NASCAR will return to action this Sunday at the Darlington Raceway. While it’s going to be extremely difficult to predict who’s going to do what, since NASCAR announced that there won’t be any practice or qualifying prior to this weekend’s race, one camp that I have my eye out on is the Hendrick Motorsports foursome.

Without any on track activity before Sunday’s race, that means these race car drivers were last in competition 70 days ago. By comparison, this past year’s offseason lasted 83 days. Imagine going from Homestead to end a season to Daytona to start a new season three months later and get no practice or qualifying before hand. Now, imagine doing it from Phoenix to NASCAR’s most difficult track at Darlington.

That’s what’s at stake.

More: Who’s Been Hot, Who’s Not, Through The 1st 4 Races Run In 2020

More: Darlington Weekend Preview

So, it’s going to come down to conditioning levels and who can adjust their cars the best over the course of the day. In turn, that comes down to the driver-crew chief relationship to communicate on how that said car can get better as the day goes on.

With so many offseason crew chief-driver swaps, HMS is one of the organizations that elected to keeps theirs the same. That in part, is why I feel HMS is off to such a great start to the season. Also, all four drivers have remained in shape and are great athletes to handle the rigors for what’s at stake on Sunday in Darlington too.

In terms of average running positions and overall driver ratings this year, HMS has three of their four drivers ranked in the top six for each. Furthermore, two of the four rank in the top five of overall laps led. For the overall box score with a combination of all four races, three of the four are listed in the top five.

You can get three of the four drivers on 20/1 odds or worse if you want to bet this weekend. That’s remarkable.

Chase Elliott, according to NASCAR’s stats through four races run, is the top ranked driver in terms of their metrics. His average finish may say 13.5, but his average running position is 8.5 (2nd best). Also, out of all the laps run, his No. 9 Chevrolet has been quickest in 119 of them, most in the series. That’s allowed him to lead 18.8-percent (186) of all laps run, which has both No. 1 in those metrics. In turn, 83-percent of all of his laps run too have also been in the top 15, third most.

What’s all of that say?

Elliott, has a fast race car.

More: NASCAR Is Back, But The Races Will Look Vastly Different Than Before

The only problem is, his finishes haven’t necessarily been there. Elliott, won three of the first four stages in 2020 including having five top two finishes over the last six of them. He’s also led the most laps in two of the last three races. But, Elliott was involved in a crash at Daytona and had an issue during the end of the race in Vegas to go along with a loose wheel in the last race of the year on March 8 in Phoenix. The finishes were 17th, 26th and seventh respectively.

Maybe Darlington is the place to get the finish he’s coveted. While he was only 19th during last year’s Southern 500, his previous three finishes on the egg-shaped 1.3 mile South Carolina oval were all in the top 11 including a fifth place run in 2018. He has also won a NASCAR Xfinity Series race there too.

Also, watch out for his teammate Jimmie Johnson. The seven-time champion may be riding a long winless drought (98 races), but he also has been much better to start the 2020 campaign off with too.

Johnson, is ranked as the sixth best driver so far in 2020. Also, his average running position of 9.923 also ranks sixth best. By time the mid race mark comes along, the California native is running 7.5, tied for best in the series. His problem is, his No. 48 Chevrolet tails off in the second half to a 14.8 average finish. He hasn’t had all that great of finishes at Darlington recently either, but in the past, he was great. He won in May there in the past and with showing more speed this year vs the last few years, watch out for Johnson on Sunday.

Alex Bowman arguably has the second fastest car all season. He won in Fontana, has the fifth best average running position (9.163), fifth most laps led (113) and third overall driver rating. While Darlington hasn’t been great to him in the past, neither was Fontana and all he did was go out and lead 110 of the 200 laps that day in victory.

William Byron is the fourth driver at HMS and last year’s Southern 500 pole sitter. He may be the drop off for the camp this weekend. He’s had some bad luck in 2020 and has led just one lap. He’s also the 13th rated driver for the first four events run this year to go along with having the 15th best average running position.