This past Friday night, the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series playoffs continued at Las Vegas. This race was a story of domination throughout the majority of the race. There was not much action on track, overall. The playoff drama was still present, however, as every driver tried to get as many points as possible before the cutoff race at Talladega. The race started with the unfortunate news that Natalie Decker was not medically cleared to compete. No update on her condition or future was offered at the time it was first reported. The first two stages of the race were uneventful. Sheldon Creed took the lead from his GMS teammate, Brett Moffitt, on lap 2 and never gave it up again for the remainder of the stages. There were no cautions for incident throughout the first two stages. Creed was able to get the win in Stage 1 with Moffitt, Kraus, Enfinger, Z. Smith, Rhodes, Eckes, Gray, Crafton, and C. Smith all earning stage points behind him. Creed was able to continue this dominance in Stage 2. He led every lap of Stage 2 getting yet another playoff point to add to his total. Z. Smith, Moffitt, Kraus, Rhodes, Sauter, Eckes, Crafton, Hill, and Gray followed Creed to earn stage points in Stage 2. The final stage here in Las Vegas under the lights appeared to be the same as the first two. However, a spin by Ben Rhodes on lap 85 would prove otherwise. Rhodes made some contact with fellow playoff competitor, Todd Gilliland. This contact sent Rhodes up a couple lanes where Stewart Friesen, trying to get by the incident, get Rhodes around with the air off his truck. This shook up the field and allowed Austin Hill to take over the lead. Sheldon Creed attempted to track down Hill but ultimately did not have enough time to do so. Austin Hill would pick up the win over Creed securing his spot into the Round of 8. Following Austin Hill in the top 10 would be Creed, Gray, Friesen, C. Smith, Enfinger, Z. Smith, Eckes, Crafton, and Ankrum. Todd Gilliland (13th), Brett Moffitt (15th), and Ben Rhodes (23rd) were the only playoff drivers to finish outside of the top 10. After Vegas the playoff standings shape up like this: 1. Austin Hill - Advanced 2. Sheldon Creed - +52 Points 3. Brett Moffitt - +44 Points 4. Zane Smith - +39 Points 5. Grant Enginger - +31 Points 6. Tyler Ankrum - +15 Points 7. Matt Crafton - +15 Points 8. Christian Eckes - +6 Points 9. Ben Rhodes - -6 Points 10. Todd Gilliland - -19 Points There are certain drivers that look like they have a solid spot locked up for the Round of 8. However, Talladega has proven to be a wild card in the past. Given the fact that it's a cutoff race, that makes it even more so. Austin Hill is the only driver that can truly rest easy. This week's race at Talladega should prove to be a fun one.

2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Schedule March 7 – Streets of St. Petersburg (NBC) April 11 – Barber Motorsports Park (NBCSN) April 18 – Streets of Long Beach (NBC) May 1-2 – Texas Motor Speedway doubleheader (NBCSN) May 15 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (NBC) May 30 – Indianapolis 500 (NBC) June 12-13 – Detroit Belle Isle GP doubleheader (NBC) June 20 – Road America (NBCSN) July 4 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (NBC) July 11 – Streets of Toronto (NBCSN) Aug. 8 – Streets of Nashville (NBCSN) Aug. 14 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway GP 2 (NBCSN) Aug. 21 – World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (NBCSN) Sept. 12 – Portland International Raceway (NBC) Sept. 19 – WeatherTech Laguna Seca Raceway (NBC)

Tune in tonight on our Facebook or Youtube page for Racing Refresh's weekly installment. NASCAR Cup Series Rookie Quin Houff joined our team earlier today, and answered questions from AJ Appeal and Zach Bell. We are excited we were able to have him join our show.

The hometown kid cashes in on the correct strategy call. In a race dominated by Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, and Alex Bowman; Kurt Busch lucks into the race winning strategy. The race featured several good battles throughout the field, but the lead was hogged by Denny Hamlin. Hamlin and Elliott were the only two able to drive off from the field. Stage 1, after the competition caution the stage was dominated by Denny Hamlin. The competition caution reset the field a little bit, but as Hamlin pulled away it was a battle for second between Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, and Chase Elliott. The hard racing between those three was the most entertaining part of stage 1. The early restarts highlighted the aggressiveness necessary to get up front in this aero package. Stage 2, was dominated by Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin, but the man with the final word, for the stage, was Chase Elliott. Alex Bowman fought up to the top three. At the start of stage 2 Hamlin made an aggressive move on Kyle Busch, and Joey Logano taking the lead. As Hamlin dove under the two entering turn 3 Kyle Busch got into Joey Logano, and Logano had a tire rub regulating him a lap down for the majority of the rest of the race. A caution free stage watching Elliott, and Hamlin battle it out and sort through the traffic at the end was fun to see. As darkness was starting to settle on the track at the start of Stage 3 the question became "Who was best prepared for the track change?" Hamlin, Elliott, and Bowman controlled this race. After a mid stage debris caution the majority of the field was 5-10 laps short on fuel. Around 35 to go the leaders started the green flag pit stop cycle, but with 30 to go there was a caution that flipped the field. 10 guys lucked into the correct strategy lead by Kurt Busch and Matt DiBenedetto. Most of the leaders took the wave around, but were stuck in the traffic of those who had fresher tires. A caution with roughly 15 to go split the lead lap cars with the bottom half gambling on fresh tires. After sorting through the traffic a caution that sent the race to overtime setup a battle between Kurt Busch, Matt DiBenedetto, Denny Hamlin, and Alex Bowman. Kurt Busch prevailed after having a fantastic restart to win. Kurt Busch's win drastically shook up the playoff picture. Busch came into the race 12th of the 12 playoff drivers. Austin Dillon's late race mechanical issue regulated him to a 32nd place finish, 32 points behind 8th place Alex Bowman. Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola, and Kyle Busch head to Talladega outside looking in on the playoff picture.

