Was Chad Knaus wrong to essentially tell William Byron to stand up for himself vs. Kyle Busch at Watkins Glen and hit Busch’s car?
Nate Ryan: Yes, as Jeff Burton and Kyle Petty said on NASCAR America, Knaus has a greater responsibility as not just a crew chief but mentor for the 21-year-old Byron. While encouraging his driver to be assertive was fine, demanding a specific course of action that put his car at risk was unwise with Byron, who will follow orders from a seven-time champion crew chief with an overachiever’s zeal.
Dustin Long: Yes. One of the things you often hear is that drivers shouldn’t let spotters drive the car. The same standard should be applied to crew chiefs. Emotion should not dictate decisions. Chad Knaus’ comments over the radio — where every team member could hear the order — put Byron in a corner. If he didn’t follow through, would his team feel as though Byron wasn’t doing all he could to defend them? That doesn’t help team dynamics. Of course, going off to hit somebody and possibly damage one’s car doesn’t do anyone any good. Busch saw Byron coming from behind, slammed the brakes and that increased the damage to Byron’s car when he struck Busch. This all could have been avoided if people — starting with Knaus — had better control of their emotions.
Daniel McFadin: While it maybe didn’t work in execution, I think it had the desired impact Knaus was seeking: A teaching moment where a veteran crew chief told a young driver to stand up for himself. Byron proved under his nice guy demeanor is someone who isn’t a pushover.
Jerry Bonkowski: No. Knaus was merely getting Byron to stand up for himself. While the delivery of that message went awry and Byron wrecked his own car — and his chances of winning — it still is refreshing to see Byron send a message to both Kyle Busch and the rest of the Cup Series that he won’t be pushed around. Byron has been somewhat tentative at times since coming to the Cup Series. This could be a watershed moment for him.
Biggest shock at Watkins Glen: Bubba Wallace’s actions and comments about his incident with Kyle Busch? Jimmie Johnson’s comments about Ryan Blaney? Something else?
Nate Ryan: Wallace’s comments were nearly as striking as his revenge on Busch, and the latest in a series of high-profile incidents that are ensuring the No. 43 driver’s relevance even without results.
Dustin Long: Bubba Wallace’s comments were attention grabbing, but what Jimmie Johnson had to say about Ryan Blaney was more personal than we’ve seen the seven-time champion often go with a competitor. That provided the greatest shock value. It just shows the pressure Johnson and the No. 48 team feel in their bid to make the playoffs.
Daniel McFadin: Johnson’s comments for sure. The only other time I can remember him having even a mild post-race interaction with another driver was with Kurt Busch at Pocono in 2011. “Just keep filing things away. I remember this stuff,” Johnson said then. “There’s a couple of guys out there that have been pushing their luck, too.”
Jerry Bonkowski: I lean toward Bubba. The irony is Kyle Busch gave Bubba his first big chance and first full-time NASCAR ride in the Truck Series in 2013 and 2014. Still, Wallace had the right to stand up for himself and wasn’t going to be pushed around or intimidated by his former boss. Something tells me, though, that this isn’t the end of the Busch-Bubba feud. Rather, it may just be getting started.
If one race is enjoyable, should NASCAR consider a doubleheader weekend at Watkins Glen in the future?
Nate Ryan: Love the idea, though it probably would require striking a race from another track. If NASCAR were open to the concept, there are some ISC tracks that should have only one race (namely, Michigan).
Dustin Long: Let’s calm down folks. Let’s wait to see how this plays out at Pocono next year. Let the bugs get worked out on the doubleheader weekend schedule and then take a hard look at it. An issue at Watkins Glen is the cars take such a beating on the curbs that teams might need another car to run the second race there. Is that feasible for all teams ˜to have a second car race ready? Let’s just see what needs to be done before running off and adding a race to that weekend at the Glen.
Daniel McFadin: Yes, please. Watkins Glen is a relatively short race. At 90 laps and with four cautions, Sunday’s race only took 2 hour and 14 minutes to complete. If the Pocono doubleheader is successful, the Glen should be the next candidate.
Jerry Bonkowski: While I normally would say yes, this is a unique instance. Sure, Watkins Glen is a great track and great venue to watch a race. But at the same time, why give WGI (or Sonoma or the Roval) a second date on a doubleheader weekend when the Cup Series could expand its road course footprint to other tracks such as Road America, Road Atlanta, Barber Motorsports Park or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course? I definitely like the doubleheader weekend concept and hope NASCAR adds more to the schedule, but the tracks chosen and the reasons to do so have to make the most sense.
