The hosts kick off with IndyCar schedule talk, then pivot to Christopher Bell’s severe wreck and fractured left wrist, including how the injury was confirmed and what it could mean for his next races. They dig into why modern safety gear like the HANS device helps, yet still discuss track-specific dangers and the physical toll of bumps. The conversation widens to NASCAR playoff pressure, relief-driver strategy, and a “two-horse race” title picture—before turning to Connor Zilisch’s rough rookie season and repeated DNFs.
Frontstretch's Editor-in-chief Tom Bowles joins the show
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head on into the wall
"The thing that comes to mind is like, you know, obviously we have the Ryan Police priest flips at Daytona, Ryan Blaney going head on into the wall at Daytona."
“Head on into the wall” means the car hit the wall straight in the front. Those crashes are usually very hard on the driver because the car slows down extremely quickly.
A head-on impact is a collision where the front of the car strikes an obstacle directly. In motorsport safety discussions, it’s often used to describe high-severity crashes because the deceleration forces can be extreme.
"And the fact that the only thing wrong with Bell is a broken wrist. That's incredible."
A broken wrist means one of the bones in the driver’s hand/arm area is cracked or fractured. That can make it harder to steer and control the car, even if the driver can still race.
A broken wrist is a serious injury that can affect a driver’s ability to grip the steering wheel and control inputs. In racing, even when a driver is medically cleared, wrist injuries can still influence comfort and precision during long stints.
"We saw Brad keselowski with road Atlanta crash.
He rallied off wins."
Road Atlanta is a famous race track in the U.S. The hosts mention it because a crash there is part of the story they’re talking about.
Road Atlanta is a well-known road course in the U.S. that hosts major sports car and racing events. It’s the kind of track where high-speed cornering and braking can make crashes particularly violent, which is why safety discussions often reference it.
"Well, yeah, look, I'm just coming off an IndyCar race on Sunday night that was won by a guy that has a boot on his left foot."
A “boot” here refers to a medical immobilization device used when a driver has a leg injury. In racing context, it matters because it can affect how the driver operates pedals and how comfortable they are for long stints.
"You know, I don't know what you think, but it was just kind of one of those wrecks where all of a sudden, bam,"
In motorsport, a “wreck” is a crash that can involve multiple impacts, loss of control, and contact with barriers or other cars. The hosts are using it to describe a sudden impact where the driver couldn’t react in time.
"They've just done a remarkable job with the Hans device and all the other things lost, you know, 20, 25 years to make this safer."
The HANS device is a safety system that helps protect a driver’s head and neck in a crash. It keeps the helmet from snapping forward too much when the car hits something hard.
The HANS device (Head and Neck Support) is a safety restraint used in motorsports to reduce head and neck injuries during hard impacts. It works by connecting the helmet to the driver’s shoulders so the head can’t whip forward as violently in a crash.
"It's the combination of the worst possible angle."
“Angle” in crash safety refers to the direction and orientation of impact relative to the driver and the car’s structure. Certain impact angles can load the body in more dangerous ways, which is why safety systems and restraint design focus on reducing injury risk across many crash geometries.
"And honestly, I mean, it wasn't the fastest part of the track, but the corner in turn three is quick. It's one of the quickest corners in the schedule."
Race tracks are divided into named or numbered corners. “Turn three” just means the third corner on that track, so everyone knows exactly where the discussion is happening.
“Turn three” is a specific numbered corner on a race circuit. Track corners are often referenced by number because they’re consistent landmarks for drivers, crews, and broadcasters when discussing speed, braking, and crash risk.
"I was watching doing the live stream with Mike Neff, the watch party, and we were both talking about Ernie Irvin's crash."
A live stream is a real-time broadcast you watch on the internet. Here, it’s how the hosts and viewers are following the race action together as it unfolds.
A “live stream” is real-time video/audio broadcast over the internet. In motorsports, it’s commonly used for watch parties and real-time commentary so fans can follow on-track action as it happens.
"But here Christopher Bell is next week, and he's going to be racing at Pocono. And I think that's, yeah, look, all of us are going to applaud how great, how safe these cars, excuse me, how safe these cars are."
Pocono refers to Pocono Raceway, a well-known NASCAR venue in Pennsylvania. It’s famous for its distinctive layout and high-speed sections, which can make certain corners and braking zones especially demanding.
"I remember watching a documentary in, it's about Formula One, it's called One. It's narrated by Michael Fassbender, and I think it's one of my favorite documentaries ever."
Formula One is the highest level of open-wheel race car racing. The hosts mention it because an F1 documentary shows how safety improved a lot over time.
Formula One (F1) is the top tier of open-wheel racing, known for engineering-driven performance and continuous safety development. The hosts reference an F1 documentary to illustrate how safety practices and survival rates changed dramatically across decades.
"It's narrated by Michael Fassbender, and I think it's one of my favorite documentaries ever. It's about the evolution of safety in Formula One."
This is about how racing safety has gotten better over the years. The hosts are comparing today’s cars and procedures to the past, when drivers were much more likely to die in crashes.
The “evolution of safety” refers to how motorsport safety improved over time through better car design, track safety systems, and medical/procedural changes. The hosts contrast modern survivability with earlier eras when fatal crashes were far more common.
"But there is this myth going around the garage area that I guess really isn't a myth. But you got to be in third place or higher to have any shot at the championship once you make the chase."
“Make the chase” means get into the playoff/championship part of the season. Once that starts, being too far down in points makes it much harder to still win the title.
“Make the chase” refers to qualifying for the NASCAR playoff-style championship chase, where only drivers within a certain points position can realistically contend. The discussion here is about how finishing position (like being 7th–10th) affects whether you can still win the championship once the chase begins.
"Still make the top 16, but you're just so far down. And to your point, Massey, you know, I do think that there's going to be a difference at Sonoma and San Diego."
“Top 16” means only the 16 best drivers by points move on to the next playoff stage. You can still advance from there, but if you’re seeded lower you have less room for error.
“Top 16” is the points cutoff used to determine which drivers advance into the next playoff/championship round. Being in the top 16 keeps you alive, but the conversation suggests lower seeding leaves you with less margin for mistakes.
"And to your point, Massey, you know, I do think that there's going to be a difference at Sonoma and San Diego. I do think they probably could get a road course ringer in there."
Sonoma Raceway is a road course in California. It has lots of turns and changing elevation, so it can be a different challenge than oval tracks.
Sonoma refers to Sonoma Raceway in California, a road course that’s known for complex cornering and elevation changes. It’s the kind of track where teams may consider a road course specialist if a driver is dealing with limitations.
"And to your point, Massey, you know, I do think that there's going to be a difference at Sonoma and San Diego. I do think they probably could get a road course ringer in there."
A road course ringer is basically a “specialist” driver. The team brings them in because they’re really good at road courses, where the driving style is different from oval tracks.
A road course ringer is a highly skilled driver brought in specifically because they’re especially good at road courses. Teams use this idea when they think a specialist can improve results on tracks with more turns and different braking/turn-in demands than ovals.
"We've seen hung throttles going into turn one. There have been really dangerous that you're almost 200 going into that turn, right?"
“Hung throttles” means the gas pedal/throttle doesn’t come back the way it should. That can make the car behave unpredictably when you’re trying to slow down and turn.
“Hung throttles” refers to a throttle control problem where the throttle doesn’t return to the intended position quickly—often staying partially open. In racing, that can upset balance and traction, especially when braking and turning into a corner.
"He's got, he's, look, you said itself, I think it was 78 points you said above the, above the cut line right now.
...
[827.9s] I mean, do you want to risk that and lose those points?
[831.3s] Because that's not a huge buffer."
The “cut line” is the points number you have to be above to keep moving forward in NASCAR’s playoff system. If you’re near it, you can’t afford to fall behind because you might get eliminated.
The “cut line” refers to the points threshold in NASCAR’s playoff format that determines which drivers advance to the next round. Being above the cut line gives you a buffer, while being close means every position and point swing matters.
"William Byron has, has been okay on road courses before he's won on road courses before.
...
[793.5s] Those two weeks with San Diego and Sonoma, I fully expect those drivers to start running pretty well and make some gains."
