Double A Says: The Kids (and JJ) are Alright

We’re only three races into the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series season, and while Kevin Harvick “puts on clinics,” another story is unfolding; what’s wrong with Hendrick Motorsports?

In three races, the combined number of top 10 finishes from all four Hendrick drivers is one, Chase Elliott at Atlanta.

Even more strange is that elder statesman Jimmie Johnson has not only failed to finish even once in the top 10 so far in this young season, but that he has failed to finish on the lead lap in all three races.

Many pundits are already hitting the panic button for Johnson and his young Hendrick teammates, but I’m keeping the glass case around that button for now. There’s really no need to press it yet.

While fantasy NASCAR teams with these Hendrick drivers haven’t seen much success so far, there are tell-tale signs that say there’s nowhere to go from here, but up.

This Sunday, the Cup Series heads to ISM Raceway, or as I will still call it by way of habit, Phoenix, and my gut says Hendrick’s return toward the top starts here.

While it would in no way be surprising that Harvick could win his third straight race this season at his favorite western playground, another driver to watch out for is Alex Bowman. You may remember that Bowman had a career day at Phoenix in 2016 while subbing for Dale Earnhardt Jr., winning the pole position and leading the most laps before a bad restart caused him to fall back to 6th spot.

He returns to Phoenix for the first time in a Cup car since that day and his confidence levels must be high knowing this is his home track and where he posted his best Cup Series finish (so far).

Johnson has also found success here in years past, with four wins to his name. While his finishes in the last four seasons have been mixed (three top 10 finishes in eight starts), it’s hard to simply count out the seven-time champion.

And then there’s Elliott, who was just 10 laps away from winning his first Cup Series race at Phoenix last fall to get into his first Final Four. While he was denied last year, you have to imagine he and his team took away some valuable experience and knowledge that will be used to their advantage Sunday.

And let’s not forget about William Byron, who notched his fourth career Xfinity Series win last fall with JR Motorsports. He also finished fourth at the spring Xfinity Series race at Phoenix last year, so that could translate to Cup Series success.

In any case, with NASCAR’s forgiving playoff system, it would be hard to count out Hendrick Motorsports from making a charge, especially with favorable tracks coming up for Johnson and Elliott, and Bowman and Byron are bound to push through their growing pains.