AVONDALE, Ariz. — A common phrase is uttered throughout the NASCAR playoffs, especially heading into the season's final weekend. That phrase is "Execute the weekend."
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On paper, it's a straightforward message, but what does it really mean to the people who often say it?
"Execute the weekend. You can only control your team," Ryan Blaney told FanBuzz during Championship 4 Media Day. "I think when people say that, at least my definition of it, is give 100% of your effort through the week, through the weekend.
"Don't make mistakes. Try your best not to make mistakes. If you do make mistakes, overcome 'em. Make a plan to remedy those mistakes."
Limiting mistakes is a key part of "executing the weekend," but the phrase means something different depending on who is answering the question. Some drivers just focus on what they can personally do to help their team succeed.
"It just means doing the best job that you can do," William Byron said. "Like, not leaving any stone unturned. Kind of making sure that you're doing everything in the car that you can do to win the race.
"If you do all those things, you feel good with yourself when you go home from this race."
As Tyler Reddick, another Championship 4 driver, explained, executing the weekend starts when the team unloads the car and prepares to take part in practice. This process then continues as the driver provides feedback about the car to his team.
Once the teams see how they stack up against competitors in practice and qualifying, they can come up with a strategy for the race and prepare for any unknown hurdles that may arise on Sunday when every lap and pit stop matter.
Something always happens that disrupts the best-laid plans; it's up to the teams and drivers to react properly.
"What did (Mike) Tyson say? 'Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face,'" NBC Sports analyst Jeff Burton said. "And they're all going to get punched in the face. That's part of winning a championship.
"No one's going to have a day that everything goes well. And so how do you manage those bad moments"
Execute the weekend. Do your job. Limit mistakes. In essence, these phrases have the same meaning.
The prep work has been put in; now it's time for the teams and drivers to deliver in moments of immense pressure. Those that do so without faltering will end the season as the champions.
"There's going to be a moment. There is always a moment," NBC Sports analyst Steve Letarte said. "I have no idea where it's going to be. We've seen it be on pit road, on the racetrack. So to Jeff's point, it's a great tagline. 'We're going to execute. We have to execute' because that kind of kicks the question down the road.
"Because they don't know the answer either. What you would hate to do is work as hard as you work to get here and have a mental mistake or a silly mistake that you would look back on and maybe you could have prepared different or did something different."
