Fresh from winning the SRX Championship, Marco Andretti revealed Sunday that he will make his NASCAR debut in October. Andretti will race in NASCAR’s Xfinity race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway infield road course, known as the ROVAL on Oct. 8.

Andretti broke the news on Twitter Sunday morning. The 35-year-old grandson of motorsports legend Mario Andretti will race a car fielded by Big Machine Racing owned by Scott Borchetta. Andretti retired from IndyCar racing at the end of the 2020 season. Overall, he had 2 wins in 250 starts.

His most recent venture was in the Superstar Racing Experience where he won the 6-race series’ title despite racing in the final event with a broken wrist.

Big Machine Racing has fielded cars in the Xfinity series for drivers such as Austin and Ty Dillon, Kaz Grala, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Tyler Reddick. Reddick go the team its first win in the Xfinity series earlier this season.

Mario Andretti won the 1967 Daytona 500. The last Andretti to compete in NASCAR was Marco’s uncle John Andretti who last raced in NASCAR in 2010, ending his career with 2 wins in 293 starts.

Joining forces with @bigmchnracing in the @NASCAR_Xfinity series at the Charlotte Roval Oct 8th. pic.twitter.com/NQtUjAYgXs

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With 14 regular-season winners almost locked in and two winless drivers comfortable in points, it seems NASCAR’s 16-driver Playoff field is virtually set.

Well, except for those “almost” and “virtually” parts, that is.

Four regular-season races remain before the Playoffs open at Darlington (South Carolina) Raceway on September 4. The upcoming stretch begins with a 400-miler on Sunday afternoon at the two-mile Michigan International Speedway. It continues with afternoon races August 14 at Richmond and August 21 at Watkins Glen, and wraps up with an August 27 night race at Daytona Beach.

After opening at Darlington next month, the Playoffs continue on consecutive weekends at Kansas City, Bristol, Fort Worth, Talladega, the Charlotte roval, Las Vegas, Homestead, and Martinsville. The championship race will be at Phoenix Raceway on November 6.

The 16-driver field will be trimmed to 12 survivors after Bristol, eight after Charlotte, and four after Martinsville. The best finisher among the final four at Phoenix—regardless of where they finish among the entire field—will be the 2022 Cup Series champion.

The next four races will give winless Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, and a handful of others more opportunities to win their way into the Playoffs. For most of the “outsiders,” nothing short of a victory will be enough. For others, earning points is Job 1.

Even if they don’t win, their points position might be good enough for Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. If more new winners emerge, though, one or the other or both likely would miss competing for the championship. Harvick is almost certainly in a “must win” situation since he’s 96 points below the 16-driver cutoff line. Truex Jr. currently resides there, and it seems inconceivable Harvick can overtake him in four races.

For Harvick, that’s the bad news. The good news is that he’s a five-time Michigan winner, once each in 2010, 2018, and 2019, then a sweep of both races in 2020. Likewise, Blaney has to feel confident about his chance to win his way into the Playoffs. After struggling at MIS early in his career, he’s been Top-10 in six of the last eight races there, including a victory last summer.

Former champion Chase Elliott (four victories) is locked into the Playoffs. With two victories each, so are Ross Chastain, former champion Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, and Denny Hamlin. Among the one-time winners, reigning champion Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, former champion Kyle Busch, William Byron, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez, and former champion Kurt Busch are in pretty good shape.

Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe are vulnerable going into this weekend, however. Each has one victory, but they’re also near the bottom in points among one-timers. That means a new winner this weekend—say, Blaney or former champions Truex Jr. or Harvick—would bump one of them from the field for the time being.

Despite missing his third-consecutive start this weekend with concussion-like symptoms, Kurt Busch has a medical waiver to remain Playoff-eligible. (He earned his Playoff spot by winning at Kansas in the spring). Based on points, he’s the lowest-rated one-time winner after missing Pocono, Indy, and Michigan.

Ironically, his brother, Kyle, missed 11 races in 2015 due to severe foot injuries suffered in an Xfinity Series race during Speed Week in Daytona Beach. He returned in the summer, won five regular-season races, and took the first of his two Cup Series championships by winning the season-finale at Homestead.

The Xfinity Series is also at MIS this weekend. The Camping World Truck Series has the weekend off before going to Richmond (Virginia) Raceway next weekend.

• The New Holland 150 for the Xfinity Series is Saturday afternoon. It’s the season’s 20th regular-season race, leaving six remaining before its 12-driver Playoff field is set after the Bristol (Tennessee) Motor Speedway race on September 16. Its seven-race Playoff Series features 12 drivers, starts at Fort Worth and goes to Talladega and the Charlotte roval. It continues at Las Vegas, Homestead, and Martinsville, with the championship race November at Phoenix Raceway.

