Just A Fan's View of Nascar Racing: Recent Episodes
Rusty Norman
From a NASCAR Fan’s View
Counting this race at Iowa Speedway, NASCAR Cup teams are counting down to the Chase with only four races left to make it in. For some, the time is running out. For others, the time isn’t passing fast enough. There are several that are okay up to this point and some that just need to stop the bleeding.
The summer has been a rough time for some who looked to be ready to be challenging for the championship. Tyler Reddick comes to mind as one who has had a rough time. At one time, much earlier in the season, he looked like he was going to run away with it all. And then, the tide turned. Suddenly, the one that looked to be the most invincible was struggling to finish up front and was losing points to Denny Hamlin. He now sits eighty-four points behind points leader Hamlin. It all happened relatively quickly. Denny kept winning, and Reddick kept having problems. He is now only thirty-six points ahead of Ryan Blaney, who sits third in the points.
Ryan has had an interesting year, and his strong point has not only been winning a couple of races, but also being fairly consistent with four top fives and fifteen top tens. That consistency has kept him in the hunt, and he sits only 120 points behind points leader Hamlin. He is by no means out of the picture, and depending on how things go over the next four races, he does have a chance to pull ahead of Denny. I’m not so sure things will go that well for him, but I can’t deny the fact that it could. I don’t think I would be the first to say he is presently a long shot, but he definitely is in the hunt.
Ty Gibbs is right there, also. He is only 135 points out from Hamlin and just fifteen points behind Blaney. The four I just mentioned have clinched their spots in the Chase, so they are set no matter what happens in the four races ahead.
Some of the Toyotas had problems in the practice session, and they are hopeful their crews can figure it out before time for the race. One of those drivers was Denny Hamlin, and another was Chase Briscoe. If they don’t figure out the problem, Denny could be looking at his hold on the points lead fading a bit. You can bet that Reddick, Blaney, and Gibbs will be chomping at the bit if it looks like they can make up even a little ground on the points leader.
Taking a short break from talking about the drivers, Let’s talk a little about the track. I can’t remember a time recently when I’ve heard so many complaints about the condition of the track. Apparently, the surface is aging very quickly, and some even say it needs to be resurfaced. Most of those complaints seemed to be about how rough the track is and how poor the grip is. It seemed the drivers were having trouble hooking up and getting comfortable with the balance. What that means for the race, I am not sure. All I know is that often, when the complaints are through the roof, the racing is generally much better and more aggressive and tighter. Can’t say that will be the case in this one, but the possibility is there. I reckon we will know more when it gets started.
Well… back to talking about drivers and teams…
I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but Carson Hocevar is fifth in the standings heading to the Chase. He has been running fairly consistently and has been collecting those stage points, but there is a definite separation between the first four spots in points and the rest of the challengers. Over one hundred stage points separate fifth place from the top four, and it just gets worse from that point. From this fan’s view, that says something about the top four and how they’ve been running.
I’ve already mentioned some of the Toyotas experienced problems during the practice and the qualifying. It remains to be seen if their problems carry over into today’s race. From my view, I expect them to run like they have been running. I will be watching to see if more of them are affected with the same problems as Hamlin and Briscoe faced. That could make things interesting.
There are some unexpected strong points for the Chevy teams. Kyle Larson qualified in the front row next to Blaney. That could be a good thing for him, but the way things have been going for the #5 Hendrick Chevy, well, let’s just say he needs a good day and leave it at that. Austin Dillon qualified seventh, Connor Zilisch eighth, and Ross Chastain ninth. There may be hope for the Chevys making a good showing today. With the way most of them have been struggling this season, a good day might be a surprise, but a win an even bigger one…
Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© August 09, 2026 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and Pod Cast Norm Productions
All music TwoBuckThemes from Mike Stewart unless otherwise stated
NASCARFansView.com is an independent, unofficial fan site
and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NASCAR LLC.
From a NASCAR Fan’s View
There’s a difference when NASCAR takes it to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is a track steeped in history and tradition. Ask just about anyone, whether it be a driver, crew chief, or crew member. They will tell you that everything just feels different at this place. Even the owners know the feeling and the history of the Brickyard, and every one of them wants to win at Indy. There is just a different air about the place. It is the oldest and most historic track around.
Even with all that history and tradition, things do change somewhat, like what happened in qualifying for the Brickyard 400. Not that it was so unexpected that Carson Hocevar won the pole position. He has shown speed at times, and to this fan, he has shown that he has had the speed more than once to take the pole position. This one was similar to another time when the last one to qualify and possibly beat him out for the pole was Denny Hamlin. However, this time Denny didn’t run fast enough to take it from him. He qualified fifth, much to Hocevar’s delight.
Probably one of the things about the qualifying results that surprises this fan the most is the way the Spire Motorsports cars qualified. I’ve already mentioned Hocevar, but Daniel Suarez qualified next to him on the front row, and Michael McDowell qualified sixth. Michael McDowell is a former winner at Indy, but admittedly, it was on the Indy Road Course in 2023.
The problem I see with the qualifying order and the Spire Teams is that the three JGR Toyotas qualified third, fourth, and fifth. In seventh, just behind McDowell, is another Toyota driven by Cory Heim, who won the Naval Base Coronado Anduril 250. That is pretty much a stacked deck of Toyotas in the top ten. Chase Briscoe is qualified eleventh, and he has been making a strong showing lately and now sits in the eighth spot in the points race to qualify for the Chase. That is a lot of Toyotas that have been showing good speed and winning a lot of races between them this season.
The first Ford doesn’t show up until the thirteenth starting spot, and that’s Ryan Blaney in his Penske number 12. When it comes to the race, I don’t really expect him to stay there. When it comes to the In-Season Challenge, he does have an obvious starting advantage over his competition for the million dollars, Todd Gilliland, who qualified thirty-sixth.
Of course, 400 miles leaves a lot of time for a lot to happen in the race within the race. Since this is Indy, I won’t say Gilliland’s chances are small, but I will say the deck might be slightly stacked against him. He only has to finish ahead of Blaney. He doesn’t have to win the race. As long as both are still running, they both have a chance for the million. An accident for one or both of them could decide things depending on where they end up in the final results. (Gee, that doesn’t sound like there’s any pressure involved on either one of them, does it?)
Alex Bowman, starting eighth, is the highest qualified Hendrick Chevy. From this fan’s view, it goes without saying, He could be a contender in this one. Since he has his contract extension with Hendrick for another year and he says 2027 will be his last year in full-time Cup racing, I’m sure he would love nothing better than to surprise everyone with a win at the Brickyard. I’m not going to rule him out even though he has struggled most of this season.
His teammates, William Byron and Chase Elliott, had to be disappointed with their qualifying times. Byron starts twenty-first and Elliott twenty-seventh. Once again, from this fan’s view, they can only hope their crew chiefs can find them more speed as the race goes on. Once again, this is Indy, and it is a long race where a lot can happen. When it comes to what I really think their chances of winning this one are, well, let’s just say it would be surprising if one of them does. I’m not saying the odds are against them, but considering their performance lately, I just don’t expect it.
That brings us to the last Hendrick driver, Kyle Larson. He qualified in the tenth starting spot and has been known to pull off some surprising finishes at times. Right now, he is in the middle of a long stretch without a win in Cup. It has been over a year since his last win. It’s not that he’s been running badly. He has had chances to run up front and even take a win this season, but something has always happened to cause him to fall back from taking a win, even when it looked like it was inevitable. He is not only in a slump from winning, but he is going through an extended period of struggling with “bad racing luck” that has affected him just about every week in some way. I am sure he would like nothing better than to win at the Brickyard and break that losing streak.
With the strength the Toyotas have been showing almost every weekend, I’m not really expecting Kyle to break the streak with a win in today’s race at Indy. But I will admit he is more than capable of pulling a win off if anyone can…
Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© July 26, 2026 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and Pod Cast Norm Productions
All music TwoBuckThemes from Mike Stewart unless otherwise stated
NASCARFansView.com is an independent, unofficial fan site
and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NASCAR LLC.
From a NASCAR Fan’s View
This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify
It’s again time for short track racing under the lights. The place is North Wilkesboro Speedway. It kind of reminds me of my younger days, except that it is going to be on a Sunday night. The reason I bring that up was an advertisement I remember from one of our local radio stations a long time ago. It always started with the excited statements of “Saturday night under the lights! Saturday night under the lights!” Wow! Does that bring back some memories. Well, it just doesn’t have the same ring to it when it says “Sunday night under the lights.”
