Great NASCAR Racing With A HEATED Rant...

[@TnTProDuctionsFilms]

Ross Chastain has explained one time in trucks that if it's a good watermelon and he doesn't win, they usually cut it open and the whole team eats it. However if the watermelon is not to great they will actually keep the melon for next week. Sometimes though if they don't have a watermelon at the track, Ross's brother has flown over a watermelon to the track and hand deliver it to Ross.

[@rodneyproductions5044]

I was curious thanks for sharing

[@lokcoadv]

Well, that's interesting. It's good too, think all the calories Chastain has burnt up inside the car.

[@darkridearts]

That’s crazy lol

[@brendamonterroso]

👍

[@mikebarnes7441]

Flown over a watermelon? What the hell do you even mean by that? How does one get the message of who won the race and proceed to fly a watermelon to whichever track the race was at that particular week? All really quickly during post-race

[@DennyDeliversYT]

Ross Chastain’s sponsor: _iFly._ Bowman and Allmendinger in the final corners: *_iWrecked…_*

[@Dennyhamlin23XI]

😂😭

[@jameswormsley460]

🤣🤣

[@cjsnascarrecaps9429]

LOL

[@ScottG91]

All the cautions especially on these big road courses like today need to be a quicky yellow. Whenever the pace car picks up the field the next time by the start finish line should be the 1 to go. They do not need a twenty minute caution for a stalled car.

[@glowman48]

yeah exactly. especially after stages. I get TV's need commercials but no need to waste 6 laps under caution if there wasn't even a wreck to end the stage. Needs to be quick yellows for sure.

[@theCDGeffect]

I really think NASCAR could do with a virtual safety car similar to F1, and local cautions

[@alexviveiros]

Bowman driving style is like matt Kenseth and harvick in the mid 2000s . just wait till the end of the race to lead the last 5 laps and get the win the 🏆 just says who won not how many laps you lead

[@markydubs416]

It definitely does say how many laps you lead, check racing reference

[@jeffy4368]

the only BS moment is NASCAR taking its time putting out a caution when the 47 was just sitting their

[@huntervalentine4180]

One reason the race is so long is because the cautions take forever. On every track. Not just road courses. For some reason in the past few years the NASCAR officials have struggled with keeping cautions organized and quick.

[@drakeaamold7577]

God is good

[@DanLMH]

So TV can run ads lol, pretty simple

[@weatroreport]

@@DanLMH but they show most of the caution laps and then cut to commercial a few minutes after the restart. It makes no sense

[@huntervalentine4180]

@@weatroreport your definitely not wrong

[@GhostTransit]

I am a Suarez fan. I came into this race after quali expecting a top 4 or at least a top ten. It really annoys me when we get our day ruined twice by two backmarker drivers. Both Lajoie and Mcdowell killed our race

[@nascarsam6161]

Say what you want about Ross Chastain, but the fact that he now has 4 Top 3’s while Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr, Denny Hamlin, and Brad Keselowski all don’t even have one Top 3 this season is downright incredible.

[@whiteboi_18]

2022 nascar champ here we come

[@Mark-ct7sj]

Kyle would have a win and probably two top fives if he won Vegas he’s been the most dominant veteran this year by far

[@SpeedStats]

It's more amazing to me how Hamlin doesn't have a top 10 finish at this point in the season

[@smileygladhands]

Ross has 4 top 5's, the next most top 5's is 2, held by several drivers. That's pretty amazing for a new team.

[@dcaseng]

I completely agree with the rant. I was screaming when I saw Suarez stay out, and I screamed even louder when he was knocked out on the restart.

[@willgriffin5647]

I mean, teams have been pitting or staying out since 2016 and that's something nascar, nbc, and fox ALWAYS hype. Fyi, Chase has show MULTIPLE times you can pass on road courses. Hell, Bell was a lap down and got 3rd. Teams have been and be doing this until stages end. You and Rad seem to be in a minority on pit strategy and points.

[@dcaseng]

@@willgriffin5647 More often than not, track position has proven to be the most important thing at road courses. I'm not saying I'm 100% right, but restarting in the middle of the pack is a recipe for disaster.

[@williamsmith2922]

The 600 is going to feel like watching Le Mans

[@zaccavender6634]

I never noticed how long cup races were until I started watching F1. Been watching nascar since 1995. Not a fan of stage racing or playoffs but my point is F1 races are so quick you feel like everything is in a rhythm and each move matters that much more. Good points man.

[@kylewagoner]

Austin Dillon 10th at a road course is kinda wild. RCR and affiliates so strong this year.

[@maxstoaks1495]

Did I hear before today that he had never finished top 10 on a roadcourse?

[@theCDGeffect]

part of what makes NASCAR interesting to me is the endurance part. shorter races (2-3hrs) would be ok to me if 2 things were to change: 1) no commercial breaks (side by side is still fine IMO), and 2) no stages.

[@jonnyholden2056]

Have to disagree with you on saying points don’t matter this early, they absolutely matter all season. Only race stage points don’t matter is the championship race. Also as far as Almendingers team keeping track position over going for points, they are racing for trophy’s only, not the championship. As far as chastains move to win the race, he kind of had to send almendinger into bowman or else I think bowman wins the race. Either way great race and good to see a new driver and new team win the race.

[@rftsfan1479]

100% agree!