Road courses are tracks with lots of turns (more like a typical road than an oval). Some drivers are better at them, so it affects who you expect to do well.
Road courses are race tracks made up of turns and varying corner types, unlike oval tracks. NASCAR drivers often have different strengths on road courses, so teams and analysts talk about who’s “okay on road courses” when predicting results.
"Because I don't know, I know you get points out of it, but if you put somebody say like Ryan Truex or really typically when you put a relief driver in the car,
[816.8s] they don't do as well as the actual driver, which makes sense.
[820.9s] It's not their car.
[821.8s] It's not, car's not made for them and the setup's going to be a little bit different."
The “setup” is how the team tunes the race car for that track and driver. If a different driver takes over, the car might feel different because it’s tuned for someone else.
A race car “setup” is the specific configuration of adjustable settings—like suspension tuning, tire pressures, and aerodynamic balance—tailored to a driver and track. Even small setup differences can change how the car handles, so a relief driver may struggle if the car isn’t dialed for them.
"Because I don't think we will see him in victory lane with with a cast on its wrist."
“Victory lane” is where the winner of a race goes to celebrate. They’re basically asking whether the driver can still win even with an injury.
“Victory lane” is NASCAR slang for the area where the winner is celebrated immediately after the race. The hosts are using it to mean whether a driver can still win despite having a cast.
"I'm not counting them out of Pocono. The Toyota is a mad fast right now."
Toyota is the car brand they’re talking about. They’re saying Toyota cars are currently running very fast compared to the rest.
Toyota is the vehicle brand being credited as “mad fast,” meaning the Toyota entries are performing strongly right now. In NASCAR context, that usually points to the overall competitiveness of the Toyota teams/cars in the current package.
"We've seen people with injuries win before. Like Tom just said, Joseph Newgarden this past weekend."
Joseph Newgarden is a race car driver. They’re using him as an example that injuries don’t always stop someone from winning.
Joseph Newgarden is a racing driver used here as an example of someone who won despite being injured. The hosts are drawing a parallel to argue that Bell could still contend even with a cast.
"Also, you know, he could do bell could do the Kyle Bush Tony Stewart combo this year. Miss some races going to tear win a bunch."
Kyle Busch is a NASCAR driver. They’re comparing Bell’s situation to Busch’s kind of season where missing races didn’t prevent a championship run.
Kyle Busch is a NASCAR driver referenced as part of a comparison for how a driver might miss races yet still win the championship. The hosts are implying that Busch’s career path shows it’s possible to recover from setbacks and peak during the playoff/chase period.
"Also, you know, he could do bell could do the Kyle Bush Tony Stewart combo this year. Miss some races going to tear win a bunch."
Tony Stewart is a well-known NASCAR driver. They’re mentioning him to make the point that a driver can still win a championship even after setbacks.
Tony Stewart is a NASCAR driver referenced alongside Kyle Busch as an example of a championship-winning pattern. The hosts are using the “combo” to suggest that even with missed races, a driver can still build momentum and win late.
"But I think Pocono is Chicago land. I'm not counting them out."
Chicagoland Speedway is a NASCAR track. They’re basically saying the driver might do better at this kind of track than at the places they expect him to struggle.
Chicago land refers to Chicagoland Speedway, a NASCAR oval track. The hosts are contrasting it with other venues by suggesting Pocono is where the driver won’t be counted out, and that Chicagoland is another place they expect him to be competitive.
"And who who is this Cree Chief Massey? Adam Stevens, who won the championship, the Kyle Bush after he missed races being hurt."
Adam Stevens is the crew chief they’re talking about. The crew chief is the person who helps decide how the car is set up and how the team should race.
Adam Stevens is identified as “Cree Chief Massey,” meaning the crew chief for the team being discussed. In NASCAR, the crew chief is a key strategist who calls race setup decisions and adjusts the car’s approach during the event.
"Dalton, what should the expectation be for the next three weeks for Mr. Christopher Bell? ... Christopher Bell is a dirt racer. He's been through some pretty wild crashes."
Christopher Bell is a professional race car driver. They’re talking about how an injury might make the next few races harder, and whether he’ll need someone to drive for him.
Christopher Bell is a dirt-racing driver who also competes in NASCAR. In this segment, the hosts discuss how his recent injury could affect his ability to race upcoming events without using a relief driver.
"I think Pocono, he'll be fine. I think San Diego, Sonoma, he will struggle."
They mention San Diego as a race location coming up. The host thinks Bell may not do as well there because of his injury.
San Diego is mentioned as one of the upcoming venues where the hosts expect Christopher Bell to struggle. In NASCAR context, this likely refers to a specific race event on the schedule rather than the city being the track itself.
"But I don't think he's going to ask for a relief driver. I think they will have one on standby just in case."
A relief driver is a backup driver who can step in if the main driver can’t keep racing. They’re saying Bell probably won’t need that, but the team may have someone ready just in case.
A relief driver is a substitute driver who takes over during a race when the primary driver can’t continue safely or effectively. The hosts are saying Bell likely won’t request one, but the team may keep someone on standby as a precaution.
"Denny Hamlin is going to nickel and dime his way into Tyler Reddick's points lead. And I was met with what is stupid if you think that, you know, Tyler Reddick could finish last every week and then he could win every race and there's no way that he can catch him."
Racers earn points based on where they finish in each race. The “points lead” is just who has the most points right now in the season standings.
In NASCAR, the championship is decided by accumulating points across races. A “points lead” means one driver currently has more points than their rivals, so they’re leading the standings even if they don’t win every week.
"Denny Hamlin is going to nickel and dime his way into Tyler Reddick's points lead. And I was met with what is stupid if you think that, you know, Tyler Reddick could finish last every week and then he could win every race and there's no way that he can catch him."
Denny Hamlin is a NASCAR driver. Here, the hosts are talking about how he might catch up to another driver in the season standings.
Denny Hamlin is a top NASCAR Cup Series driver known for consistently running near the front and staying competitive in championship points. In this segment, he’s discussed as a driver who can close the gap to the points leader.
"Denny Hamlin is going to nickel and dime his way into Tyler Reddick's points lead. And sure enough, what one week later he's cut his points lead and have I think we actually have a true points battle between the top two now."
Tyler Reddick is a NASCAR driver. In this conversation, he’s the guy leading (or near the top of) the points race, and they’re debating if he can keep that lead.
Tyler Reddick is a NASCAR Cup Series driver who’s being framed here as the current points leader (or near it) in the regular-season championship chase. The hosts discuss whether he can hold the lead or whether rivals will catch him as the schedule changes.
"How many times during the old chase system were we saying Jimmy Johnson was slumping in the summer, had all these DNFs, was coming into the chase off beat, and then he would just win five out of ten and then just smoke everybody, right?"
NASCAR has changed its playoff rules over the years. The “Chase” was an older version of the playoff system where top drivers got a chance to fight for the championship later, even if they had a rough stretch earlier.
The “Chase” was NASCAR’s playoff format used in earlier years, where the top drivers after a set number of races advanced to a postseason and competed for the championship. The hosts reference it to explain how a driver can struggle mid-season (DNFs, slumps) and still surge when the playoff pressure changes.
"How many times during the old chase system were we saying Jimmy Johnson was slumping in the summer, had all these DNFs, was coming into the chase off beat, and then he would just win five out of ten and then just smoke everybody, right?"
DNF means the driver didn’t finish the race. That usually hurts their points and makes it harder to stay near the top of the championship.
DNF stands for “Did Not Finish,” meaning a driver failed to complete the race due to an accident, mechanical issue, or other problem. DNFs are important in NASCAR because they can heavily impact points and momentum in the standings.
"...re what the long-term plan is, especially because Ram is going to start to inch their way forward the n..."
A Ram is a large pickup truck made for work and towing, like hauling cargo or pulling trailers. People talk about it a lot when discussing what the company plans to build next and how the lineup will change over time. The “long-term plan” usually means what new trucks or updates are coming in the future.
The Ram (often referred to as Dodge Ram) is a full-size pickup truck line known for hauling capability and everyday usability. It’s frequently discussed in automotive planning because Ram’s product direction and long-term strategy can affect what trucks buyers will have available in the coming years. In a podcast context, it likely comes up when talking about how the brand is “inching forward” with updates and future models.
