#if this belonged to that series it would be a no brainer contester for best clock tower track

[beevean]

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Towers of Twin Dragons (Gears of Fortune)

[dpinoycosmonaut]

5 TAKEAWAYS FROM MAGNOLIA HEARTBREAK

by Bert A. Ramirez / May 21, 2019

A dejected Magnolia squad receives its runner-up trophy in the 2019 Philippine Cup after losing to San Miguel Beer in Game 7 of the finals. (Photo by Ernie Sarmiento of ESPN)

               A week ago today, we witnessed how our favorite PBA team, the Magnolia Hotshots, almost scored one of the biggest upsets in PBA history, barely losing to the heavily-favored four-time defending champion San Miguel Beermen 72-71 in Game 7 of their Philippine Cup finals that were not even expected to go more than five games, much less reach their limit of seven.

               Fact is, there were a few miscalls and breaks of the game that, had they not occurred, could have definitely altered the outcome of the game, and the result of the championship series and, ergo, history itself.  Here then are our key takeaways – five of them – from what turned out as an unprecedented fifth straight All-Filipino championship for the Beermen, and a great, great heartbreak for the Hotshots.

1) June Mar Fajardo’s offensive foul that was not called helped decide the outcome of the series

                Let’s be honest here.  For all the twists and turns that attended Game 7, it was that offensive foul by five-time league MVP and six-time Best Player of the Conference awardee June Mar Fajardo on Mark Barroca with 2:28 left that was not called that decided the outcome of Game 7.  Okay, that was a full two minutes left, and the game was far from over with the Hotshots clinging to a measly one-point advantage at 69-68, so how could it have been the decider?  Well, just look, with the referees swallowing their whistle on a no-brainer shoulder bump by the 6-foot-10 June Mar that sent Barroca sprawling on the floor while Fajardo scored the go-ahead basket that put SMB up 70-69, it obviously gave the Beermen a new lease on life in a grind-it-out game where the Hotshots, despite losing an 18-point first-half lead, had the decided advantage.

               It definitely gave the Beermen the much-needed boost to make it a pendulum, back-and-forth contest where SMB had the artillery to get back once Ian Sangalang scored a layup off an offensive rebound 24 seconds later to put Magnolia up 71-70.  Imagine if that basket by Fajardo was not counted because of that offensive infraction?  The Hotshots would have been up by three instead of that precarious margin, which, in the end, was erased by Alex Cabagnot with what turned out to be the winning jumper from the left side with 59 seconds left.

               The vagaries of the game?  Breaks? Hell, no.  One could make that claim had such a call belonged to the either-or or the 50-50 kind.  But this one was obvious, and a game official does not commit such a glaring miscall near the end of a winner-take-all contest if he’s competent (or honest?) enough.

               Rafi Reavis articulated such officiating that obviously worked against the Hotshots in this fateful game.

               “Hats off to San Miguel, I don’t take anything from them, but I just think hopefully the league really looks into what happened tonight.  There was a lot of lopsidedness,” the 6-foot-8 Magnolia center said.  “I don’t know how June Mar plays the whole game and has zero fouls when it’s clear he does foul.  There’s no player that plays a perfect game and they don’t foul.  I just don’t understand why he doesn’t get fouls called on him.  I think it’s not fair.

               “I think (it’s) the obvious (thing) that needs to be looked at and needs to be dealt with because it’s happening too much and it’s too obvious.  Something needs to be done about that,” Reavis, owner of 11 championships in his 18-year PBA career, added.

               Fajardo, curiously, had no foul called on him in Game 7 and just had one in Game 6, which the Beermen won 98-86 to force the winner-take-all contest.  Reavis, meanwhile, had five in Game 6 and fouled out near the end of the decisive matchup even as Fajardo got away with 17 points and 31 rebounds, the most among locals in PBA annals.

               “It’s hard because I think he gets away with everything.  He’s allowed to push us and we can’t touch him,” Reavis said about defending Fajardo, a task he has accomplished with relative success despite a size disadvantage and his relatively advanced age (he turns 42 on July 27).  “You can’t touch him, it’s obvious.  But he’s allowed to elbow us and grab us and do all these things and I just think it’s not fair.

               “(The players) put so much work in, we expect better than that from our officials.  This is Game 7; this is the finals.  This is supposed to be the best of the best,” he said.

