THE LEFT TURN

NASCAR: Coke Zero Sugar 400 preview, predictions

NASCAR: Coke Zero Sugar 400 preview, predictions
Brad Keselowski is the driver to keep an eye on. Photo via: Wiki Commons.

The time has come, the final race before the playoff cutoff at the world's most prestigious racetrack, Daytona International Raceway. This is truly one of the wild card races of the season and there will be some desperate drivers in the field as this is their last chance to get into the post-season. With this track being known for its thrilling three and four-wide racing, we are setting up for an all-timer come Saturday night. The cars will be modified from their usual 510 horsepower package to 450 and the "wicker bill" on the spoiler will also be removed. This is being done in an effort to slow down some of the massive runs of momentum the cars pick up and to give the drivers more reaction time to figure out how to defend their position on the track without causing a melee like we have seen so many times over the years. In the grand scheme of things, it shouldn't have too much of an effect on the finished product though, as each car still will reach speeds of 190-195 miles per hour.

Last week, Ryan Blaney went on to capture his second win of 2021. While Blaney did have a fast car for most of the day, it never really appeared that he had the car to win. He started the race from the third position but by mid-race, he seemed to be stuck at the tail end of the top ten. It wasn't until a caution with 20 laps left when his car came alive and he was able to get out in clean air and take the victory.

When the race was over, he was quoted as saying, "Michigan's pretty much a matter of running wide open and playing the air game. I hate that we have to race that way, but that's what you have to do here." This led to a debate as it usually does among fans about NASCAR's aero package. Personally, I agree with Ryan Blaney and think the drivers should be given more credence when it comes to how these cars drive and not the fans because if there is one thing we know about NASCAR fans, it's that they truly have no idea what they want. This race was a prime example of that. You have many fans on social media that talk about how they want the racing to be closer, and when it is, they talk about "artificial drama". It is very exhausting to see this debate week after week on what NASCAR should do and while yes the fans are important, they aren't the ones in the race car.

The battle for the final spot in the playoffs all hinges on Austin Dillon, anyone below him will have to win to advance. Currently, Dillon sits five points below the cutoff line behind his teammate Tyler Reddick. These two seem to have a hard time finding any momentum. Last week it seemed like Austin had a car that was capable of winning the race until he was involved in an incident at the end of stage two with Brad Keselowski. With the #3 car being out, this would have been a great opportunity for Reddick to extend his lead and make up more ground, but he also crashed trying to make a four-wide pass with fourteen laps left in the race. Both of these drivers have a fairly large gap on the cars below the cutoff line but at a track such as Daytona anything can happen. And there could be a surprise winner and with Kevin Harvick essentially locking himself in on points, these two need to really have a consistent run come Saturday. This will be one of the most intriguing storylines of the race.

The driver that I have winning this weekend is Brad Keselowski. It's hard to find a better driver on superspeedways then him. When his protégée Dale Earnhardt Jr retired, many of us wondered who was the next great superspeedway racer and in the past five years it's been clear that Brad was next in line to take over. No active driver has more wins on tracks like these than he does with seven victories including a win at Talladega this year. He's also won at Daytona as well. For some reason, it seems like Brad always knows exactly what moves to make and when to make them. I don't know if I'd say he can see the air like Dale Sr did, but he can at least catch a passing glance when it comes to the draft. While there have been many triumphs for him, there has also been heartbreak as he's been involved in numerous big accidents here including the last lap crash in the 2021 Daytona 500 with his teammate Joey Logano. Many would consider this move by Longano to be the straw that broke the camel's back when it came to Keselowski staying at Penske. If Brad can stay up front he will be in a great position, it also helps tremendously that he has a satellite teammate in Matt DiBenedetto starting ahead of him, so those two can work together in the draft to get to the front. Look for Brad to try and get the ship righted for the playoffs with a victory.

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How will baseball fans treat Ohtani moving forward? Composite Getty Image.

After a trial that lasted 10 weeks in 2012, a federal jury found Astros legend Roger Clemens not guilty of lying to Congress when the fire-balling pitcher swore that he never used performance enhancing drugs. The jury also found Clemens not guilty of making false statements and obstruction of justice.

