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The winner of the Round of 8 opener has gone on to win the championship in three of the past four seasons.<\/p>\n
Some NASCAR drivers say having a more complete picture of the points during a race is helpful for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to know if I\u2019m in a vulnerable spot (and) that the person behind me is emboldened to make a bold move,\u201d Denny Hamlin said.<\/p>\n
Said Ryan Blaney: \u201cMainly if I do ask, \u2018Hey, give me an update on this stuff\u2019 (it\u2019s) just to see who is desperate. It\u2019s not going to change the way I race on the offensive, but it might give me an idea of this guy might be willing to do something over the top because he\u2019s in this mode.\u201d<\/p>\n
Said Kyle Larson: \u201cI just like to know what\u2019s going on. It allows me to plan my race out, strategize how I\u2019m going to run and work to get the best possible finish for me. But yeah, I mean there\u2019s been a lot of talk and a lot of drama around it the last few years with team, I don\u2019t even know if orders is the right word \u2026 I see how it\u2019s a little sticky. I don\u2019t know how you police it quite fully. There were could be good intent or no intent or bad intent, whatever, you don\u2019t know how it\u2019s interpreted.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n LAS VEGAS \u2014 Denny Hamlin led a sweep of the top three starting spots by Joe Gibbs Racing\u2019s playoff drivers for Sunday\u2019s Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. <\/p>\n Moran made clear Saturday how NASCAR views radio chatter about points.<\/p>\n \u201cThe crew chiefs understand they\u2019re in charge of everything that happens, from the time we throw the green flag to the checkered flag, so they understand what we\u2019re saying,\u201d Moran said.<\/p>\n Moran stressed he didn\u2019t issue a warning but a reminder.<\/p>\n \u201cThe warnings have been sent, the penalties have been sent,\u201d Moran told NBC Sports. \u201cThe line has been drawn. We\u2019ve reacted in the past, so it\u2019s kind of all out there. And these guys, they\u2019re switched on. They know that, so it\u2019s more just a friendly reminder not to mess this up. We\u2019ve got sponsors, fans and the sport and we expect everything to go according to plan.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Daniel Suarez\u2019s mother suffered a broken collarbone in the auto accident Monday.<\/p>\n NASCAR warned two teams during last weekend\u2019s Xfinity race at the Charlotte Roval<\/a> about giving their drivers updates on the points situation in the cutoff race. The following day, Hamlin was frustrated that his team didn\u2019t inform him that Ross Chastain was below the cutline after he passed him, leading to Chastain making a desperate attempt to get by that spun both.<\/p>\n NASCAR has become more sensitive about such information on the radio after last year\u2019s Martinsville playoff race saw some questionable action by some drivers to help those with the same manufacturer to attempt to advance to the championship race. NASCAR responded by issuing $600,000 in fines and suspending nine people<\/a> from three different teams and docking drivers and teams points.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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