Pete Pistone, co-host of SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s “The Morning Drive,” made his weekly appearance on NASCAR America to discuss some of the big storylines heading into the final race of the Round of 16 in the playoffs.
Pistone addressed Toyota’s continued dominance after Kyle Busch’s win and why Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson are still the “Big Three” when it comes to playoff favorites.
But Pistone also shared he was surprised to see a lackluster day out of Denny Hamlin after he won at New Hampshire in July.
“He qualified fourth and when he came to pit road for the vibration and he was never able to get back on track,” Pistone said.
Hamlin finished the race in 12th.
“I’m going to be interested to watch that team to see if they can bounce back,” Pistone said. “They’re OK on the cut line in terms of the playoffs, but I was really surprised the 11 team of Denny Hamlin was not that good Sunday at New Hampshire.
When it comes to Truex and his championship hopes, Pistone said he can’t see a track down the line that serves as an “Achilles heel” to the No. 78 or any other of the other top Toyota teams.
“That’s how bulletproof I feel Toyota is now,” Pistone said.
Watch the above video for the full segment.