If you’re familiar with my NASCAR work on BellyUp so far, you probably know that this is where my weekly preview usually ends up. But this week, we’re taking a bit of a turn from the norm. With the race being run at North Wilkesboro, a track that hasn’t seen action since 1996 (six years before my birth), it didn’t feel appropriate for the usual treatment.
But at the halfway point of the 2023 season, it’s about time we hand out some superlatives. Awards for the drivers and races that have delivered so far on this NASCAR season. As well as highlighting some drivers that have come up short. It’s been a fun season so far with some memorable moments and great racing. So let’s get right into it and hand out our 2023 mid-season awards!
Best Race: AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway
I don’t think that this race is matched at all for this award. We saw a comeback story with the #5 Kyle Larson coming back from getting involved in a yellow flag in stage one. Going from 28th to battling for the checkered flag with teammate #24 William Byron and the #11 of Denny Hamlin. It would be an epic finish with Denny Hamlin taking the victory after some good, hard racing coming into the final turn at the tri-oval.
DENNY HAMLIN WINS AT KANSAS AFTER AN EPIC BATTLE WITH KYLE LARSON! pic.twitter.com/2wfK5BnhVm
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 7, 2023
Some other great races include the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA or the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas. But I think we can all agree that Kansas takes the cake in the first half of this season.
Most Disappointing Driver: #43 Erik Jones (or Legacy Motor Club as a team)
It’s been a slow year for Jones as a driver, but also for Legacy MC as a team. Last year, the team introduced seven-time Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson as an owner and they’ve somehow regressed since. Noah Gragson sits at 32nd and the most noise he’s made is taking a punch from Ross Chastain. And the aforementioned #43 team went from a playoff car on the rise to 25th in the standings as we sit today. It’s been a bad year for Legacy MC, and they’re going to need to turn it around as we move past the All-Star race.
All else fails for this team in 2023? They’ll be getting a new machine next year as they announced that Toyota will be their new manufacturer. Moving on from the Chevrolet’s that they’ve been running since the beginning of the team.
Most Improved: #47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Ricky Stenhouse Jr wasn’t really a name with all that much weight behind it in 2022. He was 26th in points, with no wins, one top five finish, and five top 10s. But in 2023, he started it off with a bang by winning the Daytona 500 back in February. Sure, maybe thanks to a late caution and an overtime finish, but a win nonetheless. All the while, he sits 14th in points. With an additional top five finish, and two other top 10s, he’s looking like somebody who could make some noise down the stretch. But he’s already blown the doors off his 2022 campaign. And I’m excited to see what he does the rest of the way.
#7 Corey Lajoie has also seen strong improvements from their 2022 campaign and are certainly looking alive. Lajoie finished 31st last year and is currently 23rd in points with a top five finish. Also, #6 Brad Keselowski was also on my shortlist, but it’d be kinda weird to put somebody on the NASCAR 75 Greatest Drivers list here. His improvement from 2022 shouldn’t be ignored though. After finishing 24th in points last year, Keselowski now sits at 8th with three top five finishes. The all-time great has turned it around in a big way.
Wildest Moment: Noah Gragson squares up with Ross Chastain
Is it a bad thing the wildest moment came off the track? I don’t think so. But with this, NASCAR certainly took the headlines. After Chastain and Gragson contacted each other while racing at Kansas, the two got into a bit of a skirmish post-race.
Breaking down the fight between Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson at Kansas. #NASCAR #RaceHub pic.twitter.com/t5O7x6TfU2
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 10, 2023
It’s a shame security broke that up because Chastain has been begging for something to happen to him via his actions on the track. From getting Kyle Larson wrecked in three different races, and just a blatant disregard to everybody on the track, a confrontation was long overdue for the points leader. Unfortunately, Gragson wasn’t able to really fight back after getting in Chastain’s face. Even taking a punch. But this for sure had everybody looking into the NASCAR headlines. I’m sure this won’t be the last time Chastain will be involved in something like this. “He’s making a whole lot of enemies out there”, is how Rick Hendrick put it. And it’s really hard to win that way.
Driver to Watch: #54 Ty Gibbs
Gibbs really turned it up as we got closer to the all-star race. I picked him as somebody to watch at Dover and he absolutely showed out. He was racing top five late into that race and was pushing for stage wins or even the checkered flag. Unfortunately for him, his pit crew had him a couple laps short on fuel. Similar thing happened to him at Talladega after he started out near the front and ran out of gas, as many other drivers did, on the final restart. Nevertheless, the rookie is 19th in points, and has four top 10 finishes this season. Keep an eye on the 20-year-old with Joe Gibbs Racing. He’s only getting better as the season pushes on and will more than likely be in the mix for a victory at some point down the line.
#17 Chris Buescher gets an honorable mention in this category. He’s gone from 21st in points last year to 13th with two top five finishes and five top 10s. He and teammate Brad Keselowski have been fighting like hell for a win. And I think sooner or later they’ll get them.
#23 Bubba Wallace also gets a shout. He had a slow start to the campaign. Beating himself up saying “I should be replaced” after a dreaded first couple of races. But he’s put himself back together quick. Racing hard at Martinsville, Talladega, Dover, and finishing inside the top five at Kansas and Darlington. He’s at 15th in points and is starting to get hot. Look out for Wallace and Buescher going forward.
Best Driver: #5 Kyle Larson
A lot of people may not love this pick, especially with teammate #24 William Byron getting his third win last weekend at Darlington. But Larson has two wins himself at Richmond and Martinsville. And was in the running for an additional two if not for Ross Chastain and some really tough breaks in other races. In Las Vegas he was a yellow flag away from running away from the competition. In Kansas we outlined earlier he was neck and neck with Denny Hamlin to the very end.
The #5 car has been far and away the fastest and most consistent in the NASCAR Cup Series. And yet we’re talking like it’s a down year for him when it really hasn’t been. Larson has gotten some bad luck, and has succeeded in spite of it. I think it’s a pretty open and shut case as it pertains to the best driver of the cup series thus far. And he’ll likely continue to dominate the rest of the way so long as he stays out of trouble.
Obviously, an honorable mention goes to William Byron. Three wins in half a season is nothing to sneeze at. Especially going back-to-back at Las Vegas and at Phoenix earlier in the season. The #11 of Denny Hamlin has also been particularly quick. He’s been in it to win it more often than not as has the #19 of Martin Truex so long as he gets a good car from start to finish. Another name to consider is Bristol Dirt winner #20 Christopher Bell, who’s got five top five finishes and an additional three top 10 finishes in just 13 races run. I believe he could be considered a sleeper pick to win the NASCAR Cup Series in the fall.
If you enjoyed this content, or hate it and want to argue with me, follow me on Twitter @KalebEmcee! Also, read up on the rest of the NASCAR content Belly Up Sports has to offer here!
