Smith Should Have Won

But not for the reason your are thinking...We here at Circle Track usually refrain from covering the Sprint Cup Series only because our focus remains at the short track level.  However, after watching yesterday's Talladega race I couldn't help but weigh in on the finish.

By the title you obviously already know my opinion is that Regan Smith should have won that race.  But that stance has nothing to do with the "below the yellow line" call made by NASCAR.  No sir, not at all.

Playing Monday Afternoon Crew Chief for a minute...WHERE WAS THEIR PLAN??? I mean...come on you've got Tony Stewart in the lead and not two, but three team cars directly behind him!  With two teammates ready to push there is no reason that Smith shouldn't have won.  My opinion: as the field roared out of four toward the checkered Smith and his two partners should have made a fake to the low side and then jumped back to high side to make the pass.  If Tony moves high to block (which you know he would have), Smith needed to quickly dart back to the inside and freight train him.  Naturally accomplishing that would take A LOT of teammate.  But it could be done.  Unfortunately, that's not at all what happened.

Smith faked but he faked high and went low, that gave Smoke the chance to force him below the yellow line and into a NASCAR penalty.  Menard didn't follow and Almirola was asleep at the green and lost third spot to Jeff Burton.

I ask again where was their plan?  Heck all three crew chiefs had a yellow flag to plan their attack.  If they did have a plan, it sure didn't show on the track.  My point of this blog is come Saturday night when you're getting ready to race, take into account as many race scenarios as you can and plan a course of action for each one.  If you are in the position to win, then make sure you know (in your mind) how you are going to win!

So let me ask this final question if the three cars behind Stewart were #48, #24 and #88 would he have still won the race?