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Sunday's Viva Mexico 250 in Mexico City means a few road-course standouts should be antsy to make the long trip south and claim a playoff berth.
NASCAR makes history Sunday when it holds the first points-paying international Cup Series race in the modern era at the tricky Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, featuring 15 turns that drivers will battle over 100 laps (242.9 miles) at 7,350 feet.
It will be the first international points event since 1958 when Lee Petty won in Toronto driving an Oldsmobile in a 19-car field that featured son Richard in his racing debut.
One hotshot looking forward to a few right turns to go along with the lefts is Chase Elliott, the active leader in wins at the Cup Series' snaking layouts from New York to California to Mexico and points in between.
Owner of seven road wins, third to all-time leader Jeff Gordon (nine) and Tony Stewart (eight), Elliott has had no luck on them since 2022.
His only two victories in 2021 and the last on the winding courses were at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Tex., and the lengthy Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisc., which only made two appearances on the Cup schedule (2021, 2022) before being replaced.
The seven-time NASCAR Most Popular Driver award winner is having an incredibly consistent but completely unremarkable regular season in his 10th full campaign after running five races in 2015.
Through 15 races so far, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports pilot is winless -- he has had just one victory (Texas, 2024) since grabbing the checkers at Talladega on Oct. 2, 2022 -- but he is the only driver to finish every race in the top 20, placing him fifth in points (minus-112 to leader William Byron) with an 11.7 average finish.
However, Elliott had made a habit of winning in the Cup Series -- 19 total times, including five each in his championship season of 2020 and also in 2022.
But drivers generally have to lead to win -- though Denny Hamlin, who will miss the Mexico race for his child's birth, only led five laps Sunday on the way to career victory No. 57 at Michigan.
Elliott, 29, has paced the way on just 95 laps, while Byron, Kyle Larson and Hamlin -- 1-2-3 in points -- have combined for a whopping 2,074 circuits led.
Usually for Elliott, it has been a different story, one of flashy, checkered success, not just a good points day with no chance of glory, when it comes to racing on the slithering asphalt.
In 36 career road events, Elliott has nabbed seven wins, three poles and 20 top fives. He has led 489 laps with an average finish of 9.0.
The Dawsonville, Ga., driver is optimistic -- despite fans' criticism of crew chief Alan Gustafson and the team.
"We care a lot about each other," Elliott said. "I think it's important that we've stuck together through this, and I think there is light at the end of the tunnel somewhere. I also think we're going to be way better for it once we do get on the other side because we've had to learn some hard lessons."
Currently saddled with an 0-for-43 winless streak in points races, could the top racer on road courses desperately use a win Sunday and tie Stewart for second in wins?
Let's just say he would have no problem bringing a trophy through customs when he returns.
More must-reads:
- Reporter makes controversial claim about NASCAR championship, playoff format
- Austin Dillon tied this Dale Earnhardt record with Richmond win
- The 'Most multi-HR games by MLB team' quiz
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Reporter makes controversial claim about NASCAR championship, playoff format
The debate surrounding NASCAR's playoff format may be the hottest topic in the proverbial garage area, and one NASCAR personality certainly stirred up social media with his take on the championship on Sunday. Mamba Smith, a reporter for Bleacher Report, TNT and truTV's coverage of NASCAR, offered his opinion on the definition of NASCAR's championship on Sunday, and it certainly had fans riled up. "The point isn’t to crown the best driver … It’s to crown the best team who executed the best when the pressure was at its highest and the lights were the brightest," Smith said in a social media post. NASCAR's playoff format has been criticized for the relatively random and chaotic nature in which it facilitates who makes and advances through the postseason. Fans often complain that the best driver over the course of a given season is not rewarded with the championship at season's end. Smith's take that the purpose of the playoffs and driver's championship isn't to crown the best driver is certainly interesting. In addition to the driver's championship, NASCAR also has an owners championship, giving the entirety of a race team the opportunity to shine and make their mark. However, if the point of a driver's championship in any racing series isn't to crown the best driver, the championship loses value. Perhaps the greatest appeal for race fans is the fact that they get to see drivers perform extraordinary feats on a regular basis throughout a season in the hunt for a coveted championship. If the point of a racing championship isn't to reward the best driver, there seems to be little point in keeping up with championship points at all.
Patrik Laine Hints at Leaving the Montreal Canadiens in Free Agency in Home-Country Interview
Patrik Laine has recently done a major interview in his home country, and in that interview, he hinted at testing the waters in free agency next summer. The NHL career of Patrik Laine has been a very intriguing one to follow, as he has had mixed success in his time with the Winnipeg Jets, Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens, with the talented forward dealing with struggles on and off the ice in that time. However, things have turned around in recent times after he enjoyed a solid campaign with Montreal last season, and now, in an interview in his home country of Finland, he's opened up on many topics. Laine hints at testing free agency in 2026 While he's been very happy in Montreal, the 27-year old still has a very long future ahead of him in the National Hockey League, and with the former No. 2 overall pick set to be a free agent next summer, he's hinted that he may test the waters after not having the opportunity for quite some time. 'It's a little different from what I'm used to. Before, I've always just gone to whoever owns my rights. Next summer I get to decide for myself. It's a nice and great situation.' In the interview, Laine notes that he's usually just sticking with the team that owns his rights, but he'll now finally hit unrestricted free agency, and with so many teams around the NHL cashed up and looking for great wingers, it may be his time to cash in and get paid on a long-term deal. After 20 goals in 52 games a year ago, Laine flashed the talent that once made him the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, and if he can stay healthy next season and post 30 or more, he'll be one of the top names available. If that does happen though, the team at the top of the list offering him a big deal will be the Canadiens, so don't be shocked if he remains, but for right now, he's looking to get himself into a position to cash in next off-season.
