Get your beer and race snacks together because we are underway in the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Can’t believe it is almost October already. Now, these drivers are battling for yet another set of spots up for grabs. The field will be cut to eight after this and that is when things get very interesting. However, the next round is underway in Las Vegas.
Prior to the race, of course, the National Anthem was played. It was well done and straightforward. Fans and crews seemed to enjoy it well enough. Just as the singer hit the “Land of the Free,” a military flyover sent the Las Vegas Motorspeedway into cheers.
NASCAR knows how to do a National Anthem and flyover, that’s for sure. They also know how to put on a good event. With the playoffs being hotly contested, fans and drivers are running high on emotions. Last week there was almost a fight when Kevin Harvick and Chase Elliott got into a bit of a discussion after the race had finished in Bristol.
Last week, the field went from 16 to 12. The four drivers left out of the second round were Tyler Reddick, Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch, and Michael McDowell. They all seemed to never get into their rhythm and McDowell in particular had a bit of bad luck to start out. However, that is the nature of NASCAR. Only the toughest survive each round.
With the stages underway in Las Vegas, things look to be as hot as the desert heat. Hopefully, the race stays fast, safe, and avoids any major disruptions. Sloppy Playoffs make things exciting, but a bunch of caution flags is never great to have.
NASCAR and Country Music Collide on the No. 8 Car
Not only was there a spectacle prior to the race tonight, with the flyover and anthem but there was some style down on the track yesterday as well. One of the coolest-looking cars that I’ve seen in a while has to be the No. 8 car driven by Sam Mayer.
The No. 8 car is sponsored by Big Machine label group that represents more than a few artists. That includes Carly Peace. His Chevy was absolutely decked out in a great green Carly Pearce design. It is one of the more unique designs I’ve seen and I hope there is more of this to come. What do we have to do to get Dolly and Willie on a NASCAR Cup Series car?
While Mayer didn’t qualify for the Xfinity Playoffs, he still raced in Vegas. The top-12 make the Playoffs in that division and this season he finished a distant 34th. Still, he has one of the most interesting designs in quite a while.
