Given how many late-race restarts the NASCAR Cup Series has had this season, were you surprised that the Bristol Motor Speedway race had a clean run to the finish?
James Krause: Yes and no. If drivers hadn’t shown they lose their minds with 10 laps to go in the regular season, I still would have assumed the aggression level would pick up late from playoff drivers making a last-ditch effort to advance. Then again, how aggressive can a driver be when running at the same speed as everyone else without the tires falling off?
Joy Tomlinson: No, not really. It’s a short track, and the spring race (with more tire wear) was more of an anomaly than the norm for Bristol. We’ve seen dominance before as well as long green-flag runs in the final stage. This Next Gen car just isn’t as exciting on the short tracks. Now, NASCAR did introduce the new short track package before this season started, but it wasn’t for Dover Motor Speedway or Bristol, due to the high banks. If NASCAR can take a look at what it can do for these two tracks, the racing might appear better. However, with the Bristol race being at night (as was the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, which was nearly as uneventful), the cooler temps may have affected the racing. Plus, two other series, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series, ran too; the extra rubber could’ve created more grip.
Mike Neff: Not really thanks to the way the race played out. The cars were struggling to pass each other, and barring a complete banzai run on someone that resulted in heavy contact, the cars were not going to crash. Drivers might also be figuring out how to finish races without destroying one another.
What must Corey LaJoie do to earn the Rick Ware Racing No. 51 ride full time in 2025?
Tomlinson: Try not to crash? But seriously, just manage his equipment and learn what he can learn during this time. And perhaps find a sponsor that is willing to help him run full time next season.
Neff: Finish races with the cars intact and develop a strong rapport with the team. Making the cars better is the ultimate goal.
Krause: Corey LaJoie has to do what Justin Haley did and outperform Haley’s results. The biggest thing that’s given RWR one of its best seasons ever is just finishing races. After failing to have fewer than double-digit DNFs in each of its prior seasons, Haley failed to finish just two races this season. If LaJoie can keep his nose clean while upping his current average finish of 23rd, he’ll become a leading candidate for the ride.
With Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL looming, how much pressure is on the Cup playoff drivers to run well at Kansas Speedway?
Krause: There’s pressure at all these races, but Kansas is probably highly prioritized because you can control your own destiny there. Talladega and the Charlotte ROVAL can see you caught up in someone else’s wreck or wind up on the bad side of some strategy. Kansas is particularly big for one driver: Kyle Larson. The No. 5 driver has notoriously struggled at superspeedways and has one finish better than 13th at the ROVAL. Getting another Kansas win would relieve a lot of potential stress.
Neff: There isn’t any more pressure than at any other track. With the field down to 12, drivers cannot afford poor finishes. Getting to the finish and scoring stage points is critical from here on out.
Tomlinson: A lot of pressure. Though anything can happen at any track, Kansas is probably less unpredictable than Talladega. The Charlotte ROVAL is usually boring, but it has some track changes this year, so who knows what could happen there? I don’t recommend doing what Denny Hamlin did at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the Round of 16 (though part of that was because of his car dealing with issues over the weekend). Drivers should go for points as much as they can at Kansas while also trying to avoid mistakes and incidents.
How will Dawson Sutton fare driving the No. 25 Rackley WAR Chevrolet for the rest of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season?
Neff: He will probably finish back in the pack. The goal for Dawson Sutton is logging laps and learning how to race at this level. If he can run at the finish of every race, it will be a success.
Tomlinson: I’m not sure how Sutton will do for the rest of the year. He did get a top 20 at Nashville Superspeedway in just his second Truck Series start, but Ty Dillon, the guy he’s replacing, also finished 15th then. Sutton also beat Ty Majeski in a super late model race at the Milwaukee Mile earlier this year, so we know he has some talent. However, he’s Rackley CEO Curtis Sutton’s son, so it could be to get him some time in a truck to see how he runs and get him used to the tracks.
Krause: I don’t have the highest of expectations, but not because of Sutton. Rackley has been a solid mid-pack team since coming into the Truck Series, but that’s with veterans like Josh Berry, Matt DiBenedetto and Dillon behind the wheel. Talent has never been the weakness of this team, the trucks just don’t hold a candle to their competitors. As long as Sutton can bring it home in one piece, that’s a win for him and the team.
James Krause joined Frontstretch in March 2024 as a contributor. Krause was born and raised in Illinois and graduated from Northern Illinois University. He currently works in La Crosse, Wisconsin as a local sports reporter, including local short track racing. Outside of racing, Krause loves to keep up with football, music, anime and video games.
Joy joined Frontstretch in 2019 as a NASCAR DraftKings writer, expanding to news and iRacing coverage in 2020. She's currently an assistant editor and involved with photos, social media and news editing. A California native, Joy was raised watching motorsports and started watching NASCAR extensively in 2001. She earned her B.A. degree in Liberal Studies at California State University Bakersfield in 2010.
What is it that Mike Neff doesn’t do? The writer, radio contributor and racetrack announcer coordinates the site’s local short track coverage, hitting up Saturday Night Specials across the country while tracking the sport’s future racing stars. The writer for our signature Cup post-race column, Thinkin’ Out Loud (Mondays) also sits down with Cup crew chiefs to talk shop every Friday with Tech Talk. Mike announces several shows each year for the Good Guys Rod and Custom Association. He also pops up everywhere from PRN Pit Reporters and the Press Box with Alan Smothers to SIRIUS XM Radio. He has announced at tracks all over the Southeast, starting at Millbridge Speedway. He's also announced at East Lincoln Speedway, Concord Speedway, Tri-County Speedway, Caraway Speedway, and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Mr disaster needs to find another career.
LaJoie: Too many crashes and not particularly likable = toast in NASCAR. I think he’s probably out in favor of some other young up=and-comer.
Corey LaJoie is a great guy who does not bring much funding and who has only driven for lesser teams. In weeks prior to his “trade”, he was asked to ‘step it up’ to produce like his team mates were doing. His aggressiveness only produced wrecked race cars. With at least a half dozen drivers brining some money and having a high probability of producing the same or better results, it was time to ‘give Corey a chance to explore other opportunities.” He has shown repeatedly that he is good, not great. The results have not improved: why not try a potentially better driver who brings cash either directly or through attracting sponsor $$$. What’s he gonna be, worse?
Hey Neff! Um, Sutton? He finished 5th.