[@rantheman7779]

In 2021 2 playoff drivers were winless. In 2020, 3 playoff drivers were winless. That is such a small number of drivers that actually need to care about regular season points. And considering stage points don’t carry over into the playoffs unless you win the stage, for a whopping 1 point, that’s even less reason to care about a stage finish. On top of all that, road courses can be very difficult to pass on, especially without the luck of cautions forcing restarts, so losing track position at the end of stage 2 could cost a driver a better finishing position at the end of the race. If you score 5 stage points but lose 3 positions at the finish, then was it really worth it? Especially if you could’ve been contending for a win in the “win and your in” scoring system NASCAR is currently using??? Racing for stage points is an admission that you don’t believe you can win the race. So the group of drivers that have a legitimate reason to be racing for stage points this early in the season can be narrowed down to drivers who are having a crappy race, don’t believe they will win all season, and who think they are still good enough to make the playoffs without winning. What is that… like 2 teams? Less?

[@JackTASM2]

@@rftsfan1479 me too! Alex Bowman’s 2020 season can be looked at as for why the stage points were crucial in the playoffs as he got to the Round of 8 that year thanks in most part to the aforementioned stage points!

[@jerryhamilton84]

If you don't like the length of the races then don't start watching until halfway through and then you don't have to worry about it

[@whalesequence]

Hendrick engines and chassis' are absolutely dominating this season.

[@sonnydog830]

Those are Childress cars that are up there. Sure only one Childress car has won vs 3 Hendrick cars, but the consistent top 5 has been the Richard Childress Racing alliance of PGMS, RCR, and TH.

[@kevincantrell1459]

Still a hendrick/Childress engine

[@jpeg4tw]

That race felt pretty short, it should've honestly been longer

[@48nation]

Chastain said on the NWP that he and his crew eat it after the race in sadness

[@334outdoors8]

I know you acknowledge it but I like the endurance factor of nascar so races do need to be shortened but I don’t like the idea of trying to get them under a time limit also I want to see stages without stage cautions I think that would make strategy so much more fun to watch

[@drakeaamold7577]

God bless 🙏

[@MLGProSwag69]

I don't hate staying out for stage points if you're a guy with title aspirations who does not have race winning pace, playoff points are what help you get to the Final 4 unless you choke like 2020 Harvick

[@mikeybrown6526]

yeah I agree but the point to me is if u have chip aspirations den u should not b feening for points cause yk eventually with ya team/motors ur gonna b in winning situation

[@MLGProSwag69]

@@mikeybrown6526 every point helps, the regular season points reward bonus playoff points after Daytona II for the top 10.

[@willgriffin5647]

@@mikeybrown6526 i have never had issues with stage strategy and you know fox and nbc love it. It's ALWAYS one of their "keys to victory" at road courses and Pocono. It creates suspense and nascar loves that. Besides, we've seen passing be easier in recent years at some courses.

[@mikeybrown6526]

@@willgriffin5647 nah me either i only don’t want stage racing in superspeedways cause alot of the top teir drivers or drivers that supposed to be dere in the end get screwed over intense racing 4 points if that makes sense

[@aldouscoroza]

Honestly I would get rid of Stage Racing and the Playoffs as a Whole in NASCAR. What I would do go back to a Full Season Points Format, but the Catch here is in Cup, only the Top 25 Score Points So here is my Points format, its a Hybrid of IndyCar Points, Latford Points, and F1 Points: 1st - 70 2nd - 50 3rd - 45 4th - 40 5th - 37 6th - 34 7th - 31 8th - 28 9th - 25 10th - 22 11th - 20 12th - 18 13th - 16 14th - 14 15th - 12 16th - 10 17th - 9 18th - 8 19th - 7 20th - 6 21st - 5 22nd - 4 23rd - 3 24th - 2 25th - 1 Top 10 after Qualifying Score Points: 1st - 10 2nd - 9 3rd - 8 4th - 7 5th - 6 6th - 5 7th - 4 8th - 3 9th - 2 10th - 1

[@JamieMacRules1]

Bowman was fastest car in stage 1. Got screwed by your aforementioned strategy choice of staying out, but battled his way back into top 10, then top 5 and nearly won. Top 5 car in terms of speed all day

[@bobbymartin2143]

Facts

[@bobbymartin2143]

He was just as fast if not faster than the leader all day. Maybe could’ve won the race if they hadn’t went for stage points in stage 1

[@ReturnoftheDILF]

The race today was so long because everyone started wrecking.

[@justinerickson7237]

Unexpectedly? They need to plan for that take away one 'staged break' and shorten all the non crown jewel races by at least 50 laps. My local dirt track cleans up cautions faster and its run by 10-20 volunteers.

[@chady1229]

bowman was literally the fastest car all day on lap times just saying he needed track position but after every restart he gained positions 3rd in stage 1 on speed without anyone pitting ahead of him restarted 25th or so drove to 15th end of stage 2 or caution then drove up through the top 10 to 4th on the final restart but all day he was clearly the fastest fox just doesent pay him any attention

[@chromediesel444]

The only way I see stage racing go away if NASCAR changes their points format back to the Chase era or similar to Bob Latfords format. I would just be fine with not throwing yellows and focus on interesting strategies of 2 or 3 stops on road racing.

[@edwuncleriii1922]

Another thing that is worthy of a rant is Chase Elliott's crew fucking him over every race when it counts the most. Today he was in the top 4 with 25 to go, pits, then comes out 11th on the restart. He had to use all his tires and brakes to finish 4th.

