Hendrick and JGR Might Dominate This Whole Season

PC: AP Photo/Derik Hamilton

It’s been a while since I’ve put pen to paper about NASCAR, and in particular, my favorite driver, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. This season has seen the likes of Joe Gibbs and Hendrick Motorsports dominating the tracks. Sure, we’ve had a dash of 23XI at Talladega and a hint of Trackhouse at Atlanta, but it’s been JGR and Hendrick who have been hoisting the trophy at every race outside of the plate tracks.

Stenhouse and his team, JTG Daugherty, have been relatively quiet this year. It’s challenging to top a Daytona 500 win to kick off the season, after all.

Stenhouse’s start to the year has been a bit rocky, with only three Top-20 finishes in the first eleven races. To put that into perspective, he had eight top-20 finishes at this point last season. His Daytona win likely played a significant role in his successful 2023 campaign. Winning such a prestigious race can set a team up financially for the rest of the season. Being a one-driver team, all the winnings from that race could be channeled into providing Stenhouse with a faster car.

Now, I’m no expert on what goes into making a car fast on the track. I’m just a fan armed with a Sports Management Degree and a blog. But here’s what I understand: all 36-40 cars on the track are built almost identically, with minor tweaks here and there. These small adjustments can make the difference between a car averaging 179 MPH and one hitting 180 MPH. Over a 500-mile race, that equates to a 56-second difference in finishing times (thanks to timecalculator.net for the math assist). This doesn’t take into account pit stops, tire falloff, team strategy, etc. Powerhouse teams like Hendrick and JGR have the resources to spend millions to find that half-mile-per-hour edge. Teams like JTG Daugherty have to be more judicious with their spending
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This year has been one of Stenhouse’s leanest seasons in terms of Top-20 finishes through 11 races. He’s had two DNFs this season, and he was running well at Dover before an unfortunate error took him out of the race. 2022 was even tougher, with just two Top-20s through 11 races, but that was followed up with Top-10 performances at Kansas, Darlington, and Charlotte.

One of the things I admire about Stenhouse is his unpredictability. Apart from plate races, I never know what to expect from that #47 car and the man behind the wheel. As of May 1st, Stenhouse is sitting 27th in points, trailing Todd Gilliland and Daniel Hemric. He’s currently 100 points outside the playoff cutline. But it’s a long season, and there’s plenty of racing left.

In defense of JTG Daugherty and Stenhouse, this hasn’t been a banner year for smaller teams (or Fords, for that matter). Only two drivers in the Top-10 aren’t from what I call the Big Three of Hendrick, JGR, and Penske: Tyler Reddick, sitting at P5, and Ross Chastain, just making the cut at P10. All cars from Legacy, Spire, Kaulig, Front Row, and RWR are outside the Top-20 in owner points.
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I find myself torn. On one hand, I can appreciate teams like Hendrick and JGR dominating a season due to their substantial investment in the sport. But on the other, it’s tough when your favorite isn’t winning, and unless they’re racing at a plate track, the odds are stacked against them. Perhaps I’m being overly pessimistic. We’re not even halfway through the season, and a lot can change in just a quarter of a season. So, here’s to hoping for some unexpected twists and turns on the track!