Larson, Team Hendrick overcome electrical woes
You have to hand it to Team Hendrick, and especially the Kyle Larson team. Early in the race, they reported alternator issues, and it looked like the driver who had won 6 races in 2021 might not advance in the playoffs. But great teams do great things, and the talented crew members on the 5 team replaced both a battery and an alternator belt, and the race played out in a way that Larson was able to reach the front of the field and claim a 7th 2021 Cup victory. Teammate Alex Bowman also overcame alternator issues to finish in the top 10, but did not advance in the playoffs. Teammate William Byron nearly stole the show with a win, but faded late and did not advance despite his valiant effort.
In the end, two of the Hendrick drivers — Elliott and Larson — did make the final 8, and are both strong contenders for the Cup championship.
Rick Ware Racing aims to compete in 2022
The most shocking news Sunday was that Rick Ware Racing, a weekly backmarker team known mostly for being in the way and spinning at the back of the field with its four cars, wants to step up to respectability. They announced a technical partnership for 2022 with Stewart-Haas Racing and Roush Yates Engines.
It’s believed the team will field two full-time cars in 2022, possibly three if they get the proper funding, and that they have spoken with many free-agent drivers including Matt DiBenedetto and Ryan Newman.
My thoughts on this news are mixed. On one hand, I applaud any team that is trying to improve, and if anyone needed to improve it’s RWR, which has been a bit of a laughingstock this season, prompting fans to call on them to sell their charters to more competitive teams.
But if they’re going to try and improve, I’m fine with them keeping the charters (though one might end up sold). I’m just not holding out any major hopes of success until I see that it’s possible. This partnership may help, but I don’t see any major gains coming in 2022, and view this as a multi-year project where they slowly rise toward respectability. Time will tell.
Hezeman team to Cup in 2022
Other unexpected news this weekend was that Loris Hezemans, who won the 2019 Whelen Euro NASCAR championship and has run a few Xfinity series races, will compete in multiple Cup races in 2022 —primarily road courses, but possibly some short tracks too.
With its owners in Europe — Hezemans’ father Toine Hezemans and Dutch entrepreneur Ernst Berg — Reaume Brothers Racing will build the cars for the team and manage U.S. operations in the United States.
I think it’s great to see a European-based team showing interest in joining the top level of NASCAR (Hezeman hopes to compete full-time in Cup in 2023), and it’s a good sign of what the Next Gen car may bring in terms of interest from new team owners. There’s even potentially the return to NASCAR tracks of old fan favorite (or not-so-favorite) Jacques Villenueve, who is helping the team compete this week.
Powerhouse teams dominate playoffs
This year’s final 8 teams include 3 Penske drivers (Blaney, Logano and Keselowski), 3 Gibbs drivers (Kyle Busch, Truex, and Hamlin), and 2 Hendrick drivers (Elliott, Larson). No Cinderella story this year (unless you want to count Larson coming back from his suspension to dominate).
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Matt Myftiu can be reached on Twitter at @MattMyftiu, or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
