idk how dale jr was able to acquire the script before the start of the playoffs but the fact he predicted blaney being the champ after the summer the 12 had is wild
Roger Penski is a Verry powerful person in Any and All Racing. He will have Ross Jobless once he goes back and watches how Ross tried to take out the Champion about 4 times. BLANEY had a faster car , but Ross is so stupid he almost changed WHO was going to become the champion, he is an idiot !!!!there are Un written rules, in racing, and he should of Let them ( The championship Racers RACE ) without all his dirty air. He almost wrecked blaney a few times. Taking his lines. , and Blaney had a faster car, PERIOD. OVER AND OVER the idiot about ruined Blaneys Career. Highlight. Wow Ross is some kind of silly , Roger penski will have his balls by Wednesday, and Rick Hendrick ,they both are so.mad at Ross, there will be a Huge price to pay !!!!! he pretty much ruined his own career doing what he did., did you see MTJ back off and let the Championship 3 race it out ???? Thats BECAUSE he's smart , that's what SMART race car drivers Do !!!!!
@@Dr.Anderson703 Ross only won because he blocked the champ about 8 times and took his lines , and gabe him dirty air that ALMOST Put Blaney into the wall, amd almost flattened his right front tire. MTJ , WAS just as fast , he could of won, but he backed off and let the Championship 3 race it out. WITHOUT DIRTY AIR. Blaney had the fastest car. Not Ross. He just got lucky, but hes an idiot that POSSIBLY changed who was going to be the champion , if you don't see this , we can agree to disagree. But he raced Blaney DIRTY in a Very Very bad bad way. About 8 times. Once Blaney had the run and got on the inside of him, Ross now has Roger penski mad, and Rick Hendrick mad. Lets see what engines he gets next year. !!!....???? Ill bet you he gets 2nd tier Equipment , because hes such an idiot !!!!!
@courtneyanderson9469 Blaney has only 8 top 5s and two wins. He was inconsistent all season. If the playoffs didn't exist, Blaney would've finished 7th. The best man didn't win the championship although that's not really Blaney's fault since that's how the rules are. In other racing series, they don't have this format for that reason. They should go back to a traditional points format and get rid of the playoffs
I just realized, with Harvick gone we don’t have anymore full time drivers who were racing cup before the chase began. This truly is the end of an era.
The Winner in Harvick’s Debut: Steve Park (DEI #1) The Winner in Harvick’s Final Race: Ross Chastain (Trackhouse #1) Also, the crazy part DEI merged into Chip Ganassi Racing and later bought by trackhouse...so is also the same #1? Also the 24 was on the Pole for both races. Found on Reddit
I’m late to this comment but I’ll add to this: Ty Norris was completion director in both DEI and Trackhouse. Harvicks sponsor Busch is going to Chastain next year. It was kind of like a “passing of the torch” in a way with Chastain winning on Harvicks last race.
We love some Eric in here, but I do think in hindsight it’s so easy to look foolish. If someone called a blaney 🏆 midsummer, you’d think they were eating acid for breakfast 😂
The racing product was some of the best I've ever seen at this track. The amount of different leaders, the fights for position between all Championship 4 drivers, everything. And what a way to end it. Glad the Force was with Blaney today.
Where was the passing ??? There wasn't much woth this next Gen cars. The racing is So much worse than the Xfinity series , and the older gen Cup cars. , I dont know what you saw as the racing, other than maybe restarts, but past the 5th place to 7th place, the racing was BAD BAD ,
@@Tow_Sr.do you even watch the races? there is significantly more passing with the next gen than the last 15 years of nascar. lead changes are about the same, so it is hard to pass for the lead still, but there are passes for the lead and we’re seeing more passes for the lead recently. xfinity has lots of passing and good racing but it’s a wreckfest more often than not, which makes for a lot of passing. trucks are always a wreckfest and on top of that the racing itself is usually TERRIBLE. The cup series with the next gen has the best product overall. consistently good racing, occasionally GREAT racing, and it’s cleaner than the other series. as seen by attendance, the core fan base LOVES the next gen with tons of races selling out, including almost if not every short track race. attendance overall has gone up over 20% from 4 years ago. This car and the schedule have been great.
@@danielchai6145 4 years ago , even 3 years ago, the racing was ALOT better. And it was covid protocol, I know actually knew behind the scenes racers. they HATE this car. I know inside the garage and they HAVE 2 say the best about the car. But 99% of drivers , except Ross , they HATE this car, and they want the gen 6 back, but with modifications to meet the times were in , you have an opinion, but most of the Teams and Crew Chiefs , they do not like this F1 /IMSA style car , and they all know the old wheels and tires alone and smaller breaks would put on better races. And do away with the underbody kits , you dont know what you don't know. , but they made this car to help with dirty air. But they ALL say its MUCH WORSE than before , so believe what you want. , but the #1 fact is , cars that go in Circles 96% of the laps in a season, independent rear suspension is a JOKE , AND THE small sidewalls are like driving with Drag Slicks , not good, amd 1 more point, the Xfinity series q times was faster with a hotter track , and a green / Clean track, this NOT GOOD. just look at everyone thats leaving, they are SO DONE WITH this car ,
As a Harvick fan I can’t believe it’s all over 😢. Man this season went by fast. Happy for Blaney my now second favorite driver. Even still screw these playoffs. No the regular season doesn’t matter more than it did 2003 and back I have to disagree with that
I'm probably going to be pre-ordering both Chastain's and Blaney's cars from today. Couldn't ask for a better ending to the season, in my opinion. Ford was definitely the big winner this weekend. However, Toyota was certainly the biggest loser between Bell's brake failure and Corey Heim's temper tantrum, costing them potential championships.
It’s ironic though, Ford was absolutely terrible overall this year. Personally it should be a three race round for the final four, seems more objective.
Ryan Blaney drove this race like his father back in the 1990s. Probably the smartest execution of a race I’ve seen from Ryan. I wanted to see Kevin Harvick further up the leaderboard in his final race but am proud of his effort nonetheless. Congratulations to Blaney and Team Penske on this win. It’s very well deserved!
Kurt and Kevin should have rode off into the sunset together, the last full timer to race big E, and the last drivers from the Winston era. But nascar's new car...
Ross called his shot in his interview today at the chevy tent. He said he was upset about last year finish and he wanted to prove trackhouse can take care of business on the big race.
Winning the Indy 500, the World 600, and the Cup Series championship in the same season is a great accomplishment for Roger Penske. Congrats to Blaney! I wish Kevin could’ve won, but Ross is good too. Why NBC didn’t interview him right away… and also dropped the ball with Kevin and Aric in their final race too… I have no idea.
And with the champion scoring the fewest top 5s of anyone in the top 10 and 3rd fewest in the top 14 of the final standings a massive 8 in 36 races we have the greatest race and points system ever produced. Bravo Nascar. Especially with the points system. Give my regards to Mickey Mouse.
