Rick Hendrick knew what he was getting with Larson and now has a powerhouse of young drivers. The Hass cars seem to run out of luck and Toyota used all of their luck early in the season.
Larson has made Hendrick better, that's for sure. He was always a great driver, and he wasn't in the best equipment at CGR - now he's in top flight stuff. Plus, I think his time away in suspension made him hungrier. Plus the Chevys have just gotten better all around, you have Childress and CGR running top 10 in most of these races. The JGR cars have had good runs and the 99 is in the top 15 every race.
I don't know about using up luck, I just think the Chevys are stronger right now. But the SHR Fords are quietly getting better. Both Almirola and Custer have been running in the top 10 in multiple races the past few weeks - and Harvick is always hanging around. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see the 10 win one of these two at Pocono.
And I don't think we can ever discount Gibbs when it comes to the playoffs. It's going to be really crazy leading up to the cut, especially if the 11 can't find a way to win. Things are going to get nasty on track.