from a NASCAR Fan’s View
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It appears to this fan, the talk this week has centered more around Joey Logano’s accident at Talladega and Bar BQ. I find it fascinating that Bar BQ seems to enter almost every conversation I’ve heard about this weekend’s race and that includes the talking heads on TV and elsewhere. Yeah, I know all about Bar BQ and Kansas Speedway but I do find it a little confusing as to why it seems to enter almost every conversation about this weekend’s race. I thought it was supposed to be about 400 miles at one of the toughest 1.5 mile tracks on the NASCAR Cup circuit. (Notice I did say, “one of the toughtest.”)
Another thing I find interesting concerns the accident involving Joey Logano. Since he was the one involved and his car was the one floating up in the air and landing hard on its roof and then righting itself back onto all four wheels, I understand why he likely said what he did being interviewed immediately after. When a car weighing 3400 lbs. lands directly on its roof, something has to give and one bar in particular showed a possible weakness that may need a correction of some sort. What that correction might be is yet to be addressed but, in usual NASCAR fashion, they will work on it until they make it safer than it already is.
That appeared to be the main thing that caught Joey’s attention and probably prompted his comments about how Superspeedway racing needs to change. From this fan’s view, I do find it interesting that when an accident of that type happens with him being the main character, NASCAR needs to change that type of rules package. This is just my opinion but, I didn’t hear him saying so much when he went to block on the final lap of the Daytona 500 and helped put his teammate, Brad Keselowski into the fence.
What happened in both of those situations IS a product of Superspeedway racing these days and everyone knows that going in. In fact, everyone involved knows racing is a dangerous sport and not everything can be controlled by changing a rules package. Logano uses all of the tricks used to try and win on a Superspeedway and he understands the sport he is involved in is dangerous and that, sometimes, the cars do unpredictable things. I know he will get over it and continue on. I think he probably received a reminder wake-up call as to just how unpredictable and dangerous motorsports can be. I do agree with him in the sense there is a weakness on the driver side of the cage. I am also confident NASCAR will find a remedy for that in the not-to-distant future.
(Okay, that’s enough about last weekend at Talladega and I promise, I won’t be talking any more about Bar BQ.)
Other than the things I mentioned earlier, the biggest topic of conversation is whether or not there will be another first-time winner for this season, another first-time winner in their cup career or a repeat winner. So far, there have been nine different winners out of the first ten races with Martin Truex Jr. being the only winner of multiple races this season. As I asked in an earlier article a while ago, what happens if we have more than sixteen winners before the playoffs? Will they consider changing the rules so that all winners can be qualified by their win or will they just consider the ones with wins and highest points? I ask that question as a fan and out of curiosity because I really don’t know what they will actually do. It just may be that we find out if things continue as they have all season.
There are several drivers that have good records at the Kansas Speedway and some of them don’t have a win yet this season. You know their names because you hear them mentioned all the time but, I will mention a few that immediately jump into my mind. Of course, I don’t expect there will be any you haven’t thought of already.
Probably the first one on everyone’s mind would be Denny Hamlin. He does have more points than anyone else this season and yet he doesn’t have a win. Many think this will be his weekend to change all that but this fan isn’t so sure. I could be wrong but, sometimes, it just doesn’t happen the way some think it should. Denny has often had a good season and still not had things go his way. I’m not saying that his bad racing luck will continue but, he may be in for a bit more of a dry spell before he wins.
Denny isn’t alone when it comes to drivers many thought would already have a win. To mention a few there’s, Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott and Kyle Bush. All have decent performances at Kansas and all are former Cup Champions and yet they have not won yet this season. I admit I am as surprised as anyone but I also think one of them could come away with the win this weekend. I know there are those that disagree with me on that and I also admit there are others that can win and that’s what makes choosing a possible winner for this weekend so difficult.
When it comes down to it, I have those I would like to see win and those – well, how do I say this nicely? – those I would prefer didn’t…
See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© May 1, 2021 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
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All music TwoBuckThemes from Mike Stewart unless otherwise stated