It’s a massive day for autoracing in America, with millions tuning in to watch…
Formula 1.
Meanwhile, NASCAR’s racing an intermediate track with whatever the hell the intermediate track package is. Don’t get too excited, and in this case, “too excited” means just about any excitement at all.
Where It Is
Kansas. I love the state of Kansas, by the way, so I won’t say, “where the speedway is even more boring than the state,” because the speedway is way more boring than the state. The state isn’t that boring. The speedway, though? Extremely boring.
When It Is
Green flag at 3:18 PM EDT, so they at least scheduled it for right around the conclusion of the F1 race. (Update: Misread the broadcast schedule. This wasn’t supposed to be sarcastic!)
How to Watch
NBCSN
Whom to Watch
Playoff standings through one race of the Round of 8, along with where each driver stands relative to the championship cutoff and their odds to win today:
1. Kyle Larson (locked into championship via win; 12-to-5)
2. Ryan Blaney (17 points ahead of first driver out; 10-to-1)
3. Denny Hamlin (9 points ahead of first driver out; 11-to-2)
4. Kyle Busch (last driver in, 8 points ahead of first driver out; 6-to-1)
5. Chase Elliott (first driver out, 8 points behind last driver in; 8-to-1)
6. Brad Keselowski (15 points behind last driver in; 14-to-1)
7. Martin Truex Jr. (22 points behind last driver in; 11-to-1)
8. Joey Logano (43 points behind last driver in; 14-to-1)
Also expected to be in the mix is William Byron, who checks in at 9-to-1.
How NASCAR Should Script It
Byron and Tyler Reddick keep running into each other, or more accurately, Reddick keeps running into Byron. With each out of the playoffs and this race boring as hell, it’d spark some fun if Byron got Reddick back but it accidentally cost another playoff driver, maybe even setting Byron’s teammate Chase Elliott up for a must-win next week at Martinsville.
Xfinity
Ty Gibbs picked up his fourth Xfinity win of the season in only 17 starts in the series. Playoff drivers Harrison Burton and Noah Gragson each wrecked out late:
