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Each week after the race, I will take a look at our two Rookie of the Year (ROTY) contenders and any other drivers deemed a “rookie.”
Like a professor, a grade will be provided for their performance on the track. All things considered, a high finish doesn’t necessarily mean a good grade, as a bad finish doesn’t always result in a bad grade. Let’s take a look at how our two ROTY contenders fared following the Auto Club 400 at Fontana. Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. Well…he finished. There isn’t much to say about Bubba Wallace from his run at Auto Club Speedway but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Wallace piloted the No. 43 to a respectable 20th place finish on Sunday, just one spot lower than where he put her on the starting grid. Leading up to the race, he made a handful of practice laps. Additionally, he was mid-pack on the speed charts, a good indication of what was to come on Sunday. While Wallace didn’t do anything spectacular or noteworthy on Sunday, he logged all but one lap of the race and crossed the finish line in one piece and added more notes to his race book for future use. Wallace continues to lead the ROTY contest by three points as the series heads to Martinsville. Grade: B Notes: The west coast swing wasn’t anything spectacular for Wallace and the No.43 team, but Martinsville should be. Wallace has had some success at the Paperclip. I’m excited to see him take on this track and I am expecting big things this weekend. William Byron William Byron stayed largely out of the way during the Auto Club 400. After sitting in the top-20 throughout the three practice sessions, Byron found himself starting 29th, a result of not making a qualifying attempt on Friday. It didn’t take long for Byron and his team to make up ground. In fact, Byron ran in the top-20 throughout most of the race, even finishing in the top-10 in Stage 2. Damage to the nose of his Chevrolet did seem to slow him down a bit towards the end of the race. However, he came home with a top-15 finish to end his West Coast Swing. Grade: B Notes: Every track that William Byron comes across during the first half of this season is new, in a way. This rookie hadn’t logged any laps in the Cup car during a race until Daytona. That said, he has done well running with the big guys during the start of the season. Ultimately, the real test might just be coming at Martinsville. Link to the original article
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Each week after the race, I will take a look at our two Rookie of the Year (ROTY) contenders and any other drivers deemed a “rookie.”
Like a professor, a grade will be provided for their performance on the track. All things considered, a high finish doesn’t necessarily mean a good grade, as a bad finish doesn’t always result in a bad grade. Let’s take a look at how our two ROTY contenders fared following the Ticket Guardian 500(k) at Phoenix. Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. Bubba Wallace had his hands full at ISM Raceway. To be fair, the No. 43 Chevrolet was not nice to this young driver. Wallace and his team seemed to struggle to find speed all weekend, sitting towards the rear of the field in the three practice sessions. Qualifying didn’t come any easier with Wallace putting his car P27 on the grid. Come race day, things didn’t improve. The team battled two loose wheels during the race and seemed to still be searching for speed. Multiple additional pit stops put the team a handful of laps down. In the end, Wallace finished P28, one place down from where he started and three laps down from the leaders. Ticket Guardian 500(k) Grade: D Notes: This just wasn’t a good race for Bubba and his team. In the end, they just couldn’t find the speed they needed to really be competitive and the loose wheel issues didn’t help their cause. The only bright side to the weekend was that they now know what NOT to do at ISM Raceway. William Byron Phoenix wasn’t a terrible race for William Byron. Starting P11, Byron kept his pace and logged laps, not really making many big moves but holding his own mid-pack. Towards the end of the race, he started to really show his teeth. On a restart late in the race, Byron’s team played their cards which put the rookie at the start of the field. With Aric Almirola, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch surrounding him at the green, Byron held off the veterans to keep the lead on the restart. A side-by-side battle with Denny Hamlin soon followed, plus a three-wide battle with Hamlin and Harvick gave Byron a run but he held steady. While he eventually lost the lead, this was a great learning experience for the young driver. Also, it was good to see the No. 24 back at the front. Byron finished P12, one place lower than where he started, but completed all 312 laps. He was also the highest finishing rookie of the race. Ticket Guardian 500(k) Grade: A- Notes: Byron’s time at the top of the field and his battles with the veterans to keep position are why he has earned himself a high grade from Phoenix. He ran an impressive race and will be even better here when the sport returns. Link to the original article Each week after the race, I will take a look at our two Rookie of the Year (ROTY) contenders and any other drivers deemed a “rookie.”
