If I could dual flair I would go JJ & JoLo. My NE pride says JoLo but my heart wants to see JJ win it. I'll stick with Bobby Labonte until the racedays. Unless of course the generous mods bring back Dylan Kwasniewski for a throwback :P (I kid. And I miss that kid).
TL:DR
Cup: What a weird weekend. Alex Bowman qualifies on pole, unproceeds to dominate and then understands how hard it is to win a Cup race. Larson spins twice to finish P3 (woo), Kenseth's season ends like his Daytona 500 and JoLo walks off again with Kyle sneaking behind. CRAZY! Alex Bowman ran a gem of a race. Absolutely perfect from flag to flag. But to win a Cup race first you must lose one. Which he did, not at his own hand, but he did. Very unfortunate circumstances being in the middle of a JGR, JoLo, SHR soap opera sandwich. He'll get a good ride, I guarantee it. Maybe not as soon as we would hope, but he'll get it. There's a reason why Dale chose him. He's got what it takes. I'm so happy for Alex and can't wait to see how his future unfolds. Hopefully it's positive. As for the Chasers. Feel bad for Kenseth but he went for it all. Didn't work out. Harv finally bit the dust. Absolutely stunning that he couldn't get it done at PIR. But yet he still had a shot at the end. 4 team will continue to be threat as they switch to Ford next year. 41 and 11 just too little too late. Now for the finalists! JJ going for 7, Carl going for redemption, Kyle going for justification, and Joey going for Sliced Bread! (I kid, Joey once again going for his first!) I will be rooting for JJ and JoLo. Sorry Carl and Kyle. It's nothing personal but I kinda want to see 7 or a win for New England. I would be happy if Carl won tho. He's a really nice dude, well deserving. Same with Kyle. I think JoLo will take the title and Penske will cap it's 50th season with a Championship in both Indycar and NASCAR. JoLo will win next week with a late race pass over JJ. I think this might be the first year in this format we see a contender crash out or have a mechanical failure. With the worries we've heard from JGR's radios over the past few weeks about potential problems I think it may be one of them. Go JoLo and JJ!!
Xfinity: Kyle Busch winning again in the most important races of the Xfinity Series really irked me. Especially how rough and aggressive he was against Allgaier. No need for that. He shouldn't be beating up on the younglings. He's a cup veteran for over 10 years and a Champ. It really speaks to his ego. I was really hoping for Blake Koch to make it. He had an amazing weekend for the small team. It was amazing to see how far Kaulig Racing has come in their first year! Just a little short. Same with Bubba. I was gutted for him. He had amazing car and a horrible week. His interview brought us to understand how much racing can mean to a person. I hope Bubba either sticks with RFR or finds a good ride. Also feel for Gaughan. I really want him to redeem the fiasco that was the Truck Series in 2003. Reed came short too. Didn't expect him to make it this far and come this close. Should be something to hold his head high about. Same with Bubba, he'll get his someday, I know it. On to 4. Elliott Sadler may finally get it. 5 years after coming back down to rebuild his career he has finally found a home in NXS. I would be really happy if he won. Justin Allagier, no wins but he such a deserving guy. Been racing in this series for years and came back for this very reason. I would be very happy if he finally got it. Even if he doesn't win a race. Erik Jones. Mini-Kyle Busch. Best driver all season (wins wise) and looking to win back-to-back championships from Cup to Xfinity. And looking to join an exclusive club of multi-time champion among 2 series joining the likes of Bobby Labonte, Greg Biffle, Brad K, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Austin Dillon. I would be very happy for the kid, especially since his father passed away. It'd be special to see. Even more so for Daniel Suarez. What NASCAR as a whole needs is a foreign born super star. It would marvelous things for the sport. It will help us branch out into new dimensions and I really want him to win. Also his story is amazing. Truly the American dream. Also would be kinda funny since Trump is president elect. Don't want to get into politics because it's not needed here but ya gotta admit it'd be a bit humorous. Just like his Truck win. But yeah I want and I think Daniel will win the Championship.
Truck: Like I said above it's humorous that the first NASCAR winner after Trump's elect was a Mexican born man. But that's beside the fact. Great run for Daniel. I was sad to see Kaz Grala crash out. He's a good kid with talent and I want to see him succeed. (New England, specifically Massachusetts bias). I really hope Dan Hemric wins before he heads to NXS next year. He's so close it seems every week. He's best at the mile and a half. I hope and think he'll be in contention for the win in Miami. Ben Kennedy needed to win. He didn't and I'm not surprised but I really wanted to see things get interesting. And my heart is broken for William Byron. Like fuck that hurts. And probs the biggest downside of this format. But he handled it like a professional. Which was more than anyone could've asked for. He'll be a force for years to come. Timothy Peters & Red Horse? Is this finally their year? It would be crazy if a sponsorless team won the championship. I don't think they'll do it but I would be ecstatic if they did! I'll be pulling for them come Friday. Chris Bell, started slow and upside down (literally) from finished hotter than most drivers. He'll be a force. Matt Crafton & Johnny Sauter. The 2 drivers who I think will duke it out for the win. Old teammates. Crafton looking to get back to the top of the mountain and Johnny looking for that elusive first title. I think Johnny will get it but Matt will give him a battle for the ages. Trucks are usually the best racing all weekend. I don't expect anything else this weekend!
One last thing that I really want to get off my chest. Brian Scott is retiring. And he gets a lot of heat on this sub. I just want to say thank you to Brian for a welcoming career. I met Brian at an event and he was the nicest driver have ever met. We talked for a good 15-20mins. I'm saddens to see him go but I know what he's retiring for is worth it. It takes a big man to do that. I will always be a genuine BScott fan. Good luck Brian!