Due to technical difficulties, we joined Happy Hour already in progress.
Mine spots are galore. I mean, we, I almost got, and by the way, the roads, they're not even like finished, almost.
I don't know why people pay so much money to live there.
Um, but Matt, yeah, I was in California and I'll be there again next weekend.
With me, buddy. Aren't we so excited? And you know who we are excited for?
We're excited to bring the great coverage that this guy has.
He is our editor-in-chief. Look at the smile on his face, the best dressed out of all of us.
Tom Bowles, how are you, bud?
You're not excited to see me. I was your backup plan. I was your backup plan.
Oh, well, we have this great, great, great guest and his name is Tom Bowles at 530.
Oh yeah, you know.
Technically, we did have a great, great guest.
So it's unfortunate because I thought the antibiotics would help NASA's musical talent, but I guess that didn't really fix it.
It's unfortunate.
Damn.
But other than that, yeah, you know, I'm a little, I'm happy to be here.
I got some energy, you know, because we have a week off of IndyCar.
And, you know, I'm just coming off my own stretch of what five IndyCar races in a row, like spend 18 days at Indy for the most part.
And it's easily the worst stretch of the season for IndyCar.
Makes me wonder how in the world NASCAR does it?
Like, how does anybody not end up divorced in NASCAR?
Like working 38, basically out of 40 weekends.
And for some of those guys, you know, they're getting in on like a Wednesday or a Thursday and then they're turning around right after the race, going to the shop and doing it all over again.
I mean, it is absolutely brutal.
And unfortunately for the brutalness, which would dive down into our first topic of the evening, Christopher Bell, it was announced that he has fractured his wrist after a probably the worst wreck that I have ever seen.
But thankfully it is nothing worse.
Gentlemen, I just want to get your initial thoughts, your initial reactions, because that wreck was absolutely terrifying.
Massey, I'll start with you.
You, we've covered the sport quite a while.
I mean, not as long as Tom has, but I mean, have you ever seen that just awful of a hit?
Yeah, the things that come to mind, I'm not immediately right.
The thing that comes to mind is like, you know, obviously we have the Ryan Police priest flips at Daytona, Ryan Blaney going head on into the wall at Daytona.
Those are a couple that are on par, but apparently Mike Ford said it was the hardest hit on all our talk.
He said it was the hardest hit since 2015.
And that's insane.
I think that there was a time where Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott, neither one would have walked away from that crash.
And it's amazing that both of them did.
And the fact that the only thing wrong with Bell is a broken wrist.
That's incredible.
I'm just incredibly thankful that he's still with us.
You know, that's the most important thing outside of that.
He's got to keep racing.
I give him a, a shout for that.
I don't know how that will go, but we've tended to see guys hurt do really well in a race car.
So I don't know, maybe there's something to that.
I remember Chase Briscoe had a broken wrist or a finger.
Something was broken on his hand a couple of years ago and he had some good runs after that.
So, yeah, we'll just see how it goes.
But yeah, just thankful to see Bell still with us.
And I mean, Tom, this could go two ways.
We saw Brad keselowski with road Atlanta crash.
He rallied off wins.
Kyle Busch, I think it was breaking his leg at Daytona and at the time it was nationwide and then came back and won that championship this year.
I mean, this could be a redemption arc for him because, I mean, he's had a very, very tough season.
Could this negative turn into a positive and maybe motivate him a little bit extra?
Well, yeah, look, I'm just coming off an IndyCar race on Sunday night that was won by a guy that has a boot on his left foot.
And we're not really sure how seriously injured Joseph Newgarden really is.
So, you know, you look at Brad keselowski and what he did 15 years ago, you look at all of the drivers that are doing well now in IndyCar that are injured.
We have five drivers that are hurt there.
It's like 20% of the field and still driving.
You know, I don't know what it is with drivers that get hurt, but there's just some sort of extra focus that comes to them inside the car and they push through it and they end up doing better than before they were injured.
So, I definitely think it could boost Bell up.
I mean, the one thing that I wanted to add to what Massey said.
You know, there are so many times, right, guys that you run into people that don't know racing that well and they're like, well, Bell didn't flip.
Bell didn't, like, things didn't come off his car.
I don't understand, like, how he ended up hurt.
It's always the ones that don't look as bad or that are the ones that hurt you, right?
And just the way that Elliot pinballed into Bell, I just don't think Bell had a lot of time to react.
You know, I don't know what you think, but it was just kind of one of those wrecks where all of a sudden, bam,
he's not expecting it in the middle of the turn and I don't really think he had a time to really prepare before he hit the wall
and I'm sure that that affected him and made it a lot worse.
But you got to really appreciate what NASCAR has done with safety over the last, you know, 20, 25 years where, to Massey's point,
we might have seen a much more serious injury or potentially even worse, you know, with the older generations of car.
They've just done a remarkable job with the Hans device and all the other things lost, you know, 20, 25 years to make this safer.
It's the combination of the worst possible angle.
I think you could probably wreck a car combined with the fastest tracks on the circuit.
And honestly, I mean, it wasn't the fastest part of the track, but the corner in turn three is quick.
It's one of the quickest corners in the schedule.
So it is a deadly combination and I do mean deadly, but it's like you said, Tom, there is something to applaud here,
especially when it comes to these cars.
I think we were on the stream.
I was watching doing the live stream with Mike Neff, the watch party, and we were both talking about Ernie Irvin's crash.
And that back in the 90s, early 2000s, that could have been an Ernie Irvin.
But here Christopher Bell is next week, and he's going to be racing at Pocono.
And I think that's, yeah, look, all of us are going to applaud how great, how safe these cars, excuse me, how safe these cars are.
Are they the best cars for racing?
Look, that's up for debate, right?
But when it comes to safety, nobody's going to doubt that these cars have gotten a lot better in the last few decades.
And racing is no longer the, I remember watching a documentary in, it's about Formula One, it's called One.
It's narrated by Michael Fassbender, and I think it's one of my favorite documentaries ever.
It's about the evolution of safety in Formula One.
And I remember seeing back in the 70s, drivers were being killed almost every race, and it was like a 70% survival rate throughout the season.
And that was just normal.
That's just how racing was back then.
And people thought of it as like, oh, these are just crazy people doing crazy things, and they're heroic because of it.
And we've kind of got, thank God, we don't have to do that anymore.
Thank God we don't have to deal with that kind of stress.
And these guys don't have to deal with that kind of stress because that's just not fair.
At that point, it's just a blood sport.
So I'm glad we don't do that.
And I'm glad that Christopher Bell is going to be racing again next week.
And also kind of goes to show how tough Christopher Bell is.
I don't feel like he gets enough, he doesn't get enough credit.
But yeah, if we're going to, I guess we'll look at this tweet here.
So kind of goes to show that he suffered a fractured left wrist in that accident.
And then he was evaluated and released from the infield care center.
Didn't do any media.
I think he did.
I think he did prime.
Didn't interview with.
No, he didn't.
No media.
No media.
No media.
Okay.
My bad.
My bad.
Yeah.
I know he didn't do anything with us.
That's for sure.
I know about that.
And then X-rays confirmed the fracture.
Look, if that's the worst, it can possibly be out of a crash like that.
Man, what a, what a great, great time for this sport where we can do something like that.
Really, really great stuff.
And, and I also have to wonder, and I'll introduce this to the group as well.
Chris brought this up in our text chat earlier is.
Does he have to be racing this week because of the new points format showing that he really
should be, he really has to compete.
If he wants to stay in touch with the chase to get into the chase, does he feel that kind
of pressure?
Or is it just love of the game?
Well, I mean, these drivers, these drivers are psychopaths.
I mean, you tell them they can't sit out and they're going to lose their mind.
So, I mean, this is what, I mean, don't think of what you do on a daily basis.
And they do that 40 times a year at the same thing.
I mean, it's a different city.
It's a different race track.
But I mean, they're, you mess up their rhythm and they're going to go crazy.
So, I mean, if, if you, if you can avoid not doing something different, then I think they're
going to be like, oh, I mean, we risk our, we risk our lives every single week.
