The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
NASCAR storm brewing in Daytona Beach
If you think you are experiencing a case of Daytona déjà vu, think again. Two weeks ago the NASCAR Cup Series battled at Daytona International Speedway, but that was on the 3.61-mile road course. The boys are heading south for another round at Daytona, but this time the business will be handled on the 2.5-mile tri-oval.
There’s a big storm brewing and it isn’t in the Atlantic Ocean (as of this writing). Hit the ignition switch and let’s roll …
FIRST GEAR: The doubleheader at Dover last weekend proved once again that this year’s championship is likely a twodriver race between Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, who clinched the Cup Series regular-season championship. For the third time this season, Hamlin and Harvick have won at race tracks with back-to-back events. They split the races at Darlington (held three days apart), then each nabbed doubleheader wins at Pocono and Dover. Harvick (seven) leads Hamlin (six) in wins thanks to his unprecedented two wins in two days at Michigan.
“I don’t think I’d narrow it down to one guy,” Harvick said after his win at Dover. “Obviously as you look at Denny and his team, they’ve been able to week-in and week-out be competitive … That really has been fun to kind of go back and forth with Denny and his team because we all get along really well but we all want to beat each other on the racetrack.”
SECOND GEAR: Forget about Hamlin and Harvick this weekend at Daytona. The real dogfight will be for the last three playoff positions still vacant.
Clint Bowyer didn’t clinch at Dover, but he has a 57-point cushion going into the regular-season finale.
The real scrap will be between Matt Dibenedetto, William Byron and Jimmie Johnson, who are battling for the last two playoff positions.
They are separated by only 13 points. Dibenedetto and Byron are above the cutline, while Johnson is four points behind Byron.
Anyone can win at Daytona. Just ask Justin Haley. So if an outlier should win, only one of those three would make it through to the postseason.
THIRD GEAR: With one postponement exception, the Coke Zero Sugar 400 has been staged on July 4 or the Fourth of July weekend since 1959.
NASCAR moved the 400 to create excitement to end the regular season. Mission accomplished. There are plenty of anxious drivers in the wings.
Johnson, who is one of those guys on the bubble, revealed his game plan. “Go down there, say a few prayers, maybe say a prayer per lap, and see how that plays out I guess,” he said.
FOURTH GEAR: Back to Harvick for a moment. He is having a career season at age 44. He leads the Cup Series in wins and points and clinched the regular-season championship, which comes with 15 championship points. And just for good measure, Harvick brought home Ford’s 700th alltime Cup Series victory at Dover.