Something one of my friends pointed out: - Hendrick and Gordon make it to every race - MJ was at this race - Pitbull and Marks were at this race You wanna know who wasn't? Stewart. I wholeheartedly believe the lack of care and leadership at SHR has got to be a big reason as to why they faltered so hard. Stewart is butt-hurt about how NASCAR treated him and he's neglecting his team and his people because of it.
Yea if you’re just going to neglect your team and ruin the careers of many drivers and team members then just sell the team to somebody who actually does care about it.
Right, it’s infuriating that harvicks last few years were pitiful due to the terrible management of the whole team in general and the neglect and lack of care for harvicks last few years, it really pisses me off that this is how harvicks goes out in his last year, I wish he would of came back and gone to another team who actually can care enough to give him decent equipment to actually be a force like his uasual self, you could tell how defeated he was about the season as a whole and I feel him fr smh
@@JonBread-qe7ez Clearly dumb agreed. 75% of their drivers are simply decent and ford is floundering thats why they suck, and id bet Tony goes to more races throughout the year then MJ and Pitbull. Tony also has his own stuff going on and other racing teams he owns, Donny was doing terrible in the Sprint this season but is now doing better the man has other stuff going on. They need to sell a car imo they dont have the resources to run 4 competitive cars, never have really and its kinda been bad driver selection, how they didnt get Zane in the 10 next year is wild, maybe if they were only paying 3 good teams they could afford him.
I was not expecting Carson Hocevar to finish 11th, while he was a lap down, and even finding his way into the Top 5 at certain points in the race. I honestly really think he has shown improvements driving the #42 for Legacy Motor Club, and I'm hoping he gets a better finish someday
Something Interesting that wasn't mentioned was the fact that Lajoie led 48 Laps and was getting away from Wallace, Chastain & Keselowski. He almost won stage 1 with 6 laps to go but was overtaken by Bell with around 70 Laps of fresher tires, The Spring Bristol race coming back next year might have a huge difference for Lajoie.
@@bryonkidder6199I was listening to lajoies radio when it happened. His right rear tire was shredded, it went down and immediately the car came around on him. Not his fault holy shit
@@easyenetwork2023the driver with the most speed rarely wins. I had a teacher who used to say " I'd rather be lucky than good." If I'd been Larson I probably would have been "loose" but maybe he realized Denny was locked in anyway. Save it for when it matters...
@@easyenetwork2023Hamlin always finds a away to choke. He can act like he dosnt care that people hate him but you an tell he dose. He is such a narcissist the boos really bug him if he worries about the boos he will not be worried about play offs and he will choke again.
Probably a hot take, but now that Logano is out of the playoffs, Penske needs to swap the 22 and 12 pit crews. Blaney's pit crew never allows him to gain positions on pit road and mostly makes him lose spots. And Logano's pit crew is so much faster.
@LoganTheHoosierFan Crew swapping this late in the season would be worse than being physically slapped in the face for the crews. Ya leave the dance with the date ya brought! Besides, Cindric (2) would be the one to get the better crew, if any team did: his daddy is a starched white shirt and black pants Penske VIP.
No but why is Spire kinda popping off? If they get hocevar and Zane driving for them next year and a Trackhouse tech alliance? They’re gonna be a winning org next year
He’s not a narcissist, he’s just a confident dude and he’s got every right to be. I met him once, he was a super humble, super nice guy. He’s just outspoken which people say they want, unless it’s not there favorite driver then they get butt hurt about it. I love a dude who’s willing to be brash in a sports setting, it’s the perfect place for it and I’d love to see bubba adopt a bit more of that confident attitude!
I started following Carson Hocevar on Facebook and I swear he has more enthusiasm than any other 5 drivers combined. He's a breath of fresh air. Really hope someone gives him a chance for a full time cup ride.
it’s infuriating that harvicks last few years were pitiful due to the terrible management of the whole team in general and the neglect and lack of care for harvicks last few years, it really pisses me off that this is how harvicks goes out in his last year, I wish he would of came back and gone to another team who actually can care enough to give him decent equipment to actually be a force like his uasual self, you could tell how defeated he was about the season as a whole and I feel him fr smh
Hocevar finished IN the top 5 in stage two and run inside the top 10 most of the race is very impressive when u consider he’s driving a car that has been an absolute joke for the entire session
Hamlin and Larson are both looking great. Leading laps and being fast every week. Larson has 3 top 4s in this round. And Hamlin has finished these last two races 1-2
Agreed on Stenhouse, perhaps the greatest turnaround for a team since Truex and Furniture Row in 2015. Usually every playoff has one, maybe two drivers that don't belong. Buescher in 2016, Dillon in 2022, and I thought Stenhouse would be another one...hell no, JTG should party harder than their Daytona 500 win after how close they came to advancing As much as I want to say the same for the 34...I'm more annoyed than anything. They qualified 7.0 overall for Round 16, the *FOURTH* best of the playoff field. If you were to look at just those qualifying efforts you would be justified assuming that 34 easily made it into Round 12. Instead it felt like a gimmick character in an RPG, where they just pumped all the points into qualifying in exchange for a garbage car once the green flag waved. I mean you go from qualifying 9th and 8th to struggling to remain in the top 30 before stage 1 finishes. I know being in traffic differs but to this extreme feels unprecedented
.....Just remember Bobby Allison won 79 races, and raced for 19 years before he won his only Championship. Bobby Allison is also a 3 time Daytona 500 winner too just like Denny Hamlin. .....Denny Hamlin now has the record for the most wins without a championship with 51 wins. Junior Johnson has 50 wins, Mark Martin has 40 wins, and Fireball Robert's has 33 wins.
