Rusty Norman

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…

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.

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…

From a NASCAR Fan’s View

The place for the All-Star race this season is the Monster Mile at Dover Motor Speedway. NASCAR couldn’t have picked a better venue than Dover for the race this season, and it will be a definite challenge for all involved. NASCAR set up the race in three stages of 75 laps, 75 laps, and 200 laps. They have also set it up to make it even more interesting by the way the three stages will start. The first stage has been set by the qualifying session. The second will be inverted at least for the top twenty-six finishers in the first stage and the final stage. Well, at least that’s the way I understand the way things are supposed to go,

I can’t remember a more interesting or dramatic qualifying session for an All-Star race in recent times. I am sure there are those who will disagree with me, but I’m just telling it the way I saw it today. It seemed no matter how well some seemed to run their qualifying laps and pit stops, either they or their crews had problems and cost them penalty time on the clock. Every time a good run turned into a bad one, even though they looked to have better runs. Those penalties cost them dearly.

Denny Hamlin looked like he was going to have a bad run for qualifying and ended up on the pole. Admittedly, I was surprised by that performance, but probably shouldn’t have been. The Toyotas seem to be the class of the field every weekend. That doesn’t mean they are going to win every weekend, but it is obvious they are having a strong season so far.

Brad Keselowski managed good qualifying laps and will start outside Denny Hamlin on the front row. He has to be happy about that, and it was good to see the hard work of the RFK teams paying off. Lately, the RFK teams haven’t often qualified that well, but when they do, their chances seem to improve, and this fan can’t help but wonder if Brad might walk away with that million-dollar prize. Yeah, I know that might be a long shot, especially with the way the stages are set up to happen.

First of all, the drivers have to make it through the first two stages and finish in the right spots. That may be difficult for two reasons. One reason is that they are racing at Dover. Dover is one of the toughest tracks on the NASCAR circuit. It is tough to run on, to pass on, and it is tough to make pit stops and not have problems during those stops. That means there will be a lot of pressure on the crews to have clean stops and the drivers not to miss pit entry or speed, and end up way back in the field.

Another reason is that this race is for a million dollars. I know that is an incentive for taking chances that probably wouldn’t be taken in a normal weekend race. Now, I don’t expect anyone to really do anything out of place, but I know that, given the opportunity, they will be aggressive, and that could make things very interesting.

Okay, so I think I talked about the two front row starters determined by qualifying enough for now. As usual, the qualifying results can be a little deceptive. There were a bunch of drivers who ran as good or maybe a little better than the two on the front row, but they are starting pretty far back in the field. That was the result of the ten-second penalties for infractions during their qualifying attempts.

Some could have even taken the pole, but didn’t because of those one or two infractions or not being able to complete their full qualifying runs. There are also several fast qualifiers at the front of the field that can likely give those front row starters a run for their money (no pun intended). The one real advantage for those top qualifiers comes from their pit selections. After that, it is being able to make it through the two 75-lap stages and making it into the final twenty-six that will inevitably run for the million.

If the race is as dramatic and interesting as the qualifying turned out to be, this could be one of the more exciting All-Star races in recent memory. Of course, there is also the possibility that it could be dominated by the pole sitter and just be a boring, chase-the-leader type of race where Denny Hamlin basically controls it pretty much from beginning to end. Of course, there is the problem of the inversion in the second 75-lap stage, which could throw a wrench into the whole thing completely. That remains to be seen, and that 200-lap final stage could be a real win-killer.

There is one more thing to mention before I go. All of the drivers will be running to beat Miles. Yeah, that’s right. Miles the monster will have to be tamed if any of them wants to claim that million dollars…

From a NASCAR Fan’s View

Yeah, it’s that time again. Time for the Cup teams to take to the Go Bowling at Watkins Glen International. It’s one hundred laps and two hundred and sixty-five miles of road course racing.

Don’t know about you, but it came as no surprise to this fan and many others that SVG took the pole position. From my view – and I was not alone – it was kind of expected that he would do just that. Maybe what was a little surprising about the qualifying was that all three of the TrackHouse race teams qualified in the top five. That means SVG is on the pole, Ross Chastain starts in fourth, and Conner Zilisch starts fifth.