The winningest crew chief of the modern era will no longer be on top of a pit-box beginning with the 2021 season. He received a promotion to an executive position with Hendrick Motorsports as Vice President of Competition. He will oversee all crew chiefs , pit chiefs, engineering teams , fabrication teams , assembly , and competition staff. No announcement has been made in regards to who will replace Knaus as the leader of the #24 Chevrolet team. In his career as a NASCAR Cup Series Crew Chief , Knaus has won 82 races , 7 cup series championships (all with Jimmie Johnson) , and his drivers have made the playoffs every year since the original playoff 'chase' format back in 2004.

(Photo Source : Twitter.com/SportsCenter) Last week it was officially announced that Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin would be buying the charter from Germain Racing and that Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr would be driving for the new team next season. It’s a move that puts an end to only some of the speculation that has run rampant in this unprecedented silly season. There had been rumors cropping up the past few months that this could happen, but, I must admit that until Wallace announced that he would be leaving Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of the season I didn’t give much credence to those rumors. Now that it’s official there’s been plenty of speculation what kind of success the trio will have. It’s exciting news for NASCAR, and you simply can’t overstate what kind of positive impact Michael Jordan and all that comes with him could have on the world of NASCAR. Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player ever, but more importantly for NASCAR his brand something that attracts unprecedented attention. His brand may be more iconic than any other, commercials, endorsements, movies. Michael Jordan is money. This could be a match made in heaven. Notice the phrase “could be” When it comes to a momentous moment like this, it’s easy to get caught up on it, the possibilities, the best-case scenario. It’s easy to just view Michael Jordan as an iconic individual who can’t fail. It’s so easy to set expectations far too high, especially in the first year or two of something fresh like this. One of the most underrated aspects of this entire deal is the kind factory support Toyota is sure to give this car. They will be doing whatever they can to make this a success. I said on last week’s Racing Refresh that part of the reason that Toyota and NASCAR would be doing so much to try and make sure this experiment is a success is because of the fact Bubba Wallace is the most relevant NASCAR driver in terms of pop culture ever. When AJ Appeal pressed me and said that title belongs to Dale Earnhardt Sr, or perhaps his son I clarified that relevance isn’t always popular. Bubba Wallace is, in a word, polarizing. He’s attracted new eyes and driven away old ones. If you get caught up in the NASCAR bubble it would be easy to believe he’s only hurting the sport’s popularity, but if you look further and see all the personal sponsorship he’s gained and how often he’s a guest on The Today Show you’ll see he’s getting the attention that certainly at least rivals the Earnhardt family. The only thing missing is the on-track success. His detractors seem to only look at his cup results. Never seeming to factor that he drives for Richard Petty Motorsports. You’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger RPM fan than me among the Racing Refresh crew, but, there’s simply no denying their funding issues. Wallace won with Kyle Busch Motorsports in the truck series 6 times. He also has 35 top tens to his credit in the Xfinity series. Those numbers aren’t staggering but it’s explanation enough to know RPM’s issues have no doubt played a role in his results. What’s my point? Wallace isn’t my biggest question mark, it’s the ownership side. Michael Jordan has controlled the basketball operations of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets since 2006 and how has he done? Well here’s a few things to know Since he took over control of the team The Hornets have only finished with a winning record 3 times and has never finished higher than second in their division. Under Jordan, the Hornets have never advanced past the first round of the playoffs. Overall The Hornets have a 464-651 record since Jordan took over the helm. That’s a .416 winning percentage. He was the man in charge of Charlotte when the team finished 7-59 in 2011-12. That would go down as the worst record in NBA history. When you’re that bad for that long, it’s not just bad luck or a longer than expected rebuild it points to serious mistakes in judgment and seemingly not correcting them. This all has happened while he has operated a team in the sport he knows best. How will he do an entirely different world? There have been cross-over success stories. The biggest one being Joe Gibbs. Gibbs started Joe Gibbs Racing in 1992. As an owner, he’s a 5-time cup series champion and a two time Xfinity Series champion. His team is arguably considered the best way to have success in the current NASCAR environment. The biggest fly in the ointment with this situation is due to Denny Hamlin’s co-ownership with Micharl Jordan. Hamlin is currently under contract as a driver with none other than Coach Joe Gibbs. This leads to an easy assumption that Wallace’s car will have a Gibbs alliance. On paper that points to on-track success and it very well could, but for how long? Previous alliances haven’t lasted. Furniture Row Racing shut down only a year after winning a championship. Levine Family Racing is shutting down at the end of the 2020 season. Spire Motorsports purchased the assets and will be expanding to a two-car team next season. They were both Gibbs affiliated teams. Another added wrinkle is the next-gen car coming in 2022. Is Michael Jordan and company prepared to shell out the massive amount of funds it’s going to take to be competitive in the coming years? Based on Jordan’s history as an owner, I don’t have that answer. Is he