[@alexwilcoxson1279]

Being a Chaes Elliott fan I just think every time he comes to the pits what is going to happen this time. And they never disappoint in giving a bad pit stop.

[@edwuncleriii1922]

@@alexwilcoxson1279 I think the exact same thing. No other pit crew sucks this bad.

[@turbotron42069]

losing 7 positions every pit stop: chase elliott fans 🤝 ryan blaney fans

[@willgriffin5647]

If they suck, how come he's been defending them since 2016? Btw, they WON him the championship. They were also top 5 overall last year. This team ALWAYS starts slow. They usually need a couple months to be on all 8 cylinders. April and May is when they look unstoppable.

[@edwuncleriii1922]

@@willgriffin5647 they're a good crew at the beginning of the race but the most important pit stop is always the last one and that's when they choke.

[@seandecker1632]

I wouldn't mind them shortening all the races except for the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500. These races just feel so long. I don't mind watching a 4 hour long race as long as it doesn't feel like I'm sitting there for 4 hours.

[@ffr8186]

Add the Bristol Night Race as a 500 and I agree with you!

[@naparacingfan9275]

Introducing the NASCAR 1 Lap Cup Series. Race lengths are 15 seconds to 2 minutes and 30 seconds long. The greatest drivers in NASCAR battle for 1 lap at Bristol, Martinsville, Homestead, Daytona, Pocono, COTA, and many other tracks. It's the perfect series for short attention spans.

[@starz7536]

It wouldn't have mattered where AJ bumped Chastain. If the opportunity is given, they will take it. It could be 4-5 turns away, or the last turn. If they believe they can get away, they will take that risk. If not, well, you open yourself up to receiving a harsher bump. In all honesty, all the racers should expect this and yet some of them (I'm looking at YOU, Hamlin, Logano...) cry about it despite them having done it to other drivers in the exact same scenario. Unfortunately, the downside of this is that you could get wrecked or wreck someone else in the process but the point of the matter still stands: it doesn't matter where you make the move, it's a risk they're willing to take because it's the second to last lap of the race and they're going to do anything and everything to get that win. Any driver in that situation will take that risk and each of them should expect this. And if it wrecks the competitor? Well, that's just rotten luck.

[@copocopocopocopo]

7:51 Four Chevies in the top 5 looks like a manufacturer feat, but I remember seeing 5 Chevies in the top 5 most of the race, probably because Allmendinger was in a Chevy, and would've won/ gotten 2nd if he didn't spin. Chevy just DOMINATED the race.

[@darkridearts]

COTA is one of my favorite tracks. Enjoyed all the races this weekend

[@hexenmotorsport]

If we got rid of stages, we wouldn't have to worry about crew chiefs making dumb strategy calls....

[@shawnschaitel838]

Here is the thing points do matter because points are the first or 2nd major tie breaker if more than 16 drivers win races that are in the top 30

[@johnstottlemyer4080]

What if Suarez’s team knew he wasn’t going to win the race so they’re trying to rack up early points?

[@TheLilmanbambam]

I agree with the race length thing. I've started watching F1 (thanks to you) and I love how quick and snappy everything is. I'm spoiled with it, but then I go to watch nascar and I dread to watch for the next three to four hours. Thank God the racing is good this year though

[@ihateracin]

Quick and snappy, but will it be interesting for most of it? Seems a bit much to be honest. In Nascar, there’s lots of commercial time sure, but let’s say you watch football, league and FIFA, or American football. Will you find yourself uninterested in watching three to four hours of football in a day?

[@TheLilmanbambam]

@@ihateracin it would probably be interesting considering they would be making more moves since the races would be shorter instead of holding back until the last 50 laps. I watch and enjoy the NFL, but if the NFL mandated 4 hour games I would be extremely uninterested. That's too long for me personally.

[@ihateracin]

@@TheLilmanbambam I don’t know if you’ve been watching the races this year, but in F1 the safety car is the decider of races just like cautions in Nascar. So far in the last three races, two were somewhat decided by the safety car, and in nascar, almost every race has ended in an overtime restart. However, in Nascar, every reastart and stage end get intense, so every 25 min or so there’s something absolutely incredible to watch, whereas after the safety car is pretty much just the same two dudes going at it. I like both sports, but they don’t wait for the last 50 to race hard, otherwise they wouldn’t be anywhere near the front of the 40 car pack. Watch a while Nascar broadcast, especially at places like road courses, Phoenix, Bristol. The restarts are nuts, and traffic management is super important.

[@ihateracin]

@@TheLilmanbambam but, I hear and I get you, you’re not wrong,

[@aldouscoroza]

I loved todays Race at COTA and Saudi Arabia. Both Crazy Finishes. Tho I am not a Fan of Seeing COTA at the End of March. So what I would suggest is, F1, IndyCar, and Cup Triple Header in October: • IndyCar - Saturday 12 nn ET (57 Laps) • Cup - Sunday 12 nn ET (58 Laps) • F1 - Sunday 3 pm ET (56 Laps)

[@PegassoGaming956]

Just got back from Austin from the race. I lost my voice cheering on my compatriot Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain today. My sister, who went to a NASCAR race for the first time ever, also enjoyed the atmosphere

[@andrewwaring3643]

I’d be OK with shorter races if ticket prices weren’t so damn high.