Ross is an idiot for not letting the champions race without dirty air. He almost Wrecked Blaney a few times. After Blaney was GOING TO PASS HIM, IM still in Shock over how stupid Ross is. Amd I race , and over 50 wins. 2 Championships, and a hole attack full of trophys, BUT there is Bracing etiquette and Ross has zero scense , he altered the outcome , and almost took away a championship from Blaney, wow he's not ok, he needs brain scans , SERIOUSLY ,
Thanks Eric for another informative year in nascar! You do an awesome job and the emotions you bring with it! It has been fun rooting on drivers all these years but with Kevin retired as a driver he was the last of my 2001 era drivers. I'll just be watching races now with my girls as they cheer on their drivers!
I’m curious to see if this really propels Blaney next year or if he suffers from the hangover, also Hendrick will be out for blood next year with Elliott and Bowman looking to get back into the playoffs and Larson and Byron trying to get their championships
It doesnt matter how angry Hendrick or anyone is. When you finish the year with the fewest top 5s of anyone in the top 10 and 3rd fewest in the top 14 being 8 in 36 races compared to a guy who won 6 races and was up front all year and has only 3 fewer top 5s than the champion has top 10s what do you call that? You call that driver a champion in nascar obviously. Anger and focus wont propell you to a title like it use to from 2003 on back. Just win races and if you win the "title" cool i guess.
@@Be.authentic_ it absolutely will, the 12 proved that today on that final restart, not to mention that the regular season means a lot more than people give it credit for, Truex was able to coast to the round of 8 with those playoff points. This format rewards consistency and that is something I love about the playoffs, you have to be consistently great. I do wish the final round was 2 or 3 races however
@@thatssouper if it rewards consistently how did a driver with 15 top 5s and 21 top tens and 6 wins lose to a guy who had the fewest top 5s in the top 10 and 3rd fewest in the top 14 of the final standings? You're saying Ryan Blaney was better than William Byron and Byron didnt deserve to win the title when he had the best and most consistent stats? Idk bro looks to me Byron had a championship season and Ryan was barely a top 10 driver all year. Or maybe im delusional? Right? 🤔🤔🤔
@@Be.authentic_ Byron didn’t deserve it, neither did Blaney, Larson, or Bell. A championship is never deserved, it’s earned. Byron choked when he needed to perform, starting with Martinsville. So no Byron didn’t “deserve it” but no one deserves a championship
Interesting piece of Harvick trivia I heard on another on another web-cast: Harvick's 1st race was won by Steve Park. His last race by Ross Chastain - BOTH driving the #1 car.
Oh it gets deeper than that! Steve Park was driving for DEI, which became EGR, then CGR- which was bought by TrackHouse. You could say it’s technically the SAME No.1 team. Also both races had the 24 on the pole, and both races had two Gibbs cars plus a Wallace and a Blaney finishing top10.
Here-Here, Getting Rid of "The Roval" wouldn't bother me "at all".... Fans miss too much Race Action on Road Courses like that one... Camera coverage Sucks...
Let talk about this, In 2020, Ford won the manufacturers championship. But come playoff time, Harvick, who had the most wins, didn't win the cup! Did anyone complain,nope. Now Blaney in a Ford does what Elliott did, and everybody wants to change the playoffs. I get tired of it all. First off congrats to Chevy for winning the manufacturers cups. And congratulations to Ford for winning all three series championships. Guess we know what manufacturer will have their car on the stage! Payback for 2020 is sweet! As for the Phoenix race, what race did you watch. I was on the edge of my seat most of the race. Lead changes, racing from the back, drama with brake failures. What more do you guys want! I give it an 80% !! Can't wait for next year!!
First of all big Congrats to Blaney! Really did well the last couple weeks. And totally agree Eric that these teams know the format and when you need to be good. However, Byron arguably did better than Blaney when it mattered most. Byron's average finish in the playoffs was 6.1 while Blaney's was 9.5. While I don't think a full year point system is ideal, you can understand the frustration from Byron fans when not only was their regular season performance better than Blaney's, but also their playoff performance overall.
I’m happy for Blaney. Seemed like just a year or two ago people were talking about how he was too inconsistent to win a championship. But here he is. Was it a season long championship? No. But he won in the format that was in front of him.
Another channel put out stat that When Harvick took over for Earmhardt at Rockingham in his first race full time, Steve Park won in the #1 Penzoil Car. In Harvicks Last race Ross Chastain won the race in the #1 Worldwide Express car. So Harvicks first and last race was won by #1 car. Not my stat but WOW
This Championship and "the racing product" it produces proved itself this week. While it may lack in the truck series, the xfinity and most of all cup series prove time and time again how exciting and good it is for the sport and at the end of the day nascar biggest product is the cup series
People wanna talk about Ryan not being as good during the summer but he still finished the season 1st in points. That says something for the yr as a whole
Blaney was consistent and doing good in the right place at the right moment and achieve it. Great season, now waiting for 2024 season. Congrats to Blaney and Ford that win in the three series, and new Mustang comming next year.
Now with Ross chastain winning at Phoenix he has a win at every type of track in the cup series Road Course Super Speedway intermediate and now a short track.
Trackhouse took the loss last year seriously and brought there A game today and Ross drove amazing. Tv and Nascar lost out not letting him do any front straight celebration. Just a 1min interview after everyone else was interviewed that didn't win the race
@@johnsnow1355do you want to know why because of drivers like Ross not knowing when to fight and last year hooking chase was a bad move and this year being a bonehead fighting blaney who was faster than Ross and learning to finish second and not to try to fight a driver faster than you and fighting for the title
@@patrickmikos4699 Not the point… HE LITERALLY WON THE RACE AND YOU’RE HERE ACTING LIKE HES A DAMN VILLAIN ALL BECAUSE HE MADE ONE BAD MOVE LAST YEAR. Some people… he should’ve been one of the FIRST ones to be interviewed and he wasn’t… that’s a problem. I’m sorry you can’t see it that way.
What a season it’s been. Hard to believe it just flew by just like that. Seems like it wasn’t that long ago Stenhouse won the Daytona 500. Congrats to Ben Rhode, Cole Custer and Ryan Blaney on winning the championships. Can’t wait till next year
As an Elliott fan I’m glad this roller coaster season is over I hope he has a better season next year as for the race it was pretty solid for Phoenix standards tons of battles especially in the second half of the race I also wanna tip my hat to Blaney he ran a great race and definitely earned that championship
Ryan’s car was so fassssst and he was driving a bit wild. He scared me a few times. I thought he was gonna take himself out. So glad he didn’t. 😎 🏁🏁 Go Blaney gooooo ! 🏆
I believe the plan is to eventually have the Championship Race at the track NASCAR builds in California. I think fans should actually come together and try to sway the owners to push NASCAR back to a full season format, but that's another conversation. I also believe that SMI is going to renovate Texas and perhaps copy the Homestead model 18-20 progressive banking with the agreement being that they will host the final race for 3-5 years within a few seasons of the project being done. The Texas market is far to big to let that opportunity go to waste if you're the track and if you're NASCAR.