• AJ Allmendinger (three victories) leads the standings going into Michigan. He’s ahead of Justin Allgaier (three), Ty Gibbs (four), Josh Berry (two), Noah Gragson (three), Austin Hill (two), Brandon Jones (one), and winless Sam Mayer, Riley Herbst, and Daniel Hemric. Cup Series drivers Tyler Reddick and Cole Custer also have Xfinity victories.

• In addition to his Xfinity ride on Saturday, Hill will drive a third Richard Childress Racing car in Sunday’s main event. It’s difficult to see Hill’s first Cup start as anything but an audition as Childress wrestles with the reality of losing Reddick to 23XI’s expanding Cup team in 2024. Given his druthers, it’s logical to assume that Childress would rather have Reddick’s 2024 replacement in a Cup Series car sooner rather than later. Like this weekend, in fact.

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Throughout the 2000s, Tony Stewart cultivated a reputation as one of the most naturally talented drivers in the world. He won three NASCAR titles, an IndyCar title, and a USAC triple crown over the course of his illustrious career, one that continues as the co-owner of both Stewart-Haas Racing and the all-star touring late model series SRX.

With so much of that success coming at the very height of NASCAR’s popularity, he made quite the name for himself. So much of a name, apparently, that he could build a house that checked every box he could possibly want.

That house, a 19,714 square foot estate in Columbus, Indiana, is now for sale. It is even more strange than you expect.

The central living area looks like an upscale outdoor warehouse store. Huge indoor stones, rustic wooden furniture, and a massive central chandelier made out of antlers are the highlights, but the room also features a massive fish tank for good measure.

Another cavernous room features a full bar and a few pieces of memorabilia from Stewart’s racing career. One of those pieces is an entire IndyCar, mounted sideways on a wall over a yard of bricks. Most are helmets, part of a collection of about 300, that has long since outgrown the elegant display cases built for them. Six rows of helmets are simply on display on the ground below the car.

The Zillow ad, which calls the house “the finest property ever offered for sale in the state of Indiana,” says the estate is named Hidden Hollow Ranch. In addition to the massive central house, it also features a 415-acre licensed hunting preserve, a nine-acre lake, a guest house, and a workshop.

All of this comes out to a list price of $30,000,000, or $29,500,000 more than the nearest house on Zillow. If you have a McLaren F1 worth of money to spend on a house and have been wanting to live on acreage an hour outside of Indianapolis your whole life, it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for.

Via Jalopnik.

From: Road & Track

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Now the Hendrick Motorsports checklist is complete.

Chase Elliott ran away from the rest of the field in the closing miles Monday and won the DuraMAX Drydene 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway. With Elliott’s win, his first since last July, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers have reached victory lane this season.

After rain stopped the 400 Sunday afternoon, the final 322 laps were run under bright skies Monday.

Elliott, the series point leader, finished in front of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (who scored his best run of the season), Ross Chastain and Christopher Bell.

“We had some good circumstances finally,” Elliott said. “I really appreciate Alan (crew chief Alan Gustafson) and our entire team for just sticking with it. We’ve had some tough races over the last, I don’t know, four, five months.”

Elliott’s teammates – Kyle Larson, William Byron and Alex Bowman – won races earlier this season.

Although Elliott had no challengers on the last lap, there was action behind him as Chastain and Martin Truex Jr. fought for third place. Chastain, in third, moved up the track to block Truex, sending him into a slide and putting the race under caution for the finish.

Truex fell to 12th place and was not happy about it. He and Chastain had a tense discussion about the incident after the race.

NASCAR Cup Series Race

53rd Annual DuraMAX Drydene 400 presented by RelaDyne
Dover, Delaware

1. (4) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 400.
2. (15) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 400.
3. (7) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 400.
4. (17) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 400.
5. (6) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 400.
6. (3) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 400.
7. (10) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 400.
8. (1) Chris Buescher, Ford, 400.
9. (11) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 400.
10. (25) Erik Jones, Chevrolet, 400.
11. (14) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 400.
12. (18) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 400.
13. (23) Chase Briscoe, Ford, 400.
14. (8) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 400.
15. (30) Cole Custer, Ford, 400.
16. (9) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 399.
17. (29) Michael McDowell, Ford, 399.
18. (21) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 399.
19. (27) Aric Almirola, Ford, 399.
20. (20) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 399.
21. (2) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 399.
22. (33) William Byron, Chevrolet, 399.
23. (24) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 398.
24. (35) Harrison Burton #, Ford, 398.
25. (13) Ryan Preece(i), Ford, 398.
26. (5) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 397.
27. (31) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 396.
28. (34) Todd Gilliland #, Ford, 396.
29. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 396.
30. (26) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 390.
31. (16) Kurt Busch, Toyota, 388.
32. (36) Josh Bilicki(i), Chevrolet, 381.
33. (19) AJ Allmendinger(i), Chevrolet, Brakes, 321.
34. (28) Cody Ware, Ford, DVP, 238.
35. (32) BJ McLeod, Ford, Brakes, 167.
36. (12) Austin Cindric #, Ford, DVP, 91.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 104.507 mph.

Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 49 Mins, 39 Secs. Margin of Victory: Under Caution Seconds.

Caution Flags: 13 for 75 laps.

Lead Changes: 17 among 10 drivers.

Lap Leaders: C. Buescher 1-18;D. Hamlin 19-73;K. Larson 74-92;C. Elliott 93-111;D. Hamlin 112-123;R. Chastain 124-159;M. Truex Jr. 160;R. Chastain 161-190;J. Haley 191-209;A. Bowman 210-211;K. Busch 212-244;R. Blaney 245-252;K. Busch 253-322;M. Truex Jr. 323-326;R. Chastain 327-340;C. Elliott 341;R. Chastain 342-347;C. Elliott 348-400.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Kyle Busch 2 times for 103 laps; Ross Chastain 4 times for 86 laps; Chase Elliott 3 times for 73 laps; Denny Hamlin 2 times for 67 laps; Justin Haley 1 time for 19 laps; Kyle Larson 1 time for 19 laps; Chris Buescher 1 time for 18 laps; Ryan Blaney 1 time for 8 laps; Martin Truex Jr. 2 times for 5 laps; Alex Bowman 1 time for 2 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 11,9,20,1,19,5,24,17,18,6

Stage #2 Top Ten: 12,18,48,19,47,1,43,21,17,9

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Chase Briscoe’s first season in the NASCAR Cup series ended at Phoenix Raceway last week. In his first season with Stewart-Haas Racing, the Indiana native’s best finish was sixth twice. Overall, Briscoe’s first season wasn’t a terrible one, but not one for the ages either.

He did, however, earn the 2021 Cup series Rookie of the Year. It’s an award that’s familiar to him. Briscoe won the Rookie of the Year title in the Truck series (2017) and the Xfinity series (2019) and becomes only the third driver to win titles in all three of NASCAR’s top touring series joining William Byron and Erik Jones.

“I never thought I’d get to run one truck race, let alone a full season in all three series,” Briscoe said. “It’s very humbling to know that I was able to add my name to that list now.

“Hopefully this is the first of many years in the Cup series, but it was definitely a nice way to end the season it and nice to take some type of trophy on there.”

Briscoe’s name will not only join those of Byron and Jones, but legends and past Rookies of the Year such as past Richard Petty, David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt, and his boss Tony Stewart. Those legendary names come with legacies that will be hard for Briscoe to live up to, or equal. It will be up to him to find the sort of success those legends went on to have in the Cup series. He admits that for him to be successful, and create his own legacy, it will take perfection.

“That’s the one thing in the Cup series, everything has to be perfect,” he said. “The car has to be perfect. The execution, the strategy, the pit stops, me as a race car driver has to be perfect. You just have to do all those little things right.

“I think that’s one thing I learned more than anything this year in my rookie season. There was, I would say five, six races where we had speed capable of running up inside the top three or five. And, you know, we just didn’t do all the little things right. And I didn’t do all the little things right. To be able to capitalize on that. And that’s the difference in running second or third versus running sixth or seventh in the Cup series.”

Moving forward Briscoe said he will focus on all those little things and minimizing his mistakes but will stay grounded.

“I don’t know what the key to success necessarily is,” he said. “I think all of us would love to know what that is. But I will say it’s not uncommon, I don’t think, to see guys struggle in the Cup series for the first couple of years. When you look at Chase Elliott who won the championship last year, it took him a hundred races until he won his first race. And Kyle Larson was Rookie of the Year in 2014, and now he’s a champion.

“I don’t know what the key to success necessarily is.”

“It takes a little while in the Cup series with how good everybody is, to kind of get your feet underneath you. We did have a lot of runs this year that show that we can do it at this level and show that we can run up front and battle for wins. It’s just doing that on a more consistent basis.”

While having three top-10 finishes all season might not be noteworthy, it could have been much worse, especially when measured against his Stewart-Haas teammates. In 2020 the organization won 11 races, nine of those belonging to Kevin Harvick.

This season the team had just one victory.

“You know, you base your expectations on the year before,” Briscoe said. “And that’s kinda where I think a lot of the frustration kind of comes from this year is we just didn’t, it didn’t meet our expectations, but at the same time, if you compare to our other teammates, you know, we had a pretty good year really.”

As for what happened to the team, it wasn’t that their focus was on the Next Gen car, and not on the current one.

“I wouldn’t say that we necessarily put all of our eggs in one basket on the Next Gen car,” Briscoe said. “I think for us, the biggest thing was just the rule changes that happened in the off season happened in a place where we were really pushing the limit.

