Ryan Newman

Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott are both good friends, the sons of famous former drivers and the faces of NASCAR’s next generation. Come Sunday, they’ll also be who the field starts chasing, on the front row for Sunday’s TicketGuardian 500 at ISM Raceway (Phoenix).

Can both men turn around a sluggish start to 2019?

Typically, NASCAR’s Daytona 500 is the most unpredictable race of the season. Restrictor plate racing provides parity, giving hope any of the field’s 40 cars has a chance to win. The second race of the season, Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500, in Atlanta is supposed to be a return to normalcy. Only a handful of favorites are supposed to forge to the front as the sport’s 2019 championship picture takes shape.

Not this year.

The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs wind down Sunday, Nov. 18, at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford EcoBoost 400. But after nine races, surprise winners and even a cheating scandal, the usual suspects are the ones competing for the series title.

The 2018 Chevrolet Camaro was supposed to bulldoze the NASCAR competition. New car models in this sport typically lead to dominant performances, especially from the sport’s most successful manufacturer. Millions get poured into wind tunnel testing, development and engineering support to ensure fresh chassis lead to fruitful results.