CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It seemed like an easy assignment for NASCAR Cup Series playoff drivers Wednesday.
Before they answered some on-camera questions from FOX Sports, we gave them a sheet of paper with five questions. We told them we wouldn’t identify who said what.
We wanted to learn who they thought might have a career-defining playoffs, whether they looked forward to the new playoff tracks on the schedule, their thoughts on the championship format for the playoffs and whether they’d run the Indy 500.
All 16 playoff drivers filled out the forms and some gave commentary. But not all drivers answered every question. Here are the results.
1. Which driver is most likely to win his first championship (any playoff driver except Logano, Larson, Elliott, Blaney)?
5 votes – William Byron
3 – Denny Hamlin
2 – Christopher Bell
1 – Austin Dillon, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, “Me”
(two left it blank, one put down two drivers)
That’s right, they picked William Byron as the most likely winner among the 12 who have never won the title. That’s no real surprise. Byron is making his seventh consecutive playoff appearance, has reached the Champ 4 the last two years and won the regular-season title this year.
Hamlin has made the postseason every year except once and will make his 19th appearance this year. He has made the Champ 4 four times.
Should we have told the drivers they couldn’t pick themselves? Probably. But we also know that drivers just can’t pick someone to do better than they will do.
As one driver put it as he was filling it out “[If I put] me, it’s anonymous. So good luck [finding out].”
Will this be the year Denny Hamlin captures the title?
2. Will SVG win the Roval?
8 – Yes
7 – No
1 – No Answer
Shane van Gisbergen has won the past four road-course races this year, so he will be the natural favorite for the race on the Charlotte road course.
“I would love to put “No” on the SVG question, but I don’t see it happening,” said one driver. “I don’t see him losing.”
We did ask van Gisbergen on the record if he felt he would win that race.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t ever think like that. But we certainly have a decent chance.”
Shane Van Gisbergen looks to continue his road course dominance in the playoffs.
3. Are you looking forward to these new playoff tracks being playoff tracks?
Gateway
13 – Yes
3 – No
Loudon (New Hampshire)
10 – Yes
6 – No
Drivers who are fans of shorter tracks probably are happy to see the 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway (commonly known as Gateway) and the 1.058-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Loudon) on the playoff schedule.
And as one driver put it, “I like all tracks.”
Of course, if a driver had won at one of those tracks, it might skew their opinion.
“They were great additions to the schedule because those are real racetracks where drivers and teams can control their own destiny,” said Christopher Bell, the defending winner at Loudon.
Gateway is a new addition to the Cup playoffs this year.
4. How many races should be in the final round to determine a champion (and you can say 36 if you don’t want any playoffs)?
5 votes – 3
4 votes – 36
2 votes – 10
2 votes – 1
1 vote – 3-5
1 vote – 4
1 vote – 6
This one had quite the variety of answers. And as you can see, a quarter of the playoff field wishes there was no such thing as playoffs.
“I really think there should just be 20 races total,” said one driver. Most other series run 17-25 race seasons.
One driver who answered three said he answered three because “3 for Dale,” a reference to Dale Earnhardt.
Should NASCAR change the championship format is a hotly contested topic.
5. If you had the chance, would you race the Indy 500?
8 – Yes
8 – No
One driver asked, “Do I get to pick the car?” and we said yes he does, as if he had the chance in the car he preferred. Man, some of those drivers are picky!
But one of the drivers had an interesting comment: “Can I start-and-park?” That driver knows that just starting the Indy 500 would be an incredible thing to experience.
Might any other drivers join Kyle Larson as an Indy 500 participant?
[Read more: NASCAR Playoff Rankings: Which Drivers Have Best Shot At Title, From 1 to 16]
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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