Might as well risk it a little bit extra this week.
You know, so the tweet, the tweet, did it say just Pocono?
Did it say beyond?
Chris, can you put up that tweet again, my friend?
Because here's what I'm wondering.
Pocono.
Yeah, he'll race this weekend at Pocono.
Because Pocono, I'm thinking you could easily use one hand to kind of drive.
My question is what happens the next two weeks at San Diego and Sonoma?
Is that where we see maybe he could start the race and a relief driver gets in?
That's going to be a whole lot rougher on that wrist to go back and forth on those two road courses.
So I noticed that tweet always says Pocono.
It doesn't say anything about the two weeks beyond that.
Well, you guys are in the garage a lot more than me these days.
But there is this myth going around the garage area that I guess really isn't a myth.
But you got to be in third place or higher to have any shot at the championship once you make the chase.
That basically if you're seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, forget it.
You might as well pack up and come back next year.
So maybe they feel like he has to start all the races because I'm sure he could miss like two or three and be fine.
Still make the top 16, but you're just so far down.
And to your point, Massey, you know, I do think that there's going to be a difference at Sonoma and San Diego.
I do think they probably could get a road course ringer in there.
But let's not discount Pocono guys.
We've seen hung throttles going into turn one.
There have been really dangerous that you're almost 200 going into that turn, right?
Dangerous high speed crashes in one and weird flips at Pocono.
There's always some sort of wild wreck there.
So it's not like it's a safety net for him.
Although I do think it'll be easier for him to drive.
He is currently 78 points out of 16.
He's currently 10th in the point.
So 78 points away from 16th place in Austin.
So it's not like he's got a good buffer.
So I mean, that also could be the reason why he's like, because he can't afford it.
And I mean, Dalton, I don't know if you saw the, the, I think it was iracing NASCAR at least the iracing rendering San Diego is bumpy as hell.
Like that track is going to be treacherous.
So I would not be surprised to see a relief driver on standby for him next week.
Yeah, I think when it comes to, there's really only one way that Chris Rebelle goes through these next few weeks.
And if it really does require a relief driver, he's going to get one that he just, he does, he's not going to miss a weekend.
It's just not, it's just not feasible.
He's got, he's, look, you said itself, I think it was 78 points you said above the, above the cut line right now.
I mean, look at some of these guys that are below him.
William Byron has, has been okay on road courses before he's won on road courses before.
Shane Van Gisburgen, enough said.
Austin Cendrick is the current cut line driver.
Those two weeks with San Diego and Sonoma, I fully expect those drivers to start running pretty well and make some gains.
And I don't think here's the other thing is that do you trust a relief driver?
Because I don't know, I know you get points out of it, but if you put somebody say like Ryan Truex or really typically when you put a relief driver in the car,
they don't do as well as the actual driver, which makes sense.
It's not their car.
It's not, car's not made for them and the setup's going to be a little bit different.
The seats going to be a little bit different, but I digress.
I mean, do you want to risk that and lose those points?
Because that's not a huge buffer.
And when you've got guys like Shane Van Gisburgen, when you've got guys like Austin Cendrick, because let's be honest, I'm fully expecting Shane Van Gisburgen to win both of those races.
And that's going to be a huge gain.
That's one spot that Christopher's probably going to lose.
So do you take that risk?
And every point matters.
And I think Tom, I don't know if it was you or the one who set up, but like third or higher is pretty much where you got to be to be in the championship hunt.
Because if you're going to be where he is right now in 10th, it's not good enough.
He's still on the hunt.
He's still on the offensive.
He can't, he can't.
There is no bowing out right now.
You can't rest in your laurels.
Denny Hamlin probably could.
Tyler Reddick probably could.
Christopher Bell cannot do that.
There's no slowing down if you want to win this championship.
So even if you put a relief driver in there, you're still going to lose points and that's a risk.
So I think maybe Christopher Bell looks himself in the mirror and says, I know San Diego is bumpy.
I know Sonoma is going to be tough because they're both road courses, but grit my teeth.
Suck it up.
Buttercup.
Well,
I'm thinking off of what you said, Dalton, like number one, could this be where we see like the brand cruise debut or does Toyota work with 2311 to try and get Corey Hyman there for two weeks?
Like you've got to get a guy that you know is going to try and hustle and be really aggressive.
But like we just came from Detroit on the Indy car side where a number of the drivers that were hurt were saying that racing in Detroit was worse than racing at the Indy 500 in terms of how it affected them.
Because of the way the bumps just you go up and down and your body's just constantly getting hit.
And it feels like you're taking little mini wall hits basically over the entire course of the race.
And so I think it is going to be really physically draining and you wonder, you know, it's only going to be what two weeks, three weeks.
I mean, those fractured wrist is going to take.
I mean, I had my wrist fractured before, you know, flag football took like a good two months for it to really be in a spot where it was healing properly.
So it's going to be a long haul for him.
And, you know, it's TBD as to whether he can actually fight through this.
I mean, like we said, you know, we've seen a lot of drivers just defy gravity and pull off these miracle wins with these injuries.
But this is not going to be easy on the road courses.
So it's adults point if they put a relief driver in and they get 36th, you might as well just skip the race.
That's one point.
You know, so it's like, what's the point of going through all that physical wear and tear?
If a relief driver is just going to get one more point than you just skipping the race all together.
So yeah, I would, I would hope they would go for for San Diego, go for not a Corey Heim or a Ryan Truax or Brent Cruz.
I would hope they would go for an SVG type.
You know, one of those super car guys that can get in there and hustle.
Maybe maybe you have another SVG 2.0 who wins in the first start or something.
But another thing I'm thinking of with this whole deal is so safety is always a moving target, right?
You can never get satisfied with safety.
What is the thing that hurts drivers now more than anything?
It's the steering wheel.
When they wreck, the steering wheel goes crazy and snaps their wrist like in this situation here.
I'm sure that's what got Belle.
So I wonder if that's the next safety initiative is to somehow come up with the steering wheel that I don't know, maybe a huge impact triggers it to just disconnect from the wheel.
So it's not just flying around breaking wrist.
I wonder if there's some kind of, you know, I'm not smart enough to figure out some kind of thing like that.
But I feel like that's where they could make the next great gain in safety.
That's what Denny was saying on his podcast on Monday.
He said she got made fun of, but that's what Danica did every time she was about to wreck.
She put her hands off of the wheel.
Everybody's making fun of her at the time.
But now everybody's like, oh, that's actually kind of smart.
So, I mean, that's what I would assume happened.
I haven't seen the in car footage.
I probably should go to Stephen Toronto's Twitter because he always does those things.
And then back to your back to the point of maybe they should get a Australian guy, Jack Perkins.
He did run for JGR in Portland last year.
So I don't know what they're doing in the Australian supercars right now.
I don't even know if they have a race.
But I mean, I personally don't know.
But I mean, we could see a guy like Brandon Jenner or something if you go for Tom Nolan.
A little birdie told me that there was a supercars guy that was going to raise its Noma and then the deal fell through.
And, you know, it's a long, complicated story.
But I believe that there is a break in the schedule for at least a Noma where somebody could tactically come up if they wanted.
But I don't know.
I disagree with Massey.
I think the Brent Cruz, Corey Heimrath.
I mean, it'd be really tough for Brent Cruz to make his debut like this.
But somebody like Corey Heim.
Yeah, that is hungry, that has a ton of experience.
That's, you know, somebody that has already been, you know, top 10 level in a cup car.
I really feel like could come around and give them a solid performance.
And you know that that 2311 will work with with Juggins racing on and it's Toyota family working together.
Hamlin still drives for Gibbs.
So to me, that's that's the way you go.
But, you know, I think there's a number of different directions here.
And, you know, one of them still is Christopher Bell doing the full race.
It's just going to be really, really hard.
I don't know if if I Gibbs would like that having Corey Heim as a teammate, but you know, we can go that route there.
When it is all said and done, though, our final thoughts on this segment before we before we transition to our topic number two.
What should these next, I mean, let's say next three weeks, we'll start with Massey.
What should the expectation be?