You and I both know that qualifying has very little to do with how a race can go. For this race, at least the one sitting on the pole has a great chance of winning from the pole, as the rest of the field has in winning over him. In fact, and barring the unforeseen, this fan expects he will likely be sitting in Victory Lane when this one is over.

So, do I think that is a little bit of an overstatement? Not really. He won all of the road course races last season, and considering how he took the pole, I believe this one is his to lose.

Now, I admit there are some things that are different about this race than the one last season. What those are, in particular, are more horsepower and different tires. There are even a few things different about the track that could affect everything a little differently, too.

They changed the bus stop entry and exit to try to keep the cars more on the track and out of the grass. They also made a couple of other changes in strategic areas, installing tire barriers to keep drivers more on the track rather than in the run-off area. That in itself has made quite a difference in how the drivers approach those areas, and it shows in the lap times. Well, at least from this fan’s view.

I suppose things could look even more different when we get all of the cars on the track, racing for position, side by side. The practice and the qualifying both saw the cars running single file and not trying to pass. It was more about finding the balance and braking points to get the most out of their cars. The other complication is that tires will be an issue, and the one who manages tire wear best will likely be the one who ends up in Victory Lane. From my view, I say that gives another advantage to SVG. Since he has been the dominant force on road courses, he seems to manage tire wear better than the rest.

So, now that I’ve given all of these accolades to SVG, does that mean I think he is a shoo-in to win this race? Well, I do think he has a very good chance of winning, but I also know there is no way of predicting a NASCAR race, especially this one at Watkins Glen International. Let’s just leave it at this: this fan thinks he is the favorite to win.

There are a lot of things that can go wrong in a hundred-lap race, especially with the closeness of the competition. Brakes can fail, things can break, and drivers can make mistakes, ruining someone’s day. I guess you remember what happened to Christopher Bell last weekend while he was leading? Yeah, the very same thing can happen to someone at The Glen, too.

As far as qualifying went, the top fifteen is full of those who could pull off the win. It is hard to dump SVG in favor of others, but there is the possibility of it happening. The Penske Fords of Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney are prime suspects for doing so. Not saying they will, but the possibility is there. The same goes for Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, and Carson Hocevar.

I know there are a number of others, but I just picked some out of a hat. One who is a very good road racer is also Michael McDowell. He could actually do it, especially if SVG makes a big mistake or something happens to his car.

Once again this week, if you’re a Hendrick Team fan, they look to be struggling once again. The only one that showed much of anything was William Byron, and, from this fan’s view, he could be a choice for the long-shot winner. It is for sure, Kyle Larson appeared to be struggling all the way through practice and qualifying. Even last week’s winner, Chase Elliott, qualified twenty-seventh. Judging from their efforts, the Hendrick teams will hopefully find something to help them in the Go Bowling at Watkins Glen. Otherwise, it’s going to be a very long day for them, 

From a NASCAR Fan’s View

The Cup Teams take on Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, and it shouldn’t be business as usual this time. In case you missed it, NASCAR has made changes to make the race a better overall race this time around. In recent times, the name of the game has been all about fuel mileage, with all of the stages being approximately the same length. The stages previously were: stage 1 – 60 laps, stage 2 – 60 laps, and stage three 68laps.

Since those stage lengths were established, it didn’t take too long for the teams to figure out that fuel mileage could be the best path to victory. Once all the teams discovered and started using that strategy, the race became fairly boring from the fans’ perspective. Of course, it did depend on how each team did managing their fuel mileage. Some did better than others, but the race had a very slow pace. Not really what a super speedway race was supposed to be about.

Of course, there was always the possibility that something could happen in the course of a stage that could mess with that strategy. You know, things like an accident that caused them to make a decision as to make a pit stop or keep on running the fuel mileage game and hope not too many would pass them, costing them any possible stage points.

Any way you might look at it, the fans weren’t happy with a simple fuel mileage race, and NASCAR made changes to the stages. Now they are: stage 1 – 98 laps, stage 2 – 45 laps and stage 3 – 45 laps.  In all honesty, and from this fan’s view, it’s about time they did something, and I’m glad they did.

