1. What Was So Wrong About Sunday’s Last-Lap Finish?
An honest question: What was so bad about how Sunday (Sept. 28) at Kansas Speedway ended?
OK, if you’re a Bubba Wallace fan, Denny Hamlin is probably not getting a Christmas card from you.
But other than that, what’s not to like about how things ended?
To be clear, this is not to say that Hamlin decided to door the driver of the team he owns. It’s just how things turned out.
Time after time, fans will deride the element of “team orders” in racing, or secret agreements that they assume exist among drivers as they agree not to race one another hard for the win. It goes beyond teams. It’s also entangled with manufacturers, too. Wallace said as much among his post-race frustrations on Sunday.
Be honest with yourself: How many times do you watch the end of an Indianapolis 500 or Daytona 500 and see two teammates running nose-to-tail and assume that since it’s two teammates or closely aligned drivers, there will be no challenge for the lead?
Sunday flew in the face of that. Do you realize how much of a middle finger (no post-race pun intended) it would have been from 23XI Racing to NASCAR to say that one of its drivers was bound for the Round of 8?
Drivers should be going for the win, regardless of circumstances.
2. Did Sunday Torpedo 23XI Racing For The Long Haul?
What will eventually become of 23XI Racing? Will it continue to be a factor for years to come? Or will it become a lot like the oh-so-many teams that were pretty good for a window of time before fate or other circumstances made them a footnote?
Nobody knows for sure. But if legal litigations end up leading to this organization’s demise, this past Sunday could be the start of the end.
Wallace, Hamlin and Tyler Reddick can put up the deflector blockers all they want with public comments, but it cannot be easy to race into the postseason knowing that there is a chance that their livelihood, as well as others, could be hanging in the balance.
Do you know what can take your mind off anything off-track? Having things go very well on the track. This team was one lap away from that on Sunday, until it wasn’t. Now, instead of having one driver locked into the next round, it has both possibly not advancing past the second round.
Perhaps more than any other team in the NASCAR Cup Series garage, 23XI badly needed a win on Sunday. Think about how much that changes the dynamics with everything going on off the track.
Now, that is not the case, and depending on what happens at the ROVAL, it could end up being the first step of things going south on multiple fronts for this organization.
3. Let’s Give A Call To The No. 9 Spotter, Trey Poole
Change is never easy, especially when it involves someone highly visible. That was absolutely true for the No. 9 team going into the 2024 season when one of the most renowned spotters in the NASCAR garage, Eddie D’Hondt, was departing after guiding Chase Elliott from atop the spotter’s stand since he began as a NASCAR Cup Series rookie.
For a driver as visible as Elliott, the smallest thing can draw the pointing of fingers when results are not there, and the No. 9 not winning until June of this year — while Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson snagged wins — did not sit well with Elliott fans, most likely as Trey Poole took over as spotter. Poole was hardly a newcomer, having been Elliott’s secondary spotter previously. But there’s a big difference between that and being in the primary role.
Any concerns with Elliott’s “eyes in the sky” should now be gone after Sunday. His two wins this season at EchoPark Speedway and Kansas have one big thing in common: that Elliott was able to knife his way through in the closing laps to win. That does not happen with a driver alone; it also takes a spotter being well on top of things.
In case you didn’t know, Poole is more than up for this job, and Sunday proved it. Give the man his flowers.
4. Sunday May Have Been Denny Hamlin’s Best Drive of the Season
Think of Hamlin after this race at Kansas, and the first thing that probably is thought of is the last-lap actions … and the results thereof. That’s a shame, because before things shook out the way that they did, Hamlin was on track for arguably one of his best drives of the season.
Some “old school” fans may scoff at this, but when you are on a track that’s sensitive to downforce like Kansas, having issues with power steering is not ideal. It’s not so much that a driver has to do without power steering, it’s that nobody else has that disadvantage. Somehow, some way, Hamlin was able to dominate the first two stages on Sunday. That’s a credit to not just Hamlin, but the No. 11 team keeping its head in things and focused.