1st NASCAR race I ever attended and it was amazing, being a Bell fan made it better! I seen your podcasts canopy and they said you weren’t gonna be there. God Bless! Thank you for always keeping us up to date
I was there in person. You could tell the pj1 made it one groove for the first stage, and you could definitely tell that it was hard to pass. The leaders often struggled to pass the lapped cars and would spend 3-7 laps just trying to pass one driver. The short track package desperately needs more horsepower and less aero sensitivity. I consider the 2020 night race to be one of the bests of the last 10 years and it was with way more horsepower and way less aero.
This round was dominated by Hamlin and Larson. Both were extremely fast and could have won all 3 races this round. Hope they can keep it up. Super fun watching them race!
Todd Gilliland finishing 16th was a awesome thing to see. He was outrunning some playoff drivers and I think it shows that he has improved quite a bit since last year.
Give it time. Hamlin chokes hard when it matters most. Maybe he will breakthrough, but he has had multiple chances to cash in on a cup championship and has failed every time. I'm not denying he's a good driver, but it's kind of hard to put him as a great driver if he hasn't won a championship.
I’m no Logano fan but the fact that he can no longer fight for a championship just because he had one bad race just shows how BS this format is. Time and time again the playoffs has screwed over so many drivers. Harvick in 2020, Truex last season and now this. When will NASCAR learn.
As a Logano fan, I thought before the race started that he was gonna get bounced out of the round. As a Hamlin hater, it's his championship to lose and his comments beating everyone's favorite driver was funny and will be one of the greatest quotes in Nascar.
You failed to mention that Larson went from 36th to 2nd on a night were passing was very difficult… and I believe he even got a penalty on pit road same time as Hamlin did and still drive up to 2nd. Crazy drive for young money. Also, you mentioned that no one has looked as solid as Hamlin thru the playoffs so far, I think Larson is right there with him tho, win at Darlington, 4th At Kansas, and 2nd tonight. They’re right there with each other on speed I feel. Like both of em tho, I think it’ll be an intense champ 4 this year unlike last.
Been saying since the beginning of the playoffs that bubba would at least make the round of 12! So proud of that dude, time to move the goalposts again and find something new that he “can’t do”😎
Good thing for the racist that his team mate in the 45 blocked for him all race long and followed him all nite to ensure he got in. Too bad his talent ability DIDNT get him in. Bubba is a hack and a NASCAR hand out child…because of his skin color. Woke NASCAR princess is all. No talent!
Had people telling me after the crash last week, Truex was going to be must win. He advanced while two laps down, this is why you get 36 PP in the regular season. I don’t think judging Truex based on this round is that representative, he’s always sucked at Bristol and had bad luck at the other two.
@@johnschnellbach986 Next race he wins, he should get his crew to bring one of those T-Shirt guns over to him and shoot Denny Hamlin T-Shirts into the crowd! That saying should be on the t-shirt. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I know Eric has not made a statement about this as of now, but I think because of Hovevar’s performance, Spire will pick him up. Considering from what I heard, they have bought LiveFast’s charter and picked up Zane Smith. Comparing Carson and Ty Dillon, I think Spire would kick ty and welcome Hovevar
I would also like to add how is Kyle Larson not the championship favorite? He finished in the top 5 in all of the races in the first round and won the first race. If he gets through this second round he is the championship favorite and it’s not even a doubt.
@@ba97racing yea and if and buts were candy and nuts oh how a merry Christmas it would be. If he don’t win the chip this year it’s gonna be a long off season for Denny.
@@dislocation8400you asked a question and I answered. When you show up every week with winning speed its hard to not notice. If Denny doesn't win the championship this season....I'm sure he'll snuggle up with his 51 Cup trophies and comfort himself over the off season without much of a care.
Hamlin might be the championship favorite, but there are several drivers that are waiting to repay a “favor” back…too many that might make Hamlin uncomfortable when racing them for position…you might even say they might put him in an “uncomfortable position”
My friend attended his FIRST ever NASCAR race today and he LOVED it. It’s funny how even the most mediocre races can entertain newcomers. NASCAR is growing and I’m so excited for its future
Even with how bad the short tracks package is it is still a watchable race. I’m sorry but it was the right move to get rid of Bristol dirt. What’s crazy is that there is not enough horsepower man. That’s the problem.
I think I speak for a decent amount of fans when I say that the problem we have with Hamlin isn't his driving style or attitude. It's his hypocrisy. You can't go shoving people who race you clean into the wall, and then whine about Chastain, Bowman, or whoever it is the current week about doing it to you. I have a similar problem with Chastain. The problem isn't hard driving. It's him getting out and apologizing for it. just own it FFS. A good example of this is Logano. He doesn't try to apologize for what he does. And he may not be my favorite driver, but at least he's being himself and not hypocritical. Be the villian and own it. Not everyone is going to like you and it's fine. All of these drivers Im talking about have undeniable talent.... but there's a huge difference between them. Denny would get half the boos he gets now if he just owned the role. Now on the otherhand maybe what he does is actually good for nascar to have someone hated as much as him....
If you're telling me there's nobody else in the field that has had "the speed" that Denny Hamlin has had. You're kidding me right? Cause you obviously haven't seen Kyle Larson in this round. He won the southern 500. He finished 4th the very next week at Kansas. Then finished the second at Bristol. The man is on fire right now. And Denny might be fast and might have a chance at the championship. But to say that Denny is the only one that's actually fast right now and the only one that's a favorite is completely bogus. Which it's kind of weird to type this right now because I most of the time agree with you on about everything. 😂
One of the moments of the race for me was watching kyle larson getting put to the back of the grid and driving to the front, at the end of the stage passing truex for 8th on the line, some of his driving in those last ten laps was a sight to behold, think it was at the end of stage 2, he showed his true talent.
Let's just agree, 42 car wasn't bad, Gragson was, he's not ready for the Cup and he wasn't as good in Xfinity as some guys, he should've stayed there for 1-2 more years.
Hamlin is definitely on fire. That being said, the fact that Harvick had such a terrible night just makes it all the more impressive what Larson was able to accomplish. And just remember, Larson still owes Hamlin one.