You might ask what does that have to do with this race at North Wilkesboro. To be honest, not a whole lot. It’s just a memory from the past of this old NASCAR fan, and this old track brings out that old memory.
What is important is that this is the first points race at this place in thirty years. It couldn’t happen at a better time since, counting this race, there are six races for the drivers to make the Chase. That’s not a lot of time for some, and some feel it is too long a time, the way their season has been going. It is also the semi-finals of the In-Season Challenge, with the two finalists taking their hope for winning a million dollars to Indianapolis next week.
With the season winding down to its final weeks to make the Chase, it is pretty obvious that Denny Hamlin has a great chance of being the season champ. He is already leading by twenty-four points and looks pretty good to keep on leading until Daytona. The closest to him is his fellow Toyota teammate and his 23XI employee, Tyler Reddick. Between them, they have nine wins this season, and though Denny now leads, Reddick led for many weeks after winning five races early in the season. Both of them looked to be untouchable when it came to points and they kind of cornered the headlines for weeks on end.
Then Ryan Blaney showed that consistency pays off when it comes to accumulating points. As it stands, going into this race at North Wilkesboro, he has drawn to within sixty-five points of leader Hamlin. Because qualifying was rained out and he won last weekend’s race at EchoPark, he will be starting on the pole with a chance to move even closer to cutting more points from Hamlin’s and Reddick’s lead, depending on how things go for all of them in today’s race. It could make this points race even closer with the drama to match.
This being a short track, a lot can happen at any time that could change the look of the points race for any or all three of the ones I just mentioned. With the rule changes made to the front end of the cars, it is possible for just about anything to happen to any of them that could cost them in points dearly. All it takes is a big pileup with a lot of front-end contact. Just being in the wrong place at the wrong time with the weaker frontends could make the difference between having a good day and a bad one.
With thirty-eight cars on the track at once. There is also the elevated possibility of an encounter with the old nemesis, “bad racing luck,” and the difference between having a good points day and a very bad one. I realize there is no guarantee that nothing bad will happen to those at the top of the points list, but there is equally no guarantee that something bad will happen. It can all come down to that thing called racing luck.
Speaking of bad racing luck, there is something that stands out to this fan, and it concerns a former champion. Yeah, I’m sure you know I’m talking about Kyle Larson. There is something that jumps out to me concerning just how much run-ins with bad racing luck can affect a driver’s season. Looking at the stats, Kyle has led 637 laps so far this season, which is second only to leader Denny Hamlin. He has taken more stage points than leader Hamlin at 169 to Hamlin’s 151. Because of his struggles in some of the races, he only has 594 points which puts him in sixth spot in the points standings and 197 points behind the leader.
From this fan’s view, he has his work cut out for himself if he wants to catch up to the present leaders. In fact, if his run of bad luck continues, he may have trouble even making the cut for the Chase. If things had gone a little differently for him during this season, he could have been in the top four and maybe even the top two and just ahead of Reddick. If that doesn’t say something about how having some really bad race days mixed in with some really good ones can make the difference between a championship year and a mediocre one, I don’t know what does.
Look, I know the season isn’t over yet, but time is running out. Not just for some… but for everyone who has hopes of making the Chase. North Wilkesboro Speedway may make a way for someone, but it could also break bad for another. With all that’s going on, the season could turn out even worse for one or more of the front-runners. That is one of the things we won’t know for sure until this one is over…
Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© July 19, 2026 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and Pod Cast Norm Productions
All music TwoBuckThemes from Mike Stewart unless otherwise stated
NASCARFansView.com is an independent, unofficial fan site
and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NASCAR LLC.
From a NASCAR Fan’s View
It’s summer. It’s hot. It’s near the middle of July. The Cup teams are once again taking on the EchoPark Speedway. The track is notoriously slippery at this time of year. The only fortunate thing about this race is that the Cup teams are racing early evening into the night, and that will make a difference as this one progresses.
Two Fords sit on the front row, ready to lead the field to the green. In fact, there are a total of four Fords starting in the top ten and six Chevys. I know it’s very obvious, but does anything jump out at you from the lineup for this one? Yeah, that’s right; there are no Toyotas in the top ten.
Erik Jones is the first one, and he qualified eleventh. The next Toyota doesn’t show up until twentieth. That would be the JGR Toyota of Chase Briscoe. That in itself is a big change from the norm lately. I realize the Toyotas don’t always qualify well, but Denny Hamlin has often qualified pretty well, and he is starting twenty-eighth. In fact, all of the Toyotas except one are starting from the twentieth to thirty-second spots and even this fan is surprised by that.
I know what you’re thinking… Yeah, but…
I agree with that, yeah, but. The Toyotas do usually show up at or near the front when the laps are winding down to the conclusion of a race. Especially the JGR Toyotas.
Maybe that’s why this fan is so surprised by the qualifying and where they sit to start the Quaker State 400. The usual suspects for qualifying better, and mostly those Toyotas, are starting way in the back. That may not surprise many of you, but it did surprise me this weekend.
If I can get personal for a little bit, I know it is obvious, week in and week out, that I’m a Chevy fan. That doesn’t mean I only like the drivers that drive Chevys, but it does mean I am a bit partial to the ones in Chevys. I suppose that is a carryover from my days growing up and when I used to race. I owned Chevys, I ran Chevys, I won races in Chevys, I won a few championships in Chevys at my local tracks, and I used to drive only Chevys as my personal transportation. Of course, as a family, we don’t own just Chevys anymore, but I am still a Chevy fan.
So, this week, it was good to see five Chevys qualifying in the top seven and another in ninth. Of course, you know it is also hard for me not to show a definite bias towards the Hendrick Chevys. I know I shouldn’t be biased, but I have been following Hendrick racing of all types for a long time. Although I like all four of the Hendrick drivers and teams, I guess it is pretty obvious that Kyle Larson is the one I follow more closely than the others, but that doesn’t rule out the other three. Truth be told, I was following Kyle Larson even before he joined the Hendrick camp.
In fact, I think it’s great that there are other Chevy teams beginning to show up with speed other than just Hendrick. I’m a Ross Chastain fan as well and he hails from Alva, Florida, and that is close to where I live. TrackHouse Racing, Spire Motorsports, Kaulig, and RCR are all on my radar every week. I am a very happy fan when any of the Chevys qualify well and run up front, especially now that they finally seem to be adjusting to the new Camaro body style. (Gee, it’s only taken them a little over half the season to get this far.)
Yeah, I like those Penske and RFK Fords, too. I don’t usually pull for them to win over the Chevy guys, but they are much too talented to overlook. Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, and yes, Chris Beuscher, Ryan Preece, and Austin Cindric all need a win and could take one today.
I think this season in particular, I have diagnosed myself with Toyota overload syndrome. Not that I have anything against them, other than that they always seem to be stomping the competition at the end of races. I mean, just look at how many wins they have just between Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick. Christopher Bell is healing up and just may surprise us all when this one is over.
So, here’s how I think today is going to go, and I know I’m not alone in this assessment. No matter what the qualifying lineup looks like, when it comes to the end of the race, the Toyotas will most likely be somewhere near the front or even leading. That’s just the way things usually happen at EchoPark Speedway. As usual, running one lap at a chart-topping top speed is nothing like running 400 miles and consistently running down and passing the competition for the win. If past races from this season are used as a guide, there will likely be a Toyota or two pressing forward for the win. I could be wrong in my assessment, but that is the way I see this one going…
Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© July 12, 2026 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and Pod Cast Norm Productions
All music TwoBuckThemes from Mike Stewart unless otherwise stated
NASCARFansView.com is an independent, unofficial fan site
and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NASCAR LLC.
From a NASCAR Fan’s View
It’s been seven long years since the NASCAR Cup teams have visited this place called the Chicagoland Speedway, but that’s exactly what they’re doing on this race day. In fact, there are two races taking place as they take to the track for the Eero 400, but then that isn’t news to you or me. There are eight races left for the drivers and teams to qualify for the Chase, and that isn’t news either.
So, is there really anything new about this race?
Not really. NASCAR hasn’t visited this track in seven years. The track has been largely ignored for that length of time, and its racing surface is the oldest, if not one of the oldest, on the NASCAR circuit. In other words, it is old and rough and even more of a challenge than it was seven years ago.
