“Dude, I totally called it!”
How many times have you heard that phrase in context of NASCAR predictions? It seems like especially in sports social-media circles, it’s a common utterance.
But there’s one problem: there’s no accountability to back it up. Those words are meaningless without proof.
That’s why, for the past three seasons, I’ve prompted denizens of Twitter to call their shots before cars hit the track – you know, to get those claims in writing. I’m doing the same in 2021.
#NASCAR.com time capsule, to be unearthed November 5, 2021:
Which four drivers will make up the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4?
— Steve Luvender (@steveluvender) February 10, 2021
Last year, despite the dawn of These Uncertain Times, one person correctly predicted at the beginning of the season that Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin would be the four who battled it out at Phoenix. And, not only did @MarkRH guess the four finalists, he picked them in the correct finishing order. Color me impressed.
Already, we’ve got quite a few pre-season picks rolling into the ol’ Mentions.
Some predictions are reasonable. Drivers you’d expect to run well and fight their way through the playoffs.
Chase Elliot
Kevin Harvick
Joey Logano
Martin Truex Jr– Darryl Kinsey Jr (@dkjr12) February 10, 2021
Blaney, Hamlin, Busch (pick one, I don’t care – but it’ll probably be Kyle), Truex
– Tracy🙋🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤦🏻♀️🙆🏼♀️ (@aunttr0122) February 11, 2021
Elliott, Harvick, Truex, Hamlin
– bread perez (@bradxperez) February 11, 2021
@chaseelliott @KyleLarsonRacin @Alex_Bowman
Ryan @Blaney
🙌🏻🏁🏆🙌🏻– Anita Garrison (@LovingNASCAR9) February 10, 2021
Other picks, well …
Sterling Marlin, Ward Burton, Dave Blaney, Jason Leffler
– dwest – Joc Pederson Fan Club (@dwest___) February 11, 2021
Timmy Hill
Timmy Hill
Timmy Hill
Timmy Hill– Peyton McMillan (@PoliticalPeyton) February 11, 2021
David Gilliland David Reutimann David Ragan and David Stremme
– Daniel McMillan (@DanMcMillan89) February 11, 2021
This driver, that driver, maybe this guy, but for sure that guy!
– Logan Helton (@LHelton_63) February 10, 2021
Gotta count on Twitter being Twitter.
We’ll revisit everybody’s picks in November when we know the Championship 4 – then the fun part begins. That’s when we find out if anybody’s right, or, my personal favorite, if anybody (who actually tried, unlike the jokesters above) laid an egg and missed all four. That’ll memorialize you forever in the Wall of Shame.
So, before the green flag flies in the Daytona 500 Sunday, tweet those predictions. Put it in digital stone nine months ahead of time.
Just don’t forget to pay close attention to last year’s prophetic picker, @MarkRH. You’re probably in luck if you’re a Harvick, Larson, Kyle Busch or Keselowski fan.
No way I get this correct two straight years, but here it goes:
4, 5, 18, 2
– MarkRH (@MarkRH) February 10, 2021
And maybe during Championship weekend in November, you’ll be able to say, “Dude, I totally called it!”