Honestly, who doesnโt love a good feud between racers after a good Saturday night of short track racinโ?
Thatโs exactly what we saw following this past weekendโs night race at Bristol. Kevin Harvick and Chase Elliott both essentially had their chances of winning ended by the other.
Harvick and Elliott made contact on track while passing slower cars. That resulted in the cutting of one of Elliottโs tires. Once Elliottโs No. 9 came back on the track from pit road, he did his best to hold up Harvickโs No. 4 car. That allowed Kyle Larson, Elliottโs Hendrick Motorsports teammate, to win the race.
Regardless of whose side you take in this disagreement, both drivers had a right to be upset. It was great to see both drivers stand up for themselves after the race. For Harvick, itโs been a frustrating season by his standards. He won nine races last season. But his most recent victory in the Cup Series came one year ago at last seasonโs Bristol playoff race.
Since then, itโs been tough sledding for the No. 4 team. Despite being the championship favorite in 2020, they failed to advance to the final round. And in 2021, the entire Stewart-Haas Racing team didnโt have the speed they wanted, and Harvick just barely squeaked into the playoff field.
Saturdayโs race is the closest Harvick has come to a win all year. It was taken from him by Elliott blocking his preferred racing line after what Harvick thought was a fair racing incident.
As for Elliott, itโs clear he believes the veteran of more than two decades at NASCARโs highest level isnโt showing him enough respect on the track. Even though Harvick and Elliott are on equal footing in terms of career titles with one apiece. Elliott still believes he deserves better from the old vets on the track.
Fight Club
With both drivers fighting for a title and neither of them being a favorite this year, Iโm sure Elliott believed that Harvick wouldnโt drive as aggressively as he did. After all, there was basically just as equal of a chance that Harvick could have ended up with the blown tire.
Both drivers are fighting for a title. And as an illustrious trio of gentlemen from New York said a few decades ago, “youโve got to fight for your rightโฆ” to win a NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Because both drivers advanced to the Round of 12, I donโt anticipate any strong retaliation from either of these drivers; they both need to focus on moving forward rather than taking each other down.
Take a lesson from this incident; donโt hesitate to stand up for yourself when needed. Fight for that right to be who you need to be, but donโt take yourself down as well trying to take down the other person.
As the playoffs roll on the drivers left in the playoff hunt will be the ones who run upfront. Short of a couple of drivers who were just eliminated and Ross Chastain, I donโt see anyone other than the 12 remaining playoff drivers contending for wins outside of the great equalizer of Talladega.
Therefore, Iโll pass along a brief opinion of each of the drivers remaining. Listed by the order of their current position in the standings heading into Las Vegas on Sunday.
Cup Series Playoffs Top 12
#5 Kyle Larson โ 3059 points (+46)
He has a 30-point advantage on the rest of the field and can take this round, the most chaotic of the playoffs. So he can just relax, stay out of trouble and move forward. Thatโs not in Kyle Larsonโs blood though. I expect him to fight for the win at Las Vegas. If the No. 5 team finishes well there, expect them to not be as competitive at Talladega or the Charlotte Roval.
#19 Martin Truex Jr. โ 3,029 points (+16)
Martin Truexโs No. 19 team has some of their swagger back after a dominant victory at Richmond and overall success from the Joe Gibbs Racing stable. Despite being second in the standings, theyโre only 16 points ahead of the cutline of this round. Even if Las Vegas doesnโt turn out well (itโs certainly risky given that Vegas isnโt a 750-horsepower package track, where JGR has had most of its success) Truex has never won on a superspeedway, which will add motivation at Talladega.
#11 Denny Hamlin โ 3,024 points (+11)
Now that Denny Hamlin has a victory, he has to be considered a favorite because of the teamโs consistency overall. I wouldnโt be surprised to see Hamlin contend in each of the first two races in the round. Hoping to defend his win in last seasonโs fall race at Talladega and relax during the Roval race.
#12 Ryan Blaney โ 3,024 points (+11)
Iโm probably the least sure about what happens with Ryan Blaneyโs No. 12 team than any other. The experience of going deep into the playoffs just isnโt there, but I feel like his team is probably the best Team Penske car right now. Heโs likely to be one of the favorites to win at Talladega but could provide good finishes at a good value in the other two races.
#18 Kyle Busch โ 3,022 points (+9)
The younger Busch brother generally hasnโt been happy with how his cars have run lately. I feel like he wonโt have what he wants to advance to the final round. With that being said, Kyle Busch gets more out of his equipment, no matter how good or bad, than basically anyone in the garage. You really can never count him out, especially not at his home track of Las Vegas.
#9 Chase Elliott โ 3,021 points (+8)
Two of the three races resulted in cut tires in the first playoff round for Elliott. Itโs rare that we see teams as successful as the No. 9 have two unlucky rounds in a row. Elliott may be the best road course driver in the series. He has won at Talladega before as well, so donโt be surprised to see the No. 9 car in victory lane sometime in the next three weeks.
#88 Alex Bowman โ 3,015 points (+2)
Alex Bowmanโs No. 48 team has once again been unbelievably streaky in 2021. Some days they look like they can win, other days they are consistently the worst of the Hendrick bunch. But a fifth-place run at Bristol, good enough to advance after two weeks in a row tied at the cutline, could send the team on a hot streak like it had last year. If not, Bowman will easily be knocked out in this round without a victory. He runs fairly well at all of the tracks in this round, but โfairly wellโ doesnโt win titles.
#24 William Byron โ 3,014 points (+1)
William Byronโs team did what they needed to do to succeed and advance, but it will take a fight again to keep them moving forward. Thereโs obviously better chemistry between Byron and his crew chief Rudy Fugle, but I think it would take a win for the No. 24 to advance. I just donโt see it happening in this round. Expect good finishes, but nothing all that close to a victory or a top-level fantasy performance.
#22 Joey Logano โ 3,013 points (-1)
Joey Logano is a stellar veteran driver and can run consistently well in his sleep. Itโs been one of those years where heโs just kind of there. With only the Bristol Dirt win on the rรฉsume from 2021, I just donโt know that the No. 22 has what it takes to breakthrough.
#2 Brad Keselowski โ 3,008 points (-6)
Maybe Iโm beating a dead horse here, but I still donโt think Brad Keselowski, the lame-duck whoโs headed to Roush after the season, will get the equipment and focus from the organization that he needs to advance. The No. 2 did win Talladega earlier in the season, but thatโs the only chance I see of him advancing.
#20 Christopher Bell โ 3,005 points (-9)
Similar to Keselowski, I see Joe Gibbs Racing heavily focusing on their three veteran drivers to advance rather than Christopher Bellโs No. 20. But having a crew chief in Adam Stevens whoโs won titles before is always a good thing and could result in runs well enough to advance.
#4 Kevin Harvick โ 3,002 points (-12)
Harvickโs lack of wins and playoff points have him rock bottom once again in this round. Expect to see a motivated and angry Harvick behind the wheel who feels like he has something to prove. Thatโs dangerous for the other 11 drivers remaining.
Whoโs Out After This Round?
Keselowski, Byron, Bowman, Bell
Thanks for reading. For more fantasy NASCAR and life advice, follow me on Twitter, @EHicks39,ย or check out more of my work atย Elliot-Hicks.com.
