This week on Podracing, Neil Paine and Tyler Lauletta break down Denny Hamlin’s return to the Championship 4 after a clutch Vegas win, while Chase Briscoe came this close to stealing it before getting passed late on worn tires. We dissect Byron’s wreck, Blaney’s rock-bottom run, and why playoff drivers dominating the Top 10 isn’t a coincidence anymore — especially with Logano warning that “there’s no one left to steal points from”. Then it’s time to zoom out to Neil’s latest playoff odds model update: Briscoe has a Playoff Mulligan left, Byron probably doesn’t, and Blaney is now in must-win territory at Talladega. Finally: Who’s got the edge on superspeedways? Who's the best value bet? And will Tyler build on his contest lead in a Penske-only round of one-and-done picks?

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This week on Podracing, Neil Paine and Tyler Lauletta recap an all-time Roval finish, where Ross Chastain tried to video-game his way into advancing (again) — and ended up crossing the line in reverse as Joey Logano slipped through the chaos. We break down Paul Wolfe’s pit-call of the year, Denny Hamlin’s galaxy-brain playoff calculus (or lack thereof), and why the field may live to regret letting Joey's title hopes live. Then it’s time to update the playoff odds and power-rank who's due for a good weekend at Las Vegas as the Round of 8 begins. Plus: We make our betting picks, and both podcasters continue their seesaw chase for the one-and-done contest lead.

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This week on Podracing, Neil and Tyler break down the chaos at Kansas — including Denny Hamlin’s mind-melting decision to run his own 23XI driver, Bubba Wallace, into the wall… and hand the win to Chase Elliott. We try to figure out what exactly Denny was thinking, wonder if NASCAR needs some version of F1-style team orders, and give Elliott credit for capitalizing when it mattered most. We also discuss Zane Smith’s terrifying wall-slide, before updating the playoff odds and power-ranking which drivers MUST win this week at the Roval — an unfortunate group that includes Bubba, Reddick, Cindric and maybe even Chastain. Only problem? They’ll have to go through Shane van Gisbergen, the road-course king and massive betting favorite. We wrap by making our Roval picks in the one-and-done contest, where Neil has retaken the lead… but will Tyler throw caution to the wind and take SVG despite the lack of playoff bonus?

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This week on Podracing, Neil Paine and Tyler Lauletta break down Ryan Blaney’s Round of 12 win at Loudon — the first real Ford/Penske statement of the playoffs — and a redemption drive (if a bit too late) from Josh Berry. We also dissect the sudden collapse of Toyota’s playoff momentum, including infighting at JGR and disastrous days for 23XI’s Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace, who took the biggest hits in Neil’s forecast model. Speaking of the model, the new title favorite is now Blaney, but we also dive into Neil’s story on how Kyle Larson might be waking up at the perfect time — and how Kansas could see him reset the entire playoff picture. Finally, we preview this week’s race at one of Larson’s best tracks, where he’s the runaway favorite, and make our one-and-done picks as Tyler regains the lead — but Neil might be ready to deploy his Larson emergency plan.

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This week on Podracing, Neil Paine and Tyler Lauletta break down the absolute tire-shredding chaos of the Bristol night race, where Christopher Bell survived fire, attrition and a late restart to semi-vulture the win — while Chase Elliott and Austin Cindric barely escaped elimination. We then pivot to Neil’s NASCAR.com piece on the playoff Round of 12, spotlighting the razor-thin margins between Bubba Wallace, Elliott, Tyler Reddick, and Joey Logano — a quartet of contenders who could just as easily crash the Round of 8 party or be left watching from home. With the model showing how form and track fit are pulling drivers in opposite directions, we preview the next pressure point at New Hampshire, a Phoenix-like flat track where Toyota (and Bell) have shined. Finally, we make our betting and one-and-done picks, as Neil retakes the lead — for now — and Tyler fires back with a Larson-sized counterpunch.-

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This week on Podracing, Neil Paine and Tyler Lauletta break down Denny Hamlin’s dominant victory in St. Louis — err, Illinois (which we enjoyed) — where his 142.2 driver rating secured a stress-free Round of 12 berth and kept Toyota’s perfect playoff run intact. Along those lines, we also dive into Neil’s latest NASCAR.com story on where this Toyota hot streak ranks historically, plus run through the updated playoff odds model: Who’s safe (Denny), who’s toast (SVG 😔), and who’s locked in a cutline duel at Bristol (the Battle of the Austins: Cindric vs. Dillon). Finally, we preview the chaos ahead on the Bristol concrete, where tire management could decide everything, and see whether Neil will swing big to reclaim the one-and-done lead from Tyler.

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This week on Podracing, Neil Paine and Tyler Lauletta unpack all the playoff fallout from a wild opener at Darlington — including Chase Briscoe’s perfect 150 Driver Rating victory, holding off Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones in the dirty air to secure entry to the Round of 12. We update the evolving championship odds after tough days for Josh Berry and the usually dominant Hendrick camp (especially Alex Bowman), while Toyota teams surged ahead and Joey Logano + Austin Dillon are lurking to steal SVG’s spot. Plus: Zilisch Watch returns with another road-course win (via a… creative track-limits interpretation), and we make our Gateway betting and one-and-done picks, where the Fords could be ascendant and must-win desperation might matter a lot.

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Neil Paine and Tyler Lauletta deliver the Podracing Playoff Preview you’ve been waiting for, recapping the dramatic Daytona cutoff race where Ryan Blaney didn’t need a win but got one anyway — denying a playoff berth to Daniel Suarez, Justin Haley, Cole Custer and Erik Jones, and saving Alex Bowman in the process. We also unpack the bizarre Zilisch/Kligerman Xfinity win (a real W for Parker, but not in the stats). Then it's off to Neil’s forecast model to preview the newly set playoff field -- including the overall favorites, which drivers are already under pressure at Darlington, and the biggest Round of 16 nemeses. Finally, we reset our one-and-done picks with 10 races to go. Let the postseason chaos begin!

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Neil Paine and Tyler Lauletta break down Austin Dillon’s actual, legitimate playoff-clinching win at Richmond — ya gotta give the guy his flowers. Then we dig into the newly released 2026 Cup Series schedule, including big upgrades to the In-Season Challenge track lineup next year. Plus, with Daytona looming as a win-or-go-home elimination race, we talk about who the real superspeedway specialists are — and why the track’s “total chaos” reputation might be a little overstated. And finally, one-and-done and betting picks, where Neil’s best week of the year came riding with… Austin Dillon. Go figure.

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Neil Paine and Tyler Lauletta break down a chaotic weekend at Watkins Glen, where Connor Zilisch wrecked Shane van Gisbergen to win in Xfinity — then wrecked himself in Victory Lane during the celebration. That meant no Zilisch vs. SVG rematch in the Cup race… and SVG cruised to his fourth straight road-course win. Is he too dominant? We look to Formula 1 for clues on how dynasties eventually end. Then we spotlight Chase Briscoe, who’s quietly been the best driver in Cup over the past few months, and preview Richmond — where tire wear reigns and strategy is make-or-break. Plus: Neil’s cursed one-and-done pick got him zero points last week… can he recover with the scrap heap drivers we have left?

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