(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)
By Aaron Bearden
This season is flying by, isn’t it?
February feels like it was about six days ago – all filled with rain, of course. But the NASCAR season is already 20 races in and steaming head-on to the playoffs.
We’ll soon lose sight of everything that’s already happened as we focus on the playoffs, silly season, 2024 schedules and crowning of a champion. But before we get to that point, here’s a look back at 20 takeaways from the year to date:
- Is this the year of William Byron? It sure seems like it. The latest star to pilot the No. 24 Chevrolet has matched his career win total (4) in one season and is a contender for the regular season title despite being given a 60-point penalty earlier in the year. In the playoff point era, 16 of the 19 drivers with four or more wins have gone on to make the Championship 4. Byron seems poised to do the same so far.
- Rumors of Martin Truex Jr.’s (career) demise have been greatly exaggerated. After a quiet, winless 2022, the 2017 champ has earned three points-paying wins and a victory in the year-opening Busch Light Clash. He looks like a championship favorite again and could be Toyota’s best playoff threat.
- You could say the same thing about Kyle Busch. After making what could be perceived as a step down from Joe Gibbs Racing to Richard Childress Racing, Busch has picked up where Tyler Reddick left off last year and led the No. 8 team to three wins. The two-time champ sits fifth in points and looks like a title threat, though there are some concerns about the team’s consistency. Rowdy’s back.
- The drivers that broke out in the playoffs last year have had mixed results in 2023. Christopher Bell’s shown his Championship 4 run to be no fluke, earning an early victory and sitting third in the standings. Ross Chastain is right with him in sixth and has earned a huge future sponsor in Anheuser-Busch. Chase Briscoe, though? The Round of 8 qualifier from last year’s had a nightmare season and is mired back in 31st in the standings. Only a win will salvage this year for the No. 14 team.
- Briscoe isn’t the only one struggling at Stewart-Haas Racing. Ryan Preece’s dream opportunity’s proven difficult, leaving him 26th in the standings. Aric Almirola’s right there with him, sitting 27th and winless in what could be his final year. That New Hampshire loss has to sting.
- All is not lost, though. Kevin Harvick continues to look strong and lead the team in his final year. The 2014 champ is ninth in the standings and all-but locked into the playoffs on points. He could use a win or two to bolster his playoff point total, but the Californian’s going to have a real chance to wrap up his Cup career with a strong playoff run.
- Mother Nature’s done everything it could to hurt NASCAR’s momentum recently. The Chicago Street Course was hit with a deluge, Atlanta Motor Speedway was rain-shortened and moisture pushed the New Hampshire race to Monday. Yet the races have been largely well-received by fans, with the on-track product still proving worth the watch each week. That’s a good sign.
- Speaking of Chicago… Whoo boy, does it open up new avenues for the sport. That specific course was well-designed and suitable for racing. But the point remains that NASCAR went into a major market, delivered a memorable race and an overall successful product – outside of weather that it couldn’t control, at least. NASCAR could take that formula to nearly any city, so new markets could be within reach if the sport can play the political game well enough to get others to give it a chance.
- Still speaking of Chicago – bear with me, I’m trying to get through all these thoughts – Shane van Gisbergen really won over NASCAR and its fans with his drive to victory in the race. He’s been the best example of a general trend of fun crossover drives this year. From IMSA’s Jordan Taylor and F1’s Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen to dirt late model standout Jonathan Davenport, the influx of major names from other disciplines has been a fun trend that’s made the sport fun to follow. Hopefully they continue to come around moving forward.
- NASCAR’s variety show of a schedule plays a big part in that mix of guest appearances. Without a dirt race, Davenport doesn’t give Cup a chance. SVG found a perfect home on a street circuit. Taylor, Button and others have made sense for road course opportunities. The Next Gen package doesn’t always race perfectly at the different types of tracks, but their presence on the schedule is a big part of the weekly shakeups the sport sees these days.
- That said, the package does need some TLC. The Next Gen car’s been successful, but it’s still a work in progress. NASCAR is doing the right thing trying to sort out how to improve it at short tracks right now. Road courses might also need help, particularly when they’re so prevalent on the NASCAR schedule.
- They might become one race less prevalent next year, though. Goodyear planning a tire test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval has spurred on rumors of a returning Brickyard 400. I’m biased with this – my parents have attended that race since the inaugural running, and I started going to it in 1999 – but I think it’s a good idea. The road course has become something of a joke, with the big infield wreck in 2021 and the Turn 1 demo derbies on late restarts last year. Winning the Brickyard 400 would mean something to many in the field in a way the road course simply doesn’t at present.
- Tip of the cap to RFK Racing. Brad Keselowski’s arrival at the organization, and its subsequent rebranding, provided optimism for its future. But the group still had to make things happen on-track. And they have. Chris Buescher scored a Bristol night race win last fall and now both drivers are well above the playoff cutline this year. Will they make a deep postseason run? Probably not. But just getting to the dance would be a significant improvement.
- While we’re tipping caps, how about a nod to a pair of Daytona 500 surprises? Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell are each running well this year. McDowell’s right in the thick of the playoff bubble battle. Stenhouse doesn’t have to worry about that after his Daytona win, but the Mississippian has remained inside of the top-16 in points. These veterans and teams are proving valuable beyond their Daytona victories.
- Unfortunately, there’s one organization I can’t give similar praise to: Legacy Motor Club. Erik Jones’ Southern 500 win for what was then Petty GMS gave hope for improvement heading into 2023. But the rebranding and arrival of Jimmie Johnson as an owner (and part-time driver) has yet to bear fruit. Jones sits 28th in points. Noah Gragson has struggled as a rookie. Johnson has an average finish of 35.3 in his three starts. Rebuilds like this take time, so this year may prove to be an outlier in the scheme of things. But it hasn’t been pretty. That move to Toyota next year and the fresh start that comes with it can’t arrive soon enough.
- Ty Gibbs has had a quiet rookie year. No, that’s not a bad thing. The defending Xfinity Series champ has flown under the radar this season, but he’s in the hunt for a playoff spot with five top-10s along the way. Crazy results? No. But solid given the difficulty of stepping up to Cup full-time.
- Isn’t it fun that points matter again? After a year of unprecedented parity in 2022, a crop of repeat winners have made points and the playoff cutline a key storyline this year. Daniel Suarez, McDowell, Bubba Wallace and A.J. Allmendinger are all fighting for a couple spots as things stand. Gibbs is still loosely within striking distance. Hendrick Motorsports has Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott trying to chase them down (pun intended). Eventually the points situation is going to lead to desperation for wins. But for now it’s a treat to watch play out.
- Could Hendrick really see two drivers miss the playoffs? It seemed unthinkable early in the year, where the organization was winning consecutive races and looking as strong as ever. But injuries to Bowman and Elliott have left them below the cutline heading into the summer. Elliott added insult to his injury with a reckless driving suspension, too. Either driver could conceivably win over the final weeks of the regular season. They’re also both still fringe contenders for the playoffs on points. But the margin of error is shrinking each week.
- Even if Hendrick doesn’t succeed in getting its full quartet to the postseason, this could be Chevrolet’s year. A dozen of the opening 20 races were won by Chevy drivers, double the mark of any other manufacturer. Toyota’s managed six, while Ford’s won just twice.
- Could more NASCAR races shift to primetime? NBC Sports placed three-straight Cup races in the evening hours to open its portion of the Cup schedule. In general, the later start times tend to yield a ratings boost. But they also increase the risk of a rainout with a smaller window to fir a race in. It’ll be interesting to see if either network partner leans further into the late start times on the 2024 schedule.
