After four races into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Chevrolet teams are still looking for a trip to Victory Lane. Despite having the most eligible drivers, seven of 16, when the 10-race championship started, heading into the final six races Toyota and Ford have captured the first four checkered flags.
When the Round of 16 ended, Chevrolet lost three teams with Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon and Shane Van Gisbergen being eliminated. This weekend, the Round of 12 will compete at Kansas Speedway to pad Playoff points or get above the Cut Line.
Ross Chastain can Win at Kansas
Ross Chastain and the No. 1 Chevrolet team from Trackhouse Racing come to the 1.5-mile oval as the reigning victors. Last year, he started 20th and led 52 laps to capture his lone win of the season. This year, his only victory came at a same size track when he won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.
“I feel our intermediate program is the strongest for the No. 1 car out of the different types of tracks,” Chastain said. “I think if we can replicate how we ran at Kansas last year and Charlotte this year, we’ll have a strong shot to win or definitely run inside the top five.
“We haven’t been able to do that at all of the mile-and-a-half tracks this year though. The little bit of a question mark going into Kansas is if we can replicate those races.”
Chastain will need to call upon his team’s notes and pair it with his talent to succeed at Kansas. They come into the weekend ninth in the Playoff standings, 12 markers below the Cutoff Line.
Will the team do anything differently with two races remaining until the Round of Eight begins?
“Everyone is professional, you can’t get into the playoffs and all of the sudden change everything you’ve been doing,” Chastain said. “Everyone goes in each day putting their best effort into the task at hand. You got into the playoffs because you did well.
“So, I wouldn’t say the attitudes or anything change just because we’re in the playoffs.”
Chevrolet Has its Hands Full
Joe Gibbs Racing won all three Round of 16 races in its Toyotas with each of their drivers taking a win. Team Penske won last week’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to kick off the Round of 12 giving Ford its first playoff triumph.
At NHMS, Chevrolet had four of its Playoff eligible drivers finish in the top 10. However, as of right now, only William Byron, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports are above the Cutoff Line. Chastain is the lone Bowtie guy looking to get back above that line.
Chevrolet has won the last four Manufacturer’s Championships after a five-year shutout. Before that, they dominated winning the manufacturer’s title from 2003 to 2015.
Carson Hocevar as Possible Spoiler
While Chevrolet is looking for that first Playoff win, they would probably prefer it to come from one of their four remaining eligible contenders. However, that “Hurricane Hocevar” kid from Spire Motorsports might be a reasonable choice.
The 22-year-old from Portage, MI has been making a name for himself the past two NCS seasons, in good and bad ways. Known to ruffle the feathers of some veteran drivers because of his aggressive style, he’s also shown moments of greatness in leading races, running up front and earning commendable finishes lately.
In the last nine races, the No. 77 Chevrolet team has finished 18th or better in all but one event. During that same span, four top 10 and seven top 15 finishes have been achieved. In the last four, Hocevar has finished 15th or better with two of them in the t0p 10.
“I’ve always loved mile-and-a-half tracks,” Hocevar said. “They’re where I feel most comfortable and our team’s been showing a lot of speed the last few weeks. We won the truck race at Kansas in May, and I’m hoping we can translate that into success this weekend.
“I love running on the fence, but you really have to move around and try different lanes. I think we’re in a good position to have a strong weekend.”
Chevrolet Still Searching for First Cup Playoff Win