A early NASCAR Season Recap
Five races in and what have we’ve learned?
Kyle Larson is on the verge of stardom. Kevin Harvick recently said, “Larson is the best driver to come into the series since Jeff Gordon.” Huge words but thus far this season who could argue. After a string of 2nd place finishes, the 24 year old Elk Grove, California native found the winners circle this past weekend at California Speedway.
There is not much that will wipe the smile off Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s face. To make matters even better for Junior, the series heads to Martinsville this weekend on one of the few short tracks on the circuit. Dale Jr.’s finishes have not exactly matched the smile on his face this season but perhaps Martinsville will be to his liking.
Joey Logano seems to make a lot of his competitors angry. It’s not exactly breaking news that Kyle Busch is angry at a fellow competitor but it sure seems as if trouble follows Logano around. It makes for great viewing for us fans but might not be the best for the #22 team come playoff time (See the Matt Kenseth debacle).
Danica Patrick continues her career of bad finishes. The extremely popular driver of the #10 Stewart-Haas Ford has started this season with finishes of 33, 17, 36, 22, and 26. She sits 29th in points. No longer do fans ask if Patrick can finish in the top 10, they ask if she can finish on the lead lap. More often than not the answer is no.
Chase Elliott is the most consistent team in the Hendrick garage. That’s a big statement given the fact that 7-time Champion, Jimmie Johnson still parks his car in the Hendrick garage but there is no denying the on track results. Chase has yet to visit victory lane but he’s been close on several occasions. Only a matter of time.
Clint Bowyer, with his back against the wall, or so it seems, is reenergized. Having a decent car and well-funded team will do that to you. After suffering through a season driving for a funding challenged team, Bowyer is now enjoying the fruits of the well-funded Stewart-Haas #14 team. Like Junior, that smile looks like it’ll be a permanent fixture on Bowyer’s face this season.
The new racing segments have not yet yielded results in TV ratings. This past Sunday’s NASCAR Monster Series race at California Speedway suffered horrendous TV ratings. We’ve become accustomed to empty seats at the track and now we are seeing record low TV ratings. The jury may still be out on the new rules but thus far the numbers don’t look good.
The new downforce package is putting more emphasis in the hands of the drivers. That’s a good thing. The cream often rises to the top in NASCAR and often it’s mostly due to the technical ability of the team. Now it’s much more likely to be more of the talent and skill of the driver as opposed to the machine itself.
NASCAR is now willing to take risk. The new point structure and segment racing are all huge steps taken by a normally conservative organization such as NASCAR. Long time NASCAR fans may be somewhat resistant to many of these changes but clearly the new millennial fan is who NASCAR now desires.
Thanks for reading. Listen to WTBQ radio on Monday and Friday mornings at 8:45 as I join Frank, Taylor and the Morning Show gang to discuss all the current happenings in NASCAR. 1110AM 93.5FM or online at WTBQ.COM. You can also follow me on twitter @JimLaplante
