Cup RACE thread --- Watkins Glen

That youtube link was insightful. Fox definitely did a terribly job on replays and camerawork today.

Part of me was wondering if the Zilich would move over when SVG got to him. Part of me also wonders if they told Connor to wear out Reddick to make sure SVG got to them in time and to also stretch out the fuel situation, used him as the sacrificial lamb.
 
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Austin Dillon is the big mover up 5 spots. SVG up 3 spots.

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A third, or 12 of 36 races, have been completed, and we are almost halfway to the September reset or cutoff.

At this point, Shane van Gisbergen is on pace to be in the top 16. He is currently in the top 16 after completing the first road course, and there will be two more road courses or high-points potential events prior to the cutoff. He is also improving on the ovals.

I don't think he will make the final top ten on points this year, but he still has to be considered as one of those drivers who is doing the most with the least. I am not sure of his ceiling on the ovals, but in all fairness, this is just his second season on them. The talent is obvious; the sky is still the limit, and Trackhouse as a team may be a bigger limitation than his current lack of experience.

I'm not sure of his contract status, but he should be on the short list for a top team. Those types of teams will already have drivers who are good enough to win a championship. If SVG ever gets to that level on the ovals, it would just be a huge bonus. He is already the road course master or as close to guaranteed wins as possible, and he would probably make the entire organization better on those tracks. It should be a no-brainer if he ever becomes available or shops around for a better ride.

Other stuff: The two biggest and most obvious surprises would be Tyler Reddick's dominance and HMS's struggles.
I think Reddick is legitimate; the proof is in the pudding. I don't think anyone saw it coming, but he has always had the talent, and he has the equipment. They are just making fewer mistakes; the chemistry just came together.

HMS isn't losing due to some bad breaks or bad luck; they simply don't have the speed. It's beyond just needing a few tweaks. Hocevar has the the talent and I don't think his success is much of surprise, but who would have ever thought that he would be performing better than Larson this deep into the season.
 
Greg said:
A third, or 12 of 36 races, have been completed, and we are almost halfway to the September reset or cutoff.

At this point, Shane van Gisbergen is on pace to be in the top 16. He is currently in the top 16 after completing the first road course, and there will be two more road courses or high-points potential events prior to the cutoff. He is also improving on the ovals.

I don't think he will make the final top ten on points this year, but he still has to be considered as one of those drivers who is doing the most with the least. I am not sure of his ceiling on the ovals, but in all fairness, this is just his second season on them. The talent is obvious; the sky is still the limit, and Trackhouse as a team may be a bigger limitation than his current lack of experience.

I'm not sure of his contract status, but he should be on the short list for a top team. Those types of teams will already have drivers who are good enough to win a championship. If SVG ever gets to that level on the ovals, it would just be a huge bonus. He is already the road course master or as close to guaranteed wins as possible, and he would probably make the entire organization better on those tracks. It should be a no-brainer if he ever becomes available or shops around for a better ride.

Other stuff: The two biggest and most obvious surprises would be Tyler Reddick's dominance and HMS's struggles.
I think Reddick is legitimate; the proof is in the pudding. I don't think anyone saw it coming, but he has always had the talent, and he has the equipment. They are just making fewer mistakes; the chemistry just came together.

HMS isn't losing due to some bad breaks or bad luck; they simply don't have the speed. It's beyond just needing a few tweaks. Hocevar has the the talent and I don't think his success is much of surprise, but who would have ever thought that he would be performing better than Larson this deep into the season.
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If I was the Felon, I would break the bank to get SVG in the 48.....
 
Revman said:
If I was the Felon, I would break the bank to get SVG in the 48.....
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First off, Trackhouse would be a fool to let him go, second HMS does not have a history of poaching drivers from other teams, especially other Chevy teams, and third, I would still take Bowman over a full season as far as points go even though he's less likely to win as many races as SVG. In the playoff format, I would take SVG. In the Chase format I'll still take Bowman. Throw out this year though since he was obviously hurt and missed races.
 
Greg said:
At this point, Shane van Gisbergen is on pace to be in the top 16. He is currently in the top 16 after completing the first road course, and there will be two more road courses or high-points potential events prior to the cutoff. He is also improving on the ovals.
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Is COTA not considered a road course?
 
StandOnIt said:
How many Championships have the rice burners won in comparison? Go sit down fool.
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How about you stick it with the name calling? WE are doing just fine. The flagship Pen is struggling. Larsony is the best talent in the field, and he has been terrible. There is a problem, and it isn't the car....obviously.
 
Revman said:
HMS was an embarrassment....and ole Team Chevy isn't going to win a Championship with the underlings.
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And exactly how from a championship contention standpoint do you think SVG would make Hendrick better than what they already are? SVG might be a win machine, but he's still a LONG way from being a championship contender. If anyone is going to push Bowman out of the 48 seat, it's going to be Corey Day.
 
Formerjackman said:
And exactly how from a championship contention standpoint do you think SVG would make Hendrick better than what they already are? SVG might be a win machine, but he's still a LONG way from being a championship contender. If anyone is going to push Bowman out of the 48 seat, it's going to be Corey Day.
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The rumors have already started about Day in the 48.
 
Revman said:
How about you stick it with the name calling? WE are doing just fine. The flagship Pen is struggling. Larsony is the best talent in the field, and he has been terrible. There is a problem, and it isn't the car....obviously.
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If you're going to call drivers, teams, and owners names, you should expect the same treatment.
 
Formerjackman said:
And exactly how from a championship contention standpoint do you think SVG would make Hendrick better than what they already are? SVG might be a win machine, but he's still a LONG way from being a championship contender. If anyone is going to push Bowman out of the 48 seat, it's going to be Corey Day.
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Well, the 48 would be winning races, and a couple of steps from contending to start. SVG has maybe a few years left, and then hand it over to Day.
 
A little late this year, but here's a thought. If I had SVG in the win and you're in era, and if contracts (sponsors etc) allow, I would have had him take one RC a year to "swap rides" with the other drivers.
Get his win and lock the 97 in, then the next one he enters with the 1 car points etc and wins to lock them in for the owners standings. They would keep their driver points that way since both would still be entered in the race, and the owners is what pays, right? And it won't hurt his team since he was never going to advance in the playoffs anyway.
 
Revman said:
How about you stick it with the name calling? WE are doing just fine. The flagship Pen is struggling. Larsony is the best talent in the field, and he has been terrible. There is a problem, and it isn't the car....obviously.
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Are you being sarcastic when you say it isn't the car? Outside of Elliott, who has been hit or miss, HMS just has no speed and balance.

Listening to Larson's radio each week, there have been multiple instances where he references the straightaway speed of the Toyotas. "Did you see how bad Denny's exit was and he's still driving away from me?" He's also always complaining about no rear grip. The issue seems to be Toyota has an edge in power... which is normal. Happens in NASCAR. HMS had it from 2007-2009. Had it again around 2013-2014, then in 2021. Ebb and flow of the sport. But they also seem like they havent gotten a handle on the driveability of the new car either. Factoring those two things, and you have Larson struggling to run top 12 at Texas, a track where, according to all the speed data out there, he's been the class of the field at in the gen 7.
 
jaqua19 said:
Are you being sarcastic when you say it isn't the car? Outside of Elliott, who has been hit or miss, HMS just has no speed and balance.

Listening to Larson's radio each week, there have been multiple instances where he references the straightaway speed of the Toyotas. "Did you see how bad Denny's exit was and he's still driving away from me?" He's also always complaining about no rear grip. The issue seems to be Toyota has an edge in power... which is normal. Happens in NASCAR. HMS had it from 2007-2009. Had it again around 2013-2014, then in 2021. Ebb and flow of the sport. But they also seem like they havent gotten a handle on the driveability of the new car either. Factoring those two things, and you have Larson struggling to run top 12 at Texas, a track where, according to all the speed data out there, he's been the class of the field at in the gen 7.
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I think the Chevy is fine. I think the engineering at HMS is the issue. Chase has been good on all of the 1.5s where aero and horsepower are critical. Inexcusable that Larson is as bad as he has been. Exit speed flatters horsepower.....I am not sure that there is any Toyota advantage. Also, other Chevys have speed.
 
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