NASCAR drivers anonymously reveal their worst restart rivals on a late-race restart

NASCAR drivers have anonymously shared their thoughts on who they would least want beside them on a late-race restart. During the recent NASCAR Cup Series playoffs media day, a Fox Sports survey asked drivers to name the rivals they would least want next to them on a restart.

While the question could be interpreted in many ways, there was a front-runner with 4 votes. Drivers could pick a rival who is the least desirable either because they are very skilled, or because they are unpredictable.

Four drivers named the Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain. The 31-year-old has consistently made the playoffs since joining the team in 2022 and has even reached the Championship Four. He also made a new record last season by winning the title-deciding race as a non-playoff driver. Despite a less successful 2024 season, Chastain’s racing makes him a challenging rival when the race is at its most critical.

Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, were tied for second place. Three drivers voted for each. Lastly, Austin Dillon, Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson each received two votes.

Some drivers even wrote comments explaining their choices.

"Based on recent events, it would be Austin Dillon," wrote one.

"I put three of them (but won’t say). They make a lot of dumb decisions," wrote another.

"Austin Dillon. I can answer that one pretty easy," added another.

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NASCAR playoffs start with Quaker State 400 this Sunday

The first race of the NASCAR post-season will be the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend.

The 1.54-mile track used to be a fast and standard oval but after an update in 2022, it has become one of the most unpredictable tracks. Now, it features the intense, close racing usually seen only at Daytona and Talladega.

Recent underdog wins might continue. Ryan Blaney, the reigning champion, almost won on this track in February and has done well on drafting tracks this season. Blaney has the most average points at Atlanta since its reconfiguration.

"I think that you have the oddballs, like right in the first round is a really weird oddball, and you’re going to see some surprise people go home. I feel like you’re going to have issues at Atlanta, you’re going to have issues at Watkins Glen and you’re going to have to throw a Hail Mary at Bristol,” Ryan Blaney said.

William Byron, who has won three races this season, also has two Atlanta victories. Brad Keselowski has seven wins on drafting tracks and recent top-10 finishes. In addition, Daniel Suárez has earned many top-5 finishes at Atlanta and Joey Logano won the pole and led many laps in last year’s spring race.

You can watch Quaker State 400, the first NASCAR playoff race, this Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.