Explainers – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Here’s the unusual NASCAR playoffs scenario if more than 16 drivers qualify

What happens if NASCAR has more race winners than playoff spots?

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. If you’re keeping an eye on the NASCAR Cup Series standings, you may notice there are a lot of different winners this season and just 16 playoff spots available. Maybe you’re wondering who makes the cut and why. That’s OK because we’re here to help.

This isn’t something NASCAR and its fans have really had to seriously consider in previous seasons, but how is the Cup Series playoff field determined if there are more than 16 different regular-season race winners?

Generally, the saying “win and you’re in” is applicable: A driver wins a regular-season race and automatically qualifies for one of 16 available spots in the postseason to contend for a championship.

But if there are more Cup winners than playoff spots available, what then? Let’s get into it.

What we know about why Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch were DQ’d after 1-2 finish in NASCAR’s Pocono race

The Joe Gibbs Racing teammates finished first and second at Pocono Raceway before NASCAR DQ’d them.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. You may have heard about some recent NASCAR drama involving two big-name drivers being disqualified from the latest race and wondered what’s going on. That’s OK, because we’re here to help.

Sunday at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania was, for the most part, a typical NASCAR Cup Series race day — until it wasn’t not long after the checkered flag flew.

Denny Hamlin crossed the finish line first Sunday in the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 at the 2.5-mile track nicknamed the “Tricky Triangle,” with his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Kyle Busch, right behind him in second and Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott in third.

But then, in an exceptionally rare move for NASCAR’s top-tier series, officials disqualified both Hamlin’s and Busch’s teams after their cars failed the post-race inspection, making Elliott the winner. It was… shocking.

So although we don’t have a ton of details about what exactly happened at Pocono, here’s what we do know.

How to watch NASCAR races now that NBC Sports has taken over the broadcasts from FOX

Without NBCSN, here’s what you need to know about watching the rest of the NASCAR season.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. If you’re wondering about how to watch the remainder of the NASCAR season, now that NBC has taken over the broadcasts, but don’t know where to find races, we’re here to help.

The only off-weekend of the NASCAR Cup Series’ 36-race, nine-month season came and went last weekend, and it was perfect timing as the sport switches broadcast networks.

For the Cup Series, FOX Sports handles the first half (give or take) of the schedule, and NBC Sports takes over for the back half. So after the first 16 points races of the Cup season were on FOX’s channels, NBC is now up to bat, starting with Sunday’s Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway (5 p.m. ET, NBC).

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Dale Earnhardt Jr., Rick Allen (play-by-play), Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte are returning to NBC’s broadcast team in the booth, while Kyle Petty, Dale Jarrett, Brad Daugherty and Marty Snider are back for studio coverage.

However, things will be a little different for NASCAR fans who are used to switching between the main NBC channel and NBC Sports Network. At the end of 2021, NBCUniversal shut down NBCSN, switching some of its live sports over to USA Network or, in some cases, Peacock.

So what does that mean now that NBC Sports has taken over the NASCAR schedule?

Make sure you know where to find USA Network. The remaining 20 Cup races, along with 19 Xfinity Series races, will be on NBC or USA Network, and sometimes, pre-race and post-race coverage will switch to Peacock.

Cup’s regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway in August and the championship race at Phoenix Raceway in November will be available on both NBC and Peacock.

For the third-tier Truck Series, races will still remain with FOX on FS1.

So ahead of NBC’s first NASCAR weekend of the 2022 season, here’s a look at its complete broadcasting schedule:

Friday, June 24 — Xfinity practice
5:30 p.m. ET, USA Network

Friday June 24 — Cup practice
6:30 p.m. ET, USA Network

Saturday, June 25 — Xfinity qualifying
Noon ET, USA Network

Saturday, June 25 — Cup qualifying
1 p.m. ET, USA Network

Saturday, June 25 — Xfinity pre-race/post-race
3 p.m. ET/6 p.m. ET, USA Network

Saturday, June 25 — Xfinity Series’ Tennessee Lottery 250
3:30 p.m. ET, USA Network

Sunday, June 26 — Cup pre-race/post-race
4 p.m. ET/9 p.m. ET, Peacock

Sunday, June 26 — Cup Series’ Ally 400
5 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock

