The NASCAR playoffs are intensifying as it approaches the second of three Round of 12 races, with this week’s instalment to be held at Talladega.
It was utter chaos last weekend in Kansas as former championship leader Kyle Larson suffered a puncture and finished 26th.
The damage he sustained to his diffuser meant that he couldn’t make up any ground on his rivals and subsequently dropped from first to fourth in the NASCAR drivers’ standings.
It means that William Byron now leads the way at the top of the championship, by six points from Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney.
Top three in NASCAR standings are ‘comfortable’ according to Mamba Smith
Having slipped to fourth in the standings, only 18 points above the cut off for making it to the final eight in the playoffs, Larson has to be sitting a whole lot more uneasy than he was before.
Even worse for him is that he has to race in Talladega this weekend – one of his worst tracks statistically and the only event of the final seven that he has failed to finish inside the top two of in the last three years.
Speaking on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, Mamba Smith shared his thoughts on the predicament of the championship for the top three and those behind.
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“You look at the top of the points, right? It’s Byron, Blaney and Christopher Bell. Those guys, you feel a little bit more comfortable, you feel better about it.
“We just saw Larson almost lose it all. You don’t feel great about it, you still need to – I would think in Talladega if they can get those stage points [they’ll have a good shot of being qualified].”
Larson has work to do to ensure he reaches the end of the road
Larson trails the championship leader by 16 points, having held a 15-point advantage himself this time last week.
It shows how quickly the tide can change at this level of motorsports, but also represents how he could fall out of the playoffs if he doesn’t keep his A-game up.
He simply cannot afford to have another poor weekend in Talladega, or he risks carrying no momentum into the final race of the Round of 12 in Charlotte with everything on the line.
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It’s astonishing that a driver of his calibre with the most wins and poles this year hasn’t already ensured his qualification yet, but he didn’t compete in the Coca-Cola 600 which has hurt his tally.
That was due to his participation in the Indy 500, which will not be repeated next year, regardless of whether the race is still going on (he will be pulled out to compete in NASCAR).