What We Learned From NASCAR: Toyota Owners 400

Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Each week the staff here at Beyond The Flag will offer up one thing that they learned from the previous week thanks to NASCAR. From week to week the things that NASCAR teaches us could cover a variety of subject matters.

Chris Olmstead

I learned that one of the biggest issues Tony Stewart has in 2015 revolves completely around his pit stops and restarts. In Richmond (and last weekend in Bristol as well) it seemed like Stewart would consistently lose a handful of spots every time that he pitted. Compounding the issue was the fact that he would also lose a couple of spots on the restart. Throughout the run he would make some of this up but that repeating cycle is nearly impossible to overcome unless you’re running like Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson or Kurt Busch.

I also learned that NASCAR takes fire precaution issues on pit road for good reason. The fire in the Xfinity Series race was a scary sight to see.

John Harlow

Old Man Tony Gibson still knows what he is doing on the pit box. Kevin Harvick and Rodney Childers are on another planet together. Daytime racing at Richmond is not close to what it is at night and that’s what I learned.

Cole Mentzel

Night racing and day racing at Richmond are completely different subjects based on what we saw from Denny Hamlin on Sunday. Also, one of the only ways you can beat Kevin Harvick is if you lead for most of the race and even that was dicey for a few moments with less than 10 laps to go.

Joseph Shelton

What I learned: The entirety of the Stewart-Haas Racing organization has improved greatly – except for Tony Stewart. Although one strong run that’s the result of a strong car as opposed to strategy would do wonders and be the feel-good story of the year, it may be time to see the writing on the wall.

Amy Marbach

I learned that if you are a B or C level driver and you have a better run than usual the sanctioning body will be suspicious and look at you harder. NASCAR took four sets of tires from the Richmond race: one from Carl Edwards and THREE from Justin Allgaier who uncharacteristically spent time in the top five today. Excuse him for having a better run than usual.

Mike Hutton

I learned that Richmond is a better race if conducted at night. I also unfortunately must confess and echo Joseph’s thoughts about the No. 14. He needs to stop bringing 3-year old cars to the track each week that were built for a different rules package, jettison the crew chief and about 50 pounds if he wants to remain competitive.

What The Fans Learned From NASCAR Last Week (Bristol)

Riley Sanderson (Oakland, CA)

I learned that Tony Stewart still has some gas left in the tank. Smoke has always gotten off to slow starts and he might struggle again next weekend but as the weather gets warmer he will certainly be moving up the finishing order.

Sarah Bernts

I learned that some NASCAR fans are borderline crazy (or super dedicated). There were not a lot of fans in the stands when the race finished but there were some. These people literally must have spent 12+ hours at the track and a lot of that was in the pouring rain. Color me impressed.

Be sure to check back with us next week to see what else we learned. Also, don’t forget to send us what it is that you learned this past weekend. Remember, if we like what you learned you could be featured in next week’s edition.

Next: Is NASCAR Making A Joke Out Of The Chase Eligibility Waivers?

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