In the mountains of Pocono, all three NASCAR series took to the Tricky Triangle. Playoff implications were abound, as each series is winding down their regular season. For the Craftsman Truck Series, Pocono marked the third to last race of the regular season. The Cup Series will have five races left post Pocono to settle their playoff standings. Meanwhile the Xfinity Series has a bit more distance. Would the playoff drama add to the excitement of the weekend? Not really. All three Pocono races played out in a pretty straight forward manner. It was all about who could get out front at the end. Still, headlines are abound after this weekend. After a couple of weeks off, Overreaction Monday returns to cover all things Pocono Raceway related.
An Omen for the Brickyard
Heading into this weekend, Pocono Raceway was going to be used as a benchmark for what to expect for the Brickyard 400. Pocono is considered the closest comparison to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, especially considering Turn 2 is modeled after the track. Since the NextGen car has yet to compete on the oval at Indy, there are questions to how well the car will race. The NextGen has excelled on intermediates, but flat tracks have proven to be dull affairs. While it would be difficult to underperform compared to the road course, fans want to see the Brickyard return with quality racing. If Pocono is any indication, many will be left disappointed.
Pocono definitely did not deliver the quality of racing that has been featured the past couple of years. To be fair, Pocono has never been a barn burner event, but the last two trips to the mountains have provided great moments at least. That was noticeably absent this year. Outside of Corey LaJoie spinning Kyle Busch, nothing of note happened during the race. There was not a single green flag pass for the lead throughout the race. Once the leader escaped the restart, that car set sail. While some may not be disappointed in a race like this at Pocono, Indianapolis is a different story.
Crown Jewel Increases Expectations
A crown jewel event returns this coming weekend and needs to deliver. Unfortunately, the potential preview is not selling the racing action. Pocono was shaping up to be a strategy race, where the final green flag pit stop would rule the day. However, cautions breeding cautions spoiled that, allowing strategy to go out the window. The Brickyard 400 is assumed to be a strategy race. Yet, the action needs to be better during green flag runs. The fastest car on track should not get stuck in the mid-pack. Hopefully, Pocono is different enough to prove to be an outlier.
Misery Comes for Busch
What is going on with Kyle Busch and the 8 team? After the first half of the 2023 season, the move to Richard Childress Racing for Busch looked to be a good one. He collected 3 wins at a variety of tracks and felt like a contender for the Championship Four. Since then, the 8 team has been mired in bad luck and performances. This summer stretch has been especially appalling, with another DNF racking his total up to 5. In the current points situation, Busch is essentially in “must-win” territory to make the playoffs. That is a damning indictment for how poorly things are going for Busch, the 8 team, and RCR as a whole.
Yes, Busch might be past his prime, but 2023 proved that he is plenty capable of winning races. Outside of the superspeedways, that has been completely absent from this team this season. While Busch deserves his portion of the blame, it is difficult to not pin this on RCR. The “retirement” of Andy Petree screams of scapegoat for the mounting disappointment at the shop on the Cup operation side.
One man is not solely responsible for a two-time champion being passed by Cody Ware on speed this past weekend. There is a fundamental problem ongoing at RCR, which is evident by the 8 car barely making the grid due to an oil leak on Sunday. Being dumped by Corey LaJoie was the icing on the cake. RCR needs to fix the issues soon because Busch is starting to resolve himself to the situation. His attitude in recent weeks is resembling his last Martinsville race with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Ford Finally Breaks Through
If you frequent the Pit Pass Network Predictions on a weekly basis, Cole Custer is a popular pick among the crew. Picking Custer on a weekly basis has proven to be a fools errand though. Despite some runs near the front, a win had alluded Custer until Pocono this weekend. Finally, Custer managed to avoid any mistakes and poor luck to capture his first win of 2024. Not only was it Custer’s first win of the season, Saturday’s win marked the first win for Ford in the lower series. Finally, Ford seems to be getting back on track all together.
Prior to the recent run of races on the Cup side, 2024 was the year of Ford heartbreak. Before Brad Keselowski captured the Darlington win, the blue oval was on the wrong end of three of the closest finishes in NASCAR history. Ryan Blaney, Ryan Sieg, and Chris Buescher all lost races by a combined .06 seconds. Outside of those races, Ford lagged behind their Chevy and Toyota counterparts. Now though, Ford is reestablishing themselves as force to be reckoned with (minus the Truck Series).
In the Cup Series, a Ford driver has won every other race since Keselowski’s at Darlington. Meanwhile, Cole Custer, Riley Herbst, and (somewhat surprisingly) Ryan Sieg have flashed consistent Top-5 to race winning speed. After sweeping the championships last year, this summer stretch is indicating that Ford might not be as down and out as once thought.
Skip Xfinity, Go to Cup
As silly season continues to progress, one name that was thought to be Cup bound for 2025 might remain in NASCAR’s lower series. According to Bob Pockrass, Corey Heim is not expected to be tabbed for a Cup Series ride in 2025. Theoretically, 23XI Racing will be buying one of the Stewart-Haas Racing charters. That would leave an open seat for next season, which many assumed would go to Heim. However, the feeling is that Heim needs another season or two of experience before making the jump. But why?
Currently, Corey Heim serves as the reserve driver for Legacy Motor Club and 23XI Racing. Heim filled in for Erik Jones during his injury as well as making a start in the 50 car for 23XI Racing at Nashville. In those 3 starts, Heim averaged a 25.3 finish, which is dragged down by a DNF in Nashville. Many were impressed with Heim’s performances in his limited Cup action. Add in how well Heim is dominating the Craftsman Truck Series, there is a wonder why Toyota would stall Heim’s progression.
Heim Time
Through 55 Truck Series starts, Heim has collected 10 wins and 28 Top-5s. He is the championship favorite right now, with only Christian Eckes looking like a true threat. Whether Heim is 100% Cup ready does not matter; there is no point in having him run the Xfinity Series or another year of trucks. Carson Hocevar has been doing well despite the lack of Xfinity experience. Sure, he ruffles feathers but the talent in inarguable. With Heim considered the better prospect, it is doubtful that he would struggle while Hocevar has succeeded.
The only concern would be maturity, as Heim has had his moments of lapsed judgement behind the wheel. However, the right crew chief paired with him (along with veteran teammates) could help mitigate those concerns. Other than that, there is no reason to stick him in the Xfinity Series for a season. Those cars do not translate as well to the NextGen as the trucks. Instead of going elsewhere, 23XI Racing should put Heim in their third entry.
