The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season is just over halfway done and it has been wild to say the least. 12 different winners in the first 19 races, multiple driver controversies and streaks broken. I’m going to look at a few drivers and judge their performance so far this year, only 7 races out from the postseason.
- William Byron: 1st in Points
I don’t think any of us expected Byron to be the lead Hendrick driver at the midpoint of the year. After all, he shares the stable with champions Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, both of whom came off of multi-win seasons the year prior. But Willy B started off the year with back to back wins in the west coast swing, including a win at Phoenix.
Going into week 19 at New Hampshire, Byron comes off a rain shortened win at Atlanta, allowing him to extend his lead at the top of the table, which would be even larger if it weren’t for a penalty earlier in the year.
With only 7 to go in the regular season, the #24 has cemented himself early as a favorite for the title.
- Martin Truex Jr: 2nd in Points
Last year was not the year the 2017 champion was hoping for. After a close points battle with Ryan Blaney for the final playoff spot, Martin Truex Jr would miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014, despite finishing 4th in the regular season points.
As a result of this, many wondered what 2023 would hold for him, would he win again? Would he retire?
But Truex silenced the speculation immediately by opening the season with a win in the Clash at the Coliseum. The New Jersey driver followed this up with a win at his home track in Dover to snap a long winless streak, as well as a second win at Sonoma.
As of writing this, Truex sits second in points, only 21 behind the Hendrick #24. If Willy B slips up in the coming weeks, Truex will be there to pounce on him for the points lead.
- Kyle Busch: 3rd in Points
After leaving his longtime team Joe Gibbs Racing, many wondered what the future looked like for Kyle Busch. He made his move to Richard Childress Racing, an organization that was definitely not on the level of JGR.
However, somebody forgot to tell Kyle Busch this. As of week 19, Busch sits 3rd in points, 15 behind former teammate MTJ and ahead of every other Joe Gibbs car. Busch sits on three wins and a streak of top 10s. It seems like the candyman might be able to bring home the 7th championship to Welcome, North Carolina.
- Chris Buescher & Brad Keselowski: 11th & 12th in points
I’m lumping these both in together because my points for the two of them are very similar.
The biggest mystery throughout the 2010s has been Roush Fenway Racing’s fall from grace, going from a perennial championship team to a complete midpack organization, only managing the odd superspeedway victory.
However, the addition of Brad Keselowski to the ownership scene has put new life into the once great race team. While both cars missed the playoffs in ‘22, a win at Bristol for the #17 put the pep back in the step of Roush fans, and now 2023 seems to be another step forward for RFK.
While both drivers have no wins, they are both comfortably above the playoff cutline, with a near 100 point gap over the cutline and Keselowski flirting with victory almost every week, it seems like Roush Racing’s decline is over.
- Michael McDowell: 16th in Points
Building on multiple strong years beforehand, Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell has had another strong year so far, as he currently sits in the playoffs, just 5 points above the cutline.
The future looks bright for McDowell too, with many upcoming tracks favoring him heavily, including Watkins Glen Daytona, the site of his first career cup series win. If all goes well, McDowell may make his second career playoff appearance.
- Alex Bowman: 22nd in Points
It’s really been an up and down year for the driver of the #48.
During the opening rounds of the season, the #48 showed himself to be a contender for the championship by claiming the points lead by the end of the west coast swing, despite losing it later on due to a points penalty levied against the #24 and #48 cars. However, Bowman and the #48 crew still looked to be a shoe-in to the playoffs.
Unfortunately, Bowman would suffer a back injury during a sprint car race, which would force him to sit out 3 rounds.
Bowman would return to the car in Charlotte and still sat just above the playoff cutline, but since then the #48 has slipped back through the standings to 22nd, a trend that has emerged from the #48 team over the last few summer stretches. And with no wins in his pocket this year, Bowman and Blake Harris will have to turn on the jets for the final 7 races if they want to make it into the playoffs.
- Chase Elliott: 23rd in Points
If it’s been an up and down season for Alex Bowman, then I don’t even know what to call it for Chase Elliott.
After a 2nd place finish at Auto Club, a snowboarding injury sidelined the ‘20 champion for 7 races. Although, hope was still alive for fans of the #9. Elliott stormed his way up the standings and looked to be in the fight for the playoffs on points alone. However, Elliott’s climb was brought to an end at Charlotte after he hooked Denny Hamlin into the wall on the frontstretch and was given a 1-race ban.
Because of this ban, Elliott is now looking at a win to get him into the playoffs and, admittedly, the odds look in his favor. Many upcoming tracks favor the #9 in some way, especially at Watkins Glen. However, there are many playoff hopefuls who have yet to find victory lane, and all of whom could score a victory and hand Elliott his first playoff miss in his career.
- Erik Jones & Noah Gragson: 28th & 33rd in Points
I’m going to throw all Legacy Motor Club cars into this slot because the performance of this team so far this season is fascinating. After GMS partnered with Petty in ‘22, performance of the flagship #43 improved massively, with Jones nearly making the playoffs and scoring the 200th victory for the #43 at the Southern 500. With the addition of 7x Champ Jimmie Johnson to the ownership fold, many thought 2023 would host bigger and better things for LMC.
We were all dead wrong. Currently, both LMC cars sit outside the top 25 in points, with the #42 of Gragson sitting below the top 30 marker. Admittedly, Jones was assessed an L1 points penalty and Gragson was forced to sit out a race with a concussion, but even without these factors both cars are underperforming compared to expectations at the start of the year, especially with Jimmie Johnson making a return to the cup series in the #84.
A perfect summary of Legacy’s season came at the Coca-Cola 600, where all 3 cars were taken behind the wall on successive laps, with Johnson’s #84 and Gragson’s #42 scoring a reverse 1-2 finish.
Hopefully next year’s switch to Toyota will give LMC the boost they require and put Jones, Gragson and Johnson back into the competitive mix.
With 7 races to go in the regular season, there are still many question marks in the playoff picture, many big names still on the outside allowing many underdogs to scrap it out for the final playoff spot. And as we learned last year at Daytona, nothing is guaranteed.
Featured Image Credits: Patrick Vallely
pitboxpress.com 