[@maxstoaks1495]

Ticket prices being high is a good thing sadly.. we spent a good 5-8 years where tracks were tearing down stands and still not being able to fill what they had.. ticket prices being high means there’s a demand.. nobody has screamed.. “nascar is dying” this year or last year.. will it ever be the way it was with dale and Gordon in the 90s? No.. but we’re doing better and growing the sport back a little more.. unfortunately a consequence of that is higher ticket prices..

[@jaycee3399]

I was there and let me tell you, the finish had people going nuts! It was a fantastic freakin race! What’s crazy is my wife said when we met him that he was going to win. She called it hahahaha

[@AffectingsYT]

What a great race today! Nascar has always had 3-4 hour races. It doesn't need to change imo. I personally love the length. Excited for Richmond!

[@copocopocopocopo]

I know I'm 2 days late, but... congrats Ross on your win! I was with my grandma in her retirement home room cheering you on! A shame how Allmendinger went from 2nd all the way to 33rd, last car in the race. I hate that for him.

[@CoryLowe]

Alex Bowman is the new Closer in the cup series.. it doesnt matter what you did the whole day if you are up front at the end thats all that matters

[@jc1424]

I find it strange that they be picking between points and winning. You really can't get both in this situation.

[@willgriffin5647]

Chase has gotten stage AND race wins at road courses, sooooo yeah. Btw, this pit or don't pit has been a thing since stages started in 2016. I have ZERO issues with it.

[@jc1424]

@@willgriffin5647 I'm talking about this race

[@willgriffin5647]

@@jc1424 Rad was talking about EVERY road course since 2016 though. I was pointing out that you can get stage and race wins in the same race. Btw, the 2 pitted in stage 1 and still got 10th. If you have a big enough lead, you can pit and get stage points. It's not uncommon for 11th to be 60-90 seconds behind the leader at some of these courses.

[@jc1424]

@@willgriffin5647 10th 1 point UwU

[@jabber1990]

Nascar won't do local cautions if they have to deploy a vehicle

[@Blood-PawWerewolf]

I won’t be surprised that unsmashed watermelon is shared across the team after each race.

[@smileygladhands]

I think I've heard that Ross' team always brings watermelon to eat, and if he wins they just bring out one of the extras. The guy was/is a watermelon farmer, so I'd imagine he gets plenty for free.

[@maestro4287]

In defense of Saurez's crew chief, they developed steering issues near end of first stage, pitted to try to fix. Shortly into stage 2 they lost power steering completely for the rest of the race. Danny boy be hurting for a while I think.

[@Regigigagod]

I’m glad you are liking these races, as I enjoy the post race reviews. Keep them coming! I think every race has been good so far except for phoenix. Buttt…. I blame the resin for that race.

[@MrYoung86]

Last years F1 race at COTA was 56 laps. 68 laps in significantly slower cars definitely feels too long. I live in Europe so I went to bed after the second stage and recorded the rest. Watching the third stage after work today felt almost like watching a full race. Just my opinion of course, but I'd say around 2 hours for road courses, and 2/1-3 hours for ovals is a suitable race length. When its getting in the 3-4 hour region is when I start to loose interest and just want it to be over.

[@shawnmcdermid4012]

Points standings going into the playoffs award playoff points… so that’s something that most fans don’t think about. I think if you are contending for a regular season championship then 15 playoff points is better than the 5 that a race win would pay out.

[@timmay2k]

They should just do away with stages entirely. It was a monster energy thing. These cuation laps are getting out of control.

[@SlimJimJZ]

The introduction of stages had nothing to do with the title sponsor, this was NASCAR trying to find a way to create commercial windows for the broadcasts.

[@felixeur1276]

They probably have watermelon in the hauler and use them as a fruit snack during the weekend. It gets used next week if he doesn't win. Then they get potato chips & beer if they win the next week

[@Dennyhamlin23XI]

I mean aj didn't dump ross Chastain but it's okay for him to dump the rc ringer if you think that's road course racing that ain't it

[@NottherealKyleLarson]

Denny delivered with a W take

[@billsbetterthanurteam8488]

He didn’t dump him lol. He pushed him up the track and he hit bowman which made him spun. Why can’t people actually see that holy fuck

[@thatcarguydom266]

@@billsbetterthanurteam8488 more specifically, Chastain bodied the Dinger, which is completely fair play.

[@Dennyhamlin23XI]

@@NottherealKyleLarson 🧡💜🤘

[@daviddudycz5351]

The was exciting in the final 10 laps and OT. The first two were kind of uneventful in terms of action. I loved the three way battle between Bowman, Chastain, and Allmendinger! It was an edge of your seat moment and I didn't know who was gonna win! Those three all had the best chance to win it. Congrats to Chastain. New winner and new chase contender.

[@jacobevenson8702]

4:40 Randomly watching this over a year later, had Blaney not got those stage points, he wouldn't have made the playoffs.

[@danielellington1829]

you're the reason I got into NASCAR 👍

[@MarkOliveras215]

I thought the rant was about how long the race was but yeah I agree, don’t remove the Stage Racing on Road Courses or the Cautions in Stage Racing in general + even if there was no Stage Racing/Cautions, there’s no way the race would’ve went Caution Free + the rant was spot on! Some of the crew chiefs are a bunch of idiotic jackasses with their questionable call and I was very unhappy when Suarez got dumped as I wanted to see him win to see my father happy as he’s a DS99 fan too! His day is coming but I’m also happy for the Melon Man! He’s grown on me since he came to Trackhouse and began running well after I disliked him in Xfinity and Trucks in 2019/20. Good video Radman!

