Opinion- Photos-Video from Texas Motor Speedway
By Roy J. Akers- www.skyviewsports.net
Chase Elliott is not a driver that wanted to win. He needed to win. NASCAR’s six-time most popular driver gave his base a race to remember. Since losing the part of the 2023 season due to a snowboarding accident and missing the playoffs, Elliott has not regained his speed nor been competitive in the NASCAR circuit on a week-to-week basis.
That is where we start this week.
Winners Circle- Chase Elliott – Chase Elliott held off the field in a thrilling, wildly popular double-overtime victory in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 AT Texas Motor Speedway. Elliott led the race 3 times covering 39 laps. Elliott conceded the afternoon was a full-on day of drama and high competition. “It was crazy,” he said. “And I couldn’t be more proud of our team.” There were 23 lead changes among 13 drivers — seven of whom led double-digit laps. Elliott’s last race win was at Talladega in the fall of 2022. Guess where NASCAR is racing next?
Second Place is NOT the first place Loser– Brad Keselowski, like Elliott who got off the winless bump, is still looking for his first win since last stepping in the winners circle at…. you guessed it, the fall Talledega race in 2021. Keselowski, like his teammate Chris Buescher ran well at Texas. BK never led on Sunday, but ran in the top ten for most of the laps and was the fastest car coming down the stretch.
Once in a while…
Chase Briscoe, like Brad Keselowski, never led a lap on Sunday, but finished 6th. Briscoe has had a non descript 2024 season. He has rarely been in the top five or contending for victories, but he has been around. He has four top-tens this season. He is 12 in points and has yet to win a stage this season. Briscoe finished fifth in both the first and second stages and his race came down to a late race wreck involving Michael McDowell. Briscoe thought about what might have been. “That was frustrating. Our Mustang was really good. Obviously, we were able to finish fifth in both stages, and we had done everything perfectly up until the point of the wreck. We were going to be the leader. The 23 was on way older tires, and I knew if I was beside him going into three, I was going to come out the leader.”
One Kyle Larson crew member looking for a job
Not sure if the tire changer for Kyle Larson is looking for a job, but the single lugnut system was not tightened down and this ruined the race for the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. On Sunday, Larson led a race high 77 of 276 laps and spent the second half of the race trying to salvage a race that easily could have been his. He finished 21st. For the year in the Cup series, Larson is first in laps led (531), stages won, 5 and is first in the series in points. No word on where the tire changer is.
When Legends should retire
Jimmie Johnson retired after the 2020 season. The seven-time NASCAR Cup champion had nothing left to prove and his last few seasons before retiring led to his first retirement being a natural occurrence. He raced in Indy Car to fulfill a bucket list dream and Johnson had a few good moments in that circuit before retiring from the top-two US based racing circuits. After buying Petty Motorsports along with a couple of partners, neither he nor his drivers make much noise in the races. Johnson crashed out of Daytona and in his second start this season, he brought out the races first caution. Johnson was never a factor and finished 37th. Love you Jimmie but its time.