Even though the challenge is real, it didn’t seem to affect the two starting on the front row. One one-thousandth of a second separates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson in their qualifying times. The question that comes to mind for this fan is: will it make a difference in how the race ends?
The quick answer is one I often give as a fan. Probably not. Qualifying is one thing; the race is another. I hardly ever consider how they qualify as a definite view of the race’s outcome. There are just too many variables that can take place over the planned 400 miles of this or any race.
Since that is how I usually look at a race, I have to admit this one might go against my usual thinking. There are several reasons for that and one of them has to do with the strength the Toyotas have shown over most of this 2026 season. In particular, the strength of the JGR and 23XI teams. Denny Hamlin has four wins and a bunch of poles this season. When it didn’t look like he had a chance to win when a race started, he has come from the back of the field twice to take the win. One of those times, he started on the pole, ended up in the back, and still managed to pull off the win. Honestly, he is having a banner year, and he has never looked as strong as he does this season.
There was a time, as I watched qualifying, when I thought all six JGR and 23XI Toyotas would take the top six starting positions and that they might just take the top six spots when the race was over, and it was going to be another race dominated by the Toyota teams. Instead, Kyle Larson’s Hendrick Chevy and the RFK Fords of Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski qualified second, third, and fourth. However, it is worth noting that all but one of the JGR and 23XI Toyotas qualified in the top eight. Tyler Reddick was the only one of the six who didn’t make the top ten, but he did qualify thirteenth. It is also worth noting that his qualifying time was only a little over two tenths of a second slower than pole sitter Hamlin.
There are more questions that come to my mind. From this fan’s view, one has to wonder if this will finally be the day Kyle Larson ends his string of no wins stretching back to last season. I also wonder whether one of the two RFK Fords might get their first win of the season. Either way, when I consider how the Toyotas have been running this season, I have to admit that I’m not really expecting that to happen, although it might be a pleasant surprise.
The second part of this race is sort of a race amongst the drivers themselves. You and I both know it as The In-Season Challenge. In the end, one of them will win a million dollars, so it really continues during every race for four weeks. This is the second week with two to go afterward.
Today’s race will be challenging for several reasons. The track surface is old, and it will eat tires faster than normal. That will be, and has been, the norm this year and part of what the drivers wanted out of the tires provided by Goodyear. The track is rough, and that is a challenge for the Gen 7 cars. There are many reasons for that, but almost every driver, crew chief, and fan is familiar with it. The driver who does a good job controlling tire wear will give himself an advantage that could result in a surprise winner. As usual, strategy will be an important part of today’s race. A lot will be riding on the decisions made as the race progresses. Of course, a lot depends on whether there are a bunch of caution flags, especially near the end.
I know I’ve only mentioned a few I think will do well today. But there are a bunch of hungry drivers who want to pull off the win. That, amongst other reasons, is why I really haven’t been suggesting a winner in recent weeks. The Toyotas appear to have a performance advantage over the Fords and Chevys, but I’m not ruling anyone out.
Now, since this seems to be a day of questions from this fan’s view, I have to ask at least one more. Is there enough time for anyone to overtake Hamlin or Reddick for the points lead before the Chase?
Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© July 5, 2026 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and Pod Cast Norm Productions
All music TwoBuckThemes from Mike Stewart unless otherwise stated
NASCARFansView.com is an independent, unofficial fan site
and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NASCAR LLC.
From a NASCAR Fan’s View
This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify
For the second week in a row, the NASCAR Cup teams are taking on another Road Course. Even though they are still in California, there is really no comparison between the two venues other than that they are both Road Courses. This one is shorter and possibly more challenging, even though that might be a hard sell to the drivers. Maybe I should qualify that statement a bit. The Naval base was brand new to them, and Sonoma has long been on the NASCAR circuit. At the Naval base, they had no notes to go off of and started a new book for that course. At Sonoma, they have plenty of notes, but it will still be a challenge. It has always been that way, and it is a real driver’s track.
So, am I saying that the track at the Coronado Naval Base wasn’t a real challenge other than being new? No, not at all. It was also a driver’s track and a real learning experience for the crew chiefs as well as the drivers.
So, getting back to Sonoma, a few things come to mind that might be considered obvious. Once again, SVG is a favorite to be leading the field at the end of the day. That may be true, and it is hard to argue with his abilities on the road courses, but if qualifying gives any indication for how the race might go, he just might have a few challengers in this race.
I don’t know that it is that much of a surprise that Ty Gibbs took the pole for today’s race. He has been showing a lot of speed this season and is generally much improved overall. The question is whether or not he will be there at the end of the day. Not to be critical, but he has sometimes struggled to finish at the front, even though he does often seem to be a contender as the races draw to their final laps. I’m gonna put my opinion on hold and just see how he does in this one.
Carson Hocevar has once again surprised many and qualified second. He sat at the top until Gibbs ran his fast lap. Even though he still lives up to his aggressive style, he is showing that he is maturing and making better decisions as the races progress. He’s been showing speed, but hasn’t always followed up his good qualifying sessions with good finishes.
If you want to talk about surprises, well, from this fan’s view, I would have to say that Kyle Larson not having a win since sometime last season is the biggest, at least from my view. It’s not that he hasn’t shown any speed as the season has progressed, but he has had some bad luck affect his finishes, and it still appears to me that the Toyotas still have an advantage over the Chevys so far this season. He may be starting third, and this could be the day that turns his season around as far as wins go, but even he has his work cut out for himself.
Did I mention that SVG qualified sixth? No, I didn’t, and that was another surprise as this race gets closer to starting today. I’m not going to count him out from winning because he always seems to show really good speed at Sonoma, even though he doesn’t dominate at this track as he does at some of the road courses. Unless he experiences some bad racing luck like he did last weekend, I still think he could be pressing for the lead as this one draws to a close. He really needs a good race, since he sits 17th in the points standings, and this is the last road-course race of the season. I only bring this up because he has been performing better on the road courses than the ovals. That means he needs to have a good race today and keep on improving his performance on the ovals for the rest of the season.
If you listen to the odds-makers, they still put SVG at the top of the list for today’s race. They also mention Kyle Larson as second. I don’t know that I agree with their assessment of today’s race all that much. There are nine races left for drivers to make the Chase, and you can bet that’s going to be on their minds as they face today’s race and the ones that follow. I expect things to be a bit more aggressive because of the limited time left to qualify and that could make things quite a bit more interesting in today’s race and over the next several weeks.
I’m really expecting an unexpected winner in today’s race. The way things have been going lately, that isn’t an unreasonable expectation. There are a bunch of good road course racers in this one, and several that this fan can easily see as possible winners.
Does that mean I will be right in my thinking? Well, that remains to be seen, but I will say this: don’t be surprised if I am…
Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© June 28, 2026 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and Pod Cast Norm Productions
All music TwoBuckThemes from Mike Stewart unless otherwise stated
NASCARFansView.com is an independent, unofficial fan site
and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NASCAR LLC.
From a NASCAR Fan’s View
The NASCAR Cup Teams take on a new venue this weekend at the Naval Base Coronado. It is a long road course with a lot of turns to the right and the left. There are many places for the drivers to mess up and there are many places that could end their day if they make the wrong choice or move.
From this fan’s view, and after watching the practices and the qualifying, this could turn into a race for second place. Once again, SVG looks to have a good grip on the new track, and he did win the pole. That isn’t a definite thing, but it is a definite possibility. Of course, that is pure speculation at this point, and there were a couple of others who turned in really good qualifying times. It looks like Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney could give him a run for his money. Hocevar starts outside SVG on the front row after qualifying second, and Blaney qualified third.
This is the first time in recent memory that none of the Toyotas qualified in the top ten. Of course, that’s not as ominous as it may sound at first. They do have the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth spots locked in at the time of this writing, but it’s not the usual ones we’ve come to expect over the last several races. Ty Gibbs qualified eleventh, Bubba Wallace twelfth, and Corey Heim thirteenth. Tyler Reddick starts seventeenth and Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin qualified twenty-second and twenty-sixth.
That just is not what this fan expected, but they have had problems on road race tracks in the past. The way Hamlin has been running over the last three races, starting further back in the lineup, hasn’t really detoured him from being there at the front when the races wind down to their final laps. After all, we can’t overlook the fact that Hamlin has won the last three races in a row. Though he admits they struggle on road courses, who’s to say he won’t make it four in a row?
