The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Dover, Delaware, this week for the Würth 400 at Dover International Speedway. At Talladega last week, the 23XI Racing of Tyler Reddick and Michael Jordan broke Hendrick Motorsports/Joe Gibbs Racing’s stranglehold on the winning spots for a thrilling finish. We are now heading into a race series with some of the most exciting tracks in the series.
In today’s NASCAR Q&A, we ask our NASCAR experts Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi to break down what fans should expect over the next few weeks, who they like to win at Dover, the long shots, and then, of course, what it was like to interview THE Michael Jordan.
NASCAR at Dover takes place this Sunday, April 28 at 2 p.m. ET on FS1.
Let’s move on to our burning questions!
In your podcast this week, called “Talladega (Tyler’s Version)” which our resident Taylor Swift fans really enjoyed, you mentioned Jordan had the opportunity to interview Michael Jordan for the first time. It’s not really a question: what was it like?
Jordan: Short. But even though it only lasted a few seconds, technically it counts, so I can now say I interviewed my favorite athlete of all time. Plus, the big question here is where MJ would rank this on his list of favorite interviews. It has to be in the top five, right?
We have to take the Top 5!
Follow-up: We’ve “joked” in this column over the years that you both loved that Tyler Reddick won a lot of races (which he didn’t always do) and that he became our mascot unofficial for the second half of the season. 2022 season. Winning Talladega is huge; Was this his “he’s here” moment?
Jeff: You really can’t judge someone’s season from a superspeedway race, as tempting as that might be. What’s more impressive, and perhaps a better indicator, is that Reddick has five straight top-10 finishes and is tied for the series lead with seven. There are two remaining issues, however: first, Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing have consistently won all seven non-superspeedway races (plus the Daytona 500). Second, even though Reddick is good, his pit crew’s performance remains shaky at times – and that could cost him some races.
Jordan: It feels like Reddick has “arrived” to where it’s no longer a surprise when he wins, no matter what type of track NASCAR visits that week. He has more than proven himself. And the potential is real for him to have one of those monster seasons where he accumulates mind-blowing statistics. But as Jeff noted, pit road remains a weakness for 23XI Racing, and until that area improves, Reddick will have a ceiling on what he can do.
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You documented 10 different drivers in 11 races who had the fastest car (and those cars win less than half the time). Would you say that this is unusual or that there is more of a gap than in previous years? Any explanation for this or is it a bit random?
Jeff: I tracked this stat (although it is a somewhat subjective metric) for the first time in my weekly column this season. But it’s certainly surprising; you would think that the fastest cars would generally come from a single team or manufacturer rather than being so spread out. Not surprisingly, the fastest car has only won five of 11 races this year, which continues to make NASCAR a very different system from F1 in that the best car of the day often fails. to be gained for various circumstances (often beyond their control).
Jordan: Parity may not be at the level it was at the start of the Next Gen era, but this statistic shows that parity still exists in one form or another. But that statistic is also bolstered by the fact that the two dominant organizations this year, Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing, both field four teams each, allowing a combination of drivers to battle for victory. And while neither Team Penske nor Front Row Motorsports have won yet, both have shown great speed on the draft tracks. Add it all together, and it looks like there might be a higher level of parity than initially expected.
It seems like almost every week there are complaints about the Next Gen car. Is this a moment of crisis for sport? Or just a case of “it’s not NASCAR if people don’t complain” and something people will just have to get used to? Besides tires, where can NASCAR adapt without going full throttle (sorry) on a new car?
Jeff: Next Gen was wildly unpredictable in its first season (2022) as teams struggled to get a handle on it, so the weekly chaos produced one of the greatest overall years in memory. Last season, the peloton started to tighten and the races often became simpler. Now, in this car’s third year, its shortcomings at certain tracks are really starting to show and become more discussed – especially since NASCAR has already tried to make adjustments to things like the short track package without any measurable success. What levers remain to be pulled? Remember, this is the first specification car in NASCAR history; previously, teams built the cars themselves, so there was much more variation between competitors. Everyone is still getting used to this concept, but it certainly raises questions about whether having everyone running at relatively the same speed is actually a good thing. That said, it’s not like NASCAR is suddenly going to have a new car again at this point.
NOOB Question of the Week: In your Top 5, you said, “Luckily, NASCAR has some great tracks coming up, so let’s hope something water cooler worthy happens soon.” » What details can you share to get newbies excited about the upcoming race series?
Jeff: Next week’s race will take place in Kansas, which has arguably become the best intermediate track (or almost). Then there’s Darlington, who has been great with this car (and many previous generations as well). And in a month it’s the Coca-Cola 600, which has been sensational and crazy in the previous two races with the Next Gen car. So these three races alone should be effective.
Jordan: With Kansas, Darlington and Charlotte coming up over the next few weeks, hopefully all the weekly talk about the quality of the races (or lack thereof) will die down a bit. These are three of the best NASCAR tracks on the circuit, and all three provide exciting action more often than not.
Who is your favorite to win at Dover?
Jeff: It certainly appears to be one of the Hendrick or Gibbs pilots, but that’s not very interesting for our purposes here. So here it goes for Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain (+700), who has finished third and second in his two races at Dover since joining Trackhouse and has led at least 85 laps in each of them.
Jordan: Martin Truex Jr. is overdue for a win, and Dover represents a great place for it to happen. His four wins here lead all active drivers, and in the last seven Dover races he has two wins and three second places.
Which player would you like to win at Dover?
Jeff: A long shot at Dover is pretty unlikely, so my default answer here would simply be to pick the Hendrick/Gibbs driver lowest in the odds. It’s Alex Bowman (+1800) this week, and it’s hard to defend anyone lower than that. Aside from Bowman’s win there in 2021, one could argue that every Dover winner since at least 2008 (maybe longer) will one day be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Jordan: It’s difficult to pick a distant goal to win Dover because it’s just not a track where upsets tend to happen. But if you’re looking for a driver that offers both great value and a realistic chance of winning, Reddick at +2000 is the choice. This number is quite high for a driver who is in the top 10 and whose cars have been fast most weeks.
Odds of winning this week via BetMGM.
(Tyler Reddick Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images)