A Roof Over Racing? NASCAR Is Evolving

July 19, 2025

July 19, 2025 | Edition #204

👋 Dear Motorheads,

The intensity is all-time high. The penultimate round of the In-Season Tournament hits the track at the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400, with a million-dollar prize fueling some serious rivalries and competition. And, the odds have all top drivers this time. Even the one with this golden monster mile trophy.

Additionally, Joey Logano is on the verge of a historic NASCAR milestone, joining some of NASCAR’s most versatile veterans and active drivers. Other than this, we’re also diving into some of NASCAR’s forgotten car numbers.

 🎯 Sunday’s Cup Race Odds

Who Is the Monster Mile Favorite?

Dover Motor Speedway has always been one of the fan favorites on the calendar, probably because of its high banks, worn-out concrete, or just how much guts drivers need to show to bring home the trophy.

Four drivers are favorites to bring home the triumph, and it’s not hard to see why. While some have history on their side, others have the momentum.

Currently, Denny Hamlin is the favorite at +450. He’s one of only three drivers on the grid with multiple Dover wins. Last year, Hamlin led a race-high 136 laps, beating Kyle Larson by 0.256 seconds. While Larson was closing, Denny kept blocking right in the middle of the track, like a dominant force. Here, this was a pure Toyota vs. Chevy neck-to-neck last lap.

That win proved that when the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran is dialled in, he’s tough to stop at Dover.

Next up is Kyle Larson, sitting at +500. It’s been an unpredictable few races for the No. 5 team, as ‘Yung Money’ has struggled for consistency since his ‘double’ attempt. But the sportsbooks haven’t given up.

Dover still remains one of his best tracks, with Larson having eight top-fives in 16 starts, including a win in 2019. He also has an average finish of 8.43 at the venue. The win back in 2019 was special for then-Chip Ganassi driver as he snapped a 75-race winless streak and bagged a golden Monster trophy.

The third potential driver to win at Dover is Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, who is listed at +650. While he has never won there, the No. 12 Ford driver has gotten top-seven finishes in his last two starts and qualified seventh or better in his last five appearances. Now, those are some impressive numbers, thus making him a top contender this weekend.

Last but not least, William Byron comes in at +750. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has led 257 laps at Dover, his second-most at any track without a win, and has finished fourth three times. This year, he has led the points standings for 17 of 20 weeks and has the best average running position (10.8) on the grid. If the numbers are anything to go by, the 27-year-old will be right up there, competing for the win at the 1-mile oval.

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🫡 The Lucky Dog Salutes

Joey Logano to Make 600th Start

Time flies. It seems only yesterday that Joey Logano, a trembling teenager hailing from Connecticut, flipped at Dover Motor Speedway during his rookie season. Now, 16 years later, he’s a three-time champ, already locked into the playoffs, and chasing yet another championship.

But if Logano pulls off a win at the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 this time, he’ll become the second driver to win in his 600th start (race). The first is ‘The King’ himself, who won at Richmond Raceway in 1973. And that was one hell of a race.

Petty was involved in a track-blocking, flame-enveloped tangle that involved 13 cars and eliminated nine of them from the race, and brought the NASCAR event to a standstill for an hour and 25 minutes after four laps were completed. But Petty still went on to victory. Look at the pictures from that day.

Now, if we look at Logano, he has come a long way as well.

“I was a young cocky kid coming in, getting my humble pie, and learning to become a champion,” he had said once. And, from witnessing his ups and downs at Joe Gibbs Racing to seeing him become a clinical driver at Team Penske, securing clutch results when it matters the most, fans have seen it all.

And, even the racer hasn’t forgotten where it all started. Especially that wild 2009 wreck in Dover, where he flipped, rolled over multiple times before somehow, miraculously, landing on his wheels and walking away unharmed. Watch the 7 flips in the air, and the impossible survival.

Becoming the youngest driver with 600 starts, he’ll be joining an elite club of drivers. We’re talking about the likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Bill Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and more.