“Once that got taken away, kind of our advantage got taken away. And I think that was almost a crutch for some of the other things that our cars had an issue with. “

Toward the middle of this season however, the team did start looking ahead to the Next Gen car, especially once the realization set in that they wouldn’t be making a deep playoff run. Aric Almirola and Harvick were the two SHR reps in the playoffs. Almirola was eliminated in the first round, Harvick in the second. And now SHR and Briscoe are looking towards next season with the development of the new car ongoing.

Pathway to Stardom?

Last 10 NASCAR Cup Rookies of the Year

“Hopefully that’ll pay dividends now as we go to this Next Gen car,” he said. “But there’s so many unknowns with this car, it’s hard to say what team’s going to hit it right. But there is definitely going to be one team that that kinda gets the ball rolling quickly and whatever team does that is going to have quite the advantage for a while I think.”

The Next Gen car won’t be the only new thing the 2021 NASCAR Cup Rookie of the Year will have in 2022. Chase and wife Marissa welcomed Brooks Wayne Cunningham Briscoe into the world in October. The birth came just over a year removed from an emotional day in May of 2020 when Chase won the Xfinity race at Darlington holding off Kyle Busch. Due to COVID protocols Marrissa was home in North Carolina and the win came only a day after the couple shared the loss of a baby they hoped to welcome later that year.

A year removed from what would have been the birth of their first child, the Briscoes, who had been open about their struggles on social media, Chase will now look forward to racing his first full season as a father; and that may be the biggest motivation he needs to live up to the past legends inscribed on the Rookie of the Year trophy.

“I’ve heard people talk about whenever you have a kid you lose some (time) on the racetrack, but for me, I think it was the complete opposite,” he said. “It gives you even more of a reason to race. And you try to, at least for me, take more chances now because you’re trying to provide for him.

“It’s changed me for the good, honestly. I think that it’s been an incredible experience and something that, I don’t know if you’re ever ready for it, but for us it’s been a blast.”

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As a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson will forever have a bully pulpit if he wants it.

Or, as the old (yes, we’re dating ourselves) ad campaign goes, “When E.F. Hutton Talks, People Listen.”

This week, Johnson had plenty to say to sports journalist Graham Bensinger for the latest episode of In Depth With Graham Bensinger. Excerpts of Bensinger’s interview for his syndicated talk show were posted to Bensinger’s YouTube channel on Wednesday.

This is one of those interviews sure to make some in NASCAR-land cringe. Johnson reveals how his relationship with long-time crew chief Chad Knaus eroded toward the end of their time together. Johnson also shares his views that NASCAR’s season could stand for a major cutback in the number of races, that the money for the teams in the sport certainly isn’t what it used to be, and the series might not have handled the noose incident last year in Talladega the way he might have.

Here’s a few choice excerpts from the lengthy interview:

On Chad Knaus

Johnson and his crew chief Chad Knaus and Johnson combined for seven championships before team owner Rick Hendrick split up the pair at the end of the 2018 season. Johnson pulls back the curtain and shares an often not-so-rosy picture of an eroding racing marriage.

“When times got tough, Chad reverted back to the crew chief that he was when we first started,” Johnson said in the interview with Bensinger. “Micromanaging, explaining where I was making mistakes, what I needed to do, how I needed to work on it.”

Johnson said that both he and Knaus said a few things that both probably wish they could pull back.

“I did and that was… kind of the start of the decay over probably a five- or eight-year period of time,” Johnson said. “And he and I both so wish we could go back and correct that. Because now looking back on it, it was a defense mechanism for him and he was only doing it because he cared, and I just got tired of hearing it. And so, I started firing back.”

The relationship, Johnson says, started approaching the breaking point going into 2017.

“We just won the championship,” Johnson said. “We come back, start the 2017 season. And that really, really got under Chad’s skin that I wanted to be in Aspen and not in Charlotte. And things started to get personal then, and him questioning where my heart was with the team and the time and effort I wanted to spend to be with the team was really kind of the starting fracture point.”

On Team Finances

Johnson says NASCAR earnings potential has dropped by roughly 50% since in just he last six years. Add that to the fact that Johnson says NASCAR should take a hard look at reducing the scheduled by 8-to-10 races.

“I would say that through earnings and potential for a team, it’s been down probably 50%,” Johnson told Bensinger. “From a driver contract standpoint, from 2015 to where it is now – it’s probably half.

“The great fortune of being a top driver in a 50% reduction: it’s still a big numbe. I’ve heard rumors where these drivers can’t afford permanent or temporary insurance. Which is just kind of standard issue in a sport with so much risk. And you hear drivers (say), ‘I can’t afford it. I’m not gonna do it.’

