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Welcome to the Calamity Corner Podcast, your destination for NASCAR analysis, motorsports discussion, race recaps, driver stories, and fan perspectives from across the racing world. Hosted by James and a guest featured every week, each episode dives into the biggest moments from NASCAR Cup Series action, breaking down race results, championship battles, driver performances, controversies, and the stories shaping the sport.
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Speaker 1 0:00
Hello, guys, and welcome back to Calamity Corner. It's James once again with another episode. This is now episode 10, and I'm back again with Nick. Welcome back, Nick.
Speaker 2 0:14
Thanks for having me back, buddy.
Speaker 1 0:15
Appreciate it. No worries. It was great having you on. We had a great last episode, and this is going to be a great episode once again.
Speaker 2 0:23
Yeah, I'm excited.
Speaker 1 0:25
All right. So some drivers to start off with this episode. Some drivers that I wanted to spotlight is Christopher Bell. So after the Bubba Wallace penalty, he ends up being classified, finishing second, and he's doing this as he's recovering from a broken wrist. I know I say this a lot on the podcast ever since he broke the wrist, but I-it's just so impressive of what he's able to do. You know what I mean?
Speaker 2 1:00
Yeah, yeah. It seems like you know some drivers when they're dealing with an injury, they can do a lot better. 2011 Keselowski had some sort of injury, and I think it was the week he was testing or whatever, and he went on to win at like Pocono and then Bristol, and then clinched his spot in the chase. And Bell is really close to that first win of the season, and I think it's just I think it's a matter of time before we're talking about Bell being in the picture again. So, yeah.
Speaker 1 1:34
So going based off that with him close to the win, I believe it is five second place finishes that he has this season.
Speaker 2 1:45
Yeah, I think that's right. Yeah,
Speaker 1 1:47
and he is. Let's see what he is in the points. And he's he is ninth in points right now.
Speaker 2 1:56
Okay. Yep.
Speaker 1 1:57
He's 12 behind Hosovar for eighth, and 17 behind Buscher for seventh, so the race for the top 10 in the chase with those bonus points after the reset is going to be very interesting.
Speaker 2 2:16
I, I think he's going to jump Josevara this weekend and possibly Bell. I really do. You
Speaker 1 2:23
very well could. We we will see. We will see. And then another driver that I wanted to spotlight really quick was Erik Jones. He had another great week. He finished fifth, and right now he is above the cut line for the chase. He's eight above Logano, so he's having a very sneaky good season.
Speaker 2 2:52
Yeah, I think you know they're starting to get their. I think they're starting to get some of their Toyota stuff from JGR and 2311 and I think that's really helping out that 43 team out at Legacy Motor Club, and they've been they've been kicking it into gear since I think it was Michigan when Jones got that second place. So, you know, they've really turned it up, and I think they're gonna. They could make some noise coming up here. So,
Speaker 1 3:24
it's honestly good to see some new players once a year. I was hoping that's what the chase would provide, because I mean, like we would see new guys in the playoff system, right? Because some random guys would get a win, and then they'd make the playoffs, but like they would always stall out that first round. You know what I mean?
Speaker 2 3:46
Yeah, yeah. I mean that was like SVG last year. He had how many wins before getting into the postseason, and then just
Speaker 1 3:55
yeah
Speaker 2 3:55
flopped in the first round.
Speaker 1 3:58
Yeah, SVG last season. Poor, poor Josh Barry last season. I don't think he finished a race in the first round, which was unfortunate.
Speaker 2 4:08
He swept the first round to finish in last place every time. So,
Speaker 1 4:12
yeah, if you're a Josh Barry fan and you listen to this podcast, we are not making fun of Josh Barry. We feel for Josh Barry, we like Josh Barry
Speaker 2 4:22
now.
Speaker 1 4:26
And then the last driver on today's spotlight is going to be Shane Van Gitsbergen once again. This guy just keeps impressing on the ovals. He finished sixth. That was on speed. I would say. He was up there mixing it up with the Fords of Penske. He was up there with Larson before Larson. Unfortunately, hung money is a real, real nickname. But we will get to that in a bit. But yeah, he was up there with those top guys and. I thought it was honestly fun to see.
