1) Will Shane van Gisbergen’s win have any impact on Daniel Suarez’s future with Trackhouse Racing?
Aaron Bearden: Shane van Gisbergen’s win certainly puts pressure on Daniel Suarez to perform in the NASCAR Cup Series. The fact of the matter is that Connor Zilisch is going to have to go somewhere within the next two years and Ross Chastain is too valuable to cut. That leaves the battle at Trackhouse between the Supercars Championship transplant and the Mexican star. Right now, van Gisbergen’s the better bet for a playoff lock, even with his pedestrian oval results. Suarez might get another year, but he’d do himself a major favor if he could start winning or at least come close.
Wyatt Watson: If van Gisbergen can figure out how to win on ovals, then yes, he would have an immediate impact on Suarez’s future. The real driver who can make an impact to Suarez is Zilisch. He’s already received spot starts for Trackhouse this season at Circuit of the Americas and Charlotte Motor Speedway. With how Zilisch is performing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, fighting for wins on ovals consistently while being just as good as van Gisbergen on the road courses, he is primed to be in Cup sooner rather than later, and his age plays a significant advantage into the equation as well. Zilisch is 13-and-a-half years younger than Suarez.
Mike Neff: It might help get some more sponsorship on board, but other than that, it will have zero impact. Van Gisbergen ‘s average finish is 22.5. Suarez is averaging 19th. Suarez finishes top 10 23% of the time, while van Gisbergen is at 20%. Van Gisbergen has six top 10s in his career, all of which are on road courses. Take those races out and his average finish is 26.5. Suarez has no worries.
James Krause: Potentially, but not as big as Suarez’s own performance. While van Gisbergen is going to be graded on a curve this year — especially now with a road course win — there’s a feel for what Suarez’s ceiling is in the Cup Series with quality equipment. Suarez has occasionally strong runs paired with a decent amount of mediocre ones. The biggest deciding factor will be how Trackhouse feels Zilisch progresses in Xfinity, as that could be the difference between Suarez being out of Trackhouse at the end of the season or getting one more shot in 2026.
2) Of the three winless drivers in the top 10 in Cup points (Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace), who has had the most disappointing season?
Christopher Hansen: Chase Elliott has underperformed the most this season, only showing flashes of speed every other race it seems. In 16 races, Elliott is winless, led only 95 laps and has zero playoff points, which won’t help the overall seeding for the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports driver should he make the playoff field of 16 drivers. Elliott doesn’t seem like the same driver he once was at Hendrick Motorsports when he first entered full-time Cup racing now that the whole field has a good handle on the Next Gen car. Aside from the Clash, Elliott has consistently been outrun by his teammates in most races. With a few more road course races approaching in the next few weeks, Elliott needs to start bringing race-winning speed or risk missing the playoffs if there are any more new race winners.
Neff: From a pure performance standpoint, Bubba Wallace. Wallace’s average finish is 18.3, and he only has top 10s in six of the 16 races. Reddick is slightly better in average finish with 14.5, but he has one fewer top 10. The thing for both of them is they are the top cars at 23XI Racing. Elliott’s average finish is 11.2 with top 10s in half of the 16 races. The problem is William Byron has a win, Kyle Larson has three wins and Alex Bowman has been having heinous luck this year. Bowman has three DNFs and only eight lead-lap finishes. Every one of those finishes is a top 10. All of that considered, Elliott has been the most disappointing.
Watson: It’s close between 23XI teammates Reddick and Wallace, but with Reddick making the Championship 4 last season, to follow that up with no wins with 10 races to go in the regular season is pretty brutal. Wallace hasn’t won a race since 2022 at Kansas Speedway, driving the same No. 45 Reddick drives today. Wallace also has been in a similar position in points the past few seasons, fighting for a playoff spot by way of points. It’s nothing new for him. Elliott has still been consistent, much like last year, and doesn’t have the win yet, but being fourth in points isn’t something to really be ashamed of. Sure, winning is everything in this format, but as long as there’s not too many surprise winners, Elliott should be fine.
Krause: Reddick. He hasn’t been awful by any stretch, but he’s only been in contention to win a few times compared to last year, when it felt like he was fighting for a win every week. Not only that, but he’s got just one top 10 since Darlington Raceway in April. While we’ve grown accustomed to Elliott and Wallace being more consistent than dominant, Reddick felt like a shoo-in to be a winner by this point in the season. Right now, he’s nowhere close to looking like he did last year.
3) Will Ricky Stenhouse Jr. retaliate against Carson Hocevar?
Neff: Undoubtedly, it is going to happen. The next two races are on high-speed tracks, so it won’t, or at least shouldn’t, happen there. They are followed by a street race and a road course. Either of those tracks is a prime opportunity for retaliation. The Chicago street course is probably the simplest option. Fortunately, it appears that Carson Hocevar knows it is coming and won’t be surprised.
