Happy Hour: Stewart-Haas, Logano and the Chase
Throughout the week you can send us your best questions, jokes, rants and just plain miscellaneous thoughts to [email protected] or @NickBromberg.We’ll post them here, have a good time and everyone’s happy.
With the decision by an Ontario County (N.Y.) grand jury to not indict Tony Stewart in Kevin Ward’s death on Wednesday, things are much steadier than they could have been at Stewart-Haas Racing. Had there been a criminal trial, no matter the verdict, uncertainty would have reigned for weeks and likely months.
The uncertainty isn’t gone, mind you. There will still likely be sponsor meetings, especially now that the Ward family has strongly hinted at a civil lawsuit. But the uncertainty of the possibility of a civil trial is much less than in a possible criminal one.
Based off the emails I’ve received over the past seven weeks, there will always be a segment of the fanbase that is convinced that Stewart was in the wrong on August 9, no matter what the investigators found and what the grand jury decided. But that’s an unfortunate part of life. For a minority, common sense and reason aren’t what they seem to many of us and a world with innumerable shades of gray is either black or white. It must be one and not the other. I think this post from August is still relevant.
@NickBromberg Can we officially call Joey Logano “Sliced Bread” now? Dude is a legitimate championship contender.
— Chris Nulty (@RealChrisNulty) September 25, 2014
This is on the heels of the news that Logano signed a contract extension to remain with Team Penske. And yes, this contract extension comes not even two years into a three-year deal. Think Roger Penske sees something in Logano?
And if you look at Logano’s race data from his time at Penske, you’ll see it too. He’s been one of the best drivers in the Sprint Cup Series and is now the driver that mean people thought he would be when he won as an 18-year-old at Kentucky Speedway in the Nationwide Series with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Not only does Logano have future stability, but so does Penske Racing. The team is set up better for the long-term than any other team in the Cup Series. With two drivers 30 or younger and two solid sponsors, there isn’t going to be much overhaul at Penske unless something significantly changes. Plus, you can make the argument that a two-car setup is more stable than four cars at the moment. Penske can have alliances with the Wood Brothers for additional data, but having a streamlined operation in an era of rising costs and yet more technical changes may not be a bad thing.
Here’s a question for you. Who wins a Sprint Cup Series title first: Kyle Busch or Joey Logano? I’ll take Logano, and it’s not a slight to Busch. Why? Because I think Logano could do it as early as this season.
@NickBromberg How harmful to the new chase would it be if, unlikely as it may be, Gordon or Jr get eliminated this weekend?
— Justin LeBlanc (@07vanquish) September 25, 2014
Simply based off the popularity of Dale Earnhardt Jr., his early exit would hurt more than Gordon’s would. However, I think it’s pretty close given the goodwill that Jeff Gordon has built up.
But here’s the thing with this year’s format. A great 2014 driver or two is going to be left out at Homestead. Not all of Logano, Junior, Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick can be alive for for the final race. And I’d bet heavily that the final four will come from that six.
The Chase will still have starpower if just one or two of those drivers misses the third round. But if more than that do, it’ll feel like a bit of a small sample-size fluke.
Let’s transition into the next question to finish a thought from this one.
@NickBromberg Saw a lot of snoozers over the years in Dover, will this be one as teams play D to survive and advance? And Thx Mizzou – B1G
— Brian Cullather (@Briancullather) September 25, 2014
If I’m looking for a crazy elimination race in terms of strategy, I’m taking Phoenix over Talladega and Dover.
Yes, Talladega has the big crash factor, but, as Brian says, Dover has been a snoozer recently unless Jimmie Johnson has been jumping a restart. (I’m also banking on a very conservative Talladega race, especially given the context of points racing. I could be wrong.)
Phoenix has a new asphalt and tire wear variable that the other two tracks don’t have. Strategy is going to be an incredibly large factor there, and that’s where a team can take a chance or two. Plus, with the cut going from eight drivers to four, there’s the chance that at least six or maybe seven drivers will be winless in that segment for the final race. And four of those drivers will be on the outside looking in because of the points standings.
A majority of the field makes it through to the next round in the first two eliminations. The third, when only half of the field makes it, is when it could be wild.
(And I will ignore the Missouri question. We’ll see what happens in Columbia, S.C. on Saturday night.)
Both Aric Almirola and AJ Allmendinger won early enough before the Chase to give their respective teams enough time to get their best stuff ready for the first three Chase races. And if Almirola doesn’t blow an engine at Chicago, he’s likely breathing relatively easy at Dover.
Allmendinger is in a good spot too. Simply avoiding mistakes is proving to be a foolproof (but easier said than done) strategy through this first round and while the No. 47 team hasn’t been fast, there hasn’t been a huge mistake.
It’s not a recipe for a championship, but it could work to get into the next round. And for Allmendinger, it’s what he said before the Chase his team was shooting for.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
