A Big Update Coming on the Fastest Lap!

February 06, 2025

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Feb 06, 2025 | Edition #133

👋 Dear Motorheads,

Just 10 days to Daytona, and we’re thinking about everyone gearing up for the race—Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., and even Helio Castroneves. And yep… there we go getting all nostalgic again!

Don’t get us wrong—we know Castroneves is an Indy legend, and it’s not even his fault that he gets to race no matter how qualifying goes. But still, there’s no such guarantee for JJ and MTJ. They could crash out, anything could happen… and honestly, that’s probably what fueled Denny’s recent rant against NASCAR!

🌪️ Cause for Controversy

Why is Hamlin Calling NASCAR “Desperate”

Denny’s comments were over that fancy 'Open Exemption Provisional' rule.

We know, we have discussed the rule in the past editions. But still to jog your memory: the rule gives popular drivers from other motorsports direct entry into a race, even if they fail the qualification round. So if there are 40 cars already qualified, this driver would be the 41st special entry.

Simply put, if F1 driver, Max Verstappen wanted to race in NASCAR and wrecked in qualifying, he’d probably still get a spot—but imagine if he didn’t make it. Maybe then F1 fans would finally get that driving in circles isn’t so simple! But, Sadly, the NASCAR rule is kind of undermining this. And to Denny Hamlin, "this reeks of desperation." 

However, from NASCAR’s perspective, sure, this would grab headlines and boost the sport’s popularity. Honestly, it’s a race we’d all love to watch—and we’re sure even Hamlin would be excited to compete. But Hamlin very well wants them to earn it. Listen to his big sarcastic..rant.

He does make a solid point—this could be a long-term loss for the sport. If NASCAR wants headlines, a big-name driver failing to qualify would be the headline.

We would appreciate seeing Max Verstappen earn the pole rather than being handed the 41st spot. Who’s to say he won’t crash out on Lap 1? Or maybe he qualifies mid-pack and charges through to battle the leaders? Anything can happen—that’s the beauty of NASCAR! In any case, they should put the sport first.

Helio is a great driver, but if he crashes out, then be it. And, that's as much part of racing as winning a race is. And like it has for Denny Hamlin, this rule has killed the excitement for Ryan Blaney as well. It looks like Blaney was really looking forward to competing against Castroneves. But maybe after hearing Denny, he has also drawn some serious analysis. You must listen to Blaney, he just called NASCAR “greedy.”

What’s adding to the frustration is the vague eligibility criteria. Even if 7-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton wanted to race in NASCAR, would he be considered more popular than 7-time Cup champ Jimmie Johnson? Now that’s what NASCAR needs to figure out.

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🔮 Lucky Dog’s Perspective

NASCAR’s Another Stale Update…Are You Buying It?

Since we are on the subject of NASCAR's desperation...let’s talk more about it. So, as the first points-playing race kicks off (Atlanta)...drum roll...drivers will get one additional point for bagging the fastest lap of the race. And also, the owners will get one additional point in the standings. And, all this will be presented by Xfinity.

Seriously, take a moment to wrap your head around this!

Also, before we jump into how unnecessary this is... look at the eligibility criteria: This applies to all-points races in all of the three series. If the driver with the fastest lap gets a DNF, he won't get the point. Open entries are not eligible and check out the crazy payout gaps for Cup and Truck.

You get the idea. Let us paint you the picture: Had this rule been there last season, Kyle Larson, by just bagging one fastest lap point, would have won the regular season championship over Tyler Reddick. That's what just one single point can do. And, not to mention, Larson had 5 fastest laps last season. 

But, now, when NASCAR should be focusing on important issues, they know how to tank popularity (take Logano’s championship for instance). This is the same reason why we have this IN-SEASON Tournament add-on.

But all this feels like a cover-up for not making significant changes to the whole format, especially when the superspeedways need a horsepower update. The next-gen car needs some rework. We are not asking to design the next-gen 2.0, but it could have a better aero package!  And, what about the points system and the playoff system? All these could get better updates.

Additionally, not sure if you know, but starting in 2025, F1 has scrapped the fastest lap points. And—the Lucky Dog thinks it’s pretty funny how Formula One tossed out the rule… and NASCAR picked it right up.