Milwaukee Brewers: Craig Counsell Blasts Former Team’s 14-Game Winning Streak, Gets Caught Lying
Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's biggest find is ready to take a huge step forward, and it could be huge for Brian Flores' defense
After joint practice on Wednesday between the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots, I was asked by some members of the Patriots beat about just one player. "Who's 61? He's a dude." That player is Jalen Redmond, who has quite the story heading into his second season with the Vikings. He was playing in the UFL in the spring of 2024 with the Arlington Renegades. He was a signing the Vikings made on June 18th, 2024, which came after mandatory minicamp. Redmond was the 90th player on the roster and excelled throughout training camp to earn a roster spot. That ability is showing up once again. Jalen Redmond is taking another step forward The signing of Redmond was a massive win for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and his scouting staff, especially Ryan Grigson, who was given a lot of credit for finding him. "I remember he [Grigson] called me and said, 'I like this guy.' I think it was late May," Adofo-Mensah explained. "You have to ask yourself, what's your standard for bringing people in, because a lot of good players are on teams already, so there's going to be something there that's not perfect, not clean, and earlier he had injuries, so you've got to understand why he's available, but ultimately here's why he might be a good bet. "And you saw the flashes for an interior guy with burst, his run defense kind of jumped out to me. That's the other thing, when you've been together for two or three years, and my history with Grigson before, he knows how to communicate with me, makes a cut-up, knows exactly what we look for." You can see the power and explosiveness in Redmond's game. He rarely gets washed out by the offensive line, and often penetrates the backfield with his ability. Where things have gotten really interesting with Redmons is seeing how good he can be from a short and long-term perspective. Last season, Redmond played in 13 games and flashed in a major way. While he went undrafted out of Oklahoma, it wasn't so much due to talent, but a health issue that kept him from being selected. He certainly looks like a player who should have been selected. Over the course of the season, Redmond got one sack and 6.0 tackles for loss to pair with 18 tackles. His ability to be a penetrating force on the line earned him a starting role at the end of the season, with two starts in his first year with the Vikings. Going into year two, Redmond shouldn't be overlooked. He won't be a starter with the additions of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, but it shouldn't be much of a surprise if he approaches 500 snaps as a rotational player. His teammates believe he's a stud, something that Jonathan Greenard emphasized last week. "Redmond is a dog," said Greenard after Redmond's great practice on Thursday. "Jalen's been a dog since last year in training camp. I knew he was a dog when he got thrown out of practices last year. So I was like, listen, from that day forward, he got thrown out, he came back in just completely, just dominating. And at that point even to see it during the season and see him continuously build. Now I'm like, man, everybody knows, but when you see, obviously, you bring in two guys like JA [Jonathan Allen] and Grave [Javon Hargrave], you kind of think that he gets put in the wayside, making the same place he was last year, if not more. And that just helps us out to know that it's not gonna drop off whenever those guys get a breather or something like that. If I'm coaching, I'm putting him in." Don't sleep on Redmond going into this season, as he's only getting better.
Raiders’ Pete Carroll gushes about key offseason acquisition after loss to 49ers
While most Las Vegas Raiders fans are excited about Ashton Jeanty in the preseason, other players under the radar made an impact in the 22-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday. When the Raiders signed former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds, people were wondering how he would perform, as he’s already caught the attention of head coach Pete Carroll. After Edmunds recorded five total tackles (fourth on the team), three of them solo, against San Francisco, Carroll would be asked about his thoughts on the former first-round pick’s performance. Carroll would say how much he “really” likes Edmunds and how much of a “very versatile player” he is for the system, according to Anthony Galaviz. “I like him. Yeah, I really like him. I like the experience that he brings,” Carroll said. “He’s been in a lot of situations. He’s been a very versatile player in the style that he’s been asked to play, and that’s shown up already.” Edmunds would speak with reporters for the first time last Tuesday since being signed by Las Vegas and shared how “excited” he was to start a new chapter in his NFL journey. “My first thoughts when the opportunity presented itself, I was just excited,” Edmunds said, via the team’s YouTube page. “Excited to come and join a new team, excited to come and join these guys. I saw how much they were grinding. I watched the (preseason) game before I even came out here.” Pete Carroll on the Raiders losing to the 49ers in the preseason Despite the loss from the Raiders to the 49ers, Carroll would point out the one positive being that it was a “hard-fought game from start to finish,” with many areas that need correction. “First off, I thought this was a really good, hard-fought game from start to finish,” Pete Carroll said in his post-game press conference, via the team’s website. “We had some things that we needed to correct from the practice that we had, and we did. Played the running game much more with impact than we did in practice.” “The adjustments the coaches made worked out well, players were able to adapt in just a couple days time,” Carroll continued. “Against a really formidable running team that loves to run the football, I thought we did that really well. Just a terrific game back and forth the whole time.” Consequently, as Edmunds looks for Las Vegas to be his permanent team, they open the season on Sunday, Sept. 7, against the New England Patriots.
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