NASCAR Cup Series icon Carl Edwards has sent a warning to Chase Elliott after hearing the Hendrick Motorsports star’s latest interview regarding his 2025 campaign and playoff hopes

Carl Edwards has issued a warning to Chase Elliott about the precarious nature of the NASCAR Cup Series playoff cut line, given that the Hendrick Motorsports star hasn’t seen a win in 2025.

Currently ranked fifth in the Cup standings, Elliott’s lack of victories this season puts the 29-year-old at risk of missing the cut if 16 different racers cross the finish line before the playoffs. Elliott boasts nine top-ten finishes, including consecutive top-five results in Mexico City, where Shane van Gisbergen emerged victorious, and Pocono, won by Chase Briscoe.

The Cup star seems on the brink of a regular-season win, and Elliott has expressed confidence that his No. 9 can reach Victory Lane before the playoff deadline.

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“I think so. When I look at today, I feel like we were just right there, one little adjustment away from being right with Ryan (Blaney) and Denny (Hamlin), I felt like,” Elliott said when asked if he feels a win is near.

“I feel like it’s all well within reach, we’ve just got to piece it all together at the same time. It’s hard to be mad about top-fives. It’s not what we’re after, but certainly looking for more.”

However, NASCAR icon Edwards, who narrowly missed out on a Cup title during his racing career, cautioned Elliott about the playoff cut line should he remain winless in the 2025 regular season.

“He’s a winner, he’s a champion. He wants to be in Victory Lane. That interview tells me that,” Edwards said on Elliott’s admission.

“It’s so tough because consistency in the history of the sport is so important.

“But right now, as we talked about that cut line, 160 (points) might not be enough.”

Elliott admitted to making some expensive mistakes at Pocono, especially with Turn 3 being a tough spot.

“I think we’ve been capable of doing that in other weeks, so I’m not surprised by it, truthfully (back-to-back top fives),” he candidly shared.

“At the same time, it’s not what we’re here to do either, so just got to be a little better. I was really proud of the effort from where we were yesterday. We missed pretty bad yesterday.

“So to get our NAPA Chevy back, just in contention, and really gave ourselves a shot… I thought (turn) three was my weak point, I just never could get comfortable over there, and especially late in the run, just made too many mistakes.

“It was a solid day, not what we’re after, but on to Atlanta.”

NASCAR’s in-season challenge has arrived, but what exactly is it all about? But before we get into specifics, let’s be clear that this has no bearing on the actual championship in any way, shape or form.

The purpose of this bracket-style tournament is simply to provide some added excitement and engagement for fans, while also awarding a $1 million dollar prize to the driver who actually wins it.

Your next question is likely about how it works. Well, the top 32 drivers in points (as of three weeks ago) get to take part. So no Shane van Gisbergen, who only broke into the top-32 after winning in Mexico City. Each week, two drivers will face off against each other in a bracket similar to what you’d see for March Madness. To advance forward, a driver simply has to finish ahead of whoever they are facing that week. Points scored are not a factor in the final outcome.

This tournament lasts five weeks for the entirety of TNT’s run as they plan to broadcast a handful of NASCAR Cup races this summer between Prime Video and NBC. It will go through Atlanta, Sonoma, Chicago, Dover, and end with the final two drivers facing off in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. 

Denny Hamlin is the No. 1 seed, but in case you were looking to bet on a long shot, the No. 32 seed is Ty Dillon. Now, here’s a look at who is actually facing who this weekend:

Round 1 matchups — NASCAR Cup at Atlanta (EchoPark Speedway)

Denny Hamlin vs. Ty Dillon

Kyle Busch vs. Brad Keselowski

Alex Bowman vs. Joey Logano

Bubba Wallace vs. Daniel Suarez

John Hunter Nemechek vs. Josh Berry

Chase Elliott vs. Austin Dillon

Ross Chastain vs. Erik Jones

Christopher Bell vs. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Chase Briscoe vs. Noah Gragson

Ryan Preece vs. William Byron

Ryan Blaney vs. Carson Hocevar

Kyle Larson vs. Tyler Reddick

Michael McDowell vs. AJ Allmendinger

Ty Gibbs vs. Justin Haley

Zane Smith vs. Austin Cindric

Chris Buescher vs. Todd Gilliland

Facing extreme heat and intense on-track competition, the red-liveried Sailun-supported Lynk&Co 03 TCR race car powered through the infamous “Green Hell,” showcasing the exceptional endurance and grip of Sailun’s race-spec tyres across the 24 hours of the race. It is the largest motorsport event in the world with more than 140 teams with 450 drivers from 34 countries  competing and 280,000 spectators around the course celebrating a motorsports festival that is one of a kind.

