Kevin Harvick is on a roll. Matt Sullivan/Getty Images
This weekend the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series heads for Charlotte Motor Speedway for this year’s All-Star race. This is a race unlike any other; there are no points involved and only the elite are invited. Charlotte is a mile and a half track much like Atlanta or Texas. The track has a curve in the middle of the front straightaway which is called the “dogleg” and trying to pass in this area is nearly impossible and has been the cause of many accidents over the years, so look for this to possibly play a big factor in both races this weekend.
Last week at Kansas, Kevin Harvick continued his path of destruction upon the field as he went on to take his fifth victory of the season. The race was truly a nail-bitter as Harvick overtook Martin Truex Jr on the final lap.
The Big story coming out of Kansas (aside from Harvick) were more illegal rear windows. Two weeks ago at Dover, both Clint Bowyer and Daniel Suarez were penalized for having an illegal rear window brace, and this week NASCAR dropped the hammer once again. This time Kyle Larson was culprit as it was found in post race inspection that he had -- you guessed it -- an illegal rear window.
Larson is the fifth driver to be penalized for this infraction this year, and he joins the company of Kevin Harvick (who lost a victory because of it) and Chase Elliott. Overall, like his competition, Larson loses 20 driver points, all of the points he earned for his “stage victory” at Kansas and he loses his car chief David Bryant.
Over the course of last Saturday’s race, Larson and his team were easily the car to beat. He led a race high 101 laps until an altercation with Ryan Blaney caused him to hit the wall. Somehow, he was able to overcome his troubles and finish fourth. While he and his team were frustrated by not winning the race, it might have been a blessing in disguise, seeing how if he was to win the victory probably would have been taken away anyway. Look for Kyle and the Chip Ganassi Racing team to try and bounce back this week in the all-star race.
This weekend is fairly unorthodox in comparison to each of the other 35 races. This race is a non-points paying event which means that overall it has no bearing on the season. According to NASCAR.com The cars will be equipped with a six inch spoiler with twelve inch “ear” extensions, the splitter borrowed from the 2014 aero package, and a “restrictor plate” that will keep the cars close together.
This was a move that was met with mixed reaction amongst fans, but I personally believe that the change could very well make for much better racing than we have seen in the last few years past in fact NASCAR made similar adjustments to the NASCAR Xfinity series for last years race at Indy. The product was phenomenal. In the closing laps both Willam Byron and Paul Menard had one of the best battles of last season as Byron was able to take the victory. The race was met with positive acclaim amongst fans and drivers. This should be very interesting to see what happens on both Friday and Saturday.
Another facet of this weekend that makes this event stand out is the format and the criteria involved to get into the race. If you are a fan of NASCAR, you know pretty well that the format of this race changes almost every year. This year is no different. Unlike last year, the race will have one 30 lap segment, two 30 lap segments and one final 10 lap dash to decide the winner he is then awarded $1 million. Unlike last year, there will not be a mandatory pit stop so the strategy will be in the drivers' and crew chiefs' hands once the green flag drops.
I personally think NASCAR got this format right, I am glad that they did away with the redundant mandatory pit stop they had last year and think that the longer length of the race will provide a better finish than we have seen over the past few years. Look for it to be one of the best races of the season.
The field for this race will be significantly smaller this week. As usual the 19 winners from both 2017 and 2018 are automatically locked into the race. After that, one driver will also have an automatic bid in the race due to a victory in this race over the last ten years. That driver is Jamie McMurray (who won in 2014).
All of the remaining full-time drivers will compete in the “All-Star Open.” This race will include all of the drivers who have not won a race in the past two seasons. “The Open” will feature three segments, two of those being 20 laps and like the big race, the final segment will feature a 10 lap dash to the finish.
The winners of all three segments and a driver who will be voted in by the fans will all receive a birth into the main feature in the All-Star Race. Some of the notable names in this race are Chase Elliott, Kasey Kahne, Darrell Wallace Jr, Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez and William Byron. Look for this to possibly be a much better race than the feature itself. Here each driver has much more to race for which creates more urgency to race every lap like it’s the last. Look for William Byron to be the car to beat in this race. As I said earlier, last season Byron won last year in the Xfinity series with a similar aero package we are seeing this week. He should be a big threat to at least win one of the three stages.
The driver that I have winning the All-Star race is Martin Truex Jr. As most NASCAR fans know, mile and a half tracks like Charlotte have been where he has cut his teeth. He has gone to victory lane here twice, including the 2016 Coca Cola 600 where he nearly led all but eight of the 400 laps run. Even though Truex has yet to win the All-Star race over the course of his 12-year career, this track is one of his best. Look for Truex and his Furniture Row team to take the checkered flag and be $1 million dollars richer at the end of the weekend.
(All stats and information used in this article is brought to you by the good folks at driveraverages.com and Racing-Refrence.com the best website for all NASCAR stats).
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If the Astros were going to win one series and lose the other on their six-game road trip out of the All-Star break, they got it right in taking two out of three games at Seattle then losing two out of three to lousy Oakland. Had they inverted those results, the Astros would not be alone atop the American League West starting this weekend’s series against the Dodgers at Minute Maid Park.
