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Mirror Driving: Oh, Canada?, The Use Of A Wild Card And Throwing Caution To The Oil

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*The race at Watkins Glen produced a thrilling finish, but it was not without controversy, as several drivers complained of oil on the track in the final laps. Should NASCAR have thrown the caution, or did they make the right decision to keep the race under green?*

Mike N.: They made the right decision. While the treading was treacherous, there wasn’t anyone who went off-track until the last corner because of it.
Phil: Treacherous at the least. But Ambrose and Keselowski were fine with NASCAR not throwing the yellow, and I’d argue that not throwing made for a much better conclusion.

Mirror Driving: Pocono Perils, Gordon’s Gains and Dodge’s Demise

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*Sunday’s Pocono race ended in tragedy when a fan was killed by lightning in the parking lot while nine others were injured. The race started after a rain delay of over an hour, and severe weather, with hail, damaging winds, and lightning had been predicted for later in the day. Knowing that the impending storms would likely be severe and that there was little chance of racing the advertised distance, should NASCAR have postponed the race until Monday?*

Mike: Yes.
Amy: Yes, in this case, I think so. It wasn’t like it was 50/50 on the storms; NASCAR knew before the race started that they were going to happen.
Phil:: I was surprised that they were able to get the track dry as fast as they did on Sunday.

Mirror Driving: Livening Up A Lost Cause And Defining The Chase Going Forward

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*In the past four years, since the tire debacle of 2008 NASCAR attendance at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has dropped by almost 50 percent. What does the sport, or the track need to do in order to bring back prestige and popularity to what was the second-biggest race?*

Phil: I think that godawfulness from 2008 is still playing a role, along with a bunch of other factors. Indianapolis is also the toughest track to pass at in NASCAR.
Tom: I think the biggest problem has been the changeover to the Car of Tomorrow. This particular chassis just has never adapted to Indy; I mean, passing is almost impossible.

Mirror Driving: Head Wrench Head Scratchers, Missing IRP And Buescher’s Title Push

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Beth: I wouldn’t mind having that hype, Mike. At least there’d be some excitement for the ten race playoff that (with the exception of last year) hasn’t been all that exciting.
Phil: This isn’t even the longest consecutive race stretch ever. I seem to recall a nasty 20 race stretch at one point.
Amy: Honestly, I think the best plan would be to have one now AND one in September.
Mike N.: Assuming they want to have two breaks, I’d rather see them do one after 13 weeks and another before the Chase.
Amy: I like that idea, Mike.

Mirror Driving: Kyle’s Recovery Prospects, Amber In The Way And Drug Bans

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*What looked like a dominant day for Kyle Busch early went away after a speeding penalty and an untimely caution. Can Busch recover to win a championship, or is even his Chase berth in danger?*

Amy: Here’s the thing with Busch this year. He’s had some bad luck lately but is fast enough to win, and another victory would solidify the “wild card” for him. The thing I still see with Busch is that sometimes you have to back off a notch and be patient to be fast at the end, and I don’t know that he can do that for 10 races. The Chase is just not suited to his style.