Ross Chastain with a Target on His Back

No Cup Series driver made more enemies in 2022 than Ross Chastain, who managed to upset the likes of Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch – all victims of Chastain’s front bumper at one time or another.

In the case of Hamlin and Truex, they were recipients of an inflicting bump from Chastain on not one but two occasions, which left the veteran teammates steaming mad at the firstyear Trackhouse Racing driver and his continued aggression. Although Chastain seemed to keep his nose a bit cleaner late in the season, particularly during the playoffs, there will likely be no shortage of drivers still looking to settle a score with him – and they’re apt to do so when they feel like the time is right.

Joey Logano’s Pursuit of Rarefied Air

It’s been 13 years since a NASCAR Cup Series driver won back-to-back championships. Will defending champ Joey Logano break the cycle? It’s certainly possible, given that Logano is with the same crew chief and team that helped him win the title a season ago.

But if winning championships in succession was easy, a lot more people would do it – and the last driver to win consecutive championships at NASCAR’s highest level was Jimmie Johnson in 2009 and 2010 (The 2010 title was actually Johnson’s fifth in a row.). Dale Earnhardt won back-to-back championships twice in the ’90s and Jeff Gordon went back-to-back later in the decade, but Johnson has been the only once since to accomplish this feat. Maybe Logano will be next, but it’ll be a tall order.