I flew out all the way from Los Angeles County and met up with a buddy from high school to watch this race I've been dreaming of attending since I was 7 years old. It was everything I was hoping for, and then some, even if the winner was the only driver I dont like (ngl, booing him was pretty fun) 10/10 would recommend the Bristol night race for any fan
Carson Hocevar finished 11. Ho Lee 5h1t. That dude is awesome. When was the last time the 42 had good finishes or didn't wreck??? Carson makes Noah and Josh Berry look like pussyfoots.
Man SHR better give Harvick a mad fast car for Phenix. I don't care if the car is the most illegal thing to grace nascar in decades its what he's earned after carring that team these past years. Just give him one more win please SHR!
@@slipstream7324no that was Busch There’s a difference between a villain and an asshole A villain has a reason Denny deserves most of the hate he gets but he sees it as they don’t like him cause he’s “better”
Larson got 1st, 4th, and 2nd in this round. Yung $ is the championship favorite. Denny will never be Champion as a driver but maybe as owner with Reddick. Chase, Byron, Reddick and Larson will keep Denny from driver champ status. Bet
Man not trying to be negative about Bubba, I think the pressure is going to eventually take him out. Him racing the 5 car and then getting upset about it when he wasn’t even on the same lap with him? I know NBC hit on it but I just think the pressure will get to him.
@@John-wl5cjactually yeah, he couldn't afford to get wrecked by the 5, or passed for points he was only 4 to the good he couldn't afford to mess with the 5
@@John-wl5cj the 11 was never in any danger not making it to the next round even if the 5 won. Bubba however was in danger and couldn’t afford a mishap or a mistake by racing the 5.
I wasn't a Hamlin fan in the past but Denny has grown on me lately. Love him or hate him, we need someone like him in the sport. With Kyle Busch not being the villain we're use to seeing, Denny is filling that role nicely.
To be honest, Bubba Wallace and Martin Truex Jr. were the Driver's of the day for me. Because first of all, both of them were below the cutline and 2, they had decent races and did not crash out which was very crucial, but Truex scared me with that save.
I like hamlins personality people boo at intros and he instead of saying his name he said “you know” 😂 and then getting the flag like a boss not even phased of the boos
You were just like the NBC guys last night, ignoring Larson for the most part. Sure, Denny had a penalty that put him to the back, so did Kyle, but while Denny started the race in the front row, Kyle started in last place. Wallace's crew had to talk him down from racing Larson near the end, telling him to mind his playoff spot and not someone he could not beat.
Carson Hocevar is doing fantastic in the cup series, especially for a truck series driver. I'm hoping a cup series ride is in his near future. I'm rooting for Martin Truex Jr. all the way to the end. I had Bubba not make it to the round of 12, but he got lucky, really lucky because of Joey Logano misfortune. I'm no Denny Hamlin fan by any stretch of the imagination, but his success is no accident. All I want is for both RFK drivers to at least make it to the round of 8, and I'll be happy.
larson had a chance at some payback on hamlin in the last restart. larson took the highroad.. thou comendable i would'nt have been mad if larson gave denny a little tap into the wall
Was a great race. I believe truly, even though I’m an Elliott fan, that Denny being the “Villain” of NASCAR is great for the sport. You need someone to cheer and someone to boo. I can’t remember someone being this big of villain than Pre Chevy Kyle Busch.
@@rocksreviewsreactions337nah I will not respect him ever just like I will never Kevin and Denny get used to it pal I have good reasons and rights to hate all 3 will not forgive them for the crap they have pulled over the years doesn't matter how long ago it was also if bubba and chase haters can't let go of the past why should I let go of the past with the 3 shitheads in the 4 6 and 11 cars
It is really surprising to see Rodney Childers make a mistake, but that’s what happened. The 4 car rolled off the truck with a not aligned tow link and never fixed it.
Eric - "Maybe Denny did something to your driver" Me being a first year watcher and a Larson fan watching both Pocono and Kansas1 (My dad did work with someone who drove with Denny when they were young and went to a race where he one at the track Hamlin grew up at)
Unless Denny Hamlin is one of your favorite drivers, been a Joe Gibbs Racing fan for 24 years now and I’m excited that they still have three drivers in the playoffs. Denny Hamlin didn’t beat my favorite driver because he is my favorite driver.
All those Bubba haters who said Wallace would go out in the first round .... 🤣 Not talking about you Eric... I don't consider you a "hater"... I'm talking about those ppl out there with an irrational hate of Bubba who refused to give him props for anything. I'm not a fanboy per se, but he has beating half the field for the last couple seasons, so he has earned his place.
@@twrecks4598 No I’m not raging on Bubba just stating what other drivers could do in his equipment. Put Bubba in 20th place equipment he’s not going to run top 10.
Joey Logano was the biggest shocker to be eliminated. I’m a Chevy fan, but Logano’s tough year (1 win) wasn’t enough for him to advance as of Kevin Harvick’s car was really bad.
RFK has definitely figured the Ford out. This is a organization problem on many levels as a whole. Granted the Fords were slow to start how ever they’ve hit its stride. SHR is a sinking ship that has dine it to themselves.
One thing I have taken away from this season and Tonight too, was Ty Gibbs, I really didn't like Ty Gibbs coming into this season, I was of the opinion he has always had his grandfathers money behind him and has always been in good equipment and is an average at best driver and didn't race with the respect of the old days. (He isn't the only one as that has been a talking point in recent years.) I said going into this season he didn't deserve a cup ride just because his last name is Gibbs and if he wanted to prove to me he belonged in the cup series he needed to keep his head down, grind at getting better, and in a Gibbs car put together a respectable season of Top 20's average and some Top 10's with maybe a Top 5 or 2 if he really thinks he should be in a top ride. He has done exactly that. He has not been out there wrecking people for position he has very quietly just gone to work and put together a solid rookie season and to see him early get up there and lead laps and hold the lead on older tires for a short time. I am happy to admit I was wrong and he's shown that he is a cup series worthy driver.
