Will a JTG Daugherty car make the playoffs?

After finishing second on Bristol Dirt, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is solidly in the top 15 in terms of points (with Ryan Preece 18th in open car). Will either of the JTG Daugherty Racing drivers make the playoffs? – Harold C., St. Louis, Missouri

That’s the million dollar question (literally) for Tad and Jodi Geschickter, as well as Brad Daugherty this season. It is well known that Preece does not have full funding for this season and his status to compete in each race is always in the air. A playoff berth for Stenhouse won’t necessarily help Preece immediately, but could have longer-term ramifications for 2022 and beyond on the sponsorship front.

Stenhouse sits 14th in the points standings entering Martinsville Speedway and has punched above his weight in seven races this season. A pair of 18th places, a pair of 12ths, a 13th, an 11th and a runner-up at Bristol Dirt give him no finishes outside the top 20, which is certainly a welcome development for JTG.

An average rating so far of 12.3 is better than drivers like Aric Almirola, Matt Di Benedetto, Tyler Reddick and others, all who would agree, drive for organizations with far more resources than the Chevrolet-backed two-car team has. And the upcoming calendar looks good for No. 47.

A pair of top 10s in his career at Martinsville, the same at Richmond Raceway (hasn’t finished outside the top 20 the last two years) and a win to go along with six top fives (40% of his races) at Talladega Superspeedway. A win is still as unlikely for Stenhouse (or Preece, for that matter) as Michael McDowellThe Daytona 500 victory was, but given that this season has had seven different winners in as many races, another surprise winner to upset the apple cart isn’t out of the question.

But the hill is steep to climb. Especially since seven of the 16 places are taken. This leaves drivers as Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and more. (Austin Dillon or Tyler Reddick? Kurt Busch? Bubba Wallace Or Daniel Suarez?) The numbers don’t add up for me, so I think JTG Daugherty will be just out there taking care of Daytona this summer.

Carl Edwards said he would consider returning to the Cup Series as a one-off race. Which drivers would you like to see come out of retirement for a race? – Brandon T., Tampa, Florida

SiriusXM NASCAR Radio did an entire segment on this topic Monday morning (and I was working on the show), so I’m selfishly happy this issue came up this week. And it’s a topical issue, too.

It’s Mount Rushmore Monday #TMDNASCAR with @Riceman61 & @Jordan_Bianchi #NASCAR Subject: a living driver that you would like to come out of retirement for a unique race

Non-NASCAR topic: a band/musician you would like to see in concert

Call us at 866-PIT-LANE with your answers pic.twitter.com/qRKYUdhbRC

– SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) April 5, 2021

Edwards is definitely the one that comes to mind. For me, that’s the mystery surrounding it. Retired abruptly without warning, has no social media and is rarely heard from. He didn’t ride off into the sunset, but he was truly “never to be seen again” to speak of.

Hell, he confirmed that the rumor that he was crossing the Atlantic Ocean was actually true when he appeared on “NASCAR Race Hub” this week.

Complete this sentence: “If Carl Edwards came back for a one-off race, I hope the track he chooses is ___________!”pic.twitter.com/cgrEevA1C4

– FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 6, 2021

I would not put Dale Earnhardt Jr. on my list, simply because it is not very far from sport. But Tony Stewart at Bristol Dirt (or any dirt track, for that matter) would be pretty cool to see. Just like Jeff Gordon at Martinsville once again, or Rusty Wallace at Bristol Motor Speedway. Hall of Famers reliving their glory days on their most glorious tunes is a bit of a pipe dream, but it’s fun to hypothesize.

What if Richard Petty attacked again? Sure, he’d probably finish the first round and not sniff the win (sorry, someone had to say that), but that would be mad to watch and experience. The same goes for Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough and countless other legends. Bobby and Terry Labonte are a more realistic duo (the former operating full-time in a modified version this season), and Mark Martin is certainly still in top form.

I’m not saying any of these are realistic, because they’re not…but what if?