Because I don't think we will see him in victory lane with with a cast on its wrist.
But it just what should the result be at the end of each week, Massey?
I'm not counting them out of Pocono.
The Toyota is a mad fast right now.
We've seen people with injuries win before.
Like Tom just said, Joseph Newgarden this past weekend.
It would not shock me if he if he went on.
Also, you know, he could do bell could do the Kyle Bush Tony Stewart combo this year.
Miss some races going to tear win a bunch.
Then go in is a really low seed and just tear it up in the chase and win a championship.
I am not.
He's too good of a driver, too good of a car.
I don't think he's going to win San Diego and Sonoma.
That's where I think he'll struggle.
But I think Pocono is Chicago land.
I'm not counting them out.
And who who is this Cree Chief Massey?
Adam Stevens, who won the championship, the Kyle Bush after he missed races being hurt.
We're doing a full circle here.
Dalton, what should the expectation be for the next three weeks for Mr. Christopher Bell?
I think he'll run all three races.
Christopher Bell is a dirt racer.
He's been through some pretty wild crashes.
I think he'll be OK.
I think Pocono, he'll be fine.
I think San Diego, Sonoma, he will struggle.
But I don't think he's going to ask for a relief driver.
I think they will have one on standby just in case.
But I think there's going to be a little bit of pride there for him that says,
no, I can handle it.
I can take it.
So I think he'll grit his teeth.
He's come from he still has that dirt race mentality and racers are pretty effing crazy.
So I think he'll be OK.
He's just got survived these next three weeks and beyond however long it takes for that risk to heal.
But I think I think he'll be fine.
And we've seen drivers race under worse conditions and be really good.
Mr. Tom Bulls, could we see something like a Tony Stewart Kyle Bush saga happen to Christopher Bell or just what what's your expectation for him?
So I definitely believe that he could win Pocono.
I'm with Massey.
But I think long term, this is the type of injury that is going to hurt him,
especially just because of the timing and the schedule and the types of tracks that we're going to go into the next couple of weeks.
And the big thing that you mentioned, Nolan, is he's 10th right now.
It's not like he's in the top two fighting for the championship.
So I really do think this is going to make it really tough for him to re-enter the conversation, even though the Toyotas are fast.
You're behind Reddick already.
You're behind Hamlin.
And you've got some other guys that are going to be coming up through here in the next couple of weeks.
Hendrick's not going to stay down forever.
You know, they're going to get their act together by the end of the summer as well.
So I do think short term, he could pull off some sort of miracle win.
Long term, I think the bell might have told on this season for the championship.
Thomas, oh God.
That was a Michael Massey joke right there.
You invited me on here.
You were better than that, though.
You were better than that.
Yeah, I was wondering what combo Massey used to fight through all his injuries at Monday Night Racing for all those wins he accumulated.
Oh, that's just mean.
Okay, let's dive on into our next topic.
Once again, this is the Front Stretch happy hour show.
I am Brian Oh, and this is presented by My Place Hotels.
You can save 10% by using the code Front Stretch once again, My Place Hotels.
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So big thanks to everybody at My Place.
They are fantastic to work with as well as just very, very amazing and friendly hotel staff.
Massey, let's dive on into our second topic.
What are you bringing to the table, dude?
Well, first off, I want to say that in Monday Night Racing, there was a race where I was bleeding after it.
So it did get a little intense in there.
But my next topic, I want to see which of us had their eyes closest together in this group here.
Trying to see who has their eyes closest.
Why not kind of far apart?
I don't know.
Is it tele?
What the hell is happening right now?
I don't know.
Did you die rich?
Did you die rich?
You can tell, Massey, you can tell which of the two have listened to the tear down and which of the two have not.
You take too much medicine before this.
Richard Childress said that Carson Hosevar's eyes were so close together it meant he didn't have any brains in there.
I've never heard that before.
I haven't either.
I'm going to start looking when I see somebody with their eyes real close together.
Okay.
Anyways, the real topic is speaking, you know, you have two eyes just like this regular season championship battle has two people.
What a segue.
Shut up.
We got two horse race for the regular season title.
And we talked about the some last week, but I think we actually, you know, I feel like a week or two ago I brought up, I don't think it was here might have been on Slack or something that
Denny Hamlin is going to nickel and dime his way into Tyler Reddick's points lead.
And I was met with what is stupid if you think that, you know, Tyler Reddick could finish last every week and then he could win every race and there's no way that he can catch him.
And sure enough, what one week later he's cut his points lead and have I think we actually have a true points battle between the top two now.
But yes, what do you guys think about is anybody going to catch up to these two?
Is Denny going to catch him the rest of the way?
I mean, I think Reddick's going to gain again at these two road courses coming up, but I think Denny will keep catching him after that.
So Tom, what do you think about our little two horse race for the championship regular season?
Well, I think if there's one thing that we've learned over the course of this year, it's that winning still means something in this championship, right?
It's like the people that have won are right near the top, right?
Unless you're, say, SVG and you just are still learning the oval.
So I do think somebody can get on a tear and get up there.
How many times during the old chase system were we saying Jimmy Johnson was slumping in the summer, had all these DNFs, was coming into the chase off beat, and then he would just win five out of ten and then just smoke everybody, right?
So, you know, I know Nolan has never experienced that with the Jets, but things do happen.
Once again, absolutely uncalled for.
Absolutely uncalled for.
I mean, I'm looking at, if you look at the standings, which finally loaded for me, and you're looking at a guy like Ryan Blaney, right?
Like, Penske's been off, but Penske has put it together in the playoffs, like for much of the last several years, right?
And I think that somebody like a Blaney could get hot.
I'm looking at Chase Elliott, who's been the best of the Hendrick bunch.
Is Kyle Larson really going to be this down forever?
Maybe I just, they really have looked off.
But if he gets hot, then I think he enters the conversation with that said, if, you know, you put a gun to my head right now, I do think that that Reddick and Hamlin have a pretty big edge.
And I would say Hamlin's the favorite right now.
I think with the level of experience that he has, and with the way that the 45 team came out of the box hot, then took a little bit of a step back.
If you get into a 10 race fight with a guy that has that much experience, I feel like at some point the odds are going to go Denny Hamlin's way, right?
Like, I don't know, what do you think, Nolan?
I mean, he's done this so many times, at some point the numbers have to come up for him.
First off, that was an unnecessary shot at the Jets, even though that you're not wrong, so thank you.
But I mean, listen, if you were to ask me this, at the end of March, end of April, I would have been like, dude, what are you, what are you smoking?
I mean, Khaled Reddick was on a different planet.
But I mean, what Denny has done, I mean, obviously it doesn't count because it's a non-pointrait, it's over.
Dude, I mean, he should have won Charlotte if the costume would have been held like three seconds longer.
He would have won at Charlotte.
He won at Nashville.
He won at Michigan.
He very well could be winning at Pocono this weekend.
And then the streak will come to an end because it's not going to win at San Diego or Sonoma.
But I mean, when you are hot, you're hot.
And I feel like if you get into that rhythm where you're just knocking them down, I would be scared.
On the opposite side, we've seen him choke and choke and choke.
And I don't feel like I can say, yes, this is finally his time when I thought it was his time last year, Dalton.
And I mean, he did everything right, everything.
And then William Byron cut a tire down and all hell went loose.
Plus, they go into a race track for the championship with Tyler Reddick that can run the highside very well.
So I'm not going to count Reddick out, but I definitely think it's just a two-horse battle.
Yeah, but you're still talking about the old playoff format is that the whole championship is not going to be decided at a homestead.
It's going to be decided among 10 races.
And look, I just want to say this is, you know, we talked about Denny Hamlin.
Everyone's like, oh my God, Denny Hamlin is so great right now.
And I thought Tyler Reddick was going to be great.
I thought Tyler Reddick was going to be the championship favorite.
And now Denny Hamlin is changing.
Look, this sport is a slave to recency bias because anytime we go to a race and somebody wins the race, we think, oh my God, he's a championship favorite.
But this isn't recency bias.
Denny Hamlin has been consistently consistent for the last 23 years.
I think he's probably arguably been the most consistent.
He's definitely the most consistent right now throughout the entire season.
