Well, it’s pretty much another weekend of firsts for the NASCAR Cup teams. A quick look back at history tells us that this is not actually the first time the Cup teams have raced on the road course but for all intents and purposes, it is. One thing that won’t be a first this weekend is that there won’t be any practice or qualifying. Of course, we know that many of the drivers will be or have been spending time in there iRacing rigs or the simulators and it remains to be seen how that information transfers to actually racing on the road course.
For some of the drivers this won’t be their first time on the road course at Daytona. Some of them have driven it in other series so it remains to be seen whether that will give them an advantage or not. Personally, I don’t think it’ll take them all that long to catch on to what it takes to make good time around the track but I could be wrong and it could be that this is a race filled with wrecks and other incidents. In listening to them talk about the track, it appears there are some tricky places along the way. Now that maybe true and the only thing that will do, at least from this fan’s view, is make it a much more interesting race that it might already be.
Possibly, one of the more interesting things for this race, is that they will likely run the race even if it is raining. Now we all know that there won’t be any laps run if there is lightning in the area and they do have those guidelines to follow. But it’s still possible that they could be running in the rain at some time or other during the race.
Even though there are some favorites for winning this one, this is also a case that the Victor might be someone completely unexpected. There’s no reason to go into a long conversation or dialogue or monologue as to who those might be, but rest assured the possibility is there.
The most talked about people to win this one are starting on the front row. Of course, that would be Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin. I’m not so sure did one of them will win, but I do have to admit that the possibility is very strong.
From this fans view, there are several other names that have a very good chance and their names must also rise to the top of the list. Martin Truex Jr, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano and a host of others that do show themselves to be quite capable of running well on a road course. In fact, Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr are two that would be likely choices by many. Chase Elliott is showing himself to be very capable on road courses and his one more than one in the last couple of years. Martin Truex Jr has also displayed his ability to win on road courses so, at least from this fans view, it’s a hard choice between those two.
Of course, as a Jimmie Johnson fan, I’m one of those that would like to see him win for several reasons. One of the most important reasons would be that it would at least lock him into the first part of the playoffs. Now, it’s not that he’s shown that much strength in performance recently but he is quite capable of winning on a road course. For me, I guess he’s a sentimental favorite and I would just like to see him win a race, break his losing streak and also open up an opportunity to win another Championship. I’m sure there are those that say, “There ain’t no way he’s gonna win the Championship!” and, I have to admit, they are probably right. But still, it’s nice to dream and think about the things that could be.
Since I’m thinking about the road course at Daytona and the first turn on the first lap, I can only say one thing. This might be another one of those very interesting first laps like the Roval last year. Now I’m not saying anything is gonna happen out of the ordinary but it is quite possible that the unexpected could happen. I suppose it’s even possible that some of the front runners and expected winners could either take themselves out or be taken out by someone else on this challenging road course. Perhaps my takeaway for all of this is that just the list of unknowns is going to make this race worth watching, especially at the beginning. No, I’m not saying that it’ll hold my attention the whole time through, but…
See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© August 16, 2020 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and PodCastNorm Productions
All music TwoBuckThemes from Mike Stewart unless otherwise stated