From a NASCAR Fan’s View
Darlington – the track too tough to tame – the lady in black – it goes by several names and it is a track that is tough and challenging. This is a race that will have an impact on which drivers and teams will move on to the playoffs. It will determine which of the top drivers will be declared the regular season champion and the winner of the race will end up in Victory Lane. That’s a lot to take in for one race but that’s what this race at Darlington is all about.
There are three drivers within striking distance of being the regular season Champ and of course that would be Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson presently chasing Tyler Reddick and there are only eighteen and seventeen points respectively separating the two from overcoming Reddick and being declared the regular season champion for 2024. There is a lot of pressure riding on the closeness of the points going into this race at Darlington. Neither of the three can afford to have a bad day.
Taking a look at the last couple of weeks, and considering the racing luck Kyle Larson has had, it might be a tall order for him to overcome that seventeen-point deficit. He hasn’t finished in the top twenty in the last two weeks. Now, I’m not saying his chances are zero to none but, unless his luck turns around at Darlington, his chances are limited.
Now that I’ve said that, we all know Kyle can win at any track and he does have a fast car this weekend and he did qualify in the second row starting fourth. That doesn’t guarantee anything at all because he was running well enough to win the last two weeks and was involved in accidents that drastically changed where he finished. Like I just said. He has his work cut out for him and absolutely cannot afford to have a bad day. Well, that is if he wants to challenge for the Regular Season Champion. I do believe he does have a good chance of taking the win but that doesn’t mean he will be the Regular Season Champ.
Chase Elliott on the other hand didn’t exactly qualify all that well. He is starting twentieth and just didn’t look like he had the speed, at least in qualifying. That could change by the time the race starts but, like Kyle, he has his work cut out for himself. From my view, he just hasn’t shown the speed to take the win lately and I am concerned that Darlington may not be kind to him. Of course, I have been known to be shown to be wrong and he could surprise me when it comes down to the final laps. Can’t say I have a lot of confidence in that but it could happen. He also could win but that won’t put him in place for being the Regular Season Champion. It all depends on how those other two finish.
I hesitate to say it but, Tyler Reddick really just needs a good race and to finish sixteen to seventeen points ahead of the other two. He has been running pretty consistent in recent weeks and, though he has had his challenges also, his road to be the Regular Season Champion isn’t as difficult to imagine. From my view, all he has to do is run like he has been running lately and he should come away with the Regular Season Championship. That doesn’t mean he isn’t under pressure to take it but it does mean he may have to overcome some challenges to do so.
This race at Darlington isn’t just a tight race for the Regular Season Championship. It is, however, a tight race for those not qualified for the playoffs yet. Bubba Wallace has shown up with some muscle and won the pole position. So, does that mean he has a good chance to win and gain his way into the playoffs? Well, that’s a good question and I’m not sure I have a good answer. What I do know is that he appears to be focused and committed and that could very well lead to a spot or he could just do better than Chris Buescher and Ross Chastain points-wise – which is no small task – and he’ll be in.
There is another wrench that could be thrown into the works. After Harrison Burton’s unexpected win last weekend which launched him into the playoffs, the is a possibility someone else unexpected takes the win and jumps all of them into a playoff berth.
I don’t know how it will turn out but Carson Hocevar could do just that since he qualified on the front row next to Bubba and has been showing great consistent runs this season. Right now he sits twenty second in points and at minus one hundred and ninety one points. That would be a real blow to Chris Buescher and possibly Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain as well. Of course, that all depends on how the rest of them just in or just outside the top sixteen finish.
Yeah, there are a lot of possibilities going into this one and there are a lot drivers, not in the top sixteen, capable and determined to win their way in. A few names would be Kyle Bush, Austin Dillon, Michael McDowell, Chase Briscoe, Josh Berry and Erik Jones.
There are others but why try and name the whole field. All I know for sure is that the aggression is going to intense and could lead to just about anything happening and just about anyone winning. Do I want to pick the winner and name those that will be in the playoffs or even which of the top three end up as Regular Season Champion? No, I’ll pass on that but I know this one is likely going to go down to the wire and just about anything is possible when it comes down to the end of the race.
I’ll just end this as I started it. Darlington – the track too tough to tame – the lady in black – it goes by several names and it is a track that is tough and challenging. That’s a lot to take in for one race but that’s what this race at Darlington is all about and this one is going down to the wire in more ways than one…
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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