2-MINUTE DRILL
RANK & FILE
A LINEUP OF SPORTS TIDBITS NASCAR’S BIGGEST SURPRISES (Note:
1. KYLE BUSCH HAS STILL NOT WON This is one of the most talked about storylines of the season, but it’s still a big shocker. The No. 18 Toyota driver has accumulated 38 wins throughout his career with nine in the last two years alone. The last season he finished without a win was back in 2004 when he wasn’t even a full-time driver, so he’ll probably win one of these weekends. But without it, he doesn’t have a guaranteed spot in the 16-driver playoffs this fall.
2. STENHOUSE IS MAKING MOVES In his fifth full-time season and after 157 winless races, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finally earned his first Cup Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway in May. But two months later, he surprised everyone again when he won at Daytona International Speedway. Not many racing fans would have bet that Stenhouse would have more wins than Kevin Harvick (1), Joey Logano (1) or Busch through July.
3. JOE GIBBS RACING’S SLOW START An extension of Busch getting shut out, it took Joe Gibbs’ team 19 races to get its first win. Thanks to Denny Hamlin eight days ago at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, JGR’s winless drought dating back to last year was snapped, but the team looks totally different compared with 2016. At this point last season, JGR had won eight of 19 events. Busch and Carl Edwards – who all but retired – were major factors, combining for four consecutive wins at one point. Rookie Daniel Suárez replaced Edwards this year, so he’s still getting comfortable at the next level. But that doesn’t explain why Busch, Hamlin and Matt Kenseth have struggled.
4. MATT KENSETH The 45-year-old driver doesn’t have a ride next season, which he actually announced before his team did a few weeks ago. The 2003 champion from Cambridge has won 16 races over five seasons for JGR but is being replaced by 21-year-old Erik Jones in 2018.
5. MARTIN TRUEX JR.’S CONSISTENCY Not only are Truex and seven-time Cup Series champ Jimmie Johnson leading the series with three wins apiece, but the No. 78 Toyota driver is destroying the field in the stages. He has an unbelievable 14 stage wins so far along with 29 playoff points. Busch is second on the list with just five stage wins, while Johnson’s is next with 16 playoff points. Truex was great last year with four race wins, but no one could have anticipated this kind of consistent speed every weekend.
6. LOGANO GETTING LEFT BEHIND Joey Logano won at Richmond Raceway back in April, but it’s encumbered after his car failed post-race inspection. He still gets credit for the win but lost the automatic playoff berth. Since then, the No. 22 Ford driver has struggled. Including the Richmond race, he finished in the top-10 eight out of nine times. But through the next 10 events, he did so only twice, he has wrecked three times and he has an average finish of 23.3. If the playoffs had started with Sunday’s Brickyard 400, Logano wouldn’t have made the cut – a steep difference compared with being just three points away from the 2016 series championship.
7. RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING’S QUIET SURGE Thanks to wins from Ryan Newman at Phoenix Raceway in March and Austin Dillon at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, RCR has two drivers locked into the playoffs. Although they’ve both been fairly mediocre since their respective wins, it’s still surprising to see this team with more drivers qualified for the playoffs than powerhouses JGR, Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske — who each have one driver in.