NASCAR’s young look gets spotlight Nebraska’s NCAA hopes uncertain
Daytona Beach, Fla. — Never before has one race displayed NASCAR’s rapidly changing look more than this year’s Daytona 500.
Three drivers under age 25 will start in the first two rows, new rules will make the cars difficult to drive and NASCAR’s longtime most popular driver will watch from the sidelines.
NASCAR begins its season Sunday with the 60th running of “The Great American Race” and Alex Bowman on the pole.
Who? Well, the guy who got Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s coveted seat at Hendrick Motorsports when concussions forced the superstar to retire. Bowman is 24 and had washed out of NASCAR once before when he got the call to help during Earnhardt’s absence. Team owner Rick Hendrick gave him a car capable of earning the top starting spot for the biggest race of the year, and after nearly a full year out of a race car, Bowman will lead the field to green.
“I haven’t speedway raced in a year, so it’s going to be tough,” Bowman said. “I have to get my feet back under me as far as speedway racing goes.”
Bowman has given no indication how his car will handle because, in an effort to keep it safe for the Daytona 500, he dropped to the back of the field during his qualifying race and avoided drafting. Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott took the opposite approach, won his qualifying race and earned a starting spot in the second row.
Elliott is 22 and one of NASCAR’s budding stars. His peers believe he’ll replace Earnhardt in fan voting for NASCAR’s most popular driver , and Hendrick gave him a boost this year by switching Elliott’s car number to No. 9 so the driver can honor his Hall of Fame father, Bill.
“Car looks good. I’m a little biased, but the 9 looks good on top of the scoring pylon,” Elliott said after Thursday night’s victory. “I would love to have it there more throughout the season.”
Elliott is still seeking his first points victory in the Cup Series after five runner-up finishes last season. He won his Daytona qualifying race last year, too, but ran out of gas racing for the Daytona 500 victory.
Elliott will be Hendrick’s answer to the Ford brigade that has so far been led by Team Penske at Daytona. Ford drivers won all four restrictor-plate races last season, including Kurt Busch’s victory in the Daytona 500 , and Penske drivers Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney have one win apiece this Speedweeks. Blaney’s victory in the qualifying race put him on the second row for the start next to Elliott, and teammate Joey Logano is right behind Blaney.
Logano, winner of the Daytona 500 in 2015, has two runner-up finishes in Speedweeks behind his teammates.
Raleigh, N.C. — By any measure, Nebraska is having its best season since moving to the Big Ten, from its win total to its RPI and KenPom rankings. It’s unclear whether that will be good enough to secure an NCAA Tournament bid.
Nebraska (20-8, 11-4) has won six straight to reach 20 wins for just the first time in a decade. The Cornhuskers are also a win away from setting a program record for Big Ten wins since joining the league in 2011-12. But they lack any notable wins, played a weak nonconference schedule (ranked 286th) and don’t have much left on the schedule to help their resume.
“All the teams from here on out are playing for something,” sophomore forward Isaiah Roby said. “Every game, it’s like a tournament game. You lose, it can hurt your chances a lot.”
Nebraska sits at No. 52 in Friday’s RPI rankings and No. 54 in KenPom’s rankings, putting the Huskers within reach of their first NCAA Tournament since 2014 and only their second trip in 20 seasons. Nebraska remains the only power-five conference team to never have won an NCAA Tournament game.
But the Cornhuskers are 0-7 against Quadrant 1 opponents in the new tiered system used by the NCAA selection committee to evaluate win quality. Their best win came at home against Michigan (39 RPI) in January, while a December win against a Minnesota team ranked No. 14 in the Top 25 has lost luster as the Gophers (14-14, 3-12) have flopped since.
On the rise
Scott Drew’s Bears (1610, 5-7 Big 12, 54 RPI) were going nowhere with six losses in seven games entering February. But Baylor has won four straight since, including against Kansas , for a jolt of hope. The Bears have resume-helping games on the schedule, starting with home games against No. 7 Texas Tech and No. 20 West Virginia.
Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars (20-5, 10-3 American Athletic Conference, 21 RPI) have won four straight games, including Thursday against No. 5 Cincinnati to add a fourth Quadrant 1 victory.
The Friars (17-9, 8-5 Big East, 32 RPI) are coming off Wednesday’s win against thirdranked Villanova. And Providence’s five Quadrant 1 wins include a January win against fourth-ranked Xavier.