In reality, the changes made won’t affect the first third or so of the race all that much, which might be a slight disappointment, and hardly noticeable for the first part of the race, but depending on how it goes, it could make the last stage much more interesting. There are several reasons for that, but it has pretty well been covered by all the talking heads over the last week or so.

So, to add to the unknown – well, some would call it that – the practice and qualifying were canceled because of bad weather. That really doesn’t matter much for anything other than pit selection, mostly. The ones that finished well last weekend will have good starting spots for Talladega. That means Tyler Reddick starts on pole, making it his fourth of the season. Kyle Larson will be lining up outside pole on the front row with Tyler.

Of course, as we all know, where you start the Talladega race isn’t as important as where you are near the finish. That’s because, when it comes to Super Speedway racing, being in the right position going for the final checkered flag is how just about every race has been won. To add to that, many of them have been won by a last-lap pass and drag racing to the finish line; oftentimes, the finishes have been almost too close to call.

Just taking a quick look at the lineup for the field, this NASCAR fan sees hardly one driver that, given the right circumstances at the end of the race, could not end up in Victory Lane. Of course, getting to that point is often a problem, if for no other reason than not being able to avoid one or more of the “Big Ones,” or cutting the fuel mileage too close, or maybe even a problem on a pit stop that loses them more spots than they could gain on the track in a normal stage or two.

As I said earlier, looking at the starting lineup for the Talladega race, this fan doesn’t see many in the top twenty that couldn’t take the win. Just take a quick look at those starting behind the front row. You’ve got Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski, William Byron, and Chase Elliott. I could name another eight to ten drivers easily, but it wouldn’t change much of anything. Just about anyone in the top twenty-six or seven is a good candidate for being in the lead at the end of the day.

With the changes to the stages, the lack of practice and qualifying, and the rest of the unknowns, this could be anyone’s race to win. Sure, I know Tyler Reddick has won several times when he’s started from the pole, and even though Super Speedways haven’t been that good for Kyle Larson, this could be the one that breaks him out into the win column for this season when it is over.

Unfortunately, there are too many possible winners to choose from to even chance a guess at which of the drivers and teams will pull it off. I could tell you which of them I would like to see win, but that wouldn’t make a bit of difference. All I know is, this is one Talladega race worth watching all the way from beginning to the end, and I don’t have any idea which of them is going to win… Do You?

From a NASCAR Fan’s View

Yeah, the Cup Teams take on the Kansas Speedway on Sunday afternoon. From this fan’s view, there are questions to be answered by the time the race gets started. Some of them were answered by the practice and qualifying sessions. Some will be answered when the race begins, and others will be answered as the race progresses and ends.

So, what are some of those questions?

Well, it was pretty obvious to this fan that the Toyotas showed up to the track ready to race. Especially the JGR and 23XI Toyotas. The top three qualifiers are Toyotas and one of them has been a dominating force since the first race of the season. Of course, you know that is Tyler Reddick of the 23XI camp. He has four wins this season and just took another pole for this race at Kansas Speedway.

Man! Talk about a strong start to a season. He seems to have the field covered so far, and this fan thinks he is a definite contender for the Cup Championship at the end of the season. He could go all the way and end up as the Champ when the season is over. (Yeah, he is running strong enough for me to say that now, even though there is still a long way to go before we get to that point. Oh, and by the way, when he starts on the pole, he seems to win a lot, so far.)

The other two Toyotas in the top three are Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs, both from the JGR camp. Denny has four wins at this track and could take another trip to Victory Lane when this one is done. Not saying he will, just saying he could.

Ty Gibbs starts third on the second row and he has been very consistent so far this season and took his first Cup Win last weekend at Bristol. I’m not saying he won’t, but he could make it two in a row here at Kansas. With the speed these two Toyota camps have been showing, I don’t think a second win for him is that far-fetched. I guess you could say that is one of the questions that will be answered when the race is done.

I don’t want to go too far out on a limb here, but the Chevys of Carson Hocevar and Daniel Suarez are probably two of the biggest surprises to this fan. Both of them have been showing speed at times, and both of them qualified in the top eight for today’s race. I don’t know what their chances are when it comes to winning today, but what they have been showing as a team deserves to be noticed.

