Man. This is exciting. The semifinal race.
Where It Is:
Martinsville. The paperclip. The littlest track of them all. Nestled in the hills of southern Virginia (it’s on the way from Roanoke to Greensboro, in case you ever get held off a 6 AM flight despite being at Roanoke’s airport comfortably prior to 5 AM and United’s gate agent makes you fly out of Greensboro and then calls security on you because you said “what the hell?” when told United wouldn’t cover your rental car costs).
Martinsville. Where cars go fast and time stands still.
When It Is:
I’m seeing 1:11 PM Central STANDARD Time for the green flag.
What It Is:
The final race of the Round of 8. The semifinal race of the season. The race in which four more drivers will be eliminated from contention for the Cup, and all four will probably be quite sad about it.
How to Watch:
NBC. Ugh.
Standings Coming In:
With Kyle Busch winning last week, only Joey Logano is locked into a spot in the Championship Four.
1. Joey Logano (Won at Kansas, locked into Championship Four)
2. Kevin Harvick (17 points ahead of Brad Keselowski)
3. Denny Hamlin (2 points ahead of Brad Keselowski)
4. Brad Keselowski (Last driver in right now, first driver out if standings hold and Bowman, Elliott, Truex, or Kurt Busch wins)
5. Alex Bowman (25 points behind Brad Keselowski)
6. Chase Elliott (25 points behind Brad Keselowski)
7. Martin Truex, Jr (36 points behind Brad Keselowski)
8. Kurt Busch (81 points behind Brad Keselowski)
Who’s Under Pressure:
Everybody but Logano. The winner, if they’re among the remaining eight, advances. The highest folks in the standings advance. Until we get four. Four’s the cutoff.
Who’s the Favorite:
Truex is the favorite at 13-to-4, having won the last two Martinsville races, including this same race last year. Hamlin and Keselowski are next, at 11-to-2. Elliott and Logano are at 17-to-2, along with Kyle Busch, who’s out of the playoffs, as is Ryan Blaney, who checks in at 9-to-1. Harvick’s next, at 10-to-1, then there’s a jump to Bowman at 25-to-1 and Kurt Busch at 28-to-1. So the expectation is that either Truex crashes the party, eliminating Hamlin or Keselowski, or the current top four holds. But, Elliott could change that, and Bowman and Kurt Busch can’t be ruled out by virtue of this being NASCAR and each being in the wide category of cars capable of winning any given race.
Any Beef?
Don’t think there’s anything new following Texas. NASCAR vs. Mother Nature, I guess, but it’s supposed to be mercifully dry today. I wonder if weather had to do with them putting the championship at Phoenix. Driest place they could find, you know?
How Should NASCAR Script It?
You know I like the two-drivers-wreck-each-other-and-another-guy-wins, especially at a short, slower track like Martinsville. We need Hamlin vs. Harvick at the end next week or this season failed itself, so let’s have Hamlin running in the top five all day. He won’t win in this fan fiction, but he’ll take the lead after Truex runs Keselowski into the wall with two laps to go, banging up both their cars but not drawing a caution. Hamlin, though, will have clipped his teammate Truex in getting around him, and Elliott will run him down at the checkered flag to give us a final four of Harvick, Hamlin, Logano, and Elliott—two Fords, one Toyota, one Chevy, and drivers from four different teams (plus a good mix of veterans, a middle-age guy by driver standards, and a young gun). There’s your script, NASCAR. Now please follow it for once.
