It’s time to cycle through the transmission for another edition of Four Gears.
This week, our NASCAR experts answer if VHT should be used at other tracks, whether Jeff Gordon will be in the car again this season* if Kevin Harvick is back in championship form after his win at Bristol and if we’ll see another surprise winner with three races remaining before the Chase.
*The question of Gordon’s future in the 88 car was sent to our writers prior to the announcement that he would be back in the car at Darlington.
FIRST GEAR: Should the resin used on the track this last weekend to make an artificial lower line be tested at other tracks besides Bristol?
It would be fun to see this be used at a place like Richmond. It would also be really cool to see this applied to the apron at Darlington, could totally see drivers try a “banzai” entering the corners. — Michael Finley
The two tracks I would say give it a try at are Charlotte and Kansas where the racing has been either hit or miss. — Tucker White
Wouldn’t hurt. There are some speedways out there that could use some experimenting with different ideas for better racing. That was one of the better Bristol races I’ve seen; let’s see what else this resin can do. — Joseph Shelton
SECOND GEAR: If Jeff Gordon does not race for the rest of 2016, will we ever see him in a Sprint Cup car again?
With how often these cars change, there will come a time where anybody just won’t be competitive unless they are racing every week. The fact Gordon has scored more points since returning of any other Hendrick driver is impressive, but good things don’t last forever. — Michael Finley
As much as I don’t think it’s right for Rick Hendrick to ask Jeff Gordon to drive the car even after he retired last season, he’s probably in there as long as he’s needed. — Tucker White
Please, for the love of Dale Sr., no. I love and respect Jeff for all that he did behind the wheel, but he doesn’t need to be “That Guy” who shows up sporadically in a stock car (looking at you, Bobby Labonte) just to loiter, even if he’s only helping a friend. — Joseph Shelton
THIRD GEAR: After the past few months of bad luck/bad pit stops for Kevin Harvick, did the Bristol win show the No. 4 Chevrolet is back on track to compete for a championship?
The thing about this team is that time and time again, they are good bets for when the chips are down. In 2014, they needed to win at Phoenix to get to Homestead and they did. In 2015, the only way they could get past the first round of the Chase was to win at Dover, and they ended up dominating. It’s hard to bet against them not being in the mix come Homestead. — Michael Finley
Were they ever really off-track? Kevin Harvick has led the points virtually the entire season. He’s only got two fewer top-10 finishes than he had at this point in 2015 and his finishing average is on-par with his finishing average from 2015. Sure there’s been bad pit stops from his crew, but that’s always been with Harvick in his time at Stewart-Haas Racing.
To answer the question, they’re not back on track because they were never off it. — Tucker White
Kevin is always a contender for the championship, even when he has a streak of bad luck. He’s Mr. “Where Did He Come From?”; never count him out. — Joseph Shelton
FOURTH GEAR: The last three races of the regular season are a good mix of tracks- a two-mile track in Michigan, an intermediate track in Darlington and a short track in Richmond. Will we see any more surprise winners?
Kyle Larson will be a sleeper at Darlington. His two starts there have resulted in two top tens and he’s always going to be tough at high groove racetracks. — Michael Finley
“Surprise winners” to me would be anyone not named Trevor Bayne, Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Outside of those six, I don’t see anyone else winning who hasn’t already won. — Tucker White
Honestly? Nope. There will be a few drivers like Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson who’ll make a valiant go of things, but it’s a Joe Gibbs Racing/Team Penske world these days. Everyone else is just living in it. — Joseph Shelton
Please share your comments below and join us again next week as we discuss the latest in the world of NASCAR.
