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NBC Sports
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
Dr. Diandra: Season's longest race tests man more than machine
The nature of the Coca-Cola 600 has changed since its inaugural race in 1960. Back then, 600 miles was a test of mechanical endurance. Cars were set up so close to their failure points that DNFs – Did Not Finishes – were common. Why 600 miles? One reason manufacturers go racing is to prove that their cars are not only fast and sporty, but also reliable. The 600-mile Charlotte race started out as NASCAR's 24-hours of LeMans. So as we approach this year's marathon, let's examine the DNF rates and how they've changed over the years. The graph below shows DNF rates – the number of DNFs divided by the total number of cars – from 1960 to 2024. I've purposely not numbered the individual bars so you can better see the overall trends. I will, however, point out a few cases of interest. In the inaugural 1960 race, 70% of the 60 cars – that's 42 vehicles – didn't finish the race. Only 10 of those 42 DNFs (23.8%) were due to accidents. Six drivers (14.3% of all DNFs) were disqualified. That included Lee and Richard Petty, marking the only time and father and son were disqualified from the same race. The remaining 26 DNF drivers suffered equipment failure. Engine-related problems accounted for half of those failures. Only the winner – Joe Lee Johnson – finished on the lead lap, marking one of his two career Cup Series wins. He led just 48 of the 400 laps and took home $27,150. Second-place driver Johnny Beauchamp finished four laps down. While 70% is huge for a DNF rate, that first year didn't hold the record for long. In the 1966 race, 33 of the 44 cars (75%) failed to cross the finish line running. Only three (9.0%) of those DNFs were due to accidents. Engine-related failures accounted for 24 DNFs (72.7% of all DNFs) Only 11 drivers were on track for the race's final lap. Marvin Panch won, outpacing G. C. Spencer by two full laps. Taken as a whole, the Coca-Cola 600 rivals Daytona and Talladega for DNFs. Out of 66 races to date: Less than 50% of the field failed to finish in 15 races or 22.7%. Thirty-four races (51.5%) had a DNF rate of 30% or more. But the graph also shows that the DNF rate is overall decreasing over the years. If we consider only races from 1995 on: No race has had more than a 50% DNF rate. Only four races out of 30 (13.3%) have a 30% DNF rate or higher. In 24 of these races, more than 90% of the field finished the race running. There were even two years in which only one car failed to finish the race. In 2009, Mike Bliss' car retired with a vibration after just 42 laps. In 2021, Kurt Busch's car lost its engine after 139 laps. The highest DNF rate since 1992 is 45.9%, or 17 DNFs among 37 cars. That was the 2022 race – the first year of the Gen-7 car. Fifteen of the 17 DNFs were due to accidents, which includes drivers who failed to beat the Damaged Vehicle Policy clock. Two drivers (11.8% of the DNFs or 5.4% of the full field) had engine failures. Of the 20 drivers who finished the race, 17 finished on the lead lap. Denny Hamlin's margin of victory was 0.12 seconds, one of the closest finishes for the Coca-Cola 600. So while the DNF rate is comparable to some races from earlier times, the reasons for those DNFs have shifted significantly. For one, engine failures are much rarer these days, although Ryan Blaney has managed to have two of them this year already. One positive for drivers in this long of a race is that they have time to come back from penalties and mistakes if made early enough. In the 2022 race, Kyle Larson crew chief Cliff Daniels pointed out that they were not only the most penalized team (with three penalties), they also crashed and caught on fire. They finished in ninth place. On the other hand, the three drivers who combined to lead 143 out of 413 laps (34.6%) finished 15th, 25th, and 33rd. If there is one characteristic this marathon race has retained over the years, it is unpredictability. Consider, for example, recent margins of victory. Since 2001, the time difference between the leader and the second-place finisher has ranged from 0.027 seconds (Jimmie Johnson, 2005) to 10.2 seconds (Kasey Kahne, 2008). Margins of victory have been closer in the Gen-7 era: 0.119 seconds in 2022 and 0.663 seconds in 2023. Last year's race, of course, was cut short by rain and ended under the red flag. While we haven't seen any finishes as close as we've had with the previous two generations of car, we also haven't seen a driver run away with the race. So far. The race's unpredictability extends to the number of unplanned cautions. (Unplanned cautions exclude any caution known ahead of time, like stage break cautions and competition cautions.) The graph below shows how the number of cautions has varied over the last 24 years, from two in 2021 to 22 in 2005. That 2005 race was an exception, however. Before 2005, this race hadn't seen more than 14 cautions (in 1980.) That number includes all races that have numbers of cautions reported in Most races had between six to nine cautions. But Charlotte Motor Speedway 'levigated' (i.e. diamond ground) the track surface before the race. Drivers struggled just to keep their cars headed in the right direction. Multiple spins and accidents slowed the race – although the end provided an exciting, close finish. That makes the 2022 race, the first race with the Gen-7 car, the most cautions in a normal race. That race had 18 cautions for 90 laps, which means 21.7% of the race was run under caution. Three of those cautions were stage-end cautions. Of the 15 unplanned cautions, there were: Seven spins Seven accidents One debris caution It wasn't the longest race in terms of time, but it ran 619.5 miles, which makes it the longest NASCAR race in history by mileage. None of this data helps us predict what will happen this weekend. What I can say is that the Coca-Cola 600 has become more of a test of people than machines. Which pit crew can consistently pull off quick stops in a race that often has the most pitting of any in the season? Which driver can remain focused enough for four-plus hours to avoid making mistakes on pit road and dodge any on-track carnage? And how many fans will make it through the year's biggest day of racing without needing a nap at some point?