prepared to take the lumps that will come from the NASCAR fan base? In basketball, Jordan is revered and rightly so. NASCAR is a different world. Bubba Wallace is getting heavily booed at almost every track that allows fans. Jordan has always walked a tight-rope when it comes to political and social issues in our country. Is he ready to face the push back that could come with him having Wallace as his driver? You may say none of that matters and truly you’d be correct, but, Michael Jordan has always cared about his image, and he has done his best to quell any talk that Lebron James may have surpassed him as the greatest basketball player ever. Look no further than him agreeing to do The Last Dance documentary, it reaffirmed and convinced many that Jordan was better than James. That was one of the reported reasons Jordan agreed to do it in the first place. I believe that next season should be a wash for this team. I think they could compete for a win or two in 2021 depending on just how much funding and sponsorship the team and Wallace have when the dust settles with RPM at the end of the season. Michael Jordan is an icon, who has built an empire. However, that empire was built on his unprecedented success as a basketball player. He has struggled mightily as an owner and you have to wonder how he’ll split his time between NASCAR and the NBA and if he can’t do one effectively full-time, how will he do both? We all know Michael Jordan loves to gamble, this may be his greatest gamble ever. If you’re a fan of this trio coming together your goal shouldn’t be championships anytime soon, your only goal should be survival. It’s not insanity... It’s Loganity.

(Photo Source : Twitter.com/KyleBusch) Written by AJ Appeal Appealing Opinions Kyle Busch is the reigning NASCAR Cup Series Champion. He is one of only 16 drivers in the sport's history to have more than one cup title, and is the youngest on that list. Racing Refresh made a prediction at the start of the year that Kyle Busch (often known as 'Rowdy') would go winless in his 2020 campaign, and after 29 races he still has not found victory lane on a Sunday. We often joke on our radio show about the curse that was started on-air by saying that he would not win, but the reality of the situation is that things aren't adding up for him and the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team. The season as a whole has been as up-and-down as the stock market and there are a million excuses as to why they are not in their usual form. Kyle in his interviews often times will mention that he feels the current package that is run in the cup series prohibits passing for lead position. While that may come with evidence at some of the tracks we see, it never stopped him from winning in 2019. The Covid-19 era of the world put a halt to so many things and we can only assume that every NASCAR team is having to regroup and re-organize their efforts as they return to the race track each week. It is certainly possible that the lack of practice and qualifying has hurt them the most. The #18 team is known for making great car and setup changes, and we saw that most recently at the Bristol race on Saturday night. Let's fast-forward a little bit and assume Kyle Busch's car doesn't finish first in the remaining 7 playoff events. He'll certainly lose the championship without a victory; only Matt Crafton's 2019 Truck title has been won without a race win. A streak of 15 consecutive seasons with at least one win in the Cup Series would also come to a finish. A rebuilding stage would start for Kyle, the #18 team, and their sponsors. They would have the most challenging off-season they've had since starting together in 2008. Some fans would look over the 2020 season and think Kyle has finally met his match. Rowdy Nation would mourn by the millions, while the other half of NASCAR's fanbase would dance in the streets celebrating the most infamous driver's lack of success. When driver's go winless, we often times consider it to be the beginning of the end to their career. For Kyle Busch, this is only the beginning. Busch's talent level and nearly 20 years in NASCAR have already made him go down in history as one of the sport's greatest drivers ever. He has won everything (except the elusive Daytona 500) there is to win in NASCAR. There are two recent drivers who are in a similar talent group as Kyle that had multiple winless seasons only to rebound. Let's take a look at some recent examples before we jump to any conclusions with Kyle's future. Jeff Gordon is the first driver that comes to mind. The 'Wonder Boy' as he was called for the first half of his career is now a Hall-of-Famer and a 4-time NASCAR Cup Champion. He's one of the most successful drivers in the history of the sport and still remains involved in NASCAR in many different ways. Gordon's career wasn't all perfect, though. He had a couple of hiccups along the way. Gordon's first full season in 1993 was a year that came with no trips to victory lane. Once he started to win beginning in his sophomore season, though, his #24 Chevrolet was on top of the leaderboard more often than most. He earned at least two wins per season from 1994 to 2007. A total of 81 Career wins in that 14 year stretch. In 2008, Wonder Boy wasn't as fortunate. In 36 starts Gordon failed to win a race, despite 4 poles and 13 Top-5 finishes. Many wondered if Gordon had started to trend downward or if he had lost his stride. From 2008 to 2010, Gordon won only one race in total. As speculation increased that retirement may be near, Gordon assured fans and friends that he still had more to prove. In 2011, Gordon returned to where he had been for so many years. In his final 5 seasons of full-time racing, he earned 11 more wins. Only 58 drivers in history have 11 wins in their entire career...Gordon added 11 after a slump. He managed to make the playoffs every remaining season of his career as well, and finished third in the standings after making the finale with a surprising final career win at Martinsville. Jeff Gordon managed to prove that with hard work and talent, you can