NASCAR THIS WEEK 8 - THE DERRICK. / The News-Herald Wednesday, July 29, 2020

SPEED FREAKS QUESTIONS & ATTITUDE

A few questions we had to ask Compelling questions ... and ourselves maybe a few actual answers

Who’s your current pick for Cup You OK with the continued nixing champ? Denny back in the picture? of practice and qualifying? GODSPEAK: Again, he was a big glob of tape away from being the No, but I understand the reason- 2019 champion. They slapped so ing, and given how the darkest much tape on his car in the Cham- days of March and April felt, it’s pionship Round, his car overheated. something we can live with for just This is the Year of the Denny. this one season … hopefully. If you KEN’S CALL: I think Hamlin and have practice and qualifying, you Harvick are too obvious, though need a backup car, and at a time sometimes the obvious is the when cost-cutting is needed, teams answer. Right now, Mr. Hunch leans save money by not preparing and toward . Get back bringing a second car. However, you to me in a week. wonder how the opening laps will unfold during the drivers’ first-ever Anyone outside the current playoff look at Daytona’s road course on cutline who will make it into the is No. 1 in NASCAR Cup Series wins this season after nabbing his fifth Aug. 16. top 16? checkered flag at Kansas. [NASCAR GETTY IMAGES/JARED C. TILTON] GODSPEAK: I have talked myself Again, is midweek racing doomed? into a comeback. “Seven Time” has seven races to THROUGH THE GEARS Probably not doomed, but certainly find a way into postseason play. As not the winner some had assumed. Rob Schneider would say, “You can Last Thursday night’s Kansas race do it.” drew a 0.9 rating, the lowest number KEN’S CALL: Yes, but I don’t know anyone could find since at least who it is. My guess is, it’ll come 2001. That continued the run of at Daytona on Aug. 29, where the unimpressive weeknight TV numbers last few laps of the regular-season Two-man race during the revamped schedule. How- finale will be the craziest we’ve ever, the race was on NBCSN, and seen in a while. And by the way, for the cable sports networks, a 0.9 that’s saying something. still puts food on the table, so maybe weeknights will live on in 2021. Which of the bubble boys is in trouble? continues in Ken Willis, ken.willis GODSPEAK: Man, I hate saying this @news-jrnl.com but Matt DiBenedetto. Why? This is uncharted territory for the guy working his way up the NASCAR GODWIN’S PICKS ladder. Cup Series FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE KEN’S CALL: Also hate to say it, but has been very up-and- By Godwin Kelly May 17 at , the WINNER: down, and he’s very close to the [email protected] Cup Series has staged in 15 points REST OF TOP 5: Martin Truex Jr., bubble. races and the All-Star Race. , , Brad hew! NASCAR is Competitors have run back-to-back Keselowski unmasking and taking races at Darlington, Charlotte Motor FIRST ONE OUT: Daniel Suarez BY THE NUMBERS a breather this week. Speedway and in DARK HORSE: After a wild and wacky an effort to sync up to its original DON’T BE SURPRISED IF: If Harvick Wschedule at Kansas, which included schedule heading into the playoffs. answers the bell after Hamlin’s win all three national series, featuring In Pocono’s case, those Cup at Kansas last weekend. .210Kevin Harvick’s margin of victory in a Thursday night Cup Series race, races were held on consecutive seconds over Denny Hamlin at New there is only one race on NASCAR’s days in order to help accommo- Hampshire in 2019 entire schedule on the near horizon. date NBC and its planned Summer CUP STANDINGS We can throw it into idle a bit Olympics coverage. The Olympics, before we mash the clutch … which would have started on July 1. Kevin Harvick 763 1Chevrolet Cup Series victories over 23, were postponed to next year. 2. Brad Keselowski 666 last 11 races FIRST GEAR: If there was any This is a quiet week. There 3. 663 doubt the 2020 Cup Series is a two- is only one NASCAR race this 4. Denny Hamlin 634 man race, look no further than last week, The Foxwood’s Resort 5. 630 5Denny Hamlin’s Cup Series leading week’s race at . Casino 301 at New Hampshire. 6. 609 win total Denny Hamlin took the check- Exhale. 7. Martin Truex Jr. 602 ers and now leads the series in THIRD GEAR: is 8. Aric Almirola 576 wins (five) and playoff points (28), having a bad run of luck that actually 9. 562 7Regular season Cup races left on edging ahead of Kevin Harvick, transcends bad luck. In his last four 10. 561 schedule who has four victories and leads starts, he has finished last three times 11. Alex Bowman 539 the overall points standings. and been involved in three wrecks. 12. Clint Bowyer 484 Hamlin passed Harvick for the lead His crash at Kansas looked hor- 13. Matt DiBenedetto 477 13Different N.H. winners since 2010 with 14 laps to go at Kansas, mak- rifying, but he escaped unscathed. 14. William Byron 452 season (18 races) ing that win all the more sweeter. “It’s frustrating for all of us at 15. 442 “(Harvick) got loose there and JTG Daugherty because we’ve been 16. Erik Jones 440 when you get in clean air, I think it working really hard and prob- 17. 438 DAYTONA MOTOR was probably the first time he was ably had a top-10 car there at the 18. Jimmie Johnson 434 M O U T H S in clean air all day,” said Hamlin, end,” he said after emerging from 19. 352 who emerged from a rough patch the care center. “I’m alright, just 20. 352 The regular season is coming of finishes. “I saw him get loose ready for this year to turn around.” within sight of its end, and we’re and I saw kind of blood in the water FOURTH GEAR: Two pass- telling you there was nothing regu- there, so we just ran him down.” ings to note. Master motor builder WHAT’S ON TAP lar about it. Harvick, 44, is having one , 81, and brother of (All times Eastern) of his best seasons and run- , died Saturday. Mau- ning his No. 4 Ford with swagger. rice built the crazy horsepower CUP SERIES: Foxwood’s Resort He finished fourth at Kansas. engines that Richard enjoyed dur- Casino 301 SECOND GEAR: NASCAR ran ing his heyday in NASCAR. SITE: New Hampshire Motor Speed- four Cup Series races before the A few days earlier Bob Bahre, who way (1.058-mile oval) coronavirus shut everything down founded New Hampshire Motor TV SCHEDULE: Sunday, race (NBC in March. Since racing resumed on Speedway, died at the age of 93. Sports Network, 3 p.m.)

