Sizzling summer story lines in NASCAR

Inevitably as the summer temperatures rise, a driver or team seems to rise to the occasion, too, making a summer splash so to speak. Seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson is one of those – as four Brickyard 400 trophies would show. Kyle Busch – who hasn't won yet this season – is another with a full 18 of his 38 wins coming from June to Labor Day weekend over the years.

With first-time winners Austin Dillon (last week at Charlotte) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (at Talladega), it feels like several young drivers are on the verge to hoist that 'inaugural' trophy too – Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott and Erik Jones have all been there. The tough, hot summer months may prove to be the perfect setting to celebrate more first-timers.

It's hard to believe the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season is now in June and several former champions still haven't won yet – including Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth. Their JGR teammate, last year's Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin is still trophy-less in 2017. And add to that list three Hendrick drivers in Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne and the rookie Elliott, plus former Cup champion, Stewart-Haas Racing's Kevin Harvick.

There is a reasonable likelihood that this year's playoff field could feature the most victory-laden group of 16 yet. Nine different drivers have won their way into the championship hunt. Starting this weekend at Dover, 14 regular-season races remain to fill the seven open playoff spots.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. would love nothing more than to retire from full-time Monster Energy Series competition in November after a winning season. His odds look promising, statistically speaking. Ten of his 26 wins have come at Daytona, Dover, Bristol, Michigan and Pocono – all venues the series visits the summer stretch.

The road course portion of the schedule is synonymous with summer and in past years the Sonoma, California, and Watkins Glen, New York, tracks have played a role in the playoff structure. Two of the last four Sonoma winners – Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart – are no longer competing, which certainly opens the door for others. Kyle Busch is the only repeat Sonoma winner in the past 10 years. And Stewart's replacement in the No. 14 Ford, Clint Bowyer, won there in 2012.

The iconic Watkins Glen road course also presents a unique opportunity to the Monster Energy Series field. Half of the winners in the last 10 years – including Juan Pablo Montoya, Marcos Ambrose and Tony Stewart – will not be in this year's starting lineup. And Kyle Busch (who is winless in 2017) is the only active driver to score multiple wins during that time.

Restrictor plate tracks – in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Talladega, Alabama – have predictably proven to be unpredictable, for the good and the bad. And that may be a huge benefit for those still hoping to make the playoff field. In the last 10 years, only now-retired Tony Stewart has won multiple times in the July race at Daytona. David Ragan (2011, pictured) and Aric Almirola (2014) hoisted summer trophies for their first career wins at the track during that time.

The summer stretch presents a specifically promising slate of venues for Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney. Both of Elliott's runner-up finishes came at Michigan – where the series races twice before Labor Day. And Blaney's only runner-up came at this year's Daytona 500, a place where the series returns to race on July 1.