Well…this is a new one. I thought the prediction itself would be all I needed but we have cases being made.
1. I saw in above posts that on “on- track accomplishments are more important than scheduling”. While I agree there, there has never been a proclamation made predictions need to be limited to on track happenings. *the prediction I won with in 19 when Kenseth drove the 6, he didn’t accomplish anything except riding around in 15th every week when he got back behind the wheel. So there’s recent evidence of a non specific/non spectacular driver achievement winning this game
2. How rare can first time winners prediction be when this is the 4th time now it’s happened in 20 years? It even happened in back to back years (01-02) With the parity this next gen car brings I can probably guarantee it’s going to happen more in the future. I’d say driver talent level is rising too, you mix those two factors together and a season like this will happen again, maybe not right away but it will happen within the next 20 years. Maybe 10.
3. How many times on here (check on the broader stage of social media. Buried) in these fine parts did we see a poster bring up “ya gotta go back to NW” only to be shot down, made fun of or shooed away by a board know it all or the general population of this board. “You gotta move on from the past”, “TV doesn’t want to go there” “It’s crumbling, the surface is sliding back down into the earth” “there are better places to go to” or “god….this again” Well those ladies and gents were incredibly wrong. Sure it took a huge break of getting state funded money but every prediction has a little luck to it right? You also have the speed of this coming back on the schedule. We all agreed after the news of the money coming to fruition and Marcus on the DJD “don’t forget about NW”, maybe 24,25 or in even great symmetry 26 on the 30th anniversary of Cup Leaving, A race could be held there. To fast forward to not even a year later of all this happening and an actual Cup Race will take place there in 23 is bonkers. There has to be some reward there for that BOLD predicting.
In closing, the more than five different winners prediction is a pretty good one. Most years that should win. But not this year. Not when a relic from NASCAR’s distant past over 25 years ago is being raised from the dead after being left to crumble and rot by media, fans, the sport itself and the very company that owns the track. The speed, ferocity, enthusiasm and joy of the revival should not go unnoticed as not one person could have predicted the revival itself nor the gravity at which it’s moving. They didn’t put quit enough dirt on the grave of NW and now here it is, a BOLD prediction in January of 22 on RF’s.com to an actual race in May of 23. Not too late to change those votes or make your initial vote to my prediction.