AUSTIN, Texas: Five races into NASCAR’s 2024 season and Ford is in a funk.
Make no mistake, the Ford vehicles have been quick, simply not fairly quick sufficient to supply any wins but. At the race in Atlanta, the razor-thin margins on the end meant 0.003 seconds was the distinction between first and third.
But profitable is what counts probably the most and Ford drivers are looking for solutions to interrupt the drought as NASCAR holds its first street race of the season Sunday on the Circuit of the Americas.
“Been close to a couple of (wins),” mentioned final season’s Cup collection champion Ryan Blaney, who simply missed out on the victory in Atlanta and has three top-five finishes. “I don’t really get into panic mode too easily. Just understand it is a long year.”
A Ford win in Austin would appear like a protracted shot in NASCAR’s fourth run on a observe constructed for Formula One. Road course specialists Tyler Reddick (Toyota), New Zealand’s Shane van Gisbergen (Chevrolet) and Chase Elliott (Chevrolet) price among the many race favorites.
Chevrolet has three wins and Toyota has two this season, as Ford groups and drivers attempt to perceive the nuances of the Mustang Dark Horse physique type that was supposed to supply higher dealing with and aerodynamics.
No Ford driver certified within the high 10 for Sunday’s race. And whereas it’s nonetheless early, Ford drivers make up simply three of the 16 out there Cup playoff spots. Blaney tops that quick listing at fourth.
Ford drivers level to some strong statistics, even when the main outcomes are missing.
“I know it doesn’t look good on paper when you say that we haven’t had a Ford in Victory Lane yet,” mentioned RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher, who’s presently 14th within the Cup standings.
“Look at our year and how competitive we’ve been. We’ve been able to lead in four of the five races at some point. And when we didn’t lead any laps, we finished second. So to me, we’ve been very good. We’ve certainly had a little bit of rough luck,” Buescher mentioned.
Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing mentioned Fords have proven good “raw speed.”
“I feel like we’ve had the speed, we just haven’t been able to put the races together as a manufacturer,” Briscoe mentioned. “This week will be probably, truthfully, another struggle for the Fords to win. We just don’t have as many good road racers as the other manufacturers have.”
Briscoe famous how Ford ended final season with Blaney’s championship.
“If you would have looked at us last year, you would have never thought a Ford was going to win a championship and then it did,” Briscoe mentioned. “Hopefully when it matters, Ford is going to be strong.”
ON POLE
Daytona 500 winner William Bryon will begin from pole place on Sunday, with Ty Gibbs, Reddick and Christopher Bell the highest qualifiers proper behind him. Byron earned his solely profession street course win final 12 months at Watkins Glen.
NASCAR vs F1
The Circuit of the Americas is the one observe utilized by NASCAR and F1, however the two racing collection have vastly totally different types. F1 vehicles lap the three.4-mile (5.5 kilometers) circuit, with its steep elevation adjustments and 20 turns, about 30 seconds sooner than the inventory vehicles. F1 additionally races with a lot stricter observe limits than NASCAR.
NASCAR will probably be implementing observe limits by a collection of s-curves within the first sector. But search for drivers to make use of each little bit of the sweeping runoff areas round a number of turns, most notably on No. 19 earlier than the vehicles enter pit row.
“I think the guys are off the track more than they are on it,” mentioned van Gisbergen, who’s making his Cup collection season debut on the street course. “You forget how much elevation it has. The TV doesn’t give it justice. It’s a really cool track.”
NEW RESTART
After final season’s a number of restarts and additional time end at COTA, the restart zone has been moved from the beginning/end line to the exit of the ultimate flip heading into the entrance stretch.
The change ought to assist unfold the sphere earlier than it powers into the uphill switchback flip No. 1 that created so many crashes and restarts final 12 months.
“Restarts can be exciting for people to watch for sure, but they get to be kind of a crapshoot,” Blaney mentioned. “It will still be wild, but hopefully it would be under more control.”
GAMBLING
NASCAR has been leaning into sports activities betting lately. Reddick, final season’s winner at COTA, mentioned there’s a brand new degree of engagement with followers.
“My favorite one is, ‘Don’t screw up today, I’ve got a lot riding on you,’” Reddick mentioned. “Fans love to chime and let you know what they’ve got riding on it.”
ODDS & ENDS
Reddick is the betting favourite to win Sunday, in line with FanDuel Sportsbook … The first 5 races this season produced 5 totally different winners. The longest streak of various winners within the “modern” period of NASCAR (1972-present) was 10 in 2000.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
