At a fan event during media day at South Point, Daytona 500 champion Austin Dillon took the stage with five other young Playoff drivers—Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and Erik Jones.
Those drivers enter the Playoffs at a considerable disadvantage to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ so-called “Big Three”–Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.—who collectively have won 17 of the 26 regular-season races and have racked up the three highest totals of Playoff points.
Dillon offered a practical, edgy and ostensibly facetious solution to the Big Three problem.
“These drivers up here, we should just make a deal,” Dillon said. “If we just wreck the Big Three the next couple of weeks, we’ll have a lot better shot of getting to Homestead.”
After the laughter and the applause from the audience died down, Bowman chimed in.
“I’m not scared,” he said.
“If we split the profits from the championship, it would go a long way,” Dillon responded. “Our odds in Vegas would go way up if they’re not in it at Homestead.”
Bowman, however, was the only taker.
“Everybody else is scared,” Bowman said.
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