We all know Hocevar is very aggressive, and Suarez can be, too. I don’t want to overstate the possibilities for them in how this race goes, but I will say they both show moments of greatness at times. They just haven’t shown they have what it takes to end up in Victory Lane lately. I mean, they’ve shown good speed in qualifying and even in the races, but they just haven’t been there at the end of one yet. Perhaps today could be the day for one of them.

When it comes to the Fords, at least for this weekend, they do seem to be struggling a bit. Though there are others, the Penske and RFK Fords show a mixed bag of speed and struggle so far. The RFK Fords seem to have a better grip on their situation, but then, we just can’t rule out Ryan Blaney and how his Penske Ford has been running as a possible winner in today’s race. Of all the Fords, he seems to be the one who shows up at the front, contending for the win almost every week. If his pit crew gets its act totally together, look out. Even with all the spots they’ve cost him this season, he is often right there contending for the win.

It does appear to this fan that the Chevy Teams as a whole have been lacking something since the season started. Of course, we all know they changed their body style for this season, and many attribute that to their lack of performance. I don’t have a problem with that assessment since we have seen the other manufacturers struggle through the same thing. In fact, the Toyotas went through this same thing a couple of years ago, and the Fords a couple of years before that. The Toyotas seemed to really get a grip on theirs late last season, and it has carried over to this season with their obvious advantages of speed and handling. The Fords still appear to be struggling, at least a bit.

From a NASCAR Fan’s View

Well, the Easter break is done, and the drivers are eager to get back to racing. It just so happens that they are taking on the short track at Bristol, which is known as the “World’s Fastest Half Mile.’ That could mean a lot when it comes to some drivers because they will have an opportunity to turn around their average seasons so far. It is also an opportunity for someone unexpected to take the win. So, before I go any further, let me just say there are more than a couple of winless drivers this season who want to turn that around.

Now, I suppose you might be wondering which of the drivers I’m talking about, right? Well… of course you do. I have my own opinion of which ones even have a chance, and I’m more than willing to share that information with you, but you may or may not agree with my choices.

There has been a lot of talk recently about the job Ty Gibbs and his team have been doing so far this season. Accordingly, I cannot agree more with those voices. He and his JGR team have been showing significant improvement this season, which actually started last season. That could mean, at least from this fan’s view, that he could win this race at Bristol this weekend.

Another one that I think has a chance to win is Ross Chastain. Even though TrackHouse Racing has seemed to be struggling for speed this season, I am not going to count him out simply because I know he can be a hard charger, and given the right circumstances at the end of the day, he could end up in Victory Lane.

Another one is Carson Hocevar. We’ve all watched and seen how aggressive he can be, and he and his team have been running strong enough to win. In fact, he has even come close, but just hasn’t been able to seal the deal when it comes down to the final laps. I believe he is due to break out sometime soon, and this could be that time.

Even though he has been struggling lately and even in qualifying for this race, Bubba Wallace could pull himself back into the mix with a really good performance at Bristol. I’m not saying he will, but a couple of good races and he could be right back in the mix. As of today, he sits eleventh in the standings, but his biggest problem has just been a lack of consistency lately, and a win at Bristol could be a stepping stone to better things for him and his team.

The JGR and 23XI Toyotas seem to have a little bit of an advantage this season. Of course, they started showing more consistency at the latter part of last season. It has definitely carried over to this season, especially if we consider the way Tyler Reddick has been performing. There are times when he seems to be in a different zip code than the rest of the field. With four wins and a bunch of stage points, he leads in the points by two hundred and seventy-one. This fan wonders if Bristol might be his fifth win on the season since he qualified outside the pole, next to pole winner Ryan Blaney.

Even though Chase Elliott won at Martinsville last weekend, he wasn’t the fastest car. He did manage to stay out front long enough to win, but it was definitely nip and tuck at the end. Taking a look at the Hendrick teams as a whole this season shows they are struggling. Many blame their lack of performance on the new body style. I suppose that could be the case. It is definite they need to get a grip on this new body and do it soon or they just might not even be contenders when it comes down to the Chase at the end of the season.

