Sports
“Politics In NASCAR”; Dale Earnhardt Jr. Joined Fans on Thrashing NASCAR Over “Manufacturing and Manipulating” Results at Michigan
Imagine this: you are leading the last few laps of the race comfortably, certain to take the checkered flag. And then suddenly there’s a “late yellow” for something that doesn’t warrant it. Any driver would be frustrated!
The same was the reaction of Tyler Reddick at the recent Michigan race. Not just him, but the entire NASCAR community is calling out the decision. The question here is not about NASCAR throwing a caution. It’s about the inconsistency. A similar incident happened at the Indianapolis race when Austin Cindric spun and hit the wall, but NASCAR did not raise a yellow flag there.
Now, fans speculate NASCAR is doing this to manipulate things on track and increase the race’s dramatic value. Adding on to the discussion is NASCAR veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr. as he discusses the on-ground events on Dale Jr. Download and questions the quickness of the decision, emphasizing, “The quickness of it (the decision) is the only concerning part.”
Is NASCAR manipulating results to favor certain drivers? React!
What happened at the Michigan race was a late-race caution that left Tyler Reddick frustrated. With a commanding lead and victory seemingly in sight, Reddick’s dominance was disrupted when Martin Truex Jr. hit the wall, nearing the end of the race. The ensuing caution erased Reddick’s advantage and forced the race into overtime. Many questioned NASCAR’s decision as the incident did not seem like it needed a yellow, and the race could have continued. Expectedly, Reddick lashed out at NASCAR too, saying, “Is this a f**ing joke? Come on. It’s bulls**t. He touched the fu**ing wall. … Good grief.”
However, in the end, Tyler Reddick won and surged ahead of William Byron, who finished in P2 on the second overtime restart, narrowly fending off both Byron and Ty Gibbs to claim victory. What is being questioned here is, why was Reddick denied a comfortable win?
In the August 20 episode of Dale Jr. Download, Junior agreed with the 23XI driver’s frustration. He said, “If I was driving the car leading the race, hell yes, I have the same reaction as Reddick, and maybe even you know running in the top 10 or the top five I might have the same reaction like what the hell?”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. further talked about how if he’d been in NASCAR’s shoes, he would have done things differently. He added, “If I was in the booth I would be like oh no, keep them going don’t throw the yellow, we’re almost to the finish. If we can avoid the yellow, that’s my mentality, in my mind.”
According to Dale Jr., this was a classic opportunity for NASCAR to increase the drama of the race, and they took it. Continuing his argument, he said, “I’m thinking though that for TV, they can deny it if they want, but for TV for the promoter, track owner, and possibly for NASCAR, they’re thinking, Oh hell yeah, late-race restart drama. Oh yeah, you know we’re trying to our audience is building all the way through the race right? So right there in the last 10 laps, you’ve got the largest audience you’ve got the most people paying attention to what you’re doing and can you give them something exciting?”
However, is it justified to just do this to increase the thrill of the race, or to increase the viewership?
The same wasn’t done at the Indianapolis race, where Kyle Larson took the win, even after Austin Cindric spun at the last moment. Dale Jr. in his episode tries to explain why NASCAR probably ruled differently in both cases.
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Mick Schumacher, the son of seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher, is in the running for a potential return to F1. The young racer has emerged as a late contender for a seat at Kick Sauber, which will become Audi in 2026. Led by Mattia Binotto, the team announced Mick as a candidate for their drivers’ lineup in 2025.
Speaking in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Binotto dived into details about the young driver. “We are definitely evaluating him [Mick Schumacher],” he said.
The statement is being seen as the 25-year-old’s last chance to return to the sport.
Mick has previous association with Mattia Binotto through the Ferrari Driver Academy.
Speaking about their connection, Binotto added, “I met him and spoke to him. I have known him for a long time, having been part of the Ferrari Driver Academy. I know his strengths and advantages. He is one of the names we have in mind.”
Mick, who drove for Haas during his last stint in Formula 1, was a reserve for Mercedes in the last two seasons. The driver was also in contention for a seat at Alpine after Esteban Ocon left the team for Haas. He even raced for the French manufacturer in the World Endurance Championship. However, the squad decided to go with rookie driver Jack Doohan, instead.
