Crew chief turned NASCAR TV analyst Steve Letarte is known for sometimes going completely off the reservation with his picks and how they will perform, whether it be a particular race or, as in this case, the NASCAR Cup playoffs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no season like the post-season,\u201d Letarte said on this week\u2019s NASCAR Inside The Race podcast<\/a>. \u201cThe regular season is fine, but if you\u2019re a fan of a team or a driver, you\u2019re either elated because they have a chance or you\u2019re reloading for next year.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, this is the closest field in the 21-year playoff annuals, with only 30 points separating the No. 1 seed, Kyle Larson, from the No. 16 seed, Alex Bowman.<\/p>\n The playoffs begin Sunday with the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, and Letarte is picking a doozy of a dark horse for the first round, which features Darlington, Gateway near St. Louis, and Bristol to determine which 12 drivers will advance in the playoffs and which four drivers will be eliminated.<\/p>\n Letarte\u2019s pick: Alex Bowman.<\/p>\n Whoa! What? Come on, you\u2019ve gotta be kidding, right? Nope, Letarte is serious. He\u2019s very optimistic that Bowman, who is the final seed in the 16-driver playoff grid, could be a driver who literally comes out of nowhere to make a bid for the championship.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not surprising that Letarte would pick a Hendrick Motorsports driver, as Letarte spent many years as a crew chief within the Team Hendrick system. Nope, Letarte is adamant that Bowman could be the surprise driver of the playoffs.<\/p>\n \u201cI actually think the 48 can [advance past the first round],\u201d Letarte said. \u201cI think Alex Bowman, while not flashy, did make it in. Let\u2019s remember how he was eliminated a year ago. For the fan that has forgotten, he advanced out of the Roval when the checkered flag fell, and then, being too light in post-race inspection, eliminated him.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a guy who\u2019s had these crushing emotional losses, there is a hangover to that and I think the 48 kind of has raced a little bit with that hangover and I\u2019m waiting for the cold water to kind of splash on the face of the 48 and I\u2019m hoping that\u2019s what happens here in the first round for their sake because I think he has the firepower.<\/p>\n \u201cI have Bowman moving out of the round of 16. I really do.\u201d<\/p>\n But, there\u2019s a caveat to Letarte\u2019s optimism about Bowman, courtesy of Russell Wenrich of NASCAR Insights.<\/p>\n \u201cRussell, give me an argument why (Bowman) can (advance past the first round,\u201d Letarte said to Wenrich, who surprisingly actually agreed \u2013 somewhat \u2013 with Letarte\u2019s assessment of Bowman.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, he totally can,\u201d Wenrich said of Bowman advancing out of the first round. \u201cLike entering Daytona before that wreck, his average finish in the last 10 races was eighth. You can make an argument he\u2019s been the best Hendrick driver over the last several races.\u201d<\/p>\n The Stats Are Against Bowman (and Letarte)<\/p>\n But several statistical nuances do not favor Bowman<\/a> exiting the first round, also courtesy of NASCAR Insights.<\/p>\n\n