Gents,
Or, within the phrases of Owensboro Oracle: Boogity-boogity-boogity.
Time to begin figuring out to maneuver the Cup Collection’ common season and maybe hit the playoff on-ramp with a full head of steam.
Let’s go racin’ …
Huh, what’s that? Oh, certain, we’re three weeks deep into the 2025 schedule, which is a full twelfth of the way in which to the season’s end line (Math!). However the truth is, we nonetheless don’t know a lot, not after two plate-races and a highway course.
2-WHEEL TALK
After , we do know Shane van Gisbergen isn’t gonna run the road-course desk, and we additionally know Ross Chastain remains to be able to a damn-the-torpedoes second. However as for who’s holding a powerful hand, who must pluck an ace from his sleeve, and who would possibly have to fold and watch for a brand new deal?
As they are saying: No one is aware of nothin’.
However we’ll, and shortly. Seize a gear and discover out why …
First Gear: All ovals for some time, and no pace limits!
The Cup Collection schedule consists of six completely different highway programs and 6 “plate-races” — two every at Daytona, Talladega and Atlanta, the place the horsepower-sapping guidelines make it anyone’s ballgame.
Good chunk of the schedule proper there, however it nonetheless leaves 24 races on a wide range of ovals between a half-mile and 2½ miles in size. All with out the necessity for pace governors or right-hand turns.
Over the following six Sundays, we get sufficient oval selection to provide an actual clue about 2025’s actual contenders: Phoenix, Las Vegas, Homestead, Martinsville, Darlington, Bristol.
Peruse the south aspect of the Week 3 factors standings and also you’ll see some guys who must be prepared to maneuver alongside to the extra conventional stock-car choices. That record consists of Ty Gibbs (thirty fifth in factors), Daniel Suarez (twenty ninth), Brad Keselowski (twenty sixth) and Ross Chastain (twentieth).
Talking of Ross the Boss …
Second Gear: Fairly a gap assertion from Ross Chastain
Chastain is coming off a downer of a 2024 season. Worse but, he wrecked out of Daytona and completed fortieth to begin this yr. Then ended up eighth after the mud cleared at Atlanta.
On the Circuit of the Americas, he wasted no time in making an attempt to show round his fortunes. As an alternative, he jammed his No. 1 Chevy deep into the primary flip of the primary lap — a hairpin, by the way in which — and turned across the No. 9 Chevy of Chase Elliott, amongst others.
It led to some fulfilling and enlightening back-and-forth on the radio between Chase and his irritated crew chief, Alan Gustafson. At first, Chase puzzled if he presumably did one thing incorrect. Nope, mentioned Alan, who appeared able to take the wheel himself.
Alan: “After we get an opportunity to ship ’em, we’re sending that 1 automotive.”
Chase: “That’s completely nice. I’ll do what I have to do, however I simply want to ensure I wasn’t within the incorrect earlier than I do it.”
That’s calm and funky hit-man stuff from Chase proper there. However when the time for payback got here, six laps from the top with the No. 9 closing in on the No. 1, Chastain was conscious of what his mirror was telling him, and mainly aborted — he slowed dramatically and cleared the way in which for Chase to go and, ultimately, take a hard-earned fourth-place end.
Third Gear: Oh, by the way in which, Christopher Bell gained once more
Reckon we should always lastly point out Christopher Bell? All he’s completed is win two in a row, you already know.
Bell’s two wins come after a long term of unrewarded decency relationship again to final season. His third win of 2024 got here on the season’s halfway level, Week 18 at New Hampshire. Didn’t win once more the remainder of the way in which however rattling certain challenged.
He had back-to-back thirds to finish the common season, and as soon as within the playoffs, completed seventh or higher in eight of the ten races. And now, after Sunday, he’s confirmed himself as an upper-rung favourite heading into highway programs till additional discover.
In 11 road-course begins relationship again to the 2022 playoffs, he’s had two wins, two runners-up and eight general top-10s.
Fourth Gear: Too early to speak playoff fixes? Apparently not
Do you know NASCAR held a “playoff committee” assembly a number of weeks again at Daytona?
No? So it wasn’t simply my invitation that went to spam.
Do you know NASCAR has a brand new in-house podcast referred to as “Hauler Speak”? Simply realized that, too. On a latest pod, speak turned to the Daytona playoff assembly and the number of opinions on the market about both tweaking or overhauling the playoff system, which has been nipped and tucked like an getting older Hollywood prima donna.
A present and widespread angle says the ultimate winner-take-all, as now we have at Phoenix among the many high 4 drivers, isn’t precisely the fairest approach to crown a champ. No offense, Joey (possibly). So there’s some speak of maybe ending issues with, say, a three-race last playoff leg amongst nevertheless many drivers is deemed acceptable.
Since no one requested, I’ll should push it on the market by myself …
∎ 15 playoff drivers.
∎ 9 playoff races.
∎ Lower 5 drivers after three races, 5 extra after the following three.
∎ The remaining 5 battle via the ultimate three races, both with the conventional factors format, or possibly a format that additional rewards a race win.
You’re welcome.
If you happen to don’t like reducing a playoff race, make it a 12-race playoff with 16 drivers and minimize thrice (4 every minimize) after every three-race leg, and depart 4 to race for the Cup over the ultimate three races.
And I do know what you’re pondering, however inform Uncle Ed they’re by no means going again to the season-long factors chase with out playoffs.
