Roger Diez
Webster’s dictionary defines “domination” as “the exercise of control or influence over someone or something, or the state of being so controlled.” Last weekend, both the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix and the NASCAR Cup Bristol night race embodied that definition perfectly.
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On Saturday night at Bristol, Kyle Larson destroyed the NASCAR Cup field, leading 462 of the 500 laps to lock into the Round of 12 that starts next week at Kansas Speedway. You might remember the spring race at the high-banked half-mile oval when tires began shredding after about 30 laps. Goodyear brought the same tire on Saturday, but there were no issues. In fact, the tire falloff was considerably less than expected.
Heading to Kansas, Larson leads the remaining playoff contenders, 39 points above the cutoff line with Christopher Bell at +24, Tyler Reddick +20, William Byron +14, and Ryan Blaney +11. Denny Hamlin is seven points above the cutoff line, Chase Elliott six to the good, and Joey Logano plus-three. Drivers below the line are Austin Cindric at minus-4 and Daniel Suarez minus-6, while Alex Bowman and Chase Briscoe are each seven points down.
Larson won at Kansas this spring, the second of his two wins there. Hamlin leads playoff drivers with four wins and Joey Logano has three, while Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliot have one apiece. Previous Kansas winners among non-playoff drivers are Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., and Kyle Busch with two each and Bubba Wallace with one.
To absolutely nobody’s surprise, Larson is the favorite for Sunday’s race at 3-1 starting odds. Hamlin is 9-2, Reddick 7-1, and Bell and Elliott both 11-1. Truex and Blaney share 12-1 odds while Byron and Busch are 14-1. Wallace shares 18-1 odds with Chris Buescher and Gibbs is at 20-1.
The Kansas Lottery 300 for Xfinity cars will air today at 1 p.m. on the CW with Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 on the USA network at noon.
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McLaren’s Lando Norris turned in the second dominant performance of the weekend at the Singapore Grand Prix, leading into Turn 1 from the pole and only losing the lead during pit stops. At the checker, he was 20.945 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen as the race ran caution-free for the first time in its 15-year history.
Lando’s teammate Oscar Piastri finished third, extending McLaren’s constructor points lead to 41 over Red Bull. Norris also gained seven points on Verstappen in the drivers’ championship battle. RB driver Daniel Ricciardo scored fastest lap of the race on the final lap, in what some claimed was helping Verstappen in the championship hunt by denying Norris the extra point. RB is considering replacing Ricciardo with Liam Lawson for the remainder of the season and the team said the fastest lap ploy was to give him a good sendoff. Daniel’s big smile and sparkling personality will certainly be missed if, in fact, the team replaces him. If he’s out of the seat, he will be the second driver dropped mid-season this year, following Logan Sargeant’s departure from Williams after the Dutch Grand Prix.
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Finally, if you’re a car buff, here’s an event that might interest you. Shelton Racing and Fabrication is having a huge sale on Saturday, Oct. 5. I spoke with Robby Shelton, and he told me that he is cleaning out the shop and offering years of local automotive history for sale. Race car parts, hot rod parts, collectibles, tools and equipment are all on offer. The event starts at 10 a.m. at 5250 Highway 50 E. in the Silver Sage Industrial Park. There will be a food truck and coffee service available. See you there.