Many fans seem to be disappointed in what they saw at Richmond over the weekend. Yes, we had two runaway races—Kyle Busch in the Nationwide race and Brad Keselowski in the Cup race, but there is a reason for that and it is something that many fail to understand. There are the haves and the have nots. The haves always win unless you’re at a road course or Daytona.
Today’s NASCAR is made up of three super teams. Those super teams are Hendrick Motorsports, Team Penske, Roush Fenway Racing, and Joe Gibbs Racing. Those teams have accounted for 23 of the 26 wins this season. Of those teams, every one of them was qualified for the race before they got there, Only Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, and Danica Patrick were left to fight for a win—the only way they could be part of the Chase. Sure, there was the MWR team, weakened by last year’s fiasco at Richmond and Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex, Jr., but to be honest only the super teams had any chance of being competitive enough to win at Richmond, especially when Team Penske nailed the setup and ran away with the win.
As the television networks and the media always want to paint a picture of a rough and rowdy race at the end of the regular season or the final race at Homestead, it’s just never going to happen. The teams with the most resources will win the most races and one of those teams will hit the setup to win it all.
It didn’t used to be that way. In the history of NASCAR, especially in the days when they ran a lot of races, many different teams won (most were single car teams) and the manufacturers were all involved. Today, Chevrolet dominates with 14 wins this year with Ford getting 10, and Toyota two. Of 26 races, we had only 11 winners. It doesn’t take a genius to understand that we won’t have a crash fest at the last race before the Chase. It also doesn’t take a genius to understand that only the final race of the Chase might create that, but my guess is it won’t. If you don’t have a car good enough to keep up with the front runners, you certainly won’t at Richmond or Homestead.
I’m sure the story will be the elimination at three, nine and at the end (or whatever it is), but I’d bet the retirement fund that the final four will come from the final four teams (and I include, once again, SHR in the Hendrick camp). Spin it any way you want, but the drama will only come when the final four is evident, and maybe not then. Just like Brad K hit the setup on Saturday night, the great teams have a way of running away with it.
Richmond was fine. Bowyer tanked.
Count again, it’s 4.