NASCAR is almost ready to wind down for what has been a very eventful racing season. However, one thing that has become glaring is the fact the NASCAR rookies in the Cup Series this year have had to face more challenges than what they typically would. These challenges have varied quite a bit, but one thing that has come out is the value of the practice laps on the tracks this year. With that being said, here are some of the unusual challenges the rookies have faced in 2020 for the NASCAR season and how these challenges have changed all the NASCAR predictions this year.
No Practices
It does look very easy to just hop into a car and drive in a circle for 500 miles, but what you do not realize is the NASCAR drivers are doing it at 200 miles an hour. The speed alone is often faster than what you have ever experienced, but combined with the challenges of the track it becomes harder for the rookies. None of the tracks are built the same way, yes they are close, but they all have their own differences. The practices in which the drivers partake tends to allow them to get adjusted to the track, but also find all the little bumps and spots of the track that will be rough for the car. Not only that, the practices allow the drivers to balance out the car for the potential track conditions.
Qualifying For Races Was Handled Differently
The typical way of qualifying would give the rookies a good chance of landing on the pole position. With the way that the qualifying was handled this year the rookies did not really have much of a chance of getting the pole position. That means the rookies tended to start towards the middle of the field or even worse in the back. Those starting positions definitely cost the rookies a lot of chances of pulling off the wins, but it did give the rookies a lot of valuable experience in dealing with the tracks in traffic.
Racing At Different Tracks During Different Times Of The Year
You may think that racing on a track is easy to do no matter what time of the year you go. However, that is a common mistake that you and anyone who is not involved in the racing world can make. The races when they are running at different times of the year definitely make it difficult for the drivers and rookies alike to review their historical information on the way the tracks are handled. A good example of this is how the tracks are handled on the varying temperatures, but also how the drivers had to prepare for the races like a Miami race in the middle of summer versus it being in the earlier spring or later fall dates.
NASCAR has had a thrilling season and one that allowed them to draw in a lot of new fans based on how the sports world was shaken up with Covid-19 and being the first major American sport back in play. With the new races there came a lot of challenges for the drivers and definitely for the rookies. All of these challenges made the NASCAR predictions a challenge as the races became a lot more unpredictable than what they normally would be, no matter what, though, the season was a great one and one that is going to come to an end soon.
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