Sunday’s South Point 400 was the most chaotic first race in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs history. There’s no other way to describe the playoff opener that was won by Brad Keselowski but will be remembered more for the chaos that punctuated the event.
One after another playoff driver suffered some sort of problem whether it be a cut tire, crash or mechanical issue to turn the race into a survival of the fittest. Even the “Big 3” wasn’t immune to the unpredictable nature of the day with Kevin Harvick making an early exit and Kyle Busch needing to rally back for a top-10 finish after a spin.
The triple digit heat no doubt played a major role in what transpired. Track conditions were slick and slippery and tire wear was a challenge. It added up to a recipe that certainly left a lot of folks unhappy but in the end produced a compelling first stop on the road to the championship.
There’s a case to be made for the much maligned 1.5-mile tracks as well after Sunday’s race. While many fans bemoan them as “cookie cutters” that aren’t high on the list of competitiveness, Las Vegas and July’s Chicagoland Speedway race would prove otherwise. Circumstances and conditions can have a huge impact on competition and Sunday in Vegas was a textbook example.
The outcome will generate much discussion for the days ahead and that’s not a bad thing at all as the playoffs roll on.
- I’m not sure even Brad Keselowski would have predicted winning three straight races at this juncture of the season. But he did just that and followed up crown jewel wins in Darlington and Indianapolis with a playoff opening victory. Maybe the best news of all for the red hot Team Penske driver is he now does not have to sweat the remainder of the first round and the unknowns that lie ahead culminating with the road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway. That may have been the biggest reward for Keselowski winning Sunday’s wild race.
- Ross Chastain’s Xfinity Series race win on Saturday provided a feel good moment to the weekend. Chastain was very strong in his debut with Chip Ganassi Racing at Darlington until his incident racing Kevin Harvick for the lead. Las Vegas was the second of Chastain’s three race deal with CGR and he delivered his first career series win and locked himself into the playoffs. But the story also brought into light how the equation of car versus driver is so weighted in 2018. Chastain and Ryan Preece are great examples of how talented drivers can immediately be competitive in top notch equipment. However, the harsh reality is unless sponsorship is attached those opportunities will remain few and far between.
- Friday night’s Truck Series race was an action-packed affair that felt more like a race at Talladega or Daytona than a 1.5-mile track. Packs of trucks were the order of the night from virtually the drop of the green flag and unfortunately that tight racing led to some hard crashes and cautions. But Grant Enfinger, who came into the second playoff race last on the grid, was able to survive to win and move on joining Justin Haley as a pair of somewhat unlikely names that have already moved on in the championship picture in the first round.
- More “Silly Season” machinations over the weekend led by the news Ryan Newman would not return to Richard Childress Racing in 2019. The veteran driver stated he intends to run full-time in the Cup series next season leading to speculation he would migrate to the Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 ride currently being shared by Trevor Bayne and Matt Kenseth. Team owner Jack Roush confirmed Bayne would leave the organization at season’s end. Word around the Xfinity Series garage is Daniel Hemric could me moving up to Cup next year but not in the RCR stable. Stewart-Haas Racing has an opening on the No. 41 entry with Kurt Busch leaving and team co-owner Gene Haas said rushing Cole Custer up the ladder was not the prudent thing to do at this time. Lots of dots to connect before “Speedweeks” next February.
The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the Motor Racing Network.
