The NASCAR Cup Series switches to some of its distinctive tracks in the next stretch of events, following three drafting-style tracks in the first ten races.
The Monster Mile, a one-mile banked concrete track, is the series’ next stop near Dover.
Before the season’s eleventh race, below is a glance at each Cup organization’s current situation:
Good news from 23XI Racing: Tyler Reddick, the winner of Talladega, has finished in the top 10 seven times in the last eight races, including the last five. Reddick and William Byron are tied with seven top-10 finishes this season. .. For the past three races, the team has finished first among Toyotas. That is the longest streak ever by 23XI Racing. The bad news is that in his nine Cup starts at Dover, Bubba Wallace has not placed in the top ten. His best placing is eleventh.
Good news, Front Row Motorsports: At Talladega, Todd Gilliland achieved a season-best eighth place finish. The bad news is that Michael McDowell finished 31st at Talladega after crashing during the final lap while leading following a block. McDowell has crashed while finishing either first or second in the race for the second week in a row. Throughout his 23 career starts at Dover, McDowell has never placed higher than 17th place.
Hendrick Motorsports: Positive update: In his last three Dover starts, Alex Bowman, the lone Hendrick driver without a win this season, has finished in first place twice and in fifth place. On Sunday, he will make his 300th career start. In their 300th Cup start, seven drivers have triumphed. In his last four Dover starts, William Byron has finished in fourth place three times. This year, Kyle Larson has led 18.4% of the laps, which is a series high. ..This season, Chase Elliott has completed 2,893 laps, all except one. For the best in the series, that is tied with Martin Truex Jr. Elliott has had 13 starts at Dover and nine top-five finishes, two of which are victories. The bad news is that this season, Byron and Bowman have yet to win a stage.
GEICO 500 NASCAR Cup Series
After three drafting-style races this season for Talladega NASCAR Cup teams, William Byron continues to hold the top spot in the NASCAR Power Rankings.
John Newby (20 hours)
Racing Joe Gibbs: Positive news In his previous seven Dover starts, Martin Truex Jr. has recorded two victories and three runner-up positions. With an average running position of 8.5 this season, Denny Hamlin leads the field. The bad news is that in the last three races (Martinsville, Texas, and Talladega), the organization has not had a car finish in the top 10. Since2003, that is the team’s longest run without a top-10 finish. Back then, the company owned just two vehicles. The drivers were Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart. That season, they failed to place in the top 10 in four races (New Hampshire, Pocono, Indianapolis, and Watkins Glen).
Good news for JTG Daugherty Racing fans: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is among the five drivers who have finished in the top ten at two of the three drafting-style tracks this season (Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta). Bubba Wallace, Noah Gragson, Alex Bowman, and William Byron are the others. The bad news is that this year, Stenhouse has not placed higher than 17th at any other kind of track.
Kaulig Racing: Positive news: Daniel Hemric placed tenth at Talladega, a season-best result. The bad news is that in his last 14 Dover starts, AJ Allmendinger has failed to place among the top 15.
Good news, Legacy Motor Club: Jimmie Johnson will be driving the No. 84 this weekend. At Dover, he has 11 career victories. The bad news is that in the last three races, John Hunter Nemechek has been involved in an accident. Erik Jones will miss Dover due to a compression fracture.
Good news for Richard Childress Racing fans: Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch both picked up stage points at Talladega last weekend. Since early March in Las Vegas, it was the first time both had done so in the same race. Bad news: Over the past eight races, Busch has finished in the top 10 twice. In the Next Gen vehicle, Dillon has not yet placed among the top 20 at Dover.
Rick Ware Racing: Good news! Justin Haley’s best Dover finish, with Kaulig Racing in 2022, is 11th. The bad news is that, with Ryan Preece, the organization’s best Dover finish was 25th in 2022.
RFK Racing: Positive Update: In the last two races, Brad Keselowski has come in second. In the last seven events, he has had four top-five finishes. Keselowski has regained his playoff position thanks to his recent performance. The bad news is that, following Talladega, Keselowski eliminated teammate Chris Buescher from the postseason. In each of the previous three races, Buescher has placed 15th or lower.
Spire Motorsports – Positive news: For the second time this season, Carson Hocevar has finished in the top 20 three times in a row. Corey LaJoie crossed the finish line in 18th place, sliding on his side, but it was his first top 20 finish in the previous eight races. Zane Smith has only finished in the top 20 of nine events, which is bad news.
Has Racing, Stewart-Haas — Positive news Noah Gragson placed third at Talladega, a career-best result. .. Chase Briscoe has finished in the top 13 positions in six of the previous seven races. Ryan Preece ranks sixth in the series in terms of laps completed, having completed all but five of the season’s races. The bad news is that Josh Berry, one of three drivers competing in every Cup race this year, has not placed in the top 10. This season, he has placed 11th.
Good news for Team Penske: Austin Cindric won the first stage and placed second in the second stage at Talladega, amassing a race-high 19 stage points. Unfortunately, Ryan Blaney has only finished in the top 10 in six races so far. At Dover, Joey Logano has made 27 starts. That represents the most starts he has ever had at a track without a victory. Third place is his best finish at Dover.
Trackhouse Racing: All is well. Ross Chastain placed third the year before and second the year before in Dover. With the Next Gen car, he is the only driver to finish in the top five in both of the Dover races. Sadly, D
