2025 NASCAR THREAD

As much as I hate the 22. He did have a run and position on the 47. He knows the 47 is not going to give that to him so he should have waited but after he was under him not much he could do after that. The 22 will take out the whole field if he can't win but that car was stupid strong. All in, probably could not have worked out much better for a Chevrolet to win. GM has fallen behind with the Camaro being out of production. They have to move to Cadillac or something to get some innovation back in the car. I hate that the 9 got caught up because that was the best Chevrolet all weekend. Chase was riding trying to save a little gas and got shuffled and torn up. Glad to see JRM get a top 10 though they did not mention that car all night. You know the 12 is going to get turned at some point so not surprised that happened. And the 22 and 47 are going to start something. At least they took each other out. Wreck em Ricky really has no choice. He only has a shot at a few races a year so he has to make the most of it and the 22 is just a dick and wanted to feel that sweet Daytona breeze flowing through his purchased hair as he removed his helmet under the flag stand.

Harvick must still have a deal with Ford or something. That dude was gagging hard on them all night. I am getting a Rusty Wallace vibe from Kevin lately where it feels like he might not have been okay with getting out of the car when he did and it shows. Clint really seems to be coming into his own in the booth.

 

I just want to know who beat Logano's ass last night. It sure looked like in his interview when he came out of the Care Center he was waiting for one, He kept looking around like he was going to get jumped on.

 

Ugh. I'll say the line again...One of them racing deals.

This circus will continue until NASCAR lets the cars spread out. They don't want to speed them up, but the cars need to have throttle lift before entering the turns. Reducing mechanical grip by narrowing the tire tread might be a step in the right direction. It would separate the haves from the have-nots. The contact patch is too large, the spoilers too high, and the cars too low.

 

You could tell that he knew he was at fault.

 

Like I said, I hate the 22 but this is actually a lot more on the 47 than the 22. After the 22 committed to the inside of the 47 he had no option. With the car that Joey had it was not a move he had to make. BUT, he had a run, he turned under the 47 late to keep him from blocking and once he committed to that the only person who could keep that from happening was Ricky. Ricky knew if he let him by that he would get shuffled and it was over so he was not going to let the 22 under him even after he was clearly under him with momentum. Joey lifted but cars were piling into the back of him. No other outcome. The only way that does not happen after the 22 made the first move is if the 47 stays high. Ricky knew they would be 4 wide off the corner and he would have dropped like a rock so he did what he did. I think for Ricky it was a "well, my race is over so... Your race is over too" moment.
At least the 11 did not win!

 

Does NASCAR make a big deal about Hendrick Motorsports and William Byron going for a 3 Peat when Daytona comes around next year? Like they do in other sports when a 3 Peat comes around, Or is just another Daytona 500?

 

I doubt it. If anything it pretty much confirms he won’t win it next year. Odds are not in his favor and he pretty much lucked into them both. I mean he was 9th at the white flag. Not like he dominated or had a great car.

 

I doubt it too. The story line will be about Gordon’s grooming of Willie B.

 

Jeff needs to spend his time with Alex Bowman. I think William already has driving ability.

 

I bet this is Alex's last year in the 48.

 

I agree. Just way to much talent in the pipeline for Alex to stay where he is. I am not sure anyone else will have more success in that car but still. At some point RCR is going to have a problem. Love is coming up and Hill is overdue for a shot. JRM has some talent that will be looking to move up. Zilisch is not going to hang out in Xfinity for long. I suspect the 48 and 99 to have open seats next year among competitive cars. And a slew of the mid to lower level teams. Kyle and Denny will be the next to step away from fulltime I suspect.

 

Next five years we'll see the following seats open up due to retirement:

3- Dillon- Move to management position.
5- Larson- Bored, focus on kids.
6- Keselowski- Focus on ownership & dev.
8- Busch- Fed up, focus on kids.
9- Elliott- Bored, may move to mgmt position.
11- Hamlin- Fed up, focus on ownership.
16- Allmendinger- Age out.

Lots of young guys moving up the pipeline and some future grizzled vets who would love a shot in top equipment (E. Jones, Custer, McDowell, Suarez, Chastain).

 

I have said for a while that I expect Chase to retire from NASCAR young. I suspect he will run hard for a few more years and then move on. Larson, he is not passionate about NASCAR and makes it clear he does it to fund his dirt career. I expect AD to call it sooner than later. Like a max of two more seasons. I think Brad K wants one more legit shot at a title. That is all Kyle B and Hamlin are hanging around for too. I suspect this is a one and done year for the dinger.

 

I honestly think that JGR is going to downsize or in some way 23XI is going to absorb some of JGR before all is said and done. Joe is getting up in years and they really do not have a solid succession plan other than Ty. RCR will move to Austin and his dad and Hendrick already has a clear plan in place. HMS will not miss a beat in the future, JGR and RCR (RCR already is) will become mid tier teams with 23XI, RFK and Trackhouse taking up the mantle. Penske will be much like HMS. They are machines who have planned for a long time to sustain the success they have.

 

https://youtube.com/shorts/pHcBILqS18c?si=UO5B7e0neiRAAukw

 

AFAIK Rick Hendrick is retired from the racing stuff and Jeff Gordon is running the operation. My buddy was at Hendrick yesterday for some promo stuff with Larson and Byron. Chase was around but declined to participate. Bowman wasn't there at all. I feel this is pretty telling of the hierarchy in the organization.

 

I think Byron is Gordon's pet project and the long term plan. Larson has the most talent so they give him the assets to maximize his potential while he is in house. Chase brings the most money so he does whatever he wants and they allow it while giving him decent stuff. Bowman knows his days are numbered. HMS has never had 4 strong teams. I suspect the 48 is more of a test vehicle at this point. I have noticed that Jeff is the face of the organization now. Rick was in Daytona before the 500 but it looks like he returned to NC before it was over because I did not see anything with him around after it was over. I think HMS is in great hands with Jeff and Chad. I suspect that is why Rick and Linda made such a big deal about the 40th year last year. They were passing the torch.

 

So folks think Byron is secretly Gordon's kid. Both Jeff and Brooke were separated for a while and had some side business going on. I don't put much stock into it. Byron was born in '97. The Gordons split around '01.

There's more to the deal with Byron's dad, a legal Fixer deeply involved in Liberty University finances, some accusations against the Falwell family, and how Byron's dad managed to get all that quickly and quietly swept away.

 

We need to get Jeff, Brooke , Byron and Byron’s alleged Father in on the show to reveal the DNA results. Jeff and Byron’s alleged father can duke it out while Byron’s mom dances on the stripper pole.

 

Chad did Great things with JJ, But How Much of it was Cheating that they didn't get Caught doing? Without Chad (Cheating ) Jimmy doesn't do well. I was wondering if the 24 was going to pass inspection after the 500 Sunday.