Now that I’ve made such a bold negative statement about the Hendrick Teams’ plight, I have to admit this could be a race that could see things turn around in a big way for them as an organization. If they get a grip on the balance of the new body style, and we begin to see them running as a total organization up front, then look out. Things could get very interesting when The Chase comes around.

I can’t honestly close this out without talking about the Fords. It is true that the RFK Fords are running noticeably better this season, and so are some of the Penske Fords. (Well, at least one of the Penske Fords, and that would be Ryan Blaney.) That’s not a statement against them. It is just the facts as I see them. This could be a race we see Blaney dominate from the drop of the green flag.

As a wrap, Bristol is a very tough half-mile track. It is a long race and a race that will take a toll on the drivers and crews. From this fan’s view, this could be one of the better races of this season or just another dominating race by the polesitter. I have no idea which way it will go, but this one thing I do know. We will know when it’s over…

All music TwoBuckThemes from Mike Stewart unless otherwise stated

From a NASCAR Fan’s View

It’s time for the Cup teams to take to the short track at Martinsville, and once again, it looks like the Toyotas have shown up ready to race. Fortunately, it may not be a dominating day like last weekend.

Personally, I am glad there is a good mix of cars at the front, and in usual fashion lately, there is one Toyota that appears to have a real advantage over the rest of the field. There is no doubt that Denny Hamlin appeared to be the one that most will be chasing, at least at the start of the race. He did take the pole, and he appears to have his Toyota dialed in for the Cook Out 400. That’s four hundred laps on the challenging paper clip-shaped oval. And let’s not forget, it is short-track racing with all that goes along with the short-track racing attitude.

From this fan’s view, I suppose it is possible that Denny has the speed to take control of the race early on. Also, from my view, that advantage may be short-lived, and that is something that will remain to be seen.

As I said earlier, it is interesting the mix of makes at the front of the field. Thankfully, that could mean the other drivers at the front could chase down Denny and make the race very interesting. William Byron qualified on the outside pole and seemed confident in his crew chief and team’s ability to make his car more competitive as the race progresses. The same goes for Josh Berry. In fact, the qualifying of Byron and Berry had only like three thousandths of a second separating them.

That’s not a lot when you consider where they’re racing. Need I remind us all, this is short track racing? That usually means bumping, rubbing, and racing, leaning on each other through the turns. If someone appears to be holding someone up, you can bet they’re going to receive a nudge from behind and either move out of the way or be moved out of the way. With the aggressive way things have been going lately, I expect we will see a lot of that. Generally, that often leads to paybacks somewhere along the way, and sometimes it can just get plain rough. But then, that’s part of the reason so many like short-track racing. It also means emotions might be quite evident when the race is being run, and especially when it is over.

Other than Denny’s obvious speed advantage – which is much like Tyler Reddick’s performance last weekend – there are more than a couple of drivers that could take control of this one. Just to name a few would be those qualified in the top twenty. You know, the list is long, but I’d like to name a few of them anyway. Looking for his first points win in Cup is Ty Gibbs. Many think he is due, and this fan thinks he has shown a lot of improvement and consistency so far this season. I don’t think it is that far-fetched to possibly see him in Victory Lane at the end of the day.

SVG qualified one one-thousandth of a second behind Gibbs. Taking into account his improvement on oval tracks this season, I don’t think he should be ignored as a possible contender for the final checkered flag and a trip to Victory Lane. Frankly, it wouldn’t surprise this fan at all if he isn’t pressing the leader in the final laps for the win.

Next in line are three hard chargers. One in a Ford, one in a Toyota, and one in a Chevy. Of course, that would be Austin Cindric, Tyler Reddick, and Carson Hocevar. Any one of these three are quite capable of winning depending on how the race goes. I expect to see Hocevar pressing the envelope most of the time. Well, at least unless someone gets fed up with his aggression or he makes a mistake of his own.

The next five drivers are all hungry for a win, and four of them in particular. I’ll just mention the fact that Ryan Blaney already has a win this season. The other four are Logano, Elliott, Bell, and Larson. The first three mentioned are at different stages in their own struggles with performance and consistency. All three are capable of winning and running strong; they just haven’t shown up in the lead at the end of the races. I’m not counting any of them out, but they do have a lot of work to do.

