10 topics to watch after 10 races

 

Ten races into the season and here's 10 topics that stand out so far this season. I did a version of this for the paper the other day but it focused only on drivers. This version here is a bit different.

 

1. End of races.

 

The multiple attempts to finish a race under green has thrown crew chiefs for a loop on strategy. Now the idea of pitting with less than 10 laps left until the scheduled distance isn't always a bad thing, especially if it takes two or three attempts to finish a race under green. While some could argue this is somewhat gimmicky, it's infused an excitement into  the end of the races. A key concern, though, is if this turns races into say, like an NBA game, where some would argue you only need to watch the final two minutes of a game. Will some start to believe you only need to watch the final 10-15-20 laps of a race?

 

So far this season, half of the first 10 races have gone beyond the scheduled distance. In those five races, the driver leading heading into what proves to be the final attempt at a Green-White-Checkered ... NEVER WON. All five times, there's been a lead change off that final restart. In some cases, the decision by a crew chief on if to take two or four tires has played a key role in that. Denny Hamlin with four fresh tires, came back from fourth on the final restart to win at Martinsville with the help of Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon playing bumper tag off the restart. Kurt Busch used four tires to win at Atlanta when it went into double overtime, while those with two tires slid back.

 

2. Jeff Gordon still winless

 

Think about it. He easily could have four or five wins this season and he's still stuck on 0 as his winless drought grows to 39 races, third longest in his career.

 

# He had the dominant car at Las Vegas but a pit call cost him late

 

# He was leading at Martinsville on the final restart but lost when Kenseth tapped him out of the way and Denny Hamlin won.

 

# He was leading at Phoenix on the final restart when he spun his tires and Ryan Newman won.

 

# He had one of the stronger cars at Texas but a four-tire stop (while others took 2) with about 20 to go dropped him back a bit in the field and he was collected in a multi-car wreck.

 

# He was making a charge late at Talladega when teammate Jimmie Johnson misjudged his move and cut down on Gordon, who backed off, fell to the rear of the pack and was collected in a crash seconds later.

 

# He lost the lead to Kyle Busch on a final restart at Richmond with five laps to go.

 

Gordon certainly has been one of the strongest cars at most tracks. The question is he was leading the points last year at this time but the performance tailed off a bit and while he finished third in the points, never really showed he was strong enough to challenge Johnson for the title last year. Will we see the same thing or will this team be as strong as it is all year and eventually finish with some wins?

 

3. The racing has been better.

 

Five races going to at least overtime and more lead changes than last year certainly have given fans something to talk about this season. This year, there have been 329 lead changes -- an average of 1 lead change every 10.3 laps -- in the first 10 races of the season. Last year, there were 203 lead changes -- an average of 1 lead change every 16 laps -- in the first 10 races. If nothing else, you don't hear all the complaining about the racing these days. Then again, is that due to NASCAR telling drivers, team officials and TV partners in the offseason to be cautious on their critical comments of the sport? It certainly got nasty at times last year. It hasn't this year.

 

4. The feuds

 

Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski's feud erupted at Atlanta when after contact early in the race, Edwards paid Keselowski back at the end, but his tap sent Keselowski airborne. This continued a troubling precedent where drivers were starting to give out paybacks on 1.5-mile tracks where the speeds are much higher than at short tracks where this is typically done. Edwards got a three-race probation for his actions. Then the past few weeks, the Jeff Gordon-Jimmie Johnson saga has had people talking as they didn't seem to be able to get out of each other's way and Gordon admitted after Talladega how upset he was with Johnson and how Johnson was testing his patience. Still a long way to go. It will be interesting to see who is next.

 

5. The new "old'' Kyle Busch

 

He won Saturday night at Richmond and Busch, who turned 25 a day later, declared himself the new Kyle Busch for not screaming and yelling on his radio when his domiant car in the first half of the race began to slide back. New, old, whatever. The key for Busch has been his mindset. Many in the garage laud his talent but just as many say his head gets in the way, that he loses his cool and his performance suffers. This has been a topic with him for a long time but one he started saying he needed to address last year. We'll see how long this goes. If Busch can rein in his temper when things aren't going well, he could be a title contender. However, one race doesn't prove anything. Let's see what happens over the course of a season.

 

6. Richard Childress Racing is back

 

After being awful for most of last year when their cars were poor, RCR has made a turnaround and has all three drivers in the top 12, paced by points leader Kevin Harvick. Jeff Burton is 9th but he also has been strong in several races but has not had the finishes to show for it. If he can finish races, he'll be looked at as a title contender. Clint Bowyer is 12th in the points and also has been strong at teams but needs to be that way more consistently. Of course, the key for this team is not just this year but beyond. Harvick's contract expires after this season. Also, Shell is leaving RCR after this season for Penske. There are some questions about the team's future at this time.

 

7. Denny Hamlin

 

It has been an up-and-down season for Hamlin from having to have reconstructive knee surgery -- something he wanted to delay until after the season -- to scoring two wins. The man looked as the challenger to Jimmie Johnson for the championship also has seen his performances yo-yo. He was surprisingly off at Richmond on Saturday. Then again, he and crew chief Mike Ford, say their plan is for Hamlin to be 100 percent from his injury by the time the Chase starts and the team to be at 100 percent. They've noted that performances might be inconsistent at times as they try new things in preparation for a title run against Johnson. Hamlin will be worth watching as the season progresses to see if he and his team get stronger.

 

8. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

 

He's better than he was at this point last year (he was 18th in points at this time last year and is 13th this year) but how much longer will it take for him and his team to match or even come closer to the success of his teammates? He hasn't made the Chase two of the past three years. He's shown some promise in some races and then also shown some of the old cases of struggling with the car or the changes that are made. Certainly, he seems headed in the right direction but the question is how much further ahead will he climb and can he make the Chase? He'll be worth watching as the season progresses.

 

9. Roush Fenway Racing

 

Still winless 10 races into the season, although Matt Kenseth is fourth in the points, Greg Biffle is 5th and Carl Edwards is 11th (David Ragan is 23rd). Edwards didn't even lead a lap for the first time all season until Saturday night at Richmond. He led two laps. Solid but off a bit perhaps best descrbies how this organization has performed at times this season. Certainly has room for improvement and will need it if any of its drivers will contend for a title.

 

10. Stewart Haas Racing

 

Both its drivers are outside the top 12 at this point with Tony Stewart 15th (he's fallen from 5th in the points in the last five races) and Ryan Newman 16th in the points. Both cars made the Chase last year and one would expect at least one or both to do so again this year. But that's just part of the questions with this team. It's no secret that there's a desire with this team to expand to three cars next year. The question is with who and how. Will Kasey Kahne move over to this team for a year before going over to Hendrick Motorsports? Will Kevin Harvick go here instead of remaining at Richard Childress Racing? Or will something else happen? There will be a lot going on with this team from on the track to off it in the next few months that will be worth watching.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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