I have a question was the 42 car that bad or was the driver bad( Noah) ? With Carson driving the 42 have been top 15 car at Darlington in Bristol very hard tracks. He was doing great in the 7 until the brakes failed. Maybe he should have been picked to drive the 42.
NOTE: Martin Truex Jr. did score 2 stage points tonight. I misspoke in the video.
I’m a Denny Hamlin fan because he owns the car that my favorite driver bubba Wallace drives
And congratulations bubba Wallace on moving to the next round
I actually mentioned Truex's 2 stage points in my main comment too ironically haha. It's okay though, Eric.
It ok
@anthonyjones7406 never met a bubba fan. What makes you like him?
Something one of my friends pointed out:
- Hendrick and Gordon make it to every race
- MJ was at this race
- Pitbull and Marks were at this race
You wanna know who wasn't? Stewart. I wholeheartedly believe the lack of care and leadership at SHR has got to be a big reason as to why they faltered so hard. Stewart is butt-hurt about how NASCAR treated him and he's neglecting his team and his people because of it.
Yea if you’re just going to neglect your team and ruin the careers of many drivers and team members then just sell the team to somebody who actually does care about it.
Right, it’s infuriating that harvicks last few years were pitiful due to the terrible management of the whole team in general and the neglect and lack of care for harvicks last few years, it really pisses me off that this is how harvicks goes out in his last year, I wish he would of came back and gone to another team who actually can care enough to give him decent equipment to actually be a force like his uasual self, you could tell how defeated he was about the season as a whole and I feel him fr smh
No there is no way the reason SHR is bad now is because Smoke didn't show up to a race
@@JonBread-qe7ez Clearly dumb agreed. 75% of their drivers are simply decent and ford is floundering thats why they suck, and id bet Tony goes to more races throughout the year then MJ and Pitbull. Tony also has his own stuff going on and other racing teams he owns, Donny was doing terrible in the Sprint this season but is now doing better the man has other stuff going on. They need to sell a car imo they dont have the resources to run 4 competitive cars, never have really and its kinda been bad driver selection, how they didnt get Zane in the 10 next year is wild, maybe if they were only paying 3 good teams they could afford him.
What's every other Fords excuse?
I was not expecting Carson Hocevar to finish 11th, while he was a lap down, and even finding his way into the Top 5 at certain points in the race. I honestly really think he has shown improvements driving the #42 for Legacy Motor Club, and I'm hoping he gets a better finish someday
God is coming soon Repent
Hope he can bring speed to the 77 next season
@@BoNixforMVP No. I will forever, as a lady, be a lady kisser. You won't take me down. TAKE ME TO SATAAAAAN!
@@TransNFLGirlgod is coming, repent.
HE DID IT WITH A LOOSE LEFT REAR THAT ENTIRE RUN
Something Interesting that wasn't mentioned was the fact that Lajoie led 48 Laps and was getting away from Wallace, Chastain & Keselowski. He almost won stage 1 with 6 laps to go but was overtaken by Bell with around 70 Laps of fresher tires, The Spring Bristol race coming back next year might have a huge difference for Lajoie.
Then he wrecked going down the straightaway and took out 3 or 4 cars including #22...lmao
@@bryonkidder6199I was listening to lajoies radio when it happened. His right rear tire was shredded, it went down and immediately the car came around on him. Not his fault holy shit
@@corey_lajoie_fan so it's all Good-Year's fault that LaJoie was running into people and cut his tire down after a restart with new tires?...lmao
Maybe Hamlin is the favorite but Larson is right there with him the only driver with 3 straight top 5s
Larson had a chance for a bit of revenge but didn’t carry through…Respect his character!
But Hamlin had more speed.
@@easyenetwork2023the driver with the most speed rarely wins. I had a teacher who used to say " I'd rather be lucky than good."
If I'd been Larson I probably would have been "loose" but maybe he realized Denny was locked in anyway. Save it for when it matters...
@@easyenetwork2023Hamlin always finds a away to choke. He can act like he dosnt care that people hate him but you an tell he dose. He is such a narcissist the boos really bug him if he worries about the boos he will not be worried about play offs and he will choke again.
Exactly
Overall, this Bristol race is alright. I felt bad for the ones who got eliminated in this round such as Harvick and Logano.
Sentimental win for Denny Hamlin as he won in the FedEx number 11 on Jason Leffler's 48th birthday.
Probably a hot take, but now that Logano is out of the playoffs, Penske needs to swap the 22 and 12 pit crews. Blaney's pit crew never allows him to gain positions on pit road and mostly makes him lose spots. And Logano's pit crew is so much faster.
If they don’t shows they really aren’t invested in Blaney.
It seems like every time a team swaps pit crews it doesn’t pay off, just look at the Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell swap.
@LoganTheHoosierFan Crew swapping this late in the season would be worse than being physically slapped in the face for the crews. Ya leave the dance with the date ya brought!
Besides, Cindric (2) would be the one to get the better crew, if any team did: his daddy is a starched white shirt and black pants Penske VIP.
@@coyotes79Cindric is also by far the worst driver at Penske
Yeah because that worked out real well with the Gibbs cars
Hocevar finished 11th with a loose wheel.......this kids really good
No but why is Spire kinda popping off? If they get hocevar and Zane driving for them next year and a Trackhouse tech alliance? They’re gonna be a winning org next year
@@craigstephenson7676as Eric has said this year, Spire is cooking something big.
Whether love him or hate him, Denny Hamlin’s quote tonight is going into the history books.
God is coming soon Repent
@@BoNixforMVPsmh🤦♂️
@@BoNixforMVPuh alr
Incredible quote
Somehow I doubt thst
I respect Hamlins talent. I may dislike him because I think he's a full blown narcissist but what he said today had me dying with laughter.