Like I said, the top ten has some of the expected competitors, but there are some surprises and some that are just good road racers. Zane Smith starts fourth, Todd Gilliland qualified fifth. I have to admit, those two kind of surprised me. I wasn’t surprised all that much by the next four. Daniel Suarez has been showing some speed lately in qualifying, He just needs it to carry over to the end of the race. Ryan Preece and Connor Zilisch qualifying seventh and eighth, respectively, is kind of surprising but not totally unexpected, much like Michael McDowell, who is starting ninth.
I am surprised, although I shouldn’t be, that Austin Hill took the tenth starting spot. Since he took over the number thirty-three Chevy for RCR after the unexpected death of Kyle Bush, he has been steadily improving in the Cup car. He is talented and every race, he is improving as he adapts to the Cup Series. I don’t expect it, but could he be one of the dark horses for the race today? Well, probably not, but he just might be one of the ones to watch when it comes to the final checkered flag.
I’ve already mentioned the Toyotas and where they’re starting, but there are several drivers who just missed it when it came to qualifying. Kyle Larson finished at the top of the board in Friday’s practice sessions. I really thought he might be starting a lot nearer to the front, likely in the top five, but he just couldn’t do better than fourteenth. I won’t count him out for being in the hunt in the closing laps, but I’m just not seeing it as a reality at the moment. He may surprise us all, though.
The rest of the Hendrick Chevys qualified pretty far back in the field, also. Bowman, twentieth, Byron, twenty-seventh, and Elliott, thirtieth. I can’t say I was expecting that at all.
I could go on and on about the qualifying and how poorly some of them did, but I won’t. Let’s move on to what it might take to finish at or near the front.
First of all, this fan believes the only hope most of the field has of taking the win is for SVG to have problems. His road-racing skill has almost been unmatched over the last two years in particular. He just has an advantage over most in the field, and that’s why I said earlier, this might be a race for second place. I know this is a tough track and is going to challenge all of the drivers, but, unless SVG has problems, this fan thinks he is going to win.
I know I’ve been pretty blunt in what I’ve just said, and I could be surprised at which of the drivers might win. As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of places that a driver can mess up, and SVG is no exception. And believe me, I’m not counting out the rest of the field just because he has shown himself to usually have an advantage over them on the road racing tracks. I just believe everyone has their work cut out for themselves in this one.
Tires and avoiding hitting the walls could be the biggest key to winning this one. Along with all of those challenges, just being patient and not too aggressive at the wrong spots could be the ticket to Victory Lane for any of them. Honestly, I’m expecting a lot of carnage…
Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… I’ll see you next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© June 21, 2026 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and Pod Cast Norm Productions
All music TwoBuckThemes from Mike Stewart unless otherwise stated
NASCARFansView.com is an independent, unofficial fan site
and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NASCAR LLC.
From a NASCAR Fan’s View
The Cup teams are taking on the tricky triangle at Pocono once again, and things are different even though they are basically the same. One thing that didn’t change was the person sitting on the pole. Yeah, that’s right, Denny Hamlin took the pole position again this weekend, and it’s beginning to look like it’s becoming a habit for him.
Now, before you think I’m going to talk negatively about Denny, let me just say he is having a great year, just like his employee, Tyler Reddick. In fact. Hamlin and Reddick are just two of the Toyota drivers who are showing up just about every weekend as the ones to beat. Between them, they have eight wins. To this fan, that means the Toyotas have something going for them in terms of handling and speed.
In fact, the Toyotas as a whole are all showing the ability to run up front, whether they actually end up there at the end of a race or not. Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, and Christopher Bell, all of JGR, have all shown the ability to run up front often this season, even though those three haven’t always had the best luck when it comes down to the end of a race.
As an example of just how difficult it has been for them, take a look at what happened to Christopher Bell last weekend. He had a fast Toyota, was moving forward, and running outside of Chase Elliott when Elliott lost control, overcorrected, and put Bell hard into the wall. Elliott came away without any injury, but Bell came away with a broken wrist. Since I experienced a few severe wrecks when I was racing, I’m betting he was very sore all over for at least a couple of days or so. My body has never forgotten those wrecks.
I admit that, even though they have been running well, they have also encountered the “Bad Racing Luck” beast that often raises its ugly head often so far this season. It hasn’t just affected the Toyotas either. It has been quite equal amongst many of the different manufacturers and teams at one time or other during this 2026 season.
At least this weekend, the Toyotas aren’t totally dominating the top ten starting spots in the lineup. When I say not totally dominating, there are still five of them in the top fifteen but two of them are from the Legacy camp. There are seven Chevys and three Fords.
Although he didn’t sound all that confident about the overall balance and speed of his Chevy, Kyle Larson did qualify on the front row with Hamlin. He has been showing that the Hendrick Chevys may be finding the balance of their new Camaro body style and has been running well at times in the last several weeks. We all knew it was just a matter of time until the Hendrick camp began to zero in on making the new body style begin to work and show speed. Even though they have shown moments of speed, they are still behind the Toyotas, especially the JGR Toyotas and, of course, Tyler Reddick, even though he has had a few things go against him the last couple of races.
There are several surprises that have been showing up with speed and two of them right off the top are Daniel Suarez and Carson Hocevar. Both of them have won races and here at Pocono, they both might have qualified in the top five. As it stands for the start of the race, Suarez is starting third and showed a lot of speed in his qualifying lap. Carson had a good qualifying time going until he lost control and ended up qualifying twenty-sixth. Both he and his teammate, Suarez, could be pressing for the lead in the closing laps, and one of them could end up in Victory Lane at the end of the race.
Another surprise, at least to this fan, is Erik Jones. He has been running well and showing up at the end of the races as competitive, though he hasn’t pressed for the win yet.
There is no doubt that the Tricky Triangle is a tough track and will test the drivers in several ways. The first thing that comes to mind is the weather. Because NASCAR is trying to beat the predicted rain, they moved the race start time up two hours to 1 p.m. To this fan, who says there is still a possibility the race could be rain-shortened, and that could mean the racing could be a little more aggressive than usual. Well, that is for a big track like Pocono.
And then there is that rough area in the tunnel turn that has been known to challenge more than one driver and ruin their day. I’m not saying it will make a big difference in the outcome of the race, but I am expecting its impact to be felt more than once as the race progresses to the final checkered flag.
So, rather than drag this out like a race at Pocono, I have to wonder if Denny Hamlin is going to make it three in a row and take his eighth career victory at Pocono. Barring the unforeseen, it does appear he has the handle on the track and could complete more dominance on the rest of the field as he has over the last two weekends.
My last question is a simple one, and it needs your opinion. Will Kyle Larson finally win a race since it has been such a long time since his last Cup victory? Yeah… that’s the way I feel about it, too…
Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© June 14, 2026 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and Pod Cast Norm Productions
All music TwoBuckThemes from Mike Stewart unless otherwise stated
From a NASCAR Fan’s View
Next up for the NASCAR Cup teams is the high-speed Michigan International Speedway. It is a favorite of the drivers for many reasons, and high speed is one of them. Another would be the wide racing surface, which allows a number of ways to aggressively try to make their way to the front.
I realize it is only the second race of the second half of the 2026 season, but it is beginning to feel like crunch time for a lot of drivers who want to try to qualify for the Chase. It does appear the gap is widening for those at the top of the points, and as the races begin to click off, the time is getting shorter and shorter to make up any ground. Well, that is if they continue to have bad races and fall further and further back in points.
It does appear the Chevys are beginning to close the gap on the Toyotas, even though the Toyotas do still show they have an apparent speed advantage. Just a quick look at the qualifying tells that story. In the top ten starters there are six Toyotas.
All four of the JGR Teams made the top ten along with the points leader from 23XI, Tyler Reddick. The sixth one is Erik Jones from Legacy. That shows a lot of strength coming from more than one Toyota team in the garage. Of course, from this fan’s view, it wasn’t all that unexpected that Tyler Reddick would qualify well. He has been the one to beat almost every weekend. Denny Hamlin has been showing his strength every week, also and I can’t say it was any kind of surprise that he took the pole although Carson Hocevar ran a very close second qualifying time and starts on the front row with Hamlin.
