Did You Notice? … We’re seven races into the NASCAR Cup Series season already? It is true what they say; time passes by faster the older you get. It seems like yesterday William Byron prevailed in a rain-delayed Daytona 500 and now, we’re already past Easter into April.
Seven races marks the one-quarter post of the regular season and up top, not much has changed. Byron was the year’s first multi-race winner and he’s joined Kyle Larson in victory lane for Hendrick Motorsports. Richmond drama aside, Martin Truex Jr. remains the point leader as a consolation prize and is one of four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers sitting inside the top six.
Like many times in recent history, those two appear ready to slug it out atop the standings while Ford works out the kinks in their new chassis. With that said, Ryan Blaney remains solidly in playoff position (fifth) and shows no signs of falling out before September.
So with familiar faces (at least lately) up top, the drama appears to be developing further down the grid. Seven races in, here’s seven drivers and/or teams to watch whose difficult starts could lead to uncertain futures on the verge of NASCAR’s shift to a new TV contract (and, hopefully, charter deal) come 2025.
1. Richard Childress Racing (Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch)
Buried under the restart controversy this week was news RCR removed Keith Rodden as crew chief for the flailing Austin Dillon. That’s no surprise after one of the worst starts for any drivers this season: No top-15 finishes, no laps led and frustration boiling over into these types of nasty radio transmissions former Frontstretch full-timer Davey Segal caught at Richmond.
The Rodden divorce (he remains in an internal role at RCR) leaves the talented engineer with a disappointing resume atop the pit box: just one win in over five seasons with Dillon and Kasey Kahne. That lone win was a big one – the 2017 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis – but it came during a year in which both he and Kahne were removed from their roles at HMS. (That also was his lone playoff appearance, a postseason that lasted all but one race).
In place of Rodden is…
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