And here’s the remainder of the Cup Series schedule and what channels are planned for each race broadcast:

Sunday, July 3 — Road America, 3 p.m. ET, USA Network
Sunday, July 10 — Atlanta, 3 p.m. ET, USA Network
Sunday, July 17 — New Hampshire, 3 p.m. ET, USA Network
Sunday, July 24 — Pocono, 3 p.m. ET, USA Network
Sunday, July 31 — Indianapolis Road Course, 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC
Sunday, August 7 — Michigan, 3 p.m. ET, USA Network
Sunday, August 14 — Richmond, 3 p.m. ET, USA Network
Sunday, August 21 — Watkins Glen, 3 p.m. ET, USA Network
Saturday, August 27 — Daytona, 7 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock
Sunday, September 4 — Darlington, 6 p.m. ET, USA Network
Sunday, September 11 — Kansas, 3 p.m. ET, USA Network
Saturday, September 17 — Bristol, 7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network
Sunday, September 25 — Texas, 3:30 p.m. ET, USA Network
Sunday, October 2 — Talladega, 2 p.m. ET, NBC
Sunday, October 9 — Charlotte Roval, 2 p.m. ET, NBC
Sunday, October 16 — Las Vegas, 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC
Sunday, October 23 — Homestead-Miami, 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC
Sunday, October 30 — Martinsville, 2 p.m. ET, NBC
Sunday, November 6 — Phoenix, 3 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock

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Indianapolis 500: The ultimate guide to the 2022 Indy 500

Everything you need to know before the 2022 Indy 500 green flag.

The 2022 Indianapolis 500 is nearly here, and it’s an exciting weekend for motor sports fans everywhere.

One of the biggest and most anticipated races on the planet, the 106th running of the Indy 500 is Sunday, May 29 at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval, and the green flag is set to fly at 12:45 p.m. ET (NBC).

We here at For The Win have put together a bunch of preview content for the race, from a beginner’s guide to the 2022 Indy 500 to the latest odds to interviews with now-five-time pole winner and 2008 Indy 500 champ Scott Dixon and Indy 500 rookie Jimmie Johnson.

Here’s all of that content in one place for you to enjoy before the green flag waves on Sunday.

A beginner’s guide to the 2022 Indy 500, one of the biggest races in the world

If you’re new to the Indy 500 or want a little refresher, we’ve got you covered.

The Indianapolis 500 is one of the biggest — and this writer would argue the best — motor sports events in the world. And the 106th running of it is Sunday, May 29.

But with all the drivers and teams and traditions and rules and stats, there’s a lot to keep track of, and that can be especially challenging for casual or novel fans trying to keep pace with diehard ones on race day.

That’s OK because we’re here to help with a guide to the 2022 Indy 500, which could be useful if you’re trying to brush up on what’s going on before Sunday’s race or if you’re totally new to this and are just trying to sound like you know what you’re talking about among people who do.

So here’s everything you need to know ahead of the 2022 Indy 500.

Everything you need to know about the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas

From the race format to qualifying rules and in-race incentives, here are a few things to know about the 2022 NASCAR’s All-Star Race.

Halfway through the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, 11 different drivers have won the first13 races, and if that pace keeps up, it could complicate which 16 drivers make the playoffs in September.

But for now, that’s all on pause because the NASCAR All-Star Race, a midseason exhibition event, is on Sunday. It’s not for points, but it’s typically a fun and fast-paced event with a large purse on the line — plus bragging rights, obviously.

And while the venue, Texas Motor Speedway, remains the same as last year’s All-Star Race, NASCAR has, of course, altered the format of the event and placed a greater emphasis on pit crews, including during qualifying. But it’s a lot to keep track of, so we’re here to help.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race.

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William Byron slammed ‘idiot’ Joey Logano after NASCAR’s latest bump-and-run incident

William Byron was not happy after NASCAR’s spring Darlington race.

Welcome to FTW’s NASCAR Feud of the Week, where we provide a detailed breakdown of the latest absurd, funny and sometimes legitimate controversies and issues within the racing world.

If you’re leading a NASCAR race by the end, Joey Logano is not the kind of driver you want right behind you. And after Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway, William Byron became the latest driver to learn that — the hard way.

