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NASCAR’s lone off weekend allows a chance to see who’s hot and who’s not
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
This weekend for the first time since the middle of February, there will be no NASCAR action on Sunday afternoon, as NASCAR has entered its only off weekend during their 38 race season. With race 16 wrapping up at Sonoma Raceway this last Sunday, and with 20 races to go before a champion is crowned in Phoenix, this gives us a chance to rate who’s hot and who’s not.
Who’s hot
It’s no secret that the Chevrolet’s have had a great start to the 2023 season in the first 16 races, after they have won over half of them (nine) - but who’s been to victory lane from the bowtie brigade might surprise you. Yes, maybe Kyle Larson having two wins for Hendrick Motorsports may not be surprising to anyone, but what about his young teammate William Byron with the most wins for HMS with three. Another shocker is Kyle Busch, who moved to Richard Childress Racing during the off season, picking up three wins at three different types of tracks, showing that RCR may not just be a middle-of-the-pack type team, but a championship contender for the first time in nearly a decade.
Here recently, the Toyota’s have made improvement on the track, after going winless in the first five races, before Toyota newcomer Tyler Reddick and his No. 45 23XI Racing team won at Circuit of the America’s. But one driver from the TRD branch that has turned some heads is Martin Trux Jr. and the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team, after he picked up win No. 2 this past weekend at Sonoma. This time one year ago, people predicted him to retire from racing, as it seemed that he couldn’t figure out the new NextGen car, but now with two wins this season, he shows no signs of slowing down.
Who’s not
Surprisingly, the Ford’s have only seen victory lane in 2023 twice, with Joey Logano (Atlanta) and Ryan Blaney (Charlotte), scoring those wins for Team Penske. Stewart Haas Racing, RFK Racing, or Wood Brothers Racing have not been able to snag their first win of the year. If things keep going the way they’re going, they most likely won’t.
Another team that has disappointed this year is Legacy Motor Club. Jimmie Johnson recently bought a part in the team just this past season, in hopes of turning the team around to championship contenders. It was just announced in early May that LMC would leave the bowtie brigade starting in 2024, and would start running Toyota Camry’s in the NASCAR Cup Series. This may be a reason why both Erik Jones and Noah Gragson (LMC Drivers) have struggled this year, as Chevrolet has more than likely pulled their support from the team, knowing they will jump ship at season’s end.
With 10 races left before the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff’s begin, and 20 races left on the 2023 calendar for the Cup Series, time will tell if things will stay the same, or if things will stay the same.