Monday Morning Pit-Stop is a weekly NASCAR column that runs on OutKick.com and Fox News Digital.
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that → run → OutKick.com
If you're looking for a normal NASCAR recap, go check out insufferable ESPN ... assuming they still know NASCAR exists.
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NASCAR → look → ESPN
Three races left in this 2026 NASCAR season.
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races → leave → season
I'd give you the usual, "Doesn't it feel like we were just at the Daytona 500?" line, but ... it doesn't.
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it → give → line
Name another sport that starts its season in February, and ends it after Halloween.
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that → name → Halloween
It doesn't exist.
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It → exist → ?
These guys are GRINDING right now.
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guys → grind → ?
They have been for eight months now, and we only have three races left to crown a champion.
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we → have → champion
After Phoenix, I'd say five guys have a legit shot at a title: Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney.
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guys → say → title
None of those guys won yesterday, by the way.
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None → win → way
Tyler Reddick won yesterday at Phoenix for the first time since Kansas ... back in APRIL.
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Reddick → win → APRIL
As I was saying (see, there's a point to all of it!), the NASCAR Cup Series season is the longest in all of sports.
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season → say → sports
I bet you forgot Tyler Reddick started the season with three straight wins, didn't you?
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you → bet → wins
Sunday's return to Victory Lane was probably too little, too late in terms of a title, but it does give him a puncher's chance.
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it → give → chance
We'll see.
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We → see → ?
Speaking of punching ... wait till you see what Zane Smith did to Carson Hocevar after the race.
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Smith → speak → race
Do these two HATE each other, or what?
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two → hate → other
Also, I've seen a lot of folks comparing modern day college football to peak NASCAR in terms of recent decision-making about playoff expansion.
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I → see → expansion
Some people believe college football is following the same ill-fated path NASCAR took way back in the day.
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NASCAR → believe → day
Honestly, it's not the worst comparison I've seen.
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I → see → ?
We'll dive in here in a bit.
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We → dive → bit
Zane Smith says hello to Carson!
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Smith → say → Carson
Let's spin the wheel and get this class started with ... BEEF!
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class → let → BEEF
We love beef around here.
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We → love → beef
It's what keeps me in a job, and what keeps this column an award-winner (allegedly).
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what → keep → column
All the beef this season has revolved around Carson Hocevar.
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beef → revolve → Hocevar
If there's been an issue, Carson's somehow been involved.
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Carson → be → ?
Whether it was Ryan Blaney attacking him last month at Bristol, or Brad Keselowski vowing to wreck him after Darlington, it's been the Garage vs. Carson in 2026.
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it → attack → 2026
Hell, I'm not sure he even has one single ally in the entire garage.
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he → have → garage
Nobody — and I mean nobody — hates Carson more than Zane Smith:
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I → mean → Smith
This rivalry goes back a while
Lordy.
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rivalry → go → ?
You don't see that often, do you?
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you → see → that
Zane hits the gas and absolutely plows into Carson's backside (hey now!) ... and it was all for literally no reason at all.
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it → hit → reason
Carson, as you can see in the first video, did nothing wrong.
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you → see → nothing
Ross Chastain got into Hocevar, which sent Hocevar up the track into Zane Smith.
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which → get → Smith
"I don't give a f–k," Smith said when he was told that info after the post-race fender-bender.
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he → give → bender
Clearly, this had nothing to do with the contact in the race, and everything to do with Zane Smith simply just looking for a reason to start a fight with a driver he admittedly despises.
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he → have → driver
And I mean DESPISES.
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I → mean → DESPISES
Take a look at this little clip from last summer:
"I just don't like him as a human," is such a simple insult.
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I → take → human
You have to respect that, despite who you root for on the track.
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you → have → track
…and 41 more, not listed.
The Aporia
