Cup season second lap: ‘Young Guns’ vs. old guard
Jones’ Daytona victory alerts veterans Harvick, Kyle Busch, Truex Jr.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Erik Jones created so much smoke during his burnout that he had trouble breathing afterward.
His first career Cup victory Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway was a needed breath of fresh air in a sport that has failed to see a supposed bumper crop of young talent emerge as bona fide stars.
The 22-year-old Jones had his motorcoach wrapped in toilet paper as a prank and awoke to a steady string of congratulatory tweets ranging from Las Vegas native Kyle Busch to Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The feel-good, first-time win gave the sport a vital bump as it capped the official first half of the season.
The question lingers, though: Is this a sign that perhaps the so-called “Young Guns” are poised to break through over the final 18 races, or was this just an aberration as Jones became the latest benefactor to survive the wild wrecks that litter Daytona?
When the smoke finally cleared around Jones’ No. 20 Toyota, this much was clear — Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. remained the only three drivers in the rarefied air of legitimate championship contenders.
“How many more wins can they get, playoff points can they get?” asked Earnhardt, now an NBC broadcaster. “Will anybody get in there and join the conversation?”
Led by five wins each from Busch and Harvick, the trio has combined for 13 wins over the first 18 points races.
All three have been the class of the field.
All three are former Cup champions.
Can any driver stop one of The Big 3 from claiming the crown?
Asked if Jones’ victory was a momentum-builder for the next generation, Saturday third-place finisher AJ Allmendinger cracked, “One of those three are going to win next week, so I don’t know.”
Jones, who joined Daytona 500 champion Austin Dillon as winners at the track this season who only led the final lap, certainly has the talent and team to become a consistent winner. Joe Gibbs Racing thought so highly of his talent that it gave 2004 Cup champ Matt Kenseth the boot to make room for Jones.
“Regardless of who I’m replacing or where I’m driving, you want to win races, and you want to be a winner,” Jones said. “You don’t want to be riding around.”
It only seems like 35 other drivers have been riding around all season trying to play catch-up to Busch, Harvick and Truex. But the first step toward a title is making the playoffs. With eight races left before the field is set, only eight drivers have clinched the automatic playoff spot earned with a win. Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Dillon, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola, Ryan Blaney, Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman held the final eight spots on Sunday — an order sure to become jumbled after next week’s race at Kentucky Speedway.
Should Busch, Harvick and Truex advance to the championship finale at Homestead — and it’s certainly no lock all three qualify — who would join them as the fourth driver to race for the title?
Bowyer has two wins and has continued to enjoy a career rebirth at Stewart-haas Racing. SHR has dominated this season with Harvick, Bowyer and Kurt Busch regular contenders and Almirola, in his first season as Danica Patrick’s replacement in the No. 10 Ford, has proved it was the driver and not the car that was the weak link in the top team in NASCAR.
Logano (one win) and Hamlin (winless) have come oh-so-close before to winning the title, and an Elliott championship would link today’s fans with the old-school loyalists who loved rooting for his dad, “Awesome” Bill Elliott.