Now, with this new rule, regardless of points, the driver with the fastest laps in a season will have a donation made in their name to a charity of their choice. Looks like Xfinity is trying to leave a lasting mark as they wrap up their title sponsorship.

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📈 Trending News

‘Cat in the Hat’ Is Missing a Truck!

Jumping from NASCAR drama to petty theft might seem sudden, but—it’s not every day a NASCAR owner’s trucks get stolen.

So, the FBI had been investigating a high-end vehicle theft ring for years. And, recently, the trail led them to a garage in Milwaukee, tipped off about several stolen vehicles, including two Ford trucks swiped from Roush Enterprises in Livonia, Michigan.

We don’t know if you know but Jack Roush's trucks were stolen on November 18, 2022. Just 10 days later, surveillance footage caught an F-150 pulling into a used car dealership in Milwaukee—and two days after that, it was still sitting there.

On December 1, 2022, a person was seen getting into the stolen F-150 at a Milwaukee apartment and driving off. Later, he was seen pulling up to a storage facility in the same truck, Michigan plates and all.

Enter Diaunte Shields. We don’t know the identity of this person but we got hold of these pictures of the stolen Ford truck.

According to FBI Special Agent Shane Hoffmann’s statement, “The vehicles were taken by individuals wearing ski masks who had exited a black SUV.”

Fast forward to last month—Shields and an accomplice were indicted in federal court. But you're probably wondering… where are the trucks? Well, one turned up in Texas. And, the other is still missing.

And, as per RFK’s last comment on the matter, “This issue has been resolved, and we do not wish to comment further.” However, it's exciting to think which F-150s were stolen. From what we know, the trucks were stolen from Roush Enterprises’ HQ in Michigan. Even the F-150 is sold there. So there is a high chance it was one of these trucks.

Thankfully, RFK Racing is headquartered in North Carolina, and the trucks stolen won’t be from their iconic Truck Series history. Especially the truck from Greg Biffle in which he won the 2000 championship. Or it could have been Carl Edwards’s popular truck from 2003 and 2004 which is known for this crazy backflip. But, just imagine the jackpot if any of these were stolen.

🗝️ From the Vault

When Dale Jr Angered Richard Childress

And since we are already discussing the trucks, do you recall Truck Series’ 2011 Kansas race? We don't know if the $150,000 fine was justified or not. But the lesson everyone took that day was to never piss Richard Childress!

So, what happened was, in the Kansas race, Childress's driver, Joey Coulter, tested the waters with Rowdy. And we know Kyle Busch doesn't appreciate being raced hard. We just saw what went down at Bowman Gray with him and Justin Haley. Anyways, Busch door slammed Coulter in the cool-off lap. And Childress LOST IT!

Sadly, there’s no video proof of this wild tale—but here’s how the story goes. Richard Childress didn’t just confront Kyle Busch… he hunted him down, threw him in a headlock, and gave him a proper thrashing. Yeah, we couldn’t believe it either—until Dale Jr. dropped the bomb on his latest podcast episode.

This all went down right after Martinsville, in the thick of that race manipulation fiasco. And honestly, so much chaos unfolded there, it’d take an entire edition just to break it all down. But here you can get a quick recap.

It ended up becoming a huge Chevy vs. Toyota battle with heavy penalties issued. $200,000 per team. And naturally, Richard Childress decided to appeal the penalties. The RCR owner was really mad. And, according to Junior, maybe this is what made Childress mad. 

It didn’t end there. A few days later, ahead of the race when Childress passed Junior, the latter stopped him for a usual, "How do you do?" But it wasn’t a usual greeting as Junior mentioned Childress quite literally “grabbed him.”

Yes, Richard Childress pulled Junior aside and gave him a piece of his mind. While the details are still hazy, Childress recently talked about how that day cost the team $3M and why he “can never get over it.” You must listen to why it was disappointing for Childress.

We’re all familiar with the history, and both parties have since cleared the air. But one thing is undeniable: after this, Dale Jr. would never target Richard Childress and his team again.

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