Ken WillisDaytona Beach News-Journal
Back in grandpa’s day, a NASCAR roll looked different. Often, it was draped with checkered cloths.
Richard Petty won 10 straight starts in 1967. David Pearson won nine of 10 in 1973 and was runner-up in the one he didn’t win. Harry Gant earned the “Mr. September” label by winning four races that month in 1991.
Such streaks have become harder and harder to attain in the 21st Century. Too many quality teams, cars and drivers for one guy to separate himself with any regularity.
Modern times call for modern measurements, which is why we look at the past couple of months for Tyler Reddick and rightly call it “quite a roll,” even though he didn’t finally get his second win of 2024 until Monday at Michigan.
In 10 starts beginning with the co*ke 600 in late May, nine times Reddick drove the No. 45 Toyota to a finish of eighth or better. No worse than sixth since June 23 at New Hampshire.
But no wins.
Until Monday at Michigan, where the 23XI racer withstood a couple of late restarts to outrun William Byron in a race that went six laps and 12 miles beyond prescription.
We saw the regular-season points race shake up, the playoff bubble adjust its shape, Chase Elliott apparently irritate buddy Ryan Blaney, and Corey LaJoie do something he’s definitely tired of doing.
Let’s go through the gears …
First Gear: Kyle Busch is back (maybe) and Martin Truex can't win for losin'
Let’s start here: Kyle Busch had a chance to win. Seriously, no kidding. He led 24 laps, most of them in Stage 3, finished fourth, and by the looks of things, has decided “what the hell, I may as well show a positive attitude” and might just save this lost season after all.
Reddick was the man to beat late, however, and was cruising to victory when Martin Truex Jr. predictably slapped the wall on Lap 195 to bring out a caution flag that maybe should’ve remained holstered. There didn’t appear to be any debris off the Truex car, which we’re guessing the dude in the cleanup truck told the tower after making the obligatory pass by the wallbanger scene.
"Activate the track sweepers, just to make it look good." We kid, we kid. Right?
How ’bout that Truex going-away party? He’s showing occasional signs of life, even leading 28 laps at Michigan, but out of nowhere, it goes away. You've grown to expect it. He’s finished 24th or worse in five of his last six. But he’s still sitting 13th in the playoff points standings, a cushiony 77 points ahead of 17th-place Bubba Wallace, who’s just one point behind Ross Chastain for 16th.
Kyle Larson crashed, finished 34th and took a big tumble from first to fourth in the regular-season points race. Elliott seemed poised to take over first place before he got tangled up with Blaney on the final lap and they both fell like rocks — Chase to 15th, Ryan to 18th.
On the bright side, how about Spire Motorsports? First time ever, the team put two drivers in the top 10 at the checkers — Zane Smith seventh and Carson Hocevar 10th. You know that can happen at a plate race, but don't expect it at Michigan.
Second Gear:Corey LaJoie puts the engineers to work
If the folks at NASCAR’s R&D Center near Charlotte were expecting a routine week, they got a rude awakening Monday. So did Corey LaJoie, whose No. 7 Chevy touched the left-rear of Noah Gragson’s Ford on the backstretch before doing something modern cars aren’t expected to do: “I don’t like going upside-down, and I’ve done it twice this year,” LaJoie told Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass afterward.
“That thing was up quick,” added LaJoie, who also suggested a stout headwind on that part of the track might’ve added some aerodynamic menace.
Whatever, LaJoie’s car turned, lifted off, landed on its roof and slid halfway to Battle Creek before hitting a patch of grass, doing 1½ tumbles and landing on its wheels.
“Not acceptable,” NBC commentator (and longtime racer) Jeff Burton told the national television audience (and the folks at R&D, who are sharpening pencils as we speak).
Third Gear: You like racing? Daytona starts things, then Sunday gets very busy
The Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend in late May is generally considered the biggest day in auto racing — from the F1 Monaco Grand Prix at breakfast to the Indy 500 at lunchtime to NASCAR’s co*ke 600 at dinner.
But goodness, what to make of this coming Sunday, which offers every form of big-league racing you can imagine. The day begins with F1’s Dutch GP. IMSA’s sports-cars race at Virginia International Raceway, starting at noon. The historic Milwaukee Mile is host to ARCA and NASCAR’s Truck Series in the afternoon. IndyCar races at Portland, starting mid-afternoon.
This follows Friday and Saturday night NASCAR action at Daytona, and yeah, go ahead and say it: Given the moodiness of the mid-summer Doppler in Florida, that Sunday schedule just might get a late addition. There’s a history, you know.
Fourth Gear: Since we last talked …
Here are a few NASCAR headlines since we gathered here last week:
∎ Rumors were confirmed when historic Bowman Gray Stadium, in Winston-Salem, N.C., was announced as host for next year’s season-opening Busch Light Clash. The quarter-mile track, which opened in 1937 as a football facility, hosted Cup Series races from 1958-71. Next year’s Clash is scheduled for Feb. 2. The past three Clashes were held at the L.A. Coliseum, which has also seen a bit of football over the years.
∎ Dirt-track legend Scott Bloomquist died in a small-plane crash last Friday. “Legend” might not be a strong enough word to describe the 60-year-old force of nature, who was a hero to all and a mentor to many, including Tyler Reddick, who dedicated Monday’s win to Bloomquist.
∎ Austin Dillon’s penalties from Richmond were announced after last week’s deadline, and it appears that his appeal will miss this week’s.
∎ AJ Allmendinger will return full-time to the Cup Series next season, driving Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 Chevy. The sun always shines brighter in the garage when AJ is around.
∎ Up-and-coming racer Connor Zilisch won last weekend’s ARCA race at Michigan, making him 4-for-4 in ARCA starts this year. It was the first start at an oval longer than a mile for Zilisch, who turned 18 last month. He's not all left turns, by the way. In three starts as a co-driver in IMSA's LMP2 class, he's been part of class wins at Daytona and Sebring, just to name-drop a couple of venues.
— Reach Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com