“This is more than a race – it’s one of the ultimate tests of tyre performance,” said Yan Chuang, race driver and media influencer from China. “To finish strong in such harsh heat conditions at the Nürburgring, with its unpredictable terrain, weather conditions and relentless pace, is a testament to Sailun’s smart engineering and the resilience of their compound technology.

Despite soaring track temperatures pushing teams to the limit, the Sailun tyres delivered consistent lap times, minimal degradation, and superior handling through day and night shifts. The red car, already a fan and media  favorite, captured attention not only for its bold aesthetics but also for its relentless pace and reliability throughout the marathon.

“The official number of the car was 827 – a very meaningful combination as “8” represents a lucky number in China and “27” being the foundation year of the Nürburgring in 1927. The 25.3 km configuration of the Grand Prix Track and the historic Nordschleife provides the most demanding, longest and most challenging race track in the world. Until today the famous seal of quality “Nürburgring approved” represents the benchmark in global automotive testing and developing2, comments Stephan Cimbal, Director Marketing Sailun Europe.

The Lynk&Co on Sailun racing tyres finished on position 60 overall and took the podium in the class for alternative fuels as well – an all time first race set up 100% “Made in China“.

Press Contact (Original Photos and further Informations):
SAILUN EUROPE GmbH
Stephan Cimbal,
Director of Marketing Europe
Grosser Hasenpfad 30
D-60598 Frankfurt, Germany
T: +49 15111566780
Mail: stephan.cimbal@sailun-tyres.eu
 

And just like that, NASCAR is on the move … again. AGAIN! Feels like we just got to Amazon Prime, and now the boys are packing their bags and heading to TNT for the next month or so. 

The good news? My mamaw can watch the races again! What a relief. I was so tired of taking notes every week just so I could sound smart during our obligatory Monday morning debriefs. 

Channel 43, mamaw! “The Richard Petty channel!” Have at it. Zach gets a few weeks off now. 

Anyway … what did we all think about Pocono? A lot going on, but also, a typical Pocono race. You go to Pocono, you’re getting a fuel mileage race at the end. That’s just the way it goes at that place. 

Chase Briscoe ain’t exactly the most exciting new winner this season, but he’ll do. That’ll probably be the last time we talk about him today, though. Just being honest. 

We will talk about Natalie Decker, who broke out her red flag bikini to officially start summer. Feels like a natural way to kick off the season, if you ask me. 

We’ll also talk some Prime, Dale Jr., Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, and Tab Boyd – the spotter who insufferably woke NASCAR fired this week because God forbid you say anything negative about Mexico. 

Embarrassing. 

Four tires, enough fuel to get us through all three Tricky Triangle corners, and maybe a tampon for the muckity-mucks at HYAK Motorsprts … Monday Morning Pit-Stop – the ‘Hasta Luego!’ edition – is LIVE!

Typical NASCAR move here

Hate to start this class on a sour note, but the wokes who run the sport have once again left me no choice. 

So, two folks last week got sent to the principal’s office over their not-very-nice comments on the Mexico race weekend. 

Carson Hocevar was caught calling the place a “shithole” during a live video game stream (what a stupid way to spend your time), and was promptly fined $50K and sent to Liberal Finishing School (NASCAR-mandated sensitivity training). 

And while that was stupid in itself, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s spotter – multiple-time Daytona 500 winner Tab Boyd – was FIRED because of this since-deleted tweet:

“I’m ready to go home, screw this place. People can talk it up all they want… can’t even walk out the front door of the hotel without getting hustled and money snatched… in less than five minutes. Good area my ass…”

Good God. NASCAR is so soft. Or maybe we don’t even blame NASCAR here. Maybe this was a HYAK Motorsports decision? Regardless, they’re both so soft. It’s incredible. 

This whole sport is just constantly walking on eggshells. They’re all so scared of their own shadows that they don’t dare let anyone say anything remotely controversial without laying down the hammer. 

Tab Boyd actually lost his JOB because he implied that Mexico City wasn’t the best area. That’s it. That’s all he said. 

There are rumors floating around that spotter Tab got hustled by a dude who told him he could turn his US dollars into Pesos, and then just ran away with his money. True story. Objectively, that’s funny. Sort of on Tab to not trust shady people like that outside your hotel. 

But still … that reaction got him fired? Really? Who are NASCAR and HYAK Motorsports scared of offending here? The rabid NASCAR fanbase in Mexico? 