2) The PBA has summoned Rafi Reavis for his comments criticizing the officiating but has curiously remained silent about the miscalls in Game 7

                PBA commissioner Willie Marcial, who has done well on other fronts like in the fine and suspension of SMB players Kelly Nabong and Ronald Tubid in punching separate guys in the L’Affaire Spiderman that marred Game 6, has called Rafi Reavis to his office to ask him to explain his critical comments about the officiating in Games 6 and 7 of the finals, as is standard even in the NBA.  But even as Marcial was unrelenting towards in-house policy about not washing one’s dirty linen in public, he has been curiously silent about the referees’ misdeeds that helped decide the title series.  The NBA, in contrast, has its “Last Two Minutes Reports” that detail the refereeing errors in games and had kept it up in the name of transparency despite the referees’ union’s protests.

               So why be silent about the obvious miscalls? Isn’t the PBA more obligated to protect the fans’ interest rather than that of its employees?  Can’t it even admit there were obvious errors in the way certain game officials made calls?  What does it intend to do about it?

               Yet, Reavis ironically faces the prospect of being fined because of being up front, which I personally believe is his prerogative especially after putting in so much work only to be stymied by referees’ incompetence, or lack of integrity as the case may be.

3) Multiple franchise ownership in the PBA raises suspicions of fixing the result of games or series between sister teams

                Let’s face it, this recent matchup between sister teams San Miguel Beer and Magnolia doesn’t necessarily come off as fool-proof as far as legitimacy of result is concerned, particularly after what happened with the officiating in Game 7.  Granted, each team is trying its best to beat the other to win, don’t external factors or interventions by the teams’ top brass come into play to produce the results that they want?  In this case, SMB is obviously the stronger team on paper, man for man, but in sports, there’s always the intangible factors that sometimes lead to upsets, and that’s what the Hotshots clearly wanted to achieve.  On the other hand, SMB obviously had the higher stakes, as a championship victory would make the Beermen the first team in PBA history to win an All-Filipino title for five consecutive years.  Doesn’t that raise the possibility of the Beermen’s pooh-bahs wanting an SMB victory, and telling the officials that if there’s any way – any way at all that odds were tilted in the Beermen’s favor – then, they should do it?

               The average layman can’t be blamed for thinking of such a possibility after the shameless poaching that SMB did in the 2017 draft, where the Beermen, already possessing the best big man in the league in Fajardo, still got the top overall pick in the draft through a blatantly lopsided trade with league doormat Mahindra, which got them versatile 6-8 Fil-German Christian Standhardinger and got then-PBA commissioner Chito Narvasa booted out in the end.  The Beermen are obviously the flagship franchise of the San Miguel Corporation Group, and it’s not surprising that they’re given preferential treatment over the Hotshots, who’re just third in the pecking order of the SMC brass led by Ramon Ang and his sports lieutenant, Alfranchis Chua.  Now, you can connect the dots for all you want.

4) The Hotshots need another big man, and the Beermen can do them a favor by trading Christian Standhardinger to Magnolia using a third team as rules dictate

                Such a psychology and suspicion by PBA fans can be disabused if the Beermen allow the Hotshots, the most big man-handicapped among the SMC franchises, to get their hands on Christian Standhardinger, as they should have allowed two years ago, through a three-team trade under the rules that prohibit sister teams from trading directly with each other.  I don’t know how the Hotshots and Beermen can do this, but it’s about time.  Fajardo is bound to hold sway for a good many years more in the PBA, assuming he doesn’t get hurt and the animo remains, and Reavis is getting on in years along with Marc Pingris, who has yet to get back from an ACL injury he suffered more than a year ago.

5) This is a dead and beaten horse but is still an issue up to now: What if the Hotshots had another go-to guy rather than Paul Lee?

                Yes, it’s been three years since that swap between former franchise face James Yap and erstwhile Rain or Shine star Paul Lee, but it seems that Paul’s failure to carry the Hotshots on his shoulders the way James did particularly during that four-championship run in 2014 has not fully won the Hotshots’ faithful over to Lee’s side.  Yes, Magnolia wouldn’t have won the 2018 Governors’ Cup title without the help of Paul Lee, or even reached the last two Philippine Cup finals without the Angas ng Tondo, but in terms of rising to the occasion especially when a score is so badly needed to turn the outcome in the Hotshots’ favor, Lee has failed to match Yap’s legend.