Did I mention Hocevar was the fastest qualifying Chevy? I can’t say that was really much of a surprise either. He has shown speed this season and has also shown that he is maturing as a driver. That doesn’t mean he has lost any of his aggressive driving style, but he has been making better decisions as he aggressively makes his way through, whether it be in qualifying or during a race. Honestly, this NASCAR fan has been surprised by his improvement in those areas, and he is proving himself to be a force that will have to be reckoned with on an ongoing basis as the season – and probably the coming years – progress.
Since we’re talking about the speed of Hocevar, it is well worth mentioning that three of the Hendrick Chevys also qualified in the top ten. The only Hendrick Chevy missing was Alex Bowman, and he qualified twenty-ninth. It’s not that he ran all that badly, it’s just that the qualifying times are very close, and he had a minor slip-up that cost him. He actually qualified just a little over six-tenths of a second behind the pole sitter.
While I’m talking about the Hendrick Chevys, I just have to mention the plight of Kyle Larson so far this season. Without saying too much, I am sure he would like to see a couple of things go his way at the end of the races. As an example, I use last week’s finish. Because he had a flat tire on the final restart, he went from being in contention for the win in fifth place to finishing twenty-third. That was just another time that the ominous thing called racing luck turned against him this season. And did I mention it has been a long time since he has actually won a race? Although there are others that seem to be fighting a lot of adversity, I think it could be his time for a turnaround. (I guess we’ll see about that, won’t we?)
There are several possible things that could raise their ugly heads in the race, and one of them could be tire problems. Several did experience tire problems in practice, and this fan can’t help but wonder if a tire problem might change the outcome of the race. (I guess that’s another thing we’ll find out by the time this one is over, too.)
I think it is worth mentioning that all but one of the Toyotas qualified in the top fifteen, and the first Ford doesn’t show up until the fourteenth spot, and that’s Chris Buescher in his RFK Ford. There are also two more Chevys to add to the top fifteen, and those are Daniel Suarez and Cole Custer.
Although you know I don’t put a lot of stock in qualifying showing us much about how a race will end and which of the drivers will win, it is awfully hard to argue with the speed of the Toyotas, especially how many of them are starting in the top five. Even with those facts, there could be a surprise winner in this one and I’m not sure which one that might be. All I can say is, it wouldn’t surprise me…
Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© June 7, 2026 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and Pod Cast Norm Productions
All music TwoBuckThemes from Mike Stewart unless otherwise stated
From a NASCAR Fan’s View
The Cup teams take it to Nashville Superspeedway, and once again, the weather just wasn’t cooperating for them at all. So, once again, NASCAR had to make a decision: they eliminated qualifying and gave the teams practice time instead. So, instead of qualifying for the final lineup, they went to the usual plan for no qualifying and set the field according to the metric.
With qualifying canceled, according to the NASCAR rulebook, the field is set by the metric. To this fan, the metric appears to give an advantage to those who finished well in the previous race. In other words, it doesn’t give the starting lineup according to the fastest cars for the weekend, as qualifying would. This puts Denny Hamlin on the pole for the Cracker Barrel 400, with Tyler Reddick starting beside him on the front row. Although the metric is fair, it does give a false impression of the fastest cars at the start of the race. It is possible the lineup could have been completely different had the qualifying taken place.
Since this race marks the beginning of the second half of the 2026 season, there is a lot on the line, as many teams need a turnaround after a rough start to their season. They would like nothing better than to perform well here at Nashville and boost their standings on the way to trying to qualify for the Chase. Some need a complete turnaround, and others just need to have a good finish to pad their points.
That’s why I even mention the fact that the metric is an advantage for some and a disadvantage for others. Those who may have had a bad race last weekend have a harder path ahead of them this weekend, especially if they have been struggling in the first half of the season anyway. Points are key this season compared to last season, and there is no ‘win and you’re in.’ A win this season gives a bonus in points, but no guarantee of making the Chase if the rest of your season falls apart after a win.
Although it may sound like I’m complaining about the use of the metric for establishing the lineup for a race, I’m really not. From my view, it just makes it that much more difficult for a team that’s struggling to move ahead, especially if they have a fast car but a lousy starting spot because of having to start way back in the field, along with a terrible choice for a pit stall. That’s a double whammy from this fan’s view. This is especially difficult when they have more than one race weekend, where qualifying is canceled and the struggling team, or teams, finish is bad through no fault of their own.
Oh well, I guess that’s enough talk about how the lineup is taking place and mention that the canceled qualifying isn’t the only challenge the teams will face this weekend.
We all know the Toyotas have been showing up with good speed and appear to have somewhat of an advantage over the Chevys and Fords. Although it does appear that way, there is less drag and more horsepower package for this Nashville race. There have already been some possible tire problems that some teams experienced during the practice session. Mostly, it appeared to be the right fronts showing cording, which could be a sign of a needed change in strategy or setup to overcome potential problems.
Nashville is a tough, concrete track that is already challenging for the drivers. There are plenty of places they can experience setbacks, and one of those is the entry to pit road. It just isn’t one of the easiest to get into without spinning or speeding. It has a tough transition from the track to pit road, and it could be a game-changer at some point in the competition. During the practice session, several missed their entry and had to go around for another try. Some would have been penalized for running over the box, and others could have spun if it had been during the race. Of course, that transition would more likely pose a problem during green-flag pit stops.
From this fan’s view, I have to ask the question. Will the Toyotas run this race like they did last weekend? Except for the surprise win by Daniel Suarez, the Toyotas were the ones to beat. Whether we look at Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, or Ty Gibbs, for instance, there is a chance that any of them could lead the way to the final checkered flag. All of them have been showing good speed, especially lately, and Bell did top the field in the practice session. Then again, there is the Chevy of Suarez, the Chevy of Kyle Larson and William Byron, or even SVG. They aren’t the only ones, but any of them could take the win. I can’t overlook the Fords of Ryan Blaney or Joey Logano for being up front, even though Logano has been struggling most of the season so far.
All I do know is that there are so many unknowns going into this one today, that there are a number of possibilities and a lot of possible winners. I really believe that we won’t know how this turns out until it is over…
Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© May 31, 2026 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and Pod Cast Norm Productions
All music TwoBuckThemes from Mike Stewart unless otherwise stated
From a NASCAR Fan’s View
Even as the Cup teams take to the Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday evening, there will be a dark cloud hanging over this race. On Saturday, it seemed that even the heavens were weeping with all of NASCAR. With the sudden death of Kyle Bush settling in over the fans and competitors, there is a sorrow and a heaviness for his family, team, and fans; both supporters and detractors are feeling the loss. That’s just the way NASCAR is. Even in times like these, it is one big family that feels the pain of loss, particularly the loss of one of its well-known stars. It may be true that not everyone loved or disliked Kyle, but all of them respected his ability and prowess at driving race cars. Honestly, from this fan’s view, what more can be said that hasn’t been said by so many since his passing? He will be greatly missed.
Though there will be sadness when this Coca-Cola 600 starts, the race that is the longest race by one hundred miles will go on. As many have already expressed, Kyle would want it that way. I believe that, even through that sadness, as the race progresses, some of it will fade, even if only for a little while.
This Memorial Day race celebrates and remembers those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country. NASCAR always remembers.
Since qualifying was canceled due to inclement weather and practice was combined and shortened, the lineup will be based on the metric from the last regular race. From my view, that makes the lineup for this race a little different from what might have been expected if qualifying had taken place. Some that may have qualified nearer to the front are in the back and vice versa.
So, according to the metric, Tyler Reddick starts on the pole once again, and his teammate, Ty Gibbs, will start on the front row with him. Whether or not that will be a plus for the Toyotas once again remains to be seen. It is possible they could both drop like rocks when the race starts, but I don’t think that will happen. I suppose it is possible they could drop back, but considering how the Toyotas have been running this season, dropping back may be a temporary thing.
The rest of the top ten is filled with a mixture of Chevys, Fords, and Toyotas. Some have shown strength, and some have not. We could also see several of those starters drop like rocks, and they may or may not recover. With such a mixed bag of starters for the opening of this race. We may not know exactly how things are going to play out until the first one hundred laps or so are in the books.
Last year’s winner, Ross Chastain, starts twenty-seventh, which means a lot of work ahead for him. William Byron starts thirty-first, not exactly what he might have accomplished had there been qualifying. The fastest in the combined practice session was Ricky Stenhouse Jr. He starts thirty-second, and even though he has shown good speed, he might have a difficult time working his way to the front, too.
