The NASCAR Cup Series’ only off week during the series’ grueling 36-race schedule is this weekend.
With 16 races down, 20 more events will help decide this year’s champion, with the season concluding Nov. 5 at Phoenix Raceway.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. holds a slim 13-point advantage over Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron in the standings, with Ryan Blaney (-24), Ross Chastain (-24) and Kevin Harvick (-25) within striking distance.
There’s been plenty of strong starts to the season, along with a few surprises and disappointments.
Who’s Been Strong
William Byron – The driver of the famed No. 24 Chevrolet has been one of NASCAR’s most electric so far this year.
Back-to-back wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix shook off a rough start to the year for the 25-year-old, who was 27th in the standings after two races.
A late-race charge to victory at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in May gave the HMS driver a series-leading three triumphs.
Adding three poles and nine top 10 finishes to his impressive season has Byron solidly in the hunt for a regular season title.
Martin Truex Jr. — Any doubt as to whether Truex would win again was quickly dashed before the season began when the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota scored the exhibition win in the Clash at the L.A. Coliseum in February.
While a slower start to the year with only one top 10 in the first seven races was concerning, it’s been primarily smooth sailing since. Victories at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway and Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway helped vault the 42-year-old to the points lead.
In his last nine races, Truex has only finished outside the top 10 twice.
Kyle Larson – Per usual, the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has been lights out since the green flag at Daytona (Fla) Int’l Speedway.
Two short track wins at Richmond (Va.) Raceway and Martinsville Speedway has the 2021 Cup Series champ solidly in the postseason.
While it didn’t count for points, Larson’s dominant $1 million All-Star triumph at a resurrected North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway was yet another showing of what the No. 5 team can do on any given race — pummel the field.
Surprises
Kyle Busch — A dismal final season with Joe Gibbs Racing last year left plenty of questions regarding the two-time Cup Series champion.
Though all questions have been silenced as the Richard Childress Racing driver has already earned three victories in his new ride with the No. 8 team.
Busch’s pure talent was never a question, but to charge out of the gates with a new team and find immense success has been nothing short of impressive.
In the last four races, Busch has an average finish of fourth, including his most recent trip to victory lane at Worldwide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill., where he tied Byron for the most wins on the season.
RFK Racing – Brad Keselowski knew it was going to be an uphill battle after leaving Team Penske at the end of 2021 to become a co-owner and driver at RFK Racing.
Now in their second year together, the pieces are beginning to come together. With teammate Chris Buescher and Keselowski currently slotted in 11th and 12th in the standings, both drivers are in playoff contention.
While a win has eluded the two-car team thus far, their performance as a whole has astronomically improved. At this time last year, Buescher sat 22nd in points while Keselowski was 30th.
Heading into the break, Buescher’s notched five top 10s in the last seven races. While the last three weeks haven’t been kind to Keselowski, a runner-up result at Atlanta in March highlights his season to date.
Disappointments
Legacy Motor Club — The addition of seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson as a co-owner, along with adding rookie Noah Gragson to pilot the No. 42 Chevrolet, Legacy Motor Club had everything pointing positive prior to the season.
On top of that, a win in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway last September aboard the famed No. 43 gave Erik Jones and the team a boost of what was to come this year.
However, since unloading at Daytona, it’s been nothing short of a disaster.
Full-time drivers Jones and Gragson sit 30th and 33rd in the standings after 16 races, with only two top 10s from Jones to boast.
In his return from NTT IndyCar Series action full time for Chip Ganassi Racing, Johnson’s three starts this season have all had the same result – in the garage with a wrecked race car.
Last month, the team announced it will switch from Chevrolet to Toyota in 2024, a move to help boost the two-car operation’s chance for growth.
With nowhere to go but up, Jones and Gragson have no choice but to gun for victories if they expect to make the postseason.
Austin Cindric — Last year’s rookie of the year, Austin Cindric, had big shoes to fill when he vaulted up to the Cup Series in place of Keselowski aboard the Team Penske No. 2 Ford.
Winning the 2022 Daytona 500, Cindric made his mark. This season, however, has been a different story.
Currently 21st in points, the 24-year-old has only two top-10 finishes thus far, with his last one coming 10 races ago at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas (sixth).
Teammates Ryan Blaney (third in points) and Joey Logano (ninth in points), each have victories and have consistently shown speed.
Stewart-Haas Racing Drivers Not Named Harvick — While Kevin Harvick embarks on his retirement tour, it’s been a strong season so far for the 2014 Cup Series champion.
The driver of the No. 4 Ford has seven top-10 finishes and is fifth in the standings.
The next closest SHR driver is Ryan Preece in 25th.
Aric Almirola slots in behind Preece in 26th, with Chase Briscoe mired back in 31st after being penalized 120 points for a counterfeit part on his race car in May.
Outside of Harvick’s top 10 finishes, the trio of Preece, Almirola and Briscoe have a combined five top 10 finishes (Briscoe with four, Almirola with one), with only three top fives (All Briscoe).
Harvick’s departure at the end of the season leaves a massive void for the organization, one that’s impossible to ignore with the team’s three-car struggles this year.