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NASCAR: 5 Lessons Learned From the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas

By Michael Guadalupe

Mar 6, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; The Kobalt 400 begins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; The Kobalt 400 begins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /
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The top drivers from last season are still the top drivers of NASCAR. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
The top drivers from last season are still the top drivers of NASCAR. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports /

Top Drivers From Last Season Are Still The Top Drivers in NASCAR

It’s no coincidence that the three drivers who all won races this season were drivers who won races last year and important players in the Chase.

And as the NASCAR season moves forward to next week’s race at Phoenix and beyond, fans should expect top drivers from last year to be the ones that win a majority of the races this season.

We may get a rare driver to break into the playoffs, like how Chris Buescher did last year, but so far this season has been all about the same drivers we’ve watched win for years now.

There’s not a lack of new, younger talent or other veteran drivers in the sport either. Will we ever see Ryan Newman or Jamie McMurray win a race again? What about Ricky Stenhouse Jr. or Austin Dillon?

Erik Jones, Ty Dillon and Daniel Suarez are all rookies and may need time before they ever win their first race, but will they be able to keep up with the other drivers in NASCAR’s premiere series? The best finishing rookie at Las Vegas was Erik Jones who finished in 20th.

One of the problems with NASCAR is how it seems like the same 15 drivers always make the Playoffs and how the same 10-12 drivers are the ones who always win races. And while younger drivers are running well, they will eventually need to break through and win a race or this post-season will look very familiar to last year’s.

The drivers who have been on top of the sport for the last couple years are looking like they are still the dominant drivers in 2017.

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