from a NASCAR Fan’s View
There is a Monster that often rears its head in NASCAR. That Monster resides at the one-mile oval called the Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. This Monster has resided at this location since 1969. Sometimes the Monster is docile but will reach out and grab a car or two and squeeze most of the life out of them. At other times, the Monster is hungry and can devour many cars in one big bite of bending metal, screaming-smoking tires and the crushed dreams of many would be monster tamers. That’s just the nature of this beast and has been for a long, long time. Oh, by the way… The monster’s name is Miles.
There are some that have tamed the Monster. The best, at least for the present, is one called Jimmie Johnson but, he is a retired Monster tamer so Miles won’t have to worry about him. There are others that have shown an ability to tame the Monster at times but, none have done it with such consistency as the retired one. These others, with names most already know, will once again take to the track on Sunday afternoon to take on the Monster.
According to those in the know, there are several favored ones expected to stand strong against the Monster. A few would be the names of, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kyle Bush, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson and one called, Chase Elliott. It is rumored that one or two of these brave and courageous favored ones may have an advantage over the Monster, at least, for this weekend. What is unknown is which of them has the greatest advantage. There is a weapon at least two of these brave drivers wield to try and defeat the monster and take the victory. That weapon is called the great “Mo” which is short for momentum and the two that seem to have it on their side are, Truex and Larson.
From this fan’s view, the two just mentioned could be quite obvious choices for strong showings this Sunday afternoon if we just look at the last two weeks of racing at Kansas and Darlington. Both have run really strong and, even though Larson led the most laps at Kansas, he didn’t win. Last weekend, Truex dominated at Darlington and many expect he is the obvious choice to claim Monster tamer this weekend. Both of these favored ones do look to have a very good chance at taming, yes, even defeating the Monster and claiming the victory.
One of the biggest questions being asked again this week is whether or not there will be a new winner this weekend. So far this season, there have been eleven different winners out of thirteen races. That doesn’t leave that many spots to make the playoffs without a win and there are several that need a win to make it. If things continue as they have, it is possible that even winning one race will not guarantee a spot in the playoffs. If a driver has won a race but not performed very well since, they may not make the top sixteen for the playoffs. That would be a first for the playoffs as they stand now.
So, of the other favored ones, which of them is the most likely to succeed against the Monster on Sunday?
Well, one of the most talked about is Denny Hamlin. Almost everyone is saying he is due and, according to how he’s been running this season, they might be right. He still has the most points and is the Championship leader even though he has not won a race yet. It is true; he has run good almost every week but something always seems to happen that keeps him from taking the top spot at the end.
Many thought Kevin Harvick would have already won a race this season but, he hasn’t. He is another of the favored ones against the Monster this weekend and he has defeated the Monster before. Perhaps he will end up the victor when the Monster calms down after the final checkered flag falls. I’m not ruling him out but he does have a challenge before him.
The same goes for the one called, Chase Elliott. Even though he is the reigning series Champion, he has struggled often so far this season. Though many think he will conquer Miles the Monster on Sunday afternoon and he has defeated him once before, I’m not so sure he is ready to claim that elusive victory yet.
Unfortunately, there are others, many others, in fact. Some of them are spoken of as strong contenders, while others are hardly mentioned in anyone’s expectations or conversations. Of all the ones that are hardly mentioned, some have a very good chance at standing above the other rivals and holding the trophy, depicting Miles the Monster, over their heads and becoming the twelfth winner in the 2021 NASCAR Cup season. Which of them it might be will have to wait until the battle begins, and ends, on Sunday afternoon taking on the Monster in Dover, Delaware…
See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© May 15, 2021 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
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