NBC Sports
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
Good news, bad news for NASCAR Cup teams ahead of Talladega weekend
The NASCAR Cup Series is back in action after taking last weekend off. Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway begins a stretch of 28 consecutive weekends of racing, going all the way through the season finale Nov. 2 at Phoenix Raceway. Here is a look at the good news and bad news for Cup teams heading to Talladega. 23XI Racing — Good news: Tyler Reddick won at Talladega last spring. … Reddick has finished in the top six in three of the last six races at drafting tracks. … Bubba Wallace has two third-place finishes in the last four races this year. Bad news: Riley Herbst is one of two full-time drivers who have yet to score a stage point this season (Cody Ware is the other). Front Row Motorsports — Good news: The organization has had at least one car finish in the top 10 in 10 of the last 11 Talladega races. … Noah Gragson finished third in last spring's race at Talladega. … Todd Gilliland has three top 10s at Talladega, his most at any track. … Zane Smith has finished 12th or better in four of the nine races this year. Bad news: In the six races since finishing eighth at COTA, Gragson has not placed in the top 15. Haas Factory Team — Good news: Cole Custer's best finish this season came in the Daytona 500 when he placed 21st. Bad News: Custer has finished 28th or worse in five of the first nine races of the season. Hendrick Motorsports — Good news: Hendrick drivers have combined to lead 87% of the 797 laps run in the past two races (Darlington and Bristol). … Kyle Larson has won two of the last four races this season. … William Byron has four consecutive top 10s at Talladega. … Byron has won three of the last 11 races on drafting tracks. He is the only repeat winner at those tracks in that stretch. … Chase Elliott has completed all but one of the 2,605 laps run this year. Bad news: Larson is winless in 49 starts at drafting tracks. … Elliott has only three top 10s in the last 13 races at drafting tracks. … Alex Bowman has finished 27th or worse in each of the last three races this season. Dustin Long, Hyak Motorsports — Good news: Ricky Stenhouse won last fall's race at Talladega, his second career victory there. … Stenhouse finished fourth in last spring's race at Talladega. … Stenhouse has 11 top 10s in 23 career starts at Talladega, his most at any Cup track. … The organization remains one of two in the series without a DNF this year (Legacy Motor Club is the other). Bad news: Since placing fifth at Atlanta in the season's second race, Stenhouse has not finished better than 18th. Joe Gibbs Racing — Good news: Denny Hamlin has four consecutive top-five finishes, finishing fifth at Homestead, first at Martinsville, first at Darlington and second at Bristol. … Hamlin is the only driver to complete all 2,605 laps this season. … Christopher Bell has five top-six finishes, including a win, in the last eight drafting track races. … Ty Gibbs has had back-to-back top-10 finishes for the first time this season, placing ninth at Darlington and third at Bristol. … Gibbs has gone from 34th to 20th in points over the past three races. … Chase Briscoe has three top 10s in the last four starts this season. Bad news: Briscoe has one top-10 finish in his last seven races on drafting tracks. Kaulig Racing — Good news: AJ Allmendinger is only two points out of the final playoff spot. … Allmendinger has three top 10s in the last five races entering Talladega. …Ty Dillon's season-best finish of 14th came at Daytona. Bad news: Dillon has four finishes of 27th or worse this season. Nate Ryan, Legacy Motor Club — Good news: John Hunter Nemechek is one of only two drivers (Ryan Blaney is the other) to finish in the top 10 in both drafting-track races this season. Nemechek was fifth in the Daytona 500 and 10th at Atlanta. … Erik Jones has five top 10s in his last seven Talladega starts. … The organization remains one of two in the series without a DNF this year (Hyak Motorsports is the other). Bad news: Jones has started 27th or worse six times this year. Nemechek has started 27th or worse five times. Richard Childress Racing — Good news: Austin Dillon turns 35 on race day at Talladega. His teammate, Kyle Busch, is the last Cup driver to win on his birthday. Busch did so in May 2021 at Kansas. Bad news: Busch has finished 18th or worse in nine of the last 11 Talladega races. Rick Ware Racing — Good news: Cody Ware finished a Talladega-best 12th in last fall's playoff race. Bad news: Ware is one of two full-time drivers who have yet to score a stage point this season (Riley Herbst is the other). RFK Racing — Good news: Brad Keselowski finished second in both Talladega races last year. … Keselowski has six career Cup wins at Talladega, most among active drivers. … Ryan Preece is 14th in points, the best he's been in his Cup career through the first nine races of the season. Bad news: Keselowski has not had a