re: 2026 NASCAR Season Thread

The strategy for Talladega is going to be challenging. If you’re in the top 6, are you playing it safe and hanging in the back until the end or will you risk it battling in the front for some stage points? What the other 5 drivers choose has to factor in your decision as well.

I say go for it. Too many get wrecked playing safe. Hard to pass to get up front late thats where wrecks happen drivers all doing same. Best strategy us to race as hard as you can. Let cards fall where they may. In my opinion.

HMS has a good plate car. Long as Q isn’t rained out they will be up towards front. It rained out Larson will get fricked by how they set field. He was 4th worst so matrix would be bad. I reiterate how stupid the rainout matrix is. Phoenix has nothing to do with Dega.

I think you absolutely just have to go for it. The stage points could be the difference in winning a championship and riding in the back isn't necessarily safer anyway. The ends of the stages are going to be as crazy as the actual finish. Gonna be some carnage.

The one thing that could help Larson is that you'd assume anyone with a bowtie on their car would work with him given the circumstances. Wouldn't want that Monday morning phone call from Mr. H.

Chase has had a good plate car and he’s been a good plate racer. The challenge is teammates hang each other out too often. In last plate race Chase was pushing Larson great and then Larson jumped to another lane and hung Chase out to dry. He lost several spots and had to regroup and ended up better off than Kyle in a different lane.

And thats the problem with plates. Spotters are actually driving the car not the driver. They are telling them line X has best momentum so driver bails on his line. But the actual move can stall out the momentum line.

It really is a wildcard race. You can only push teammate so much. If say you are on bottom pushing teammate and he has lead - leader has to bail and move up to protect middle or top lanes. By then bottom teammate is gaining and you can’t always slot back in so now you are separated from him.

You really just have to drive your race but if your teammate happens to be there you can help him for a few laps until the situation changes.

As said it all depends on how the race plays out. If in stages 1 and 2 and a congo line forms at top and chaser is in 4th and other chasers below 10 - you are going to just ride. Once the below 10 guys make a move to bottom and start gaining you may have to pull out of line to get in front. But do it wrong and you can lose so many spots if they hang you out.

It will be a good race soley due to strategies

Everything you said I knew.

But physics catches up. They are going 340mph+. Not only top fuel but funny car too. No amount of safety measures can help once one gets airborne heading to crowd.

Did you see Ron Capps rear airborne for over 100 feet? It was quite something. Chutes actually keep it in air longer as front was planted.

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They will have to slow them down a tad. Just like when they decreased length they really can’t decrease anymore.

You also have tracks not designed for these speeds. Runoff area can’t be extended at many tracks and gravel trap works but a runaway top fueler with not chutes is at risk.

I’m mot saying I personally want them decreased. I just think the series will look at it sometime and find a way to do so without limiting tuners

Tony Stewart back in a truck this weekend

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Jeff Gluck
@jeff_gluck

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