@miguelbarrero5572 one of my favorite memories was hanging out under the grandstands during the 2015 rain delays. Just chatting with tons of other fans was great while we waited soaking wet for like 6 houras
That's what almost every race was like in the 90s and very early 2000s. Richmond had almost 100k seats and sold out twice a year. Now, they're lucky to sell half of the 50k seats they have.
I said this once (actually a million times) and I’ll say it again, DON’T DOUBT MY MAN RYAN BLANEY. I took a 5 year break off staying updated with NASCAR. And the year that I get back into it and start following it, my favorite driver pulls through and wins the championship. It felt so good!
@@nathanielbailey108 Yeah my bad. I took a 5 year break cause all the old guys I knew were retiring. Tony, Jeff, Carl, Matt and dale had one more year I think.
Blaney fan here, Chastain didnt do anything wrong. Chastain didnt have anything to lose, the champ 4 did, so i think he used that to his advantage to win the race.
Maybe part of the thrill was simply seeing a good Phoenix finale after last year's snoozer, but that final restart with Blaney's championship-winning charge was one of the most stressful, exhilarating moments in my three seasons of watching NASCAR. Congrats to him and congrats to Ross for the win! (Although man I wish I didn't have to rely on fan videos to see today's Melon Smash.)
Beginning of this next gen era I stopped being a KB fan and started rooting for Ryan Blaney and the 12 team , it’s special to see Ryan Blaney and the 12 win my grandmother was a Ryan Newman fan I got to watch this with her Ryan Newman #12 clock on the wall. And now I got to see my driver in the 12 win a championship as she as
I’m a Fire guy through and through, Blaney winning was great, loved the Ford 3 series champ sweep BUT I have completely respect for Ross not giving a damn.
It was honestly a good race. Definitely the right way to crown a champion in my opinion. The only thing I wish they'd change is the time this race starts. I just feel it's weird to finish the championship race in the daytime.
No cautions with there 14" wide tires. I don't even want to get started on how bad that is for racing, 💯, the Xfinity series put on better races EVERY WEEK. BECAUSE they use real race cars and real transmittions and real rear ends. And REAL/ Correct Size wheels and tires , the next gen is a HORRIBLE car that puts on Horrible races , Compaired to cars that have 50 +years of Test and tune products that are on the track , I honestly HATE the gen 7 cars there horribke and the aero is why they made them, and its now 100 Times worse than the Gen 6 cars and the xfiniry series cars.
Thank you, Eric, for keeping us informed and entertained throughout the season. I'm a Blaney fan, so my opinion may be a little biased. But this was the most exciting season ever, and I've been watching since 2006. You know what it's like, when you have a favourite driver, you have all eyes on him, with just an occasional glance at the rest of the field. To see Blaney's rise through the field was exhilarating. Those adjustments to the car after the first stage were magical. The Blaney/Chastain battle was great TV and the clean hard racing with the other Championship contenders needs to be applauded. To those who don't like the current championship format, I have some sympathy, but everyone races under the same rules. The one who comes out on top is the champion. Ryan Blaney is the Champion, and a very worthy Champion.
Thanks for another great season of reviews! Love watching the breakdowns after every races and keeping up with the midweek news from you! Appreciate you helping me be a more informed fan!
I thought the race was super exciting. I do like the playoff format and I 100% reject making the championship a 3 race battle. That's what the other rounds are for; to qualify for the championship. There were multiple lanes, sliding cars, great restarts, and passes could be made. I have very few complaints about the on-track product. With 30ish to go, you have Chastain and Hamlin battling Blaney, Larson, and Byron all together on the track. Larson and Hamlin have had issues this year and also both of them with Chastain. It was great. You could hardly script a more exciting finish. In my opinion if you didn't like this just go watch re-runs of 90's races because this was the pinnacle of this era NASCAR.
I am a older (61) when the Final race was decided at Riverside International Raceway (a road course track). I was there when Ricky Rudd won Rookie of the year and Cale Yarborough was the 1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National. Actually it was moved to Ontario Motor Speedway.
Blaney in his own way showed he could get his elbows out and fight for the win and the even though he had the best car by a long shot he definitely had to fight really hard for it. What an amazing drive
Personally I’d love to see either Wilkesboro or if it must be an ISE track, make it darlington. I know traditionalists will roast me for my two picks, however imagine a race at Darlington being the championship race. An attrition race, with ever changing track conditions and the top 4 racing on one of the sports oldest tracks. I love the sound of that.
Got to watch the race live and while the actual racing wasn’t great it was a fun race to be a part of and even though my boy Larson came up just short it was a great experience
How about that! When you made your picks awhile back you didn’t even give Ryan a chance to advance! Way to go Ryan! Congratulations on being the NASCAR champion!!
I was curious if Ross would get the checkered flag since he won. I didn't see it in either of their cars. NBC mentioned Blaney usually gives it to a fan, but I don't think we saw that on TV if it happened. I wonder if they knew beforehand who would get the checkard if a non-playoff driver won or if they played it by ear.
After the Martinsville win, I booked my entire trip to Phoenix. Glad I did because my boy got it done today! Way to go Blaney. Clutched it up today for sure. Against one of the best, Larson no less. That’s a big accomplishment.
Blaney winning remined me of when Tony Stewart won. Tony had to win so much when it counted and had to race his ass off to finish infront of Carl Edward's. So proud of my driver. Time to go buy some merchandise.
I was at the race, and I would say the word for the race is, intense. For me it was three races in one, the race for the lead, the race for the championship, and the race my driver was running. That made it all very intense.
*Blaney Bumps Chastain* Reporter asks: Did you mean to bump chastain Ryan Blaney: Your ****ing Right I did he blocked me 10 times on purpose I love blaney 😂😂😂
After the interview Christopher Bell gave when he had his brake problems, he is a champion in my book. Hellyeah Ford 3 for 3 they swept trucks, xfinity, & cup. Let me add I'm still passed enfinger got totally screwed.
It was a great race to end a great season, and im glad Blaney got the cup. That said, i find his frustration with Ross for daring to race him, for the lead, in the third stage mind you, extremely insulting. Im so tired of hearing drivers complain about having to race someone
If you felt like he was costing you a championship, you'd be upset, too. Ultimately, it didn't matter because a caution came out, but Ross was backing Blaney up into the 5. Had that continued, Larson very well may have passed him.