               Maybe it’s unfair to expect Paul to produce exactly the same results, or even foolish to expect James to play at that same level we mentioned at this point, but therein lies the disenchantment that the historic 2016 trade had wrought on the Purefoods fans’ psyche.  Lee had performed creditably in these Philippine Cup playoffs, all right, but unfortunately, it was guys like Mark Barroca and Jio Jalalon, and Ian Sangalang and Rafi Reavis, who stood out in the eyes of the team’s faithful.  Maybe it’s time to accept the reality that Lee will never be the player that Yap once was (with the operative word here being “once”), and it’s thus up to the team’s brass now to build the Hotshots into the consistent champion team that their fans always hoped they’d be, regardless of the Lee factor, to once and for all bury this dead horse for good.

[placetobenation]

It’s here! The road to WrestleMania officially begins with this weekend’s Royal Rumble at Minute Maid Park in Houston. What’s the over/under on mentions of the Astros cheating scandal by the announce crews on commentary and the pre-show? About 100?

Anyway, as always with Royal Rumble weekend, it’s about the surprises. It’s about who will show up when that clock hits :00 for the next contestant to enter the ring. This year, who’s first is not left to predict as WWE Champion Brock Lesnar has already announced his intentions to not only enter the Rumble but be its first entrant. So, who will be the first 5-10 “lucky” superstars who get eliminated by the reigning, defending, conquering Champion? You know it’s going to happen!

This year’s rumors have veterans like Edge, CM Punk and the hometown hero, Booker T as possible entries. And how about the NXT stars? So, far, there’s been no mention of any involvement from the Full Sail gang. It should seem obvious that Keith Lee, off his Survivor Series performance and winning the North American Championship this past week, would be a no-brainer!

And how about the return of Ronda Rousey? Do we get it this weekend or at some point on the Road to WrestleMania? With so few female superstars already announced for the Royal Rumble, there’s plenty of room to add in from all three brands.

But, before we get there, there’s a Saturday night special for NXT and NXT UK to take on each other with Worlds Collide. Here’s the card:

Pre-Show: Mia Yim vs. Kay Lee Ray

#DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa vs. Moustache Mountain

NXT Cruiserweight Championship: Angel Garza vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Jordan Devlin vs. Travis Banks

Finn Balor vs. Ikja Dragunov

NXT Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm

Eight-Man Tag Team: Undisputed ERA vs. Imperium (James Drake & Zack Gibson)

Star of the Week:

Keith Lee – Lee wins his first NXT singles championship, pinning North American Champion Roderick Strong Wednesday night on the USA Network. This could be just the start of a very good week for Lee with Royal Rumble weekend being the next piece of his stardom.

RAW

RESULTS

United States Championship Title Ladder Match: Andrade defeated Rey Mysterio to retain title

Aleister Black defeated local competitor

Drew McIntyre defeated Randy Orton (DQ when The OC interfered)

RAW Women’s Championship Non-Title Match: Champion Becky Lynch defeated Kairi Sane (Submission)

RAW Tag Team Championship Title Match: Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy defeated The Viking Raiders to win titles

Erick Rowan defeated Matt Hardy

Lashley & Lana defeated Rusev & Liv Morgan

What we loved:

#LaMuñeca to the rescue.#RAW #LadderMatch @Zelina_VegaWWE pic.twitter.com/t5tde5thMD

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) January 21, 2020

Viva La Ladder – Kudos to Andrade and Rey Mysterio, Jr for putting it all out there in this one! Brutal and a good story to boot! And how about Zelina Vega throwing caution to the wind, climbing to the top of the ladder to stop Mysterio from winning the title! Now, we get Humberto Carrillo coming to his hero’s aid to start a feud with Andrade next. Good stuff!

The #MondayNightMessiah just worked a miracle.#RAW @WWERollins @WWE_Murphy @Akam_WWE @Rezar_WWE pic.twitter.com/NPlIkPUIGp

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) January 21, 2020

New champs – What’s the easiest way to get more heat on the most hated faction in the WWE? Put the gold on them! And the surprise is that it’s Rollins and Murphy who got the title shot and not the pure tag team in the AOP. Could that be a sticking point down the road when this faction destroys itself later this year? It’s like The Undisputed ERA (until this week) or The Four Horsemen holding all the titles back in the day.

