From a NASCAR Fan’s View
There are a lot of possibilities ahead for the Cup teams when they take to the Martinsville Speedway. After last weekend’s race at Talladega ending with Chase Briscoe winning his way into the Final Four Championship race next weekend, there is just no way of knowing which of the drivers will qualify for the Championship race when Martinsville is done. Oh, without a doubt, there are those who think they know, and there are those who say it’s obvious. From this fan’s view, there are just too many possibilities for the two remaining spots.
First, let’s mention the obvious. Chase Elliott is a must-win if he wants to move on in pursuit of another Championship. He can’t win the stages and finish second and advance. He definitely has to win. He does have a chance to win and has won at Martinsville before. The problem is that there are no other options for him to move on.
Ryan Blaney is in a similar situation to Chase. There are really no other options that guarantee he can make it to the Final Four other than to win. If he wins, he is in and that is all that can be said about his chances. Sure, I am willing to admit there may be a way he can point his way in, but that means at least four others would have to have a terrible day at the races for that to happen. I haven’t considered all of the point situations, but I do know his chances of pointing his way in are very, very slim. I guess you could say, almost impossible.
Joey Logano and William Byron are both in a difficult situation if they want to advance. They absolutely have to have stellar performances, and the two they are trying to replace in the way things measure up right now have to have extremely bad days. Of course, either of them can win and move right into the Final Four, but that is an option they might or might not prefer. There is a very slim possibility they could both make it, but you know what that means. Yeah, that’s right. Both Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson would need to have miserable days.
So, let me just say, from my view, one of those two having a really bad day —I can definitely believe —but both of them? I just don’t think so.
The way things have been going, Kyle Larson is my choice for having something disastrous to happen. Lately, if it can go wrong, it has gone wrong for the number five Hendrick team. I base that opinion on what happened to him last weekend at Talladega and running out of gas on the last half of the last lap. From a fan’s view, I believe he might have beaten Chase Briscoe across the line at the finish. It was going to be a drag race, but I think Kyle may have won. Of course, there is no way to know that for sure since he ran out of gas.
Along with his misfortune, William Byron was also affected, which put Byron further back in the playoff standings. It’s just this fan’s opinion, but I believe had that not happened, they would probably both be in the Final Four at Phoenix next weekend. As it stands right now, they could still both make it in, but Byron needs to have a better day than Bell and Kyle needs to not have problems like those that have been plaguing him in the last several months. He just hasn’t had any consistency.
If you’re a JGR Toyota fan, there is a very good possibility that there could be three JGR Toyotas in the Final Four for the Championship. If that turns out to be the case, today’s race will determine which of the drivers will end up being the fourth one in the Final Four. If one of the drivers below the cutline wins, that would likely mean either Christopher Bell or Kyle Larson could be in, depending on how they finish between each other, since there is only one point separating them going into today’s race at Martinsville Speedway.
So, there we have it. The way this fan sees it, just about anything can happen regarding the things just discussed. Which one of the possible scenarios plays out is anyone’s guess. All I know for sure is that we will know the four drivers that will be in the Final Four when Martinsville is done…
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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