On Shortening the Schedule

If Johnson were running the NASCAR show, the show would have fewer episodes then the current 36-race slate. And those 36 races do not include a few non-points races like the All-Star Race and next year’s season-opening Clash at the Coliseum set for the L.A. Coliseum.

“I’ve always firmly felt that there’s just too much racing in NASCAR,” Johnson said. “That’s my opinion and I’ve had that conversation with executives at NASCAR. Reducing the schedule down to 25-28 races I think would be the ideal way to go about it.

On Talladega ‘Noose”

Johnson says NASCAR’s response and the drivers’ reaction to the alleged noose found in the garage at Talladega Super Speedway in June of 2020 was an eye-opener on several fronts. The scene where the drivers en masse pushed Bubba Wallace’s down pit lane is an images that still elicits emotion.

“So powerful, and people walking that I wasn’t sure where they stood,” Johnson said. “I wasn’t sure what their feelings were. You work next to so many people in the sport, you just don’t know and you see these people in passing. But, I mean, everybody came out and pushed that car – got behind the car… It’s such a powerful moment. When I found out that the noose wasn’t there for the reasons we thought it was, I had such relief and it was wild how the reaction was for others.

“The controversy that followed and people that thought the sport was trying to make something of it… And, I wish NASCAR handled things a little differently with the press release. I think a few words would have changed – If ‘alleged noose’ was in there.”

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Wayne is a home builder from Virginia, a middle-aged family man who knows more about cars than most of us. He’s been a NASCAR fan his entire life, but not just another fan: he was a decent Late Model racer who became a successful short-track promoter. He’s an acknowledged “car guy” with close connections within the racing and commercial automotive communities.

If there’s anyone who should know about the Next Gen car (Gen 7 for those scoring at home), it’s him. It’s his view that the average Cup Series fan won’t judge the 2022 models until next spring, when they actually see the car at speed. In Daytona Beach, hype and hoopla come cheap; in reality, the proof is in the pudding.

“I think people will give it time before they decide,” Wayne said recently. “It looks good sitting still, but not many people have seen it in motion. Maybe on TV or in a video, but not in person. And when they see it on-track, they’ll see mostly the cosmetic stuff. NASCAR brags about its technical advances, but how many fans care about that? I do, but I don’t know how many others will.”

Among those technical advances, Wayne expects drivers and teams to be most excited about improved drivability. “NASCAR really wants to get rid of the ‘dirty air’ that affects racing,” he said. “This car will stop better and turn better and hug the race track better. One thing it will do is close up the field and make competition better. That’s what they hope.”

Wayne (no last names will be used here) was among a dozen fans recently polled about the Next Gen car. Some knew enough to know they didn’t know enough to offer insight. Others knew nothing except what NASCAR has told them. A few thought the subject was “electric cars,” something they absolutely don’t want. A handful—they can be found almost anywhere—simply wanted to rail against NASCAR on general principle.

What’s All the Fuss About?

The much-ballyhooed Next Gen car is the new piece designed to contain costs and more closely mimic today’s production-based, street-legal, sporty-looking coupes. They boast cutting-edge technology similar to Australia’s popular Supercars and IMSA’s GT3 class. A single supplier in Jackson, Michigan will provide frames with a center roll cage and bolt-on front and rear clips. The idea is that damaged clips can easily be replaced instead of trashing the entire frame if it can’t be salvaged.

Technical changes far outnumber what fans will see. From the grandstands at speed, they won’t notice the carbon fiber-reinforced plastic body panels. They may never see the underwing and rear-end diffuser that will help handling and reduce dirty air. They won’t see the rack-and-pinion steering, the independent rear suspension, or the 5-speed transaxle. They’ll recognize the larger aluminum wheels and tires, but not the larger brakes. They can’t miss the two exhaust pipes extending from beneath each side or the single center-lock Indy-style wheel nut. The differences are in inches, so they may not immediately notice the car is somewhat lower, shorter, and wider than current models.

Strictly speaking, the 2022 cars are the seventh version of the “stock car” that NASCAR introduced in 1949. Each version has been different from its predecessor in ways great and small. Many of the changes were safety-related; others were inspired by Detroit’s evolving body shapes and styles. Dimensions have varied. Spoilers, splitters, roof railings, ride-heights, and all manner of templates have defined the on-track product. Never has NASCAR spent this much time, money, and creativity to bring a new car to life.

Officials inaugurated the Next Gen concept more than two years ago with hopes of a 2021 rollout. But the pandemic changed everything, giving teams with adequate manpower and resources the challenge of racing today’s car while working on next year’s. Those teams have spent untold man-hours and millions of dollars on the project. NASCAR’s marketing and PR machine has worked tirelessly to promote the new car, stressing excitement and pleading for acceptance from its fanbase.

