From a NASCAR Fan’s View
It is interesting how the qualifying sessions went for Homestead Saturday morning. The run for the pole position was between five Toyotas and five Chevys. It is also interesting that one Toyota and one Chevy are starting on the front row. Of course, judging from practice between groups A and B, this fan wasn’t really surprised that Tyler Reddick took the pole position. It wasn’t really a surprise that Kyle Larson is starting next to him on the front row either.
So, two of the best wall riders will be leading the rest of the field to the green flag. They aren’t the only ones good at riding close to the wall but they are two of the best as far as this fan is concerned. There are two others starting in the second row that just might give the two front starters a run for their money. Of course, you know those two are Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin. All four of these drivers have a very good chance of winning the Straight Talk Wireless 400 but, of course, only one driver can win.
It may sound like I’ve already made up my mind which of the eight still competing will be in the final four racing for the championship. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. The way the playoffs have been going and with the way many of the non-playoff teams have been running, there are more than just the eight playoff drivers that can win. It won’t matter too much if some non-playoff driver wins but it will mean the playoff drivers need to get as many points as they possibly can. Every point counts and I can’t think of any of the top four or the bottom four in the Round of Eight that can afford to have a bad day at Homestead. In fact, one or maybe two of them already need a win or their chances to make the final four are about zero and none.
How about we talk about those at the bottom of the list in the Round of Eight. These drivers aren’t running all that bad, they just haven’t been able to avoid trouble or just haven’t had enough speed to run up front.
If you want to talk about bad racing luck, I can name two right of the bat, and that would be Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney. Both of them had bad days at Las Vegas and finished multiple laps down to the leaders. Chase Elliott has been very consistent most all season but hasn’t really always shown up with front-runner speed. I won’t say his chances of moving on are outside of the realm of possibilities but, he does have his work cut out for himself and a win in one of the next two races is just about his only chance. Still, he is quite capable of winning at Homestead and, like Joey Logano, he could be one of the Final Four.
Ryan Blaney just hasn’t been able to catch a break either and is in a precarious position when if comes to moving on. Of course, he is also known for being able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. That being said, I won’t draw the curtain on his chances but, he is another that needs to win or have some very good points races over these next two.
Yeah, I know Tyler Reddick was involved in the same accident as the one that took him out at Vegas and put Elliott a bunch of laps behind but he has been one that has shown speed but not been able to catch a good break recently. Last weekend at Las Vegas was just another one of those races he could-a – would-a and probably should-a but didn’t. It remains to be seen if his pole position starting spot yields a better finish or his bout with bad racing luck continues.
Another surprise is the way Denny Hamlin has been running. As he himself said, he is surprised they are still in it. Honestly, he is capable of his performance turning on a dime and him showing up at the front or even winning this one. Not saying he will and not saying he won’t… I’m just saying he is another one that could win and it put him in the Final Four.
That brings us back to the only ones left to possibly qualify for the playoffs and they just happen to be in good spots. Well, at least for now but, they cannot afford to have mediocre or bad days at Homestead. The only one that’s safe is Joey Logano so of the seven left to possibly qualify for moving on, I suppose anything is possible and, unfortunately, this fan doesn’t have a problem with expecting a possible disaster to strike someone in the Round of Eight. The question is, will it be one of the top four in the playoff standings or will it be one of the other four? I’m just not willing to say but I do know things could really be shaken up when this one is over…
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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