Like a professor, a grade will be provided for their performance on the track. All things considered, a high finish doesn’t necessarily mean a good grade, as a bad finish doesn’t always result in a bad grade. Let’s take a look at how our two ROTY contenders fared following the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas. Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. Wallace and the No.43 team were thrown a challenge long before the green flag was waved at Las Vegas. While preparing for the third race of the season, Wallace’s front tire changer, Josh Frankos, sustained a hand injury. That injury, while not serious, required him to step out of the pit box for Sunday’s race. As any NASCAR fan knows, a driver’s pit crew is a very important part to their success on the track. Take away a pit crew member and things are going to feel a little off. Frankos was replaced by Michael Hubert and while Hubert did an outstanding job as the No. 43 front tire changer, any change to a roster is going to come with challenges. Despite the sudden change in pit crew members, Wallace ran a respectable race at Las Vegas. He stayed mostly mid-pack after starting 26th and battled a tight and loose race car throughout the race. In the end, he gained track position and finished 21st, the highest finishing rookie in the race. Pennzoil 400 Grade: B Notes: The No. 43 team used Las Vegas as a great stepping stone in their race program. This team will be able to take what they learned in Sin City and use it throughout the season. William Byron What was looking to be a good race for William Byron and the No.24 team really wasn’t. Byron had some experience at Las Vegas after testing at the track before the season began. That track time, even just doing single-car runs, was a great learning experience for the rookie going in to the Pennzoil 400. Unfortunately, Byron and the team struggled with their car all weekend. Byron had a great qualifying run, putting the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet in P17 on the starting grid. However, by Lap 30, he had fallen to P29 and battled a tough-handling car. By Lap 60, he had fallen again, running P32 and two laps down from the leaders. The No. 24 crew made major adjustments during the Stage 1 break to try and loosen the car up but Byron was still fighting a tight car well in to Stage 2. By Stage 3, the team continued to make adjustments and ran around P30. Byron sat P27 in the closing laps, unable to make up any positions but the team did continue to make improvements to the car. In the end, Byron finished P27 and four laps down. Pennzoil 400 Grade: C Notes: While this race was a tough one for Byron, it was really a great learning experience for him. He fought a very tight racecar throughout the race but he also learned how to handle a tight Cup car for long runs. Also, the feedback between the young driver and his crew is instrumental in adjusting a car during a race. This past weekend gave them all plenty of notes that they can look back on as the season progresses. Link to the original article Each week after the race, as in the case with the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, I will take a look at our two Rookie of the Year (ROTY) contenders and any other drivers deemed a “rookie.”
Like a professor, a grade will be provided for their performance on the track. All things considered, a high finish doesn’t necessarily mean a good grade, as a bad finish doesn’t always result in a bad grade. Let’s take a look at how our two ROTY contenders fared following Atlanta. After a fun-filled Daytona 500, our two rookie drivers had a bit of a while ride at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr.: After a great second place run at Daytona, Wallace found himself in a different position at Atlanta. The rough surface proved to be a tough opponent for the young driver. Wallace and the No. 43 team brought a fast car to Atlanta, laying down quick laps during the two practice sessions and logging some much-needed time on track before raceday. After starting 19th, Wallace ran a respectable and largely uneventful performance in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. Unfortunately for Wallace, he ran into some trouble late in the run. Actually, he really just ran in to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. following an engine blow-up from Trevor Bayne. Consequently, the No.43 sustained significant damage to the nose of the car and lost time on pit road as his team made repairs. In the end, Wallace finished six laps down in 32nd. Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Grade: C Notes: Wallace ran a good race at Atlanta. He didn’t take too many risks and would have finished mid-pack had it not been for the wreck with Stenhouse Jr. William Byron: Atlanta Motor Speedway was a great learning track for William Byron. The young driver did nothing spectacular over the 500 miles, but ran a good and respectable race. Through the two practice sessions, Byron and his team made a number of adjustments to the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet to earn a 23rd starting spot. Byron dropped to the back early in the race with a loose racecar, saying he felt that something was broken. After the competition caution, it was found that the tires had corded. Following the caution and a great pit stop, Byron climbed to mid-pack and largely stayed there throughout the rest of the race. Byron finished the race 18th and two laps down. Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Grade: B Notes: He may not have finished on the lead lap. However, Byron and his No. 24 team gained a lot of experience at Atlanta that they can take with them throughout the season. Las Vegas should be a good race for Bryon. With a test session under his belt there, some track familiarity should suit him well. Link to the original article |
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