rebound from a bad season or two. The other driver that should be mentioned when it comes to amazing career rebounds is a young man named Kevin Harvick , ever heard of him? Happy Harvick's Cup Series career has been well documented for his succession to the iconic Dale Earnhardt following his tragic crash at the end of the 2001 Daytona 500. Harvick was promoted into stardom and awarded a large portion of Dale's fanbase overnight. In only his third career start at Atlanta, Harvick won by passing above mentioned Jeff Gordon for the win. At the time of the feat, a win in his 3rd start was a modern-era record. Harvick won 5 races in his first 5 career Cup Series seasons, this included a winless season in 2004. In 2006, it appeared he was in championship form as the #29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team won 5 cup races, the most in a single season for the team since Dale Earnhardt won 5 in 1995. Unfortunately, the 2006 season was not the start of a magical dynasty. Between November of 2006 and April of 2010, Harvick found victory lane only one time in his memorable Daytona 500 victory from 2007. The winless streak ended at Talladega in the spring of 2010. Harvick defeated veteran Jamie McMurray by a margin of 0.11 seconds that day, his first win in over three years. This win started a trend that is still very alive today. Since the 2010 campaign, Kevin Harvick has won 3 or more races in a single-season 9 times. He switched teams from Richard Childress Racing to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 and won the NASCAR Cup Championship that season with new crew chief Rodney Childers. He has won 47 career Cup races since the end of his 3-year winless streak. As of the time of this article, he has won 9 races in the 2020 season alone, a new career high. Kevin Harvick has shown along with Jeff Gordon that legacies can still be added to after moments of defeat. At the rate he is winning races, he may be the next driver to pass some key Hall of Famers on the all-time win list. So what does this mean for Kyle Busch? Kyle Busch is the most recognizable name on the race track. He may not have the most fans, but between his fans and his haters combined, he demands the most attention no matter what track or series he is running. He continues to win in the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck levels on a somewhat regular level where he holds the all-time win records in both series. As a driver in the Cup Series he has earned the respect of the media and most of his competitors for his charitable and interactive nature off the track. On the track, he is a fierce, and challenging personality with everything to prove in his own heart. If he cannot win, he is unsatisfied. This is what makes him a 2x Cup Series Champion. He is in an awkward part of his career, where as a reigning champion, he is expected to contend for victories. Unfortunately, his winless streak continues. There will be a day when we see Kyle Busch back in the Cup Series victory lane. Maybe in 2020, probably in 2021, and certainly by 2022. When that day happens, he will win more often than we have ever seen. Expect the number 18 to do unbelievable things once he gets that monkey off his back. Kyle Busch is a winner. He's a champion. He's the past, present, and future of NASCAR.

The Athletic's Jordan Bianchi, and Jeff Gluck released a breaking news story that NASCAR has another rumored 2021 schedule change. The schedule change is a wild one where Texas Motor Speedway loses one of its points paying races in favor of Circuit Of The Americas in Austin, Texas. That's not all though, Texas Motor Speedway will get the All Star race to replace the points paying date, but keeping two race dates. As a NASCAR fan in Texas, who lives roughly 45 minutes from Texas Motor Speedway, it is incredibly exciting news overall. Let's begin with what this means for Texas Motor Speedway (TMS). Located in the northern part of Fort Worth, Texas is TMS. It is rather far from race fans in the three of the most populated cities in the state. Austin is roughly 210 miles from the track, San Antonio is roughly 285 miles away, and Houston is approximately 275 miles away. Race fans in these cities have a lengthy commute, especially for a track with a less than stellar on track product. Hosting its first race in 1997, Texas Motor Speedway had more than a few bad races in its early history. In 1997, and 1998 the track was nearly impossible to race. After a few repaves, and re-configurations TMS eventually hit its sweet spot in the early 2000's and became the fastest 1.5 mile track on the circuit. The prime era of NASCAR and TMS in the mid 2000's saw crowds exceeding the 150,000 thousand mark. Modern day NASCAR and TMS have declined quickly. The re-configuration going into 2017 in my opinion has almost ruined the track. In an attempt to make the track more challenging TMS dropped the banking in turns 1 and 2 by 4 degrees, and made the turn 20 feet wider. Due to a poor racing product they have been dousing the track with the synthetic grip additive called PJ1, but it has had relatively no positive impact on the racing with the amount they apply to the race surface. Attendance at Texas has declined to the point where the track is lucky to get 50,000 fans, which overall is great for most tracks, but when your capacity exceeds 100,000 it looks terrible. So what does it mean for Texas, a track regarded by many fans as one of the worst tracks on the circuit, so why does Texas get the All Star race? Besides track president Eddie Gossage being a true entertainer, losing a lengthy 500 mile race may help the racing product a bit. The recent tradition of the All Star race has been that of a glorified test session, and Texas being so bad leaves NASCAR plenty of opportunities to try new elements for future cars. I have quite a bit of faith NASCAR will go all out with the gimmicks and try to make the Texas All Star Race a once in a lifetime spectacle. I would expect Texas to keep their playoff race of the two that are currently on the cup schedule, but this move gives me