Is there anything that NASCAR can or should do to clean up these finishes at drafting-style racetracks?
Jake Altmayer: The one realistic idea that comes to mind is to go to single-file restarts with 10 laps to go, but even that may not be enough to significantly reduce the amount of chaos and controversy at the end of many of these drafting-style races. Similarly, trying previously attempted ideas, such as limiting the number of overtime attempts or bringing back the overtime line, isn’t going to fix much either and may result in more controversy and frustration from drivers and fans. The reality is that we’re in an era of superspeedway racing where the cars are as equal as they’ve ever been, and where the risk of making an overly aggressive block or move is far less of a concern to drivers than the reward of winning the race, so there isn’t an easy fix to this issue.
Steve Leffew: This is a big can of worms. There are several things that could be considered. Increasing horsepower is always a popular request. It would spread out the pack as handling became more critical. Reducing the size of the rear spoiler seems like it would be wise, since the cars would not get runs that are quite as big, causing fewer violent blocking situations or spins like Christopher Bell‘s. The diffuser has been mentioned repeatedly, but I do not understand the physics well enough yet to give a strong opinion on how to improve it. It does seem like Ryan Preece was onto something when he compared the flat bottom of the cars to a sheet of plywood getting caught in the wind.
Kevin Nix: There’s not much, unfortunately. The NASCAR Cup Series drivers are hamstrung by the Next Gen car, which keeps them far too condensed in the field to race cleanly. Drivers in the lower divisions tend to mimic the habits of the Cup regulars, both good and bad. NASCAR would have to decrease drag on the Next Gen at the superspeedways. Another option is to have single-file restarts in the final stage of all superspeedway races, which would give drivers more room on track to make their move. It is an epidemic, though, with no end in sight.
James Jackson: Issuing time penalties like Formula 1 would be a way to make drivers think more. Bringing back the race-to-line rule would be helpful, as long as they have time to slow down and not plow into a wrecked car after coming around for the flag.
Joy Tomlinson: I’m not sure there’s anything NASCAR can do unless series officials start issuing penalties. It’s just a product of this type of racing with the Next Gen car. I’ve even seen a suggestion that the race might as well be 40 laps as the aggressive driving and crashes often happen toward the end of the race.
Who else would you like to see drive Project91 for Trackhouse Racing?
Leffew: Max Verstappen is the golden goose of this question, but he seems like a longshot at best. Alex Palou would be interesting and could be plausible with the ties between Trackhouse and Chip Ganassi. I’d love to see it widen the net and bring in some American veterans for short track races. Jeff Gordon (pipedream), Ken Schrader, Clint Bowyer, Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt Jr. could all be interesting candidates, however unlikely they all may be.
Nix: Pato O’Ward at Autodromos Hermanos Rodriguez, specifically. Ever since NASCAR announced the race in Mexico City, he is someone I’ve wanted in the No. 91. He is one of the most popular drivers in the NTT IndyCar Series, if not the most. If Trackhouse gave him the No. 91, he would immediately become the biggest sensation there and add to the massive hype around that event. The opportunity is too good to pass up.
Logan Kendall: I would like to see Fernando Alonso race in the Project91 car. Alonso has a successful Formula 1 career with two championships. He is also one of the only current F1 drivers to branch out to other motorsports. He has raced in the Indianapolis 500, he has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona. He should try his hand at a NASCAR race.
Tomlinson: Lewis Hamilton. His resume in F1 is exceptional, and he would bring new eyes to the sport. He would probably perform better at a road course like Watkins Glen International or Mexico City. If Trackhouse could get him, fans would fill the stands to see him race.
Frank Velat: Verstappen. Of course, Red Bull Racing would never permit its superstar driver to dabble in a stock car. But he’s at the top of his field in the world’s premier form of motorsports. I would be intrigued to see how he would perform both on a road course as well as a traditional oval.
Jackson: Give me Verstappen or Kevin Magnussen. With F1 becoming more and more popular in America over the past few years, bringing in talent from that area would be something Trackhouse and NASCAR could market. Verstappen, while it would be cool, would be hard to accomplish while he’s currently under contract. Magnussen, on the other hand, would be a great addition to Trackhouse. Put him in a car at Circuit of the Americas or Watkins Glen (both tracks he has experience at) and give him top equipment like Trackhouse, and he could put on a show. His experience in F1 and IMSA/WEC would be amazing for Trackhouse as well when giving feedback on how they can improve the Project91 program.
Richard Childress Racing has been dominant at drafting-style racetracks in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Will that trend continue at Atlanta Motor Speedway?
Nix: I see no reason why it can’t continue. Austin Hill‘s dominance cannot be overstated, and Jesse Love staked his claim last week as the second-best superspeedway racer in the series. Both Love and Hill will be favorites to win, although give the nod to Hill. The No. 21 has been unstoppable at Atlanta’s new configuration; the field simply hasn’t figured out how to beat him yet. He is the winner until someone beats him straight up (or if he has a mechanical problem).
Leffew: Unless RCR has mechanical issues, there is no reason to think its drivers won’t be dominant at Atlanta. If they qualify up front as expected, they will likely dominate the race even more than they did at Daytona International Speedway. We saw some of the worst racing in an otherwise excellent Xfinity season last year at Atlanta because the cars were not able to pass. There was not enough room nor enough horsepower. If RCR starts on the front row, its drivers will spend most of the race up there.