Krause: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is absolutely going to try and get his lick back. When? Every week until NASCAR tells him to stop is my guess. Actually, when do the drivers arrive at Pocono Raceway? Maybe Stenhouse will be waiting for Hocevar there in the board shorts.
Hansen: Since there have already been two run-ins between these two, a third is bound to happen at some point, and it might very well be this weekend at Pocono. Stenhouse has been on the losing end of both instances, getting spun by Hocevar at Nashville Superspeedway early on and again this past weekend in Mexico City. Stenhouse had some words for Hocevar after their latest run-in, and Stenhouse will race Hocevar harder than he has all season. Since Pocono is a faster track with much higher speeds than teams encountered in Mexico City, maybe we won’t see payback take place this weekend; however, Stenhouse will send a clear message this weekend that he won’t put up with the way Hocevar has raced him in recent weeks.
Bearden: I have no doubt that Stenhouse could ship Hocevar if the timing’s right — namely, if he ends up out of contention on a day when he can hurt Hocevar’s run. But realistically, cooler heads will prevail, at least until the playoffs are out of reach. There’s too much at stake for Stenhouse to risk throwing any points away right now. Just don’t give him any more reason to punch you, Hocevar.
4) Which of the four drivers immediately below the Xfinity cut line is most likely to make the playoffs?
Watson: Ryan Sieg has been knocking on the door of a win more frequently in the last couple of seasons compared to the three rookies still learning the ropes. Nick Sanchez is closest to Sieg in terms of fighting for a win, but Sieg has been fast on intermediates and has been pretty competitive at superspeedways as well. Sieg has been above the cut line for most of the season and is currently tied with Taylor Gray. While Gray has been trending in the right direction the past few races, Harrison Burton is someone who Sieg can definitely overtake to point his way in. Better yet, he could outright win at either EchoPark Speedway or Daytona International Speedway if he can outrun the Richard Childress Racing Chevrolets.
Hansen: Sieg is in a good position to make the playoffs this season, along with Sanchez, who has really come into his own in recent weeks with several strong performances. Both drivers seem to have the speed to score stage points and finish well when the checkered flag flies. Both Sieg and Sanchez have five top-10 finishes apiece from a consistency standpoint, which should help them gain momentum as the playoffs approach. Sanchez had a great chance to win at Charlotte a few races ago, while Sieg hasn’t quite shown raw race-winning speed. However, as the Xfinity playoffs approach, both will be among the 12 drivers battling for the championship.
Bearden: You could make the argument that none of them will make it. But if one is going to rise up, it’s probably Sieg. No one in this group is likely to win, and Sieg’s in the best position points-wise. Sanchez is within reach, but Daniel Dye and Dean Thompson are further than a race back based on their current output. The No. 39 team has shown good pace, and Sieg has veteran experience that the comparatively inexperienced trio chasing him lacks. Road courses could trip the Georgian up, but he also has the most wiggle room of the group.
Aaron Bearden is a Frontstretch alumnus who’s come back home as the site’s Short Track Editor. When he isn’t working with our grassroots writers, he can be found talking about racing on his Morning Warmup newsletter, pestering his wife/dog or convincing himself the Indiana Pacers can win an NBA title.
Wyatt Watson has followed motorsports closely since 2007. He joined Frontstretch as a journalist in February 2023 after serving in the United States Navy for five years as an Electronic Technician Navigation working on submarines. Wyatt is one of Frontstretch's primary IndyCar correspondents, providing exclusive video content on site. He hosts Frontstretch's Through the Gears podcast and occasionally The Pit Straight.You can find Wyatt's written work in columns such as Friday Faceoff and 2-Headed Monsteras well as exclusive IndyCar features. Wyatt also contributes to Frontstretch's social media team, posting unique and engaging content for Frontstretch.
Wyatt Watson can be found on X @WyattWRacing
What is it that Mike Neff doesn’t do? Mike announces several shows each year for the Good Guys Rod and Custom Association. He also pops up everywhere from PRN Pit Reporters and the Press Box with Alan Smothers to SIRIUS XM Radio. He has announced at tracks all over the Southeast, starting at Millbridge Speedway. He's also announced at East Lincoln Speedway, Concord Speedway, Tri-County Speedway, Caraway Speedway, and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
James Krause joined Frontstretch in March 2024 as a contributor. Krause was born and raised in Illinois and graduated from Northern Illinois University. He currently works in La Crosse, Wisconsin as a local sports reporter, including local short track racing. Outside of racing, Krause loves to keep up with football, music, anime and video games.
