[ad_1]
Alex Bowman sees the Chicagoland Street Circuit as full of possibilities. But he also sees a major potential problem.
“All the winners are behind us in points, which definitely makes my life harder,” Bowman said Saturday. “So we just have to do our best to get to victory lane and avoid these problems.”
That’s the situation facing a group of NASCAR Cup Series contenders battling for the five remaining playoff spots after Joey Logano became the season’s 11th winner last weekend in Tennessee.
Currently, Martin Truex, Ty Gibbs, Ross Chastain, Chris Buescher and Bowman occupy the final five points spots in the playoffs. Truex is in a good position with seven races left in the regular season, but a win by a driver below Bowman could shake up the playoff picture again.
Bubba Wallace, Chase Briscoe and two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch were among seven drivers who didn’t make the cut, all of whom have competed in the Cup Series playoffs before.
“It would be nice to win. I feel like we deserve it,” said Truex, 44, who plans to retire from full-time racing at the end of this season. “We’ve been through some heartbreak, so just keep working hard and take it week by week.”
Buescher felt Truex’s pain. Buescher lost to Kyle Larson at Kansas in May, the closest in Cup Series history. Then he was beaten by Tyler Reddick at Darlington and lost the race.
“I feel like we’re pretty close to where we need to be and don’t need to have any points conversations,” Buescher said.
Sunday’s second annual street race in downtown Chicago offers another chance for the 18 winless Cup Series drivers who qualify for the playoffs. But the risks are there.
The 12-turn, 2.2-mile track is narrow and bumpy in places, leaving little room for error. A crash could open up opportunities for a driver who is in the right place at the right time, but it could also take out multiple cars and affect the standings.
“I’m not worried about Chicago…Everybody here knows I’m not the best at road racing,” Wallace said, “so Chicago is just one of those, let’s survive and keep going.”
Carson Hocevar Speech
The 21-year-old Hocevar finished 13th in qualifying, and the rookie is looking to build on a tough week.
He was fined $50,000 and had 25 points deducted from his race record for running over Harrison Burton while driving under caution during last weekend’s Ally 400 at Nashville Raceway. NASCAR announced the penalties on Tuesday.
When asked if he agreed with NASCAR’s decision, Hocevar responded: “I mean, I respect their decision. Whether I agree with it or not, it doesn’t matter.”
Hocevar, driving the No. 77 Spire Motorsports car, hit Burton from behind, knocking him to the ground. Burton’s No. 21 car ended up crashing into the wall.
Defending Cup champion Ryan Blaney said he agreed with Hocevar’s punishment.
“That’s the only way to stop it from happening,” Blaney said Saturday. “You have to make them pay a lot of money, take away points, that kind of thing. If it’s bad enough, sit them out. You know, those are the things young drivers have to learn. Don’t do it. There are a lot of no-nos, and this is one of them.
odds and ends
Shane van Gisbergen is the favorite to win Sunday at BETMGM Sportsbook. Van Gisbergen won Saturday’s Xfinity Series race. …Larson was on the pole. The Hendrick Motorsports driver will be looking for his fourth win of the season in his 350th Cup Series race.
[ad_2]
Source link