Best seat in the house belongs to @WWEAsuka. #RAW pic.twitter.com/OINqnT9RAT

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) January 21, 2020

Becky vs. Kairi – Quality match, plus we get Asuka on the top turnbuckle during the middle of the match. A different visual that was pretty interesting as to what she would or could do throughout the match and then, of course, a perfect spot to make a post-match attack on the champ heading into Asuka’s title match at the Royal Rumble.

What we didn’t like:

Last 30 minutes of RAW – The last 30 minutes of RAW did nothing for me. First, another squash of Matt Hardy by Erick Rowan. Been there. Done that. Enough said.  Then, there’s no need for Lashley/Lana vs. Rusev/Liv Morgan to be a main event. Especially when you’re only going to give it less than five minutes. There’s no surprise, intrigue or better yet, a swerve or great match to be had there. If you’re going to keep me for three hours, give me a payoff.

NXT

RESULTS

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: Grizzled Young Vets (Zack Gibson & James Drake) defeated The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly)

Toni Storm defeated Io Shirai (DQ when Bianca Belair interferes)

Finn Balor defeated Joaquin Wilde

Shayna Baszler defeated Shotzi Blackheart (Submission)

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: The Broserweights (Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne) defeated Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner)

NXT North American Title Match: Keith Lee defeated Champion Roderick Strong

What we loved:

2020 is looking #LIMITLESS!@RealKeithLee has the #NXTNorthAmericanTitle and ALLLLLL the momentum!!!#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/x0XmLc4a0k

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) January 24, 2020

Bask in his glory – It’s here. The first NXT title for the big man, Keith Lee. His stock has been on the rise since Survivor Series last November and it hasn’t stopped! It will be interesting to see how long his reign will be and if it’s just a stepping stone to the eventual NXT Championship.

#Imperium vs. #UndisputedERA#NXTUK vs. #WWENXT This colossal Eight-Man Tag Team Match can only be contained this Saturday at #WorldsCollide! pic.twitter.com/ty3iQqYOAT

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) January 24, 2020

An eye for an eye – As TUE and Imperium build up to their World Collide meeting, it’s only fair that they get each other out of the Dusty Rhodes Classic right? Imperium strikes first to start the night off giving the Grizzled Young Vets a semi-final win. Then, TUE fights back to end the night with a big brawl. If that doesn’t make you want to see them face-off Saturday in Houston, nothing will.

Meh:

Shayna Baszler – Usually I’m all into a Baszler match, but it just seemed like she was a little off. From the pre-match promo to the match with Shotzi Blackheart, who eliminated her in the Battle Royale last week, there was something missing for me. That desire and killer instinct just was a smidge from where it usually is. Maybe it’s me.

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

The Usos & Roman Reigns defeated King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville went to no-contest when Lacey Evans & Bayley interfere

Elias & Braun Strowman defeated Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura

John Morrison defeated Kofi Kingston

What we loved:

Go big or go home – From start to finish, this was a very good set-up for Royal Rumble weekend for the Smackdown crew. Quality stuff in the ring starting with a very good 6-man match between Roman Reigns and The Usos vs. King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, advancing storylines and an emotional, get-to-know-me moment from Lacey Evans. And how about that ending, The Fiend signing the contract in his own blood! Emotions and expectations are surely running high for Sunday night in Houston!

"It doesn't matter where you come from… if you keep pushing, you can accomplish your goals." – @LaceyEvansWWE #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/sKl34H4D6e

— WWE (@WWE) January 25, 2020

Lacey’s backstory – Give me more of the heartstrings from Lacey Evans. What’s not to like about her. A strong Mom and Marine who’s been dealt a rough hand with her father’s issues and not battling a pair of bullies in Bayley and Sasha Bank. It’s going to be nice moment when she wins the Smackdown Women’s Title.

Braun can sing – Count me as one who likes this new pairing of Elias and Braun Strowman. I get a more human, fun side of the big man plus Elias back in the ring for the first time in forever. That’s quality stuff for a Friday night Give me more!

