2025 NASCAR

[Sir Henry]

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RP

I’ve heard of guys blowing an engine and changing it to go on to win.

[GeoBoy]

Conor Zilich wins again, 8 wins already this season.

[220]

Disappointing day for the Aussies in Xfinity, Jack Perkins slowly worked his way forward all race and was in 3rd with 4 laps to go when a driver error put him out. Will Brown's race just never got started, broken gearbox in practice that needed replacing effected qualifying and meant starting from the rear, passed 12 cars in the first two laps, then seemed to stall out drifting backwards and forwards a place or two for the rest of the time he was running before eventually parked it with mechanical issues.
If I was to guess I would say they had mechanical issue from very early if not the start. Brown is one of the elite drivers in supercars at a similar level to SVG, him struggling to pass at the back while Perkins who was a midfield driver in supercars at best was passing cars at the front makes me think something was wrong with the car. Dont get me wrong Perkins is a good driver just by supercars standards he wouldnt even be considered if you were making a list of the 100 GOAT.

Cup in a few hours, I am genuinely excited to see what SVG can do, might be the first playoff race but I think it will decide if SVG advances, a top 15 finish and I think he makes it to the round of 12.

[markiver54]

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RP

Yeh, when NASCAR was real!

[220]

Terrible weekend for SVG last race, qualified P20 but changes to the car between quali and the race saw any pace they had evaporate. Every pit cycle the changes they made went the wrong way and the car lost pace. Looked to be on for a P20-25 finish until they gambled on strategy and made the call to 1 stop the final stage. Only time he appeared to have pace was on 40 lap old tires and most were pitting after around 35 laps. Caution could not have come at a worse time for him a few laps after his final pitstop, the rest of the field made their 2nd stop so he had lost track position, lost laps and the rest of the field were on fresher tires.
No stage points and P32 in the end, somehow still 3 points above the cut line. Interesting a P18 finish would have seen him end last week being as many points above the cut as he started the race.
Qualifying for this weekend at WWT raceway latter today, I can not see him doing much at all, first time he has ever been to the track. A big ask to even run top 20 so any chance he has of progressing is now almost entirely dependent on multiple drivers having worse races than he does.

Taken a little while and have been a few aborted plans but conformation this week of the first Nascar driver making a one off start in supercars. Austin Cindric will be racing the final race of this years Supercars championship driving a Tickford racing mustang on the streets of Adelaide.

[Cowboy Gun Fan]

Christopher Bell wins another !!

Crazy but interesting night there in Bristol.

[220]

Tires that wear out certainly make for some exciting racing.

I was right with SVG a top 15 finish in the first playoff race would have been enough to get him through the first round.
He had essentially 3 of his worst races of the season with a P32 P25 & P26 with zero stage points and was still only 16 points below the line. An average finish of P22 would have seen him make it even without a single stage point.
The 3 trackhouse cars were just garbage for all 3 playoff races, Chastain scrapped through with an average finish P18 and some stage points, SVG ended up with a P28 average and Suarez P32. As a team there average finish was 27th so almost identical to SVG's.

[Cowboy Gun Fan]

Good to see Chastain still in it.

[220]

Playoff pressure or something else I dont know but Josh Berry and SVG who probably had the worst 3 races of everyone in the first playoff round and were eliminated both qualified inside the top 10 at New Hampshire.
Both were inside the top 10 on average lap speed in practice as well, Berry was near the top in single lap speed while in practice SVG was back in the mid 20's on single lap pace but found some single lap pace in qualifying.

[220]

Interesting couple of races for SVG, after qualifying 10th at New Hampshire drove up to 5th and ran 5-7 for the first half of the race before a slow pitstop dropped him outside the top 10 and 4 wide contact put him into the wall.
Kansas qualified mid 20's but forced to start from last, serve a green flag stop and go penalty and had his crew chief suspended for the race, ran at the back until early in the second stage when he got the lucky dog and back on the lead lap in 35th. Drove up to 19th by the end of the stage and then drove inside the top 10 for the final part of the race, stayed there for multiple restarts and the final overtime restart to record his first top10 oval result.
Looks like things are finally starting to click for him, a little late for this years championship but with the Roval next round will probably get his 5th win of the season and with the speed he is showing is taking points of those still fighting for tittle.

