Fire up the scanner, it is time for Crew Chatter with Speedway Digest writers. This week we tackle Dover and Las Vegas with the question, “With the first elimination race underway, what is the current vibe of the Chase for the Sprint Cup?”
Brett Winningham:
The vibe right now is to shake out four drivers. After this round, the round of 12, is when it’s really going to heat up. You’re gonna have so many good drivers get eliminated after the round of 12 that it will make the races exciting. The round of eight is gonna be even more interesting than the round of twelve. You could say that there isn’t one undeserving driver that will run in rounds two and three. It’s going to be that tight.
Katie Williams:
We’re still in the ‘Round of 16’ so right now I think things in the garage are still calm for the most part. Except for Kevin Harvick being in the bottom four after Chicago, we haven’t seen the real drama yet. Wait until we get down to the ‘Round of 8’ or Phoenix, then I think things will tense up, oh yeah, and then Homestead will also be a nail biter for whoever makes it to the ‘Championship Four’. Chris Buescher, Tony Stewart, Austin Dillon and Jamie McMurray are probably pushing that panic button because they need a win at Dover to stay alive. I’m not expecting the bottom four to change but it could. We also could have someone make a mistake and fall out of the top 12. Watch out for those ‘non Chasers’ too. They are the real snakes in the woodpile. They have nothing to lose and are out for blood while preparing for next year as well.
Davey Segal:
The current vibe of the Chase, from my perspective, is somewhat the same as the past 26 weeks: predictable.
You can say that NASCAR as a whole is predictable, but that’d be a whole different conversation. In the regular season, the JGR Toyota’s (plus Martin Truex Jr.) and Kevin Harvick were the cars that were dominating races. At Chicago, Truex Jr. won, Harvick had one of the fastest cars. At NHMS, Matt Kenseth and the No. 78 dominated, with Harvick pulling out a win in the late going.
But I also see some changes occurring. Hendrick Motorsports is back, but did they really ever leave? Jimmie Johnson, if it weren’t for a pit road speeding penalty late, would have probably finished second at Chicago and had a solid top ten min at NHMS. Chase Elliott has run top ten at the previous two Chase races and shows no signs of slowing down. Plus, Kasey Kahne is suddenly contending for wins again.
Team Penske has been solid, but not great. The same goes for Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart. Ganassi hasn’t been overwhelming, but will have to be just that this weekend in Dover if they want to advance.
So to answer the question: what’s been the vibe of the Chase so far? Nothing but ~good vibes and relaxation, maaaaan.~
Caleb Whisler:
The vibe of this chase, so far, is that everyone is playing calm and conservative. Drivers are still trying to find what the line of encumberment is when it comes to NASCAR and its penalties. Right now, the “Round of 16” is being used to help eliminate the “weaker” links. As more becomes on the line, I believe that desperation and insanity will ensue from drivers. The only thing we have seen so far is that the dominate car does not necessarily win due to penalties on pit road. There currently has not been a defining moment, but it will be interesting to see how the next eight weeks play out.
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