[@JBAlternate]

I know this was technically a long race, but it didn't feel that long to me. A lot of cautions for sure, but the racing was good so I enjoyed it. I think three hours is ideal. Anything less is too short. Four hours or more is too long. I also wish they had a full post race show.

[@aaronleesgbclieutenant]

I do understand your view about some of the races being long and agree that some races are. But as far as COTA, you have to remember they were in double overtime after a plethura of cautions

[@matthewbyers9574]

Points do matter, because the regular season champ gets 15 playoff points, 2nd gets 10 playoff points, 3rd gets 8 playoff points and then thru 10th gets 1 playoff point

[@michaelrichard316]

I had no problem with how they raced at the end. Allmendinger is just out there trying to collect trophies, so his bump on Chastain was fine. Chastain had the best car the last part of the race, so it's not like he bumped AJ to steal the win. I seem to remember that AJ ran the last lap of his first win at Watkins Glen similarly to Chastain's last lap yesterday, so not really sure why he was so snarky. Also, I think it might be time to consider Alex Bowman a legitimate title contender. He runs well at all the different styles of tracks, and he's around at the end.

[@whiteboi_18]

Of course my man Kfb chokes on the last lap and spins out. He finished 16th instead of 5th 😔 What ru doing buschy

[@truenorthcanadian5628]

I think he finished 28th, so it definitely didn't end well for him. 😂

[@ReturnoftheDILF]

He got wrecked lmao

[@catfishthelambs5923]

Finishing posiotion doesn't even matter anymore with the playoff system, so don't worry

[@whiteboi_18]

@@catfishthelambs5923 true

[@cruisinwithcorey]

Was anyone else waiting for a whose line is it anyway meme during the points rant?

[@itsmb8]

Wait can someone explain what happened with the stages? Why would a stage winner start back in 20th?

[@rantheman7779]

Because road course laps are so long, pitting during a green flag won’t even come close to putting you a lap down. Then the stage ends, the yellow flag comes out, the field is bunched up, and everyone who has to pit gets passed by everyone who pitted during the green flag. So a guy in 20th that pitted with 3 to go in the stage would restart in front of the stage winner who had to pit during the yellow

[@willgriffin5647]

@@rantheman7779 Cindric pitted in stage 1 and still got 10th soooo yeah. Your point is flawed. Fyi, the 5, 9, and 19/78 have been able to get a stage AND race win in the SAME race. Other teams might have too.

[@itsmb8]

@@rantheman7779 the easiest solution would be to just not throw a yellow after each stage ends.

[@rantheman7779]

@@itsmb8 agreed

[@rantheman7779]

@@willgriffin5647 I wasn’t making a “point”? He asked why a stage winner would start in 20th in the following stage, I explained that it’s because of the length of the track. I didn’t give an argument about whether it was good or bad strategy at all… I just answered a question

[@epugh0468]

Kyle busch went from battling for a top 5 to 28th in the last lap and nobody seems to have noticed

[@legorobotics1017]

As a Chase fan I feel the call Alan did at the end of stage one put Chase behind even more Then his pit crew decided it’s pointless to do good idk what’s wrong with his team rn

[@johnsmith-ko8vq]

Yah I was wondering what happened to him saw Kyle larson spin then next thing you know he couple spots behind chase.

[@legorobotics1017]

@@johnsmith-ko8vq Alan has made some questionable calls this year and I always try to stick up for him but it’s starting to get hard to when that happens

[@danielschell3839]

chase elliott needs a new pit crew

[@daltonmoon6493]

So tired of ppl acting like bowman has no talent he is a good strategist some guys wreck out of the race trying to get first spot early in the race bowman cruises until about the last 15-20 laps and goes for the win at a better time being a hood racer has a lot more to it than just poles and position on restarts like Dale Sr. Once said the only lap that matters is the last one also it’s just dumb to say he is not good u rlly think Rick Hendrick would have a bad driver on his team …. No way!!! Also he driving Jimmie Johnsons old car so that should tell you enough about him dude is one of the most consistent guys out there as well I can see maybe a championship or 2 for him b4 he is all said and done

[@tsholts5173]

Agreed with everything (except maybe the consistent part as he had the lowest avg finish out of the 4 last year)! Just wanna say that Larson actually took over Johnson's team as Bowman still has Dale Jr's team, just moved the numbers around. Just like how Gordon's old team is #9 now and Kahne's old team is #24 now 😅

[@daltonmoon6493]

@@tsholts5173 being the least consistent out of a hendrick team isn’t as bad as it sounds Elliot is a champion Larson was called the best driver ever by tony Stewart last year and Byron is only 24 and has a co-signs from legends all around nascar a lot of teams and drivers would love to have his average finish I just think ppl hate him bc he beats ppl with his mind over than just the car he drives I say he is a top 10 driver in nascar right now but I agree as far as the hendrick team he is only better than Byron but we all now Will Byron has the most potential out of the Hendrick team

[@mikeybrown6526]

Love what u just said dude

[@brockconsalo1838]

Bowman is not driving Jimmie Johnson car, he is driving the old 88 car. Kyle Larson is driving Jimmie Johnson car. I agree with everything else you said!