No, Sunday was not anything for Hamlin to celebrate as far as a win goes. But if there is solace, it’s that in the heat of the postseason, the No. 11 faced a punch of adversity and just winked back, smiled back and kept going.
5. Tyler Reddick’s Mental Focus Is Remarkable
Few people are as glad as Reddick for where NASCAR is racing this weekend. No, this has nothing to do with the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL and any desires for the track to run both events on the quad-oval. That’s an ask for another time.
This has everything to do with the fact that when the well-being of your family comes to the forefront, home is where you want to be. Over the weekend, an Instagram post revealed that Reddick and his wife Alexa’s child, Rookie, was in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at Levine Children’s Hospital, very close to where Reddick and many others in the NASCAR community reside.
It’s an incredible credit to Reddick that in the midst of all that, he was able to battle through mentally on Sunday and finish seventh. As a parent, there’s nothing more heart-stopping than being a bit away from home, knowing that your child is on the way to a children’s hospital’s ER or ICU. It’s a mental weight I would not wish on anyone.
Honestly, I don’t know how Reddick was able to lock in on Sunday, and it’s an immense credit to his mental toughness that he was able to do so.
Brad joined Frontstretch.com in 2020 and contributes to the site's 5 Points To Ponder column and other roles as needed. A graduate of the University of Georgia's Henry W. Grady School of Journalism and Mass Communication, he has covered sports in some capacity for more than 20 years with coverage including local high school sports, college athletics and minor league hockey. Brad has received multiple awards for his work from the Georgia Press Association.
Team Orders? Norris and Piastri! Race but don’t take each other out!
To be fair, it’s a little easier when it’s a matter of which of your drivers win the title, not if one of your drivers will win the title. I do respect McLaren has let them race so far.
If McLaren has another bad week, and Verstappen wins again, I have to guess a plan is in place to back whichever McLaren driver is best positioned to get the title. I doubt that will come to pass though…I think Singapore will see a return of McLaren dominance.
I tend to cheer for Wallace, because I get tired of the lies thrown around about him as to how “noosegate” actually played out. Beyond that, I recognize he can be way too emotional, and sometimes act entitled, but this is no different than Blaney, Elliott, Hamlin, Logano, Ty Gibbs, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch, or most of the NASCAR field. So, I get annoyed by the double standard, which makes me want Wallace to do well, just to annoy the people holding those double standards. I also find it hilarious, how “tough” people clutch at their pearls when Wallace performs well.
Yet, I think Hamlin did exactly as he should here…he drives for JGR. It’s almost a certainty JGR wanted him to try for the win, whatever it took. Toyota and Wallace may disagree, but Hamlin’s paychecks come from JGR, not Toyota or Wallace. For Hamlin to help Wallace win that race, at JGR’s expense, would have been a textbook example of a conflict of interest.
I imagine Toyota sinks a lot of money into 23XI too. Maybe Toyota would consider ending the association? What would MJ think?
Did Hamlin do as he should have? I’m not sure in the current environment. If he had an opening to make a high % move, then maybe. But the fact is he lacked so much awareness in that moment. I guarantee you would not have seen Jeff Gordon throw up a low % Hail Mary and wall Jimmie Johnson in that situation (back when he was part owner of Jimmie’s car).
As a result, he most likely cost not only the manufacturer he drives for a win, but also the manufacturer who backs the team he owns. He cost the team he owns a win (and possibly eliminated them from the playoffs in the process). Not to mention the sponsors. It’s a bad look and a very poor decision to make. The smart move would have been to let Bubba go, and race hard for 2nd place to help secure the 23xl team/Toyota a win and a spot in the playoffs.
At least, that’s the business side and the reality NASCAR is currently in. From a “purist” racing point of view I agree, it should be every car/driver for themselves and Denny absolutely should have gone for it when he had the shot. But that horse escaped the barn years ago, and now it’s more about the teams, at least in some situations. And I think this is one of those situations.
