The 5 biggest storylines at the 2018 NASCAR All-Star break

CHARLOTTE, NC - MAY 27: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Mobil 1 Ford, talks to Clint Bowyer, driver of the #14 Haas Automation Ford, during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 27, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /

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KANSAS CITY, KS – MAY 12: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series KC Masterpiece 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 12, 2018 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images) /

4. Jimmie Johnson still searching for answers

It was weird seeing Jimmie Johnson and his No. 48 team limp through the second half of the 2017 season with no wins and never really step up their game in the playoffs. Most fans and observers dismissed it as a fluke, or at the very least a trend that was unlikely to continue.

Through 12 races this year, it’s safe to say that was only a harbinger of things to come. If Johnson doesn’t win the Coca-Cola 600 over the holiday weekend, he’ll have gone the equivalent of a full season with no wins. That’s borderline unthinkable.

Sure, Johnson is no spring chicken at 42, but Kevin Harvick is the same age and you see what he’s done. It seems much more plausible that whatever Johnson, Chad Knaus and their crew were missing in late 2017 has just been exacerbated by the new Camaro, and the end result is that running inside the top 10 is now considered a good day for this group. It’s startling, to say the least, and there doesn’t seem to be a quick fix on the horizon.

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