Contract signed… in @WWEBrayWyatt's own BLOOD. #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/1dKohtBD5F

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) January 25, 2020

Sealed with a strap and some blood – Finally, we get a contract signing that’s not long and drawn out with the same ol’ non-sense and dribble. Bray Wyatt and The Fiend get straight to the point as The Fiend answers the call to whip Bryan into submission while signing the contract in his own blood! The only bad part of it all was that annoying red light that didn’t let us see the blood at home until after The Fiend left the ring.

Parting shots:

It’ll be interesting to see how the WWE treats NXT going forward this weekend at the Royal Rumble and on the Road to WrestleMania. The rumors have been that there will be NXT involvement in Tampa at WrestleMania, but to what extent? I would expect that at the very least the NXT Championships will be defended in some respect on the card. But let’s see first how big (and successful) they’ll be in Houston. This year’s WrestleMania could be stacked, but first they must deliver this weekend.

BTW: Can’t wait for the debut in NXT of Scarlett Bordeaux!

And oh yeah, some predictions (IMHO):

Drew McIntyre and Shayna Baszler will win the Royal Rumble matches unless Vince McMahon tries to slam us one more time with Roman Reigns. Lacey Evans wins the Smackdown Women’s Title while The Fiend survives the strap match.

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at jcrowe567@gmail.com. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots and Red Sox fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND!

[yahoo-from-the-marbles-blog]

Your one-stop guide to the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season

Chase Elliott is in the No. 9 car while Ryan Blaney drives the No. 12 instead of No. 21 in 2018. (Getty)

With the start of the 2018 Cup Series season just days away, it’s time to review and preview all of the changes that have happened from 2017 to 2018. If you need a brief primer before you settle in and watch racing this weekend, you’re in the right spot. Here’s a guide to get you up to speed before the grueling 36-race Cup season officially kicks off. 

DRIVER CHANGES

• Erik Jones moves from the No. 77 at Furniture Row Racing to the No. 20 at Joe Gibbs Racing in place of Matt Kenseth, who is unofficially retired. The No. 77 at Furniture Row has been shuttered and the team is only running the No. 78 for Martin Truex Jr.

• Alex Bowman is in the No. 88 at Hendrick Motorsports for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will serve as an analyst for NBC in 2018.

• Chase Elliott hasn’t gone anywhere, but he’s driving the No. 9 instead of the No. 24.

• The No. 24 belongs to Xfinity Series champion William Byron, who inherits the seat at Hendrick Motorsports that was occupied by Kasey Kahne a year ago. Byron has Kahne’s No. 5 crew while Elliott has his No. 24 team from a year ago. But rebranded as the No. 9.

• Kahne is in the No. 95 for Levine Family Racing. He replaces Michael McDowell.

• McDowell is in the No. 34 for Front Row Motorsports replacing Landon Cassill, who doesn’t have a ride for 2018.

• Paul Menard is in the No. 21 for the Wood Brothers after Ryan Blaney’s departure to a third Team Penske Team. Blaney will drive the No. 12 for Team Penske.

• Menard’s old No. 27 team at Richard Childress Racing is no more. That charter has been leased to StarCom Racing, which will attempt the full season with Jeffrey Earnhardt.

• Aric Almirola moves from the No. 43 car at Richard Petty Motorsports to the No. 10 at Stewart-Haas Racing in place of Danica Patrick, who will make her final NASCAR start in the Daytona 500. Patrick will drive that race for Premium Motorsports.

• Taking Almirola’s place in the No. 43 car is Bubba Wallace, who subbed for Almirola in 2017 after Almirola broke his back in a crash at Kansas Speedway in May.

Click here for the full Daytona 500 entry list and weekend schedule. 

SCHEDULE CHANGES

• Chicagoland Speedway no longer hosts the first race of the playoffs. Instead, its annual race is on July 1. The first playoff race is now at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

• The final race of the regular season will now take place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the Brickyard 400 moves to Sep. 8. Richmond International Raceway’s second date is now the second race of the playoffs. The short track has served as the final race in the regular season since the institution of NASCAR’s playoff system in 2004. Richmond’s spring date, which had been moved to Sunday afternoon, is back on Saturday night.

• Charlotte’s second race, and the third race of the playoffs, will be contested on a hybrid track consisting of the 1.5-mile oval and infield road course. It’s the first time that type of configuration has been used in Cup Series history.

