WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — 5 ideas after Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Sequence playoff race at Watkins Glen Worldwide …
1. Taking Inventory
Oh no! This man isn’t speaking about tires once more, is he? Ughhhhhhh.
Hear, you’re forgiven for those who see a dialogue about tires and your eyes begin to glaze over. In an entertainment-focused sport that thrives on drama and personalities, spending an excessive amount of power speaking about big items of rubber doesn’t appear to be an effective way to get individuals .
On the similar time, the tires have grow to be the only largest focus within the Cup Sequence with regards to the standard of racing. And, after the checkered flag flew on the a centesimal race for the Subsequent Gen automobile on Sunday, the tires additionally appear to be the final, greatest hope for enchancment on street programs and brief tracks.
However what’s irritating concerning the tire discuss is the lack of knowledge about why they react the best way they do. NASCAR has now reached the purpose the place tire provider Goodyear is on board with making an attempt to make a softer tire compound that may put on faster — thus creating extra passing alternatives — however the diploma to which it really happens continues to be considerably of a guess.
Take Watkins Glen, for instance. The first racing storyline (apart from the playoffs) was concerning the dramatic tire falloff that was anticipated to shake up the racing at this traditional upstate New York street course. Earlier this summer season, Tyler Reddick appeared on Denny Hamlin’s “Actions Detrimental” podcast and teased a tire he had examined on the Glen which had 4 seconds of lap time dropoff over a 20-lap run. Austin Cindric, who additionally examined on the similar time, mentioned one of many tires he tried had six seconds of lap time distinction.
These expectations have been then mildly diminished when a later take a look at confirmed roughly three seconds of falloff, however drivers and groups have been nonetheless bullish on what the tire would do for the racing coming into this weekend. When the primary follow session confirmed a distinction of two.5 seconds for some vehicles over a medium-length run, there was nonetheless loads of hope.
“It’s like, ‘Whoa! All the best way to the opposite finish of the spectrum,’” Brad Keselowski mentioned after follow. “The knob acquired cranked, and it’ll be attention-grabbing to see the way it impacts the race.”
However then, oddly, the tires’ influence by no means actually materialized as anticipated. The monitor apparently rubbered in sufficient to not make a lot of a distinction, and even vehicles that stayed out on a lot older tires have been tough to go after they had clear air. Crew chiefs who opted for stage factors in Stage 1 have been caught off guard when their drivers have been unable to make up a lot (if any) floor after they have been shuffled again into the pack.
“It ended up being the identical outdated Watkins Glen,” Christopher Bell mentioned. “Pre-race, all of us anticipated the identical factor of tire put on being an enormous issue and having to pit to placed on tires and have the ability to drive up by way of the sphere — and it was the exact opposite.”
So what offers? As a result of there’s now such a big pattern measurement, drivers can’t assist however marvel if it’s the platform of the Subsequent Gen automobile which limits their skill to go by dirtying the air of the trailing automobile (“The new, turbulent air continues to be overpowering,” Tyler Reddick mentioned). One other driver, Ty Gibbs mentioned he caught as much as one other driver from six seconds again on Sunday however was unable to get by as soon as his automobile acquired caught within the wake.
“Typically I’m like, ‘Is that this automobile designed for us not to go?’” Gibbs mentioned. “As a result of it’s so laborious to go in comparison with the Xfinity automobile (which he drove on Saturday). I imply, you possibly can cross over individuals and every thing (in Xfinity), and this factor you possibly can’t go, and that’s irritating as a driver.”
Now one other unknown arrives Saturday night time at Bristol Motor Speedway, which noticed one of the bizarre-yet-compelling races in latest historical past this spring. That was the race which had a surprising quantity of tire put on — though Goodyear mentioned it introduced the very same tire because the earlier race (which had little to none).
The prevailing concept on the time was cool spring temperatures should have made the distinction, which made sense till one other Goodyear take a look at this summer season on a scorching Tennessee day when drivers reported the tires having equally excessive put on.
Logically, none of it is smart. So why is that this occurring? When requested this weekend, drivers largely shrugged in a your guess is nearly as good as minemethod.
“You’re making nice factors,” Cindric mentioned, sporting a bemused expression. “I’ve acquired nothing for you, man.”
GO DEEPER
High 5, Bristol: Tire administration race supplied greatness; can or not it’s replicated?
2. What If?
Listed below are some alternate storylines we’d be speaking about at the moment had a couple of issues unfolded in a different way.
• If there aren’t any late cautions: Denny Hamlin possible finishes someplace within the 30s and enters the Bristol cutoff race someplace between 15-20 factors out of a playoff spot. The panic meter for a championship-contending group would have been off the charts. As an alternative, crew chief Chris Gabehart was capable of deploy a technique that acquired Hamlin again onto the lead lap and allowed him to make use of a ultimate contemporary set of tires; Hamlin drove to twenty third and is simply six factors beneath the lower line, and heading to a monitor the place “we are able to management our personal future,” he mentioned.
• If Ryan Blaney avoids the Lap 1 crash: There’s a excessive probability Blaney can be heading to Bristol as this spherical’s factors chief and should have even locked himself into Spherical 2 on factors with a top-10 end. As an alternative, there aren’t any ensures Blaney advances previous this spherical if he suffers additional misfortune on Saturday night time, and that incident will loom massive if he crashes at Bristol.