As usual, even when we don’t agree, I can see where you’re coming from.
I think Hamlin did what JGR would have wanted, which to me would be what matters most, since they pay his check. I hear ya overall, but have to think Hamlin’s boss (Gibbs) would not have been amused. Those extra championship points could easily be the difference in missing or making the final race as part of the final four.
I don’t see any way Hamlin could avoid annoying a sponsor. Either he’d tick off his own sponsor, or tick off the sponsor of the car he owns.
As for Gordon/Johnson, I get it didn’t have playoff implications when it happened, but I remember those two tangling at least once at Martinsville, via a bump and run, which to me isn’t much different than Hamlin’s failed attempt to win by shoving Wallace up the track.
There were a few incidences of drama between Gordon/Johnson, as Gordon began to tail off, and Johnson ascended. Agree those situations were outliers though, especially given how often those two were at the front together.
I remember Johnson/Gordon too, especially at Martinsville.
I had to go back and search for a couple of those, and the difference I see (aside from the blocking incident at Talladega) none of them were careless, out of control attempts (well, again unless you count Jimmie driving sideways around Atlanta just trying to catch Jeff). Hard racing? Yes. Controlled aggression, applying pressure? Yes. Same as what Denny did? No.
Jeff beat, banged, and rubbed on Jimmie at Martinsville, but didn’t wall him or spin him. He could just as easily have Earnhardted him out of the way ala what Sr did to Labonte at Bristol, but he chose not to. That’s the difference. Jeff raced hard, but did not overstep that line to wreck Jimmie. Denny was clearly “checkers or wreckers”, and he didn’t care who was on the back of a towtruck if he didn’t make it.
Honestly?
That you took the time to research it, to ensure an informed opinion, means more to me than the discussion.
I can see your point of view. Our difference in perspective is nuanced, in that I didn’t see what Hamlin did as egregious either. In my mind, Hamlin pushed Wallace up, but didn’t “wreck” him, which I don’t see as much different than moving someone on the last lap at a short track.
You’re right though…obviously this is not one and the same as Gordon’s/Johnson’s bump and runs, which are basically accepted practice at Martinsville.
My friend, thank you for being you, and making interacting about sports fun. In a wild world, these random acts of decency stand out to me. They are far rarer than they should be these days.
We’re probably going to be booted off the internet for daring to have civil discourse! lol
Torches and pitchforks engaged!!!
All the ‘boys’ think it’s great what Denny did. But, what would you expect from a selfish person. What did he say in his interview: ‘I wanted that 60 so bad’. For himself! Not his team as most of them weren’t with him for all 60. Big picture should have been race hard but don’t wreck Bubba just like don’t wreck your teammate. Huge, huge, playoff implications for Bubba and Toyota if Bubba doesn’t make the next round. Could have and should have raced him clean. I didn’t catch the interview with Michael Jordan.
I’m not a Denny fan but he actually said he wanted 60 bad for his dad. I think his health is declining
Nothing wrong with racing hard. I’ve also heard about racing smart.
Since I’m not a fan of JGR, 23XI, or Toyota (gotta include Legacy), a boring race turned into an awesome finish on Sunday.
I hope next weekend knocks 23XI out of the playoffs and somehow Hamlin ends up being the reason why.
Hamlin could very well have screwed his very own race team but not helping Bubba win that race this weekend, considering he is locked in to the next round even without a win. And isn’t it ironic how he was complaining about the big picture the week before with the whole Gibbs incident. His lack of looking at the big picture is pretty astonishing for someone who has had so much success. Could this by why he hasn’t won a championship yet?
Daytight, please tell us what lies were thrown around about Bubba regarding “noosegate”? Or are you referring to the narrative you keep pushing about it that isn’t based on any fact. Your right. It is tiresome.