some concern for the future of the track overall. I do not think Texas will be off the schedule entirely but it could easily go down to one race date, and be a shorter race too. Eddie Gossage will fight NASCAR for his track to keep two dates, and the longer races sighting maintaining fans value per ticket. The one redeeming quality Texas has at the moment is the fan experience with Big Hoss TV, and the local attractions across from the track. For the on track product Texas hosts both INDYCAR, and NASCAR races and it has been rumored we could see a double header between the two series. Now what does this mean for Circuit Of The Americas (COTA)? Having NASCAR could be a game changer for the future of the facility. COTA is centrally located within the state of Texas, and much closer to the state's most populous cities. With the track being more accessible to NASCAR fans in Central and South Texas, there is an opportunity for many Texans to attend more events, or even their first NASCAR race. Hosting F1's U.S. Grand Prix since its opening in 2012 COTA is a state of the art facility. It features a 251 ft. observation tower, a plaza with a pool, a concert venue, and a soccer stadium on the property. The course itself is a 20 turn 3.4 mile road course, and features multiple other possible configurations. Known for its drastic elevation changes COTA has proven to be a technically challenging track at times. Since its debut in 2012 fans, and NASCAR alike have been wanting COTA to make an appearance on the schedule. As recently as 2019 NASCAR has tested the road course with Hall Of Famer Tony Stewart who praised the road courses thinking it would be great for NASCAR. Assuming the rumor of the track getting a Cup date it would be the biggest thing to happen in the facility's short history. The future of COTA is a bit unclear with both of its major events the U.S. Grand Prix, and the INDYCAR Classic possibly not returning, they need NASCAR. Even if they retain both F1 and INDYCAR, NASCAR would still be a massive boost, and they'd almost certainly sell out the 120,000 seat facility. Assuming NASCAR replaces the Texas spring race, COTA could balance out the Cup schedule. On the 2020 schedule the first scheduled road course was Sonoma Raceway in mid June, followed by a trip to Watkins Glen in August, and the Charlotte Roval in October. Due to COVID19 the schedule obviously was not run as planned, but even then NASCAR goes roughly four months before their first road course race. Adding COTA early in the schedule would really help to balance the road courses in each part of the schedule. So what should the expectation for COTA be? I believe COTA will be a great show. I think NASCAR has absolutely nothing like it on their schedule, and that alone will make it a unique can't miss event. I think once COTA gets on the schedule it will peacefully coexist with Texas, and both tracks will thrive in the present day and the future.

(Photo Source : Twitter.com/NASCAR_Xfinity)

(Photo Source : Twitter.com/NASCAR_Trucks)

It's fair to say that 2020 will go down in history as one of the strangest years the world has ever seen. NASCAR has been no exception to this. So far this season, we've seen midweek races, no practice or qualifying, virtual racing events, a Bristol All Star Race and even the Daytona Road Course. None of us could've imagined NASCAR would be where it is now when we dropped the green flag for the Daytona 500, yet here we are. One of the most interesting aspects of NASCAR is what fans refer to as "Silly Season." For those who are unaware of the term, silly season is the offseason trading of drivers in NASCAR. Each year, silly season becomes a bigger and more entertaining part of the NASCAR season as a whole. This year, however, what if the glass is too full? What if certain drivers don't have a home for the 2021 season? I'd like to look at the free agents left on the market and the potential for them to get a ride for the 2021 season. Before we discuss what moves may or may not happen, let's look at the moves we already know will happen. As announced at the beginning of the season, seven time champion, Jimmie Johnson, will officially retire from the sport at the end of the 2020 season. This opens up his famed #48 Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports. Christopher Bell will move to the #20 for Joe Gibbs Racing after it was announced that Levine Family Racing would be shutting down at the end of the season. Two major puzzle pieces fell into place Monday as Ross Chastain was announced to be the driver of the #42 for Chip Ganassi Racing, and Bubba Wallace will be joining a new single car team started by current NASCAR driver, Denny Hamlin, and NBA Hall of Famer and 6 time NBA Champion, Michael Jordan. Germain Racing has also announced that it would be shutting down at the end of the season. Spire motorsports announced it's creation of a second Cup series team. A lot of cards are still up in the air, but not many have fallen down. The NASCAR free agency looks pretty stout at the moment. So let's look at the key factors still to be seen in the NASCAR silly season. Kyle Larson - This one is a very unique case to me because of all the drivers currently in the free agency, he's by far the most proven in a Cup car. However, Kyle lost his ride earlier this year after using a racial slur in an iRacing event. The results of this saw Kyle fired and suspended indefinitely from NASCAR. While Kyle still has not been reinstated with NASCAR, many believe Kyle is ready for a second chance. He has undergone a required sensitivity training and has worked with multiple African American charitable organizations in an effort to reconcile his inappropriate words. Among those advocating for his return is team owner and 3 time Cup champion, Tony Stewart. There is no debating Kyle's driving talents, but will sponsors be able to look past the controversial statements to help get him an opportunity. He's been rumored to be in talks with Stewart-Haas Racing as well as Hendrick Motorsports but nothing is certain at the moment. Erik Jones - Erik