Speaker 2 5:03
Yeah, yeah, he's like we talked about. He's he's been improving this year.
Speaker 1 5:09
Yeah,
Speaker 2 5:09
you know, he's only got two wins on the season, but I mean,
Speaker 1 5:15
two wins on the season. He's 15th in points. He has about a 2031 point gap to the cutoff line, so I would say that's not bad at all.
Speaker 2 5:29
I mean, with all these short tracks coming up, I know he tends to. I think he tends to struggle more with those. I hope he can really just improve on those and just take that next step, yeah. Because I think teams that you're going to have to look at when you get to the short tracks. I mean, RFK. You know, they got Ryan Preece over there. I mean, Keslowski led a good portion of the Iowa race last year. Yep. They're good. Penske's good, though. Logano's hit or miss at Iowa, so that, and I mean, with Indy and Daytona looming too, I mean, I mean, this next portion is really gonna make or break seasons. Like,
Speaker 1 6:10
yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2 6:12
Look, I think Logano's gonna have to somehow find a way to win, and I, I would say secure a spot, but you know, he's gonna he's gonna have to go against his teammate Ryan Blaney, who's really good. He's got to go against guys like Christopher Bell and who else is good at short tracks? William Byron. You know, I know we haven't talked a whole lot about him this season. Like he hasn't been that good, but I mean, he is pretty good on the short tracks, so people do gotta be careful about that. So
Speaker 1 6:44
yeah, before we get back into the SVG point, you bring up William Byron. I thought it was funny because his crew chief and him had such a funny interaction on the radio at Atlanta. Oh boy! And his poor spotter just couldn't say anything. He just had to stay locked in to what was happening at the moment. And like his William Byron's crew chief basically crashed out. He was like, "I know it's. He said something along the lines of, "I know it's terrible. We can either park it or you can drive it and let me have another chance to fix it. I thought that was hilarious.
Speaker 2 7:26
Yeah, yeah, it was pretty funny. No, I mean, I I really hope he steps it up or something coming up here. I mean, call me crazy, but I think he could be the one that does the Tony Stewart type run from 2011 in the chase and win so many races, and then all of a sudden he's in the picture. But something I have tend to notice with winning the regular season champion in the next gen era, you don't win the next season. So
Speaker 1 7:55
yeah,
Speaker 2 7:56
Byron is heading towards that direction right now.
Speaker 1 8:00
So for sure. All right, so back to SVG a little bit. He's gonna do the truck race with Spire. Let's say Spire has really a stacked lineup this weekend in the truck series. They got Chase Elliott in the seven, they got SVG in the 71 and then they got Hostovar in the 77 So, and I feel like this track time is going to be really good for SVG because I feel like the only way drivers get better is with track time, right? Would you say?
Speaker 2 8:29
Yeah, I would absolutely agree with that.
Speaker 1 8:31
Yeah, and then that's it for the spotlights. Now we're gonna get into the lowlights, and I have one very specific driver. Everyone knows I'm a Kyle Larson fan, but I have to not be biased, right? I have to be fair, and I have to call him out when he's doing. I have fun. I don't want to say stupid things, but he's not himself. You know what I mean. So like, okay, so he he spun twice during this race. I wouldn't say the first one was directly his fault. Um, he got caught in a checkup with Reddick. Um, so that led to him spinning, and then he goes and pits. Right, he's coming back through the field. He's recovering. It looks like he's gonna have a top five finish, like he was running before. And then he attempts to pass Denny Hamlin, and he's not clear. And he spins out. He hits the wall. He hits the inside of wall, and his race is over. What was your thoughts about that, Nick?
Speaker 2 9:50
Obviously, all you Larson fans were-you know-you were mad at Hamlin and stuff like, which I get, you know. But it was personally, it was hard for me to tell. Really had happened, you know. I, I think that's just the type of racing product you know you get. I mean, I think once you get a little close with the guy you're side drafting or whatever, they can tend to either you know move that car up or car on the outside move that car down or whatnot. And I I thought it was just a racing incident. No, no blame to anyone.
