Kevin Havick knows how to get around this place better than anyone. Photo via: Wiki Commons.
NASCAR heads for the Monster Mile this week in Dover, Delaware for the Drydene 400. This track is one of the toughest tracks on the schedule as its concrete surface is tough on the cars. Also expect to see a lot more tire fall off than we are accustomed to seeing at other tracks. Another interesting characteristic of this track is its unique banking. There are very few places that have corners that are 24 degrees of banking and straightaways that have 8 degrees of banking. On a track like this, it's nearly impossible to get on pit-road without speeding. Look for speeding penalties to come into play.
Last week, Martin Truex took the field to school and went on to his thirtieth career victory at Darlington. Truex led a race-high 248 laps! This is his third victory of 2021 as he now extends his lead on the field. One of the more promising aspects of the race was the traditional 750 horsepower package NASCAR ran. It was clear that this was one of the most challenging races of the season, cars were slipping and sliding and on the edge of control all day. Even the best drivers had trouble as Kyle Busch spun out on lap twenty-three going for the lead. Fortunately he was able to rebound and get a solid third place finish. While some fans thought the racing was boring because of Truex's domination, it was refreshing to see each driver really have to work hard. I hope we continue to see this going forward.
One of the big storylines this year has been the recent struggles of Stewart-Haas Racing. Last season, they were one of the top three teams in the sport as all four of their cars were competing for wins each week. Last year, they were able to combine for ten wins and all four cars advanced to the playoffs. It seemed like going into this season they would pick up right where they left off as they added Xfinity Series phenom Chase Briscoe to the fold to drive the #14 Ford Mustang replacing Clint Bowyer. Things were looking promising until the season started. From the beginning it seemed like Kevin Harvick was the only car that was competitive. Not much has changed from the beginning of the season as he remains the only car in the playoff picture. His teammates Aric Almirola and Cole Custer have been awful as well as they sit 28th and 26th in points. This will be quite the storyline as the season progresses.
This leads me to the driver I have winning this week at Dover, and it's Kevin Harvick. As I mentioned this had been one of the most difficult seasons for the 2014 champion. While his results haven't been bad, he hasn't been as fast as he has been over the past few years. He currently has led only thirty-nine laps all season and has a disappointing four top five finishes throughout thirteen races with zero wins. This week is the week I think he turns it around though and gets Stewart-Haas Racing back on track and in the playoffs. This is a track that has been very good to him over his twenty-year career. He has three victories here including last season in August when he led over two-hundred laps. If you look at his average finishes here in the last six races, his worst result was sixth. He knows how to get around this place better than anyone. Look for Harvick to capture his first checkered flag of 2021 come Sunday.
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Rich Eisen lays out how Stefon Diggs trade will impact Texans next season
Apr 19, 2024, 3:03 pm
Impersonal as it might seem to have their dynamic on-field relationship end with an exchange of phone texts, Bills quarterback Josh Allen made it clear on Thursday how much receiver Stefon Diggs meant to him during their four seasons together in Buffalo.
Allen made no mention of Diggs’ mercurial temperament or the occasional sideline flare-ups by expressing only praise in his first opportunity to discuss his now-former teammate being traded to the Houston Texans earlier this month.
“Just thanking him for everything that he did for me, and (I’ll) always have a spot in my heart for him. I’ll always love that guy like a brother. And I wish him nothing but the best,” Allen said, in disclosing what he texted to Diggs. “My lasting memory of Stef will be the receiver that helped me become the quarterback that I am today.”
Brought together in March 2020, when Buffalo gave up a first-round draft pick to acquire Diggs in a trade with Minnesota, the duo went on to re-write many of Buffalo's single-season passing and scoring records, and lead the team to four straight AFC East titles.
Diggs, now 30, also brought an inescapable sense of drama with him in raising questions about his commitment to the Bills and whether his tight relationship with Allen had soured.
A day before being traded, Diggs posted a message, “You sure?” on the social media platform X in response to someone suggesting he wasn’t essential to Allen’s success.
Whatever hard feelings, if any, lingered as Buffalo opened its voluntary workout sessions this week were not apparent from Allen or coach Sean McDermott, who also addressed reporters for the first time since Diggs was traded.
“Stef’s a great player, really enjoyed our time together. Won a lot of games and he was a huge factor in winning those games. We’ll miss him,” McDermott said. “You never replace a player like Stef Diggs, and we wish him well.”
Allen turned his focus to the future and a Bills team that spent much of the offseason retooling an aging and expensive roster.
Aside from trading Diggs, salary cap restrictions led to Buffalo cutting respected center Mitch Morse, the breakup of a veteran secondary that had been together since 2017, and the team unable to afford re-signing No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis.
“I don’t think it’s a wrong thing or a bad thing to get younger,” said Allen, entering his seventh NFL season. “I think it’s an opportunity for myself to grow as a leader. And to bring along some of these young guys and new guys that we’ve brought in to our team. And that’s an opportunity, frankly, that I’m very excited about."
Despite the departures, the Bills offense is not exactly lacking even though general manager Brandon Beane is expected to target selecting a receiver with his first pick — currently 28th overall — in the draft next week.
Receiver Khalil Shakir enters his third year and tight end Dalton Kincaid enter his second following promising seasons. Buffalo also added veteran experience in signing free agent receiver Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins.
While Beane acknowledged the Bills lack a true No. 1 receiver, he noted there’s less urgency to fill that spot now than in 2020 because of how much the offense has developed under Allen.
“Now that Josh has ascended to the player he is, is that a requirement? I don’t think so,” Beane said.
Diggs’ role also began diminishing in the second half of last season, which coincided with Joe Brady replacing Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator. Brady placed an emphasis on adding balance to a pass-heavy attack and getting more receivers involved, which led to an uptick in production for Shakir and Kincaid.
While Diggs’ numbers dropped, Buffalo’s win total increased.
With the Bills at 6-6, Diggs ranked third in the NFL with 83 catches, seventh with 969 yards and tied for third with eight TDs receiving. Buffalo then closed the season with five straight wins in which Diggs combined for 24 catches for 214 yards and no scores.
”(Diggs) meant a lot. You look at the statistics, they don’t lie,” Allen said, in referring to Diggs topping 100 catches and 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons in Buffalo. “I don’t get paid to make changes on the team. I get paid to be the best quarterback that I can be and try to lead the guys on this team.”