Welcome back, to NASCAR Three Up, Three Down! We come to you right after the action from Easter Sunday. We saw Denny Hamlin go home victorious at his home track. But several drivers deserve credit for rising to the occasion. And others hit my radar for underperforming. So let’s get right to it. Let’s recap the Toyota Owners 400 in the fashion of Three Up, Three Down week two!
Three Up
#4 Josh Berry
Embed from Getty ImagesIs Stewart-Haas back? Josh Berry proved last year’s performance at Richmond wasn’t all strategy, or at least it wasn’t a fluke. He ran at the front after climbing through the field through the first stage and stayed out front. Berry started P30 and finished P11 on the day bringing home P9 and P2 in stages one and two. He was the second-highest climber of the entire race behind Christopher Bell who scratched out a P6 after placing 29th. The #4 car might have some juice to it. We’ll see how he looks at Martinsville next weekend.
#22 Joey Logano
Embed from Getty ImagesJoey Logano took my picks last week, saw that I faded him, and told me to shove it. Logano put the world on notice this past weekend. He started P10 and collected great stage points with P5 in S1 and P3 in S2. Finishing the race to runner-up Denny Hamlin. Let’s hope for Ford this isn’t just a brief exit from reality and this becomes the new reality where all three manufacturers are competing for wins. But this is a great sign for them. Plus, a competitive Joey Logano is scary for the entire field of Cup Series drivers.
#23 Bubba Wallace
Embed from Getty ImagesIf not for an ill-timed collision with the #5 of Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace could’ve had a top-ten finish on Sunday night. Unfortunately, that caution bumped him down and he brought home just P13 after bringing home P2 and P8 in the first two stages. It was an overall great day for Wallace and he’s put together some great races this year. We’ll see how they can capitalize on this momentum as they head west to Martinsville.
Three Down
#8 Kyle Busch
Embed from Getty ImagesKyle Busch, took my picks last week, saw that I picked him, and told me to shove it. It never looked like the #8 car was ever in a comfortable position. Hell, to add insult to injury, he slapped the wall and brought out a questionable caution flag from NASCAR. Which happened to bury my boy Alex Bowman and kept him borderline a lap down the rest of the night. But it wasn’t Busch’s night. RCR hasn’t had a great short car all year between him and #3 Austin Dillon. It’s something they need to get right and fast.
#12 Ryan Blaney
Embed from Getty ImagesNow, this isn’t indicative of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, but it was just a bad night. Ryan Blaney finished P19 after starting P12, collected no stage points, and hardly ever found the front of the field. Martinsville was a track he found a win at last fall. He also hasn’t placed short of P11 in some time at that track. There should be a solid bounce-back for Young Ryan Blaney next weekend.
#54 Ty Gibbs
Embed from Getty ImagesMuch like Blaney, Gibbs had a momentary break from the norm at Richmond. After being fantastic pretty much all season long, he was the only driver for Joe Gibbs Racing to not finish inside the top 6. He was 10 positions away at P16 and never collected any stage points. This breaks up his five-race streak of T-10 finishes. But all good things come to an end eventually. It’s more likely than not he rebounds sooner rather than later. But at Martinsville, he finished P18 in both races. So maybe just not next week.
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