top-10 finish through the first nine races this season for the first time since 2011. … Chris Buescher has finished outside the top 15 in five of the last six Talladega races. Spire Motorsports — Good news: Carson Hocevar has 33 stage points this season, which is more than six drivers who are in a playoff spot. … Justin Haley has two top 10s in his last three Talladega starts. Bad news: Michael McDowell has finished 31st or worse in three of the last four Talladega races. Team Penske — Good news: Ryan Blaney ranks first in the series in stage points with 92. … Blaney has three top-two finishes in the last five Talladega races. … Blaney is one of two drivers (John Hunter Nemechek is the other) to finish in the top 10 in both drafting track races this season. Blaney was seventh in the Daytona 500 and fourth at Atlanta. … Austin Cindric started second in both Talladega races last year. Bad news: This will mark the second consecutive year that Team Penske has not scored its first Cup victory of the season until at least the 10th race of the season. Last year, Team Penske didn't win its first points race until the 15th event of the season. … Joey Logano has only one top-10 finish in his last 11 Talladega starts. Trackhouse Racing — Good news: Ross Chastain has finished in the top 10 in four of the last five races, including the past three. … Daniel Suárez has three top 10s in his last five Talladega starts. Bad news: Shane van Gisbergen has placed 30th or worse in five of the last six races. Wood Brothers Racing — Good news: Josh Berry has scored Ford's only win this season. Bad news: Berry has not finished better than 12th in the four races since winning at Las Vegas.
USA Today
26-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Mikaela Shiffrin finds positives in what could have been a lost season
Mikaela Shiffrin finds positives in what could have been a lost season SUN VALLEY, Idaho — It would be understandable if Mikaela Shiffrin had let herself wallow. The last few years have been, to put it simply, rough. The sudden death of her beloved Dad. The struggles at the Beijing Olympics. The knee injury that cost her a chunk of last season. Then, in late November, the crash that cost her a chunk of her obliques as well as valuable time on the World Cup circuit. But pity parties aren't Shiffrin's style. More introspective than most, athletes and otherwise, Shiffrin tries to remind herself that, yes, she's had challenges. But she's had some really wonderful experiences, too. Like getting engaged to fellow skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde. Setting the record for most World Cup victories, a mark that now stands at an almost unfathomable 100 wins. Watching her teammates thrive and become medal-contenders themselves. 'Everybody's dealing with something,' Shiffrin said in an interview with USA TODAY Sports ahead of Thursday's slalom race at the World Cup finals. 'I think the harder thing about this season has been the peaks and valleys,' she said. 'I tend to operate best at more even keel, even emotionally. But when it's extremely good moments and extremely bad moments, that's what really takes all of my energy to just manage it.' Shiffrin arrives at the last race of the season in a good place. Or at least on an upward trend again. She has spent the last week in Sun Valley getting some valuable training time, including in giant slalom. The crash earlier this season occurred during the second run of a giant slalom in Killington, Vermont, and Shiffrin didn't race GS again until late February, acknowledging she was having PTSD. But she's had fewer and fewer symptoms, and is getting closer and closer to feeling like her old self. 'The last few days of training, I've been able to take on the speed and the tempo of a course a bit better,' she said. 'I've had some training days going really fast and I've had training days where I'm not so fast, but all within reason.' Even the GS race earlier this month in Are, Sweden, when Shiffrin skied out in the first run. It was a disappointment because the DNF cost her a chance to race the GS here and boost her position in the season standings. But it was also a win because of how she felt. 'That whole day, my warmup runs leading up to the race, everything was really in a good place,' Shiffrin said. 'Being able to show up to a race and mentally take it on and feel like I was pushing from the start and feeling like I was processing things and … being able to take in all the chaos and all of this different feedback and all this different stimulus and be able to mentally file it in the right place, that was really rewarding,' she said. 'After everything that the place my mind has been all season is, that was huge.' Even if it wasn't reflected in the end result. 'Normally we base our progress (after an injury) off the result of a race. That's the test. That's what tells you, 'OK, you've actually done good work and you've done this well,' " Shiffrin said. 