Think about how much we’ve evolved as NASCAR fans.
Or maybe “decentralized” is the better word.
It used to be that a winner crossed the finish line just inches before the runner-up, and the margin of victory is technically measured to thousandths of a second – shortly after a 28-car crash, incidentally – and everyone’s hair would be on fire.
“Can you believe this??!!”
But even if we don’t really yawn, we are hardly impressed by the theatrical side offered by the the most awesome of superspeedways – Talladega.
Let’s shift gears and turn the wheels toward the final race of the Round of 16 as NASCAR’s Cup Series playoffs unfold.
Or limp, depending on your after-effects at Talladega.
First Gear: Talladega Big One, then a flawless overtime
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s victory at Talladega gives him four career Cup victories, all on “restrictor plate” superspeedways – two each at Talladega and Daytona.
If you’re looking for a surprise at Talladega, it might be those two overtime rounds that went off without a hitch (tow). In these cases, you hold your breath until what’s left of the peloton finishes the first of two laps and ensures that the conclusion of the race will come even if another caution is issued.
When they get through that first round, they almost never get back to checkers with everyone pointing north and south. But they did it, and all that remained was to wait for the official timing and scoring pylon to identify the winner.
It was Stenhouse about the length of a sandwich – not a 12-inch meatball sub, by the way.
William Byron, bless his heart, pushed Stenhouse – not a teammate but a fellow Chevrolet driver – out of Turn 4 and towards the strip before rushing to the outside of Ricky and making three wides under the checkers .
Byron poked his nose near Ricky’s passenger side door, but it was too little, too late. Compared to the Stenhouse-Kez margin, this half-car length to Byron’s nose appeared to be sufficient acreage for fall planting.
Second gear: NASCAR draft accidents usually start with a bump
This 28-car pileup with four laps remaining is considered the largest ever recorded. Did you know that the “Big One,” as these things are called, has its own Wikipedia page?
They may need to create a page for the Really Big One now.
It started as it often does at Talladega and Daytona: a bump plan gone wrong. And as so often happens, there is no conclusive way to pinpoint blame.
A track becomes clogged, the leader moves a little too far in front of the train, the train quickly catches up. The second driver in line is bumped by a driver who is also bumped, and just like that, Kez pierces Austin Cindric’s lead car and more than two dozen cars suffer some or all of the ensuing mayhem.
Then you nap through the long cleanup and all the arguments over who is allowed to put on new tires and stay in the race (a fairly secondary debate on Sunday), and when the green flies away again for overtime, the remaining platoon looks like something. you’d see him at the old Busch Clash, before he became practically an all-skate.
Third gear: Ricky Stenhouse, the latest underdog to win the NASCAR playoff race
Some people will say the following two stats are oddities, but we’re talking about Talladega, so they really aren’t.
First: Non-playoff drivers won three of the first five playoff races. But Chris Buescher (Watkins Glen) and Ross Chastain (Kansas) weren’t exactly shocking upsets. And a playoff underdog winning at Talladega – especially when it comes to Stenhouse – doesn’t even raise an eyebrow.
Now for the fifth and final road race of 2024, at the Charlotte Roval. And guess what, the Roval non-playoff list will include some quality road racers (AJ Allmendinger, anyone?).
As for those looking to survive until the Round of 16, keep an eye on Cindric at the Roval. After getting kicked out of Talladega – while leading, remember – he goes to Charlotte 29 points below the threshold.
But he’s also going at it as one of NASCAR’s best road racers.
Stenhouse? Don’t look for back-to-back trophies. In 39 career road starts, he’s placed exactly in the top 10 more than you. However…it was a seventh last year at Austin, and he finished second at the Chicago street circuit this summer, so maybe he’s gaining some mid-career respect for right-handers.
Fourth Gear: The playoffs aren’t just about the NASCAR Cup Series
Let’s take a quick look at championship chases at other NASCAR touring tracks (yes, including sports cars).
Xfinity Series: The round of 16 also ends at the Roval. Xfinity begins its playoffs with 12 teams, so this is only its third playoff run. AJ Allmendinger (eighth) and Justin Allgaier (ninth) are there on the bubble.
Truck series: Two weeks off for the guys in pickups. After that, there will be two more races in the Round of 16, followed by the top four competing in the final championship weekend across all series in Phoenix.
IMSA WeatherTech Championship: NASCAR’s sports car league includes four car classes and all four championships are on the line Saturday at Road Atlanta and in the final event of 2024 – the 10 Hours of Petit Le Mans. IMSA’s five longest races include a season within the season – the Michelin Endurance Cup – and that’s also decided on Saturday, starting at noon.
— Contact Ken Willis at [email protected]
This article originally appeared in the Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR Playoffs: Ricky Stenhouse wins Talladega after 28-car crash
