As the sun sets on the regular season of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series, the grand finale looms large, mere hours away. This climax promises not just thrills but also spills, as drivers teetering on the brink of playoff elimination will pull out all the stops to clinch victory.

Historically, the benevolence of already-qualified teams has seen them throw a lifeline to their comrades in the fray. However, whispers from the NASCAR grapevine suggest that the winds of change might blow this time, as a myriad of underlying factors come into play.

“It’s pretty much every team for themselves,” suggests NASCAR insider

The regular season has seen teams don myriad hats, with some of their drivers comfortably seated in the playoffs while others teeter on the edge. Case in point: Richard Childress’s team. While Kyle Busch enjoys the security of a playoff berth, Austin Dillon lingers in uncertainty.

In the latest episode of a PRN podcast, NASCAR insider J.C. Fickenscher, mulling over the potential alliances in this last race of the regular season, remarked, “The fact that so many teams that have split even with a couple of drivers in and a couple of drivers out, I think it’s pretty much every team for themselves.” Moreover, Fickenscher speculates on the camaraderie within Hendrick Motorsports, suggesting they might rally behind their own—Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman—over others like Richard Childress’s grandson.

“I think Hendrick, with Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman being out, William Byron and Larson will help those drivers get in. But when it comes down to those final five, ten laps, Kyle Larson and William Byron aren’t going to be pushing a guy like Austin Dillon or Daniel Suarez.”

He also touched upon the intriguing dynamics of the manufacturer alliances. While one might assume loyalty among brands for most of the race—with Chevys siding with Chevys, Toyotas banding together given there are just 6 of them, and Fords aligning with their kind—Fickenscher begs to differ. He predicts a seismic shift in the dying moments of the race.

“But we see it every year around 10, 5 laps to go: they split up. It’s every man for themselves, and that’s what we are going to see. I think we will see the alliance of the bow-ties and the Fords and the Toyotas kind of play up until the final 10-5 laps, and that’s when they all split and fend for themselves.”

Furthermore, if Denny Hamlin’s bleak prognosis bears any reality, that emphasizes the high stakes: it doesn’t matter much whether it’s a manufacturers’ race or anything else. Given its importance in determining who makes the playoffs, one can bet that it will be a wreck-fest.

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Denny Hamlin believes the Daytona race is going to be an absolute wreck-fest

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As the Daytona race draws near, the palpable tension is undeniable. With many formidable drivers, including the likes of Daniel Suarez, Chase Elliott, and Ty Gibbs, teetering precariously on the playoff precipice, the stakes have never been higher. With only 15 racers ensconced safely in the playoffs and just one coveted slot left, the racecourse promises to be a battleground.

Drivers without a prior win—which would have cemented their place in the playoffs—are poised to adopt an aggressive stance right from the Daytona starting line. This audacity, if unchecked, could be the recipe for devastating collisions.

Denny Hamlin, the stalwart driver from Joe Gibbs Racing, shed light on this in his Actions Detrimental podcast as per usanetwork.com. “Superspeedway racing is different than it used to be. We’ve talked about this a billion times. Everyone’s going to try and go right from lap one. I do think that this [the last race at Daytona] is going to be just an absolute crash fest. I think that the pushes are going to get too extreme.”

Hamlin foresees a simmering cauldron of tension. As some drivers navigate the treacherous waters at the back, risking it all, those at the forefront will be engrossed in strategic defenses to maintain their lead.

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