@@oIRONITEo Neither the 1 nor the 12 were losing time to the 5 or 19 either one until Blaney started aggressively racing Ross for the lead. Even after the 19 caught them, because Blaney repeatedly side drafted down the straights, keeping the 12 and 1 side by side, there was still 4 seconds back to the 5. Blaneys championship was not in danger at all. Even if it was, Ross has absolutely zero obligation to get out of his way. He's a racer. He literally gets paid to get the best finish possible out of his car, and letting the 12 by for the lead late in the race most certainly isn't getting the best finish out of the car
@limprooster3253 Blaney at that point was also clearly faster than the 1 and couldn't get by because of Aero games. If Blaney could've gotten by Ross, that gap was going to keep going up and up. He may not have been losing time, but he was definitely being cost time being stuck behind Ross. I'm not saying Ross did anything wrong, but to act like Blaney didn't have a right to be frustrated is absurd. At some point, Blaney just has to move him and go.
@@oIRONITEo I just can't say that I agree with that. I get sick of hearing drivers whine about being raced by lap cars, and in my opinion, every lap car should race the leader like Ryan Newman. I don't care what the situation, if you catch the leader in the final stage for any reason other than green flag pit stops, you should expect them to race you. Consider it from this perspective: Blaney got upset because Chastain didn't give him the race lead, because Blaney allegedly feared the 5 would catch up. Then Blaney gassed up mid corner in an attempt to punt the 1 out of the way. Had that worked, and the 1 slid up the track, and then the 1 returned the favor on the next lap, wrecking the 12, would you be upset with the 1 for wrecking a championship contender? Or should we criticize Blaney for putting himself in that situation?
@limprooster3253 depends on how competitive the lap car is tbh. If you're driving like Newman and are being lapped in 25 laps or so. Then yeah, move out of the way. If your car is competitive, just have had bad luck, then race them to keep your lap. As far as the Blaney situation, if that did happen, then yeah, we could blame him for putting himself in that position, but it'd be a huge overreaction to wreck him for moving you. Now, had he put Ross in the wall or something, then sure, you get what you get. The problem all goes back to the cars design. Faster cars in dirty air can't pass slower cars in clean air.
I was there at the race and I have to say the best part of the race was Harvick gaining the lead for the last time in his career. The entire crowd, myself included, went ballistic to see Happy Harvick lead a few laps for the last time. If you go back to that moment in the broadcast you can barely hear the crowd but it was loud where I was.
This year for Blaney is literally a Jimmie Johnson title run, run well and win in the first third of the season, the summer prepare your equipment, start experimenting, in the playoffs hit the go switch and run all out
A driver who wins 1 regular season race, has an average finish of 14.82, wins the championship, its just bad. Love Blaney, super stoked he got a championship, but he doesn't really deserve to be a "champion". This feels like a participation trophy championship. I'd rather see 0 playoffs, and consistency be rewarded for an entire year, not a couple races.
Eric: Picks Blaney to be eliminated in the first round
Blaney: And I took that personally
Kyle Petty says Blaney will be like Kasey Kahne potentially unfulfilled . Blaney: Hold my Bill France Cup Trophy. .
@DC322 I was just saying that when Blaney was doing his burnout. He made Kyle Petty eat those words.
🤣😂🤣
and blaney actually swatches the show😂
@@DC322kyle petty knows a thing or two about unfulfilled potential!
Since Talladega, Ryan Blaney has not had a single finish worse than 12th. Talk about channeling your inner Jimmie Johnson.
Do not put Blaney in the same sentence as Johnson. At least Johnson was more consistent at this stage.
@@lemonjuicegaming6551take a chill pill dude
Jimmie the juggernaut Johnson
pull your butt floss out for a minute. @@lemonjuicegaming6551
@@lemonjuicegaming6551he’s 29 and won his first ship
idk how dale jr was able to acquire the script before the start of the playoffs but the fact he predicted blaney being the champ after the summer the 12 had is wild
ikr
He picked him before the season not the playoffs
@ballplayer1799Redneck Jesus
And Jr stuck with Ryan even after his co-host and crew joked about it and questioned him in the summer.
Yes!!! Props to JR for calling him make it to final 4 and he picked him to win.. first thing I thought of when Blaney took the lead at the end
It really felt like there was an unwritten rule that for the final race only the Championship Four were even *allowed* to win. I'm glad that's over.
Right! Ross always breaking unwritten rules. I think NASCAR hated that he won the race. Best car won race and the best driver won the championship.
Roger Penski is a Verry powerful person in Any and All Racing. He will have Ross Jobless once he goes back and watches how Ross tried to take out the Champion about 4 times. BLANEY had a faster car , but Ross is so stupid he almost changed WHO was going to become the champion, he is an idiot !!!!there are Un written rules, in racing, and he should of Let them ( The championship Racers RACE ) without all his dirty air. He almost wrecked blaney a few times. Taking his lines. , and Blaney had a faster car, PERIOD. OVER AND OVER the idiot about ruined Blaneys Career. Highlight. Wow Ross is some kind of silly , Roger penski will have his balls by Wednesday, and Rick Hendrick ,they both are so.mad at Ross, there will be a Huge price to pay !!!!! he pretty much ruined his own career doing what he did., did you see MTJ back off and let the Championship 3 race it out ???? Thats BECAUSE he's smart , that's what SMART race car drivers Do !!!!!
@@Dr.Anderson703 Ross only won because he blocked the champ about 8 times and took his lines , and gabe him dirty air that ALMOST Put Blaney into the wall, amd almost flattened his right front tire. MTJ , WAS just as fast , he could of won, but he backed off and let the Championship 3 race it out. WITHOUT DIRTY AIR. Blaney had the fastest car. Not Ross. He just got lucky, but hes an idiot that POSSIBLY changed who was going to be the champion , if you don't see this , we can agree to disagree. But he raced Blaney DIRTY in a Very Very bad bad way. About 8 times. Once Blaney had the run and got on the inside of him, Ross now has Roger penski mad, and Rick Hendrick mad. Lets see what engines he gets next year. !!!....???? Ill bet you he gets 2nd tier Equipment , because hes such an idiot !!!!!
@courtneyanderson9469 Blaney has only 8 top 5s and two wins. He was inconsistent all season. If the playoffs didn't exist, Blaney would've finished 7th. The best man didn't win the championship although that's not really Blaney's fault since that's how the rules are. In other racing series, they don't have this format for that reason. They should go back to a traditional points format and get rid of the playoffs
This is the Dumbest thing I've read in years.
I just realized, with Harvick gone we don’t have anymore full time drivers who were racing cup before the chase began. This truly is the end of an era.
Wow that’s crazy to think about
Newman still run some races.
Kyle Busch?
@@msack6904busch did not go full time Cup until 2005.
@@jimmywilliams1822but still made starts
The Winner in Harvick’s Debut: Steve Park (DEI #1)
The Winner in Harvick’s Final Race: Ross Chastain (Trackhouse #1)
Also, the crazy part DEI merged into Chip Ganassi Racing and later bought by trackhouse...so is also the same #1?
Also the 24 was on the Pole for both races.
Found on Reddit
I’m late to this comment but I’ll add to this:
Ty Norris was completion director in both DEI and Trackhouse.
