NASCAR: Will the 2018 Can-Am Duels lack excitement?

Tonight, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers will compete in the Can-Am Duels at Daytona. Will there be any excitement or will it be boring?

Tonight’s running of the Can-Am Duels at Daytona will set the starting positions for the Daytona 500 on Sunday. However, this year the Duels lose a bit of their luster because of one big piece that is missing.

In years past, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Can-Am Duels were the last shot at making the big race on Sunday. Smaller race teams would put everything on the table to beat the handful of drivers who also looked to race their way in. However, this year there are only 40 cars on the entry list. This means everyone is already in and the only thing on the line is starting position.

All things considered, one of my favorite parts of Daytona Speedweeks was watching the battles between small teams for the final spots in the Daytona 500. One lap, the team was in the big race. The next lap, they were on the outside looking in. Ten laps later…something different. This back and forth was what made the Duels. Of course, the best part was seeing and hearing the reaction when a team knew they made it.

Ultimately, we won’t get the satisfaction of a team making the Daytona 500 with a miracle last-lap pass. With all 40 cars guaranteed to be in the big race, I question whether the races will even be worth watching.

Will we still see good racing?

Quite frankly, is there such thing as bad racing at Daytona? Sure, the drivers could ride around for 75 laps single-file. However, I don’t feel this will be what happens. The Duels, in my opinion, will be a prime time to see what the cars can do. Based on, what we saw in the Clash on Sunday, there is some learning to be done.

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There is very little for teams to lose by crashing during the Duels. They all are locked into the Daytona 500 on Sunday. This is the chance to practice moves that may be available on Sunday. It will also be a good learning period for drivers, especially those who are not as experienced on the superspeedway-style track. How does my car handle the draft? How does it handle when I am out in front? By the same token, how does my car handle when pushing? With the limited practice time NASCAR has given the race teams, these are all answers teams may be looking to answer tonight.

I really think what we are going to see is 30-40 laps of side-by-side racing. This will be followed by 20-30 laps of single file, non-risk-taking racing. Finally, the last 10-20 laps of the race will be time for drivers to push the envelope. This will be the time to see if their cars handle well and can find the speed needed to win on Sunday.

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Are you looking forward to the Can-Am Duels tonight? Do you think the racing will be exciting and action-packed?

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