With 4 races left, the NASCAR Cup Collection continues its nationwide trek backwards and forwards throughout 4 time zones, anxious to award a championship a month from now.
The miles are including up and time is shortly working out.
This Sunday the sequence makes its second cease at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the South Level 400 representing the primary of three races within the Spherical of 8.
Final week’s end on the Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Roval appeared to have all 4 Hendrick Motorsports groups advancing after Kyle Larson’s elimination-race win — his series-best sixth triumph, twice as many as anybody else.
Nevertheless, when post-race inspections concluded a number of hours after Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet once more sped throughout the end line as the highest canine on the sport’s dwelling observe, his teammate Alex Bowman was disqualified resulting from his No. 48 Camaro being too mild.
Moved to final place within the 38-car subject, Bowman was bounced exterior the highest eight, whereas Workforce Penske’s Joey Logano was bumped as much as the eighth spot and can proceed his quest for a 3rd Cup title.
Hendrick vice chairman Jeff Gordon, a four-time champion and winner of 93 races over 25 years of Cup racing, mentioned the group was absolutely at fault for what befell Bowman and no enchantment was vital.
“Fairly embarrassed by it and really disappointing after what was trying like a historic day and some of the thrilling days that we have had on the race observe, being a house race and every part and celebrating in Victory Lane and all 4, and that every one received wiped away,” Gordon mentioned Tuesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
“So we checked out all of the information, and we did not really feel like there was actually something that we felt snug interesting, and we’ll transfer on.”
Unusual occurrences transpire when a crown is at stake.
This seems to be only a mistake by Hendrick Motorsports as a result of Bowman was in on factors after Talladega, sitting fourth at plus-26 and sure advancing to the following spherical every week later.
Nevertheless, 11 years in the past, Hendrick’s star Gordon was the beneficiary of shenanigans that finally led to the demise of Michael Waltrip Racing.
On the Richmond cutoff race within the ultimate 10 laps to set the sector for 2013’s 12-car Chase for the Dash Cup, MWR’s Clint Bowyer, locked into the playoffs, appeared to spin deliberately.
That motion introduced out a warning and allowed MWR teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Brian Vickers to maneuver up within the factors and be a part of the dozen title pursuers.
The end knocked out Gordon and Ryan Newman, however NASCAR quickly deemed Bowyer’s looping of his Toyota intentional. It then put Gordon and Newman into the title chase, and Logano additionally superior due to the late warning in what grew to become generally known as “Spingate.”
Now, Logano is again within the hunt over a decade later.
And that is dangerous information for the opposite seven championship chasers.
Whereas Larson has gained three of the previous seven races at Vegas, Logano has claimed one of many different 4 and is a three-time victor within the desert.
The No. 22 Workforce Penske driver additionally has two championships and has a stout resume on the remaining speedways.
With one other Cup champion reinserted into the Spherical of 8 combine, it is clear the stakes in Vegas are for high-rollers solely.
–Discipline Stage Media