The best part is, they’re both deathly terrified of something that no longer exists. Cancel culture is done. Finished. Kaput. Over with. DONEZO. 

The second Trump retook office last fall, cancel culture died. But not for NASCAR. Not for its woke teams. It’s still 2020 in their eyes. 

Idiots. 

At least Ricky’s handling it well!

The Kyles had a fun weekend at Pocono!

Whoaaaaaaaaaaa Nellie! What an ROI for Ricky! Never a bad day when you turn $4 million into $12 million. Certainly helps ease the blow of losing your spotter. 

OK, let’s sneak back into the states and head to Pocono, where both Kyle Larson AND Kyle Busch had miserable weekends. 

We’ll start with Larson, who actually battled back for a decent finish yesterday, but clearly despises this stupid Next Gen car because it’s cheap garbage:

That would be sarcasm for the folks trying to piece it all together in the back. I don’t think Kyle loves Next Gen racing. I know for a fact that Kyle Busch HATES it, mainly because he’s shit on this new car for two years now. 

Coincidentally, he also hasn’t won a race in over two years. Weird! 

Speaking of KB, he angered all the Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans in Pocono this weekend with this SCORCHING hot take ahead of Dale’s crew chief debut:

Cut down in their Prime, nearly cut in half, and Natalie’s red flag!

Incredible. I know Rowdy wasn’t taking a shot at Dale Jr. – at least that’s what he later said – but still … such a bold move to kinda-sorta shit on anything that has to do with an Earnhardt. 

“Just gonna be a warm body sitting atop the box.” Hey, Kyle, does THAT look like a warm body just twiddling his thumbs and passing the time?

Nope. That looks like a dude down in the trenches with the fellas getting dirty and kicking ass. Dale Jr. is America’s Crew Chief, now. Sorry Larry Mac. This is Junior’s world. 

Piss off, Kyle! 

Couple quickies on the way out. Let’s all pour one out for Amazon Prime, which turned on race fans across America over the past five weeks with a pretty stellar NASCAR debut:

I’ve written about it plenty, so I’m not gonna rehash all the ratings talk here. The numbers are/were the numbers, and the numbers … were a mixed bag. 

NASCAR wants to get younger, and Prime executed perfectly. The audience for the five races? Youngest NASCAR audience in years. YEARS. 

The actual viewership itself? It steadily decreased each week. Again, if you want to really dive in, I wrote about it two weeks ago. Read it. You’ll probably like it. 

Bottom line: NASCAR on Prime was a success in terms of the broadcast and the median age. The viewership numbers left a lot to be desired, but that was expected in Year 1. Next summer will probably be a better gauge. 

Speaking of things getting cut in half, let’s check in with this WARRIOR on pit road yesterday:

My God. Taking a TIRE to the torso is next-level stuff. What a legend. D1 lacrosse player, too! I’m amazed every week that stuff like this doesn’t happen more often. You don’t realize how close these dudes are to the action until you venture onto pit road yourself. 

But they still have a job to do and a tire to CHANGE. Get your ass up, dust yourself off, and get SVG back on track in an appropriate amount of time. And that’s what this legend did. 

Bet he’s a BIG B2 bomber guy! You don’t take a tire to the chest like that without having some Republican in your blood. 

OK, that’s it for today. We’re off to Atlanta next week. TNT’s got the next five races, for those wondering. 

Channel 43, mamaw!

Take us there, Natalie. 

What’s Happening?

Thomas Annunziata will make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut this weekend at Lime Rock Park with Spire Motorsports.

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Denny Hamlin earned the top seed in the inaugural version of NASCAR’s In-season Challenge, a five-race, bracket-style tournament set to kick off next week in Atlanta.

The tournament, which comes with a $1 million prize to the winner, is part of a new media rights deal that includes TNT.

The final 32-driver field was set by results of the races at Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono. Chase Briscoe won the Cup race Sunday at Pocono Raceway to finalize the field.

The drivers will be paired in head-to-head matchups based on seeding, with the winners advancing to the next round in a bracket format that mirrors the NCAA basketball tournaments.

Hamlin goes head-to-head next week against the 32nd seed, Ty Dillon. Briscoe earned the second seed, Chris Buescher is third, Christopher Bell fourth and Chase Elliott fifth.

The format is single elimination with the field cut to 16 at Chicago, eight at Sonoma, four at Dover and the final two at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The tournament is patterned after in-season tournaments that are staged by soccer leagues around the world and even brought to the NBA.