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Summer’s Five Things: What You Need To Know For July 22, 2018

July 22, 2018
Summer Bedgood
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“Summer’s Five Things” is a daily column for NASCAR fans to catch up on the most recent, relevant, and need-to-know news and information in the sport! While mostly focused on NASCAR, this column may also feature other interesting and exciting moments from the world of motorsports. Enjoy!

 

 

  1. Christopher Bell Held Off Cup Series Champion Brad Keselowski

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won 10 of the 18 NASCAR XFINITY Series races run this season, despite the fact that NASCAR has further limited their participation. Any MENCS driver with more than five years of experience is only allowed to participate in seven XFINITY Series races in 2018.

However, Christopher Bell showed that it really doesn’t matter, as he can win races with or without MENCS drivers in the field.

Bell’s win on Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was his third victory of the season, two of which included MENCS drivers.

However, Saturday’s win didn’t come easy. He had to hold off Brad Keselowski in the closing laps of the race, with the margin of victory being .416 seconds.

Bell led 93 laps en route to the victory, more than any other driver in the field, including the last 19 laps of the race.

However, the most memorable moment of the race may have occurred shortly after Bell took the checkered flag.

No, literally.

Moments after grabbing the checkered flag in celebration, Bell handed the flag through the fence to a young fan on the other side.

Memories are made at the racetrack, people. Go!

 

  1. Make sure to set your DVRs

Due to what is anticipated to be a rainy raceday, NASCAR has decided to move up the start time of the race from 2:00PM ET to 1:00PM ET.

With rain expected to last into the early-to-mid afternoon, the move is in an attempt to at least get the race to an official distance, the end of Stage 2 on lap 150. The full distance of the race is supposed to be 301 laps.

Even if the race does get moved to Monday because of weather, damp conditions are expected to continue, so it may be a challenge to bring the race to its previously schedule distance. 

 

  1. Ah, yes, our favorite thing … penalties

Top-five finishers Ryan Preece and John Hunter Nemechek had their cars fail post-race height inspection after earning third and fourth place finishes, respectively, in the NASCAR XFINITY Series race in Loudon.

Preece drove the No. 18 car yesterday, and this same team failed height measurements last month after winning the race with Kyle Busch in Pocono. Crew chief Eric Phillips was suspended for one race and fined $10,000. The team also lost 10 driver and owner points.

It’s likely that the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team and the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing team will face the same penalty.

 

  1. Unsurprising Practice Leaders, Very Surprising Practice Crashes

I’m sure you’ll be utterly and completely shocked when I share with you the handful of the drivers at the top of the leaderboards for the two MENCS practice sessions at New Hampshire.

Are you ready?

Take a deep breath.

Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Jimmie Johnson.

… I know, RIGHT??

I’m breathless.  

Okay, so maybe Hamlin and Johnson are actually a little bit of a surprise. Johnson has struggled through this season and Hamlin has been barely an afterthought while his teammate Busch is dominating and winning races.

And, sure, Blaney hasn’t been up front each and every week, but finished second last week and certainly hasn’t been terrible.

Still, it’s looking like the same contenders that have been in play all year are also going to have a big say in who wins the race today.

If the 10-lap average is any indication, though, they may have some competition.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice 2

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice

 

Meanwhile, it was a tough and expensive day for the teams of Michael McDowell and Landon Cassill. Both crashed in final practice and had to go to their backup cars.

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/Mc_Driver/status/1020744428565278725

 

  1. Perhaps The Most Important Thing About The Broadcast …

… what Dale Earnhardt Jr. is wearing in the broadcast booth.

For some reason that I have to imagine involved alcohol, NASCAR on NBC decided to have a broadcast free of a play-by-play announcer. Instead, they will put Rick Allen on pit road, and have former crew chief Steve Letarte, former driver Jeff Burton, and of course the aforementioned Earnhardt in the booth instead.

Somehow, the conversation turned to what the three of them would wear on such a special day.

The decision went to a fan vote and …

Yes. Jeans and a t-shirt.

Shocking — just shocking, I say — that NASCAR fans don’t necessarily find the fancy sport jackets and dapper ties all that appealing. And with Earnhardt already having brought a sort of casual, down-to-earth vibe to the broadcast booth, why not allow the wardrobe to reflect the same thing?

It’s a common subject — fans just don’t relate to the once grit-and-grime, now glitz-and-glamor sport they once knew. Maybe this broadcast will give the feel of “watching a race and having a beer with your buddies” kind of event.

But I wouldn’t hold your breath that the trend will continue past today.

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If you would like to connect with me, you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram, or e-mail me at [email protected]. 

One thought on “Summer’s Five Things: What You Need To Know For July 22, 2018”

  1. Summer, I am thinking of the mechanics of Cup and XFinity returning to Dirt, it is a Perry Mason matter of when they’ll return to Dirt. But, I am thinking if in the few pieces of Summer Lovin’, would Christopher Bell in the Indianapolis 500 stoke the embers of the Indy 500 Entry List and a revitalized lap fund?

    Reply

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