[Cowboy Gun Fan]

I sure did miss it, but what a wild finish. Bubba leading on a GWC, his owner Denny Hamlin runs up along side of him, puts him in the wall and mean while Chase Elliott flies by and wins the race. Bubba finishes 5th and gives a nice hand gesture (not really) to not only his boss, but his car owner.

[Vaquero]

I sure did miss it, but what a wild finish. Bubba leading on a GWC, his owner Denny Hamlin runs up along side of him, puts him in the wall and mean while Chase Elliott flies by and wins the race. Bubba finishes 5th and gives a nice hand gesture (not really) to not only his boss, but his car owner.

Now, that would've been something to see...

RP

[220]

Another road course and a 5th consecutive win for SVG on the road courses.
Chastain tried for another miracle to advance with a dive bomb move in the last chicane from a 1/4 mile back. Didnt come off and he spun himself and Hamlin, both drivers selecting reverse and driving from the chicane to the finish line backwards.
Suerez obviously isnt happy about being dropped, while SVG let Ross past at the end of the first stage so he could score an additional stage point Suerez refused to overtake Lagano for 3 laps despite being on fresh tires and 4 seconds a lap faster. The 1 point he would have taken off Lagano would have meant there would have been no need for the last chicane dive bomb. Still Chastain really has no one but himself to blame, totally missed the pit lane exit early in the race costing him 17 positions on track and then latter selected the wrong gear leaving pit lane leading to a drive through penalty for speeding and another 20 or spots on track.

[220]

last race in the round of 8 this weekend at Martinsville, Hamlin and Briscoe have locked themselves in with wins so will be plenty of desperate drivers.
Something looks to have clicked for SVG on ovals, qualified just outside the top 10 at Las Vegas and ran inside the top 10 most of the race until a wreck took him out. Talladega he qualified back in P31 drove up inside the top 10 in half a dozen laps, ran there until hitting a patch of water entering pit lane, spun and dropped a lap. Got back on the lead lap and drove up inside the top 10 again running near the front until a late race pit speeding penalty saw him have to start from the back with about 30 laps to go. Drove back inside the top 10 again, had a big run coming to the line but nowhere to go, had to lift and got swallowed by the pack and finished P11.
Since being eliminated from the playoffs he has had top 10 pace on every oval they have been to, in a pre race interview at Talladega he said his plan for the race was to run the whole race near the front. Comfortable running in the pack now but thought he is lacking experience running near the front and needs to learn how to race near the front on ovals. Certainly looked like he is rapidly learning that as well, still making a few mistakes but the pace seems to be there.
I would have to say it has been a very successful rookie season, 5 wins and now showing top 10 pace on ovals consistently, sort of gets lost with him being so dominant on road courses but no other rookie in history has ever won more than 3 races in a season. He still hasnt made 50 cup starts and already has 6 wins to his name, drivers like Blaney, Elliott and Larson all took more race starts to get their first win than SVG has had so far. Almost scarry to think where he might be in 12 months time given his progression.

[220]

Byron advances with a win Larson on points not much controversy, Byron pulled a bump and run on Blaney to take the lead but did have a fraction more pace. SVG finished P14 a little behind where he ran for most of the race, once again he had the race pace to run inside the top 10 or low teens for the majority.

[Cowboy Gun Fan]

Jesse Love wins the Xfinity Championship !!

Richard Childress Racing.

Congrats to both.

[Vaquero]

I saw in the headlines that Kyle Larson won the championship making it back to back.
Funny, the Dodgers won the World Series last night making it back to back for them also.

RP

[Cowboy Gun Fan]

Yeah, I'm not a Denny Hamlin fan, but it was a heartbreaker for him. He's been trying to win a championship for 20 years now, last few laps he's not just leading but leading big time, 3 1/4 Seconds ahead of the pack. Then Byron blows out a tire and hit's the wall. Caution, sets up a GWC. Denny takes 4 tires in the pits, Blaney Wins and Larson finishes 3rd giving him the Championship. Denny ended up finishing 6th.

[Cowboy Gun Fan]

A lot going on in Nascar lately, including the court date on Monday.

We will see where that goes.

[cooperhawk]

What court date.?