“To be able to be around in a sport as an athlete, competing at a top level for 16-plus years and hit 600 starts, that’s pretty incredible,” and let’s just say he knows it all.

And, he isn’t resting on his laurels just yet. Despite his Hall of Fame career, Joey Logano is hungrier than ever to compete for wins and trophies. “I’ve always felt like I haven’t done enough,” he said.

Well, 600 starts, and one win away from rewriting the history books. That’s the kind of career a lot of drivers dream about.

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Logano Has Made as Many Enemies as Fans — Which Trait Has Most Defined His Impact on NASCAR?

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 🗝️ From the Vault

NASCAR’s Forgotten Legacy – the Lost Numbers

Have you ever noticed that we just don’t see some numbers in NASCAR anymore? In a sport rooted in legacy and that thrives on iconic digits such as the 3, 8, or 24, certain numbers, especially from 01 to 09, have faded into obscurity. And when you pause and really think about it, one can’t help but feel it’s a big loss to the sport.

Let’s start with the 01. For a few years, it had a real identity. Associated with the U.S. Army-sponsored car, or Joe Nemechek’s iconic win with MB2 Motorsports in Kansas back in 2004. The number even had some brief stints with Mark Martin. But after 2008, it just faded out, not even appearing on a part-time entry. The 01 car, representing the Army, edged out Ricky Rudd at Kansas Speedway in October 2004.

The numbers 02 to 06 paint an even bleaker picture. Most of them never consistently featured in the Cup Series, only making a handful of starts here and there. You can almost say that they existed ‘on paper’, but never really found a home with any team at NASCAR’s highest level.

However, the same can’t be said about 07. The number will always be known for this first-ever victory for Clint Bowyer at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2007 with Richard Childress Racing. Bowyer was just 28, and the excitement was all-time high. Watch for yourself.

But after Bowyer switched to No. 33, the 07 was again shelved after 2010.

The 08 and 09 numbers had their moments, too. The car only had two appearances for Braun Racing, one in the 2005 season at Atlanta and Bristol, and one in 2007 at Michigan International Speedway.

As for the 09, it has made over 550 Cup Series starts, being used by the likes of Landon Cassill, Bobby Labonte, and Sterling Marlin. Brad Keselowski also drove it in 2009 and even won the 2009 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. But it’s been almost 15 years since we’ve seen the number on a Cup car.

It’s easy to see why numbers are often overlooked. But let’s just say for some NASCAR drivers, numbers are deeply personal. They carry memories, stories, and sponsorships, and help fans build a connection. But when an entire group like 01–09 slowly disappears from the grid, one can’t help but feel something is being lost.

🌪️ Cause for Controversy

A NASCAR Track With a Roof?

Bristol Motor Speedway has seen it all.

Dirt races? Check.

College football? Check.

But the next big idea for ‘The World's Fastest Half-Mile’ is something truly out of the box. A roof over the half-mile track. Yes, you read that right. Looks like Marcus Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports, is going for the impossible.

“The dream, I think the thing that would be awesome to do, and we could do it, is to put a roof on Bristol one day,” Smith said.

Remember, this is the same track that races on dirt and hosted 150,000 fans in a college football game. But it seems like Smith wants to go big or go home.

With an MLB game coming up next month, the possibilities for Bristol seem endless. Concerts, MMA, even wrestling. “We could do WrestleMania. You could have, who knows what, the biggest UFC fight in the world,” Smith also added.

But it’s not just a pipe dream. There’s logic behind this bizarre idea. Bristol Motor Speedway has the infrastructure to plan something truly ambitious. And, Marcus Smith didn’t stop there with his high-risk tolerance ambition. He even outlined some of the biggest stadiums with his bold claims.

Perhaps a retractable roof might be a more realistic modification to the venue. After all, if they can hang a 30-by-63-foot television screen over the middle of the track, this seems relatively tame work.

In all, Bristol Motor Speedway might just be writing the next big chapter in sports entertainment. And if Marcus Smith has his way, ‘Last Great Coliseum’ may become the most versatile stadium in the world.

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