He's not a narcissist brother
God is coming soon Repent
@@BoNixforMVPno
He’s not a narcissist, he’s just a confident dude and he’s got every right to be. I met him once, he was a super humble, super nice guy. He’s just outspoken which people say they want, unless it’s not there favorite driver then they get butt hurt about it. I love a dude who’s willing to be brash in a sports setting, it’s the perfect place for it and I’d love to see bubba adopt a bit more of that confident attitude!
Hate to break it to you but all sports legends have a bit of narcissism in them, you have to be at the top in your given profession
I started following Carson Hocevar on Facebook and I swear he has more enthusiasm than any other 5 drivers combined. He's a breath of fresh air. Really hope someone gives him a chance for a full time cup ride.
Why does he wear more makeup than Hailey Deegan?...lmao
Was anyone else suprised to see Corey Lajoy leading laps under green
Certainly wasn’t surprised to see him wreck a bunch of cars, that’s for sure!
@@Upracefan😂😂😂
it’s infuriating that harvicks last few years were pitiful due to the terrible management of the whole team in general and the neglect and lack of care for harvicks last few years, it really pisses me off that this is how harvicks goes out in his last year, I wish he would of came back and gone to another team who actually can care enough to give him decent equipment to actually be a force like his uasual self, you could tell how defeated he was about the season as a whole and I feel him fr smh
So true, I'm so gutted, he deserved so much better.
I agree SHR has been a disaster most of the year.
Stuart clearly hates NASCAR now, he should sell to someone who cares.
Hocevar finished IN the top 5 in stage two and run inside the top 10 most of the race is very impressive when u consider he’s driving a car that has been an absolute joke for the entire session
Shoutout to Kyle petty for getting all his first round exits wrong
Hahahaha I know right
nascar's resident idiot
Rest in Peace Sherry Pollex 😢Hopefully Truex will make it to the Championship 4 for her
I hope he goes all the way... his other championship is still one of the best seasons ever
Hamlin and Larson are both looking great. Leading laps and being fast every week. Larson has 3 top 4s in this round. And Hamlin has finished these last two races 1-2
Both drivers were the best cars all three races
Agreed on Stenhouse, perhaps the greatest turnaround for a team since Truex and Furniture Row in 2015. Usually every playoff has one, maybe two drivers that don't belong. Buescher in 2016, Dillon in 2022, and I thought Stenhouse would be another one...hell no, JTG should party harder than their Daytona 500 win after how close they came to advancing
As much as I want to say the same for the 34...I'm more annoyed than anything. They qualified 7.0 overall for Round 16, the *FOURTH* best of the playoff field. If you were to look at just those qualifying efforts you would be justified assuming that 34 easily made it into Round 12. Instead it felt like a gimmick character in an RPG, where they just pumped all the points into qualifying in exchange for a garbage car once the green flag waved. I mean you go from qualifying 9th and 8th to struggling to remain in the top 30 before stage 1 finishes. I know being in traffic differs but to this extreme feels unprecedented
ngl i was dying on the ground laughing for 3-5 business day when denny said “i beat your favorite driver” 💀💀💀😭‼️‼️‼️🫢😤😮💨
Bro is in his villain arc and I’m all for it.
Hamlin should be kicked out. ( keep removing my comments you cowards, you know I'm right)
@@cba_2442
Nah, he has 51 wins. He's legit.
@@cba_2442 nice trolling
Denny is being the villain this sport needs.
I still think Hamlin will find YET ANOTHER WAY to not win a championship. It's one of his biggest accomplishments
.....Just remember Bobby Allison won 79 races, and raced for 19 years before he won his only Championship. Bobby Allison is also a 3 time Daytona 500 winner too just like Denny Hamlin.
.....Denny Hamlin now has the record for the most wins without a championship with 51 wins. Junior Johnson has 50 wins, Mark Martin has 40 wins, and Fireball Robert's has 33 wins.
1st NASCAR race I ever attended and it was amazing, being a Bell fan made it better! I seen your podcasts canopy and they said you weren’t gonna be there. God Bless! Thank you for always keeping us up to date
I really despise Hamlin, but his response to the crowd was TIMELESS, not gonna lie.😂
I was surprised to see so many people write off Bubba as a first round exit
To be fair, it feels like the bottom 4 are almost always the first exists
Only took multiple playoff drivers winning in on a single win rather than being actually consistent
Just know, Harvick wouldn't have been in that situation if Reddick didn't pull that little stunt of his at Darlington.
Fr, he should've had 2 wins this season
Not a stunt, just a low IQ moment. Would've been cooked if Harvick got to shortpit him
@@Zyairelitboyjesus🤦
No one will ever convince me that Tyler Didn't know what he was doing. I will always believe that he caused that on purpose.
Yeah he should of been parked for intentionally causing an accident
I was there in person. You could tell the pj1 made it one groove for the first stage, and you could definitely tell that it was hard to pass. The leaders often struggled to pass the lapped cars and would spend 3-7 laps just trying to pass one driver. The short track package desperately needs more horsepower and less aero sensitivity. I consider the 2020 night race to be one of the bests of the last 10 years and it was with way more horsepower and way less aero.
This round was dominated by Hamlin and Larson. Both were extremely fast and could have won all 3 races this round. Hope they can keep it up. Super fun watching them race!
What about tyler
Well Eric at least you’re Championship pick didn’t get eliminated in the first round.
Breathing a sigh of relief.
@@EricEsteppYea you almost lost a subscriber
So glad my boy Truex advanced.
Todd Gilliland finishing 16th was a awesome thing to see. He was outrunning some playoff drivers and I think it shows that he has improved quite a bit since last year.
Give it time. Hamlin chokes hard when it matters most. Maybe he will breakthrough, but he has had multiple chances to cash in on a cup championship and has failed every time. I'm not denying he's a good driver, but it's kind of hard to put him as a great driver if he hasn't won a championship.
