By Adam Carabine & Logan Morris
Logan Morris: Mr. Carabine! It’s a pleasure to be back with you. Tell me, are you betting on 21 the next time you go to the tables in Las Vegas?
Adam Carabine: Hello again, Mr. Morris! (I must say it feels weird to call you that, you’re always Loganity to me!) I can’t say I would be taking Josh Berry or the 21 again anytime soon, but I’m also willing to be proven wrong. This wasn’t a fluke win by any stretch of the imagination - Berry earned this and I’m happy to see another new winner in the Cup Series.
LM: Berry and the legendary Wood Brothers have been strong so far this season. But if you had told me they would be the first Ford to find victory lane this season, I would have called you a liar, especially within the first five races of the season. Is this a sign of things to come for the No. 21 team?
AC: I think it certainly could be. The Wood Brothers No. 21 has an alliance with Team Penske, but for some reason it hasn’t really ever seemed to equate to an equal amount of success on the track. Yes, we did get Harrison Burton a win last year in that car, but it was at a drafting track where a lot of things can be out of your control.
Maybe this is the start of that partnership between teams starting to pay off.
LM: I think it’s taken a while for the Wood Brothers to find the right fit. Paul Menard was the last time we felt like they had a true shot at contending regularly. Matt DiBendetto came close several times. Harrison Burton never seemed to gel. That’s not a knock on any of the drivers I just mentioned, it just can sometimes take a lot of trial and error to find the right pairing. I know we think of this as a driver sport, but it’s a team sport from top to bottom. Josh Berry feels like the right fit for the team and vice versa. I don’t know if they’ll be weekly contenders going forward, but today was a big statement that they’re going to be in the conversation this season more often than they have been.
AC: I agree, this feels different than some of the other drivers who have come close, but not been able to get to Victory Lane. Not only that, let’s remember that Josh Berry’s specialty is supposed to be short tracks - which Vegas is not. So the fact that he gets his first victory at a track that traditionally shouldn’t necessarily be in his wheelhouse, that gives me hope that we could see another win this year, maybe at a Bristol or Martinsville.
Another thing we saw in this race was just an insane amount of mistakes from teams. We had wheels falling off, we had penalties galore - what did you make of all of that?
LM: This was one of the wildest races at Las Vegas that I can remember. Mistake-filled. I think that just shows how much these teams are trying to push because every position means so much. Loose wheels felt like a constant topic of conversation and thus far this season, it had been calm on that front. These teams feel the pressure. You never know when your next chance to win will come. None of us were expecting Kyle Busch to go on such a long losing streak. Here we are. If anything, Berry’s win may only increase the aggressiveness because that’s how close the field is most weeks.
AC: Not only that, but before this race, Berry was 21st in points - so hypothetically the playoff field just lost another spot on points. That’s going to make the win-and-you’re-in scenario of these races even more intense.
The tire thing was crazy, I don’t remember anything like this since when we first moved to the single lug-nut four years ago. While the aggressiveness may be increasing on the track, we may see teams take a tiny step back and make sure those tires are on tight, because the penalties that come along with it can be severe. That extra 0.1 second might not be worth a 2-lap hold on pit road, and the loss of some crew members for the next two weeks.
Did anything else stand out to you this weekend before we get to our awards?
LM: Just the aggressiveness we’ve already mentioned and how about that command to start the race? That was so cool!
AC: Morgan Freeman is the best. The understated command was so great!
Okay, let’s talk awards!
Best Performer
LM: My Best Performer has got to be Chase Briscoe. He battled back from four laps down and salvaged the day. While I’m not sold on him at JGR overall, a tip of the cap for the bounce back today is in order.
AC: Totally fair. At one point he was 4 laps down. Some have said that they don’t think he’ll work out with JGR, but I’m not ready to write him off just yet.
I’m giving my award to Christopher Bell. It might be old news, but this guy’s pretty good. He had to start in the rear, was on the raw end of a poorly timed pit stop in the first stage, and to top it all off he had the pressure of three wins in a row hanging over his head. He finished 12th, and had the best pass differential of anyone in the field. This kid’s not done yet.
Biggest Move of the Race
LM: I have to go with Josh Berry for my biggest move. The drive he had over the last handful of laps was impressive. Clearly it paid off. He was solid all day but he found a new gear towards the end of the race.
AC: The pass on Suarez for the eventual win was clean and impressive, for sure. But you’re absolutely wrong if you don’t give your award to Christopher Bell’s TEAM for the crazy pit stop they had in Stage 2.
Bell’s pit crew has a bad stop, and it turns out his wheel isn’t fully tightened. They somehow call an insane audible and get Bell to pull into his teammate Chase Briscoe’s pit stall, where they tighten it for him. The to-the-rear penalty for pitting outside of his box was way less severe than the penalty they would have gotten, had that wheel come off. Heads up move by all involved.
Biggest Disappointment
LM: My biggest disappointment goes to Team Penske as a whole. Yes, Cindric finished P6 but even he had an up and down day. Joey Logano never felt like a real contender, and Ryan Blaney had one no good, very bad, terrible weekend. They were out-muscled by their satellite team. Roger Penske can’t be thrilled.
AC: That’s entirely fair - it was not a strong showing for Team Penske, even with Cindric’s decent end result.
My disappointment on the day may bring a smile to your face, Logan! I was disappointed for Erik Jones and the 43 team from Legacy Motor Club. They qualified great (in the Top 5), he ran up front for a good while, and unfortunately wasn’t able to put together a solid finish for your team. I think Jones is a great talent, and I’m hoping that we get to see him in Victory Lane this year too. It looked great to start, but Jones wound up finishing P27.
What to Watch for Next Weekend
LM: It was a tough day for “That Jones Boy” and the 43 team for sure. But, let’s see how they rebound next week. Speaking of next week, we head to Homestead-Miami. It’s another mile and a half. I think your early favorites have to be Tyler Reddick and Kyle Larson. Both are masters of riding the high line. That bodes well for both if they can hold it steadily for 400 miles.
AC: Agreed on both Reddick and Larson. On paper, next weekend’s race is just another 1.5-mile track, but Homestead and Vegas are so completely opposite of each other, despite being the same distance. The progressive banking at Homestead really allows for multiple lines that can work, though the high line seems to have the advantage most years. But that high line comes with some major risks, too. And too many times we’ve seen drivers lose their composure and wind up ruining their day. It should make for an exciting race!
Plus, I’m always just wanting Homestead to put on a good show so NASCAR will return there for the championship again one day soon!
Until then, have a great week, and we’ll meet up here again after Homestead next week!
LM: Looking forward to it! As Will Smith once said, we’re going to Miami.
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