Photo Credit: Noel Lanier/OnPitRoad.com
We are 11 races deep into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup season and Chevrolet has a single victory at the season opening Daytona 500 when Austin Dillon took home the win. Chevrolet unveiled the Camaro ZL1 in August of last year as the newest MENCS car for the 2018 Cup season.
I’m not sure what’s wrong with the Camaro but obviously Chevrolet cannot be happy 11 races deep into the season. There have been 3,635 laps ran so far in 2018. Chevrolet has led a combined total of 419 laps. In the first four races alone, Kevin Harvick led 433 himself. Chevys have only been in the lead for 11.5% of all laps ran in 2018. If not for Kyle Larson leading 200 laps at Bristol, that number would be significantly worse. Chevrolet drivers did not lead a single lap in three events so far – Las Vegas, Martinsville, and Richmond. They only led three laps at Auto Club, five at Texas, 17 at Atlanta, and 20 at Daytona.
So, is it the new car? Are the Ford’s and Toyota’s that much better than the Chevrolet’s? Or perhaps should we look a bit deeper?
Could Chevrolet’s driver lineup have anything to do with the problem? I’m not sure you can blame the Chevrolet drivers but the head honchos at GM may be telling some people through backdoor channels to throw “stupid money” at a couple of drivers to get them in Chevrolet’s by 2019. I’m not sure how the free agent market looks right now but it’s not out of the realm of possibility for Chevrolet to try and nab another up-and-comer away from Toyota or Ford. But, do they need another up-and-comer with all of the youth in Chevrolet’s in 2018? Chase Elliott, William Byron, Alex Bowman, Darrell Wallace, Jr., Chris Buescher, and Kyle Larson are all in their early to mid 20’s. Will any of them be the breakout stars that Chevy is hoping for? There’s not going to be too many Jeff Gordon’s and Jimmie Johnson’s out there in a lifetime. Arguably, Larson is Chevrolet’s biggest shining star at the moment so the manufacturer is surely going to look at keeping him locked down at all costs.
If you are a fan of Chevrolet’s in the NASCAR Cup Series, 2018 certainly hasn’t been your year so far. Can they turn it around as we approach the summer months? Do you put more blame on the cars or the drivers?
I think it’s great seeing Chevrolet getting beat consistently. Especially Chase Elliott.
Wow Richard… That’s strong. Seeing Chevrolet getting beat each week is a valid observation but Chase Elliott has consistently driven in the top ten, stayed out of trouble, proven to be a trustworthy drafting partner for several veteran drivers and has spent the season challenging for the top positions without taking out the field… Last time I saw that the driver went on to win some championships and then retired to the announcers booth. I’m not saying that he will turn into Jeff Gordon… But give the boy his due… He is a skilled driver making good decisions and has a promising future in the sport. That’s just my opinion.
I believe the problem with the Chevy are their engines.They have the oldest engines of the three manufactures.I think with updated power,
and by then they will have figured out the Camaro,they can get back to
their winning ways.
If the head honchos at GM were smart they would spend their money on a better car and not try to blame the drivers. Kevin Harvick would not have 4 wins in a chevrolet.
I know I could not care less why the Garbage Motors products aren’t winning, I just hope they keep losing for as long as possible….#GoFordRacing #ChevySuck