Jones is a young driver who sadly got the short end of the stick with Leavine Family Racing shutting down. When LFR made the announcement, Joe Gibbs Racing was left with a tough decision: Keep Erik Jones and lose out on the deal Toyota had with Christopher Bell, or let Erik Jones go. Sadly, the latter was the choice for JGR and for the first time in his young career, Jones finds himself going it alone. He's been in the Toyota pipeline for the entirety of his National Series career. Jones has found advice from a former JGR driver now NASCAR champion, Joey Logano. Rumor had Jones name with the 42 car, but since has proven not to be the case. Perhaps the best landing spot for Jones would be the 43 with RPM. Daniel Suarez - Suarez is another member of the 2017 rookie class that is once again looking for a new home. Suarez, like Jones, came into the series with Toyota. Suarez captured the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship in a Toyota as well. His overall performance in the Cup Series hasn't lived up to expectations. For his first two seasons, Suarez drove for JGR in the #19 Toyota. Suarez showed signs of talent, but never could muster up a playoff birth. In 2019, Suarez announced that he'd be moving to SHR to drive the #41 Ford Mustang. Once again in top tier equipment, Suarez still could not find his way into the playoffs. It was announced that SHR would bring in Cole Custer to pilot the #41 for 2020 and beyond, leaving Suarez to pilot the #96 Toyota for Gaunt Brothers Racing. While not nearly in the equipment he had been in his previous three seasons, Suarez has done decently well in the #96. His most notable performance this season would be at the regular season finale at Daytona where Suarez was able to lead 19 laps before getting caught up in a wreck later in the race. Suarez is a curious case in the NASCAR silly season. He has done fairly well in poor equipment, but has previously underperformed in top tier equipment. The #43 has also been rumored as a landing spot for him. Ty Dillon - The younger Dillon brother finds himself without a ride for the first time in his cup career. This happened somewhat surprisingly as Germain racing announced they were shutting down at the end of the 2020 season. Ty Dillon does have his name going for him. Dillon, like his brother Austin, is the grandson to NASCAR team owner, Richard Childress. Ty Dillon could be the most likely candidate for the 43 car, as Richard Petty Motorsports has a technical alliance with RCR. It has also been rumored that RCR could potentially be looking to add a third team as they have had in the past. Both options are viable candidates for Ty Dillon's future home. Corey Lajoie - Corey Lajoie is a people's driver. Many people may know him as the guy who puts his face on the front of his racecars. For the last few seasons, Corey Lajoie has been following in the footsteps of Matt DiBenedetto. Lajoie drove the #83 for BK Racing after Matty D left, and Lajoie continued to follow Matt signing with Go Fas Racing to drive the #32 after DiBenedetto went to LFR. Since then, Lajoie has been putting up decent finishes in the #32 car, but he feels like taking a leap of faith. Lajoie even quoted DiBenedetto's rise in NASCAR as something he'd like to see in his own career. Lajoie announced that he would not be returning to Go Fas in 2021, but no announcements have been made as to where he'll end up. Chase Briscoe - Briscoe has shot off like a rocket in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this year. Heading into the playoffs, he has 7 wins and is tied for the top seed with his former truck series teammate, Austin Cindric. Briscoe has proven that he is the real deal at the lower levels of competition. Stewart Haas Racing already has a technical alliance with Go Fas Racing, so we could see Chase Briscoe pilot the #32 Ford Mustang next season. This could be part of a plan to give Briscoe some experience in a cup car before bringing him over to SHR. Austin Cindric - Like Briscoe, Cindric has really shown out this season in the Xfinity series. Cindric currently has 5 wins on the season, but is the 2020 Regular season champion for the Xfinity series. Cindric currently drives for Team Penske in the Xfinity Series. However, it is worth noting that Austin's dad, Tim Cindric, works for Team Penske. Family ties have been known to make deals for driver's in the past. If this were to happen, the most notable landing spots for Cindric would be either in a 4th full time Team Penske car or taking over the Wood Brothers #21. Matt DiBenedetto - This leads me to our last major free agent on our list: Matty D. Matt DiBenedetto's story in NASCAR has been a truly heart warming roller coaster for us all. He caught the fans' hearts at Bristol in 2019 when he got a close 2nd place finish to Denny Hamlin. LFR and the #95 team was slated to be the place where DiBenedetto could truly show his potential and maybe even build around. However, Christopher Bell took the #95 in 2020. This was not a bad move for Matty D, though, as he would get the call to drive the famed Wood Brothers #21 in 2020. It was a move that saw DiBenedetto get his first ever playoff birth and overall career highs across the board. However, once again DiBenedetto could be facing the threat of losing his ride to a young, up-and-comer. No move has been made official, but things are certainly not clear for him at the moment. He has stated that he must be notified prior to the end of September whether he will be picked up again or not. Only time will tell if his performance will be strong enough to keep him there. The 2021 NASCAR Silly Season class is potentially the most talent-filled in recent memory. There are plenty of talented free agents currently on the market, and currently not enough seats for them to fill. As the 2020 season draws to a close, it will be more interesting to see what the future has in store for these drivers. For the next seven races, these drivers will have to drive like there's no tomorrow. For these drivers, their performances might be what sets them apart from the crowd.

