From a NASCAR Fan’s View
Like it says in the title, the Cup teams take it to the Brickyard, and it will once again be two races for the price of one. That’s right, there will be two races for the price of one, and at least one of them is worth a million dollars. That’s right, the two Ty’s, uh, in case you’re wondering. That would be ty Dillon and Ty Gibbs, and both of them would like nothing better than to end up a million dollars richer at the end of the race – uh, and that would be whether or not they even come close to ending up in Victory Lane.
That’s what makes the In-Season Challenge so interesting. There are only two drivers left to compete for the million dollars, and the two meet head-on, only having to worry about the race between themselves and no one else. So, they could end up finishing as the last two drivers at the end of the race with nothing to lose and a million dollars to gain. The only advantage (or disadvantage, depending on which driver you might be rooting for) is that Ty Gibbs is starting fifth and Ty Dillon is starting twenty-sixth. I don’t know about you, but that says to me that Ty Gibbs might have the advantage. Of course, that may or may not be true. Stranger things have happened, especially at the Brickyard. The way Ty Dillon has been moving on throughout the Challenge, he could just as easily be the one to collect the big check instead of Gibbs.
One of the ones that impressed me most for today’s race would be the pole sitter, Chase Briscoe. He has won several poles this season, but his sitting on the pole doesn’t guarantee he will be out front when the final flag on the day drops. But he could win this race at his home track. I seem to recall him starting up front in other races and then falling like a rock, only to have to claw his way back to the top positions by the end of the race. So far, he has only one win, but this may be his opportunity for the second. It is never pretty, but it could go either way in this one.
There are other things to think about as the Cup teams take to the Brickyard. Things like there are five Toyotas starting in the first six starting positions, and all of the Toyota camps are represented in those top five. I don’t know what is going on with the Toyotas lately. They have consistently shown up with speed lately, and it looks like they might have the advantage for today. First of all, they will all have great pit selections. That may make all the difference when it comes to pit strategy. If there is any advantage, they will just have to make sure they don’t blow their possible advantage by speeding on pit road. At Indy, that can be a huge possibility.
I find it interesting that William Byron has shown up with good speed and has been doing so consistently. The problem is, he hasn’t been able to have good finishes to go with that consistency. Some of it can be attributed to some bad racing luck, but some of it has been self-inflicted. He is the fastest Chevy in the starting lineup, and he is the quickest of the four Hendrick Chevys. I don’t know if that will make any difference in the way things go today, but I believe he is going to make a run for the win and could pull it off.
Once again, I have to mention Kyle Larson. He did have a decent finish last weekend, and that could mean he is breaking out of his slump. Then again, consistency is what he needs, and we all know how much he likes Indy and how much he likes to win. Besides, he also wants to make up for the poor performance he had when he tried doing the dual in May. He once again has his work cut out for himself, but that may be just the incentive he needs to continue breaking free of the slump he was in.
It appeared that more than a couple of drivers had problems in qualifying. Not sure whether they will have the same problems with the wall in turn two in the race, but several did have problems with that, and it remains to be seen how much of a factor it will be in the race. I believe it could make a difference in how things finish today.
The Fords are qualified all over the place and will have to work for every position they gain today. Chris Buescher starts seventh and was the fastest Ford in qualifying, so this fan expects he might be a factor when it comes to the final laps. I don’t know, but Austin Cindric could be pressing the front-runners also. After all is said and done, the Fords do have something to prove, especially the Penske Fords. Their boss owns the track, and we know he has high expectations. The question is, will the Toyotas rule the day, or will it be the Chevys or the Fords?
There is one thing I can say. Only one driver will win the race, and it could be a Chevy, a Ford, or a Toyota. The problem is, I don’t know which one it will be…
Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
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Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
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