Trackhouse. Daytona. This nearly entirely lost season comes down to one race for the 97 team of Shane van Gisbergen. Connor Zilisch and Ross Chastain are mathematically eliminated. SVG is once again carrying Trackhouse on his back. He has done it all season. That brings me to the biggest of Trackhouse Daytona concerns and areas of general anxiety. Does this 97 team believe in their driver? I ask this question because it seems like there is an awful lot of conservative strategy going on top the 97 pit box.

Back when there were four races to go in the regular season, I provided some off week thoughts on what Trackhouse Racing’s goals should be over the last four races. The main goal was to get the 97 car 75 points ahead of the cut off heading into the final regular season race at Daytona. Therefore, I was rather surprised to hear crew chief Stephen Doran expressed his plan to USA. Right there on the pre-race, during the minor rain delay, Doran said the goal was to maintain the lead.

First, Shane van Gisbergen raced rather well here last season. Second, he had a decent practice session. Third, SVG laid down a killer lap in qualifying to start p5. Finally, the race was starting in rain tires. During one point of that first run, SVG had a 94 point advantage over the cutline. Yes, the fact that NASCAR called them into switch to slicks probably 20 laps too soon was out of Doran’s control. True, Trackhouse is struggling with grip and speed. Still, the lackluster and boring strategy calls left me wondering if this Crew Chief believes in this driver.

Trackhouse Daytona

IMAGN IMAGES — Reuters Connect

The Defensive Race Strategy of Stephen Doran at NHMS

Back in the day, Kevin Harvick would say that he always wanted 4 tires, so that he could be on offense. I want to argue that with this car, even with the increased horsepower, 4 tires is not an offensive play. In today’s NASCAR Cup series, it is very much a defensive play. This is especially the case with Stephen Doran, crew chief of the 97 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Doran told us his ultimate goal during the somewhat unnecessary small delay at the beginning of the race thanks to Carson Hocevar doing his best Clint Bowyer impression.

Someone who is merely trying to maintain a points lead is going to follow a defensive strategy. During the wet weather portion of the race, Shane van Gisbergen looked just like he did on every road course. He was half a second faster than the field, and I assume he was saving tires. Jeff Burton might not have thought he was saving, but Doran had told him to save. Ultimately, when the tires came off, Doran told SVG that they had some blistering but everyone else’s tires were way worse.

SVG ended up losing track position via one really bad restart and one really bad pit stop that followed. He finished p9 in stage 1. One spot behind Ryan Preece. Not bad for a team aiming to just maintain a point lead. Still, after the loss in track position, Stephen Doran kept calling for 4 tire changes. He never once considered that track position might fix the 97’s issues. The 97 has tended to struggle further back in the field and shine whilst in the front. At some point, I don’t know why staying out or taking two tires didn’t come to mind. Preece used that strategy and it helped him get major stage points and a top 10. The 97 team was lucky to only lose 20 points or so.

Trackhouse Daytona

IMAGN IMAGES –Reuters Connect

What Needs to Change at Daytona

It’s hard to say what needs to be changed at Daytona. Daytona is one of the few places where defensive driving can really save your day. In the driver standings, Shane van Gisbergen has a 31 point lead over Ryan Preece. In the owner standings, the 97 car only has a 6 point lead over the 60 car. Ryan Preece was penalized 25 points earlier in the season and the team was not. So there is a possibility that SVG makes the Chase, while the 97 car does not. In many ways, that might be fitting, as Shane van Gisbergen has carried Trackhouse this year whether it was road courses or ovals. Still, Trackhouse and SVG need to make the Chase.

This is why Trackhouse needs to go into Daytona with an aggressive posture. Stephen Doran has one of the most talented drivers in the world driving his car. The time has come to put more faith in him. The goal should be stage points in both stages and a top 10 finish. This could put the 97 car in a place where they get knocked out of the Chase. Still, wouldn’t it be better to just drop right out than to slowly drop out dwindling away a point lead while setting low goals?

Trackhouse and Chevy need to come ready to play dirty too. RFK Racing is very good at Daytona. Furthermore, watching the 97’s in car camera this week, it does seem like they’re willing to work as a team. I watched Brad Keselowski pull a slide job on the 97 and then brake check him exiting the turn, dropping SVG from p14 back to around p20. Previously, I had seen the two Fords of Austin Cindric and Zane Smith seem to intentionally stay two wide and in front of the 97 for several laps. One would say that’s just close racing, but it was very rare for two cars to stay two wide for an entire lap, much less several laps. This was especially true considering it was well after a restart. Point is that Ford will be willing to push the limit on race manipulation. Chevy should be as well.

Trackhouse Daytona

(Rodney Childers would make a nice hire for Trackhouse) Craig White — TobyChristie.com

What Needs to Change Beyond Daytona

Trackhouse has larger concerns that go beyond Daytona. First, they need to be looking for a great replacement for Connor Zilisch in the 88 for 2028. They’re going to need someone that is a veteran, who can improve the team as a whole via their feedback. In my opinion, they need to offer Josh Berry the 88 starting in 2028 and let it run through the 2030 season. Second, they need to keep Ross Chastain in that 1 car. Third, they need big help. There is a very smart crew chief currently in the OAP garage that should be a Competition Director for a Cup team. Of course, I’m talking about Rodney Childers. Fourth, they need to change engine providers.

Let me know what you think in the comments section below. Finally, if you’re an SVG fan and enjoy live-tweet updates focused on the 97 team during the cup race, then follow me @B7grWinning on X/Twitter.