Tyler Reddick is a driver to watch this week. Photo via: Wiki Commons.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads for Upstate New York this week for its annual trip to Watkins Glen. Watkins Glen is one of NASCAR’s most thrilling tracks on the schedule, we have seen some of the most intense battles here and with the playoffs on the line, we will see a lot of moves of desperation in the closing laps. Sunday will be the first race for this new car at The Glenn and with all of the new features of this race car, handling will be much better compared to what we saw in years past. There is a 38 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms in the area for Sunday, if the rains come, NASCAR will carry their rain tires just in case. Considering the Cup Series has raced in the rain only a handful of times over the course of its 74-year history, a lot of these drivers will have a difficult time adjusting to the elements. This will definitely be an interesting storyline to follow.
NASCAR will make history on Sunday as seven international drivers will be taking to the grid. We will see drivers like the German Mike Rockenfeller and Brit, Kyle Tilley, winners in some of the biggest races in IMSA Sports Cars. Regulars like the Mexican-born Daniel Suarez, who has made a great name for himself in the Cup Series with a win this year at Sonoma, and F1 participants such as Danii Kyvat. While there are many new faces, the name that stands out the most has to be the 2007 F1 World Champion, Kimmi Raikkonen. He will be making his NASCAR Cup Series debut for Trackhouse Racing and their newest Project91 entry. In all of my years of watching this sport, I have never seen a field as deep as this one. It will be awesome to see how these guys fare against the stars of NASCAR.
In the last two weeks, 2014 Cup Champion Kevin Harvick and his team have been on a roll. After a clutch victory two weeks ago at Michigan that assured their spot in the playoffs, Harvick and Crew Chief Rodney Childres dialed up another race-winning set-up last weekend at Richmond. All throughout the day, Harvick was consistently up front. He spent most of the middle stages of the race right behind Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Martin Truex Jr. He didn’t seem to have the speed to match Logano or Hamlin as they both had double the amount of fastest laps. His fortune would turn around as cloud cover would come over the track and suddenly his car would handle much better. He would reel in Logano with 68 laps to go and never look back to claim his second victory in a row.
The wave of momentum that this team is on right now was not what anyone expected. Even some of NASCAR’s most expert analysts like Steve Letarte would go on record stating that he didn’t believe this team would have the speed to make the playoffs. This sudden burst has similar vibes to Harvick’s boss Tony Stewart when he won the title back in 2011. Going into the playoffs, the other 15 drivers will have a lot of work to do in trying to keep this team from their second championship.
We have reached the Kurt Busch update portion of this article. Over the last four weeks, the veteran driver has been recovering from a concussion he sustained at Pocono in a practice crash. It appears that there is hope that he will return this week for the race at Watkins Glen. We are likely to get an update on his status on Friday. Hopefully, he will be fit to drive this week and can make up for some of the points they have missed out on.
The Kyle Busch sweepstakes continues this week as rumors keep flooding in. According to reports, an additional Chevy team has now made an offer to Busch. Many have speculated on whom that team was, could it be the newly formed Kaulig Racing? Maybe RCR would be considered? With no end in sight, I have a feeling that we won’t know where Kyle is going till the end of the season. While he's still at Joe Gibbs Racing, Busch was finally able to break through and get back into the top ten last week at Richmond.
Prediction
The driver that I have winning this weekend is Tyler Reddick. Ever since breaking the seal at Road America, Reddick has been on a roll when it comes to road courses. He backed up his win with another victory at the Indy Road Course. One key to this race will be the restarts, Tyler is easily one of the best drivers on restarts. I look for him to score his third career win come Sunday.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
How Hunter Brown's impact on the Astros sparks a fresh perspective
Jul 26, 2024, 2:42 pm
With Tuesday’s trade deadline fast approaching, the Astros will look to add the necessary pieces to sustain their recent winning ways and make another playoff run this season.
It's no secret Houston is in need of rotation help with players such as J.P. France, Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy all needing season-ending surgeries. Even considering the presumptive returns of Justin Verlander and Luis Garcia in some capacity, it would behoove the Astros to acquire more pitching options to help solidify their rotation.
General manager Dana Brown has made it clear he will be looking to add both starting pitchers and players who can play first base.
