Here are four points to ponder as we celebrate our nation’s birthday on the 4th of July.
- The final takeaways from the weekend of racing at Chicagoland Speedway all focused on the racing, which is a breath of fresh air these days. Too many times in 2018 talk of penalties, infractions, inspection and rules have sucked the life out of conversations around the sport. While there were some post qualifying inspection issues that sent the like of Martin Truex Jr., Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson to the rear of Sunday’s Overton’s 400 starting line-up, that was more a blip on the radar than a major focal point.
The worn out Chicagoland surface, which has been in place since the track opened its gates in 2001, combined with the red hot temperatures over the weekend were two of the main ingredients that created some of the best racing of the year. Sunday’s spectacular and yes controversial finish between Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson was preceded by a full afternoon of drivers using several lines around the bumpy and slick surface. Chicagoland Speedway may have come into its own over the next few years if a repave can be staved off.
- Don’t underestimate how much the date change from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff opener to a summer date also impacted Sunday’s race. The first round of the playoffs have evolved into a conservative affair in recent years with drivers and teams afraid to push the envelope and lose ground in the championship race. There was no such hesitance last Sunday with winning stages (see Kevin Harvick vs. Kurt Busch as prime example) and the race the more prominent goals. It will be interesting to see if the theory plays out further if this year’s new first playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, another 1.5-mile track, inherits the low-key approach from drivers come September.
- Somewhat lost in the exhilarating finish Sunday was the fact a member of “The Big Three” won again in Busch. There have still only been six winners in the first 17 races of the season a mark that dates back nearly four decades. The odds are long more than perhaps one or two drivers find Victory Lane from now until the Indianapolis Motor Speedway regular season finale. Look at the tracks left in the next nine through Indy and find one where Busch, Kevin Harvick or Martin Truex Jr. isn’t good. I’ll save you the trouble, there isn’t one. So that means getting into the playoffs for perhaps as much as half this year’s field will come through the point standings. Earning points and not taking risks will be the game plan for a number of drivers over the next three months.
- Of course not taking risks and playing it safe is nearly impossible this week when Daytona rolls around for Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400. Restrictor plate racing makes it a nearly impossible proposition. But the nature of plate racing also presents one of the best scenarios for a different winner as was the case a year ago when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. went to Victory Lane.
I wish you a happy July 4th holiday and excuse me if I didn’t wish the green flag was flying at Daytona at 10 a.m. on Wednesday afternoon like it did in the good old days.
The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the Motor Racing Network.