Denny Hamlin will start eleventh, and following him are some very good cars that could pull off the win tonight. In fact, the way things will line up according to the metric, there are a number fast cars interspersed throughout the entire rest of the field.
Anyway we look at it, this is a long race. If things go as usual, at least from this fan’s view, not a lot will be known about the possible winner until the last one hundred or so laps. Does that mean there won’t be much going on until that point in the race? No, not at all. What it means from my view is that things will likely just be more aggressive and intense when the last one hundred laps are reached. After that point, things will just become more so as the laps wind down to the final checkered flag.
It would be difficult to choose a winner from the starting lineup, and I don’t really even think the strategies and on-track aggression will be known or seen until around the last fifty laps, heading for the final checkers. Of course, it is possible that Tyler Reddick could dominate the thing from beginning to end. Personally, I don’t think that is going to happen. I think what is more likely is that we have an unexpected winner sitting in Victory Lane when it’s over…
Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© May 24, 2026 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and Pod Cast Norm Productions
All music TwoBuckThemes from Mike Stewart unless otherwise stated
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From a NASCAR Fan’s View The Cup teams take on the WWT Raceway today and it looks to be an interesting day at the races. Well… it does have a different feel. I mean, it is a 1.25 mile track and it has four Fords and five Toyotas in the top nine starting positions. You […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View It’s that time again… Time for the All Stars in NASCAR Cup to shine and they once again put it all on the line at North Wilkesboro. As is the case for every All Star race, it’s not about the points, it’s about the money and it brings out the […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Over the years the Darlington Raceway has gone by several names. The Lady in Black is one popular name it goes by and the Track Too Tough To Tame is another. Mostly right now, it simply goes by Darlington Raceway. The other names are still very much in the minds […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View There are questions on many people’s minds for the race at Kansas speedway today. Some of them have to do with how the racing in this 2024 NASCAR Cup season has been going and some of them have to do with last year’s Spring race. The question is, will this […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View There is something very challenging about racing on the Monster Mile at Dover Motor Speedway. Go ahead; Ask any of the drivers and they will tell you. It is one of the toughest tracks on the Cup circuit and it’s only a one-mile oval. Of course, it does have banking […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Well… it’s that time again. Yeah, it’s time once again for the Cup Teams to take on a Super Speedway and this time it’s Talladega. So far, the super speedways have been exciting racing every time they show up in the Gen 7 car. The last couple of races at […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View There are a lot of things that can and have been said about the short track at Martinsville. For a long time, it was called the paperclip and many still call it that. Others have said it is like two dragstrips and two left turns. It used to be dirt, […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View There is always something challenging going on in the NASCAR Cup Series and this weekend is no different. This weekend not only do they face their first road course race of the 2024 season but they also face it with the newest NASCAR short track rules package for the first […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Finally… the spring race at Bristol is back to concrete. I know there are those that think they should have kept it as dirt again but, in all honesty and from this fan’s view, there were several drawbacks to the Bristol dirt races. I don’t know exactly when I changed, […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View There is a difference this weekend as the Cup Teams take to the Phoenix Raceway for the Shriners Children’s 500. For the first time in this regular season, Fords aren’t on the pole. In fact, even though the Chevys have started the year by winning the first three Cup races, […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Okay, Daytona is in the rear view and Atlanta is here. Funny that the front row looks almost the same as it did last weekend except for the Fords of Joey Logano and Michael McDowell switching places. I can’t help but wonder if the result will be the same as […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Well… we’ve finally arrived to the Championship Race for the 2023 season and there are a lot of questions to be answered as this one progresses. The final four will be racing each other and the rest of the field and that is one thing that makes this race so […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View There are a lot of questions being asked about the race at Martinsville this weekend. The biggest one is “Who will be in the Final Four when this one is done?” There are two spots taken, two remain and six vying for those last two spots. If that doesn’t sound […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Let’s see… There are seven drivers that want to win or finish up front at Homestead. There are three places left in possibly making the final four and only two races left to race their way in. From my view that means this race at Homestead is full of pressure […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View One of the most dreaded races of the 2023 season is taking place at the Roval this weekend and it should be one of the most intense races of the playoffs, if not the entire 2023 season. Things are definitely shaping up to be very interesting to say the very […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View If you ask the drivers what they think of running a race at Talladega, many of them will say they will be rolling the dice or, maybe they’re hoping to miss the “Big One” or, the second or third “Big Ones” and be there at the end and be in […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View This race at Bristol is more than just another Saturday night under the lights. There is a lot riding on this one and there are more than four drivers and teams that just can’t afford to have a bad Saturday night at the races. The four in harms way when […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Here’s something I bet you already know… the pressure is on again this weekend at Kansas Speedway. After last weekend’s difficulties, several of the playoff competitors are looking to make up for their shortcomings at Darlington. I mean let’s face it. Darlington was tough on a bunch of the playoff […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View What better place to start the playoffs for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship than at the track affectionately called “The Track Too Tough to Tame.” Well… maybe “affectionately” is the wrong word to describe the way the drivers look at the track that is one of the toughest tracks […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View The pressure is on. It’s the last race of the 2023 NASCAR cup regular season. Two things are on the line at the same time. First is the regular season Championship. Truex Jr. is number one right now but there is a long shot chance he could lose it to […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View There’s a lot riding on the race today at The Glen. There are so many possibilities that could play out and any one of them could change which of the drivers will be qualified for the playoffs. There are some above the cutline and some below it and, the way […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View It’s road racin’ at Indy once again and, because the time is getting short to make the playoffs, this race at Indy is probably more important than it would normally be. That’s not to say it wouldn’t be important anyway but it is saying the intensity is way elevated and […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View The regular season is quickly winding down to its end and this weekend’s race at Michigan means counting this one, there are only four more races to go for drivers to make the playoffs. Wow! Where did this season go? It seems like just a few weeks ago we started […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View After last weekend’s at Pocono, there’s no telling what this race at Richmond Raceway will be like. I mean, the tension and pressure to perform is higher this weekend than it was last weekend and, like the title says, the chances for those not already qualified for making the playoffs […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View There are a lot of drivers that want to win at Pocono this weekend. Some just because they want to win at a track they haven’t won at yet, some because they want to chalk up another victory at the Tricky Triangle and others because they absolutely need a win […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View There’s a lot that can happen between the drop of the green flag and the final checkered flag, especially if it’s at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. So, why would I say that? One reason is because this is New Hampshire Motor Speedway and it is a fast, basically flat […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View For the second time in 2023 the Cup Teams take on the Atlanta Motor Speedway and this time it will be under the lights on a Sunday night. Gee, that just doesn’t sound right for some reason. It’s not even a holiday weekend. The usual statement for a race under […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View The Cup teams are taking it to the streets. No, that’s not an old Doobie Brothers song… they’re taking it to the streets of Chicago and this is for the first time ever in the history of NASCAR. But then, with all the hype that’s been going on about today’s […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Well, it’s time for the Cup Teams to hit the Nashville SuperSpeedway again and there are a lot of things about the race this weekend that should make it interesting. But there are also l a few things that are unknown as they enter into the race in the evening […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View It’s kind of funny to me that just as many people talk about the wine as they do about the racing the Cup teams will be doing today at Sonoma. Well ok, maybe I am exaggerating just a little bit but, it does seem that way from my view. I […]
From a NASCAR Fan’s View What a week it’s been for NASCAR. Chase Elliott suspended for putting Denny Hamlin into the wall at Charlotte. Chase Briscoe and his team docked a bunch of points, suspensions for crew members and money for a counterfeit part on the number fourteen Stewart-Haas. In general, it’s been an interesting… Continue reading The Enjoy Illinois 300 Is Next
From a NASCAR Fan’s View It’s time again for the Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. It has become something we do every Memorial day weekend and a time that we and NASCAR celebrate the fallen heroes and families of the military. A day of remembrance and appreciation of those that gave their all… Continue reading The 2023 Coca-Cola 600
From a NASCAR Fan’s View There’s a reason they call it the All-Star race and there’s a reason why it is so special. This year’s All-Star race is at a place NASCAR hasn’t visited in twenty-seven years. That place is North Wilkesboro Speedway, BUT, wait a minute… that’s stuff we all already know. The All-Star… Continue reading NASCAR All Stars Going For The Million
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Darlington… yeah, that’s one name for it. Another is, “The Lady In Black.” Another is, “The Track Too Tough To Tame,” and it is the track the Cup teams are going to “attack” today and I believe that is exactly what they are going to do; attack “The Track To… Continue reading Cup Teams Take It To the Lady In Black
From a NASCAR Fan’s View The NASCAR Cup teams take it to Kansas Speedway this weekend and there are a bunch of drivers that need a win or a very good finish in this race. Not so much to take away some of the stress of them trying to qualify for the playoffs but more… Continue reading Cup Teams Take It To Kansas Speedway
From a NASCAR Fan’s View There’s a reason they call it the Monster. Contrary to what the name might conjure up in your mind, it’s not because it is a big track. It’s because it is a monster of a mile track and it treats most everyone the same. Without question it is one of,… Continue reading Taking On The Monster
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Martinsville… a track fondly called “the paperclip” because of its shape with long straights and tight turns at both ends. It’s a track that is hard to pass on and demands consistency every lap. The pits are as challenging as the track and there is hardly much room to even… Continue reading Who Will Win This One At Martinsville?
