Top-5 surprises halfway through the 2023 NASCAR season
We are halfway through the NASCAR season and so far, we have had several surprises both good and bad in 2023. With the off week here upon us, let’s look at some of those surprises and what they mean for the season. In the second year of the Next Gen car, drivers and teams are still figuring things out.
Last year, there were a ton of race winners and a lot of drama throughout the year. This season, there have been fewer winners but perhaps more drama depending on who you ask. There are movers and shakers and then those that have faded into the background.
There are just 20 more races this season before we crown a champion. So, let’s take a look at the top-5 biggest surprises of the year, so far.
Biggest surprises of the NASCAR season (so far)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the playoffs
To start the year, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the Daytona 500 after Kyle Larson wrecked on the final lap. When the caution flag came out, Stenhouse was the leader and punched his ticket to the NASCAR playoffs.
Since then, Stenhouse Jr. has backed it up with solid performances. Two top-5 finishes and seven top-10s have him firmly in the 14th in the standings this season.
Kyle Busch’s instant success (and popularity) with RCR
There were sneaking suspicions that Rowdy was going to be rejuvenated with Richard Childress Racing this season. However, no one saw them winning the second race of the year at Fontana. There definitely wasn’t anyone expecting fans to embrace Busch like they have this season.
Kyle Busch now has three wins on the year and is looking like one of the favorites to win the Cup Series championship.
Trackhouse Racing’s slide
Now, when you consider that Ross Chastain is fourth in the points standing still, this doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. That said, there has been a noticeable drop-off with Trackhouse Racing as a whole. Daniel Suárez is mired down in 17th place in the standings and neither driver has a win.
After being the surprise story of the season in 2022, Trackhouse has seemingly taken a step back this year.
Martin Truex Jr.’s resurgence
Sometimes drivers don’t know when the next win will come. For Martin Truex Jr. retirement was starting to sound like a real possibility. However, the 2017 NASCAR champion has come alive this season. He won the Busch Light Clash to start the year and has done even more since then.
Truex now leads the Cup Series standings and has two actual wins to his record, Dover and Sonoma. Like Busch, the JGR veteran is looking like his old self again. Could we see another Truex title?
Over $1,000,000 in NASCAR fines
With the Next Gen car and single source parts and all of that, NASCAR has laid down the law. There is no wiggle room for changes when it comes to most of the parts on these race cars. We saw Hendrick Motorsports get a collective fine of $400,000 after Phoenix. It has just gone up since.
After the Chase Briscoe $250,000 fine for a counterfeit part and Erik Jones’ own penalty, NASCAR fines for 2023 total $1,155,000 for the Cup Series alone. And we still have another half of the season to go!