12 months 2022 NASCAR The Cup Collection season has already seen 12 completely different winners, and tendencies are that extra are on the best way. If true, this might be a wild finish to an everyday season.
The handfuls of various victors over the primary 16 races of the season are the second-most by 16 races within the sport’s historical past, behind solely 2003 when 13 distinctive drivers visited Victory Lane. That 12 months was additionally mainly Why had been the NASCAR qualifiers created?.
Tendencies Say Extra New Winners Nonetheless Coming In NASCAR Cup Collection Season
This has made the primary half of the season attention-grabbing in its personal proper, however extra is more likely to come by way of new faces at Victory Lane. There are 10 races left within the common season, and in each season since theater racing started in 2017, not less than three drivers have claimed their first win of the 12 months in these closing 10 occasions.
If that occurred this 12 months, not less than 15 drivers would have received when it was NASCAR Qualifiers Open September 4th at Darlington Racecourse. That would depart one place open for the motive force to qualify for qualifying based mostly solely on his or her factors complete.
Nonetheless, 4 drivers received their first race of the 2018 season within the final 10 races of the common season, and 5 did so in 2019. Such a situation would fill the qualifying area with solely race winners for the primary time because the growth of qualifying to 16 drivers in 2014.
If the winners fill all 16 locations, the one different option to attain the playoffs is to win the common season factors title and steal a type of factors. Ryan Blaney is the one driver inside strolling distance of that chance for the time being. He has but to win a factors drive win and is fourth within the factors standings, 25 marks behind chief Chase Elliott.
Many non-winning drivers nonetheless should compete for normal season wins
The opportunity of extra completely different winners is not far off, given parity is excessive due to the brand new, next-generation automotive mannequin that debuted this season and the variety of earlier winners who have not but visited Victory Lane this season.
Other than Blaney, who has taken three Collection Excessive Pole Awards and tied for third place within the Collection with 5 first-class ranks, Kevin Harvick Martin Truex, Jr. is properly acquainted with the path to Victory Lane.
Harvick ranks tenth on the all-time Collection Cup win checklist with 58 wins, together with a number of wins in eight consecutive seasons from 2013-20. Nonetheless, he has gone winless since then, and is in 59 consecutive races with no win, the second longest of his profession.
Share Truex Jr. within the Cup Collection since 2004, however 29 of his 31 profession wins have come since 2015. He has additionally certified for the Championship 4 in 4 of the previous 5 years, together with the 2017 season wherein he received the title.
These two drivers can seem and win a race wherever, whereas different potential winners must make the most of extra particular alternatives.
Freeway programs and tremendous tracks can present alternatives
2012 champion Brad Keselowski is thirtieth within the factors standings throughout a horrific first season within the #6 automotive at Roush Fenway Keselowski. Nonetheless, he is a wonderful racer at breakneck velocity and will win at Atlanta Motor Speedway in July or the common season closing in August at Daytona Worldwide Speedway.
Bubba Wallace In an analogous scenario. His solely profession win got here final fall on the Talladega Superspeedway, and 5 of the highest 5 gamers of his profession have been at Daytona or Talladega.
The three remaining highway programs could also be the very best alternative for drivers like Michael McDowell, Chris Bucher and Christopher Bell, whose solely profession win got here on the Daytona highway course in 2021.
McDowell’s solely profession victory got here on the 2020 Daytona 500, however he completed third within the closing race at Sonoma Raceway, behind Boecher in second. Buescher additionally has the second-highest common end on highway programs since 2019 amongst present non-winning drivers. Monitoring his scores is simply 13.2 Blaney at 10.8.
Eric AlmerolaAnd Erik Jones and Austin Dillon even have earlier wins in Daytona, so perhaps they’ll soar in and shock in what might be a large finish to the common season in Daytona. Almerola additionally received the New Hampshire Motor Speedway a 12 months in the past, so his different greatest shot for the win may come July 17 when the collection visits the Magic Mile.
Then there’s Tyler Riddick, who has completed second twice this season and 5 instances in his profession with no Cup Collection win. He almost received the filth race this spring at Bristol Motor Speedway and has been a comparatively constant contender all season.
The strain will solely improve, although, because the common season schedule dwindles together with accessible playoff locations if the historical past and nature of this primary, next-gen season is any indication.
Stats courtesy of Racing reference
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