Tonight’s Cup race at Kansas Speedway (7:30 pm ET on NBCSN and the NBC Sports app) marks the start of the second half of the Cup season. So here are 18 questions for the last 18 Cup races of the season.
1. Will Jimmie Johnson win another race?
Dover’s double title is close to the calendar (August 22 and 23) and that was the site of his last Cup victory in 2017. Looking ahead to tonight’s race at Kansas Speedway, Johnson’s winless streak is 112 races. His best finish this year is third at Bristol and the series will return there in the playoffs in September.
2. Who will drive car No. 48 in 2021?
There’s a lot of interest in this high-profile trip that already has a full-season sponsor. Will car owner Rick Hendrick go with an established star or choose a younger driver with a lot of potential? What Hendrick decides could have a big impact on the next silly season.
3. What will the silly season be like?
Before the season, this was seen as a year in which Silly Season could outshine most of what’s happening on the track. Ryan Blaney signed a contract extension with the Penske team in May. Alex Bowman signed a one-year extension with Hendrick Motorsports in May.
Among the ride-free drivers announced for next season are Brad Keselowski, Erik Jones, Clint Bowyer, Matt DiBenedetto and Kyle Larson, who remains indefinitely suspended by NASCAR for uttering a racial slur during an online race in April.
“Stewart-Haas is a wonderful organization, ”said Bowyer this week. “I want to be there. I want to retire there, and I love the opportunity and the people behind it.”
Jones, who is fighting for a playoff tie, said this week: “I have had a very good relationship with (Joe Gibbs Racing) for quite a few years. I probably pushed myself harder. I wouldn’t say JGR comes to me and asks me questions or why you are in this place. They see the same things that we do and the same things that we fight every weekend and why we are in this place. People are not blind to that. “
4. Will Ryan Blaney’s luck change?
He led 150 laps last weekend in Texas, won the first two stages, but did not win the race when a warning came out at the wrong time. He finished seventh. He is third in laps led this season, but has a Cup win. He could have a few more wins. Instead, those are the missing tie-break points. Will that hurt you later in the year?
5. Who is next to the surprise?
Rookie Cole Custer had an impressive victory in Kentucky. Austin Dillon followed him last weekend in Texas with the help of some decisions at the RCR command center. Both were out of the playoffs before winning. Now they are in the playoffs. This is the first time since 2017 that a driver outside of a playoff spot has won a race.
In 2014 and 2016, a record three drivers outside of a playoff spot won a Cup race. Could there be a third such winner this year? Among those out of a playoff spot entering tonight’s race at Kansas Speedway are William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace and Chris Buescher.
6. Will Kyle Busch enter the championship race for the sixth consecutive year?
One of the most interesting elements of this season has been that Kyle Busch did not win in the first half of the Cup season. He has not even won a stage. He has no playoff points. He had the most playoff points in the middle of the season in each of the past two years.
Busch has talked about the difficulties at Joe Gibbs Racing this season and how lack of practice has made solving problems difficult. With NASCAR announcing this week that it will pass the rest of the season without practice and qualification, Busch’s task has become more difficult.
7. Which drivers in last year’s playoffs could be missed this year?
Kyle Larson will do it since he is not in the series. William Byron enters Kansas two points from what would be the last place in the playoffs. Erik Jones enters Kansas outside of a playoff spot. Like Ryan Newman, who missed three runs due to a head injury sustained in a last-lap collision at the Daytona 500 Miles. He has an exemption and would make the playoffs if he wins a race. Newman is too far behind on points to make the playoffs that way.
8. Which will be the most a wild card race: the Daytona circuit or the Daytona oval?
Oh boy
Drivers will have no practice before running the racetrack for the first time in Cup cars (same for Xfinity and Trucks). And Daytona’s oval career is the final race of the regular season, so the desperation to make the playoffs will be high.
Both races in August could be quite interesting.
9. Who will win rookie of the year?
Cole Custer has a win and is in the playoffs. Tyler Reddick has a rookie with six results in the top 10, including three in a row. Christopher Bell is showing signs of progress after a rotten start to the season. John Hunter Nemechek has had some highlights this season.
Worth watching as the season progresses. Some suggest this may be among the best rookie harvest in years.
10. How will NASCAR change the draw for the starting lineup?
Without qualification, the random drawing will remain. Scott Miller, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, said this week on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that series officials were looking for changes to the draw once the playoffs begin. NASCAR has yet to announce its plans in this matter.
11. Martinsville moves into the final race before the championship. What kind of chaos can you see there?
Okay, let’s see. Last year’s playoff race saw Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano fight after the race. In 2018 Martin Truex Jr. was upset with Logano for his stroke and career to win. In 2017 Hamlin and Chase Elliott had a heated exchange after Hamlin’s contract ruined Elliott late. In 2015, Matt Kenseth ripped Logano apart in retaliation for a previous playoff incident in Kansas.
Now, is Martinsville the last race before the championship field is established? It is safe to say that there will be many spirits on display that day.
12. How big will the crowd be in the upcoming races?
No fans will be allowed tonight in Kansas. Next week’s race in New Hampshire may have as many as 19,000. The following weekend the Double Cup is presented in Michigan before there are no fans. The races at Daytona, both on the road and the oval, will have fans, but a total has not been announced. Nothing has been announced for the playoffs. Among the playoff tracks is Bristol Motor Speedway, which hosted approximately 20-25,000 for the All-Star Race earlier this month.
13. What happens if a playoff driver tests positive for COVID-19 in the playoffs?
NASCAR gave Jimmie Johnson a waiver when he missed Indianapolis for testing COVID-19, but what if a playoff driver has to lose one or two runs in a round? Will that driver be allowed to advance to the next round and only make one driver advance more than scheduled?
14. How many pennies will Corey LaJoie have at the end of the season?
Corey LaJoie’s mantra is stacking pennies, which means that a little progress can turn into more success over time.
He had seven top-20 results last year for Go Fas Racing. LaJoie already has six top-20 finishes this season. He has accumulated many pennies so far.
15. Will Matt Kenseth return after this season?
Kenseth was shy about it when asked about his future recently, saying he was focused on improving the finishes. He has had four top-20 finishes in the last five races before reaching Kansas. With the number of drivers available for next season, Chip Ganassi Racing could have many options.
16. Is this Kevin Harvick’s year to win a second Cup title?
He has had a fantastic season with four wins, a total of 11 results in the top five, including five in a row, and the top 15 in the series. He finished in the top 10 in 83.3% of races. Remarkable. So far so good.
17. Or is this Denny Hamlin’s year?
The Daytona 500 Mile winner is tied with Harvick for the most wins this year with four. Hamlin had a four-run streak in the top five spots, including two wins, before difficulties in the past three weeks. Heading into Kansas, Hamlin has not finished better than 12th in the last three races. Still, he has nine results in the top five and 10 in the top 10 this year.
18. How about 2021?
NASCAR is working on a 2021 calendar. No date has been set for an announcement.
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