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Become a Patron! (Photo Source : Twitter.com/RPMotorsports) With the Southern 500 now in the rear-view mirror, the NASCAR Playoffs are officially in full swing! There’s a different layer of excitement when it comes to the final 10 races of every NASCAR season; that is when the championship truly is on the line. Sixteen drivers are chasing a title and looking to live forever in the annals of NASCAR history. However, every year I can’t help but think “What are the non-playoff drivers chasing?” This article talks about 5 non-playoff storylines you should have your eye on. (Photo Source : Twitter.com/QuakerState) 1. Can Matt DiBenedetto get the 100th win for Wood Brothers Racing?   Let’s be honest, both team and driver need a win. The man affectionately known as Matty D is beloved by fans as an underdog. After Levine Family Racing announced it was replacing DiBenedetto with Christopher Bell in 2020 the narrative that Matt DiBenedetto is fighting for his Cup career became water co...

The 2021-22 silly season has been another wild one thus far. The most surprising news was originally  Brad Keselowski going to Roush-Fenway Racing as the driver and co-owner of the #6 Ford. However, that quickly became the worst-kept secret in NASCAR. The real shocker came when Chip Ganassi sold all of his NASCAR assets to Trackhouse Racing.  Ross Chastain will drive a second car for Trackhouse, the #1 will transfer along with other team assets. Sticking with the Ganassi/Trackhouse deal.... While nothing has been confirmed in regards to Kurt Busch’s 2022 plans, there’s heavy speculation that he could be driving a second car for 23XI Racing. Busch himself has said his deal is “so close to being done”, though he gave no indication of where that could be. Matt DiBenedetto is also a free agent after it was announced that Harrison Burton would be taking over the iconic Wood Brothers #21 Ford ride next season. While Dibenedetto's future currently looks very murky in the Cup series,...

The 2021-22 silly season has been another wild one thus far. The most surprising news was originally  Brad Keselowski going to Roush-Fenway Racing as the driver and co-owner of the #6 Ford. However, that quickly became the worst-kept secret in NASCAR. The real shocker came when Chip Ganassi sold all of his NASCAR assets to Trackhouse Racing.  Ross Chastain will drive a second car for Trackhouse, the #1 will transfer along with other team assets. Sticking with the Ganassi/Trackhouse deal.... While nothing has been confirmed in regards to Kurt Busch’s 2022 plans, there’s heavy speculation that he could be driving a second car for 23XI Racing. Busch himself has said his deal is “so close to being done”, though he gave no indication of where that could be. Matt DiBenedetto is also a free agent after it was announced that Harrison Burton would be taking over the iconic Wood Brothers #21 Ford ride next season. While Dibenedetto's future currently looks very murky in the Cup series,...

In case you missed it , StatChat is counting down the days ‘til the 2021 Daytona 500.  Every two days, we will have a new article featuring one of the Top 30 Drivers of 2020.    13 th Place – Matt DiBenedetto – 2249 pts   By the Numbers:   14.75 Average Finish – Fan favorite Matt DiBenedetto put together his best average finish of his career in 2020.  DiBenedetto’s first year with Wood Brothers Racing was 3.56 spots better than his 2 nd best year, 2019.  In fact, his average finish has gotten better in every one of his six seasons as a Cup Series driver.  Can he break through and get his first career win in 2021?   11 Top 10s – Eclipsing his 7 Top 10s in 2019, Matt DiBenedetto earned 11 in 2020. Not only was it a career high, but it also matched the number of Top 10s he’d scored in the previous 5 seasons, bringing his career total up to 22.    1 DNF in 2020 – With his only DNF (Did Not Finish) coming at the fi...

