Get out of the way! Contenders want traffic to pull aside
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS — Daniel Suarez refused to get out of Martin Truex Jr.’s way and it ultimately ruined Truex’s race. Tyler Reddick did the same to William Byron, and Chase Briscoe held firm to his right to race hard when battling with Denny Hamlin.
A conversation on driver code and on-track etiquette is raging in NASCAR, and with it comes a heated debate on the expectations of non-playoff drivers. If a title contender is trying to gain track position, should another driver clear the lane for an easy pass?
It’s been a touchy topic since the playoff format was introduced in 2004. NASCAR, unlike stick-andball sports, permits everyone to race in the postseason even if they aren’t in title contention. It puts a mix of slow cars and mediocre drivers on the same track as the superstars racing for the final trophy.
With two races remaining to lock in the championship field, conversation has turned to how non-playoff drivers should be expected to race today at Kansas Speedway. It’s the middle race of the third round of the playoffs and only Kyle Larson has earned a slot in the Nov. 7 winner-take-all finale at Phoenix.
Seven others are vying for the remaining three berths in the championship round — at minimum Truex and Joey Logano are in mustwin situations — and there’s a high probability of desperate racing.
Especially when they encounter stubborn drivers who won’t heed way on the racetrack.
When Briscoe raced Hamlin hard for position late in last week’s race at Texas, Hamlin fumed about a lack of situational awareness.
“There’s cars racing for a championship,“Hamlin wrote to Briscoe on Instagram. “Perhaps when you learn give and take you will start to finish better.”
But Briscoe, a rookie driving for Stewart-haas Racing, held his ground.
“I get paid to race, just because you guys are racing in the playoffs doesn’t mean I’m just gonna wave you by,” Briscoe wrote back to Hamlin. “One of the best cars we’ve had all year and I was trying to take advantage of it. I understand you guys are racing for a championship which is awesome for you guys but I’m racing for a job and results let me keep that job.”
Suarez had a similar attitude after his contact with Truex knocked Truex out of the race.
“I have a lot of respect for the guys in the playoffs, but one thing is respect and (another) is taking advantage of the situation,“Suarez said.
Points picture
Six of the seven drivers trying to make it to the finale are previous Kansas winners, including Hamlin and Logano, who are tied with Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson with three wins each on the final 1.5mile speedway on this year’s schedule.
Logano, the defending race winner, is in the eighth and final slot in the playoff field after last week’s engine failure. He’s 43 points below the cutline and Logano likely needs to win at either Kansas or Martinsville next week to advance.
A win by any of the seven contenders today would move them on to the finale, but both Hamlin and Ryan Blaney can clinch a spot on points with some help from others.