I’m no Logano fan but the fact that he can no longer fight for a championship just because he had one bad race just shows how BS this format is. Time and time again the playoffs has screwed over so many drivers. Harvick in 2020, Truex last season and now this. When will NASCAR learn.
😴😴😴
@@FlungFluPandaI know the playoffs are so boring
Logano has been poor this year. He doesn't deserve the title this year.
Logano was arguably around the 13/14th best car a lot this season
I agree the format is BS but Penske as a whole has slumped all summer. Logano wasn't title worthy this year.
As a Logano fan, I thought before the race started that he was gonna get bounced out of the round. As a Hamlin hater, it's his championship to lose and his comments beating everyone's favorite driver was funny and will be one of the greatest quotes in Nascar.
It wasn’t perfect, but this was a very decent Bristol race. 6-7/10.
6/10 is an F
@@namelessfred6837 no its not
omg twister i havent seen u for years from gowens sevrer
@@nrbmemes2414 got banned
Although I fully believe Harv is no longer in his prime it's an absolute pitty show that SHR could not help him in the slightest
I was sad that Harvick didn't advance. But I would have been mad if truex hadn't 😅
You failed to mention that Larson went from 36th to 2nd on a night were passing was very difficult… and I believe he even got a penalty on pit road same time as Hamlin did and still drive up to 2nd. Crazy drive for young money.
Also, you mentioned that no one has looked as solid as Hamlin thru the playoffs so far, I think Larson is right there with him tho, win at Darlington, 4th At Kansas, and 2nd tonight. They’re right there with each other on speed I feel. Like both of em tho, I think it’ll be an intense champ 4 this year unlike last.
I’m thinking Larson led some laps too!
He didn't mention it because it would have interfered with him constantly repeating people are denny hamlin haters.
Been saying since the beginning of the playoffs that bubba would at least make the round of 12! So proud of that dude, time to move the goalposts again and find something new that he “can’t do”😎
How about shutting his mouth that's a challenge
@@wadebrown8696 bc his willingness to be outspoken is a big part of the reason he’s such a draw to sponsors, someone sounds salty😂
Bubba Wallace's biggest problem is Bubba Wallace.
Win most popular driver
Good thing for the racist that his team mate in the 45 blocked for him all race long and followed him all nite to ensure he got in. Too bad his talent ability DIDNT get him in.
Bubba is a hack and a NASCAR hand out child…because of his skin color.
Woke NASCAR princess is all. No talent!
Had people telling me after the crash last week, Truex was going to be must win. He advanced while two laps down, this is why you get 36 PP in the regular season.
I don’t think judging Truex based on this round is that representative, he’s always sucked at Bristol and had bad luck at the other two.
Denny Hamlin with the greatest quote since the on track victory lane interview with the drivers started. Which one? All of them! How awesome!!!!
I was there. When everyone booed him during driver introductions he went up to the mike and said "yeah... I know"
@@johnschnellbach986 Next race he wins, he should get his crew to bring one of those T-Shirt guns over to him and shoot Denny Hamlin T-Shirts into the crowd! That saying should be on the t-shirt. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I know Eric has not made a statement about this as of now, but I think because of Hovevar’s performance, Spire will pick him up. Considering from what I heard, they have bought LiveFast’s charter and picked up Zane Smith. Comparing Carson and Ty Dillon, I think Spire would kick ty and welcome Hovevar
I would also like to add how is Kyle Larson not the championship favorite? He finished in the top 5 in all of the races in the first round and won the first race. If he gets through this second round he is the championship favorite and it’s not even a doubt.
Because if it wasn't for a loose wheel at Darlington and a late caution at Kansas Denny would likely have three wins to start the playoffs.
@@ba97racing yea and if and buts were candy and nuts oh how a merry Christmas it would be. If he don’t win the chip this year it’s gonna be a long off season for Denny.
@@dislocation8400you asked a question and I answered. When you show up every week with winning speed its hard to not notice.
If Denny doesn't win the championship this season....I'm sure he'll snuggle up with his 51 Cup trophies and comfort himself over the off season without much of a care.
@@ba97racing but isn’t he the same guy that has said repeatedly that he talks about not winning a championship?
@@dislocation8400 I've only ever heard him saying that he doesn't let a championship define his career anymore. Of course he wants one. They all do.
That was classic by Denny,talking to the fans,you’re just mad I beat your favorite driver,the pit road reporter ask,which driver,all of them.mic drop!
Hamlin might be the championship favorite, but there are several drivers that are waiting to repay a “favor” back…too many that might make Hamlin uncomfortable when racing them for position…you might even say they might put him in an “uncomfortable position”
I hope they all write that paycheck in the next 6 weeks eliminate him before Phoenix
@@leemclean379salty over grown men u don’t even know racing their little cars around just to put it in perspective
TBH everyone said that about Chastain last year and he still made it to the championship 4
Hocevar deserves a cup ride
He’s going to the 77
My friend attended his FIRST ever NASCAR race today and he LOVED it. It’s funny how even the most mediocre races can entertain newcomers. NASCAR is growing and I’m so excited for its future
But yet good races get hated on this world is going to hell
Even with how bad the short tracks package is it is still a watchable race. I’m sorry but it was the right move to get rid of Bristol dirt. What’s crazy is that there is not enough horsepower man. That’s the problem.
And the rear diffuser and the tire compound
I think I speak for a decent amount of fans when I say that the problem we have with Hamlin isn't his driving style or attitude. It's his hypocrisy. You can't go shoving people who race you clean into the wall, and then whine about Chastain, Bowman, or whoever it is the current week about doing it to you. I have a similar problem with Chastain. The problem isn't hard driving. It's him getting out and apologizing for it. just own it FFS.
A good example of this is Logano. He doesn't try to apologize for what he does. And he may not be my favorite driver, but at least he's being himself and not hypocritical. Be the villian and own it. Not everyone is going to like you and it's fine.