Harvicks sponsor Busch is going to Chastain next year. It was kind of like a “passing of the torch” in a way with Chastain winning on Harvicks last race.
This man Eric went 0-3 on championship picks
We love some Eric in here, but I do think in hindsight it’s so easy to look foolish. If someone called a blaney 🏆 midsummer, you’d think they were eating acid for breakfast 😂
I went 3 for 3 ...... Maybe I should start my own NASCAR channel ......
@@stonecoldracing6Dale Jr picked him back at the beginning of the season.
I picked Hocevar and Nemecheck both got last out of the four. I did pick Blaney though so I got one
Gotta love the love the drivers had for Blaney congratulating him at the end.
The racing product was some of the best I've ever seen at this track. The amount of different leaders, the fights for position between all Championship 4 drivers, everything. And what a way to end it. Glad the Force was with Blaney today.
Where was the passing ??? There wasn't much woth this next Gen cars. The racing is So much worse than the Xfinity series , and the older gen Cup cars. , I dont know what you saw as the racing, other than maybe restarts, but past the 5th place to 7th place, the racing was BAD BAD ,
@@Tow_Sr.sure you weren’t watchin the f1 race?
Whatever they did with the tire has worked wonders. We’ve really ended on a high.
@@Tow_Sr.do you even watch the races? there is significantly more passing with the next gen than the last 15 years of nascar. lead changes are about the same, so it is hard to pass for the lead still, but there are passes for the lead and we’re seeing more passes for the lead recently.
xfinity has lots of passing and good racing but it’s a wreckfest more often than not, which makes for a lot of passing. trucks are always a wreckfest and on top of that the racing itself is usually TERRIBLE.
The cup series with the next gen has the best product overall. consistently good racing, occasionally GREAT racing, and it’s cleaner than the other series.
as seen by attendance, the core fan base LOVES the next gen with tons of races selling out, including almost if not every short track race. attendance overall has gone up over 20% from 4 years ago. This car and the schedule have been great.
@@danielchai6145 4 years ago , even 3 years ago, the racing was ALOT better. And it was covid protocol, I know actually knew behind the scenes racers. they HATE this car. I know inside the garage and they HAVE 2 say the best about the car. But 99% of drivers , except Ross , they HATE this car, and they want the gen 6 back, but with modifications to meet the times were in , you have an opinion, but most of the Teams and Crew Chiefs , they do not like this F1 /IMSA style car , and they all know the old wheels and tires alone and smaller breaks would put on better races. And do away with the underbody kits , you dont know what you don't know. , but they made this car to help with dirty air. But they ALL say its MUCH WORSE than before , so believe what you want. , but the #1 fact is , cars that go in Circles 96% of the laps in a season, independent rear suspension is a JOKE , AND THE small sidewalls are like driving with Drag Slicks , not good, amd 1 more point, the Xfinity series q times was faster with a hotter track , and a green / Clean track, this NOT GOOD. just look at everyone thats leaving, they are SO DONE WITH this car ,
It’s kind of funny how everybody was kind of predicting you go out in the round of 16. But now he is a NASCAR cup series champion.
With the fewest top 5s in the top 10 and 3rd fewest in the top 14. A massive 8 in 36 races. What a champion.
O HELL NASCAR IS CRYING ABOUT FORD DOING THERE THING & GM IS WHINING WITH NASCAR BC THEY DIDN'T WIN IT ALL
As a Harvick fan I can’t believe it’s all over 😢. Man this season went by fast. Happy for Blaney my now second favorite driver. Even still screw these playoffs. No the regular season doesn’t matter more than it did 2003 and back I have to disagree with that
Same!!
It does considering that Truex had a horrific performance in the playoffs and still managed to make it to the round of eight.
I’ve never been a Harvick fan but this sport is going to miss him. Great driver that wasn’t afraid to mix it up when necessary. What a great career.
I think Blaney is becoming the new Harvick - their stats, demeanor, and driving styles are pretty similar!
I'm probably going to be pre-ordering both Chastain's and Blaney's cars from today. Couldn't ask for a better ending to the season, in my opinion.
Ford was definitely the big winner this weekend. However, Toyota was certainly the biggest loser between Bell's brake failure and Corey Heim's temper tantrum, costing them potential championships.
It’s ironic though, Ford was absolutely terrible overall this year. Personally it should be a three race round for the final four, seems more objective.
And jhn finishing like 28th
JHN falls too.
Love the car Ross drove.
Ryan Blaney drove this race like his father back in the 1990s. Probably the smartest execution of a race I’ve seen from Ryan. I wanted to see Kevin Harvick further up the leaderboard in his final race but am proud of his effort nonetheless. Congratulations to Blaney and Team Penske on this win. It’s very well deserved!
I saw a comment that said this was reminiscent of Tony Stewart's 2011 championship run.... I couldn't agree more
Nah Tony 2011 is a whole level of hold my beer higher. That avg was way lower and 5 wins in 10 races
Thank you for the epic content all year Eric!! Cheers to 2023 and here's to 2024 🏁🏁
Kurt and Kevin should have rode off into the sunset together, the last full timer to race big E, and the last drivers from the Winston era.
But nascar's new car...
Kyle Petty called him Kasey Khane 😂😂 always a great day when Kyle Pettys proven wrong
Ross called his shot in his interview today at the chevy tent. He said he was upset about last year finish and he wanted to prove trackhouse can take care of business on the big race.
That's awesome
Ross is really the most popular driver. Doesn't need a famous father.
Well, another year in the books. Thanks Eric for the content this year! You did an amazing job!😀
Winning the Indy 500, the World 600, and the Cup Series championship in the same season is a great accomplishment for Roger Penske.
Congrats to Blaney!
I wish Kevin could’ve won, but Ross is good too. Why NBC didn’t interview him right away… and also dropped the ball with Kevin and Aric in their final race too… I have no idea.
No matter what, this was probably the best overall phoenix race I’ve ever watched
And with the champion scoring the fewest top 5s of anyone in the top 10 and 3rd fewest in the top 14 of the final standings a massive 8 in 36 races we have the greatest race and points system ever produced. Bravo Nascar. Especially with the points system. Give my regards to Mickey Mouse.
@@Be.authentic_He didn’t finish worse than 12th since September you just mad dawg
The race looked amazing from an optics standpoint. The crowd was great and the double burnout was cool
This was an awesome race! Love that Blaney got the cup and Ross winning!
Ross is an idiot for not letting the champions race without dirty air. He almost Wrecked Blaney a few times. After Blaney was GOING TO PASS HIM, IM still in Shock over how stupid Ross is. Amd I race , and over 50 wins. 2 Championships, and a hole attack full of trophys, BUT there is Bracing etiquette and Ross has zero scense , he altered the outcome , and almost took away a championship from Blaney, wow he's not ok, he needs brain scans , SERIOUSLY ,
That, and jgr dnf was icing on the cake.
I wouldn't be surprised if Blaney is voted most popular driver. Class act.