So this is a different points format.
And I want to recall, by the way, before the season even started, I said Denny Hamlin is going to be the championship favorite.
I said, I think this is his best chance to win a championship going into a year.
And I got in that with criticism because everyone was like, no, he's done.
He's not going to win another one.
He's not going to win a championship.
I said he was going to be won.
I didn't want to name names.
That was me.
That was Ryan Timothy Dale 19 names Nolan.
Thank you.
I know you were.
And I was right.
But I just like this is a guy that's been consistent.
And this is a this is finally a championship format that rewards consistency.
And lo and behold, Denny Hamlin is really, really doing well.
And I know Tyler Reddick is doing pretty well too.
And of course it's going to be competition.
Thank God this competition.
I don't want one guy to run away with it.
But.
Reddick is not.
He got those five wins.
And I'll admit not all of them were by luck or not all of them were by, you know, the
fact that he was the most dominant.
I mean, some of them he was pretty good, but not all of them.
Denny Hamlin, when it comes to his wins so far this season, it's been out of dominance.
It's because he's had the fastest car.
So.
I see, I see him doing well in the in the chase.
And I still genuinely believe this is his best chance to win a championship.
And people are going to say, oh, yeah, but what about last season at Phoenix?
I know, blah, blah, blah.
I know this isn't a one race decision for the championship.
This is going to be over 10 races.
That's going to reward the most consistent driver and it's going to reward the driver
who did really well in the regular season, who's going to seed himself well into the
chase.
And I think Denny Hamlin, if he doesn't win the regular season championship is going
to be at least second.
And that's pretty good, pretty good standing when you start the chase.
And I think he's the most consistent driver.
I think.
I think he's got the best shot.
It's also like.
No, go ahead.
Yeah, go ahead.
The chase is it fits Hamlin better.
The track lineups.
It's like all, you know, with the exception of like no Pocono being in there, it's like
all of his best tracks are in the chase.
Martinsville, Kansas, Las Vegas, five of the 10 or mile and a half.
And that's where he's been really quick so far this year, plus Martinsville.
He was, he should, he should honestly have like six wins this year.
Kind of what Ryan was saying.
You know, like Martinsville, Texas, you could argue he should have won both of
those.
So yeah, it's, whereas I feel like red X kind of been like, he's been like the
Chicago Bears last year where like everything kind of lucky just kind of
happens.
The winds have just kind of fallen in his lap like the Daytona 500 Echo Park
Speedway.
You know, I don't call it that cause you call it Atlanta.
Somebody be like, it's actually Echo Park Speedway.
But Kota, he was really good, but there's no road course in the chase.
And that's, you know, that's one spot where Reddit could get him.
And it would have been won by SVG anyway.
Yeah.
But right.
Who would have finished second and Danny would have got like 15th and, you know,
but yeah, outside of those two though, like Chase Elliott's looks good.
Sometimes it doesn't have the speed those guys have though.
Like if Hendrick is faster, I think Chase could be a competitor.
Maybe Kyle Larson.
I just don't know how far you go below those guys.
I think Briscoe will figure it out eventually and get some wins, but yeah,
it really does feel like a two horse race, but I guess there probably will be
like a third guy that emerges at some point.
Well, I think part of it right is I'm going to throw out some names of people
that are in the top 10 and points.
So I don't think people might even realize Chris Busher, Daniel Suarez,
Daniel Suarez was like, you know, on the street six months ago.
And like now he's sitting there ninth in points.
Ty Gibbs, who, you know, congratulations, Ty, finally won a race,
but have we really seen him, you know, go deep in a championship run?
You know, some of the guys that have been there the last couple of years,
Bell is now hurt.
Byron's had a horrible year.
Joey Logano looks washed right now.
There's just not a lot of momentum for some of these guys that have the
experience of not just from the old chase, but from these, you know, playoff
battles.
And so for a third guy to come in, it's outside of maybe Elliott Larson or
Blaney, you'd have to trust that Carson Hosevar takes a step up to a level
we've never seen before.
It is suddenly like rolling off 23 wins in the chase.
And, you know, I think you got to temper those expectations.
I think Hosevar's had a great year, but I don't think we're going to see
that.
And I think that's what is making everybody think that it's a two horse
race right now.
Aside from the deficit is who else is going to come up and challenge them.
But I don't know.
I wouldn't sleep on Chase Elliott.
You know, Massey, you say Chase is good some of the time.
I feel like that's better than 0% of the time.
And then looking like you don't want to be there, you know, which I feel like
it was two years ago.
No, Chase has had a resurgence for like, this is the best he's looked since
what, 2022?
Yeah.
Yeah.
I admit, like whatever he's doing this year, maybe he's more passionate
for this year.
Something something's clicking or he, you know, you could argue he might have
won that race Sunday.
I'm about it and have that moment.
But he looked really good before that.
I just want to point out.
I know what Chase is not doing.
Go ahead, Tom.
No, I was just go ahead, Tom.
You're yours.
Hold on.
No, it was a joke.
It's the moment's past.
That's okay.
Save the joke.
Save the joke.
I want to hear it now.
We'll laugh.
No, you know what Carso is not doing?
He's not looking at a screen and going, let me study everybody's eyes and see
which eyes are closer together.
But you know.
True.
You mean chase Elliott?
Yeah.
Oh, man.
He's got the wrong name.
All right.
Don't worry, Tom.
I'll save you.
Don't.
Don't worry, Tom.
I'll save you.
I just, I just want to point out, like so many fans and almost all of us
really, like we still have this mentality of this playoff
elimination style format.
I keep thinking, oh man, like Brian did a little while ago.
I was like, uh, it's going to come down to homestead, but it's not.
It's going to come down to 10 races and there are only two people in the
chase right now in the top 16 that have been through a format like that.
Brad keselowski and Denny Hamlin.
Yeah.
So we're talking about guys who have experience in this type of format and
there's, I think it was like, if I'm not wrong, I got to redo it, but I
think there's like four guys outside of the chase format.
Uh, right now it's out of the chase right now that have, that have been
through that, but those guys know what it's like to be through a
consistent long format.
Was that being said, one guy that more than likely will not be part of the
chase, that will be Connor Zillich.
I think, Tom, are you going to introduce this topic or do you want
Dalton to introduce it?
No, I'll remember what I'm supposed to do this time.
I'll remember.
I'm just making sure.
Just making sure.
Yep.
That's for that.
Listen, buddy.
You know, stay in your lane over there.
So Connor Zillich.
Um, you know, he's had a really rough rookie season, right?
Back to back to back DNF.
So I don't think anybody expected it to be this bad.
And I think the topic that I wanted to bring up is, is this just
normal rookie going, going through something type of performance?
Or is there really something wrong there?
Because if you look at track house, I know Ross chestanes not performing,
but SVG is in for a guy that won 10 races last year and basically put on
one of the most spectacular performances that we've ever seen in the
history of the O'Reilly series.
You know, last year, Zillich has come out and just laid an egg in that.
I don't know about you guys, but if someone's a generational talent,
I'm sorry, you don't come out and lay this much of an egg.
Dalton, what do you think?
When was the last time we've seen an O'Reilly product or an O'Reilly
prodigy enter the cup series and immediately start taking off,
especially in the next year?
When was the last time we've seen that?
It's been a while.
It's been, it's been a while.
That's, that's different.
That's a different thing.
That's a different thing.
Completely different.
And honestly, like that's the road courses, but everywhere else, he's not
been, I mean, he's been good this year.
He's been okay on the ovals, but he wasn't, he's not like, let's say,
Casey Kane in 2004 or Denny Hamlin in 2006 or Kyle Bush in 2005.
Like he's not on that kind of level.
It's nowadays when these rookies come through the O'Reilly series and they
get so good in that car and they went, went a bunch of races, they enter
the cup series and they're just, they just, they lay an egg.
They stink.
William Byron, stunk, Joey Logano, stunk, Ty Gibbs, stunk.
A lot of these guys stink when they get into the cup series.
It happens, especially with a new car, a brand new car they're not used to.
So kind of a little bit of slack.
Okay.
Like, and that's a mention, it's not like he's been absolutely trash at Dover.