Logano is known for his aggressive racing style, including moving another driver out of the way when the checkered flag is on the line. But for Byron, his fans and Logano haters, the No. 22 Team Penske Ford driver’s late move for the win was too far.

Let’s break down what happened.

Everything you need to know about F1’s inaugural Miami Grand Prix

What you want and need to know about this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.

After years of anticipation with many Formula 1 fans hoping this weekend would eventually materialize, F1 is taking on Miami for the first time with Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

The race will be on a purpose-built circuit around Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, and, hopefully, it will live up to all the hype and produce captivating racing, in addition to some awesome views.

But because the Miami Grand Prix is new to the schedule this year — it joins the U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas in Austin as the only other American F1 race, currently, before Las Vegas is added to the mix in 2023 — it might be helpful to know a few fast facts about event and venue.

So before the on-track action gets going, here’s what you want and need to know about the Miami Grand Prix.

NASCAR’s Bristol dirt race: 2022 race format and how the qualifying heats will work

NASCAR is getting dirty again!

NASCAR is getting dirty again because for the second time ever, the Cup Series will take on Bristol Motor Speedway’s temporary dirt track. But this time, it’s at night.

At the .533-mile Tennessee short track, the Food City Dirt Race is set for Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on FOX, and while the concept of this race is still novel, the format for the weekend, particularly qualifying, is very different from most other races.

Simply put, there will be two 50-minute practice sessions for drivers and teams to get a feel for how the Next Gen car will handle the dirt track, and then there will be four qualifying races to set the starting lineup for the main event.

But there’s a lot more to it than that, so let’s break it down.

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NASCAR’s monster penalty against Brad Keselowski and his team have serious playoff implications

This is not good for Brad Keselowski and his No. 6 RFK Racing team.

The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season just got a whole lot more challenging for Brad Keselowski and his No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford team. And, although it’s early in the season, their playoff hopes suffered a monster blow.

Going into this season, NASCAR made it clear penalties would be stiffer as deterrents with potentially serious and long-term implications if teams played with the Next Gen car and modified the parts supplied by the universal vendors. And that’s what happened to RFK Racing’s No. 6 team following Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

For the “[m]odification of a single source supplied part” on the No. 6 car at Atlanta, NASCAR announced Thursday crew chief Matt McCall is being fined $100,000 and suspended for the next four races, and the team is losing 100 owner points, 100 driver points and 10 playoff points.

Although NASCAR noted which sections of the rulebook the team violated — Sections 14.1 C&D Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules and 14.5 A&D Body, which both relate to modification — it’s unclear exactly what part of the car was modified and how. But the rule violations were identified Thursday during the teardown inspection at NASCAR’s R&D center.

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So beyond the specific unknowns about what was modified, what does all this mean?

Obviously, Keselowski and co. will be without McCall for the next four races, which are at Circuit of The Americas, Richmond Raceway, Martinsville Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway for the dirt race.

And while that’s obviously an immediate disadvantage to the team, the more serious implication here is the team losing 100 driver points, along with 10 playoff points.

The No. 6 team has yet to earn any playoff points through the first five races of 2022, so it’s now at -10, which will be more of a problem down the road in September when the 10-race playoffs begin — should Keselowski’s team make it in.

However, more importantly, after a 12th-place finish at Atlanta, Keselowski was 16th in the driver standings with 122 points. Now with the penalty, he dropped to 35th in the standings, making him the lowest ranked full-time driver in the field.

Falling that far in the standings significantly decreases Keselowski and his team’s chance of earning a playoff spot based on points — finishing the 26-race regular season among the top-16 drivers. It might actually be nearly impossible for them to “points” their way in, meaning Keselowski has to win a race to lock himself into the playoffs.

But even that might not be enough.

To be eligible as a title contender in the postseason, a driver technically needs more than a checkered flag. They also need to be among the top-30 drivers in points at the end of the regular season in August.

So Keselowski has 21 races to earn his first win of the season while also climbing into the top 30 in the standings. He’s now 34 points away from 30th.

In 12 completed full-time seasons, Keselowski has won at least one race every year with the exception of his rookie season in 2010. He’s also made the playoffs every year since 2014 when the current postseason structure was initially adopted.

Now, thanks to this monster early-season penalty, those streaks could be in serious trouble.

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