Early 2018 NASCAR season superlatives

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series takes a spring break for the Easter holidays this weekend before resuming on April 8 at Texas Motor Speedway. While it's just the beginning of the season, the racing thus far has given way to some very early superlatives, six races into the season.

BEST RACE: Daytona. The 'Great American Race' saw 24 lead changes among 14 drivers, with race-winner Austin Dillon grabbing the lead on the final, overtime lap. His win put the iconic No. 3 back in Victory Lane, 20 years after Dale Earnhardt won his only Daytona 500. Between the 'Big Ones,' passing, unpredictability and historic ending, Daytona didn't disappoint.

STRONGEST START: Kevin Harvick. The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing driver has already surpassed his 2017 win total with three consecutive trips to Victory Lane in six races thus far. The entire SHR fleet has shown speed, but Harvick's No. 4 particularly appears to have found some magic.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: Aric Almirola. Six races into the 2017 season, Almirola held an average finish of 16.5 and ranked 17th in the series standings. This season, his average finish in six races is 11.2 and he sits 11th in the series standings. Having contended for the Daytona win, Almirola's swift progress comes as a pleasant surprise to the start of 2018.

MOST PROMISING YOUNG DRIVER: Ryan Blaney. Looking at the Monster Energy Series standings after six races, Blaney is the youngest driver in the top five and even led the standings at one point this year. He hasn't won since his first victory at Pocono last year, but with an average finish of 8.5 and 264 laps led in 2018, the offseason move to Team Penske seems to be faring well for the young driver.

BIGGEST QUESTION MARK: Hendrick Motorsports. With the new Camaro ZL1, Hendrick Motorsports' 2018 performance was predicted to lag a bit, and team newcomers William Byron and Alex Bowman were expected to have some growing pains. But the biggest question mark that remains is just how long it will take the four-car team to catch up. The team's veteran driver Jimmie Johnson is currently riding the longest winless streak (29 races) of his career and while that's not concerning for most, it's unusual for someone like the seven-time champion.

DRIVER POISED FOR A WINNING STREAK: Kyle Busch. It's a bit surprising that Busch hasn't nabbed his first win of the 2018 season yet. But it's coming, without a doubt -- and soon. The No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver is atop the series standings and has finished no worse than third all month. As displayed in his post-race interviews, 'Rowdy' isn't happy finishing second for long.

BIGGEST RESURGENCE: Clint Bowyer. He's bacckkkkkkkk. In Victory Lane, that is. Clint Bowyer snapped a 190-race winless streak with a victory on March 25 at Martinsville Speedway. The third-longest in NASCAR's modern era, this could just be the beginning for Bowyer's strong season; he owns an average finish of 9.0 and ranks eighth in the series standings after six races.

BEST MOMENT(S): Richard Petty and Darrell Wallace Jr. at Daytona. Richard Petty's interaction with new driver Darrell Wallace Jr. at Daytona International Speedway gave fans ALL the feels. After finishing third in the Duels, 'The King' draped his arm around his young driver and walked with him down pit road. Their excitement continued following Wallace's runner-up finish in the Daytona 500, which brought about strong emotions and tears for the 24-year-old and his family post race.

MORE TO COME: Kyle Larson. Compared to his strong start last season (a win and three runner-ups), this season has been quiet for Larson and the No. 42 camp. Like Hendrick Motorsports, Chip Ganassi Racing is also racing the new Camaro ZL1 this season and based on the glimmers of strength Larson has shown this year (three top 10s in six races, with two of those being top-three finishes), the latter portion of 2018 is expected to outdo his start.

BEST EARLY PAIRING: Kevin Harvick and Rodney Childers. The 2018 season marks Harvick and Childers' fifth year together as a driver-crew chief pairing in the Monster Energy Series. After switching to Ford following the 2016 season, the team seems to have found its groove in 2018 -- and so does the No. 4 pairing. “It’s like when you find the perfect somebody and it just happens, you know?' Childers told NASCAR.com in February on the pair's dynamic.