Audi Chief Binotto now has the young racer on the radar as he hopes to bring him back to the sport.
He discussed how the team was in no rush to make a hasty decision, especially now that most teams have already decided their line-ups. “There are two essential options: on the one hand, experience to set us on the growth path. On the other is a young, talented driver who can accompany us on the path to the top,” Binotto said.
With Sauber preparing for a full acquisition by Audi in 2026, the German carmaker looks focused on assembling a competitive team. Should Mick join Sauber, he would team up with Nico Hulkenberg, who leaves Haas at the end of the 2024 season. The 37-year-old German racer is taking one of the two seats next year.
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Carlos Sainz teased one day revealing his true thoughts on Mattia Binotto claiming he would not have signed Lewis Hamilton if still Ferrari boss.
Ahead of the F1 2024 campaign, Hamilton activated an exit clause in his Mercedes contract to engineer a blockbuster F1 2025 move to Ferrari, signing a multi-year deal. That came at the expense of Sainz, who has since agreed terms with Williams.
Carlos Sainz reacts after Binotto’s Lewis Hamilton Ferrari bombshell
At Ferrari, Hamilton reunites with his former junior series boss Fred Vasseur, who took over the reins at Maranello in 2023, after the exit of former team principal Mattia Binotto.
And Binotto has confirmed that if he were still calling the shots, Hamilton would not have got his Ferrari dream move.
Asked by Corriere della Sera if he would have signed Hamilton to Ferrari, Binotto replied: “No. But he did very well to go to Ferrari, I agree with his decision.”
Explaining his reasoning, Binotto said that Hamilton’s future Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc – a part of their line-up since 2019 and a Ferrari Driver Academy graduate – should be their centrepiece for an F1 title challenge.
“Because Ferrari had set their sights on other drivers. And if the talent is Leclerc, he is the one who somehow I think should be taken to the target,” claimed Binotto.
And Sainz, speaking at the 2024 Marca Sports Weekend, was asked for his reaction to that.
“Binotto says he wouldn’t have signed Lewis?” Sainz replied.
Gathering up his thoughts, Sainz teased that he would one day share them, but this was not the time.
“I don’t get involved in that,” he said, “I’ll keep my opinion to myself and I’ll tell you my opinion over dinner one day.”
As for the Hamilton and Leclerc partnership, Sainz believes it will be a successful one for Ferrari.
“He and Leclerc are two great drivers, I’m sure they’ll have a good time,” he said.
Sainz will be joining a Williams team striving to work its way up the F1 pecking order, with F1 2026 – the year that new chassis and power unit regulations arrive – very much the goal in mind rather than next season.
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Amidst the chaos in the Cup Series playoffs, one driver has been consistently getting the results while flying under the radar. Christopher Bell has been somewhat of a dark horse in the ongoing campaign, even though he’s currently second in the championship, having secured three wins in the season so far. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has shown great consistency over the last few weeks, finishing no lower than seventh in the last four races.
Despite the attention going towards the traditional favorites such as Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin, a prominent NASCAR Insider isn’t ruling out Christopher Bell as a genuine title contender if he does make it to Phoenix Raceway later this year.
He might not be in the headlines, but Christopher Bell has every reason to be optimistic about his championship hopes going into the last four races of the season. The 29-year-old has shown tremendous consistency over the last few months, having finished inside the top ten in 9 out of the last 11 races. As a result, the No. 20 Toyota Camry driver finds himself just behind Kyle Larson in the standings going into the Round of Eight. Even though Victory Lane has eluded the Oklahoma native, Bell is playing the long game, hoping to remain in contention, going into the Championship 4 race.
Highlighting his expectations from Christopher Bell, NBC Sports play-by-play announcer Leigh Diffey said on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, “I don’t think enough people give enough credit to Christopher Bell. To me, he’s that quiet achiever and I love the fact that how honest he was at Kansas where he made the mistake at the end of Stage 1 and Stage 2 when he hit the wall, said that’s totally on me. I just think he’s the only guy who’s made the Championship 4 the last two years in succession, and I just think the time is now for him.
