THE LEFT TURN
NASCAR at Texas Motor Speedway: AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 preview, picks
Sep 23, 2022, 11:52 am
NASCAR is coming to Texas! Photo via: Wiki Commons.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Lone Star State for the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500. This track is one of the most controversial on the schedule, as it’s incredibly hard to pass. Many are speculating that the track is on its way to a complete reconfiguration in the near future, which could make Texas way more competitive. This is the first race of the Round of 12 and it starts off at a relatively tame racetrack. But with the way these playoffs have been going, we can expect to see more attrition this week. As I mentioned earlier, passing here is next to impossible, so qualifying will be extra important.
Last week, Chris Buescher went on to capture his second career victory and first since 2015 back when he won a rain-shortened race at Pocono. This continues the theme of non-playoff drivers winning in the playoffs. This is a huge win for Roush Fenway Keselowski racing, as their season has been one to forget. It would seem like this team is turning in the right direction going forward into 2023.
The race however was dominated by numerous mechanical failures that would take out some of the front-runners including Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, and Martin Truex Jr. Because of an engine failure, Kyle was one of the four drivers that were eliminated from the playoffs, the other three were Austin Dillon, Tyler Reddick, and Kevin Harvick. Naturally, because Kyle is leaving Gibbs next season, many fans of his believed that there was a conspiracy to keep him out of the next round. These claims are completely bogus and unfounded, as Martin Truex Jr and Denny Hamlin also had issues during the race. The real issue is NASCAR rushing this new car and making parts that are not quality. There have been many drivers who have criticized the direction that NASCAR is going. This car seems to race well and there are a lot of positives, but this is an issue that needs to be fixed.
The driver that I have winning this weekend is Christopher Bell. It has been a career-year for the Oklahoma native, after winning at New Hampshire this summer he’s been on quite a run. He currently holds the highest average finish among all active drivers. He has done a great job at keeping out of trouble and most importantly running up front while doing it. If a Joe Gibbs car is going to win the title, Bell has to be the favorite, as he’s been much more consistent than Denny Hamlin. They have been taking advantage of stage points as well as he’s scored 31 over the last round including a stage victory at Bristol last week.
Texas Motor Speedway is a racetrack that has been good to Bell, considering he’s from Norman, Oklahoma. It’s the closest race to his home track. He will have plenty of people there who will be supporting him. His numbers here are pretty solid, regardless of the fact that he has yet to win. He’s currently the third-highest average finisher since 2019 with two top fives. One thing that might be a deterrent for Bell is his 19.7th average starting position. With this track being next to impossible to pass on, it will be challenging to get through the field if he’s starting mid-pack, but with all the speed this team has, I don’t see that being too much of an issue. Look for Bell to punch his ticket to the Round of 8 with a win at Texas.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.