MOTORSPORTS

NASCAR grades at end of first quarter of 2019

Ken Willis
ken.willis@news-jrnl.com
Kyle Busch is practically receiving his mail in Victory Lane this season. [AP File]

They introduced stage-racin’ to NASCAR in 2017.

So why not trot out some stage-standings? This one also comes complete with a caution flag, courtesy of the coming off-weekend for Easter.

This past weekend’s race in Richmond was the ninth of the 36-race schedule. You probably don’t need a math major or even Jack Roush to tell you that means we’re exactly one-fourth of the way through the 2019 schedule.

They give out grades in school after each quarter. So let’s do the same here, in our own preferred way of evaluating.

You’re up: Kyle Busch. Forget adding another shelf to his trophy cabinet; he’ll soon need to add a wing to the house.

You’re down: Jimmie Johnson. If they had to run in sneakers for three hours, he’d have ’em all covered.

Meh: Kevin Harvick. Sixth in points with seven top-10s. Some guys would love that. One guy, in particular, doesn’t.

You’re up: Denny Hamlin. Sure, anyone can win Daytona. But he’s been good everywhere.

You’re down: Chase Elliott. You’ll probably soon notice a trend here regarding a certain team.

Meh: Clint Bowyer. Running really well but frustrated. He hates the qualifying procedure, and he hates not being able to beat the Gibbs and Penske cars.

You’re up: Brad Keselowski. Leads in wins (two) among the non-Gibbs Division.

You’re down: William Byron. Finished sixth at Texas. Everywhere else … don’t ask. Was supposed to be up to speed by now, wasn’t he?

Meh: Ryan Blaney. Had a good three-week run in March, but other than that, mostly middlin’.

You’re up: Joey Logano. Feeling so good about things, he didn’t even wreck Truex last weekend.

You’re down: Alex Bowman. We know Hendrick Motorsports is in search mode, but seriously, you gotta sneak out a top-10 somewhere, don’t you? Has as many top-10s this year as you do.

Meh: Aric Almirola. Continuing last year’s gathering of top-10s, but ended the quarter with two straight clankers, and really needs a non-plate-race win.

You’re up: Martin Truex Jr.: Was a tad out of sorts at Texas and Bristol, but recovered with his first-ever short-track win at Richmond.

You’re down: Kyle Larson. Bad stuff or bad luck? Maybe a mix of both. Whatever, something has him 19th in the standings, with just two top-10s. Considering the expectations: Yuck!

Meh: Daniel Suarez. Has four top-10s and is on a slightly better pace than the past two seasons at Gibbs Racing. But that’s about it, so far.

You’re up: Kurt Busch. Three top-5s and six top-10s with new team. Through nine races last year, this Ganassi team had just one top-10 and one finish better than 17th.

You’re down: Erik Jones. Sits 17th in points, while the rest of his Gibbs teammates have won races. He’ll likely get up to speed.

Meh: Austin Dillon. An ever-so-slight uptick so far. Average starts (11.4) and finishes (14.8) through nine races are better than any from his five full-time seasons, so there's that.

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