2026 NASCAR Rules
If I Ran NASCAR
While we’re waiting for NASCAR to announce a possibly new format for the 2026 championship, here’s what I would change if I ran NASCAR. […]
The Chase/The Playoffs
Phoenix International Raceway
Phoenix Proves the Case for More Practice
This is the second year in a row that the end of the NASCAR season left a sour taste in my mouth. Last year, it was manufacturer manipulation at Martinsville that excluded Christopher Bell from the Championship 4. This year, it was a race in which chance played more role than skill. […]
Briscoe, Chase
Dr. Diandra’s 2025 NASCAR Championship Race Preview
After 35 races and three knockout rounds, four drivers qualified to race for the championship: Chase Briscoe, William Byron, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson. The driver who posts the best finish at Phoenix becomes the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. […]
Briscoe, Chase
A Single Mistake in This Year’s Playoffs Can Be Fatal
In the closest playoffs since this format started in 2017, even Ross Chastain’s go-for-broke last-lap attempt to advance to the Round of 8 was unsuccessful. […]
Bubba Wallace
Does the Gen-7 Car Help Non-Playoff Drivers Win in the Playoffs?
Eric Jones and John Hunter Nemechek had really strong runs at the first playoff race — despite neither having made the playoffs. Their performances got me wondering whether the Next Gen car helps non-playoff drivers win in the playoffs. […]
2025 Season
2025 Summer Daytona Race Report
The summer 2025 Daytona race report includes one of the best superspeedway races I’ve seen in a long while with really close racing, lots of lead changes and a winner coming from mid pack in just two laps. […]
Road Courses
Shane van Gisbergen’s Odds in the Playoffs
Shane van Gisbergen’s odds of advancing deep into the playoffs seem high if you look only at his four wins and 22 playoff points. Going into Richmond, he’s tied with Denny Hamlin for most wins this year. van Gisbergen is third in playoff points, trailing only Hamlin (24) and Kyle Larson (23). But there’s a caveat. (Isn’t there always?) […]
The Chase/The Playoffs
There is No Such Thing as a Cutoff Line in NASCAR
Three spots remain in the playoffs. If there’s a new winner at Darlington, only two drivers will make it in on points. Everyone talks about the race in terms of a cutoff line. Except it doesn’t exist. […]
The Chase/The Playoffs
2022 Playoff Drivers and Green-Flag Speed
In my NBC Sports piece this Sunday, I use average green-flag speed ranking. But there’s quite a bit to be learned by digging down past just the average […]
Talladega Superspeedway
Does Winning the Regular-Season Championship Help Win the Playoffs?
Kyle Larson snatched the regular-season championship right out of Denny Hamlin’s hand. What — if anything — does that mean for his chances in the playoffs? […]