Let the playoffs begin! NASCAR is set to usher in its top 16 drivers to the opening race of the post-season on Sunday at one of its oldest and most iconic tracks, Darlington Raceway. It is the fourth consecutive year that the ‘Lady in Black’ will be the site for the post-season opener. Nonetheless, with just 10 more races left to determine the right of the drivers to lift the championship trophy, the stakes couldn’t be higher for the teams.

Deciphering the current scenarios after the qualifying on Saturday, the race at Darlington would assuredly be the most unpredictable race. While teams seem to have geared up to deliver their best performances and qualify for the next stage, Rick Hendrick and the Chevrolets seem to be stuck in limbo as fans are taken by Saturday’s qualifying results.

Tony Stewart has the last laugh on the track at Darlington as Rick Hendrick falters

The 2023 Cup Series season has evidently been one of the most nerve-wracking in the history of NASCAR. With each week delivering a set of new and unique spectacles, NASCAR fans have buckled up to witness another distinctive set of 10 races before the final showdown in November. 

However, it appears that it is too early to comment on the favorite driver for the upcoming race and an assured winner, with qualifying being a testament to that. The drivers in the playoffs didn’t budge from their common goal and delivered a remarkable result, except for a small anomaly in the Chevrolet.

The playoff race appeared to be an impediment for Rick Hendrick and his “winningest” team, Hendrick Motorsports. Not all Chevrolet drivers were able to make it to the top 10, not even the drivers that top the pecking order. The only HMS driver who led the team was none other than Chase Elliott, who finished P13.

It is the first time in 41 years that teams under the Chevrolet banner have delivered such appalling results on the iconic track. On the contrary, drivers under Ford Performance, especially Tony Stewart’s Stewart-Haas Racing, delivered an impeccable result that left the NASCAR world awestruck. The driver who stole the show was Aric Almirola, competing for the owner’s championship.

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Almirola finished within the top 10 in the qualifying race and is set to start from the front of the field on Sunday among the other playoff-sealed drivers. Moreover, Rick Hendrick’s emergent prodigy, William Byron, also the defending champion on the track, finished P23 in the race. There were other drivers from Tony Stewart’s team that were able to finish within the top 10.

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Nevertheless, what drew the most attention from Saturday’s qualifying was the performance by Aric Almirola. After delivering a clinical performance on the track at Daytona, a week ago, the Ford driver seemed to exhibit a sign of resurgence. Owing to this remarkable feat, NASCAR enthusiasts seized the opportunity to appreciate Tony Stewart’s team member, Almirola, and also take a sly jab at Chevrolet drivers for their distressing results.

They wrote under the post, “No Chevy is a bad thing.”

“No Chevys… wow.”

“Almirola the GOAT.”

Others also commented, “Almirola Supremacy.”

“9 playoff drivers & aric almirola.”

Time is surely fleeting for the Chevrolet drivers, especially for Rick Hendrick, who are vying to earn the 15th championship trophy for the team. With qualifiers over, it is to be seen how the drivers from the winningest team fare on Sunday.

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