Ryan Blaney celebrates his first NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series victory Sunday, June 11, 2017, after winning at Pocono Raceway. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

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Nothing surprises Kyle Busch

By Steve Kaminski | skaminsk@mlive.com

Some may find it surprising that nothing surprises Kyle Busch. But that’s what Busch said – before dropping the mic - during a postrace interview after finishing second in the Coca Cola 600 on May 28. With all due respect to the 2015 Monster Energy Cup Series champion, there have been plenty of surprises through the season’s first 14 races heading into Sunday’s race at Michigan International Speedway. Let’s review some of the big ones.

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Matt Kenseth burns out after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race at Michigan International Speedway, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015, in Brooklyn, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Slow Gibbs Racing

Joe Gibbs Racing had won seven of the first 14 points races heading into last year’s June race at Michigan International Speedway, along with the Sprint Unlimited and Can-Am Duel 2 races. The competition has caught up to JGR in 2017 considering the four-car Toyota team is winless heading into Sunday’s NIS race. Maybe MIS is the place where JGR notches its first. Kyle Busch has been fast, and with a little luck could have won three or four races by now. Close or not, it's a shocker that this powerhouse has been shut out. Matt Kenseth is a three-time Cup winner at the MIS two-mile, Denny Hamlin has won twice and Busch once. Rookie Daniel Suarez did win the Xfinity race here last June.

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Austin Dillon poses with the trophy in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Cup series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Monday, May 29, 2017. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

First timers

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr., left, talks with Ryan Blaney, right, before qualifying for Sunday's NASCAR Cup series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Thursday, May 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

First-timers

Ryan Blaney's victory at Pocono Raceway on Sunday made him the circuit's third first-time winner this season, joining Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Austin Dillon. Stenhouse earned his first career victory at Talladega on May 7, while Dillon pulled off a gas-mileage stunner to win the Coca Cola 600 in May. Who would have thought that Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick would be winless at this stage of the season and Dillon, Stenhouse and Blaney would each have victories.

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Ryan Newman walks to his car before qualifying for Sunday's NASCAR Cup series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Thursday, May 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Richard Childress Racing revival?

It may be premature to say that six-time Cup Series championship car owner Richard Childress is back, but he does have more wins than Joe Gibbs. RCR was winless since 2013, but Childress received a win from Ryan Newman at Phoenix in addition to Dillon’s victory at Charlotte.

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NASCAR driver Ty Dillon meets with fans at the Wesco distribution center, 2262 112th Street, Holland, Thursday, June 12, 2014. (Cory Morse | MLive.com

Youth is served

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Subway ambassador and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Daniel Suarez fires up the engine of his custom branded Subway/Cars 3 stock car for children at the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club of Greater Charlotte on Tuesday, May 23, 2017, at a special after school event celebrating the upcoming release of "Disney*Pixar's Cars 3." Featuring the voices of Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo, Armie Hammer and Daniel Suarez, "Cars 3" cruises into theaters on June 16, 2017 in 3D. (Jason E. Miczek/AP Images for SubwayAE)

Youth is served

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Erik Jones stands for a picture before Kalamazoo Klash XXIV at Kalamazoo Speedway in Kalamazoo, Mich. on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. Jones was awarded the CRA Late Model 2016 Fast Time. (Bryan Bennett | MLive.com)

Youth is served

NASCAR’s rookie class is Cup’s most impressive since 2000 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth drove onto the scene. This year’s class features Byron’s Erik Jones and Carl Edwards’ replacement Daniel Suarez in the No. 19. Jones is coming off a career-best third place Sunday at Pocono. Meanwhile, Ty Dillon showed he can compete with the big boys, too. He ran in the top-five at Dover on June 4 until a late-race accident took him out of contention. While none of the rookies have found Victory Lane, that day could be coming soon.

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Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (42) celebrates after winning the 47th Annual Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, August 28, 2016. (Samantha Madar | Mlive.com)

Kyle Larson breaks out

We all knew Larson was a wheelman, especially after watching him win the Pure Michigan 400 for his first career victory last August. But he has surpassed expectations this season, his fourth in Cup. True, Larson has won only one race this season, but the 24-year old Elk Grove, Calif., native has been runner-up in five other races. Larson has eight top-six finishes in his No. 42 Target Chevrolet and is on the verge of superstardom.

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Jimmie Johnson waves to fans after being introduced before the FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Sunday, June 12, 2016. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

Jimmie Johnson is washed up...oh, nevermind

Johnson already has three victories, which is no shocker. The surprise is how quickly 7-time has turned around his season. Johnson was 14th in points, and his best finish was a ninth place at Phoenix through the first six races. Critics were writing him off.

It’s never wise to count out Johnson. Johnson has since heated up, winning consecutive races at Texas and Bristol, followed by his June 3 win at Dover.

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Chase Elliott looks from car before practice for Sunday's NASCAR Cup series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Saturday, May 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Chasing win No. 1

It’s surprising that Chase Elliott has yet to win because he has been competitive since he got here last season. Maybe that first win will come Sunday. Elliott was runner-up in both Michigan races a year ago.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. prepares to practice for Sunday's NASCAR Cup series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Thursday, May 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Now you see him, soon you won't

Everyone knew the announcement was coming sooner or later, although it came sooner than most thought. NASCAR’s 14-time most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. missed about half of the 2016 season due to a concussion, but he was ready to go when the green flag dropped at Daytona in February after months of rehabilitation. And then suddenly, Earnhardt announced on April 25 that the 2017 season would be his last.

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Martin Truex Jr. (78) leads cars through Turn 4 during the NASCAR Cup series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Sunday, May 28, 2017. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Bigger not always better

The four-car teams of Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing and Rick Hendrick Motorsports have dominated NASCAR in recent years. But bigger is not always better, especially this year. The two-car teams of Chip Ganassi Racing, Furniture Row and Penske Racing have combined to win six races, and Ryan Blaney in the Wood Brothers famed No. 21 has run up front in a number of races, too.

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano celebrates after winning the Firekeeper's Casino 400 Race at the Michigan International Speedway on June 12, 2016.(Taylor Irby | Mlive.com)

Misbehaving

Speeding penalties, encumbered wins, loose lugnuts, suspended crew chiefs, Kyle Busch and the ‘orange box’ at Richmond. When will it end? Please, make it stop. Remember when they used to just throw the green flag and let them race?

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They're going where?

NASCAR announced its 2018 schedule this spring, and when the series returns to Charlotte in October next year, it’s going to race on its roadcourse. Indianapolis Motor Speedway also will host the regular-season finale, and the Chicago race will be moved up from September to July.

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Kyle Larson drives his car during final practice for the NASCAR Cup series auto race, Saturday, June 3, 2017, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Don't believe it

Did you catch that one race earlier this spring when the Fox TV booth actually went 10 laps without gushing over Kyle Larson? Just kidding. Rumor has it that Darrell Waltrip once made it five laps, though.