  10. Kyle Busch returns with a vengeance – Kyle Busch was notably absent from victory lane for much of 2020.   Kyle only notched one win in 2020, at Texas in the 33 rd race of the season at Texas.   JGR, as a group, was off their game in 2020, with Martin Truex, Jr., also notching only one win.   Nothing was normal in 2020, and nothing was odder than seeing Kyle Busch running outside the top 5 in most races.   Look for the Gibbs camp to get things straightened out this offseason and look for a highly motivated Kyle Busch to return with a vengeance.   My prediction:   Kyle Busch gets the monkey off his back by winning the Daytona 500, ends the season as part of the Championship 4, and the over/under on his victories for the year is 5.     9. Matt D. gets the Wood Brothers their 100 th win – Matt D. has made a name for himself over the last two years.   First, with his impressive run at Bristol in 2019, where he led a ton of laps and...

  There seems to be a trend when it comes to most popular driver in regards to the most popular form of motorsports. NASCAR's newest champion Chase Elliott won his third consecutive fan-focused recognition and was awarded it during the virtual season awards banquet on Wednesday night.  The recognition came with no surprise to many in the media. Since 1991, the most popular driver award has been only awarded to members of the Earnhardt and Elliott families. Chase's father Bill Elliott won the award a total of 16 times. Dale Earnhardt Sr. was awarded it posthumously in 2001, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. won it the final 15 years of his hall of fame career. While Chase Elliott appears to be starting a dynasty in regards to this award himself, there is an increase in fan voting and popularity of young drivers such as Darrell Wallace Jr. , Ryan Blaney, and Matt Dibenedetto that could lead to more competition in future years.  Chase also won most popular honours in NASCAR's Xfinity S...

  After successfully competing to match his best career finish of second place for two consecutive weeks (Talladega finish was penalized), Matt Dibenedetto has announced with Wood Bros. Racing team a 1-year and final contract extension that will have him behind the wheel of the famed #21 Ford Mustang in 2021.  Team Penske manages the driver rotation for the Wood Bros. entry and was expected to have driver Austin Cindric in the #21 car for 2021 season, but Sports Business Journal's Adam Stern has reported that a last minute decision was changed to have Dibenedetto in the car instead.  It is unclear what 2022 and beyond hold for the the 29 year old from Grass Valley, California. His performance in each car he has raced has surpassed the expectations of the team, but he is still winless in a combined 276 Cup and Xfinity races. His performance indicates that he is poised to earn that elusive win.  Racing Refresh will have more coverage on his future, be sure to subscribe...

    Denny Hamlin wins a wild one in Talladega. In one of the most controversial finishes in NASCAR history, the double yellow line played a major impact in the finish of another Talladega race.  The entire race was sloppy in the best way possible, as the race set a new track record of 13 cautions, and only two playoff drivers finished in the top 10.     Stage 1 featured one of the messiest starts to a race I have ever seen. NASCAR had planned for a competition caution on lap 25, but NASCAR had three cautions before the competition caution.  The early race wrecks lead playoff favorites Denny Hamlin, and Kevin Harvick to ride around in the back waiting. A late stage incident involving Alex Bowman and Aric Almirola gifted Chris Buescher the stage win.      Stage 2 featured a scary wreck where Kurt Busch went airnorn, riding on the hood of Cole Custer's car. This brought out a short red flag to repair the track's wall. The second stage featured a...

         The hometown kid cashes in on the correct strategy call.  In a race dominated by Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, and Alex Bowman; Kurt Busch lucks into the race winning strategy. The race featured several good battles throughout the field, but the lead was hogged by Denny Hamlin. Hamlin and Elliott were the only two able to drive off from the field.      Stage 1, after the competition caution the stage was dominated by Denny Hamlin. The competition caution reset the field a little bit, but as Hamlin pulled away it was a battle for second between Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, and Chase Elliott. The hard racing between those three was the most entertaining part of stage 1. The early restarts highlighted the aggressiveness necessary to get up front in this aero package.      Stage 2, was dominated by Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin, but the man with the final word, for the stage, was Chase Elliott. Alex Bowman fought up to the top...