Cup Series crews have faced a tough time figuring out the timing and nature of pitstops over the last few race weekends. Kansas could be where that changes. Ryan Flores, tire changer for the No. 12 Team Penske team, has expressed his belief that the upcoming playoff race in Kansas will be an event where the ones holding the tires, wheel guns, and fuel cans will play a significant role.
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He said on NASCAR’s Around The Track segment that the race could see up to seven pit stops. If this is the case, then crew members will have to consistently be at the top of their game all day long. His words went, “Any time you can go there [Kansas] and you can get five plus pit stops, you really want to put together a good day. Not to mention, you’re going to directly affect the points you gain on the day. And once we get into the Round of 8, it is just pit crew-heavy races all the way to Phoenix.”
The races that follow the one in Kansas will be in Talladega and the Roval, two venues that are quite unpredictable. However, every single track in the Round of 8 and beyond will see the pit crews have a huge say in how the race ends. Preparing for this upcoming challenge right from Kansas will be a wise move to make.
Doing well on stops doesn’t depend solely on the crew members. The driver plays a big part in the job as well. In the previous race in Bristol, Martin Truex Jr. seemed to have a great pit stop that shot him to the front of the pack. But it was later revealed that he had sped on pit road and he attracted a penalty for the same. This error ruined his race and eliminated him from his final title charge.
Who are the drivers to look out for in Kansas?
The Kansas Speedway might appear to be a run-of-the-mill 1.5-mile intermediate track but racing on it is quite tricky. Its grip almost entirely lies near the fencing, and this isn’t something that a lot of drivers are comfortable with. The slightest mistakes could cause harsh accidents and end any hopes of a decent finish. Driving close to the wall makes passing a tougher job as well.
Denny Hamlin is the track’s winningest driver with four victory lane visits. He shot back into form in Bristol with a fourth-place finish after what was a highly mediocre opening to his postseason run. He will hope to carry the momentum from the Last Great Colosseum into Kansas. And needless to say, doing so would massively aid his quest for a Cup Series title.
A lot of eyes will also be on Hendrick Motorsports superstar Kyle Larson, who ran riot in Bristol last weekend. It was around this time last year that the defending champion Ryan Blaney powered up and began winning races. He will be hoping for a boost of a similar nature this time as well. The bottom line, the visit to Kansas is bound to be an action-filled affair.
