NASCAR: Who’s hot and who’s not heading into Atlanta
By Mike Knapp
After a crazy Speedweeks at Daytona, the NASCAR Cup Series moves on to Atlanta. Who’s bringing the momentum? Who’s looking for help?
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circus rolls into Atlanta this weekend. Who has the hot hand? Who doesn’t? Momentum is huge in racing. Once a driver or team has it, they seem to ride that wave for a while. On the flip side, not having momentum on your side can lead to some long weekends.
Momentum is usually results-driven. But after the crapshoot that is the Daytona 500, it’s measured a little bit differently.
So who is carrying momentum heading into Atlanta this weekend and who isn’t?
Who’s hot
Alex Bowman: The 24-year-old Bowman is one of several drivers who are filling some big shoes this season. Stepping into the #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet previously driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a tall order. Bowman showed he was up to the task in 2016. Filling in for Earnhardt Jr. in 10 races, he had three top 10 finishes. He also won the pole at Phoenix and led 194 laps. He started 2018 in fine fashion, winning the pole for the Daytona 500 and running up front for much of the race.
Brad Keselowski: Keselowski is one of those drivers whose result Sunday doesn’t really reflect his Speedweeks. He started his 2018 season off by winning the Advance Auto Parts Clash. A crash in the first Can-Am Duel sent him to a backup car in the 31st starting position, but he was running well before being taken out in a crash around the midway point of the Daytona 500. With Earnhardt Jr. retiring, Keselowski is now arguably the best restrictor plate racer in NASCAR.
Ryan Blaney: They only way a driver can have a better weekend than Blaney is if he wins the race. Blaney didn’t. He finished in seventh place but led 118 laps and took the stage 2 win. That capped off a Speedweeks during which he was fourth in the Advance Auto Parts Clash and won the first Can-Am Duel. He heads to Atlanta as the overall points leader.
Who’s not
Jimmie Johnson: The seven-time champion’s Speedweeks was an absolute nightmare. Johnson wrecked three cars and crashed out of both the Can-Am Duel and the Daytona 500, finishing 38th in the latter. The good news for Johnson is that he has been in this situation before, and his five wins at Atlanta show that he has a good chance to turn it around quickly.
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Martin Truex Jr.: The 2017 champion had a very quiet week in Daytona, but given his success there in the past, it represents a bit of a disappointment. He finished 14th place in the Clash, 12th in the second Can-Am Duel and 18th in the Daytona 500. However, he has three straight top 10 finishes at Atlanta, so like Johnson, has something to build on this weekend.
Denny Hamlin: On the track, Hamlin was fantastic. He finished on the lead lap of all three races he ran, which is quite a feat at a restrictor plate track. He also led 22 laps in the Daytona 500 and got his season off to a nice start with a third place finish. All’s good, right? Not really. As good as Hamlin was on the track, he was completely unhinged off of it. First was his bizarre claim that 70 percent of the NASCAR garage is on Adderall.
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Then, after being involved in an incident with Darrell Wallace Jr. at the finish line of the Daytona 500, he and Wallace Jr. got into a heated discussion outside of the interview room at the media center. He doesn’t seem ready to let it go, as on Tuesday he took to Twitter in an effort to “explain” his side. Needless to say, it didn’t go well. It might be better for him to just focus on racing this weekend.