Denny Hamlin\u2019s winning streak \u2014 Nashville, Michigan, Pocono \u2014 has likely (\u201cmost certainly\u201d might be the better phrase) come to an end, and now it\u2019s Shane Van Gisbergen\u2019s turn to take center stage. While Hamlin has been \u201chim\u201d lately, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to San Diego\u2019s Coronado Street Course for the first time, and street courses are not where Hamlin shines or even glimmers. It\u2019s SVG Nation this week, and all bets are on him. Seriously, he\u2019s at -210 in the odds, followed by Connor Zilisch at +615.<\/p>\n
As always, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi answer our most pressing questions and make predictions about the upcoming race.<\/p>\n
The Anduril 250 at Coronado Street Course is Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on Prime Video and HBO Max.<\/p>\n
Race winner odds for the Anduril 250<\/p>\n
Hamlin is on a roll, winning the last three \u2014 count \u2019em, three! \u2014 straight, closing in on Tyler Reddick in the Cup standings, but street and road courses are not Hamlin\u2019s forte. What are Hamlin\u2019s chances for some success at San Diego, and, with this spectacular season, do you think he can reach the 60-60 club in his career?<\/p>\n
Jeff: Hamlin\u2019s chances this week are about as good as the Chargers moving back to San Diego. He is simply not a road course guy, and a street course is even tougher. He has said a top-15 finish would be a success, and that\u2019s no exaggeration. Since Reddick should run in the top five and will be in contention to win the race if something happens to van Gisbergen, that could be a problem. Hamlin needs to try to limit the damage for the next two weeks (with another road course at Sonoma coming next). That said, he\u2019ll win more races this season and get more poles \u2014 it\u2019s not out of the question he could approach 70 career victories this season.<\/p>\n
Jordan: The hot streak Hamlin has been on is, in all likelihood, coming to an end at San Diego. Road courses are not his strength \u2014 he\u2019s won just once in his career on a road course \u2014 making this week and next week at Sonoma all about limiting how many points he bleeds to Reddick. Looking at the big picture, 70 wins feels obtainable for Hamlin by the time he retires after the 2027 season.<\/p>\n
How will the street and road courses left on the Cup Series schedule impact the standings?<\/p>\n
Jeff: This is a crucial two weeks for the standings, as road course specialists need to collect a large chunk of points while bubble drivers who aren\u2019t as good at these circuits need to finish the race and grab whatever results they can. And the focus should primarily rest on SVG, who is 14th in the standings but only 10 points inside the cutoff line. He could very well expand his cushion to 50 or 60 points in the next two weeks, and he almost has to in order to have a realistic chance to make the Chase. If even one of these next two races ends in a crash or mechanical failure, it could doom SVG\u2019s entire season. So regardless of whether he wins, he\u2019ll be a major storyline in these two California races.<\/p>\n
Jordan: Beyond SVG and his quest to make the Chase, these two road course races will also have an impact on the battle between Reddick and Hamlin for the regular-season championship. As noted above, Hamlin isn\u2019t the best on road courses, whereas Reddick is. This provides the 23XI Racing driver a great opportunity to pad his points\u2019 lead over Hamlin, which has shrunk considerably in recent weeks.<\/p>\n
This is the first time a race has occurred at the Naval Base Coronado course. Can you talk about the intricacies of the course and how teams will need to prepare?<\/p>\n
Jeff: Drivers are saying this could be the most challenging course in NASCAR history (really!) with highly technical turns, a variety of surface changes (old asphalt, new asphalt and even airfield tarmac) and all on what is NASCAR\u2019s longest track (3.4 miles). There are some very tight areas which could cause pile-ups and create a chaotic race, and this will be a day of survival in many ways. Some drivers said it took them as much as an hour to learn the track on the simulator, and even so, they aren\u2019t sure how accurate it is. After all, no one has ever seen this course before! It\u2019s a bit of a guessing game until the drivers get on the track Friday, and they\u2019ll only have 50 minutes of practice. So this could be a wild weekend with a lot of unknowns, but the backdrop (aircraft carrier, water, San Diego skyline, hangars) will be spectacular.<\/p>\n