1. Is Daytona Now Mostly Important as a Free Playoffs Pass?
Don’t worry, we’re not going to start off the 2024 NASCAR season by trying to suggest the Daytona 500 is any less important in a vacuum than it’s ever been. It’s still the race drivers and crew chiefs who dream of winning more than any other (most of them, anyway) at a venue unique in the sport.
It’s also an exercise in futility to bemoan the 500’s spot on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Having the Super Bowl of the sport at the beginning of the season feels more backward than ever, but it also has its benefits, getting eyes on NASCAR right from the get go. No other race could do that.
What’s most intriguing about the Daytona 500 circa 2024, however, is where it stands in relation to the other 25 regular season races. And as recent history suggests, that’s mostly to get a driver into the playoffs who won’t win the rest of the season.
Harsh? Maybe, but it’s happened three consecutive years: Michael McDowell in 2021, Austin Cindric in 2022 and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. last season. Their campaign-opening triumphs not only meant they’d be in the playoffs regardless, but also in very real terms meant the rest of the garage was competing for just 15 spots.
It won’t stay that way forever. A driver from a powerhouse team is going to break through and take the checkered flag on some February evening in Daytona soon. Maybe even this one.
Until it happens, the Daytona 500 will have an oversized effect on how the postseason shapes up. And honestly, maybe that’s fitting.
2. This Could Be the Season Where Chase Elliott Is As Interesting As He’s Ever Been
Chase Elliott is a number of different things. Talented? Of course. Popular? You don’t even need to count the times he’s won the award to prove that. Beloved is probably not too strong a term.
Is he interesting, though? That’s harder to say.
It’s not that Elliott has no personality. There have been times he’s been frustrated, angry or joyous, depending on the occasion. He’s not the dullest interview, but he’s not among the top five in the garage either.
There’s also no doubt that he’s been at the center of intrigue in his Cup Series career, but those times were because of questions about when he’d tick certain accomplishments off his checklist. When would he win his first Cup Series race? How about his first championship? Anyone who’s been following the sport for the…
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