Yall call everyone who’s not a Gibbs driver a class act 😂
@@piedmontrf81because JGR is one of the most hated teams in NASCAR, and for good reason
I'm no Blaney fan but he's far more classy than anyone from Gibbs
@@ThomasAZ that was my thought. Great driver but unhinged on the radio.
Just want to see Elliot lose that title.
Thanks Eric for another informative year in nascar! You do an awesome job and the emotions you bring with it!
It has been fun rooting on drivers all these years but with Kevin retired as a driver he was the last of my 2001 era drivers. I'll just be watching races now with my girls as they cheer on their drivers!
Said it before “Not how u start. Its how i finish. Blaney has momentum”. He did and now a championship. Awesome finish!
I’m curious to see if this really propels Blaney next year or if he suffers from the hangover, also Hendrick will be out for blood next year with Elliott and Bowman looking to get back into the playoffs and Larson and Byron trying to get their championships
It doesnt matter how angry Hendrick or anyone is. When you finish the year with the fewest top 5s of anyone in the top 10 and 3rd fewest in the top 14 being 8 in 36 races compared to a guy who won 6 races and was up front all year and has only 3 fewer top 5s than the champion has top 10s what do you call that? You call that driver a champion in nascar obviously. Anger and focus wont propell you to a title like it use to from 2003 on back. Just win races and if you win the "title" cool i guess.
@@Be.authentic_ it absolutely will, the 12 proved that today on that final restart, not to mention that the regular season means a lot more than people give it credit for, Truex was able to coast to the round of 8 with those playoff points. This format rewards consistency and that is something I love about the playoffs, you have to be consistently great. I do wish the final round was 2 or 3 races however
@@thatssouper if it rewards consistently how did a driver with 15 top 5s and 21 top tens and 6 wins lose to a guy who had the fewest top 5s in the top 10 and 3rd fewest in the top 14 of the final standings? You're saying Ryan Blaney was better than William Byron and Byron didnt deserve to win the title when he had the best and most consistent stats? Idk bro looks to me Byron had a championship season and Ryan was barely a top 10 driver all year. Or maybe im delusional? Right? 🤔🤔🤔
@@thatssouper bro had 8 top 5 in 36 races. The fewest of anyone in the top 10 and 3rd fewest in the top 14. What consistency? Lmfao?
@@Be.authentic_ Byron didn’t deserve it, neither did Blaney, Larson, or Bell. A championship is never deserved, it’s earned. Byron choked when he needed to perform, starting with Martinsville. So no Byron didn’t “deserve it” but no one deserves a championship
Interesting piece of Harvick trivia I heard on another on another web-cast: Harvick's 1st race was won by Steve Park. His last race by Ross Chastain - BOTH driving the #1 car.
Woah
Oh it gets deeper than that!
Steve Park was driving for DEI, which became EGR, then CGR- which was bought by TrackHouse. You could say it’s technically the SAME No.1 team.
Also both races had the 24 on the pole, and both races had two Gibbs cars plus a Wallace and a Blaney finishing top10.
Well now that the season is over, time for Professor Eric to give out season grades! Plus, top 23 paint schemes of the year!
Ross was the man today. Good race! Congratulations to Blaney and the 12 team. Great championship run! Watch out for Trackhouse for next year.
I would love to see Charlotte get the championship race! That would be exciting. Plus we could get rid of the Roval
Here-Here, Getting Rid of "The Roval" wouldn't bother me "at all"....
Fans miss too much Race Action on Road Courses like that one...
Camera coverage Sucks...
Let talk about this, In 2020, Ford won the manufacturers championship. But come playoff time, Harvick, who had the most wins, didn't win the cup! Did anyone complain,nope. Now Blaney in a Ford does what Elliott did, and everybody wants to change the playoffs. I get tired of it all. First off congrats to Chevy for winning the manufacturers cups. And congratulations to Ford for winning all three series championships. Guess we know what manufacturer will have their car on the stage! Payback for 2020 is sweet! As for the Phoenix race, what race did you watch. I was on the edge of my seat most of the race. Lead changes, racing from the back, drama with brake failures. What more do you guys want! I give it an 80% !!
Can't wait for next year!!
Eric you have done a great job this season with your channels I love your new content like with power hour and I hope to see more this offseason ❤❤❤
First of all big Congrats to Blaney! Really did well the last couple weeks. And totally agree Eric that these teams know the format and when you need to be good. However, Byron arguably did better than Blaney when it mattered most. Byron's average finish in the playoffs was 6.1 while Blaney's was 9.5. While I don't think a full year point system is ideal, you can understand the frustration from Byron fans when not only was their regular season performance better than Blaney's, but also their playoff performance overall.
After watch this race and how Ryan Blaney race his way to the championship. It reminded me of Tony Stewart 3rd championship run
Ryan Blaney earned the championship. Byron had a great first 2 segments. Blaney did a great job the final segment kept it cool.
I’m happy for Blaney. Seemed like just a year or two ago people were talking about how he was too inconsistent to win a championship. But here he is. Was it a season long championship? No. But he won in the format that was in front of him.
Thank you for a wonderful season Eric! I would say I’d see you in February but you’re my source for nascar off-season news lol
Another channel put out stat that When Harvick took over for Earmhardt at Rockingham in his first race full time, Steve Park won in the #1 Penzoil Car. In Harvicks Last race Ross Chastain won the race in the #1 Worldwide Express car. So Harvicks first and last race was won by #1 car. Not my stat but WOW
This Championship and "the racing product" it produces proved itself this week. While it may lack in the truck series, the xfinity and most of all cup series prove time and time again how exciting and good it is for the sport and at the end of the day nascar biggest product is the cup series
Congratulations to Ross you know he did win the race
People wanna talk about Ryan not being as good during the summer but he still finished the season 1st in points. That says something for the yr as a whole
Blaney was consistent and doing good in the right place at the right moment and achieve it. Great season, now waiting for 2024 season. Congrats to Blaney and Ford that win in the three series, and new Mustang comming next year.
Now with Ross chastain winning at Phoenix he has a win at every type of track in the cup series Road Course Super Speedway intermediate and now a short track.
Hadn't thought about that. Cool!
Trackhouse took the loss last year seriously and brought there A game today and Ross drove amazing. Tv and Nascar lost out not letting him do any front straight celebration. Just a 1min interview after everyone else was interviewed that didn't win the race
@@johnsnow1355do you want to know why because of drivers like Ross not knowing when to fight and last year hooking chase was a bad move and this year being a bonehead fighting blaney who was faster than Ross and learning to finish second and not to try to fight a driver faster than you and fighting for the title
@@patrickmikos4699 Not the point… HE LITERALLY WON THE RACE AND YOU’RE HERE ACTING LIKE HES A DAMN VILLAIN ALL BECAUSE HE MADE ONE BAD MOVE LAST YEAR. Some people… he should’ve been one of the FIRST ones to be interviewed and he wasn’t… that’s a problem. I’m sorry you can’t see it that way.
