The FOX portion of the 2023 NASCAR season for the Cup and Xfinity Series has ended, and plenty of storylines have taken center stage. This includes NASCAR’s strict penalties and Martin Truex Jr.’s bounce-back year.
Let’s dive into the five biggest storylines from the first half of the Cup Series campaign.
NASCAR makes a statement with penalties involving the NextGen car
NASCAR knew organizations would try to mess with the NextGen car when it debuted for the 2022 season and that is why they wanted to be more strict. Before its debut, the rules were changed in an effort to prohibit teams from messing with the new car.
Those efforts have not worked. NASCAR has been really strict and consistent on penalties involving the NextGen car and the 2023 season has seen plenty of it. Hendrick Motorsports has been slammed twice while Stewart-Haas Racing received one of the biggest penalties ever.
This doesn’t even include the other violations from Richard Childress Racing, Legacy Motor Club, and Kaulig Racing. It has been pretty simple. If teams mess with the NextGen car, there will be consequences to pay.
Despite the numerous penalties, it seems likely that NASCAR will continue to hand out numerous penalties for the rest of the season. These organizations are going to push the limits and that is not stopping anytime soon.
Over half of the contenders from last year’s NASCAR playoffs have been penalized for an issue with their race cars. It just shows how serious NASCAR is when it comes to governing the garage area.
Some people have grown tired of hearing penalties from NASCAR’s R&D Center on a weekly basis; however, it is needed to keep the integrity of the sport. This idea won’t go away moving forward and it is one to keep an eye on as penalties are at an all-time high.
Related: Erik Jones responds to NASCAR penalty, season struggles, chances at playoff run
Stewart-Haas Racing’s major struggles outside of Kevin Harvick
Stewart-Haas Racing didn’t have a stellar 2022 season but there was hope going into Kevin Harvick’s final year. Chase Briscoe had the look of a driver nearing a breakout after almost making the Championship 4 and Ryan Preece brought a breath of fresh air to the No. 41 team.
Unfortunately for them, neither of those possibilities has come to frution. Briscoe has struggled since the race at Talladega Superspeedway with zero top-15 finishes while Preece still searches for his first top-10 finish with Stewart-Haas Racing.
This doesn’t even include the historic penalty that NASCAR gave the No. 14 team for a counterfeit NextGen part. The organization was slammed with a penalty of 120 owner/driver points, 25 playoff points, a $250,000 fine, and a six-week suspension for crew chief John Klausmeier.
It simply represented the season for Stewart-Haas Racing to this point. Harvick is the only driver on the race team that sits in the top 20 spots of the point standings as he continues to carry the load for the organization.
With the driver of the No. 4 car set to retire, it creates concern for Stewart-Haas Racing. What will happen when Harvick steps away as the most consistent driver for the team? That is around 20 events away but for now, the struggles have been incredibly glaring.
Almirola, Briscoe, and Preece will likely need a victory to make the NASCAR playoffs and outside of the short tracks, there doesn’t appear to be many other opportunities to make it happen in the next 10 races.
Related: Aric Almirola ‘widely expected’ to retire from NASCAR at the end of 2023
Ross Chastain becomes NASCAR’s main character with potential for mainstream stardom
Ross Chastain brought NASCAR into the mainstream spotlight when he rode the wall at Martinsville Speedway en route to the Championship 4. It showed that Chastain could truly become one of NASCAR’s most polarizing drivers and that has carried into 2023.
The Trackhouse Racing driver has been involved in several altercations on the race track while taking it off the track with Noah Gragson at Kansas Speedway when the two threw punches. All of this has one big takeaway.
Chastain has the potential to gain mainstream stardom. LeBron James, Patrick Mahomes, and Shohei Ohtani have transcended their sport into the media spotlight and he has the opportunity to do the same.
There are a few problems that stand in the way. Trackhouse Racing started to become concerned about Chastain’s on-track actions after the wreck with Kyle Larson at Darlington Raceway. Since that point, the 30-year-old driver has a 10th-place finish and two 22nd-place finishes, which leads to the next point.
It has been over one year since Chastain’s last victory and it might be hard to reach mainstream stardom without constant success. The Trackhouse Racing driver now sits fourth in point standings and currently has a 42-race winless streak.
The potential for Chastain is still present. NASCAR and Trackhouse Racing could see a significant boost if the polarizing driver starts seeing more success and it will likely come down to just that.
Related: Kyle Larson believes Ross Chastain can become ‘more popular’ than Chase Elliott
Ford’s notable deficit to Chevrolet and Toyota, need for perfection every weekend
Ford is behind Chevrolet and Toyota during the 2023 season and there is no debating that fact. The manufacturer only has two wins with Joey Logano at Atlanta and Ryan Blaney at Charlotte. While RFK Racing has made big improvements, Ford as a unit is behind the eight ball.
Logano addressed this very issue with the media ahead of the Coca-Cola 600 and admitted that Ford is behind the other two manufacturers. The driver of the No. 22 car said it would be “tough for the foreseeable future” and that is possible to win races but they need to be perfect.
The inconsistency has been a major issue and that was on display at Sonoma. Both of Logano’s teammates, Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney, were running near 30th place for a lot of the race while Ford teammate Harrison Burton ran in a similar fashion.
Stewart-Haas Racing didn’t have the needed speed to compete and none of them finished in the top 10 spots. Meanwhile, Logano, along with one RFK Racing driver and one Front Row Motorsports driver, finished in the top-7 spots.
Teams like RFK Racing and Front Row Motorsports have been improving with Ford but the bigger organizations have declined compared to the 2022 season. It all goes back to the redesigned nose of the Ford Mustang as it lacks downforce.
The need for perfection can be changed if Ford continues to make small gains but it is clear that improvement is needed. Ford needs to find a way to lessen the gap between Chevrolet and Toyota. Every team will improve and give them a better shot at winning races.
Related: Stewart-Haas Racing linked to Daytona 500 champion to replace Aric Almirola
Martin Truex Jr.’s bounce-back season and possible retirement
Martin Truex Jr. started the 2023 season on a high note when he stood on the podium after the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum with a gold medal around his neck. Surprisingly, the momentum didn’t continue into the regular season.
Truex had one top-10 finish in the first seven races but quickly turned it around. The driver of the No. 19 car broke a 54-race winless streak at Dover Motor Speedway and has been on fire since that point.
In the last five races, Truex has three finishes in the top-5 spots one finish outside of the top-10. With his latest win at Sonoma Raceway, the No. 19 team finds itself sitting as the points leader leaving the FOX portion of the year.
It is a major bounce-back season after Truex missed the 2022 playoffs and pondered the idea of retirement. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver decided to return and it has proven to be the correct decision. Now, it shifts toward whether Truex will return for the 2024 season.
The 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion is expected to return as of now but nothing is official. Truex is having fun with his race team and the success has a big part in it. He has the look of a championship favorite and few people outside of the race team could have expected it after last year.
There will be plenty of debates until Truex firmly makes the decision on his racing future but one thing is clear. Truex is back to his previous form and will be tough to beat if the first half of the 2023 season is any indication of what’s to come.