The NASCAR Cup Playoffs are set to kick off with the most turbulent and unpredictable first round in history.
The upcoming first round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs were designed with one purpose in mind.
Chaos.
It begins on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which is in its third year as a reconfigured diet superspeedway, producing a sort of hybrid between Daytona and Talladega style racing and traditional intermediate competition.
“It’s very much turned into a speedway race since the repave,” said Chase Elliott. “It’s craziness and wild and everyone knows it.”
The round continues at Watkins Glen, which is expected to feature the debut of a new road course tire intended to fall off over three seconds during the course of a run before ending with the Bristol Night Race, which is a complete unknown after what happened to Goodyear during the spring race.
“Yeah, the Watkins Glen thing is interesting because they said it was six seconds, and then they tested again last week and I heard two seconds,” said Alex Bowman. “Yeah, I heard much less than we thought, but it’ll be interesting to see what actually happens.
“I feel like we always kind of never know. And then at Bristol, is the same thing going to happen or is it not going to happen? Yeah, it’s going to be interesting. Atlanta, it’s its own thing, so we’ll what happens.”
NASCAR Cup Playoffs to open with most chaotic, unpredictable first round yet
Atlanta, Watkins Glen and Bristol offers three unpredictable races with a lot of unknown
The upcoming first round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs were designed with one purpose in mind.
Chaos.
It begins on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which is in its third year as a reconfigured diet superspeedway, producing a sort of hybrid between Daytona and Talladega style racing and traditional intermediate competition.
“It’s very much turned into a speedway race since the repave,” said Chase Elliott. “It’s craziness and wild and everyone knows it.”
The round continues at Watkins Glen, which is expected to feature the debut of a new road course tire intended to fall off over three seconds during the course of a run before ending with the Bristol Night Race, which is a complete unknown after what happened to Goodyear during the spring race.
“Yeah, the Watkins Glen thing is interesting because they said it was six seconds, and then they tested again last week and I heard two seconds,” said Alex Bowman. “Yeah, I heard much less than we thought, but it’ll be interesting to see what actually happens.
“I feel like we always kind of never know. And then at Bristol, is the same thing going to happen or is it not going to happen? Yeah, it’s going to be interesting. Atlanta, it’s its own thing, so we’ll what happens.”
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NASCAR Cup Playoffs: Format, odds and everything you need to know
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NASCAR Cup Playoffs: Format, odds and everything you need to know
Christopher Bell, who has made the final four in each of the past two years, called it ‘the scariest it has been in a long time,’ due to the tracks added to it.
The defending champion, Ryan Blaney, is certainly a little on edge about it.
“That first round is going to be an oddball right, and I do think there will be some surprises that get eliminated because Atlanta, Watkins Glen and someone will need to throw a Hail Mary at Bristol,” Blaney said.
Hopefully we’re not one of those people but you just never know. It can happen.”
Denny Hamlin, who already finds himself narrowly above the cutline very well anticipates he might have to prepare himself for such a Hail Mary at Bristol.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Hamlin said. “Certainly, with a new road course in there in Watkins Glen in the Playoffs, with an unknown tire. Atlanta – who knows. I haven’t finished a superspeedway NextGen race I don’t think in my entire career.
It’s just who knows what can happen. We might have to go to Bristol and win but if that’s the case, we will.”
Hamlin won that unpredictable race last year, one that saw extreme tire wear, a very slow pace, but also a record number of passes for any race that wasn’t on a superspeedway in NASCAR history.
Brad Keselowski called this first round ‘a big wild card’ for all the aforementioned reasons.
Atlanta replaces Darlington, which was the first race last year, and that is like a known entity, right,” Keselowski said. “Everyone knew going into that race what to expect.
“Atlanta not so much. There are a lot, lot, lot more unknowns and I think it changes the complexion of the first round of the playoffs. That first week especially is really important because it sets the tone for how the next two could go.
“It’s really hard to dig out of a hole, traditionally.”
That is even enough to make the top seeded contender, and 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson a little edgy, because those bad days can compound in a hurry as was the case last year with top-ranked Martin Truex Jr.