Kyle Larson is the biggest surprise to me so far this season. If it can go wrong for him, it has, and he just hasn’t shown his usual consistency or his usual ability to run at or close to the front. Martinsville could be the moment his season begins to turn around. After all, he is a proven winner, but he just hasn’t shown any consistency so far this season.

Of course, for any of the above-mentioned things to take place depends on how Denny Hamlin’s race goes. Considering his speed and his record at the half-mile paper clip, and his starting position and pit stall, the rest of the drivers have their work cut out for themselves…

From a NASCAR Fan’s View

It’s Springtime in South Carolina, and that means the Cup teams are taking on the Darlington Raceway. You know, the “Track Too Tough To Tame.” Well, at least that’s how the advertising talks about it. I will also admit that I agree with the phrase, and it is that way for several reasons. The problem with advertising is that there always seems to be someone who does tame it and almost makes it sound like false advertising.

This fan can only wonder if that might be the case this weekend. After the way Tyler Reddick has started the 2026 season, and the way he qualified, he might have it tamed before the race even starts. Look, I know the track is a challenging track, and it tends to eat tires almost as fast as the crews can put them on, but, like I just said, sometimes one or more of the teams show up with the track tamed right off the truck. Well, off the truck and with a little bit of practice time.

I have already mentioned Tyler Reddick, and his qualifying lap was extremely fast, but that doesn’t always mean he, or any fast qualifier, will dominate the race even if they start on the pole. From what I know about racing – and I have been around it since I was about five or six years old – is that things can go wrong even with what looks like the most prepared team. I suppose it is possible that this race could an exception, but there is another problem with assuming that. Bubba Wallace, also of  23XI racing, is starting on the front row with his teammate. Perhaps they have something figured out. Perhaps they don’t. All I know is that 400 miles is a long time and that leaves a lot of room for something, big or small, to go wrong. It could be a tire failure, a parts failure, or even a driver failure. After all, there were several drivers who brushed the wall in practice and qualifying and killed their lap time speed.

I know the Toyotas have been fast so far this season, and I also know that Tyler Reddick has three wins. I also know that Bubba has been running quite well here at the beginning of this season and is in second place in the points. That speaks very highly of the 23XI camp, and this fan wonders whether they will maintain this pace over the rest of the field or begin to falter in the next four to six races or so.

There is also another noticeable thing that could make it hard for the 23XI teams to take home the win when the day is done. All one has to do is look at the second row and see which drivers occupy those next two starting spots. Yeah, that’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? Two of the Hendrick teams, namely Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson.

Yes, it’s true, the Chevys have been struggling a bit this season. Their reasonable excuse is that they got a new body style this year, and most people agree with that assessment. This generation of cars is quite finicky, and it does take a bit of time to get the balance right. The Toyotas had a similar problem over a year ago, and it took them time to find the balance so their drivers could compete on par with the others. They did adapt, and what they learned about their cars has carried over to this season, as shown by the way they’ve been running.

Now, I know I was talking about the struggles of the Chevys with their new body style, but I wanted to make it clear that they are making headway, and Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott seem to be a little ahead of their teammates and most of the other Chevys. William Byron is also close but seems to still be slightly behind his other two teammates. He could break out at any time, and the same goes for Kyle and Chase. Even though this is a very challenging track, they do have time to try a lot of things over the course of the 400 miles.

So, what happens if the Chevys do get dialed in and start catching and passing the Toyotas? That could change the whole outcome of the race this weekend and for the season ahead. All it takes is finding that little bit of balance and extra speed to better compete against the JGR and 23XI Toyotas. When that begins to happen, look out because that means the Chevys will be back in it.

I can’t close without at least mentioning the Fords. There are a couple of them running quite well, and of course, that would be Ryan Blaney in particular, and I would even include the RFK Fords. They have been showing long-run speed and could pull off what this fan would call a surprise win this weekend. That’s not a cut. It’s a compliment, and they generally show up as the races and the season progresses.

Actually, there are many more Chevys, fords and Toyotas I could mention, but let’s just wait and see how things go and how many more we will need to talk about in the future…