest – and best – surprise. The low downforce package has improved NASCAR’s product so well that it’s amazing to see how many awesome races we’ve had this year. – Joseph Shelton

The biggest story of the season so far is the mid-summer saga of Dale Earnhardt Jr., and if the possible ramifications of concussions will lead to shortening his career. Earnhardt is by far the most popular driver in the sport, and the announcement of Jeff Gordon coming out of retirement to replace Earnhardt has only added fuel to the fire. – Michael Finley

The biggest surprise of the first half of 2016 would probably be Smoke’s injury in his final year. I think it is a driver’s worst fear to be injured in an activity other than racing at the Cup level, especially in your final year in a race car. Stewart has the luxury of being the co-owner of the team he drives for so the conversation after the ATV incident, I’m sure, was far different than say, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s after the American Le Mans Series incident in which he suffered second-degree burns. – Katelyn Kinnett

4th Gear: On SiriusXM Speedway this past Monday, the driving topic question of the day was “Is it time for NASCAR to consider taking away wins and/or bonus points from a team that fails post-race inspection.” What’s your stance on whether NASCAR should take away wins and/bonus points from a team that fails post-race inspection and why?

I had always been on the fence with this one, but I’ve come around to saying NASCAR should take away a win for a car failing post-race inspection. However, it should only be for a P6-level infraction. We don’t need this to turn into the Snowball Derby where the winning car gets disqualified for having so much as a one-micrometer dent in the wrong place. In other words, take the win away if the car has an illegal engine, illegal fuel, illegal tires or puts the driver’s safety at risk. – Tucker White

Absolutely! Strip the wins. These guys are money-making machines. A slap on the hand is nothing to these guys, and if they’re already in the Chase points won’t matter (unless they’re at or near 30th in points). If NASCAR wants the competitors and teams to be on their very best behavior then take away what means the most and what can hit them the hardest in the long run – the big W. – Joseph Shelton

There was a Finley Factor article a month ago that talked about overhauling the Chase seeding for the first round. Right now NASCAR only rewards three bonus points per win in the first round. By making wins mean more (I suggested 10 points per win), it discourages teams from playing so hard and fast with the rules because that means fewer points to start the Chase. Kenseth was penalized a meaningless 15 points and crew chief Jason Ratcliff was given a $25,000 fine that the team will probably pay off anyway. If the infraction had put the No. 20 team in a hole after Richmond, it would mean so much more. Wins shouldn’t be taken away unless the car is ridiculously illegal. It shouldn’t be a question after the race who won it for both the fans and the sponsors. – Michael Finley

In my opinion, if a car fails post-race inspection – the win is negated; period. An advantage is an advantage. Lance Armstrong had to relinquish his Tour de France wins because of his advantage. Whether it be by man or machine, it’s one and the same at the end of the day. – Katelyn Kinnett

Please join us again next week and become a part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts in the comment section below.

July 21, 2016