I already explained this to you when you bandied about your nonsense the last time this came up. I can explain it to you, but I cannot understand it for you.
Your particular angle was that Wallace continued to present what happened as truth after the fact. This is a lie. Wallace understandably had issue with how a wide swath of the country blamed him for the situation, including our President, when he had no hand in how this played out. And he said as much. But he never once misrepresented the truth.
I’ll lay it out again, for all the good it will do me. I don’t feel like wasting my time giving the full rundown yet again, so if you want more than the Clif’s notes, go back to the other thread.
Here’s the timeline:
1) Teammate finds door pull which looks like noose.
2) Teammate reports finding to NASCAR.
3) NASCAR reports finding to FBI.
4) Wallace is informed.
5) FBI finds concern to be credible, and investigates.
6) FBI finds rope was a door pull, unrelated to Wallace.
7) President immediately condemns Wallace, in a public forum, and calls upon him to apologize.
8) Wallace is now condemned by wide swaths of the country, who for some reason agree he has something to apologize for, despite him having no hand in what transpired.
9) Wallace notes his anger and frustration with being condemned by so many, and points out this is likely due to race.
10) People hate Wallace even more, for standing up for himself. I don’t like bullies, and I have zero use for group-think inanity, both of which have happened here.
Would Joey Logano have been condemned by so many, and immediately called upon by our President to apologize, had the “noose” been found in his garage? We both know the answer is “no”. The reason this treatment differed seems obvious. Was Wallace wrong to stand up for himself, and call attention to this treatment? If so, why?
People hate him for stupid reasons, will hate post whenever he is mentioned, and I in turn derive enjoyment from seeing them rage. If people want to dislike him for how he drives, or his attitude, fine. We all have favorite and least favorite drivers. But a large part of the NASCAR community cannot not help themselves but to make it something else.
My problem is that Wallace never saw the noose. If someone told you that he saw your wife in bed with another employee wouldn’t the first thing you do is see for yourself, not go see your boss?
His teammate thought it was a noose. NASCAR thought it was a noose. The FBI thought it was likely a noose. His fellow drivers thought it was likely a noose.
That would be good enough for me. I don’t understand why this always comes back around on Wallace.
It was on the cord to open the stall door. It was NOT hanging from a beam. I’ve used a “noose” to open the shop doors where I worked. There is no way it would be interpreted as a “noose” used in a hanging.
lol. A noose does not have to be used in order to send a very specific message.
I’ve used similar pulls as well, and I agree it couldn’t be used as a noose. Once the FBI investigated, and the truth became clear, I also thought it odd it got that far. But, this has precisely nothing to do with Wallace being condemned over this.
Wallace didn’t find it, Wallace didn’t report it to NASCAR, Wallace didn’t contact the FBI, and Wallace didn’t conduct the investigation.
And somehow, this is all Wallace’s fault, though no one notified him until after the FBI was involved. And it’s also somehow Wallace’s fault for pointing out his immediate condemnation was likely only due to racial factors, and how this whole situation upset him.
I’d hope most people would stand up for themselves if they were excoriated by the President, and found guilty in the court of public opinion, when they had exactly zero hand in the circumstances. But somehow, Wallace is the bad guy here. I guess he should have just shut up and taken it.
It is you who doesn’t understand my point. I’m sorry, I can explain it to you but I cannot help you understand.
He was told it wasn’t a noose (since he never saw it himself). The FBI stated as such, but he doubled down by spending that whole week on mainstream media outlets continuing with the racism narrative. That’s why he gets the backlash he does. If you can’t understand that, I can’t help you.
There’s no article about Hocevar’s penalty, but I wanted to write something about it. Nascar is now throwing caution flags like never before. A driver sliding, coming to a stop, and rejoining the race has been fined $50K because the safety team had been dispatched. Every week I see a car spin and the caution comes out when before if they gathered it up and continued, then there would be no flag. This is getting ridiculous.