It’s difficult to tell if the message is catching on. Older fans want to cling to what attracted them in the 80’s, 90’s and early this century. Newer fans—and there are increasingly fewer of them—are drawn to the spectacle and hospitality as much as the racing itself. NASCAR is hoping against hope the new car will help get the series back on solid footing.

Fans Worry About ‘New Direction’

“I grew up around NASCAR, and I’m an old-school fan who wants to keep traditions in place,” said Marshall, a North Carolinian at last month’s Bank of America 400 near Charlotte. “I’ve seen pictures of the new car, but haven’t seen it on a track. I don’t know enough about it except that I don’t like the single lug nut because that takes away from the pit stop excitement. From what I’ve seen on TV, the car doesn’t look that much different from today’s car. But overall … yeah, I’m excited about something new next year.”

Jason, also at the BOA 400, worries more about NASCAR’s “new direction” than about the Next Gen car. “Us old-time fans want racing as much like it used to be as they can make it,” he said. “The racing today is similar to what it’s always been, but it’s 50/50 whether it’s better now than 20 or 25 years ago. A lot of us want to go back to North Wilkesboro (N.C.) and Rockingham (N.C.). We want two races at Darlington. NASCAR has gone out West too much. It’s getting away from what made it great.

“They say this new car will make racing better, but nobody knows. Personally, I’m a fan of quality and performance and reliability in race cars. Things change all the time and that doesn’t bother me. But I don’t care much about rack-and-pinion steering or that new rear suspension or the transmission. I don’t know if anybody’s going to be excited about stuff like that. I don’t know that technical stuff like on these cars matter that much to today’s fans.”

Many of “today’s fans” speak of 20 to 25 years ago as “the good ol’ days.” Trey and Rusty are from around Charlotte and have been NASCAR fans (they proudly brag) for almost 50 years. They still love the sport, but worry for its future. They talked over each other so quickly that it was hard to tell one from the other.

“Man, they let ‘em really race back in the 70s and 80s,” they said almost together. “Yeah, there was money back then, but not like today, when it seems like everything is about money more than racing. And back then the cars on the race track looked more like the cars in the showroom. A lot has changed and that’s okay, but nothing is like it was when Earnhardt was racing. NASCAR lost a lot when it lost him.

“As for this new car: are you talking about electric race cars? No? Oh, good.”

“As for this new car: are you talking about electric race cars? No? Oh, good. Personally, I (both nodded) don’t care about what makes the cars run as long as they run fast and put on an exciting show. That’s all I care about.” (They both nodded again). “Rack-and-pinion steering doesn’t excite me. I don’t like the idea of the one lug nut. I mean, can it hold on a wheel at 200 miles an hour? Really … I don’t care what the car looks like as long as it’s a Ford or Toyota or Chevrolet. I wouldn’t buy anything that’s not racing out here.”

Wyatt is from western Virginia, close enough to drive to Bristol, Martinsville, Nashville, Charlotte, and Richmond. He’s excited about the new car, as much for the technical and mechanical changes as for the visual. But like so many others, he’s waiting to see a full field with points and money on the line.

“I’m hoping the composite body will reduce tire rub and cut tires that cause wrecks,” he said. “I’m excited about that. And I’m looking forward to the technical changes. The pit stops will be different because they can change tires before getting the fuel load in. That’s probably going to affect race strategy. It’ll be excited.”

Sean and Brandy from West Virginia like the idea that NASCAR is taking steps forward after years with the current car. “It’s cool that they’re trying new stuff inside the car and also changing how it looks on the outside,” Sean says. “Maybe it’ll give smaller teams more of a chance.”

Brandy had her own take 0n the Next Gen car: “I like how it looks,” she said, “but let’s wait and see how it races. That’s the most important thing.”

The pudding … remember?

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Pay attention. The 2022 NASCAR season is kicking off with a new race and a qualifying format that might just take a second or third read for casual fans.

NASCAR on Tuesday released its qualifying format for the 2022 season-opening Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum scheduled for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in February. The format to set the 23-car field will feature single-vehicle qualifying, four heat races, a pair of last-chance qualifying races and a provisional spot awarded to the driver highest in the final 2021 points standings who failed to transfer to the main race.

The two-day event is Feb. 5-6.

Here’s NASCAR’s plan (and don’t worry NASCAR students, none of this will be on the test):

“There has already been an enormous amount of buzz around next year’s Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, and we feel that this race format and the accompanying programming throughout the entire weekend will only build on that already established momentum,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president of strategy and innovation. “The unprecedented nature of this event, coupled with the fact that our sport will be in the spotlight in the middle of downtown Los Angeles, makes this a can’t miss event when we get our 2022 season underway next February.”

