Pre-Daytona: Handicapping the regular-season finale: NASCAR Cup driver fears about COVID-19 protocols; Ryan Blaney's 2021 emergence

NASCAR on NBC analyst Jeff Burton on sizing up the Daytona regular-season finale (1:00); putting maybe an unprecedented premium on points mattering in this race (3:30); another wrinkle: A new rules package for Daytona since February (4:30); the importance of the already heightened impact of manufacturer and teammate alliances (6:30); unpacking the COVID-19 news from Michigan (10:00); the debate over a negative test providing clearance (12:30); “this is a tough situation for all of us” (14:30); drivers wrestling with a bigger picture (16:30); the vaccination part of the equation (18:30); the inherent self-determination of the driver and racer (21:00); are we witnessing the championship contender emergence of Ryan Blaney? (24:00); if the 750 horsepower tracks will be a Penske strength in the playoffs (26:30). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.