NASCAR on NBC analyst Steve Letarte on the sublime moves of Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney in the battle of Talladega; some new players emerging in superspeedway racing; was the relatively tamer racing related to safety concerns?; dissecting the decisions by Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano; what’s ahead in making the Next Gen’s rear end safer and how can the car continually be improved; a preview of the Roval.
Ryan Blaney vs. Chase Elliott (1:00); the usual cast of superspeedway characters (3:00); with new players Erik Jones and Michael McDowell (5:00); exploring the phenomenon of the end of stages becoming mini-race finishes (7:30); what to make of a relatively tame Talladega race – was it safety related? (9:45); dissecting Denny Hamlin’s choice on the final restart (11:30); yet the racing was still frenzied (13:30); on the decision by Joey Logano to hang back on the final restart (15:30); what’s the outlook and timeline for improving the rear-end clips on the Next Gen? (18:00); how at least one perception needs changing on the car (20:00); settling on what an acceptable design cycle timeframe should be (22:00); the importance of remaining vigilant about constant improvements to the car (24:00); will William Byron get some of his points back on appeal? (27:00); handicapping the Roval cutoff race (30:00).