• If Shane van Gisbergen doesn’t make a mistake on the final lap after being pressured by Chris Buescher: Although it was a heck of a end and memorable victory for Buescher, van Gisbergen was a half-lap away from notching his second profession Cup Sequence street course race in 5 profession begins. It will have despatched a transparent message to the sphere as he prepares to go full-time Cup racing for Trackhouse in 2025, though one mistake doesn’t precisely diminish the respect for his talent degree both approach.
3. NASquirks
Kyle Larson lately declared he was a greater all-around driver than Max Verstappen (which rings true from this view, for what it’s price), so that you wouldn’t assume Larson can be somebody who ever has a lot self-doubt.
However throughout an look on Corey LaJoie’s “Stacking Pennies” podcast final week, Larson mentioned he certainly had durations of questioning himself and his skills. That appeared shocking for a driver some contemplate to be the most effective racer on the planet, whose pure skill and uncooked pace appear ample.
So we requested Larson on Saturday: Does he actually have occasions the place he doubts himself and, if that’s the case, what prompts it?
“I positively do,” he mentioned. “Currently, the final couple years, I’m quick in every thing — however I crash a lot. That was actually my solely objective this 12 months, to simply crash much less. And I’m nonetheless on tempo for regular (crash price).
“That’s the stuff that will get to me. I’m working actually laborious to love nottry this — and I nonetheless do it.”
Final week at Atlanta, Larson crashed within the playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway and used up lots of his bonus playoff factors — placing him in an unsure place for the remainder of this spherical. And what bothered him about that wreck, he mentioned, was “I’m not even making an attempt laborious and I crash.”
“Then there’s different weeks the place I strive too laborious and I crash,” he added. “It’s like I’m simply vulnerable to crashing. In order that weighs on me some.”
However, Larson can take a step again and see the wrecks as many others do: He has such a capability to place the automobile on edge and go quick that generally he inevitably steps over the road. However with out that pace, he wouldn’t be as profitable.
“I additionally attempt to peel it again and be like, ‘OK, nicely, I do crash loads, however that aggression degree most likely places me in place to win extra (usually) than not,’” he mentioned.
“It’s like I’m simply vulnerable to crashing. In order that weighs on me some,” Kyle Larson says of why he questions himself on the racetrack. (Sean Gardner / Getty Pictures)
On this area all through the playoffs, we’re looking on the present energy rankings for the Championship 4 and evaluating them to our pre-playoff picks (Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney).
1. Bell (pre-playoffs: 1; final week: 1): It definitely wasn’t the day Bell anticipated on a street course, however he nonetheless escaped with a 14th-place end after getting spun by Austin Dillon and heads to the Bristol elimination race as this spherical’s factors chief.
2. Reddick (pre-playoffs: 2; final week: 3): Maybe the collection’ greatest present street racer, we by no means acquired to see what Reddick may actually do after he sustained injury at the beginning of Stage 2.
3. Blaney (pre-playoffs: 4; final week: 2): Getting concerned in a Lap 1 incident that had nothing to do with him (and barely seeming to get a lot injury earlier than he was dominated out of the race, at that) needed to be irritating. However this group ought to nonetheless have the ability to survive Bristol and make one other deep run.
4. Larson (pre-playoffs: 3; final week: 4): His margin to the lower line elevated a bit and he’s now up 26 factors heading to one in all his greatest tracks. Nonetheless, there aren’t any ensures throughout what has been one other hot-and-cold stretch for Larson (one top-10 end within the final 5 races).
Honorable point out: Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, William Byron.
5. Better of the Relaxation
This part was created final 12 months to focus on the highest non-playoff performers through the ultimate 10 races of the season. However this might have been the longest portion of the entire piece after Sunday, which was the first-ever NASCAR playoff race — in any of the highest three collection — that didn’t characteristic a single playoff driver among the many high 5 finishers (per stats guru Seth Eggert).
The place will we even start? place to start out appears to be with Buescher, a vastly underrated driver who now has a street course victory on his resume and is now tied for the third-best common end in the whole collection this season — regardless of not getting a win that might have allowed him to make the playoffs.
Then there’s the Spire Motorsports trifecta of rookie Carson Hocevar (third), rookie Zane Smith (fifth) and Corey LaJoie (eighth). They not solely acquired the group’s first triple high 10, however the trio has now accounted for 11 top-10 finishes this season — this for a company that had solely 10 top-10s in its 288 races of group historical past earlier than this 12 months.
And the way about Ross Chastain? After barely lacking the playoffs (after which shaving off his longtime beard), Chastain has continued to point out pace and now has top-15 finishes in six of the final seven races (and has led laps in three straight). Surprisingly sufficient, Chastain is the motive force who Buescher is tied with for third-best common end this season; and neither of them are playoff drivers.
Lastly, we are able to’t wrap this portion with out as soon as once more recognizing the unimaginable expertise that’s van Gisbergen. After his Chicago win in 2023, there have been all kinds of makes an attempt to twist the logic about how he pulled it off. He is aware of avenue programs higher than the sphere! He’s extra skilled with moist climate! Australia Supercars drive just like the Subsequent Gen!All of which may be true, besides SVG continues to point out he’ll be a dependable menace on anykind of street course — and in any collection — after practically successful once more on Sunday.
GO DEEPER
Teenage phenom Connor Zilisch wins debut NASCAR Xfinity Sequence race
(High picture of Chris Buescher taking the checkered flag in Sunday’s race: Sean Gardner / Getty Pictures)