'But coming back from this injury, we've had to sort of separate from the result entirely and just focus on the little rewards throughout the day.' More: Mikaela Shiffrin's head coach makes history of her own The missed races, along with struggles in her first attempts at racing GS post-crash, dropped Shiffrin in the season-long points standings. That has the potential to add an additional challenge at the start of next season, because start positions are based on where you are in the standings. The higher up in the points you are, the better your start position. The better your start position, the more chances you have for good results. The more good results you have, the better set up you are for the Milan-Cortina Olympics. 'We can't get those points soon enough,' Shiffrin said. 'So I'm kind of clawing tooth and nail in slalom to secure a better spot on the start list for GS.' But worrying, and wallowing, won't change the math. So Shiffrin instead chooses to focus on the training she's done this last week, looking at it as her first prep camp for next season. She got to do some testing of her GS equipment. She got some quality runs in both GS and slalom. She might have been behind at the end of this season, but she's ahead for the next one. 'That's been helpful to just kickstart my motivation for the summer,' Shiffrin said. Which is big, given that next year is an Olympic season and the expectations on Shiffrin will, once again, be immense. Shiffrin already has three Olympic medals, two of them gold. She is the all-time leader in World Cup wins and podium appearances, and she set a world championships record last month with her eighth gold, winning the team combined with Breezy Johnson. Anything Shiffrin does in Milan-Cortina will only burnish her legacy, rather than defining it. But skiing, like so many other Olympic sports, only gets the general public's full attention every four years. Those two weeks loom large, even if athletes try and see them as any other races, and no one is more conscious of that than Shiffrin. Her uncharacteristic struggles in Beijing, when she posted DNFs in three races, resulted in a torrent of online abuse. 'There is pressure around the Games,' Shiffrin said. 'I want to be able to say that I'm just doing this for me and it's just for fun and everything, but the fact is we all feel pressure. There's not a lot in the world that feels like holding up a gold medal. Or any Olympic medal. It's the culmination of a lot of work.' If these last few years have reinforced anything, though, it's that her career is a gift. The good, the bad, the heartbreak, the triumph — they're all interwoven. 'I'd love to be able to go to Cortina next year and take the mentality that it's more of a privilege and more of an opportunity than it is pressure,' Shiffrin said. The balance required to be a successful athlete and a happy human aren't that much different. Shiffrin has mastered both. Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Superspeedways Proving to Be Kryptonite to Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson is a generational talent, but when it comes to superspeedway racing the California driver has his challenges. Currently in his 13th season in NASCAR's Cup Series, Larson has yet to secure a victory at Daytona or Talladega. His average finish at NASCAR's two superspeedways is 21.9. He has recorded no top-five finishes at the 2.5-mile Daytona speedway and only two at the 2.66-mile Talladega track. In the top-10 category, Larson has posted five at Daytona and four at Talladega. In the DNF group, Larson owns nine at Daytona and six at Talladega. 'I think I'm starting to see it's getting in his head,' Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon said. 'I've had a few conversations with him, and like, man, just go for it, just forget about it, don't try to even overthink it. I don't know what advice to give him other than … just be Kyle Larson. Don't try to be something you're not. Don't look at what somebody else is doing that's having success. Just go out there and execute, and the other things will turn around and come your way eventually.' Larson, who finished 20th in this year's Daytona 500, said he knew the decisions he made in the season opener weren't always the correct ones. 'Sometimes you just have races that go that way,' Larson said. 'Sometimes you know every decision you make isn't the right one and sometimes you can't miss. 'I look at the first Stage. The 12 (Ryan Blaney) didn't do anything special. He literally stayed in one lane the whole time and it just kept advancing. So, the next run I decided I was going to stay in one lane and it didn't go anywhere. Sometimes things work and sometimes they don't. Even in William's (Byron) case, he got shuffled behind me before the crash on the backstretch that I got caught up in. 'The last few years, even though I haven't won or finished well, I feel like we've done well and made right decisions to get into the picture at the end. The (Daytona) 500 wasn't one of those.'