The Xfinity Series playoffs are finally here. Arguably the most competitive NASCAR national series. Seven different drivers won a race in the regular season, and all seven have at least two wins. The Xfinity Series Round of 12 includes Las Vegas, Talladega, and the Charlotte Roval. The Round of 8 includes Kansas, Texas, and Martinsville. The Championship Round is a single round event at Phoenix. Chase Briscoe - 7 Wins (Las Vegas, Darlington, Homestead, Pocono, Indy Road Course, Dover, Bristol), 14 Top 5s, 18 Top 10s, Average Finish 7.6, + 48 Points. Zach : The most dominant driver in the Xfinity Series enters the playoffs as one of the two favorites. He struggled by his standards this summer, but a rebound at Bristol has brought momentum back to the team. His points cushion, and performance this season makes him a virtual lock for Phoenix. Justin : Briscoe comes into the playoffs as a championship favorite. No practice or qualifying has seemed to help the SHR crew, just as it has his Cup teammate, Kevin Harvick. Briscoe fell off during the summer months but was able to prove he was still a contender with a win at Bristol. I’d be surprised if we didn’t see the #98 fighting for a championship in Phoenix. Austin Cindric - 5 Wins ( Kentucky, Kentucky, Texas, Road America, Daytona Road Course) 17 Top 5s, 21 Top 10s, Average Finish 7.5, Regular Season Champion, +48 Points. Zach : The most consistent driver in the series is rewarded with the regular season championship. A blazing hot summer earned Cindric 5 wins since July, and was dominant on almost every road course on the schedule. I expect Cindric's cushion to get him to Phoenix, but I worry about his chances to win it all. Justin : Cindric, like Briscoe, comes in as a championship favorite. Cindric has the best average finish of the playoff drivers, and consistency is key. A slow start to the season was met with dominance in the summer months and a regular season championship. I would expect to see the #22 battling in Phoenix if he can avoid something like what happened to his Penske teammate, Ryan Blaney. Justin Allgaier - 3 Wins ( Dover, Richmond, Richmond), 8 Top 5s, 15 Top 10s, Average Finish 13.2, +31 Points. Zach : The hottest driver in the series Allgaier has been turning his early season woes around. Allgaier's season has been one with several letdowns, and being so so close to winning. Allgaier has all the momentum in the garage, but I worry the luck could turn on him. If Allgaier gets to Phoenix he almost has to be the favorite. Justin : Allgaier comes in with a lot going good for him. He’s had the most momentum of anyone as of late. He has got 3 wins now and a handful of playoff points. He’s also got maturity and when the pressure of the playoffs gets heavy, maturity and experience might find Allgaier in the championship hunt. Noah Gragson - 2 Wins (Daytona, Bristol) 11 Top 5s, 19 Top 10s, Average Finish 9.2, +23 Points. Zach : Arguably the most interesting driver in the Xfinity Series Noah Gragson has been the streakiest driver in this season. A blazing start with wins at Daytona, and Bristol earned Gragson a comfortable spot entering the playoffs. Gragson has been quiet as of late, but I absolutely believe Gragson could win his way to Phoenix. Justin : Gragson has been a peculiar case. He started off very strong scoring 2 wins but hasn’t seen victory lane since. He has stayed consistent though with an average finish inside the top 10. I do not see Gragson fighting for a championship in Phoenix, but he could certainly put on a strong showing. Brandon Jones - 3 Wins (Phoenix, Kansas, Darlington) 8 Top 5s, 14 Top 10s, Average Finish 13.5, +18 Points. Zach : The luckiest driver in the Xfinity Series enters the playoffs with some luck on his side. Although luck is the reward for being in position to capitalize, and he could easily find his place at Phoenix. He now has two wins at Kansas a Round of 8 track, and a win in Phoenix against Kyle Busch. I doubt his luck will last that long, but if he makes it Jones can easily capitalize. Justin : Sometimes all you need is a little luck. That’s exactly what Jones has had this year. Jones has been able to capitalize on other driver’s mishaps and has accumulated 3 wins on the year. He very well could sneak into the final four. If he does, one of his 3 wins this season did come at Phoenix. Justin Haley - 2 Wins (Talladega, Daytona) 8 Top 5s, 16 Top 10s, Average Finish 10.1, +16 Points. Zach : A driver that's trending upwards Justin Haley has been trending towards a threat. Haley in combination with Kaulig Racing is arguably the best superspeedway racer in the series. Getting to Phoenix will be a challenge, but if Haley can get there he could spoil the championship party. Justin : I have been impressed with Justin Haley lately. Like Jones, he’s been able to capitalize on chaos by other drivers. We typically see Haley as a superspeedway racer as that’s where he’s accumulated his wins. However, Haley put up a strong showing at Richmond which could be an indicator for Phoenix. He will have an uphill battle getting to Phoenix though. Luckily, for him Talladega is a part of this round. Harrison Burton - 2 Wins (Auto Club, Homestead) 13 Top 5s, 18 Top 10s, Average