@@patrickmikos4699
Bonehead? He's the most exciting driver NASCAR has now. Bonehead is rooting for a driver just because their Father raced.
What a great day! Ryan Blaney has been my favorite driver since he was racing for the Wood Brothers!! 😎👍
As a Hendrick fan, I actually picked Blaney over Larson and Byron to win this championship and I'm glad he did! Congrats Ryan Blaney 2023 Champ!
What a season it’s been. Hard to believe it just flew by just like that. Seems like it wasn’t that long ago Stenhouse won the Daytona 500. Congrats to Ben Rhode, Cole Custer and Ryan Blaney on winning the championships. Can’t wait till next year
You’re coverage this year has been incredible Eric. Stop motion TH-camrs to my freshest source of breaking news.
Ross Chastain getting the final word on the Ross vs Larson stuff as per usual haha
As an Elliott fan I’m glad this roller coaster season is over I hope he has a better season next year as for the race it was pretty solid for Phoenix standards tons of battles especially in the second half of the race I also wanna tip my hat to Blaney he ran a great race and definitely earned that championship
Same here, I am ready for 2024 season.
It's over and now he can focus on the next year.
Yeah, definitely did not though, deciding a championship on one race seems ridiculous from an objective point of view…
You mean the got hurt snowboarding during the season and suspended during the season season is over
Ryan’s car was so fassssst and he was driving a bit wild. He scared me a few times. I thought he was gonna take himself out. So glad he didn’t. 😎 🏁🏁 Go Blaney gooooo ! 🏆
I believe the plan is to eventually have the Championship Race at the track NASCAR builds in California. I think fans should actually come together and try to sway the owners to push NASCAR back to a full season format, but that's another conversation.
I also believe that SMI is going to renovate Texas and perhaps copy the Homestead model 18-20 progressive banking with the agreement being that they will host the final race for 3-5 years within a few seasons of the project being done. The Texas market is far to big to let that opportunity go to waste if you're the track and if you're NASCAR.
Every race I've been to in Phoenix has been a packed crowd. And in the stands I've always enjoyed these races.
Yes people do fill or almost fill the grandstands in Phoenix unlike many other racetracks.
@miguelbarrero5572 one of my favorite memories was hanging out under the grandstands during the 2015 rain delays. Just chatting with tons of other fans was great while we waited soaking wet for like 6 houras
That's what almost every race was like in the 90s and very early 2000s. Richmond had almost 100k seats and sold out twice a year. Now, they're lucky to sell half of the 50k seats they have.
I said this once (actually a million times) and I’ll say it again, DON’T DOUBT MY MAN RYAN BLANEY. I took a 5 year break off staying updated with NASCAR. And the year that I get back into it and start following it, my favorite driver pulls through and wins the championship. It felt so good!
Where you been man? Good luck charms can’t take half a decade vacations. You have a job to do!
@@nathanielbailey108 Yeah my bad. I took a 5 year break cause all the old guys I knew were retiring. Tony, Jeff, Carl, Matt and dale had one more year I think.
Blaney fan here, Chastain didnt do anything wrong. Chastain didnt have anything to lose, the champ 4 did, so i think he used that to his advantage to win the race.
Maybe part of the thrill was simply seeing a good Phoenix finale after last year's snoozer, but that final restart with Blaney's championship-winning charge was one of the most stressful, exhilarating moments in my three seasons of watching NASCAR. Congrats to him and congrats to Ross for the win! (Although man I wish I didn't have to rely on fan videos to see today's Melon Smash.)
Beginning of this next gen era I stopped being a KB fan and started rooting for Ryan Blaney and the 12 team , it’s special to see Ryan Blaney and the 12 win my grandmother was a Ryan Newman fan I got to watch this with her Ryan Newman #12 clock on the wall. And now I got to see my driver in the 12 win a championship as she as
I’m a Fire guy through and through, Blaney winning was great, loved the Ford 3 series champ sweep BUT I have completely respect for Ross not giving a damn.
Ford^ not fire. Stupid phone
It was honestly a good race. Definitely the right way to crown a champion in my opinion. The only thing I wish they'd change is the time this race starts. I just feel it's weird to finish the championship race in the daytime.
I would love a night race at Phoenix
No cautions with there 14" wide tires. I don't even want to get started on how bad that is for racing, 💯, the Xfinity series put on better races EVERY WEEK. BECAUSE they use real race cars and real transmittions and real rear ends. And REAL/ Correct Size wheels and tires , the next gen is a HORRIBLE car that puts on Horrible races , Compaired to cars that have 50 +years of Test and tune products that are on the track , I honestly HATE the gen 7 cars there horribke and the aero is why they made them, and its now 100 Times worse than the Gen 6 cars and the xfiniry series cars.
I thought the same thing but there's one problem: Sunday Night Football. Everything else NBC bows down to it...
Thank you, Eric, for keeping us informed and entertained throughout the season. I'm a Blaney fan, so my opinion may be a little biased. But this was the most exciting season ever, and I've been watching since 2006. You know what it's like, when you have a favourite driver, you have all eyes on him, with just an occasional glance at the rest of the field. To see Blaney's rise through the field was exhilarating. Those adjustments to the car after the first stage were magical. The Blaney/Chastain battle was great TV and the clean hard racing with the other Championship contenders needs to be applauded. To those who don't like the current championship format, I have some sympathy, but everyone races under the same rules. The one who comes out on top is the champion. Ryan Blaney is the Champion, and a very worthy Champion.
Happy for Blaney, well deserved! I hope his radio communication during the Chastain battle pops up somewhere, i bet it was good
With Harvick's last race, this marks the last Cup series race that will have a driver from when I first started watching
Thanks for another great season of reviews! Love watching the breakdowns after every races and keeping up with the midweek news from you! Appreciate you helping me be a more informed fan!
Thanks for the content this year Eric!😀
Also, Truex had a good race. He nearly passed Chastain before the caution.
Dale Jr called at the beginning of the season
I thought the race was super exciting. I do like the playoff format and I 100% reject making the championship a 3 race battle. That's what the other rounds are for; to qualify for the championship.
There were multiple lanes, sliding cars, great restarts, and passes could be made. I have very few complaints about the on-track product.
With 30ish to go, you have Chastain and Hamlin battling Blaney, Larson, and Byron all together on the track. Larson and Hamlin have had issues this year and also both of them with Chastain. It was great. You could hardly script a more exciting finish.
In my opinion if you didn't like this just go watch re-runs of 90's races because this was the pinnacle of this era NASCAR.
One more thing, thanks, Eric, for a very good season of telling it like it is! Great job!
Thanks for a great year! I always enjoyed following up the races by watching your podcasts
I am a older (61) when the Final race was decided at Riverside International Raceway (a road course track). I was there when Ricky Rudd won Rookie of the year and Cale Yarborough was the 1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National. Actually it was moved to Ontario Motor Speedway.
I picked Blaney before the race started. I thought to myself that it's about time that something fantastic happens to the Blaney racing family.
Blaney in his own way showed he could get his elbows out and fight for the win and the even though he had the best car by a long shot he definitely had to fight really hard for it. What an amazing drive
Personally I’d love to see either Wilkesboro or if it must be an ISE track, make it darlington. I know traditionalists will roast me for my two picks, however imagine a race at Darlington being the championship race. An attrition race, with ever changing track conditions and the top 4 racing on one of the sports oldest tracks. I love the sound of that.
Got to watch the race live and while the actual racing wasn’t great it was a fun race to be a part of and even though my boy Larson came up just short it was a great experience
How about that! When you made your picks awhile back you didn’t even give Ryan a chance to advance!
Way to go Ryan!
Congratulations on being the NASCAR champion!!
I was curious if Ross would get the checkered flag since he won. I didn't see it in either of their cars. NBC mentioned Blaney usually gives it to a fan, but I don't think we saw that on TV if it happened.
I wonder if they knew beforehand who would get the checkard if a non-playoff driver won or if they played it by ear.
Bell was so clutch, his brakes couldn't handle it.
(Edit for spelling)
Brakes
@@truckercowboyed2638 (Thanks!)
After the Martinsville win, I booked my entire trip to Phoenix. Glad I did because my boy got it done today! Way to go Blaney. Clutched it up today for sure. Against one of the best, Larson no less. That’s a big accomplishment.
Eric calling out majority of folks having not watched racing pre-Chase. Now I feel old for remembering the pre-Chase era. lol
Eric great season! Always great updates.
Blaney winning remined me of when Tony Stewart won. Tony had to win so much when it counted and had to race his ass off to finish infront of Carl Edward's. So proud of my driver. Time to go buy some merchandise.
Good memories this season Eric! Thank you!
Thanks for another great season of the best reports and analysis, Eric!! Enjoy your off-season and holiday season.
Every day i wake up remembering i was an overzealous supefan @ eric in Michigan and i couldnt make it right bc he wasnt at Phoenix
Congratulations to William Byron on his first Winston Cup Championship! Well deserved AND earned!
I was at the race, and I would say the word for the race is, intense. For me it was three races in one, the race for the lead, the race for the championship, and the race my driver was running. That made it all very intense.
Blaney might have taken Chase Elliott's most popular driver award.
Funny since they’re besties ! 😊
*Blaney Bumps Chastain*
Reporter asks: Did you mean to bump
chastain
Ryan Blaney: Your ****ing Right I did he blocked me 10 times on purpose
I love blaney
😂😂😂
After the interview Christopher Bell gave when he had his brake problems, he is a champion in my book. Hellyeah Ford 3 for 3 they swept trucks, xfinity, & cup. Let me add I'm still passed enfinger got totally screwed.
Wish Frank Crash and Lou Blaney were still alive to see this.
Phoenix has the best restarts and the corner cuts are nail biting. Congrats Blaney!
It was a great race to end a great season, and im glad Blaney got the cup. That said, i find his frustration with Ross for daring to race him, for the lead, in the third stage mind you, extremely insulting. Im so tired of hearing drivers complain about having to race someone
If you felt like he was costing you a championship, you'd be upset, too. Ultimately, it didn't matter because a caution came out, but Ross was backing Blaney up into the 5. Had that continued, Larson very well may have passed him.
@@oIRONITEo Neither the 1 nor the 12 were losing time to the 5 or 19 either one until Blaney started aggressively racing Ross for the lead. Even after the 19 caught them, because Blaney repeatedly side drafted down the straights, keeping the 12 and 1 side by side, there was still 4 seconds back to the 5. Blaneys championship was not in danger at all. Even if it was, Ross has absolutely zero obligation to get out of his way. He's a racer. He literally gets paid to get the best finish possible out of his car, and letting the 12 by for the lead late in the race most certainly isn't getting the best finish out of the car
@limprooster3253 Blaney at that point was also clearly faster than the 1 and couldn't get by because of Aero games. If Blaney could've gotten by Ross, that gap was going to keep going up and up. He may not have been losing time, but he was definitely being cost time being stuck behind Ross. I'm not saying Ross did anything wrong, but to act like Blaney didn't have a right to be frustrated is absurd. At some point, Blaney just has to move him and go.
@@oIRONITEo I just can't say that I agree with that. I get sick of hearing drivers whine about being raced by lap cars, and in my opinion, every lap car should race the leader like Ryan Newman. I don't care what the situation, if you catch the leader in the final stage for any reason other than green flag pit stops, you should expect them to race you.
Consider it from this perspective: Blaney got upset because Chastain didn't give him the race lead, because Blaney allegedly feared the 5 would catch up. Then Blaney gassed up mid corner in an attempt to punt the 1 out of the way. Had that worked, and the 1 slid up the track, and then the 1 returned the favor on the next lap, wrecking the 12, would you be upset with the 1 for wrecking a championship contender? Or should we criticize Blaney for putting himself in that situation?
@limprooster3253 depends on how competitive the lap car is tbh. If you're driving like Newman and are being lapped in 25 laps or so. Then yeah, move out of the way. If your car is competitive, just have had bad luck, then race them to keep your lap.
As far as the Blaney situation, if that did happen, then yeah, we could blame him for putting himself in that position, but it'd be a huge overreaction to wreck him for moving you. Now, had he put Ross in the wall or something, then sure, you get what you get. The problem all goes back to the cars design. Faster cars in dirty air can't pass slower cars in clean air.
The Cavs, Browns, Buckeyes, and my NASCAR championship pick all win my birthday weekend: LET'S GOOOOOO
Incredible year Eric! Always a pleasure watching your videos every week after the race. Can’t wait for February!!!!
GO 12!!!!
Good for Ryan. However,, Ross put on a clinic. Drove his ass off!
Well Ross is a stupid driver he wrecks everyone
I was there at the race and I have to say the best part of the race was Harvick gaining the lead for the last time in his career. The entire crowd, myself included, went ballistic to see Happy Harvick lead a few laps for the last time. If you go back to that moment in the broadcast you can barely hear the crowd but it was loud where I was.
NASCAR KISSING UP TO Roger Lol as they should I find it hilarious.
Let the Daytona 500 countdown begin 🎉
Blaney drove JUST as aggressively last year helping Lagano to his win. Blaney literally has 0 to complain about.
This year for Blaney is literally a Jimmie Johnson title run, run well and win in the first third of the season, the summer prepare your equipment, start experimenting, in the playoffs hit the go switch and run all out
He’s nowhere near Jimmie Johnson.
A driver who wins 1 regular season race, has an average finish of 14.82, wins the championship, its just bad. Love Blaney, super stoked he got a championship, but he doesn't really deserve to be a "champion". This feels like a participation trophy championship. I'd rather see 0 playoffs, and consistency be rewarded for an entire year, not a couple races.