Grading Drivers Cup Series Seasons: Part 2 #s 11-20

Following the 14th event in the Cup Series schedule at World Wide Technology Raceway outside of St. Louis we've seen the highs and lows of each driver, here's where we grade their seasons so far. ​

No. 11 Denny Hamlin                B+

Credit: KANSAS CITY, KANSAS - MAY 07: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Advent Health 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 07, 2023 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Currently sitting 8th in the points, Denny Hamlin was on his way to a record not seen in over a decade in terms of lead lap finishes in a row. Chase Elliott ended that last weekend but Hamlin came right back with a P2 finish at Gateway. Denny has 1 win, 4 Top-5s & 6 Top-10s on the season with only a single DNF at no fault of his own. Hamlin has 2 Stage wins and has led 222 laps this season with 34 of those laps being up front when he won at Kansas. In a very solid contract season, Denny has only 3 finishes outside the top-20. 

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No. 12 Ryan Blaney                   A-

Credit: CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 29: Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 BodyArmor Cherry Lime Ford, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 29, 2023 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)

Blany has been fast seemingly across the board this season though a string of bad finishes earlier in the year held him back for just a bit. But Ryan Blaney is your current Regular Season points leader by 13 over Willy B following 7 Top-10s in the last 8 races plus his first win in 59 tries 2 weeks ago at the Coke 600. Blaney has 1 win, 4 Top-5s, and tied for the most in the series with 9 Top-10s. He also has 2 Stage wins and more importantly, 0 DNFs on the season. Blaney's momentum is rolling, and it's picking up speed. 

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No. 14 Chase Briscoe                 D-

Credit: BRISTOL, TENNESSEE - APRIL 09: Chase Briscoe, driver of the #14 Magical Vacation Planner Ford, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 09, 2023 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) Photo 1 of 14 DOWN

Chase's season took the biggest hit in the sport's history following Charlotte after the 14 team was levied the first L-3 Penalty in the sport's history. A massive points and Playoff Point fine cost the team DEARLY. Briscoe hasn't had a ton of speed outside of a 3 race Top-5 stint at Bristol, Martinsville, and Dega. Chase has 3 Top-5s and 4 Top-10s to his credit this season with 115 laps led. Post penalty they sit 31st in points with -25 Stange Points on the season and 1 DNF. 

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No. 15 No Full-Time Driver

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No. 16 A.J. Allmendinger             F

AJ's Farm Smart Camaro at Gateway. Image: Kaulig Racing FB

So much hype came into a full-time season for the Dinger in 2023, Kaulig was getting faster and AJ had a (however slight) chance at winning the Homestead-Miami race at the end of last season ultimately coming 3rd. Last year he had 8 Top-10s although half were road courses. In 2023, sadly, AJ hasn't shown up much. 1 Top-10 at Daytona with a single lap led and 3 DNFs. Sonoma is this weekend with Chicago coming up so there is some hope for AJ. 

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No. 17 Chris Buescher                B

Buescher at Sonoma 2022. Image: RFK Facebook

Following his first win since 2016 last year at Bristol, Chris Buescher is helping put Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing back on the map. He sits safely in the Playoff picture in 13th, nearly 80 points to the good with 2 Top-5s and 6 Top-10s with 1 Stage win. Chris even won a Stage at the Coke 600. His 1 DNF doesn't hurt him terribly, but it is a great performance to add to last year for the Texas native. (Oh, and btw. He was pretty close to winning Sonoma last year) 

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No. 19 Martin Truex Jr                B

Credit: DOVER, DELAWARE - MAY 01: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Würth 400 at Dover International Speedway on May 01, 2023 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Martin broke the year-long winless streak he hadn't seen in years back at Dover, and he did it the day after his younger brother scored his first win in the Xfinity Series. Truex sits a VERY solid 4th in the standings with 1 win, 4 Top-5s, 7 Top-10s, and a Stage win with 383 laps led on the season. His 1 DNF isn't offensive and the fact he is only 44 points outside of the Standings lead with his best road course coming up. Martin had best be on your radar. 

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No. 20 Christopher Bell              C-

Credit: BRISTOL, TENNESSEE - APRIL 09: Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 DeWalt Power Stack Toyota, and crew chief Adam Stevens celebrate in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 09, 2023 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Following the last 2 seasons and his win early on dirt at Bristol, Bell is the winningest driver for Joe Gibbs Racing in the last 2+ years. Although he hasn't been making much noise since Bristol, he's been good and he's been steady. Steady enough to sit 6th in points even with 3 DNFs hurting his standings. He has 1 win, 5 Top-5s and 8 Top-10s this season. On top of that, he has led 206 laps. 

By: Tom Luttermoser