All of these drivers Im talking about have undeniable talent.... but there's a huge difference between them. Denny would get half the boos he gets now if he just owned the role.
Now on the otherhand maybe what he does is actually good for nascar to have someone hated as much as him....
As a Logano fan. Joey getting eliminated was extremely heartbreaking
as a busch fan, it was ridiculous.
Same man 😔
@The_Joshuan_Empire also a busch fan and i was shock to find out *i missed stage 3 😢*
Same man
If you're telling me there's nobody else in the field that has had "the speed" that Denny Hamlin has had. You're kidding me right? Cause you obviously haven't seen Kyle Larson in this round. He won the southern 500. He finished 4th the very next week at Kansas. Then finished the second at Bristol. The man is on fire right now. And Denny might be fast and might have a chance at the championship. But to say that Denny is the only one that's actually fast right now and the only one that's a favorite is completely bogus. Which it's kind of weird to type this right now because I most of the time agree with you on about everything. 😂
I’m a hard core Joey fan and I kid you not I cried when he wrecked😭
My girlfriend and I got some Heartbeat Hot Sauce and a delectable Ooey Gooey Butter Cake at the Daily Downforce tent. Thanks GOAT!!!
One of the moments of the race for me was watching kyle larson getting put to the back of the grid and driving to the front, at the end of the stage passing truex for 8th on the line, some of his driving in those last ten laps was a sight to behold, think it was at the end of stage 2, he showed his true talent.
Bristol has always been my favorite track, and to see my favorite driver in Bell dominating most of the race was really special for me
Corey Lajoie deserves a bit o a shoutout. He almost won stage 1. He qualified top 10 stayed up there for a decent amount and almost stole a stage win!
Let's just agree, 42 car wasn't bad, Gragson was, he's not ready for the Cup and he wasn't as good in Xfinity as some guys, he should've stayed there for 1-2 more years.
Just realized
All of those eliminated in the round of 16 have Daytona 500 wins
Good race!! Got to watch it at work lol!
Hamlin is definitely on fire. That being said, the fact that Harvick had such a terrible night just makes it all the more impressive what Larson was able to accomplish. And just remember, Larson still owes Hamlin one.
I flew out all the way from Los Angeles County and met up with a buddy from high school to watch this race I've been dreaming of attending since I was 7 years old. It was everything I was hoping for, and then some, even if the winner was the only driver I dont like (ngl, booing him was pretty fun) 10/10 would recommend the Bristol night race for any fan
Carson Hocevar finished 11. Ho Lee 5h1t. That dude is awesome. When was the last time the 42 had good finishes or didn't wreck??? Carson makes Noah and Josh Berry look like pussyfoots.
Heim will make a bunch of others look like pussy foots too!
Man SHR better give Harvick a mad fast car for Phenix. I don't care if the car is the most illegal thing to grace nascar in decades its what he's earned after carring that team these past years. Just give him one more win please SHR!
Used to despise Hamlin, but this menace mentality is starting to win me over
It’s so forced tho. More of a cope than anything
he's being the villain this sport needs
@@corduroycalwell nobody wants to be a menace, it’s thrust upon you. I hope he plays into it more, cause I loooove to hate him
@@slipstream7324no that was Busch
There’s a difference between a villain and an asshole
A villain has a reason
Denny deserves most of the hate he gets but he sees it as they don’t like him cause he’s “better”
So he's.............Dennis the menace?
Mj has motivated denny with all his rings
Denny is amazing for the sport for the last 5 years. Guy is mr nascar tonight. My guy is almondinger so cheers to Hamlin.
Larson got 1st, 4th, and 2nd in this round. Yung $ is the championship favorite. Denny will never be Champion as a driver but maybe as owner with Reddick. Chase, Byron, Reddick and Larson will keep Denny from driver champ status. Bet
Bro said Chase lmao
@@markjones2854he did beat denny for a championship so
@@markjones2854 Chase will win another Championship before Denny wins one
@@Jeff.3 cool it’s 2023. Chase isn’t in the playoffs
Man not trying to be negative about Bubba, I think the pressure is going to eventually take him out. Him racing the 5 car and then getting upset about it when he wasn’t even on the same lap with him? I know NBC hit on it but I just think the pressure will get to him.
Was he suppose to help the guy who was trying to chase down the owner of his car, by just letting go by
@@John-wl5cjactually yeah, he couldn't afford to get wrecked by the 5, or passed for points he was only 4 to the good he couldn't afford to mess with the 5
@@John-wl5cj the 11 was never in any danger not making it to the next round even if the 5 won. Bubba however was in danger and couldn’t afford a mishap or a mistake by racing the 5.
I wasn't a Hamlin fan in the past but Denny has grown on me lately. Love him or hate him, we need someone like him in the sport. With Kyle Busch not being the villain we're use to seeing, Denny is filling that role nicely.
To be honest, Bubba Wallace and Martin Truex Jr. were the Driver's of the day for me. Because first of all, both of them were below the cutline and 2, they had decent races and did not crash out which was very crucial, but Truex scared me with that save.
Hocevar needs a cup ride NOW
I like hamlins personality people boo at intros and he instead of saying his name he said “you know” 😂 and then getting the flag like a boss not even phased of the boos
I too have a feeling Hamlin will be a Title threat and it definitely was a great night for him as a Driver and as a Car Owner last night
You were just like the NBC guys last night, ignoring Larson for the most part. Sure, Denny had a penalty that put him to the back, so did Kyle, but while Denny started the race in the front row, Kyle started in last place. Wallace's crew had to talk him down from racing Larson near the end, telling him to mind his playoff spot and not someone he could not beat.
I just read that sherry pollex passed away from cancer. Prayers to her family during this difficult time.