[@britannic27]

Rusty Wallace: "I tried desperately to get back to him to knock the shit out of him"

[@rantheman7779]

To everyone saying the races aren’t too long… you’re wrong. Because it’s not about what serious NASCAR fans want. Serious NASCAR fans will watch the races no matter if they’re 2 hours or 4 hours. It’s about what’s best for the sport, what grows the sport. That means getting the casual viewers in. Why should a casual viewer stick around and watch a race where the first 2 hours or so are effectively filler and don’t honestly matter??? On lap 42 of 69 Erik Jones went a lap down. He ended the race in 9th. That’s how little the first 40 laps mattered. Races need to be shorter to be more engaging and entertaining, specifically to the potential viewers who have no reason to care about two thirds of the race right now. I’m not saying run 20 laps… but clearly almost 70 was too many. More laps, more racing, isn’t always better. The more laps you add, the less each lap is worth

[@willgriffin5647]

Honestly, I've been a diehard NASCAR fan and aside from Indy and Monaco. I don't give a rat's ass about open wheel. Hell, I enjoy the IMSA endurance races more than the regular 2hr races. But obviously my opinion doesn't mean shit, according to you. I've been watching since 01 and I'm tired of race legths being messed with. Any TRUE fan would want to see these drivers spend an afternoon testing man and machine. We've seen even these new gen 7 cars break down. Endurance is the TRUE test in ALL racing. Oh, NFL takes 3.5 to 4hrs and look at their ratings. Just saying.

[@rantheman7779]

@@willgriffin5647 first, dunno why you brought up open wheel. I didn’t. Second, endurance being what’s supposedly important in a race is your opinion, and that’s fine I guess, some people have to like cross-country more than track, but we’re talking about trying to grow the fanbase. Like I said if you’re a diehard fan you’re already watching. If you had to get a friend who’d never seen a race before into NASCAR, which would you show them first, the finishes and the restarts, or the “endurance” of racing, when 99% of the field gets single file and they’re just running laps around COTA??? And you can’t really compare NASCAR to the NFL… they’re about as opposite as sports can be. But for the sake of it… my example of Jones bouncing back was to make a point. Simply, none of the first 40 laps mattered for him. Whether he’d been first or last for 40 laps… who cares? The earlier parts of the race only serve to setup the finish. Drivers put themselves in the best position to succeed in the last few laps. But if the race is too long, you devalue those early laps. Especially in NASCAR where passing is ridiculously easier than in motorsports like F1, where you can end your chances of winning a race before the race even starts with a poor qualifying outing. To compare NASCAR to football, well what if at the end of the 3rd quarter they said “okay that was fun… but now let’s take all the points away from both teams, and give whoever had the lead 3 points. We’ll start the 4th quarter 3-0”. Why would anyone watch the first 3 quarters if they weren’t a serious football fan? And if you think that’s an extreme example… well it is. But again, Jones, who isn’t even an elite driver, went from dead last, 20 seconds behind the car in front of him and 40+ back from the leaders, to top 10 in less than 20 laps on a road course, the hardest type of track to make passes on. If he can do that, then who cares where any driver is throughout the early parts of the race? I mean… legitimately… does qualifying even matter anymore? If Kyle Larson had started every race last season from the back, would he not have still been the driver to beat all year? That is my point. In order for the entire race to be good and entertaining, especially to a more casual viewer (that hopefully eventually becomes a serious fan) every lap has to matter. If you can cut the first 20 laps out of a race and not change the finishing results of the race, why would you leave those 20 laps in?!?!?!

[@willgriffin5647]

@@rantheman7779 I completely understand, but I've always loved spending the afternoon watching cars inches apart for hours. If nascar survived the 70s and 80s when there could be laps NOT seconds between positions, they can survive this. Fyi, I DON'T want these annoying gen whatevers ruining MY sport. I'm still waiting for them to protest beer and soda being on the sport. If you don't know your gender or who you want to date, gtfo of the sport. Today's "adults" are causing so much drama. I want to have my 00s nascar and NOTHING you say with sway me.

[@rantheman7779]

@@willgriffin5647 you suddenly made this very politically charged… I think I’m gonna avoid that :D the only point I want to make is that just bcs it worked in the past doesn’t mean it will continue to work. The whole reason NASCAR has tried new things like stages and the playoff format (that nobody likes) is bcs NASCAR has been nowhere close to the popularity it used to have. Things will have to be innovated in order to keep up with the times. Unfortunately for all of us, we’re not still racing in the early 00’s, so as the fans of that time period grow older there will be less and less interest in NASCAR unless a new demographic is reached. But I guess you don’t care about the sport as a whole and are simply focused on getting the product you want, which is fair! But unfortunately for you the trend is likely to move away from what you want and instead go towards maintaining or growing the popularity of NASCAR

[@OumuamuaOumuamua]

The ending was great. I agree these races are very long, I honestly think nascar races are way too long in my opinion. The restarts at the end of the race really started to piss me off

[@r48productions]

I have to disagree with making the races shorter. I’ll take a shorter schedule just to save money for the teams.