He was running in a top five, I think third at one point, if it wasn't,
if it weren't for the fact that that was a no points race, that had been a
really impressive run.
And we probably wouldn't be having this topic right now.
At Kota, at Watkins Glen, he was having some pretty good performances.
He was challenging SVG for a moment at Watkins Glen.
If the strategy didn't work out, he probably would have had a contention
for the win.
I'm really excited to see what he can do in two weeks in San Diego.
I'm excited to see what he can do at Sonoma.
I think he is the only, he's like the foil to SVG.
He's the only guy that I think could really challenge him on a road course.
I don't know if he'll actually do it this year, but he's still got the talent.
So kind of some slack.
Okay.
And that's a mention.
I know SVG has been good, but not on the level that Ross Chastain was in 2022.
My point being is the trackhouse cars are not as good as they were before.
So I don't think it's really fair to compare them to say some of these other
higher level teams like 2311 or Gibbs or let's say somewhere else a little bit
further up in the, or Spire even, I think Spire is a much better team at the moment.
So just saying cut them a little bit of slack.
Jesus.
I think he has reached this against Australians.
You know, like are those road course trophies any smaller?
Oh, Tom.
I know I'm gone.
I'm hearing tonight.
Connor Zodja has finished his 30th or worse, seven, including
the last three where he's finished 37, 38 and 39.
So either next week or this week at Pocono, he's going to finish 36 or the streak will
come to an end and he'll finish somewhere.
But I mean, this is an absolute season from hell.
It doesn't help the trackhouse has been absolute hell as well this year.
I mean, besides SVG, Chastain has been running on Wendy's and that's not a good
combination if you're trying to run on gasoline and not on Wendy's.
I mean, there is a spot of potentially opening for Hendricks.
Connor Zillich, you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I appreciate that.
I'm sorry.
I'm laughing.
What a messy space.
What just happened?
Had you run on Wendy's?
What were you talking about?
He's running on Wendy's.
Chastain is launched by Wendy's numb nut.
We're talking about gasoline, not that kind of gas.
I didn't mean it like that.
Anyway, if you were Connor Zillich, do you maybe throw like a little
feeler out there to Mr. H and hey, if I'm, if, if the 48 is open,
I'm potentially interested.
I mean, I want to get the hell out of track house as soon as I could.
Don.
If I'm Mr. H getting a call from Zillich right now, I'm hanging that
phone up.
Yeah, I don't, I don't think it really matters what Connor Zillich
wants.
Sorry, Mass.
What are you saying?
My question for Zillich would be, has he ever driven a bad race car
before this year?
Because I think that's part of the equation is that he's been in
good equipment all his life.
And now he's at track house.
And what was that word that starts with an S and ends with an S
that you're using Dalton.
Snakes.
Snakes.
So yeah, track house snakes right now.
It stinks.
Stucks.
It stinks right now.
And I think that he is trying too hard in a bad car.
I think the Chastain is doing the same and it is leading to Rex is
leading to bad things.
Whereas SVG is what the thing they say about him on road courses is
that the whole time he's building up this gap, he's taking care of
his tires.
He's taking cares.
So on the long run, everyone else's tires are shot and his tires are
still like brand new and he just takes off and is leaving.
So I think SVG's whole approach is just to go easy on everything
and it'll sort yourself out.
You'll get end up with a good finish.
Whereas these two other guys are trying too hard and getting in
Rex.
And so that's where I think I would equate Zillage right now to
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Because Stenhouse won two comparison and was now a Riley.
He moves up to a Roush Cup team that is awful at the time and he
just wrecked and
and it's because he was trying so hard.
Now Ricky is really good with a small team and maximizes his
finish.
And I think Zillage needs to kind of look at that playbook more
so maybe get there a little quicker than Ricky did.
And that's how he can start having some good runs by you got to
learn how to drive a bad race car.
Well I mean this kid I appreciate what everybody's saying but I
feel like we're too nice in 2026.
Like I think Conor Zillage is a great person.
I think he's going to be a superstar.
But like he's a legit shot from being behind Cody Ware.
Cody Ware in points at the halfway point of the season.
He's only 17 points ahead of Cody Ware.
You talk about yeah the new car.
Nobody succeeds with the new car.
Cody Ware could be ahead of this kid in points.
And you're telling me he's supposed to be the next Jeff
Gordon.
So yeah I mean I think that there are some issues to work out
there.
I don't think back to DNFs is worthy of oh you're a
generational talent.
Jeff Gordon struggled a little bit in his rookie season.
Jeff Gordon wasn't running with Cody Ware at the back of the
pack.
Like when you add up all these finishes and I know he's had
speed at some of these tracks.
But you know to the point that's been made here I do think it's
interesting because of the 48 does get made available.
They have set up a situation near where it doesn't look like
Trackhouse is a good long term fit right.
And if he's not real happy driving a car that he doesn't
like whether it's the car or whether it's him.
Well he's used to driving cars all his life that are the
equivalent of Hendrick.
And Hendrick is the type of guy that will look at this and go
oh I smell an opportunity.
And I think it will be interesting to see if they try and grab
him from Trackhouse a year early because he can't.
I don't care what he says in public.
He cannot be happy with what's going on.
Tony Stewart by the way won three times his first year as a
rookie.
Dale Jr.
won as a rookie.
Matt Kenseth won twice as a rookie I think.
Or was it was no it was Dale Jr.
that won multiple times as a rookie.
I think Kenseth won once but it was the Coke 600.
We've seen talented guys win in their first year.
This is not just supposed to be another rookie.
This is supposed to be a guy that is almost already anointed to
be in the Hall of Fame before he's even done something in
Cup.
You know who else he's got a decision.
Mr. H. got a decision.
Does he want Corey Day or does he want Connor Zillett.
I feel like Corey Day would do the same thing.
You move him up that quick.
He's just going to be more of the same.
So I don't know how many races has Corey Day won in his first
full-time O'Reilly season already.
What is it like two or three.
Which has had like what like four by this point in the year.
I think.
Stand by.
Stand by.
Stand by.
Nope.
He's going to look it up.
My point is like the car is different.
It's not like 2000.
It's not like 2001.
It's not like 2006, 2005.
Zillett ran four races in 2024 in O'Reilly 11 of them.
And then last year he ran all of them in 110.
Yeah.
He's asking at this point in the season.
Yeah.
All right.
He's won twice.
Well.
Okay.
My point being.
I'll look it up for you.
Okay.
Regardless.
Kind of like what Noah just put out.
Like this is not 2006 anymore.
The cars are different.
They're racing a completely different car when they move up the
cup.
It's not like you just get into a car with higher horsepower like it was in
the O'Reilly series back then.
These guys, they got to get used to these brand new cars.
I don't need any freaking help on actually, I guess I do.
I do need help on the research.
He only have one win at this point last year.
He only had one win.
Oh, did he?
Yeah.
One win.
I'll tell you what.
I'll tell you what.
I know what you're wanting.
Okay.
If Corey Day wins eight more races before the end of the season, then yeah.
Okay.
Well, maybe we can talk about that.
Maybe we can talk about him over Connor Zillich.
I mean, to Noah's point.
Okay.
Maybe people weren't winning, but host of our 24, one top 56 top
tens contended in some races, 21st in points.
Zillich hasn't even let a lap.
He doesn't even have a top 10 finish.
And look, second half of this season, he was a rock star in O'Reilly and he
could put it together here in the second half, but it just feels like the
confidence right now for him is just shot.
And I feel like that will make a difference.
Right?
You know, we've seen that with young drivers before when they get in these
funks, it's really hard for them to get out of it.
Austin Cedric.
Austin Cedric won the Daytona 500 as a rookie.
There you go.
When, you know what, we are going to take a quick break.
When we come back, we're going to be pouring one out.
That is all coming up next here on the front stretch.
Happy hour program.
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Down here with Cleetus McFarland for you.
What did you learn out there today?
Man, learn a ton.
By the way, front stretch is my, I think my favorite media spot right now.
Favorite media spot.
Favorite media spot.
I think my favorite media spot right now.
From the Agave Fields of Jalisco, Billy's Tequila.
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Welcome back.