Speaker 1 10:24
Now you know,
Speaker 2 10:25
and then
Speaker 1 10:27
yeah, I agree with you. Now I'm human, right? And so my initial human reaction was to blame Denny because I have a fair reason for this, and I I think you would agree. Larson and Hamlin, they have sort of history, and that history is mainly Hamlin running in the Larson and ruining his race, right? But as I as I pondered over it the past couple days, I'm like, yeah, why would Denny lift? I feel like Noah. Everyone doesn't know Noah yet, but he's also part of the picking league. He made a great point. He was like, "Why would Denny lift? He's fighting for the same position that Larson is, and I feel like Larson, he always just like oversteps, if you know what I mean. Like, and this is what has always made him good, as some other Larson fans, like Alex, Alex K in the other Pickham League would say. That's what makes Larson good, but it also has been biting him more in the past, you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 11:43
Yeah,
Speaker 1 11:46
and I feel like so going off in NASCAR a little bit last night. So Kyle Larson also does dirt racing during the week, right? And he was in the lead during this race, and then he just flips and lead and ends his own race. So I don't know what's going on with Larson right now. As a Larson fan, I really hope it does get better. I don't know if anyone can talk him down a little bit, whether that be Jeff Gordon or Rick Hendrick or whoever, but yeah, that's all I have on that point.
Speaker 2 12:28
Maybe that flips a wake up call for Larson. Maybe
Speaker 1 12:32
we will see. I hope so. We will see. All right, so we'll see. So moving on to the end season tournament a little bit, we have some updates after this race. Of course, we have Todd Gilland. He eliminated Alex Bowman, which I was honestly surprised about. Chase Elliott eliminates Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell eliminates Denny Hamlin, which I believe I picked that to happen last weekend, and then Ryan Blaney, of course, wins the race, so he eliminates William Byron. And then my question for you, Nick, would be: Do you think Ryan Blaney is becoming a championship favorite. I
Speaker 2 13:24
mean, he swept everything on Sunday and early Monday morning. I mean, and he's only 60-five points behind Denny Hamlin in points, which is just one stage in a race win. I mean, just
Speaker 1 13:36
crazy.
Speaker 2 13:38
That's insane about how much ground he made up on that, and you know everyone's talking about oh it's Redick versus Hamlin for the regular season championship. Well, I don't think you can overlook Ryan Blaney right now because I mean if that win told me anything and that's a wake up call, I would be concerned because Blaney is slicing and dicing that point lead in a hurry.
Speaker 1 14:05
It's going to be a three-horse race for the regular season title.
Speaker 2 14:10
Yeah, and then I'm looking at the points here. I mean, Ty Gibbs, he's like average to top 10 every week, so it's like okay, he's not going to do anything. Chase Elliott's mid as of recently. I mean, I think he's only got one top 10 nonetheless. This is not a six seven joke. Six or seven races. Kyle Larson, he's about he's 197 points back. You know, I I don't think he's gonna win the regular season championship at all.
Speaker 1 14:47
Seemed like just a couple weeks ago, Larson was in fourth place in the points, and he was trending up to maybe catch these guys, but that has gone away.
Speaker 2 14:56
Yeah, yeah. So I think. All this ultimately comes down to Hamlin, Reddick, and Blaney for the regular season championship.
Speaker 1 15:05
For sure. So looking at these points now, some interesting things that I see is Reddick and Hamlin. They have the same amount of stage points. They have the same amount of top fives. Redick has more top 10s and more wins, but he's second in points. That's interesting. I think it's just because Denny is like just been stupid consistent, and he doesn't have a DNF compared to Reddick's one, Blaney has two, and he's still right there. So that's gonna be a great race to the finish.
Speaker 2 15:49
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 15:51
And then, so for the next part of this podcast, we're gonna get into North Wilkesboro. We've gotten to see North Wilkesboro, quite a bit the past few years as they've had the All Star race there, but now it's going to be a points paying race for the first time since 1996, and I would feel like this race is going to be one of the most important races of the summer, as like we said, the chase is quickly approaching, and this is now the semifinal race for the in-season tournament. So some yeah yeah so some characteristics about North Wilkesboro. It's it's 0.6 25 miles in length, so that's a little bit bigger than the half mile. The asphalt is very worn, so that's going to lead to a lot of tire fall off. You go uphill on the front stretch a little bit, and then go downhill on the back stretch. I would say passing won't be easy, of course. On every short track race, short track position and strategy are going to be key. And I feel like with this being a 450 lap race, that drivers drivers, excuse me, will need to be patient. Would you agree with that?
