Happy Hour: Just how crazy do you think Talladega will be?
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 and have a good time.
Stunningly, Joey Logano maintained his points lead in the old Chase with his win at Kansas. Here’s how the Chase standings would look like at the halfway point:
1. Joey Logano 2,218
2. Denny Hamlin 2,201
3. Carl Edwards 2,193
4. Kurt Busch 2,177
5. Martin Truex Jr., 2,174
6. Matt Kenseth 2,172
7. Jeff Gordon 2,171
7. Brad Keselowski 2,171
9. Kyle Busch 2,163
10. Ryan Newman 2,161
11. Jamie McMurray 2,153
11. Kevin Harvick 2,153
13. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2,136
14. Jimmie Johnson 2,124
15. Paul Menard 2,107
16. Clint Bowyer 2,086
What do you expect at Talladega? We’re not so sure that it’s going to be as crazy as people think. The spring race was especially conservative because of the difficulty passing (what a theme from 2015). Drivers were afraid to make a move without any guaranteed help because the downside was too severe. Getting left out of the draft was a 10-spot penalty, especially if you moved out of a single-file line.
Sure, there could be some craziness, but consider how tight the points standings are in actuality. A lot of drivers know that by simply staying in the same neighborhood as each other that they can move on. Only Earnhardt Jr. and Kenseth are in real “we have to get to victory lane to move on mode.”
We’re also not sure about the chances of the new green-white-checker rule coming into play. Given that Talladega races usually finish on the first GWC attempt, was the rule really even necessary?
Let’s get to your comments.
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As long as Logano understands “just racing hard” might go the other way if he’s racing for the championship and he ends up spinning – Dan
What happened at Kansas is quite complex. We think it’s also a product of the Chase format too, so NASCAR executives were likely incredibly happy with what went on in the final laps.
Face it, if Kenseth doesn’t need to win to advance, he doesn’t block Logano as hard. And Logano then either has more patience to get around Kenseth or he already makes the pass because Kenseth knows that there’s only a four-point gap from first to second. Plus, Logano knew that Kenseth had to win the race to advance. And eliminating one of the best teams of 2015 is a huge help towards a championship.
As we said before, Kenseth played a dangerous game with the blocking. And he paid for it. It was also a bit ironic that Logano was the one on the giving end of the spin post-blocking when you remember Kevin Harvick’s comments about Logano blocking for Brad Keselowski at Talladega last year.
Blocking is a part of the sport. And so it being unafraid to use the bumper — in the manner that Logano did — when someone crowds you. Will Logano be cognizant of that in the future? We’re pretty sure he will be. And his confidence level is off the charts right now. He may very well be the favorite to win the championship.
@NickBromberg I DONT REALLY HAVE A QUESTON I JUST CALLED IN TO SAY GO DALE JR WERE ROOTIN FOR YOU HERE BUDDY
— have a good tim (@turbojunker) October 22, 2015
Junior led 67 of the spring race’s 188 laps. We’ll put the over/under at his laps led for Sunday at 50. What’s your pick?
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A few leaks have come out about what the potential NASCAR franchise system could (maybe) look like. It still sounds like a horrible idea. The latest rumor is that a to-be-determined number of teams (36?) will have guaranteed starting positions (charters) and the rest of the not-so-fortunate teams will compete to fill out the remainder of the field on a weekly basis. Am I the only one who thinks this is a horrible idea? At least under the current and past models, teams could work their way up the owner’s points ladder. – John
This is an incredibly complex situation for NASCAR. First off, it’s absolutely imperative and overdue that teams have a valuation when they go to sell. As other sports have thrived over the past 10+ years and owners are making money and seeing the valuations of their franchises skyrocket, NASCAR teams have come and gone.
You know the sport needs a better business model when it’s better for small teams to start-and-park and that JR Motorsports of all teams lost money in a championship-winning Xfinity Series season. Yeah, it’s expensive to go racing and be competitive. But it’s a business, not a charity.
Given that NASCAR has operated without a franchise model for so long, how do you implement one now? You can make the argument that the owners have more power than they ever have. Hendrick Motorsports is supplying 10 teams on the grid. Joe Gibbs Racing has four. Richard Childress has six equipped cars. Who fills their spots if they leave? That’s not even counting Team Penske, who could completely demolish the relevance of Ford Racing if it left NASCAR.
And does anyone else look at the guaranteed 36-spot idea and immediately think back to the top 35 rule? The sport dumped the top 35 rule in the name of fan feedback and more qualifying drama, yet what’s old is new again.
Not only is this a scenario that’s wrought with pitfalls, it’s one that’s got to be done with the approval of most, if not all of NASCAR’s owners. With the income inequality from the front to the back of the garage, that’s going to be pretty damn tough too. This is a fascinating storyline.
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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!