Clemens, the only seven-time winner of baseball’s Cy Young Award, including one with the Astros in 2004, never tested positive for steroids or any other PED during his 24-years in the big leagues. During his career, he won seven earned run average titles, led the American League in strikeouts five times, won an American League MVP and helped two teams win the World Series.

It’s an easy argument that he is the greatest pitcher of baseball’s modern era.

Roger Clemens is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. In fact, after 10 years of failing to be voted in, Clemens name won’t be on the ballot this year when baseball writers consider future Hall of Fame candidates.

Why? Because despite his not guilty verdict and never flunking a drug test, Clemens has the stink of steroids on him. Perception is reality.

This week the greatest player in baseball today swore that he has never bet on sports and the only reason that $4.5 million from his bank account wound up in the hands of a bookie is because his friend secretly stole the money.

Two investigations, by Major League Baseball and the U.S. government, will get to the bottom of whether Shohei Ohtani is telling the truth or he was somehow involved in betting on sports

If it’s discovered that Ohtani, the reigning American League MVP who now plays for the Dodgers, bet on baseball, he could be banished from the game. He would join a list of some of the greatest players in history who live in the dark shadow of baseball. Barry Bonds, the single-season and all-time home run leader, is not in the Hall of Fame. Pete Rose, the all-time hits king, is not in the Hall of Fame. Roger Clemens, the all-time leader in Cy Young Awards, is not in the Hall of Fame.

The jury in the court of public opinion is in deliberations already. Is it believable that someone could have $4.5 million stolen from his bank account and not know it? Will Ohtani, whose image was squeaky clean until recent developments, be jeered when he comes to bat in Houston, in New York, and every stadium on the road where fans despise the Dodgers? And that’s all of them.

Before now, Houston fans treated Ohtani with respect and quiet awe for a couple of reasons. One, of course he’s an unbelievable talent, possibly baseball’s best pitcher and best hitter at the same time. But two, until this season he played for the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels weren’t a threat to the Astros domination of the American League West, so it didn’t matter how many homers he hit in Minute Maid Park. The Astros still were going to win.

Now it’s different. When Ohtani steps to the plate wearing a Dodgers uniform he represents the armed and dangerous enemy, a team that is the favorite to win the World Series. The Dodgers could claim the mantle as the best team with the best lineup in baseball. You can practically hear Minute Maid Park fans booing Ohtani now. Innocent or guilty, Ohtani could have the stink of illegal gambling on him.

But let’s assume that Ohtani was telling the truth when he said he has never bet on sports.

Ask Jose Altuve what it feels like to be unfairly painted a cheater. According to his teammates, Altuve was one of a few Astros who refused to participate in the team’s sign-stealing scandal in 2017 when the Astros won their first World Series and Altuve was named Most Valuable Player.

Altuve steadfastly will not proclaim his innocence, though. Altuve has said that he is part of the team and accepts whatever judgment was handed to the team. He metaphorically went down with the ship.

Seven years later, more than any other player, Altuve receives the loudest jeers and insults from fans in every stadium other than Minute Maid Park. He has the stink of a cheater. I was in Yankee Stadium the first time the Astros visited the Yankees after the scandal broke. You should have heard the stadium shake with howls of “F--- Altuve.” I heard small children cursing out Altuve at the top of their lungs. It’s become a thing around the league – fans boo Altuve.

During the Astros-Phillies World Series in 2022, I was talking to my friend Glen Macnow, a prominent sports media personality in Philadelphia. I got the feeling that Macnow believed that the Astros were still up to something fishy. Macnow is a smart guy, not some conspiracy nut job. In fact, up in Philly, he’s known as “The Professor.” I asked him, “do you think the 2022 Astros are cheaters?”

His answer: “Do I think they’re currently cheating? I don’t know. But we all know they got caught cheating before, and that stink will stick to them through the ages. Always and forever, when people look at this franchise they’ll think of cameras and buzzers and using trash cans as bass drums.”

We will get a glimpse of whether Ohtani reeks of illegal gambling next week when the Dodgers play on the road in Chicago and Minnesota.

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