Speaker 2 17:19
Yeah, I think they do need to be patient, but obviously, you know, once they get to the lap traffic, they're gonna get super impatient, and it's gonna be like, "Let me go, because this guy behind me is gonna catch me and whatnot and stuff like that. And I mean, also looking at the in-season challenge, I think what's crazy about this is I had Blaney and Chase Elliott going to the final race for it. I don't know. I think I think something's going to change about that. I don't think it's going to be those two.
Speaker 1 17:52
Yeah, we will get into those predictions in a little bit. And then my question for you, Nick, is what was your reaction when it was announced that North Wilkesboro would be a points race again?
Speaker 2 18:08
Thank God, I was so happy about it. You know, one of the older tracks coming back and just watching it last year, like for the All Star race, like I was entertained. Yeah, you know, I think everyone was gonna get sick of it if Joey won again or whatever, and you know, and then they had the weird caution rule or whatever, and then Christopher Bell was like, "Nope, give that here. I'm taking it, and he took it. So it's like taking candy from a baby to Logano. So
Speaker 1 18:37
yeah, some would say that Logano does act like a baby, but we don't have to talk about that right now.
Speaker 2 18:45
Right, right.
Speaker 1 18:46
So some points that I wanted to get into really quick is some drivers to watch. So we were just talking about Kyle Larson having such a rough stretch. I feel like this could be a weekend. He turns it around a little bit. I mean, he did dominate the All Star race in 2023 after starting in the back. He almost lapped the field, and then like we said, Christopher Bell has won here. Denny Hamlin is great on short tracks. He's great every week. Chase Elliott. He has a short track win this year at Martinsville, so we will see if that leads to him panning that success to North Wilkesboro. And then the last driver I have is Ryan Blaney. Of course, he's great on short tracks, and he has a lot of momentum right now.
Speaker 2 19:45
I think one guy I'm really going to focus on here-they're on the cut. They're on the cut line, fighting for it. I think you're going to have to-I'd say don't take your eyes off Joey Logano this weekend. I know he's won there. I think was. 2024. Yep, yep. Okay, so you know, I I could see Logano putting himself in with a win, but also I think obviously you got to look at guys like Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and I won't count on Reddick either. You know, I think obviously you got to keep your eyes on those guys, especially because they seem to be running really good every week. I know Reddick went through that little slump there, but he turned it around this past weekend, cutting 20 points out of Denny Hamlin's point lead. So I feel like I think you just
Speaker 1 20:38
yeah. Go ahead.
Speaker 2 20:38
Got to keep watching those guys.
Speaker 1 20:39
Yeah, just
Speaker 2 20:40
got to keep watching those guys. So
Speaker 1 20:41
I agree. I feel like with the points thing, it's gonna come in bunches, right? One driver is gonna have a great week or a great few weeks, like Hamlin did, to eventually take the lead back or to take the lead, excuse me. And then Reddick is gonna have a consistent couple weeks because some of these tracks we have coming up are gonna fare well for him in Toyota overall, so Denny Hamlin will get to benefit from that as well. And yeah, that will be such a great thing to see for the rest of the season to keep us fans entertained.
Speaker 2 21:17
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1 21:20
All right, and then some keys to win this race. I have you got to qualify well, of course. Track position, pit stops will matter. Tire conservation over long runs. We're gonna get a soft tire this weekend with the short track package, and we're gonna get 750 horsepower, so that will be awesome to see. That's gonna lead to great racing, and then staying out of trouble in traffic, like you said before, with lap traffic that's gonna eventually occur, and then maintaining track position on restarts, that's going to be a big one as well. Would you agree with that?
Speaker 2 22:08
Absolutely. You know, obviously you can't make any mistakes or very little to none mistakes this week, so that's going to be a huge key. Like you said, pit stops and lap traffic, you know stuff like that. It's going to be who gets around the lap traffic the best, and ultimately you're going to have to go with that. So
Speaker 1 22:29
for sure. All right, so going back to the in-season challenge, some predictions that I have. I got Chase Elliott eliminating Todd Gillen, and I have Ryan Blaney limiting Christopher Bell. That's going to be the best matchup of the season. I feel like. What are your predictions for this, Nick?