Click here for the full 2018 schedule.

CAR CHANGES

• Chevrolet has dropped the SS, which was the team’s car of choice since NASCAR moved to the current generation of Cup Series cars in 2013. In its place is the Camaro, which has a far different nose than the SS did. Ideally for Chevy teams, it’ll be on par with the Camry that Toyota introduced in 2017.

• Ford is sticking with its Fusion model but will have a new model in 2019.

CONFUSING QUOTE OF THE OFFSEASON

• Courtesy of Ty Dillon. From NASCAR.com:

“I want to race for Germain Racing and GEICO my whole career and win races and championships and build my own brand like Kobe Bryant and the (Los Angeles) Lakers.”

This doesn’t make much sense, especially in the prism of Dillon driving for one-car team Germain Racing. Bryant won all of his NBA Finals with Shaquille O’Neal as his sidekick and the Lakers were a worldwide brand long before Bryant joined the team thanks to the Showtime-era Lakers of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and others.

Dillon, the grandson of team owner Richard Childress and brother of Austin Dillon, also had an interesting quote in the same article about Dale Earnhardt. We certainly appreciate his self-confidence, even if his comparisons make us look like the thinking emoji.

“I have such a platform and I don’t think a lot of people realize what we have,” Dillon said. “… Something that has bothered me about our sport in the ‘90s and 2000s everybody said they could relate so well to Dale Earnhardt. That’s why they loved him. He’s obviously the top level of fandom in our sport. Everybody could relate to him so well and he did such a great job of making people feel they are just like Dale Earnhardt, even though he’s a race car driver. I feel like I can do that.”

CHAMPIONS GOING FOR ANOTHER TITLE

• An eighth championship for Jimmie Johnson would make him the most prolific driver in NASCAR history. Johnson is currently tied with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt with seven championships. How crazy would it be if Johnson, 42, won title No. 8 and retired at the end of the 2018 season?

• No other active driver has more than one title. Martin Truex Jr. is going for back-to-back titles after winning his first in 2017. Kyle Busch (2015), Kevin Harvick (2014), Brad Keselowski (2012) and Kurt Busch (2004) are all looking for championship No. 2 as well.

RIVALRY OF THE SEASON (AGAIN)

• This is a no-brainer. Keselowski and Busch are two of the best drivers in the sport and aren’t fans of each other. Their rivalry is the best NASCAR has had since Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt and was only heightened in 2017, when they had a couple run-ins on the track and both raced for the championship. If you think NASCAR is lacking in rivalries, how are you missing Busch v. Keselowski?

OTHER STORYLINES TO WATCH

• Austin Dillon remarked in January that Richard Childress Racing was “leaner and meaner” as a two-car team in 2018. Is that really going to be true? Roush Fenway Racing improved its performance from 2016 to 2017 when going from three cars to two, though it’s imperative to note that its three-car team in 2016 wasn’t fully-funded. RCR’s drop from three cars to two is because Paul Menard’s sponsored ride went to the Wood Brothers. Not only has RCR lost a car, it’s lost millions and millions of sponsor dollars too. The situations are not comparable.

• How does Toyota keep the advantage it had in 2017? We can quibble with what the word “advantage” actually means, but it’s clear that Joe Gibbs Racing and Furniture Row Racing were far superior to the competition in 2017. Can they carry that over to 2018? Or will Chevy’s Camaro catch up? Will Ford find speed?

• What are pit stops going to look like with one fewer crew member allowed over the wall to service cars in 2018? It’s a curious decision by NASCAR to cut the sizes of pit crews, especially with the spin that the move puts more emphasis on pit stops. 

• Which young driver wins a race first? Elliott’s the odds-on favorite after he came close a couple of times in 2017. Jones’ No. 20 car will be fast and Byron and Bowman will also get a lot of love from their presence at Hendrick Motorsports. Don’t count out Daniel Suarez either, who finished in the top 20 in the points standings after being thrust into the Cup Series in 2017.

• Will Monster decide this spring to return for 2019 and 2020 as the title sponsor of the Cup Series? Will the company get another extension for more time to decide? Will Monster bail?

• Will fewer teams miss qualifying in 2018 because of NASCAR’s new inspection system?

– – – – – – –

Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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