NASCAR Cup Series: Simply put, Chevrolet is a disaster

The recent struggles of the Chevrolet teams in the NASCAR Cup Series have relegated the situation of the manufacturer to nothing short of a disaster.

Since Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson closed out the 26-race 2017 NASCAR Cup Series regular season by delivering Chevrolet their 10th victory of the season in the race at Richmond Raceway, a total of 55 Cup Series races have been contested, including the 10 playoff races in the 2017 season, all 36 races in the 2018 season and the first nine races of the 2019 season.

Chevrolet drivers have been victorious in only four of these 55 races. Meanwhile, Toyota drivers have been victorious in 27 of them and Ford drivers have been victorious in the other 24.

All four of these victories for Chevrolet came in the 2018 season, which was statistically the manufacturer’s worst season in the Cup Series season since the 1982 season, and one of them was a restrictor plate race victory, as Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon won the season opener, the Daytona 500, at Daytona International Speedway.

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Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott was responsible for winning these other three races for Chevrolet in the 2018 season, as he won the regular season race at Watkins Glen International and the playoff races at Dover International Speedway and Kansas Speedway.

The 23-year-old Dawsonville, Georgia native was Chevrolet’s highest finishing driver in the championship standings in both the 2017 and 2018 seasons, as he finished in fifth place in the former and sixth in the latter.

If things continue to go like they have gone to open up the 2019 season for Chevrolet, the 2018 season will not be the manufacturer’s worst season since the 1982 season for much longer.

Toyota drivers, specifically Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, have been responsible for earning six victories through the season’s first nine races, while Ford drivers, specifically Team Penske drivers, have been responsible for earning victories in the other three races.

There are a total of 32 points-eligible full-time drivers competing in the Cup Series this season. These 32 drivers have combined to make 288 starts so far this season, as they have each competed in the season’s first nine races.

Of these 32 drivers, 14 are Ford drivers, 13 are Chevrolet drivers and five are Toyota drivers. The average overall finishing position of the five Toyota drivers in a combined 45 starts is 11.64 while the average overall finishing position of the 14 Ford drivers is 17.43 in a combined 126 starts. Meanwhile, the average overall finishing position of the 13 Chevrolet drivers is 19.04 in a combined 117 starts.

This may not seem like a huge discrepancy, but consider the fact that this factors in all 15 of the sport’s full-time teams.

Now look at only the five top-tier teams, including Ford teams Stewart-Haas Racing (four drivers) and Team Penske (three drivers), Chevrolet teams Hendrick Motorsports (four drivers) and Chip Ganassi Racing (two drivers) and Toyota team Joe Gibbs Racing (four drivers).

The average overall finishing position of these four Toyota drivers in a combined 36 starts is 8.92 while the average overall finishing position of these seven Ford drivers in a combined 63 starts is 12.52. Meanwhile, the average overall finishing position of these six Chevrolet drivers in a combined 54 starts is 14.74.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kurt Busch is currently the highest Chevrolet driver in the championship standings. He sits in seventh place and is the only Chevrolet driver in the top nine. Meanwhile, Elliott is the second highest Chevrolet driver in the standings, and he sits in 10th.

The only other two Chevrolet drivers who are currently above the playoff cut line are Hendrick Motorsports’ Jimmie Johnson, who sits in 13th place, and Dillon, who sits in a 14th place tie.

Larson and Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Alex Bowman currently sit several positions below the playoff cut line in 19th, 20th and 21st place in the championship standings, respectively.

In a combined 117 starts so far this season, Chevrolet drivers have recorded just five top five finishes, including top finishes of second place that were recorded by Elliott in the race at Martinsville Speedway and Busch in the race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Meanwhile, three Toyota or Ford drivers have recorded at least five top five finishes and at least one victory on their own through the season’s first nine races. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch has earned three victories and an additional three top five finishes, of which all three are top three finishes, and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin has earned two victories and an additional four top five finishes.

Team Penske’s Joey Logano has earned one victory and an additional four top five finishes, of which all four are top four finishes and three are top three finishes.

There is simply no other way to put it. Chevrolet’s situation in the NASCAR Cup Series is a disastrous one and has been a disastrous one since the 2017 regular season ended. The Chevrolet teams have rarely showed signs of life, and when they have, these signs are nothing to suggest that they may finally be ready to break out of this lengthy funk.