Speaker 2 22:52
Well, I made a bracket this year, and I did not have Todd Gillan making it this far. However, I did have both. I had all three: Elliot, Belle, and Blaney making it this far, so that was pretty cool. And I have Blaney versus Elliot as well. However, I think we're gonna see Bell versus Elliot at Indy. That's what I'm thinking. I won't sleep on Todd Gillan, but
Speaker 1 23:21
yeah,
Speaker 2 23:22
I just don't know if I can. I I just don't know if I can trust him.
Speaker 1 23:25
This track, yeah, this track doesn't play in his favor. I would say like Atlanta would have.
Speaker 2 23:32
Yeah, so I'm gonna go with. I'm gonna go with Elliot versus Bell. All
Speaker 1 23:39
right, sounds good. So the last little bit of this podcast, I'm gonna make a race prediction. Now I know this prediction is probably gonna come and bite me in the butt. Unfortunately, I think you know what it is, but I got Kyle Larson. I think he will snap his 40-four race winless streak and win at North Wilkesboro. What is what is your what is your prediction for the winner of this race, Nick?
Speaker 2 24:14
Man, I can't give my secrets away, but you know what? I'll keep that secret behind me. I don't want you guys know any of that until I pick them, so you'll wait for that. But
Speaker 1 24:25
yeah, I mean, I can't pick Larson for the pick 'em league for the rest of the season, anyways, or at least until the chase starts, right? So I think we're good on that part.
Speaker 2 24:35
Funny enough, my pick is a guy who I haven't picked at all this year, so
Speaker 1 24:39
yeah,
Speaker 2 24:40
I'll keep an eye on that. What am I gonna go with that I don't want to? I want to keep this secret.
Speaker 1 24:47
Say, Daddy. Oh, I'm gonna
Speaker 2 24:50
hate to say this. You know what, Ty Gibbs. We'll go with that.
Speaker 1 24:55
Okay, that's honestly not that. That's not that.
Speaker 2 24:58
He is. He has improved a lot on the short tracks. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt there. Yeah. Obviously, my other pick I'm going to keep in my pocket for a little bit because I don't want any of you guys knowing until we pick. But yeah, I would say you know what, keep your eye on Ty Gibbs this weekend. I think he could, I think he could make a splash and make some noise. I'd say my other guy to watch last week's winner, Ryan Blaney. You know he's also really good at these short tracks. I mean Martinsville and New Hampshire. He's won at I Phoenix. I don't I don't see why not. You know, and he's riding in with momentum. So of course, I would I would say keep an eye on those two for sure.
Speaker 1 25:40
All right, so the last question that I have for you, Nick, and that'll probably do it for this episode. If you're a crew chief, what's your strategy going into Sunday's race?
Speaker 2 25:54
Ooh, um, I would say just try not to burn up your stuff so early because you're gonna get into those long green flag runs, and you want to maintain as much tire as you can because if you burn off your tires real quick, you are probably going to fall in the pack with the softer tires. So
Speaker 1 26:17
yeah, probably get lapped.
Speaker 2 26:19
Yeah, I would say ultimately, don't burn your stuff up early, and just you know, just go for it. Yes,
Speaker 1 26:28
sir.
Speaker 2 26:29
Don't burn your stuff up early. If you've got the long run car, I think that's going to be that's going to be huge. But if we get a late race caution, yeah, you might be in trouble. So,
Speaker 1 26:39
don't burn your stuff up. That's gonna be the name of the game this weekend, and I would say that I definitely agree with you, Nick. And that'll do it for episode 10 of Calamity Corner. Once again, Nick, thank you for taking time out of your day to come on with me, and just to have a conversation about racing a little bit. And it's been great having you on, bud.
Speaker 2 27:02
Yeah, thanks for the invite. I I appreciate it, man. You are doing a great job with this. Keep doing what you do, brother.
Speaker 1 27:09
Yes, sir. Thank you, and we will see you guys in the next episode. Peace.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai