So, this is what it’s come to with NASCAR road courses and the nearly unbeatable Shane van Gisbergen.
Much of the post-race chatter centered on Chase Briscoe and the fact he had a chance to beat SVG at the end of the Sonoma race.
“So you’re saying there’s a chance?”
Short of wrecking him, the chances of beating SVG on a road course were beginning to look like that old choice between slim and none. But then we caught sight of Briscoe chasing down SVG in Sunday’s closing laps, and actually getting within range of a boot to the bumper in the next-to-last turn.
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But having said that, let’s not ignore the obvious: SVG’s Chevy wasn’t exactly in showroom shape down the stretch. You can’t put a percentage of such mechanical infirmities, but his car was leaking oil — figuratively speaking — and was increasingly quite a handful for the driver, who earned his paycheck in those closing laps.
So yes, if you’re within range and put down a string of nearly perfect laps at the end, you can come close to beating Shane van Gisbergen on a road course.
Well, ain’t that great. The next road-course race won’t likely arrive until next March in Austin.
First Gear: Tyler Reddick doomed by June swoon
It wasn’t so much a warning, but more like a dose of experience mixed with conventional wisdom and old-fashioned horse sense. No way, we kept saying, Tyler Reddick keeps up this run.
The five early-season wins were amazing enough, but also noteworthy was Reddick’s ongoing ability to give a cold shoulder to misfortune. He went week after week after week without a clanker. His worst finish through 14 races was a 15th at Martinsville, and even there, he picked up a handful of stage points.
But that was wayyyy back in May.
Man, talk about a June swoon. Reddick saved the complete bottoming-out for the month’s final race. Why did he finish 36th Sunday at Sonoma? Probably because there weren’t 37 cars entered.
The crew chased a power-steering issue after Stage 1 while Reddick sat still and the rest of the field turned six laps without him. And that’s basically when the final chunks of his once-commanding points lead disappeared.
Reddick’s month of June included finishes of 35th, 25th and 36th, with a runner-up at Pocono sandwiched in there. Of course, at Pocono, the only man he finished behind was your new points leader, Denny Hamlin.
Second Gear: Denny Hamlin gained ground … on the road?
Recall our mention of conventional wisdom above?
While conventional for good reason, it’s not always oozing wisdom.
Latest example: Two weeks ago, on the heels of Hamlin’s four wins over five weeks, which hacked Reddick’s points lead to 19, it was assumed Reddick would regain some of those lost points over the course of back-to-back road races at Coronado and Sonoma.
Reddick has a great road-course history; Hamlin strongly prefers ovals.
Hamlin pretty much did his part the past two weeks, finishing a ho-hum 14th and a troublesome 26th. But Reddick’s last-place finish came after a 25th at Coronado, and instead of padding his points lead, he’s completely coughed it up.
The good news for Reddick? June is gone.
Third Gear: NASCAR returns to Chicagoland
In recent years, NASCAR has returned to North Wilkesboro and Bowman Gray, and has tip-toed back to Rockingham.
A return to Chicagoland Speedway doesn’t spark the same type of romantic reactions among longtime fans. It’s only been off the grid since 2020.
But it brings back a mile-and-a-half oval at a time when such tracks are producing a good product. And by the way, Chicagoland is about as close to “oval” as you might get in NASCAR. The backstretch isn’t a straightaway, as you see everywhere else, but a subtle continuation of a curve as you come out of Turn 2 and point to Turn 3.
The track is in Joliet, some 50 miles southwest of Chicago, but in that major metropolitan market, it’s close enough to be part of “Chicagoland,” a term coined 100 summers ago in the Chicago Tribune.
The Sunday race in Joliet will be known as the eero 400, and no, that’s not a typo.
What’s eero? The company, new as a Cup Series title sponsor, offers what’s known as whole-home, mesh Wi-Fi systems. The parent company? Amazon, of course.
Fourth Gear: Our reminder that Tony Stewart was really good
In the wake of SVG’s Sonoma win, you heard Tony Stewart’s name tossed around. Turns out, SVG’s eighth career road-course win ties him for second most, all-time, with Stewart.
Tony’s been retired from full-time NASCAR racing for 10 years, but his new pairing with SVG gives us a fresh chance to consider his greatness.
Given his racing history, Tony Stewart had little business becoming a great road-course racer. He grew up racing sprint cars on short ovals and continued doing that during and after his NASCAR career. Few have been as good and fewer have been better in both sprint-style and stock cars that make four left turns per lap.
And for the past few years, he’s totally changed gears to become a straight-liner in the NHRA’s Top Fuel division, where speeds top out in the 330s. Yes, THREE thirties.
SVG will surely break that eight-win tie with Stewart next season. When he does, he’ll be tied for first with another former Hoosier short-tracker who also proved quite adaptable — Jeff Gordon.
— Email Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: SVG only wins by a little! Denny Hamlin steps over collapsing Tyler Reddick
Reporting by Ken Willis, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ken Willis, Daytona Beach News-Journal | USA TODAY Network