From a NASCAR Fan’s View The old local radio advertisement I remember from years ago went something like this: “Saturday night under the lights! Saturday night under the lights…!” and from there they would say where the racing would be taking place and, of course, it would have been at one of our local race… Continue reading Bristol Dirt Racing Under The Lights
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Well… It’s that time again. Time for the Cup teams to take it to Richmond. This could be just another weekend but some things have changed since the last time drivers took to the track. There have been rule changes and they will likely have an effect on the way… Continue reading Cup Teams Taking It To Richmond
From a NASCAR Fan’s View It used to be that road races were just weekends to be survived and not many drivers liked having to turn both left and right. Some were often replaced for these races by “ringers” familiar with road racing and sometimes the “ringers” would even perform really well. Other times, well,… Continue reading Road Racing at Cota Up Next
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Well… There’s one thing that can still be said about the Atlanta Motor Speedway and that’s that it is fast. Of course, it is a little treacherous for the drivers with it being run like Daytona and Talladega. With just 550 horsepower and the teams facing the new configuration for… Continue reading Atlanta Is Up Next For The Cup Teams
From a NASCAR Fan’s View The big question for the race this weekend at Phoenix Raceway is how the new rules package will affect not only the drivers but, the racing in general. After the practice session, it appears the drivers have pretty much gotten a grip on the difference in handling but there are… Continue reading Phoenix With New Rules Is Next
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Things might be a little different at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the spring race this year. NASCAR made some rule changes to the cars and it remains to be seen how those changes will affect the competition. Of course, there are several things at Vegas that can affect it… Continue reading Vegas Is Next For The Cup Teams
From a NASCAR Fan’s View To be upfront, I’m not sure this title will actually line up with what is planned for the Auto Club Speedway at Fontana. That’s because there are mixed signals about what is in store for the speedway after this race. As it stands, I suppose I’ll have to agree with… Continue reading Who Will Win The Final At Fontana
Ok… The qualifying has been done. The Duels have been run. It’s two practices later and now it’s time for the 2023 Daytona 500. But wait a minute… you already knew that, didn’t you? Yeah, I guess you did. My next question is, what did you think of the Duels? Did they really whet your… Continue reading The 2023 Daytona 500
From a NASCAR Fan’s View
From a NASCAR Fan’s View The Championship race is always a different kind of race compared to others in the NASCAR season. It is basically two races in one. Most of the time it turns out that the winner is usually the winner of the Championship and the final race of the season but, this… Continue reading The Final Four Race For The Championship At Phoenix
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Everyone knows Martinsville is special track and a challenge for everyone that takes it on. This weekend will be no different and it may be even more intense than usual if for no other reason than just one of the remaining eight drivers is a definite for the final four.… Continue reading Short Track Intensity For The Cutoff At Martinsville
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Hello from the Southwest coast of Florida. Gee, it’s good to be back in touch with you all again. Hurricane Ian forced me to take an extended break from posting anything NASCAR related and actually kept me from getting much of anything done. It was tough. We were without power… Continue reading Homestead Is Next In The Playoffs
From a NASCAR Fan’s View So… round one of the playoffs is in the books and, as unbelievable as it sounds, not one playoff driver won any of the three races in it. Yeah, I know you’ve heard that a lot in the last week or so but, it is worth repeating. I mentioned last… Continue reading Texas Starts The Playoffs Round Of Twelve
From a NASCAR Fan’s View So… round one of the playoffs is in the books and, as unbelievable as it sounds, not one playoff driver won any of the three races in it. Yeah, I know you’ve heard that a lot in the last week or so but, it is worth repeating. I mentioned last… Continue reading Texas Starts The Playoffs Round Of Twelve
From a NASCAR Fan’s View It’s more than just another Saturday Night under the lights. It’s more than just a catch phrase of, “It’s Bristol, baby.” It’s even more than just another elimination race. This one is important in so many ways it’s even hard to put into words – although many have tried and… Continue reading Bristol And The First Round Elimination
From a NASCAR Fan’s View It’s more than just another Saturday Night under the lights. It’s more than just a catch phrase of, “It’s Bristol, baby.” It’s even more than just another elimination race. This one is important in so many ways it’s even hard to put into words – although many have tried and… Continue reading Bristol And The First Round Elimination
From a NASCAR Fan’s View To this fan, this has been a different year all round and it has been a difficult one to figure out. Well, at least in my opinion. I do believe the Next Gen car ahs a lot to do with that but I can’t blame everything I see on the… Continue reading Pressure Ramps Up At Kansas
From a NASCAR Fan’s View To this fan, this has been a different year all round and it has been a difficult one to figure out. Well, at least in my opinion. I do believe the Next Gen car ahs a lot to do with that but I can’t blame everything I see on the… Continue reading Pressure Ramps Up At Kansas
From a NASCAR Fan’s View As the playoffs kick off at Darlington, there has never been a season, at least in my memory, quite like this NASCAR season of 2022. What with the Next Gen car, all of the unknowns and the unexpected happenings with tires, pit stops and wrecks of all kinds, it’s just… Continue reading Wondering Who Will Win As The Playoffs Begin
From a NASCAR Fan’s View All eyes are on the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona and it is expected to be a real barn burner. With the announcement of Kurt Bush withdrawing from the playoff picture opening up another available spot in the final sixteen, the intensity has quadrupled. Fourteen of the spots are… Continue reading Daytona Will Decide The Playoff 16
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Say… has it registered with you yet that there are only two more races before the playoffs start? Yeah, that’s right. This season is coming down to the final weeks and it just isn’t clear which of the drivers and teams might have the best chance at walking away with… Continue reading The Glenn Means Two To Go Till The Playoffs
From a NASCAR Fan’s View With three races left in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season, the race this week looms large in the whole playoff picture. It depends on whether or not there will be three different first-time winners for 2022 and shake up the whole thing, or, whether there will be at least one… Continue reading Richmond Looms Large For The Playoff Picture
From a NASCAR Fan’s View So… this is the first time for the Next Gen car on the Michigan track and it looks like the Toyotas have shown up, ready to race. Since I wasn’t available for the qualifying sessions – for reasons beyond my control – I’ll just have to go with what I… Continue reading Michigan Is Next With Four To Go
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Once again, it’s time for the Cup teams to take on the Indy road course. I don’t know about you but, I kinda miss the old race on the oval. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy the road course race. I’m just saying I kinda miss the old Brickyard… Continue reading Taking It To The Indy Road Course
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Once again, it’s time for the Cup Teams to take on the Tricky Triangle at Pocono. Though it is a different style track, it is still a track that challenges even the most experienced drivers in Cup. One reason for the challenge is the shape of the track and the… Continue reading Cup Teams Take On Pocono
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Well, it’s that time again. Another weekend on a track with the Next Gen for the first time and it could be a race with a twist. What I mean by that is, there could be a very unexpected winner or at least one that hasn’t won in a while.… Continue reading Cup Teams Take On Loudon With The Next Gen
From a NASCAR Fan’s View So… If you thought last time the Cup Teams visited Atlanta was interesting, then this time might be even more interesting. You see, at least in my opinion, they don’t really have any good excuses for not being able to perform well. The reason for that is that they now… Continue reading Cup Teams Take On Atlanta Again
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Well… in usual fashion lately and especially with the Next Gen car, the qualifying may not tell a true story of how this race will go. I mean, with so many variables and possible problems with some unknowns, this race could prove to be very much of a toss up… Continue reading Next Stop Road America For The Cup Teams
From a NASCAR Fan’s View In a quick turn of events, Denny Hamlin somehow managed to win the pole position for the Ally 400 at Nashville Speedway. Uh, maybe I should say had it handed to him. In case you missed it, the rains came before they had a chance to run the actual qualifying… Continue reading Cup Teams Take It To Nashville
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Once again it is Road Racing time for the Cup cars and this weekend, it is at the challenging Sonoma track in California. Judging from the practice and qualifying sessions, it looks like there could be a remote possibility of the Hendrick Chevys having a better day racing than they’ve… Continue reading Cup Teams And The Next Gen Take On Sonoma
