NASCAR Rant Report - Wednesday, April 30th

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Major headlines out of Monday and Tuesday:

Reflecting on the Talladega Weekend
Teams Reject “Run What You Brung” All-Star Race
PGA Tour Looking at Steve Phelps for CEO

Plus, miscellaneous topics so far this week.

Reflecting on the Talladega Weekend:

The Talladega weekend saw Austin Cindric secure his third career win and the first for Team Penske this season. The Cup Series race was relatively calm, with fewer incidents than usual, and ended without the typical "Big One" crash. Also atypical: the post-race inspections led to the disqualification of Ryan Preece and Joey Logano due to spoiler violations. Neither Preece nor Logano will be appealing their penalties.

The Xfinity Series race saw Austin Hill claim victory in a dramatic finish, with Jeb Burton narrowly missing out due to a last-lap caution. Hill's win was controversial however, with fans questioning NASCAR's decision based on the camera angles used to determine the winner.

Also in the Xfinity Series, the No. 87 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet and No. 99 Viking Motorsports Chevrolet were penalized for rear bumper cover violations. Both teams received $25,000 fines, lost 20 driver and owner points, and five playoff points.

The Jack Link's 500 on Sunday drew 4.041 million viewers on FOX, which was a 6% decrease from the previous year's event. The race on Saturday garnered 1.260 million viewers on the CW Network, marking a 20% increase from the previous weekend at Rockingham Speedway. The viewership peaked at 1.623 million viewers towards the end of the race.

Driver Quotes:

Austin Cindric: "I’m just so proud of everybody on this race team. Team Penske, the entire shop deserves wins at these racetracks with how fast our race cars are and I’m just so proud to be able to win for John Menard and the Menards team – to get this yellow car in Victory Lane and get in the playoffs."

Kyle Larson: "There wasn’t really much I could do the final five laps. I wanted to go to the outside lane when we got clear of William, but I felt like the gap was too big to move up and the No. 60 [Ryan Preece] was able to fill it. I was still happy to be second-row on the inside lane, obviously happy to be front row, but I just didn’t know how it was going to play out from there."

William Byron: "For whatever reason, the top lane just couldn’t get the runs off the corner at the right time to get connected. We’d get connected too late and then get a little bit squirrely and lose our momentum. I wish just that one time, we could have connected a little better to stay even with the bottom lane, but we were working really hard to do that with the No. 2 (Cindric)."

Noah Gragson: "We were in the third row on the outside and was trying to keep Cindric out front and keep the outside lane that I was in from getting there and then the 60 (Ryan Preece) was able to pull up and we had two Fords out front. I’m happy for Ford and Penske for the win, but this is a good reset and good points today after the first 10 races of the season."

Check out our Source Materials Page for more on this topic.

Want some non-AI content? Check out the previous Editorial:
NASCAR Sponsorship Flashback

Teams Reject “Run What You Brung” All-Star Race:

NASCAR proposed to the Cup Series teams a "run what you brung" format for the upcoming All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, allowing teams to make performance modifications to their cars beyond the usual regulations.

However, the proposal was met with resistance from teams, leading to its rejection due to high costs, resource disparity, lack of long-term benefits, and chassis limitations. Modifying cars for a single non-points race would require substantial investment, potentially up to $2 million, far exceeding the $1 million prize, making it financially unattractive. Smaller teams felt they couldn't compete with well-funded top teams, leading to an uncompetitive race. Additionally, modifications wouldn't apply to future points races, offering no lasting advantage. Also, NASCAR's rule limiting teams to seven chassis adds complexity, as sacrificing a chassis for experimental modifications could result in significant losses if damaged or rendered unusable for future races.

Denny Hamlin, as both a driver and team owner, criticized the financial impracticality of the "run what you brung" proposal, suggesting more targeted rule changes like adjusting ride heights and body placements to enhance competitiveness without excessive costs. Kyle Busch supported the idea in principle, recognizing the need for innovation in short-track racing but acknowledged the financial concerns and impracticality under the current economic model. Team Penske expressed readiness to adapt to any rule changes but recognized the financial and logistical challenges of the proposal, emphasizing the importance of working within existing rules to maximize performance.

Check out our Source Materials Page for more on this topic.

PGA Tour Looking at Steve Phelps for CEO:

The PGA Tour is searching for a new CEO, and one of the top candidates is Steve Phelps, the current NASCAR Commissioner. Phelps, who was recently promoted to the commissioner role after serving as president since 2018. It is unclear whether Phelps is interested in the position, as he has a deep passion for NASCAR and has expressed a strong commitment to the sport.

Other potential candidates for the role include David Abeles, the president and CEO of the sports manufacturing company TaylorMade, Sean Bratches, former LIV Tour and Formula 1 executive, Brian Rolapp, NFL chief media and business officer, and Chris Halpin, former NFL executive and current member of the LPGA board of directors.

Check out our Source Materials Page for more on this topic.

Miscellaneous:

Corey Heim and Foster Love Partnership: Corey Heim and the Safelite Foundation have partnered with Foster Love, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the foster care experience for children. Heim's No. 11 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro will feature a special blue paint scheme in four upcoming NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races to raise awareness for National Foster Care Awareness Month. The Safelite Foundation has committed $1 million and 100,000 volunteer hours to support Foster Love's initiatives.

Lionel Racing Halts Diecast Pre-Orders: Lionel Racing has temporarily halted pre-orders for new NASCAR diecasts due to the ongoing tariff war initiated by US President Donald Trump. The tariffs on imports from China have led to significant price increases for diecasts, with 1:24 scale race win diecasts rising by 18% and 'Elite' versions by 29%. The company is waiting for the tariff situation to stabilize before resuming pre-orders and shipments.

Daniel Hemric's Commemorative NAPA Scheme: Daniel Hemric will race a special gold paint scheme on his No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado RST at Texas Motor Speedway to commemorate NAPA's 100th anniversary. The scheme symbolizes celebration and NAPA's legacy since 1925. Hemric joins other NAPA drivers in honoring this milestone.

NASCAR Day Giveathon: The NASCAR Foundation's third annual NASCAR Day Giveathon will take place from May 13 to May 14, featuring 27 hours of giving. The event aims to provide funds to communities where NASCAR operates. Donors can designate their contributions to participating charities and earn incentives, including having their name on Rajah Caruth's truck during the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Kasey Kahne and Shea Whigham at Texas Motor Speedway: Film and television actor Shea Whigham will serve as the Grand Marshal for the WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. Former NASCAR Cup Series star Kasey Kahne will be the Honorary Pace Car Driver. The event will feature various dignitaries, including National Anthem singer Don Graves, a World War II Iwo Jima survivor.

Justin Haley's Katz Coffee Sponsorship: Katz Coffee will sponsor Justin Haley's No. 7 Chevrolet ZL1 in the WÜRTH 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. Katz Coffee, founded in Texas, specializes in small-batch, custom roasting and has been serving Houston's top chefs and coffeehouse owners for over 20 years. Haley has a strong track record at Texas Motor Speedway and hopes to compete for the win.

Rockingham Speedway Success: NASCAR President Steve O'Donnell praised the success of the Easter weekend races at Rockingham Speedway, which included a sold-out Xfinity Series race. O'Donnell expressed interest in keeping Rockingham as a staple for the Xfinity and Truck Series and potentially bringing in more Cup drivers for future events.

Check out our Source Materials Page for more on these topics.

Thumbnail image credits on our Source Materials Page.

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