“I’ve had the chance to drive on the track through iRacing and make some laps in the NextGen car at Bowman-Gray on a similar layout, and there’s no doubt that this race is going to be awesome,” said Clint Bowyer, longtime former NASCAR Cup Series driver and current FOX Sports analyst. “The different qualifying events and format for the Clash are only going to add to what will be an unforgettable weekend. This is definitely a race you’re not going to want to miss.”

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There was a time, however, when Baker was the student and others did the teaching. Although he was the son of Hall of Fame driver Buck Baker, Buddy needed help as he entered the sport where his father had been a dominant force.

In the early years of his career, Baker approached pioneer driver Curtis Turner for advice in negotiating the very difficult Occoneechee Speedway, a fast .9-mile dirt track in Hillsborough, N.C.

“I asked him where he backed off going into the corner,” Baker remembered years later. “He told me, and when I got to that point I might as well have kept it wide open. I wasn’t going to make it through the corner anyway. I went backward through the gate and into the parking lot. I came back in and said, ‘Hey, are you sure you drive it in that deep?’ He said, ‘Yeah, but I’ve got 20 years’ experience.’ ”

Baker did two things very well—drive race cars really fast and tell stories. His gifts as a storyteller served him well when he finally moved away from driving and built a second career in motorsports television and radio.

Baker loved to tell the story of a long-ago race at a Tennessee short track. He was injured in a crash. He was loaded into the rear of an ambulance. When the ambulance left the scene with a bolt, Baker left the ambulance. His gurney rolled out the back of the open door.

Elzie Wylie Baker Jr. (nobody called him that) began his Cup career in 1959 but rarely raced a full-season schedule. He was most at home on the circuit’s fastest tracks; six of his 19 career Cup wins were scored at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

Baker recorded a bit of NASCAR history March 24, 1970 when he became the first driver to average more than 200 miles per hour in a lap around a closed course. Baker reached that speed—200.096 mph—at Talladega Superspeedway, then in its second year, during test runs. He drove a winged Dodge Daytona, one of the fastest cars of that—or any—era. His fast lap that session was 200.447 mph.

For comparison, Al Unser’s pole speed for the 1970 Indianapolis 500 was just 170.221 mph.

“It’s the most wonderful feeling I’ve had in a long, long time,” Baker said afterward. “I’m tickled to death.”

Three years earlier, Baker had scored his first Cup victory, leading the final 78 laps on the way to victory in the National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Baker outran second-place Bobby Isaac by one-lap-plus in a Ray Fox Dodge. Baker called it “the greatest day of my life.” Baker’s win was noteworthy beyond it being his first. Richard Petty started the race with a streak of 10 straight wins and finally saw his near-complete domination of the tour halted.

Although Baker celebrated his first victory with numerous adjectives, he often told friends that nothing could top his win in the 1980 Daytona 500. Driving a car nicknamed the Gray Ghost because of its black and gray paint scheme, one that made his approaching car almost invisible to competitors, he won the race with a stunning average speed of 177.602 miles per hour. That speed remains a 500 record.

Baker said he grew up racing against men he called his heroes.

“The first time I beat them I realized you’re not really beating them, you’re beating the day or the situation,” he said. “Then you say, hey, maybe I’ll make it now. But every time you get a little overconfident like that, you get knocked back about 50 feet.

“The first thing the veterans told me is that it’s impossible, that you’ll never beat us. And by the time you get good enough to beat us we’ll be retired anyhow. I remember them asking me, ‘Have you shaved yet?’ or ‘Are you still on milk or have you gone to a grownup drink yet?’ ”

Baker did grow up—at 6-5 he was one of the tallest drivers in motorsports. And one of the most nervous. He was particularly nervous before qualifying. Amused garage area workers would watch as he paced up and down the garage waiting for his turn on track. A newspaper once asked him to wear a pedometer on qualifying day to record how many miles he walked, but he grew tired of the experiment and removed the device before jumping in his car.

“Buddy was always wide open, and that’s the way he raced and lived his life,” said Petty, whose team employed Baker as a driver in the 1970s. “He was always full of energy. He was a person you wanted to be around because he always made you feel better. He raced with us, shared his stories with us and became our friend.”

Baker, a native of Charlotte, N.C., died in 2015 at the age of 74.

But Wait … There’s More

• Baker drove Cup cars for a string of key team owners, including Richard Petty, Bud Moore, Cotton Owens, Nord Krauskopf and Ray Fox.

• Baker began his career driving his father Buck’s cars. Much later, they teamed again in operating the Buck Baker Driving School, a school for new and aspiring racers, at North Carolina Motor Speedway.

• What Baker might have called a “lowlight” of his career occurred in the 1969 Texas 500 at Texas World Speedway, where he had a two-lap lead on the field but lost concentration and ran into the rear of another car during a caution period, losing a shot at victory for team owner Cotton Owens.