[@mustpotato41]

They need to stop closing the pits before the stage end

[@shawnschaitel838]

Dr Evil "HOW ABOUT NO'

[@NeonGhostin]

Agreed, these races are too long. 500 mile races were born from the desire to have attrition from mechanical failures. That really doesn't exist anymore. Even with this new car, I think nascar is still only averaging 2 competitors per race recieving DNFs due to mechanical issues. IMO, with the exceptions of Daytona 500 and Coke 600, I think it's time for Nascar to figure out how to get these races complete (green to checkers) in a window of 3 hours or less (on average).

[@sebastiandamico2371]

Let's look forward to Martinsville when the race will be shorter

[@UGAfan12132]

I agree with everything not to be a homer, I also don't know why AJ didn't wait until either the 2nd to last corner or last corner to make his move

[@doxie_gaming]

First off, stage racing does NEED to go! Period! Can't do it for this year obviously the way points is set up and all that but get rid of it for next season and forever more! There is absolutely nothing wrong with race lengths. Want to know what makes the races longer? Stage racing and the package of the Cup cars using 550 package. Granted, this year they are using more HP so the cars are faster which is a huge plus. But stage racing will make the race slower because you are stopping the race at each end if a stage. Then doing pace laps on a track like COTA to do pit stops and then get ready for a restart LOL. I mean come on, common sense says that takes up alot of time. Short tracks might be different and maybe a 1.5, you'll have to go back to see how long the races were but yeah. You'll get the point. Gather a bunch of friends and/or subscribers and run a 100% race around COTA or Watkins Glen on iRacing for that matter and tell me the race finished just at the 3 hour mark or just under. I can promise that! I've done quite a few 100% races in the past and we never went past 3 hours and 5 minutes. Without stage racing because iracing doesn't have anything like that on there. Its straight up. Hear me out though, If people are bored of green flag racing and long green flag runs, then obviously people are not paying attention to what is going on within the race or just not giving shit and that they were bored many times from 2016 to many previous years before they implemented stages in NASCAR. Like seriously! I love green flag runs and I love paying attention to the strategy of pit stops and what the drivers say over a course of a run with no caution in site. I really get into that because I'm a race fan and I love trying to put myself as a crew chief on what should this driver do. I've loved it for years and years! Kinda Larry Mac style 😎. It's a thrill! Overall, there is nothing wrong with race lengths. Just takes one guy (Not you) to complain about something that NASCAR has had with these race lengths for years (except new tracks like Cota). Normally the ones to complain is the ones that are bored or get bored. Two little things I'm going to add because I typed enough lol. Atlanta should NOT be a mini superspeedway and I hope they bring the same package to Atlanta next time that they will be driving and have been driving (Vegas & Auto Club) on all the other 1.5 mile tracks to 2.0 mile tracks . Theres nothing wrong with Atlanta and its current layout, bring a different freaking package! More HP. Atlanta should not be a mini Daytona and Talladega. Secondly, yes the crew chiefs are incredibly stupid. I can't argue that.

[@willgriffin5647]

Atlanta HAS to use the tapered spacers. They tried the 670 during testing and they go too fast. You would have a 2009/2010 Edward's/Keselowski wreck everytime someone spins. I think Atlanta would have been fine just being repaved. If you're going to add more super speedways. Do it to Auto Club, Michigan, and/or Texas. Atlanta should have just been repaved and not reconfigured.

[@doxie_gaming]

@@willgriffin5647 I can agree and disagree. They used the regular 550 package (Tapered) and it produced shitty racing. Everyone last season complained about the racing on 1.5 mile tracks or greater (except Daytona & Dega. Lower HP packages KILL 1.5 mile tracks and the results show. Everyone skeptical about Texas. Texas ot killed for 2 reasons. It's dumb reconfiguration and the packages NASCAR brought there. I think we'll see a bit different racing with the 670 package but damn I really wish they wouldn't of reconfigured that track. Just repave it. More I think about it, even if you bring a higher HP there, I don't think it would up the ante much there. That layout is just dumb, ridiculous, and not necessary. Overall that layout killed that track. Same goes for Kentucky and look how that track ended up. Lol I dont believe the 670 is too fast because for years 2014 and prior they had 850 HP reaching 200+ into the corner. Especially from turn 4 to turn 1. If we are legitimatly scared on going fast, simply stay the hell home! Might as well say Indy car is too fast and Sprint dirt cars around the dirt short tracks are too fast. Hell, those cars have flipped more than your 3400 pound stock cars in NASCAR. Racing is and forever will be a dangerous sport. I do applaud the safer barriers and cars being built to help protect the drivers better over the years. Too fast isnt an issue and i think many drivers can agree. Also, the last time a car flipped over on its roof in a Cup car, i believe was the Kesolowski and Edward's incident which was a preventable situation if Edward's didn't intentionally just turn into his quarter panel like he did. I can't remember a time a car even flipped at Atlanta other than that incident. If anyone can point out another car flipping at Atlanta, I love to see it because I don't remember it. I do agree with that Atlanta should of just been repaved instead of reconfigured but im curious if 24 to 28 degrees of banking would really make a difference. Im not sure. It could. I'd have to see a race with a 670 package or more to really compare it.

[@willgriffin5647]

@@doxie_gaming maybe nascar will send some teams down to test with 670 package. I did find Atlanta to be fun, but idk if I will in a couple yrs.

[@racegrubb2152]

Also bowman kind of reminds me of terry labonte in his driving

[@derekcoffey607]

I too wonder about the Sunday watermelon

[@mustpotato41]

Horrible coverage today by fox

[@willgriffin5647]

Nothing But Commercials ALWAYS has been shit. They ALWAYS will be too. Btw, it looks like 2026 will be fox and espn. NBC is looking to ditch nascar AGAIN. At least fox has been committed since 2001. NBC left for 8yrs AND even threw shade at nascar and fans in 2006 at Phoenix.

[@curtisharvey5579]

Points do matter... Every position higher in the top 10 in points is worth a Playoff point. Literally being 6th in points instead of 7 is worth a stage win playoff points wise. I rant all the time about people acting like the current points format makes points irrelevant, it doesn't, people just don't pay attention to the details

[@catfishthelambs5923]

They don't really matter

[@curtisharvey5579]

@@catfishthelambs5923 They do tho... every year come playoff time people are talking about how important each playoff point is, and you gotta get that stage win to earn a playoff point... but Blaney went from 6th to 2nd in points today, thats 5 playoff points

[@catfishthelambs5923]

@@curtisharvey5579 But if you are winless, it doesn't matter

[@catfishthelambs5923]

@@curtisharvey5579 If you have 6 stage wins and no wins do you get in over a driver with 1 win no stage wins?

[@curtisharvey5579]

@@catfishthelambs5923 I think the 12 team is confident enough I'm themselves to expect to get a win, same with the 9 etc. And yes, unless something that has literally never happened before ,happens, winless drivers make the playoffs. Elliott has 0 wins, 0 stage wins, but currently has the most playoff points by leading the points (which also locks him in to the playoffs if he stays there)

[@lucasshirley4435]

As a Blaney fan I just want to say Thank You. I’ll leave it at that. Have a great day

[@nascarfan1014]

If Alex Bowman wasn’t there then I feel like AJ would’ve save the car and had possibly in the final corner sent it into Ross Chastain to win

[@rantheman7779]

I think there’s a difference between bumping someone and wrecking them. AJ moved Chastain in such a manner that Chastain was never really in danger of wrecking. That is good, hard racing. Chastain absolutely sent AJ. Maybe if Bowman wasn’t there it doesn’t look as bad as it did. But if moves like that were pulled on short tracks, the lead would be the worst position to be in the closing laps, and it would be a bloodbath up front. Chastain should’ve made the move in a way that kept AJ driving, and nobody should feel sorry for Chastain if he gets obliterated while winning a race in the future. Lucky for him AJ isn’t a full time driver, otherwise he’d probably hold a grudge

[@baconfootball3995]

I like the length race but just start it at freekin noon

[@keeganbrown9967]

I was at turn 1 and as a Suarez fan I agree 100%. The crew cheif ruined the day with that BS CALL. Go for the win not the damn stage win.

[@Slayer-8948]

He makes so many points 😂😂

[@drakeaamold7577]

God is good

[@racegrubb2152]

I agree except for one thing. You do get one playoff point to win a stage. So why not win the 1st stage, loose track position, but short pit before stage 2 and get track position, sacrifice stage 2, win the race. That way you get your playoff points for the win and get one playoff point for the stage win. I think thats what they were trying to do on 1st stage. Def second stage you dont need to try and win that and screw yourself, but 1st stage i could see because of the playoff point. Its early enough you can get it back at 2nd stage and have a better shot to win, they want it aaaalllllll! Lol.

[@tsholts5173]

All I'm gonna is that Blaney was catching Suarez towards the end of stage 1 and the battle between Chastain and Cindric got cut off at the end stage 2. I don't agree that stages aren't part of the problem, as it ruins race strategy as well, no matter how idiotic the decisions by some of these crew chiefs may have been lol

[@Copperhead-ns2ls]

I have no problem at all with NASCAR’s lengths

[@Jwill1242]

Imma guess it becomes a post race snack

[@kyleluke6133]

I mean I love these long races but I would like it to be like it used to be with 43 cars not 36 or 39 I mean I don't mind 40 but I would love a 43 races again

[@kjamisial7199]

i’m dummy late but that rant was the most stephen a smith shit ever lmao

[@RowingFrontal5]

@radman the races feel especially long because caution flags take 7-8 minutes to cycle through.

[@this_is_yapcenter]

Idk if it's the difference in speed or what. But how does what. 12 laps difference in what F1 runs at COTA compared to nascar and Nascar was over 2 hours longer than an F1 race here like tf? Race was incredible though

[@BoogityBoogityBoogity-nx9gy]

The best parts of the race were the restarts. Also I believe almost every caution in the cup race was right after a restart when everyone was bunched up. Also I think that wrecking someone for the lead is acceptable, especially if they moved you out of the way first. Also that was incredibly timed to take out bowman as well.

[@jacobevenson8702]

AJ would have saved it if Bowman wasn't there. Sucks for AJ but there was nothing wrong with what happened.

[@willgriffin5647]

I just want to point out teams have been pitting or staying out ever since 2016 and even NASCAR and the media hype us the will they won't they pit. Fyi, we've seen drivers able to pass at most road courses. Chase had to do it twice last year and Bell was a lap down today. If you have a good car at most NOT all, but most road course. You can legitimately pass from 35th to 3rd, especially when you get cautions and pit strategy comes into play. I love how you bash Alan even though Chase is one of NASCAR'S best road racers.

[@Dennyhamlin23XI]

Ross Chastain be like Austin Texas acknowledge me