NASCAR Roundtable: Looking back on the Round of 16

The first stage of the NASCAR Cup playoffs is complete with 12 drivers advancing. Did you see anything that surprised you through the first three races? If so, what was it.

Jim: Probably Kurt Busch's elimination was most surprising to me. He hadn't set the world on fire this season but he had entered the playoffs on quite a strong run - sixth or better in four of the five races before the playoff opener. I really believed he and his Stewart-Haas Racing team had turned the corner and were ready to make some noise.

Lee: The biggest surprise was Ricky Stenhouse Jr., hitting the wall in the first two races, then advancing to the second round. For him, it was all about recovery. For Kurt Busch, the team simply didn’t execute. His car was fast enough at Chicagoland but the speeding penalty compounded the vibration then the wreck at New Hampshire did the No. 41 team in.

Nick: Kurt Busch's elimination was certainly a surprise, but the surge from Hendrick Motorsports at Dover was something of note in my opinion. Toyota drivers dominated and won all three races, but at Dover, we saw the Hendrick camp flex their muscles with strong runs from Elliott, Johnson and Earnhardt Jr. I'm interested to see if they can keep it up at Charlotte and beyond.

Tim: I really thought Kurt Busch was getting hot at the right time and would be able to carry that momentum into the playoffs. Although he got caught up in the accident with Kevin Harvick that wasn’t of his making, his car never seemed to show consistent speed in the first three playoff races.

We're coming up on a cut-off race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte. Of the four drivers in the bottom four, who do you think has the best chance of advancing to the next round and why?

Jim: I believe Brendan Gaughan will advance to the next round. He trails Ryan Reed by just two points entering the Charlotte race and Gaughan, frankly, has been running a lot stronger than Reed of late. Gaughan finished ninth at Charlotte in May and every challenge he's faced to make the playoffs this season, he's met. I expect the same again on Saturday. 

Lee: I like Brendan Gaughan’s chances simply because of his experience. Despite lacking the speed of the JR Motorsports Chevys and the Toyotas, his long, long, long-time relationship with Shane Wilson should count for something. It would be nice to see Gaughan go out on a high note.

Nick: Brendan Gaughan is the obvious choice. If you look at the other three, they have rarely shown speed throughout the 2017 season. Annett is close enough that should bad luck befall the No. 62, he could sneak through, but I doubt it.

Tim: Although he hasn’t said he’s retiring, the thought is this is Brendan Gaughan’s final season of full-time racing and I think he wants to go out as a champion and will give it everything he has to make it to the final four and contend for the championship. 

Ben Rhodes made a daring move on the final restart of the Truck race and advanced into the Round of 6 in the CWTS playoffs. Should we expect to see more risky moves like that at Talladega in couple of weeks?

Jim: As I tweeted after the Las Vegas race, the Truck cutoff race at Talladega is going to be epic. Virtually everyone in the playoff field except Christopher Bell and Ben Rhodes can make or break their season based on their performance in that race. There will be drivers racing for the win for the automatic advance as well as drivers racing to avoid elimination and everything in between. The stakes could not be higher in a race that could not be wilder.

Lee: The win certainly gave him a ‘Get out of Jail Free’ card if he chooses to do so. With a win in his pocket, he can go for it at Talladega.

Nick: This is the playoffs. It doesn't matter if it's Talladega or somewhere else, these drivers are going to throw it all out on the line when the time comes. But because of the kind of close pack racing we always get at Talladega, I think it's agurantee we're going to see something spectacular.

Tim: I think Talladega Superspeedway will provide one of the most exciting races of the season. The only two that are really safe are Christopher Bell and Ben Rhodes, so that means everyone else really has to do well or win to advance which should make for an epic race. 

There's been plenty of thoughts surrounding Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman's discussion post-race. It appears that Gordon is taking a more public and active roll in the operations of Hendrick Motorsports. Do you feel Gordon's comments were warranted?

Jim: I think Gordon's comments to Newman actually did a disservice to Chase Elliott. Newman did absolutely nothing wrong in my opinion while trying to stay on the lead lap - remember he was racing for the best possible finish for himself to advance in the playoffs as well. To imply that Newman needed to cut Elliott some sort of break to help him secure his first Cup series victory simply cheapens Elliott's very hard effort. Elliott doesn't need - nor should he expect - any breaks to win Cup races. He will have many in his career.

Lee: Depends on what hat he’s wearing. Most people don’t consider commentators journalists, so Gordon isn't likely held to the same standards as others in the booth. However, he certainly showed his bias on Sunday at Dover. His only reason for getting in Ryan Newman’s face is if he has skin in the game. As savvy as Gordon has been his entire career, going after someone twice his size — especially at a low-point in the season — didn’t show the best judgement. 

Nick: Probably not the best decision, but it was the heat of the moment and he was frustrated for Chase who had come oh so close yet again. As for Newman holding him up, he had every right to. His playoffs were on the line and he had every right to hold his ground. Also, it's not like he ever threw a bad block on the No. 24, he just held his line and kept pushing forward. Did it help Kyle Busch catch Elliott quicker? Maybe, but he was coming regardless.

Tim: I feel that Ryan Newman did nothing wrong as he was racing hard to stay on the lead lap. It would be one thing if he was multiple laps down. As for Gordon, I think we’re seeing the emergence of Gordon eventually becoming the day-to-day face and leader at Hendrick Motorsports. He was acting more as a team owner than a member of the media in that moment.

What will Richard Childress Racing need to do to advance past the first round next year?

Jim: This season showed that RCR has the ability to utilize strategy and circumstances to pull off victories in the Cup series. It also showed the organization still has work to do to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Joe Gibbs Racing, Furniture Row Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske for wins and championships. Don't get me wrong, this first step was a big one. But the next could be even harder. 

Lee: Find speed in their cars. Ryan Newman missed the cut-off by two positions. In hindsight, he probably could have picked up those points some where in the first 33 races. I was surprised that he didn’t find a way to transfer. With teams battling against the Toyotas and Kyle Larson, they really need to be thinking outside of the box. Faster cars will go a long way to closing the gap. Bottom line is RCR needs to get to work.

Nick: Well first they'll need to make the playoffs to begin with. They have two wisn this year, but both were achieved through alternate strategies. They need better, faster race cars, plain and simple. 

Tim: Although the team found a way to win races this season to make the playoffs, they also seem to still be looking for consistent speed. I feel they’ll need to be faster next year if they want to return to the playoffs.