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Any questions?

Does anyone else—other than a few cynical disbelievers, that is—have anything snippy to say about driver Kyle Larson and crew chief Cliff Daniels and team owner Rick Hendrick in light of the NASCAR Cup Series championship they won Sunday near Phoenix?

Any comments about Larson not deserving of another top-drawer NASCAR ride after being suspended most of the 2020 season for uttering a reprehensible racial slur during the broadcast of an on-line race in April of last year?

Any acknowledgement that while Daniels couldn’t get it done with seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson last year, he suddenly morphs into Chad Knaus-2 in the just-completed season? Surely someone must look suspiciously at this year’s 10-victory performance for Larson and Co. and wonder how many inspection issues were overlooked?

And almost certainly someone wants to carp that while Hendrick was smart enough to sign Larson in the fall of 2020, it’s almost unfair that he’s the only owner rich enough to self-sponsor the No. 5 Chevrolet team through one of the best seasons in recent memory.

Any questions?

“Eighteen months ago, I didn’t think I was ever going to be in a Cup car again,” Larson said after winning the season-finale and its accompanying championship at Phoenix Raceway. “Strapping in for the Daytona 500 (in February) didn’t even seem real, let alone winning the championship. I’m very fortunate.

“It’s definitely been a journey, a roller coaster. But I’m very thankful for my second chance and every opportunity I’ve been given these last 18 months. Life is crazy, and you’ve got to stay positive through it all. Hopefully, everything will work out.”

Larson’s stock-car career was promising but not glory-bound during his six full seasons (2014-2019) with Chip Ganassi Racing. A well-respected dirt-track star throughout his teen years, Larson offered himself to every Cup owner in 2011-2012, looking for a ride. After a brief conversation, Ganassi hired him to drive his No. 42 Chevrolet for 2014 and beyond.

“Chip Ganassi is the sole reason I’m here today,” Larson said Sunday night. “There’s been a lot of people. Rick Hendrick has obviously been a big part of this, too. I met with every team owner (while still concentrating on a sprint car career) and Chip was the only guy, the only team owner to even entertain me racing his car. I met with him for probably 20 minutes, and he signed me up. I owe the world to him. I’m very thankful for all the years I spent at Chip Ganassi Racing.”

They won six races together: Michigan in 2016, Fontana, twice at Michigan, and Richmond in 2017, and Dover in 2019. But Larson’s world came tumbling down —as the Dixie Chicks sang in “Not Ready To Make Nice”—with his eight-month NASCAR suspension for using the n-word early in 2020. With new Hendrick assistant Jeff Gordon providing positive input and a seat available, Hendrick hired Larson in the fall of last year and paired him with Daniels.

None of them envisioned the kind of comeback season they’d get: 10 points-paying victories, the non-points All-Star victory, a pair of three-race winning streaks, a record 2,581 laps led, the regular-season championship, five victories in 10 playoff races, 18 podium finishes, and the championship.

Larson didn’t allow himself to dream such an unlikely scenario. After all, there were times during his exile when the 29-year-old Californian realized that while he’d probably eventually return to Cup, he worried that winning owners and high-profile sponsors would keep their distance.

“I dream about stuff I know I can do,” Larson said. “I’m not sure I ever really thought I could win a Cup Series championship. I’ve always thought about winning races, not championships. It’s just so far out there I never thought I would do it. With Chase winning it last year, I knew we would be strong, but I didn’t think we’d ever win double-digit races. Not that, and winning the championship and winning half the playoff races.

“For sure, until I got with this team, that is. Early in the year I felt we could do it, but then you think about how the (16-driver playoff series and final four) format is and you’re like, ‘well, something is going to happen where I don’t win this championship.’ Maybe that’s what kept it out of my dreams a little bit, too… all the circumstances that go into winning a championship in Cup.

“It’s like any other form of racing, a year-long thing. You can work your way towards winning a championship with this format, but it’s just crazy. I think that’s kind of what’s kept it from me dreaming about these moments and how I would see it.”

But all’s well that … well, you know.

By all accounts, Larson has redeemed his racial insensitivity by working closely with several social diversity groups that emphasize forgiveness and self-awareness. Who knows a man’s deepest heart, but for now Larson seems to have healed himself.

Daniels has emerged as NASCAR’s newest wunderkind crew chief, a bright, mechanically gifted, follow-at-all-costs leader. Granted, he and Johnson seldom finished as well as they ran in their partial 2019 and full 2020 seasons together, but through it all Daniels made himself a smarter and more prepared crew chief every weekend.

And Hendrick has proved (again) that he and his people have an eye for extraordinary talent—Tim Richmond, Gordon, Johnson, and Larson—and a knack for creating just the right human chemistry. After 15 Cup titles, why should anyone doubt him?

Any questions?

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