Astros fans should expect their team to make a move or two by Tuesday’s deadline, just as they have done in years past.
Zach Eflin
Recent reports suggest the Astros are one of several teams interested in Rays’ pitcher Zach Eflin who has a 5-7 record and 4.09 ERA this season.
The 30-year-old signed a three-year, $40 million deal with the Rays prior to the 2023 season and would be an affordable option for the Astros if they were to acquire him.
Although the Rays have a 52-51 record, it doesn't seem like they will become buyers at the trade deadline and could sell off some of their pieces while staying competitive.
Historically speaking, Tampa Bay has never been afraid to let their higher level pitchers go as they did with Blake Snell prior to the 2021 season and Tyler Glasnow during this past offseason
The Rays have multiple pitchers returning from injuries and can afford to let someone like Eflin go.
The only pause the Astros might have is the asking price in return from the Rays. If this is the case, there are other short-term pitching options the Astros could look to instead.
Jack Flaherty
The Tigers are stuck in the middle between good and bad and don’t seem to be playoff contenders this season, making them an ideal candidate to become sellers at the trade deadline.
One of the biggest names on the trading block recently has been Jack Flaherty who has a 7-5 record with a 2.92 ERA and 133 strikeouts this season.
Considering he's a free agent at the end of the year, it shouldn’t cost the Astros much in return to acquire the Tigers' pitcher.
Houston has not been directly linked to the 28-year-old, but he could be a low-risk, high-reward rotation piece.
Flaherty could be a perfect number 3 or 4 option in the rotation behind Framber Valdez, Ronel Blanco and Hunter Brown.
Yusei Kikuchi
Similarly to Flaherty, Yusei Kikuchi is on a Blue Jays team with little to no playoff hopes this year and is set to become a free agent at the end of this season.
Toronto has already hinted at becoming sellers at the trade deadline and could look to offset many of their impending free agents.
Kikuchi’s record at 4-9 and 4.54 ERA might not be impressive, but he does have 133 strikeouts this season and can be a reliable back end of the rotation piece for the Astros if acquired.
Adding a starting pitcher is certainly a priority, but Houston will also scour the market for first base options as well.
Isaac Paredes
The Astros have been connected to Rays’ infielder Isaac Parades in the last few days and it seems to make sense for both sides.
As mentioned earlier, Tampa Bay is in an interesting situation this season and could become pseudo sellers by the deadline.
The Rays have a plethora of infielders in their origination and can afford to trade someone like Parades and still remain competitive.
The 25-year-old can play first or third base, and has been used as a designated hitter this season as well. Parades has a slash line of .250/.353 /.797 and could be an improvement at first base over Jon Singleton.
Acquiring him could be affordable as his salary is only $3.4MM this year. Parades has three additional years of club control, and his defensive versatility could make him a perfect long-term addition to this Astros’ roster.
Brent Rooker
This one might be a stretch, but would it be shocking to see the A’s let go of one of their best players? The answer is no. Brent Rooker has had a remarkable season, hitting near .300 and becoming one of Oakland’s most consistent bats in their lineup.
The 29-year-old has been the A’s primary designated hitter this season, but has the ability to play both corner outfield positions as well.
Even though Houston doesn't need another DH/outfielder, Rooker's bat would be an upgrade in the lineup and could give the Astros another weapon to add to their offensive arsenal.
Although not as likely as the other candidates mentioned, Rooker would be a more realistic and cheaper option to acquire than someone like Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Honorable Mentions
Starting pitchers Jameson Taillon (Cubs) and Erick Fedde (White Sox) have been linked to the Astros recently, and either would be an ideal fit.
Both players would add necessary pitching depth, and either could fit in seamlessly as a 4th or 5th starter in the rotation.
Needless to say, Houston seems to be casting a wide net to increase their odds of landing someone who can help the team immediately.
An ideal scenario would be for the Astros to acquire at least one pitcher and use a six-man rotation once Verlanader and Garcia come back at some point this year.
It would be beneficial for the Astros to acquire an extra starting pitcher or two to add to their rotation and maybe another option who can play first base as well to ensure this team continues to improve and make another run at the postseason this year.