Into the first race of the round of twelve at Texas. People expected another typical Texas race, and they got a Texas race but in a whole new way. Some might say it was Texas in an even worse way than before. The tires couldn’t handle the abuse these drivers and cars were putting them thru in the heat. There’s a lot to talk about so get ready.
What We Got With the NASCAR Playoffs in Texas
From the drop of the green flag, the difficulty to pass was on display. Multiple playoff drivers didn’t qualify well and paid the price. Sitting near the back of the pack for a few laps while Brad Keselowski opened up a huge lead.
It wouldn’t last long though, the heat decided to start playing a factor in the NASCAR playoffs in Texas. Brad Keselowski went off into turns one and two only to get way out of the racing groove. He would become the first of many to fall victim to the hot and slick track we saw early in the day.
After that, I think we all kind of know what happens the rest of the race especially if you are on NASCAR Twitter. We saw what was either a mechanical issue or a tire issue caused a lot of potential contender’s days to be ended. Most of which were all either leading or running in the top ten. We even saw another weather delay with a little bit of rain and lighting rearing its ugly head. It was another unfortunate stop for the NASCAR playoffs in Texas. Thankfully it’s done and over with so, we can head to Talladega right?
The Thoughts After the Checkered
It’s not as easy as just heading to Talladega. Something needs to be publicly said this week from NASCAR, even if it’s just a statement that improvements for the car are in the works. At first, it was the driver’s calling for safety improvements but now after seeing the hit Cody Ware took the fans are as well. No one wants to see their favorite driver on a stretcher after an accident.
I don’t know if this is a tire issue, or a car issue once again though. Tires shouldn’t be the headlines following a race and that’s again the case much like last week’s race at Bristol. Something needs to be done, Kevin Harvick’s crew chief Rodney Childers was very vocal on Twitter today giving his two cents.
My two cents.. pic.twitter.com/Bjq90qZYRo
— Rodney Childers (@RodneyChilders4) September 26, 2022
What I will say despite the recent issues with this car coming to light it was kind of fun to see the refreshing amount of new names running in the top ten yesterday. Now whether that be because of the car or the issues everyone else had, that’s a decision you can make on your own. This car has serious potential to be great for the sport. Just some slight changes are needed and that’s obvious after the last stop in the NASCAR playoffs in Texas.
Before we move on to Talladega though, I really want to commend Tyler Reddick. This man goes and gets eliminated from the round of twelve by two points. Only to come out and fight thru adversity all day and end up in victory lane. He’s a wheelman with the right car under him. No matter what’s going on outside of the racecar.
Talladega, Here We Come!
There are a few things to think about heading into Talladega. No one knows what to expect this weekend, especially after the last two weeks of racing we have seen. That’s not a very comfortable feeling for the playoff drivers that struggled in yesterday’s race. Chase Elliott came in at the top. Now he is on the cut line only four points ahead of the elimination spot. His teammate Alex Bowman is sitting at the bottom of the top twelve after Texas. Which now some would argue he is heading into two must-win scenarios to move into the round of eight.
Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, and Austin Cindric are the other three drivers currently below the cut line right now as well. However with Tyler Reddick winning yesterday that makes a total of now four non-playoff drivers winning races in the playoffs so it won’t be easy to grab a victory. It will be an interesting final seven races to crown a champion and it all starts at Talladega.
Also please, please, please NASCAR and Texas Motorspeedway decision makers do something for this track. I’d prefer to not see another superspeedway conversion, but at this point, I think we’ll take any change in the track itself.
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