NASCAR comes to Texas this weekend. Photo via: Wiki Commons.
For the first time in NASCAR history, Texas Motor Speedway plays host to NASCAR's annual All-Star Race. This race will feature each winner from 2020 and 2021 plus past champions and past All-Star Race winners. As we all know, this is where the sport pulls out all the stops and really tries a lot of new things. Some of them work, a lot of them don't. This week will be no different as there will be a myriad of changes. The biggest change of note is NASCAR's reduction on horsepower. Now I know there is a lot of gloom and doom in that sentence but to play devil's advocate here, I really think that this can bunch the cars up a whole lot more than what we see on an average Sunday. It should be a wild weekend when the green flag drops.
The format for the All-Star Race is vastly different from what we see on a typical race-day. First and foremost, before the main event as usual there will be a qualifying race for the drivers who have yet to win from 2019-2021. This race is known as the All-Star Open, some of the notable names that will be in this race are Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suarez and Tyler Reddick. The race will consist of three segments, with the first two being twenty laps and then a ten lap dash at the end. The winners of each segment move on to the main event. This race is usually pretty crazy considering how much is on the line.
Another interesting aspect of this race is the fan vote. This grants the final starting spot to the driver who has the most votes on NASCAR's website. This will be a very competitive race with many drivers who can win. The three that really stand out are Tyler Reddick, Matt DiBenedetto and Ross Chastain. All three drivers have been in the top five this year in contention to win a race, so those are the drivers to look out for to race their way in. The favorite to win the fan vote has to be Bubba Wallace. Although unpopular among some of the more unsavory characters in this sport, he has a lot of people that are behind him. And while he will also be a threat to win one of the segments, I think he can fall back on the fan vote. It will be interesting to see how it all works out.
After the open comes the main event, the NASCAR All-Star Race. The format for the race this year is one of the most confusing yet as there will be SIX SEGMENTS! Including an invert at the end of each segment and a thirty-thousand dollar reward for the fastest pit crew at the end of the final segment. The first four will consist of fifteen laps. Segment five will be different as they will run thirty laps with a mandatory pit-stop at the conclusion. When it's all said and done, the sixth and final segment will be ten laps for $1,000,000. It seems every year this race gets more and more confusing to the viewer and the drivers themselves. Let's hope next season is easier to understand.
The driver I have winning this week is Kyle Larson. This has been a dream season for him as he's now won three races after taking the field to school last week at Sonoma. And with all the success this year, why stop now? Besides, he will be starting on the pole after the field was set by a random draw this week, so he already has the track position on everyone else. That will be a big momentum boost and while the inversion of the top eight to twelve cars won't let him run away, we have seen it time and time again how good he is at driving through the field. Look for Larson to continue his hot streak and score the big bucks this week at Texas Motor Speedway.
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NFL insiders hint at eye-opening future for Houston Texans offense
Dec 7, 2024, 2:38 pm
C.J. Stroud faced criticism in Houston's last few games as the Texans hit a rough patch after losing just two of their first eight games.
But the second-year quarterback remained confident and his strong performance last Sunday helped the Texans (8-5) to a 23-20 win over the Jaguars to enter their bye with a two-game lead atop the AFC South.
“When he is leading and playing the way he is playing, our entire team feeds off of him,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I am excited for his second year. I think he is showing a ton of growth, he is in a really great spot for us physically, mentally. I really love where he is and I am excited to see how he comes back after the break.”
Stroud threw for 242 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville to leave him ranked fourth in the NFL with 3,117 yards passing this season. That game came after he threw two interceptions in a 32-27 loss to Tennessee a week before for the team’s third loss in four games.
Those two interceptions brought his season total to nine, which are four more than he threw in 15 games a rookie. But the Texans aren’t worried about that statistic and believe he has grown in his second year.
“He’s made a lot of progress,” general manager Nick Caserio said. “There are some plays, like all of our players, that we probably wish he could have back, but happy he’s our quarterback, happy with what he brings to the table. ... Wouldn’t want anyone else leading this team.”
The Texans are in position to win their division for a second straight season despite dealing with several significant injuries on offense. Running back Joe Mixon missed three games early with an ankle injury and leading receiver Nico Collins was sidelined for five games with a hamstring injury.
They also lost four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs for the season when tore an ACL in Week 8.
Mixon leads the team with 887 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns and has added four touchdown receptions. His work in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati has helped the team deal with those significant injuries to the receiving corps.
Mixon ranks third in the NFL by averaging 88.7 yards rushing a game and has had at least 100 yards rushing in seven games.
Stroud has continually raved about Mixon’s contributions on and off the field.
“He’s a servant, a helper,” Stroud said. “That’s ultimately what I want to be as well. Who can I serve and how can I help? That’s ultimately what the game of football is.”
While Mixon has been the team’s most important new acquisition on offense, Danielle Hunter has been Houston’s new defensive star. The defensive end spent his first eight seasons in Minnesota before joining the Texans this year.
He has helped Houston lead the NFL with 84 tackles for loss after piling up 15 this season, which is tied for third most in the league. He also leads the Texans with 10½ sacks to help them rank second with 42.
Hunter been a great addition to a team that already had defensive end Will Anderson Jr., last year’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Anderson ranks second to Hunter on the team with 13 tackles for loss and 9½ sacks.
Ryans said this week’s break is much needed for a team that opened the preseason on Aug. 1 in the Hall of Fame game.
“It’s here and we’re going to take advantage of it,” he said. “We’ve been going at it for a long time.”
The Texans need to recharge this week with a brutal stretch of three games in 10 days when they return from their bye. Houston hosts Miami on Dec. 15 before a trip to Kansas City on Dec. 21 and a visit from the Ravens on Christmas Day.
“It’s Christmas and all that, but we can’t worry about that. All we can do is focus on Miami,” Caserio said. “And then when we get through the Miami game, then we kind of turn the page to the next. ... We’re either going to earn it or we’re not. Not to oversimplify it, but that’s the truth.”
The Texans will play those game without starting linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after he received a three-game suspension for his violent hit to the head of Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion.
Al-Shaair will be eligible to return for Houston’s regular-season finale against Tennessee.