By the schedule the Astros’ sledding now gets tougher. The Dodgers are rolling toward their 11th National League West crown in 12 years, despite their pitching staff having been battered by injuries every bit as much as the Astros’. The Astros will face three rookie starters this weekend. National League Rookie of the Year candidate (non-Paul Skenes division) Gavin Stone goes Friday. Saturday it’s Justin Wrobleski making his fourth big league start, Sunday River Ryan makes his second. 325 million dollar addition Yoshinobu Yamamoto last pitched June 15. Tony Gonsolin is out for the year without throwing a pitch. Clayton Kershaw’s first pitch Thursday marks the first of his season. Tyler Glasnow’s Wednesday return from the Injured List means the Astros won’t face him this weekend.
Aside: Astros’ fan favorite Joe Kelly is back in the Dodgers’ bullpen. He was activated from the IL out of the break, so the opportunity to welcome him back to Minute Maid Park looms!
After the Dodgers, the Pirates hit town with Skenes slated to pitch Monday opposite Jake Bloss. Gulp. Hey, in one game, you never know. Skenes has been the most electric rookie pitcher since Dwight Gooden with the Mets in 1984.
Sleepless in Seattle
The Mariners’ unraveling has reached historic proportions. It’s not easy losing six straight matchups with the lowly Angels but the Mariners were down to the challenge and pulled it off. The M’s have stumble-bummed their way to a 9-20 record over their last 29 games. That’s actually a better winning percentage than the Astros’ had after staggering from the starting gate to a 7-19 mark. Like the Astros did, the Mariners can right their ship, though if they don’t add quality offense before Tuesday’s trade deadline it seems unlikely. Seattle has scored more than two runs in one of its last eight games, the only win among those eight when the Mariners got to Ronel Blanco and Seth Martinez Sunday to avoid an Astros’ sweep. Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers whipping up on the laughingstock Chicago White Sox this week has their World Series title defense very much alive and a threat to overtake both the Astros and Mariners.
The trade deadline is this Tuesday
Tick-tock toward Tuesday’s 5PM Central Time trade deadline. General Manager Dana Brown is on the clock. Let’s start with starting pitchers. Tarik Skubal! Garrett Crochet! Jack Flaherty! Any would be a fabulous addition. If Brown acquires one, he will have done phenomenal work cajoling the trade partner into thinking the Astros’ offer the best. Frankly it seems impossible. The Orioles are in the starting pitcher market. Their farm system runs laps around what the Astros have. Numerous other teams on the hunt for pitching have higher rated minor league talent. The Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys are having a fabulous season, but until the Astros Thursday moved up soon to be 24-year-old Jacob Melton (who was batting just .248 with a .307 on-base percentage at Double-A Corpus Christi) there was not one non-pitcher of any consequence younger than 25 on the roster. Pedro Leon, Shay Whitcomb, Will Wagner, and include Joey Loperfido: it would be shocking if any of them can be the best player in an offer good enough to land one of the potential big trade fish. All four of them wouldn’t be enough to land a Skubal or Crochet.
On the hitter side, if the Blue Jays shop Vlad Jr. and/or the Rays take offers for Paredes, of course Brown better try. Either would be a sharp upgrade over Jon Singleton, and Guerrero can’t become a free agent until after next season, with Paredes under team control through 2027. Reality check time. Seattle’s offense is in dire straits. The Mariners have four prospects rated higher than any Astros’ prospect. If the Mariners didn’t make a winning offer over what the Astros proposed, Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto would look like a timid clown.
That said, there will be several second and third tier starters and relievers moved who would boost the Astros. If Spencer Arrighetti and Jake Bloss are both still in the Astros’ starting rotation after the deadline, Dana Brown will have failed. That said, the Astros could well stand pat and win the Mild, Mild West. They could also finish third.
Go for the gold!
With the Olympics underway, a medal podium-style ranking of the Astros’ greatest trade deadline acquisitions:
No medal but cannot be omitted: Randy Johnson. It was a brief fling with “The Big Unit” in 1998 but it was spectacular. It elevated Houston as a baseball city. In 11 regular season starts Johnson went 10-1 with a 1.28 earned run average. He threw shutouts in his first four Astrodome starts. He spiked attendance like no other player in franchise history. Even though the San Diego Padres beat Johnson twice (Johnson pitched fine, the Astros scored two runs total in the two games) and bounced the Astros in a National League Division Series, and prospects Freddy Garcia and Carlos Guillen included in the deal both went on to have excellent careers, it was a trade that in hindsight you make 100 times out of 100.
Bronze: Jeff Bagwell. Reliever Larry Andersen was outstanding in helping the Boston Red Sox win the AL East in 1990, but the BoSox got swept in the ALCS and Andersen left as a free agent. Bagwell has the greatest offensive resume in Astros’ history (I know, I know, postseason aside) and is quite arguably one of the 10 greatest first basemen of all-time.
Silver: Yordan Alvarez. He has longevity to prove but to this point in his career, while not the all-around player Bagwell was, Yordan is clearly the more destructive force in the batter’s box. Throw in his three monstrously significant home runs in the 2022 Astros’ title run, and his awesome 2023 postseason, and what could still lie ahead for him and the Gold could be his if we revisit this topic 10 years from now. Imagine the Dodgers if they hadn’t gifted Yordan to the Astros for Josh Fields.
Gold: Justin Verlander. Astros’ World Series championships pre-JV, zero. With him, two. Even though his World Series resume is terrible. The finishing piece to the Astros’ initial championship winner in 2017 with a 1.06 ERA in five starts ahead of winning the 2017 ALCS MVP, a second crown in 2022, two Cy Young Awards and a Cy runner-up. Interesting decision to make for the cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. Much more body of work with the Tigers but the championships and legend cemented with the Astros.
*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and I discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.