Carson Hocevar is doing fantastic in the cup series, especially for a truck series driver. I'm hoping a cup series ride is in his near future. I'm rooting for Martin Truex Jr. all the way to the end. I had Bubba not make it to the round of 12, but he got lucky, really lucky because of Joey Logano misfortune. I'm no Denny Hamlin fan by any stretch of the imagination, but his success is no accident. All I want is for both RFK drivers to at least make it to the round of 8, and I'll be happy.
Legacy is turning the corner. Jones had a solid car too, but he couldn't recover from pitting under green.
Eric, thank you for jinxing Denny Hamlin. We all appreciate it😂
larson had a chance at some payback on hamlin in the last restart. larson took the highroad.. thou comendable i would'nt have been mad if larson gave denny a little tap into the wall
My thing with Hamlin is he’ll make the championship 4, wouldve last year if not for the Chastain moment. But they get there and crumble under pressure
Was a great race. I believe truly, even though I’m an Elliott fan, that Denny being the “Villain” of NASCAR is great for the sport. You need someone to cheer and someone to boo. I can’t remember someone being this big of villain than Pre Chevy Kyle Busch.
Chase Elliott Kyle Larson and jackass in the 6 car are the only guys that can finish top 10 in every playoffs race this year
Dude, show some respect to Brad. He's tamed out a lot over the past years.
@@rocksreviewsreactions337nah I will not respect him ever just like I will never Kevin and Denny get used to it pal I have good reasons and rights to hate all 3 will not forgive them for the crap they have pulled over the years doesn't matter how long ago it was also if bubba and chase haters can't let go of the past why should I let go of the past with the 3 shitheads in the 4 6 and 11 cars
@@rocksreviewsreactions337also didn't brad cause someone to flip at the Daytona 500 last year you call that tamed out I call that stupidity
The 42 did good
It is really surprising to see Rodney Childers make a mistake, but that’s what happened. The 4 car rolled off the truck with a not aligned tow link and never fixed it.
Eric - "Maybe Denny did something to your driver"
Me being a first year watcher and a Larson fan watching both Pocono and Kansas1
(My dad did work with someone who drove with Denny when they were young and went to a race where he one at the track Hamlin grew up at)
Unless Denny Hamlin is one of your favorite drivers, been a Joe Gibbs Racing fan for 24 years now and I’m excited that they still have three drivers in the playoffs. Denny Hamlin didn’t beat my favorite driver because he is my favorite driver.
I wish you talked about Xfinity races more. The one this week was a barn burner
All those Bubba haters who said Wallace would go out in the first round .... 🤣 Not talking about you Eric... I don't consider you a "hater"... I'm talking about those ppl out there with an irrational hate of Bubba who refused to give him props for anything. I'm not a fanboy per se, but he has beating half the field for the last couple seasons, so he has earned his place.
@twrecks4598 You do know lots of drivers could do what Bubba is doing if the had JGR equipment..
@@dawnmclees and the same could be said for all of the other drivers he beats each week... but no.. lets rag on Bubba
@@twrecks4598 No I’m not raging on Bubba just stating what other drivers could do in his equipment. Put Bubba in 20th place equipment he’s not going to run top 10.
I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. 7/10 race. It was definitely one of the better Gen 7 short track races.
I think it was easily the best short track race with the Gen 7, we still got work to do but the racing was very good. My kinda race really.
I was there last night!!! I thought it was just an ok race, not the Bristol of old! Glad to see Logano get eliminated!
Joey Logano was the biggest shocker to be eliminated. I’m a Chevy fan, but Logano’s tough year (1 win) wasn’t enough for him to advance as of Kevin Harvick’s car was really bad.
With Hocevar running great in the in 42 it puts both of the Rick Ware cars in the bottom 3 in the owners standings so hopefully Ware loses a charter
Hopefully only one, so Justin Haley can cook next year
I wish Josh Berry all the best at SHR, he’ll need it.
Yeah I'm worried for him
Especially in a Ford.
RFK has definitely figured the Ford out. This is a organization problem on many levels as a whole. Granted the Fords were slow to start how ever they’ve hit its stride. SHR is a sinking ship that has dine it to themselves.
I was there when denny came to do a burnout on the backstretch fans started throwing beer cans at the car
I don’t like Hamlin at all but it was a legendary quote that made me smile
Excellent analysis as always, but are you going to discuss the Zane Smith to Trackhouse news that’ll likely leave Suarez rideless in 2025??
It was good race at Bristol. We’ve traffic jam ahead, more choas of lapping car down, no mistakes on strategy and I’ll give a 71.5% ratings
Ty Gibbs should be competing for wins next year at this rate.
Can’t wait for Denny’s next podcast. He definitely deserves a championship
He doesn't deserve one.
Denny is an ass but he is also cool.
@@cba_2442he does you baby
One thing I have taken away from this season and Tonight too, was Ty Gibbs, I really didn't like Ty Gibbs coming into this season, I was of the opinion he has always had his grandfathers money behind him and has always been in good equipment and is an average at best driver and didn't race with the respect of the old days. (He isn't the only one as that has been a talking point in recent years.) I said going into this season he didn't deserve a cup ride just because his last name is Gibbs and if he wanted to prove to me he belonged in the cup series he needed to keep his head down, grind at getting better, and in a Gibbs car put together a respectable season of Top 20's average and some Top 10's with maybe a Top 5 or 2 if he really thinks he should be in a top ride.
He has done exactly that. He has not been out there wrecking people for position he has very quietly just gone to work and put together a solid rookie season and to see him early get up there and lead laps and hold the lead on older tires for a short time. I am happy to admit I was wrong and he's shown that he is a cup series worthy driver.
He's far better than the Dillon brothers, and he's probably going to be an owner/driver someday
I have a question was the 42 car that bad or was the driver bad( Noah) ? With Carson driving the 42 have been top 15 car at Darlington in Bristol very hard tracks. He was doing great in the 7 until the brakes failed. Maybe he should have been picked to drive the 42.
@@johnhaas2523 Noah is not a cup driver at this point on his career. He needs to go back to lower series and work his way back up.