From a NASCAR Fan’s View I don’t know about you but, there is one thing I really don’t like about the Next Gen car. Actually, there is more than one thing I don’t like but this one is a good place to start. Yeah, I’m sure you guessed it already. The tire problems they’ve been … Continue reading "Next Gen And Cup Teams First Time At the Gateway"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View The Cup teams will face off against each other at the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the running of the Coca-Cola 600 and it is anyone’s guess what the end result will be. I mean, all things considered, this one is long and it is demanding on the drivers and the … Continue reading "The Next Gen At Charlotte And The Coca Cola 600"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View The All Stars go for the million dollars at Texas Motor Speedway tonight. It is amazing how much work all of the teams that can compete in this one will put into a chance to win a million dollars. Just one of them will win and the rest will just … Continue reading "All Stars Go For The Million"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Even though it seems to be getting easier, it is still the first time on the Kansas Speedway track for the Next Gen car. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what that means. That’s right… it means they need the practice time on the track, short though it … Continue reading "The Next Gen At Kansas Speedway"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View If there’s one thing about this NASCAR season that doesn’t seem to change much at all, it would be the fact that almost every week is a new track for the Next Gen car. Well… at least for now, anyway. Darlington is another weekend the Cup Teams face a track … Continue reading "The Next Gen At The Track Too Tough To Tame"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View As has been the case since it was introduced at the beginning of this year, the Next Gen car makes another first trip to a track and Dover and the Monster Mile is it. That’s just another track this car has no time on it for the drivers to draw … Continue reading "The Next Gen And The Monster At Dover"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Well, it’s time for the NASCAR Cup teams to take on the Talladega Super Speedway again, but this time it’s with the Next Gen car and they won’t get any practice time. This time, they jump right onto the track with qualifying and then they don’t get in the car … Continue reading "Cup Teams Take On Talladega With The Next Gen"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Here’s some non-news for everyone. All but one of the NASCAR series are taking it to Bristol Dirt this weekend. Only the Trucks and the Cup series will be racing the dirt BUT, you already know that. From this fan’s view and in spite of all the hype, I am … Continue reading "Next Gen On Bristol Dirt"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View If there’s one thing likely about the Martinsville race this weekend, it’s that it will not be just another Saturday Night under the lights. You might be wondering why I would say that and I do have an answer for that question. It is, quite simply, because of the Next … Continue reading "Next Gen At Martinsville Under The Lights"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View I know this title sounds a little strange but it is true. The Next Gen car is taking it short tracking at Richmond and that also means it is taking it to the drivers and teams and another weekend of unknowns and learning experiences. To hear the drivers and crew … Continue reading "Next Gen Taking It Short Tracking At Richmond"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View What a difference a year makes. Last year at COTA there was the old car, the uncooperative weather, racing in the rain (I guess just to prove they could, no matter how bad the track got from the rain) and a rain shortened race. Oh, and I didn’t even mention … Continue reading "COTA Is Next For The Next Gen"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View (Posted late due to technical problems) I know you’ve heard all the talk about how the race this weekend is all about how the Next Gen Car is going to be taking on the “New” Atlanta Speedway. Well, some of that is just hype but, it is going to be … Continue reading "The Next Gen Car Takes On The New Atlanta"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View I thought I’d try something a little different for the last race of the West Coast swing. I thought I’d talk about it after the race had been run and I’m glad I made that decision. There isn’t really a lot of difference between talking about it before or after … Continue reading "The Next Next Gen Challenge Was Phoenix"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View The Cup teams take it to Vegas on Sunday afternoon and it will be another “first time” visit to a track for the Next Gen Car. Even though it does seem they are all beginning to adapt to the new car, there are still some unanswered questions and unknowns. I … Continue reading "Cup Teams Take On Vegas With The Next Gen"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View For the first time in two years, NASCAR Cup Series takes on the old Auto Club Speedway in California. Even though the track is old and a track the drivers like to race on, it has its own set of problems; problems they’ve tried to fix – or at least … Continue reading "Fontana Is The Next Stop For The Next Gen"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View As they’ve been doing for a long time, NASCAR starts off their season with the biggest and most prestigious race of the year, the Daytona 500. As we enter the 2022 NASCAR Cup season it’s no different than it has been for long, long time BUT, there ARE a LOT … Continue reading "The Season Begins With The Big One At Daytona"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View This weekend will mark the beginning of a new era for the NASCAR Cup series just like the end of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Season marked the end of an era in the Series. As I think back over the last year, there are a lot of things that have … Continue reading "New Era Begins At The Bush Light Clash In LA"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View There is always something fascinating about the final race of the season for NASCAR Cup. The winner takes the checkered flag but isn’t necessarily named the 2021 Champ. If you’re familiar with NASCAR and the way the final race works, you already know the race winner may not be the … Continue reading "Who Will Win The 2021 Cup Championship"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View There are a lot of things that have been said about the Martinsville Speedway and everyone has just about worn out the phrases over the past week. In fact, there are a lot of things that are said about Martinsville every time the teams in all three NASCAR series visit … Continue reading "Martinsville And Making The 2021 Championship Four"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Seven of the eight drivers trying to make it to the final four are feeling the pressure to come away from the Kansas Speedway with a lot of points or a win. That other guy… uh, what’s his name again… oh yeah, Kyle Larson, well, he’s not pressured but he … Continue reading "The Pressure Is On At Kansas"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View The thing on everyone’s mind is wondering whether or not Denny Hamlin will win the first race of the Round of Eight as he has in the last two rounds. I’m thinking that may be a possibility but, I’m not willing to jump on that wagon at the moment. Both … Continue reading "Texas Starts The Round Of Eight"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Well… It’s that time again. You know, that time when four drivers will be eliminated from moving on to the Round of Eight. Yeah, you know the Roval is an elimination race and the pressure is on more than just the four that are already below the cutline. Denny Hamlin … Continue reading "Who Will Make The Cut After The Roval"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View There is always one thing predictable when the NASCAR Cup teams visit Talladega. Yeah, that’s right; you got it. It is unpredictable and it is one of the places on the NASCAR circuit that just about anyone in the starting lineup can win and that means, just about anyone can … Continue reading "The Pressure Is On At Talladega"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View The Round of Twelve kicks off at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway tonight. They say Vegas is a place for gamblers and this could be the time for some to try something different. You know, take some chances. Maybe even gamble big time. What better place than Las Vegas to … Continue reading "Las Vegas Kicks Off Round Of Twelve"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Bristol is a fast short track with high banks and speeds and a place where rubbing is racing. It is also a place where emotions run high and tempers can flare. With the way the standings are for making it to the next round, tonight could prove to be one … Continue reading "Bristol Under The Lights For Cutoff Race One In 2021"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View It’s another Saturday night under the lights for playoff race number two and it’s at Richmond Raceway. After last week’s race at Darlington, this one at Richmond becomes even more stressful than last week at “the Track Too Tough To Tame.” Richmond Raceway is another that has a descriptive term … Continue reading "Playoff Two At Richmond Under The Lights"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View Okay… we finally made it to the 2021 playoffs and the top sixteen were set last weekend. Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin are still without wins as they move into the playoffs along with Tyler Reddick in the same boat. All of the others qualified in the top sixteen have … Continue reading "Darlington Kicks Off The Playoffs"
From a NASCAR Fan’s View The race tonight at Daytona is the final race of the regular season and there are two very important things going on… (Well, that is if it doesn’t rain and then all bets are off. Then it probably moves to Sunday afternoon and all the conditions could be different.) The … Continue reading "The Pressure Is On At Daytona"