2020 CUP SERIES SCHEDULE May 27: Charlotte (Chase Elliott) July 15: Charlotte All Star Race (Chase Elliott) Sept. 6: Darlington AND WINNERS May 31: Bristol (Brad Keselowski) July 19: Texas (Austin Dillon) Sept. 12: Richmond Feb. 9: Clash at Daytona (Erik Jones) June 7: Atlanta (Kevin Harvick) July 23: Kansas (Denny Hamlin) Sept. 19: Bristol Feb. 16: (Denny Hamlin) June 10: Martinsville (Martin Truex Jr.) Aug. 2: New Hampshire Sept. 27: Las Vegas Feb. 23: Las Vegas (Joey Logano) June 14: Homestead-Miami (Denny Hamlin) Aug. 8: Michigan Oct. 4: Talladega March 1: Fontana (Alex Bowman) June 22: Talladega (Ryan Blaney) Aug. 9: Michigan Oct. 11: Charlotte March 8: Phoenix (Joey Logano) June 27: Pocono (Kevin Harvick) Aug. 16: Daytona Road Course Oct. 18: Kansas May 17: Darlington (Kevin Harvick) June 28: Pocono (Denny Hamlin) Aug. 22: Dover Oct. 25: Texas May 20: Darlington (Denny Hamlin) July 5: (Kevin Harvick) Aug. 23: Dover Nov. 1: Martinsville May 24: Charlotte (Brad Keselowski) July 12: Kentucky (Cole Custer) Aug. 29: Daytona Nov. 8: Phoenix

KEN WILLIS’ TOP 10 NASCAR DRIVER RANKINGS

DENNY KEVIN BRAD ARIC KYLE BUSCH CHASE MARTIN KURT BUSCH RYAN BLANEY COLE CUSTER HAMLIN HARVICK KESELOWSKI ALMIROLA Three-time ELLIOTT TRUEX JR. Middle name Three Wins coin His turn up Won’t let Best of the Locked back winner One top-10 0-for-26 in is Thomas straight flip, stays in top Denny get rest, for now into top-10 at New in six N.H. the Granite top-10s at top 10 comfortable runs Hampshire starts State N.H. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10