Kendall: RCR has shown no signs of stopping its dominance at drafting tracks, Hill is undoubtedly one of the best drafting track drivers in NASCAR. With his teammate Love also starting to prove his skills at that style of racing, the only thing stopping RCR would be themselves with a mechanical failure.
Velat: It will continue. Hill leads more drafts than the worst NFL teams. The situation is similar to Dale Earnhardt Inc. in the early 2000s. When it comes to that type of racing, RCR, and Hill in particular, are the team to beat. Lately, if they steer clear of attrition, they have proven themselves almost impossible to beat. Don’t expect that to change anytime soon.
Jackson: RCR will continue to dominate at drafting style tracks. Hill is the favorite and man to beat, though. He had a great car at Daytona before exiting the race with an issue.
Altmayer: Considering that Hill has won four of the last five Xfinity races at Atlanta, it’s really hard to bet against him winning again. However, if I had to pick another driver in the field who could give Hill and RCR a run for their money, I’d go with Aric Almirola. Almirola’s a Cup veteran with multiple wins on drafting-style tracks, and the team he is driving for (Joe Gibbs Racing) is the only other organization besides RCR that has won multiple Xfinity races at Atlanta since the track was reconfigured in 2022. Hill may still go out and dominate most of the race, but if anyone can outrun him and RCR in the closing laps, it’s Almirola.
Where does Corey Heim rank all time in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history?
Tomlinson: He’s certainly within the top 100 drivers but not quite in the top 10. He’ll need to win a championship for me to consider ranking him in the top 10. But Corey Heim is stellar for his age and would rank in the top 10 of drivers who competed in Trucks in his age range (like Erik Jones, William Byron and Christopher Bell).
Altmayer: Assuming that Heim puts up similar results this year as he has the past couple of seasons driving for TRICON Garage, (three-plus wins and advance to the Championship 4), it will be fair to consider him a top-10 driver in Truck history, as he will likely rank inside the top 10 on the all-time wins list (Matt Crafton holds the 10th spot with 15 wins; Heim is at 11). While Heim may not have the total career numbers like Ron Hornaday Jr. and Jack Sprague, it’s important to remember that Heim has put up his 11 wins over the course of just three seasons, while many of the drivers above him raced in the series for many years. Lastly, Heim has already won at virtually every track type that the series races on, which speaks to his natural talent and versatility as a driver.
Nix: He is already the best driver in series history to never win a championship. I’d put him on the bottom edge of the top 10 at the moment, but everyone ahead of him is either a champion or Kyle Busch. He is deserving of a Cup ride right now, but if he becomes a Truck lifer, he could easily follow the track of Hornaday, winning 30-50 races and multiple series titles. That would make him a Hall of Famer, which wouldn’t be a bad compromise in the slightest.
Velat: Among all-time greats, Heim is in the second level. Busch, Mike Skinner, Hornaday, Todd Bodine, Sprague, Crafton and Ben Rhodes are an easy top tier. His accomplishments in his time are solid, but like most Truck competitors in recent years, he doesn’t have an extensive history. I have a hard time saying someone is an all-time great at anything based on two-and-a-half years of participation. It isn’t a knock on his abilities, but to put him among the best might be a bit of an overreaction.
Kendall: Heim would be around the top 15-20 drivers all time in Truck history as of right now. He has a fair amount of wins but he should accomplish a little more before overtaking other drivers on that list. He has enough potential to move out of trucks, but if he is to stay as a career Truck driver, he could easily move into the top 10 on that list.
Frank Velat has been an avid follower of NASCAR and other motorsports for over 20 years. He brings a blend of passionate fan and objective author to his work. Frank offers unique perspectives that everyone can relate to, remembering the sport's past all the while embracing its future. Follow along with @FrankVelat on Twitter.
Jake Altmayer joined the Frontstretch team in 2025, assisting as a news writer and contributing to other weekly columns and articles, such as Friday Faceoff and Xfinity Breakdown. A 2024 graduate of DePaul University. Altmayer has closely followed NASCAR's national series (Cup, Xfinity and Trucks) for nearly a decade and has attended over a dozen races over the course of that time. In his free time, he enjoys cycling, spending time with his loved ones, and listening to his favorite band, the Beach Boys.
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.
Kevin Nix has been with Frontstretch since February 2023. Hailing from Gilbert, Arizona, his dream is to be in the NASCAR media sphere full-time. He is a video assistant, working on the back end to streamline video and audio quality of all at-track interviews. Nix also writes about news every Monday for the site.
Nix graduated with a Master's Degree in Sports Journalism from ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Phoenix, Arizona. He also has bachelor's degrees in Communications and Political Science. In his downtime, he likes to read, play video games and take walks in the Arizona weather - when it's not too hot.
Logan Kendall joined the Frontstretch team in 2025 as the Tuesday News Writer and fills in other roles as needed. He resides in the Finger Lakes region of New York and spends his free time writing as a hobby creatively and is a self published author.
Logan can be found on X @LoganKendall48
Steve Leffew joined Frontstretch in 2023 and covers the Xfinity Series. He has served honorably in the United States Air Force and and lives in Wisconsin.