The 2024 Richmond II rapid race report featured two tires, multiple strategies and a controversial ending that has zero impact on the championship.
Tires
I will have a more detailed analysis of the tire situation tomorrow, after I return home and crunch that data. For now, I just want to note that having two tires doesn’t make any difference if everyone runs the same tire strategy. Prime vs. prime or option vs. option wouldn’t be that much different than usual.
If the option tire becomes the normal tire, you won’t see anyone come from mid-pack to the lead because there won’t be enough difference in grip between the cars. So it’s not a good idea to just move to a softer overall tire.
Kudos to Matt Swiderski, the No. 99’s crew chief, for making the first move. He showed proof of concept and everyone else followed. I was worried that everyone would save their option tires for the last two runs of the night. Luckily, that’s not what happened. We got an interesting race out of it and NASCAR got a little more data on the short-track package.
Shaking Up the Playoffs?
I’m not going to go into whether the way Dillon won was acceptable or not. NASCAR has decided that it is, so it doesn’t really matter what I think. What I do want to address is the people who crowed on various social media outlets that this upset win shakes up the playoffs.
No. It doesn’t.
We’re talking about a driver who came into this race 32nd in points. Richmond was Dillon’s first top-five finish of the year. His third top-10 finish of the year. Under rules in prior seasons, a driver that far back wouldn’t have been allowed in the playoffs, even with a win.
It is true that Dillon’s win means one fewer spot for other drivers in the playoffs. But, as I noted earlier this week, a driver getting his first win this late in the season rarely goes very far in the playoffs. It’s really no different than when everyone asked the same question when Michael McDowell won the Daytona 500.
Especially when he makes a half-dozen enemies getting that win.
Perhaps the best message Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano can send is to just ignore Dillon.
And that’s the 2024 Richmond II Race Report.
Please help me publish my next book!
The Physics of NASCAR is 15 years old. One component in getting a book deal is a healthy subscriber list. I promise not to send more than two emails per month and will never sell your information to anyone.
Be the first to comment