The 2022 playoffs continue without a playoff driver winning a race. This may be a season where the eventual champion may only win a single race in the final 10 races.
Tyler Reddick was the fourth consecutive non-playoff driver to win a race. Reddick was eliminated from the Round of 16 but proved that his remaining time with RCR will not go quietly.
The race was marred by tire failures all night long and a weather delay that put the race finish into the evening. A record heat September wave was followed for a record number of cautions that helped make for a long evening and threw the playoff drivers into unfamiliar territory.
It all started with Joe Gibbs teammates Martin Truex, Jr., Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch brushing the wall after blown tires which quickly ended the night for all.
But they were not the only drivers having tire issues. Chase Elliott blew a front tire that created a fire. Cody Ware hit the wall hard and then his car came flying down pit road, hitting the pit wall before coming to a rest. Kevin Harvick lost his right side tires while leading the race. The list goes on.
It appeared that many teams couldn’t race much longer than 35-40 laps before someone was blowing a tire. The tire was the same tire that had been run at Kansas but for the second race in a row, speed and tire load were issues for many teams. Again, NASCAR knows full well which tracks create tire loads into the corners so it is a bit mind boggling that we are seeing this well into the season and especially in the playoffs.
While Goodyear is investigating just what was going on with the tires from low starting pressures to spring travel. There is probably no single cause but the drivers are ticked off and rightly so. This was a huge black eye for the sport and once again questions just how NASCAR completed the new car design.
And if that weren’t enough, fans of Denny Hamlin once again got to see him mix it up with another driver, this time William Byron. Byron felt that Hamlin had run him up into the wall with a hit that messed up his toe and cost him a win. As payback, Byron hit Hamlin rather hard just as the caution came out which sent Hamlin spinning through the grass. In watching the playback, Hamlin didn’t appear to hit Byron all that hard but it was enough to enrage the young driver. Hamlin gave Byron several bumps after that but wisely didn’t make his situation worse once under the eye of NASCAR officials.
The scramble that several drivers find themselves in will make for an Interesting Talladega race. Few drivers will be content to sit back and ride around when Stage points have become so important and a win has yet to be had a by a playoff driver.
Good on ya, mate
- Tyler Reddick (P1) got his first oval win
- Joey Logano (P2) inherited the overall points lead
- Justin Haley (P3) held his Top 5 for quite some time
- Ryan Blaney (P4) led 29 laps but couldn’t close the deal
- Chase Briscoe (P5) ran well but is still below the cut off
- Erik Jones (P6) had another good run
- William Byron (P7) led 42 laps but his fight with Denny Hamlin made for some drama
- Brad Keselowksi (P8) was the polesitter and showed some team strength for the second race in a row
- Kyle Larson (P9) led 19 laps but the team is not getting him what he needs
- Denny Hamlin (P10) only led 2 laps and needs to focus on wins, not payback
- Michael McDowell (P11) led 12 laps and was in the Top 10 for some time
- Corey LaJoie (P14) had a decent finish
- Harrison Burton (P18) led 15 laps
So you had a bad day
- Goodyear
- NASCAR
- Kyle Busch (P36) lasted just 48 laps before his night ended
- Christopher Bell (P34) had the repair clock run out
- Cody Ware (33) had a scary wreck
- Chase Elliott (P32) was the points leader and is now on the cut off bubble
- Martin Truex, Jr. (P31) completed the JGR exit trifecta
- Chris Buescher (P30) had tire issues on a night the team was running well
Next up: Talladega
You’re not going to hear many drivers say, “Oh boy, let’s go to Talladega!” especially under these conditions. Ross Chastain won the spring race and I think it is safe to say that there are more than a couple of drivers who may not let him win this one.
Ryan Blaney has his next best chance to win a race, he leads all drivers with 2 wins here in the last 7 races. Elliott, Keselowski, Wallace and Hamlin each have a win here is the past 7. Austin Dillon is a real threat on superspeedways this year as is Erik Jones.
Christopher Bell started on the pole in the spring race and Hamlin has been on the pole a few times. I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of them or MTJ in victory lane.
My dark horse is going to be Bubba Wallace. He has a better car under him right now and Toyota is putting a lot of effort into this. If he can avoid trouble, he has a real chance to mix up the playoffs even more.
Jimmie Johnson retiring
And in case you missed it, Johnson is retiring from full time racing after his second season in Indy cars. He’ll still race here and there, maybe even back in NASCAR in a one off. Thanks for the memories, JJ.
Turn left and keep the shiny side up. What’s your thoughts on the tire issues at Texas? Leave your comments below! Check out my past columns by clicking here.
(Photo by Andrew Coppley/HHP for Chevy Racing)