Oh, look at that beautiful bottle of Billy's Tequila that Mr. Michael Massey has.
Welcome back though to our poor one out segment presented by Billy's Tequila.
Once again, big shout out to Billy and everybody there.
They do a fantastic job and it is the best Tequila that you will ever have.
I guarantee that as a Charles Barkley guarantee.
So once again, just go to Billy's Tequila.com order your bottle and say that front stretch
sent you.
Mr. Don Hopkins, we'll start with you.
What are you going to be pouring one out for brother?
Oh, good.
I had a primary and I had a backup just in case anyone took mine because this one's going
to be honest, a little bit low hanging fruit.
But man, no doubt Eric Jones deserves some kind of kudos this week.
Michigan native.
Everyone kind of thought that Carson Hosevar was going to be the Michigan native that was
going to challenge the most for the win.
And then no, Eric Jones shows up and he says, Hey, I exist too.
Well, she's been doing that a lot the last couple of weeks.
So good for him.
Happy for him.
Happy for he and Legacy Motor Club.
And by the way, his best finish since his win at Darlington in 2022.
So pouring one out for that Jones boy Byron, Michigan's own Eric Jones.
Next up, we'll go to Mr. Michael Massey.
Massey, who are you going to be pouring one out for brother?
Yeah, Jones is going to make the chase.
I'm just calling that right here.
But I was scared Dalton was going to take mine, but thankfully he didn't.
I'm going to pour one out.
You know, at least the Kila is a gentleman's drink.
Right.
There is no bigger gentleman in the NASCAR garage than Mr. Ned Jarrett.
We lost him this past week.
You know, one of the greatest NASCAR color commentators of all time.
And one of the greatest drivers too.
People forget that like he won two championships and retired after a
second at the age of 34.
So think how much more he could have won had he stayed out there,
but people were dying left and right at that time.
So that's why he got out of it.
But Ned Jarrett, I mean, he.
You can't overstate how important of a figure he is in NASCAR history.
So this one's for you, Ned.
Mr. Thomas bowls.
What are you going to be pouring one out for my man?
Well, I don't have Billy's this week.
I apologize, Billy.
Great man.
Great to Kila.
But, you know, I was called in at the last minute.
I'm going to stop.
Fiji water that I will pour one out.
Of course you drink Fiji water.
Of course you do.
Of course.
Yes. I mean, you know, there's, there's bottled water and then there's Fiji
water, two very different classes.
And everybody should be drinking.
So I will be pouring one out for all of Ford.
That's my poor one out.
Yeah.
Ford did not leave a single lap at Michigan.
And it's the race in their backyard.
And you look at where Penske is struggling this season.
You look at how RFK has been up and down this season.
Ryan Priest had an awful month of May.
Like everybody in the Ford camp is struggling right now.
And I've looked to see what they're doing in the minor leagues,
but frankly, they seem to have given up on the minor leagues.
So, I mean, Ford's really at an interesting crossroads, you know,
within the sport.
You know, they really don't have a ton in the pipeline, you know,
some, some teams in the truck series,
but nothing going on in the O'Reilly series and you'll limited level
of support outside of cups.
So I'm not quite sure what the long-term plan is,
especially because Ram is going to start to inch their way forward
the next couple of years and head into cup.
You know, could they poach a RFK racing down the line and what is
going to be the future there?
And I'm just, I feel like Ford has struggled in a way that I did
not expect so far in 2026.
I'm going to be pouring one out for good television broadcast
because we had two incredible telecasts on Sunday.
First off, Prime Video does such a phenomenal job.
Whether it was a pre-race, post-race, he has bulls.
I know you're smiling because I'm going to get to your company
that I work for, that you work for in just a little bit.
But back to Prime though, just everything that they do,
whether it's the free race, the post-race,
having Martin Church Jr. was a little different, but it's still good.
And then you switch over to Fox and you have Will Buxton
in Townsend and James Hensgloff and some guy that's next to him
doing stats.
I don't know what his name is.
But I mean, they had to persevere through all different types of
weather and they still did it.
And even though our IndyCar guy, Alex Gents,
was bitching up the storm, it was still a phenomenal race,
even though it lasted till like two in the morning.
But it felt good to have broadcasts that did not feel like
they were child or amateurish.
They felt real and authentic.
So I'm going to pour in one out for two great telecasts,
Sanda.
So kudos to you for you, Tom Bulls, and your entire Fox staff,
buddy.
I appreciate that.
Sorry.
The ratings for Michigan just came out a couple hours ago,
up 17 percent.
I know.
Every year.
Solid.
Yeah.
Prime.
What about the truck race, Brian?
I didn't.
I think it's time to go now.
Sorry, Tom.
Let me cut you off.
Just to be clear, I wasn't smiling because of my team,
although I love the team that I work for.
I'm smiling because Nolan's a dumbass.
Other than that, you know, look, we had a good broadcast on Sunday
night.
I'm so proud of what we've done with IndyCar and what we continue
to do.
And, you know, it's good for people to look at us and say
really, really good things.
It's always good when your work is appreciated.
You're welcome, Thomas, even though you say I'm a dumbass,
but whatever, you know, make fun of the jet says I'm a dumbass.
You know, this is like harassment 101.
But, you know, that's okay.
I'm a big boy.
Let's dive on into what is coming up on the Frontage Podcast
Network, bringing the trailer out coming up on Thursday.
Guest TBD.
We've had some internal back, some conflicts regarding the guest.
So hopefully we will have a awesome one or should I say a prime
guest.
But that is coming up.
I'm going up on Thursday.
Dalton, are you going to be writing anything?
Fire on Friday, potentially?
Yeah.
Fire on Friday will be made this week.
Okay.
You got it.
You want to pop again?
And I have not.
So we'll, that'll be something I'll probably come up here in the
next 48 hours.
But I will also probably be on the Race Watch Party on Sunday
for Poconos.
So I'll be joining Mike Neff and anybody else on our company who
decides to join and will actually show up instead of just saying
they're going to show up and then they just don't show up.
Okay.
Listen.
Whoever that may be.
Mike Neff texted me asking if I could come on.
I said I was at work.
He put my name.
You know, it's crazy.
I wasn't even talking about you.
Oh, really?
Oh, like he put my name on there.
He's talking about me.
I'm like, Neff, I'm not, I can't be on.
I'm on, I'm literally mowing grass right now.
He's like, oh, I put your name down anyway.
I'm like, oh, God bless you.
Michael Mast, you're not riding fire on Fridays.
Are you doing anything?
I'm not doing a thing.
Maybe I'll join this watch party to make it up for this class week
where I did not join.
Hmm.
Oh.
So yeah.
Nice easy.
Finally.
Love it.
Love it.
Mr. Tom Bolst.
You've got a dyn coming out.
At night.
If you're listening to this tomorrow, then it's already come out,
right?
Yes.
It's already come out.
It'll be on the driver injuries, both in NASCAR and IndyCar.
We've never seen, I shouldn't say we've never seen.
It's been a long time since we've seen this many that have been hurt
in the two series combined and still racing.
But, you know, as we saw with New Garden on Sunday,
it doesn't really matter.
And then hopefully I won't need to fill in for the next four or five
podcasts on the Front Stretch Podcast Network.
And I can enjoy some time off.
Got it.
I hope so.
But big thanks to you, Tom, for coming in on short notice.
We always love hanging out with you.
Dalton, Massey, it's always a pleasure,
or a big shout out to our producer, Chris Graham,
doing everything behind the scenes.
Tom Bolst, Michael Massey, Dalton Hopkins,
I am Brian Timothy Donnell.
And this was another edition of the Front Stretch Happy Hour
program.
We'll talk with you next week to preview San Diego.
Re-fuel in your in-room kitchen.
Keep pace with your furry co-pilot.
And take a cool down lap in our comfortable beds.
Check into the Winter Circle at My Place Hotels.
Use promo code FRONTSTRACH for 10% off.
From the Agave Fields of Jalisco,
Billy's Tequila, perfect in a margarita,
or straight over ice.
Celebrate the race of life with Billy's.
Use code RACER for 5% off at Billy's Tequila dot com.
Please enjoy responsibly.
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