NASCAR takes the week off for the holiday weekend. Let’s take a look at how the four drivers for Hendrick Motorsports have started their 2017 seasons and what to watch for going forward.
While the 2017 season is only a handful of races old, there has been plenty of talk about what is going on with Team Hendrick. Heading into the off-weekend some NASCAR fans might call Team Hendrick a disappointment thus far. However, one has to understand expectations and where they should have been placed for HMS before you can truly say whether or not the team has disappointed thus far in 2017.
If you expected Team Hendrick to be the team to beat this season, you might head into the off-weekend a little bit disappointed. If you expected half of the team to do well and the other half of the team to struggle a bit, then you’re probably feeling pretty good about yourself right now. Here is a more in-depth look at Team Hendrick before we return to the track next weekend at Bristol.
Jimmie Johnson
- Wins: 1
- Standings: 11th- 197 points (125 behind leader)
- Top 10’s: 2
- Avg Finish: 15.7
- Stage Wins: None
- Poles: None
Seven time series champ Jimmie Johnson was having a less than satisfying start to his 2017 campaign. And then Texas Motor Speedway rolled around. The bid for his record breaking eighth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship officially began when Johnson fought through the field to win the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500.
Call it a hangover if you’d like. That may be an accurate description to the first six races. Especially when in the Daytona 500, Jimmie Johnson found himself in a backup car and starting in the back of the pack. Daytona didn’t end any better as the 48 was caught in “The Big One” which ended his day with a 34th place finish.
The Big One in turn 3 at #Daytona500
— Xfinity Racing (@XfinityRacing) February 26, 2017
Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Danica Patrick, & more involved. pic.twitter.com/n9GAsYwZGm
Over the next five races, Johnson finished 19th, 11th, 9th, 21st and 15th in that order. That span included poor qualifying (including Fontana, where he chose to skip qualifying) and a run of backup cars.
That trend looked like it would continue as he was set to start at the rear of the field again at Texas. However, the 48 made its way to the front and came out with a victory that could be the first step towards that historical eighth championship.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Wins: None
- Standings: 20th- 133 points (182 behind leader)
- Top 10’s: 1
- Avg Finish: 21.7
- Stage Wins: None
- Poles: None
Fans were anxious to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. start this season after concussion-like symptoms ended his 2016 campaign early last summer. Even after starting on the front row of the Daytona 500, the first six races were far from what everyone hoped to see as he failed to record a top 10 and had an average finish of 24.5.
Last week at Texas, Dale Jr. found some success and crossed the finish line in 5th place. It was his first top 5 of the season. Like teammate Jimmie Johnson, the driver of the #88 hopes he can build momentum off of the race at Texas to get his season going on the right track.
In order to become a true contender for his first championship, Dale Jr. needs to stay healthy first and foremost, but he also needs to begin to show the consistency of a veteran driver at the top of the series. After the bye week, we head to Bristol where Dale Jr. finished second last April. A second career win on the short track would truly show Dale Jr. is ready to get into the championship mix.
Chase Elliott
- Wins: None
- Standings: 2nd- 298 points (17 behind leader)
- Top 10’s: 5
- Avg Finish: 8.0
- Stage Wins: 2
- Poles: 1
There is nothing like starting the Daytona 500 on the pole. Chase Elliott did just that for the second consecutive year. However, after running out of fuel late, Elliott turned in a 14th place finish. That result is the worst finish of the young season for the 2016 Rookie Of the Year.
The 21-year-old Elliott is still seeking his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win. He has shown already this year that he is on the verge of taking the #24 back to victory lane.
The NASCAR world is eager to see Chase Elliott start to take over as a leading superstar in the sport. You would think the pressure of driving the iconic #24 and being the son of Bill Elliott might get to such a young athlete thrust onto the biggest stage of racing, but Chase seems to have that under control as he continues to impress through seven races.
Kasey Kahne
- Wins: None
- Standings: 17th- 147 points (168 behind leader)
- Top 10’s: 2
- Avg Finish: 16.4
- Stage Wins: None
- Poles: None
After back-to-back top 10 finishes to start the year, Kasey Kahne was hoping 2017 would be the year he really gets things going. Especially with his 2018 contract expiration date looming and his own deadline of then to “perform” before a change is needed. Kahne was the first driver left out of the chase in 2016. This year has to be on the right track after his promising start, right?
Kahne and the #5 team are coming off of a huge disappointment at Texas where some mechanical issues netted them a 38th place finish. Texas was one of Kahne’s better tracks last year as he posted top 10 finishes in both 2016 races.
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Unfortunately, Kahne was unable to find the same success at Texas as the rest of the HMS drivers. If Kahne gets lost in the stress over the conclusion of his contract coming up, he could get shuffled out in the next wave of the youth movement. If he can keep his cool, Kahne should be able to find victory lane this season and hopefully land himself a spot in the playoffs.