Beyond the Flag
Fansided

NASCAR: Five Lessons Learned From New Hamsphire

By Michael Guadalupe

Sep 25, 2016; Loudon, NH, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Carl Edwards leads the field after the green flag during the New England 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2016; Loudon, NH, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Carl Edwards leads the field after the green flag during the New England 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
The 78 team has been fantastic in the first round of the Chase. Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

The 78 Team is The Group to Beat

Martin Truex Jr. and the 78 team won the first race of the Round of 16 at Chicagoland and went on to prove that it was no fluke at New Hampshire.

He finished the Bad Boy Off Road 300 in 7th, but Truex led laps and was battling Matt Kenseth for the lead throughout a majority of the second half of the race. Bad restarts pushed him back to 7th, but Truex and the 78 pit crew were almost flawless throughout the day.

It’s not become clear that the 78 team has went from one of the underdogs to the top team to beat in the Chase.

It might be hard to call them underdogs, they won two races before heading into the Chase, but wins aside this team struggled. There were several times Truex was in a good spot to contest for a win, but bad luck or mistakes on pit road cost him.

To enter this first round of the Chase and show that those things are completely behind them changes the complex of this team and gives them momentum heading into the rest of the Chase.

The real question now is can any team step up and compete against the 78?

Home/NASCAR