Finish 9.5, +12 Points. Zach : Harrison Burton has impressed me throughout the season. Harrison, much like his father Jeff Burton, has been calm and consistent all season. His calming nature has made him under the radar, but I truly believe Harrison is a legitimate championship threat, and could even reach Phoenix without a win. Justin : I had high hopes for Harrison this year, especially after his two wins early in the year. He is still young, though, and he is a rookie in the series. He’s put up some good numbers though for a rookie campaign. However, I don’t see it being enough to get him to the championship fight in Phoenix. Ross Chastain - 13 Top 5s, 23 Top 10s, Average Finish 7.9, +8 Points. Zach : Although his consistency has been impressive Chastain's lack of wins makes his playoff journey seemingly perfect just to reach Phoenix. I think Chastain earns his elusive first win of the season, but his lack of wins will be the one thing keeping from Phoenix. Justin : Ross Chastain has been as consistent this year as Briscoe and Cindric. However, there’s one thing that finds him so far down on this list: lack of winning. Chastain was only able to muster up 2 stage wins. Being third in points does add 8 more playoff points. I would love to see the melon man in Phoenix, but it will be an uphill battle with little playoff points to help him out. Ryan Sieg - 4 Top 5s, 8 Top 10s, Average Finish 15.7, -8 Points. Zach : The best of an Xfinity Series littered with fun underdogs Sieg has been using strategy all season. Sieg's best chance to advance is Talladega, and I hope he can, but even that is a tall task. However making the playoffs again is another solid season for Seig, and his team. Justin : Every year Sieg and his team get a little bit better. The hard-working owner, driver has looked impressive, running top 10 at some point in quite a few races. However, the equipment inside the #39 just isn’t at the level of his playoff competitors. This team can use the publicity to look for more financial opportunities and perhaps we could see them in the championship hunt soon. Michael Annett- 3 Top 5s, 16 Top 10s, Average Finish 11.9, -8 Points. Zach : Annett's 2020 season has been a disappointment overall. Annett has struggled to be much more than a bottom of the top 10 threat. Considering he's already in a points hole I think he will be solid, but unable to elevate his performance to advance. Justin : Annett has had a slower year than last year, but solid year. His 11.9 average finish is higher than that of his JR Motorsports teammate, Justin Allgaier. However, like Chastain, Annett just hasn’t been able to get out front and get the wins and playoff points needed to advance. Riley Herbst - 4 Top 5s, 16 Top 10s, Average Finish 15.0, -9 Points. Zach : Riley Herbst has been a bit of a disappointment for me this season. I understand he's a rookie with very very limited success, but this is JGR equipment. I think Riley's youth and inexperience will show, but this playoff experience will serve him well in the future as he continues in the Xfinity Series. Justin : Herbst has had a hit or miss season in terms of performance. He’s shown signs of speed and potential, but he doesn’t have the record to show for it. Herbst is the least experienced in the field having the least amount of Xfinity starts in the field. I think the lack of experience and playoff points will see Herbst as an early exit in the playoffs. Brandon Brown - 4 Top 10s, Average Finish 16.5, -10 Points. Zach : Brandon Brown has been fun to watch. A consistently improving top 15 threat this team has made a massive improvement. Even with a financial push to make himself a bigger playoff contender I expect Brown to fall short considering the point in which he's starting. Brown like Seig needs to use this experience to make his team's future brighter. Justin : Brown, like Sieg, is an owner, driver for the NASCAR Xfinity Series. They were able to make it into the playoffs with consistent top 15 runs. Brown stated that they were acquiring some better equipment to make a run for the playoffs. However, the lack of playoff points will be extremely hard for Brown to overcome, and he’s in the biggest hole starting the playoffs. Zach's Picks - I'm excited to see how the Xfinity Series playoffs look. I see six legitimate title contenders, but my Championship 4 is Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Justin Allgaier, and Harrison Burton. I expect Briscoe, Cindric, and Allgaier to be relatively smooth sailing and cruise to Phoenix. Harrison Burton is my sleeper, and I think in a field that has plenty of aggressive drivers with Chastain and Gragson, Burton can sneak to Phoenix. My champion however is Chase Briscoe, and to me the best driver gets the championship. Justin's Picks - After everything that’s been said, I believe that the four drivers heading to Phoenix will be: Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Justin Allgaier, and Brandon Jones. The drivers that have the most wins will find a way to get up front again and punch their ticket to Phoenix. I believe that Allgaier will be able to win in Phoenix as well and clinch his first ever NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship.