The new owner of Swan Racing says he wants to “compete for victories”, and vows not to be a start and park. David Stremme is the wrong driver to accomplish that goal with.
Other than the jet dryer explosion, the most incredible development from last year’s Daytona 500 was Dave Blaney trending on Twitter.
32. Casey Mears, #13 Geico Toyota, Germain Racing
Here are a couple of dudes that incredibly, are still employed as Sprint Cup drivers.
Click the above link if you don’t believe me when I say Bobby Labonte was the 2000 Winston Cup champion.
Poor David Ragan is still stuck in NASCAR purgatory at Front Row Motorsports.
This will be Bayne’s last part-time season driving the legendary #21 before driving for Jack Roush in Sprint Cup next year.
27. A.J. Allmendinger #51 Tag Heuer Chevrolet, Phoenix Racing
We’ll have a greater appreciation for Kurt Busch after we see what this duo does in James Finch’s cars.
She’ll compete at restrictor plate tracks but it’s still a steep learning curve everywhere else.
Remember when Paul Menard stole the Brickyard 400 from Jeff Gordon a couple of years back? Me neither.
24. Mark Martin/Brian Vickers/Michael Waltrip, #55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, Michael
Waltrip Racing
There has never been a better performing car that was
shared by multiple drivers in the past 30 years than the #55 Toyota. If Martin
were driving it full-time, he’d be ranked in the top-12.Kevin Harvick’s departure after the season is the only reason Burton has a chance of keeping his ride for 2014.
That year where McMurray won a few times and was crying all over the place was pretty fun.
Almirola did just enough last year to earn a second go around at RPM, but it will likely take a win for him to secure employment for 2014.
I don’t know what to make of Kurt Busch this year, but three straight top-10s to close out 2012 is an encouraging sign for the 2004 Nextel Cup champion. His best chance to sneak into The Chase will be stealing a couple of wins between the two road courses or the short tracks.
It feels like the end of the line for Newman, as he was only able to lock up a one-year deal with Stewart-Haas. I expect him to enter the Bobby Labonte phase of his career next season.
Both of Ambrose’s career victories have been the most exciting finishes of the ‘10s so far. He needs to add a win at Sonoma to make the playoffs.
17. Joey Logano, #22 Pennzoil Ford, Penske Racing
I like Logano’s move to Penske for the long-term, but I see an adjustment period between joining a new team and adapting to the Gen-6 car.
Montoya put on a show when he gained ten spots to finish third in Thursday’s first Dual. It was almost a tenth as entertaining as his crash into the jet dryer last year.
Truex was the biggest surprise of the 2012 season before his team flamed out in The Chase. No Credentials forecasts a significant regression, as his lack of win potential limits his chances of earning a wildcard spot.
Mr. Danica Patrick is the best Sprint Cup rookie the series has seen since Denny Hamlin. It won’t likely result in a Chase bid, but I’d be surprised if Stenhouse doesn’t pull into victory lane this year.
I had Harvick pegged at 17 before he went 2-2 in his first two races of Speedweeks. Nevertheless, lame ducks do not win championships.
Biffle had his best year since 2005, but he struggles too much at short tracks to be considered a serious championship threat.
Ironically enough, I had Stewart ranked at 11 in my 2011 Chase Preview column. We all know how that turned out.
Kenseth will do well in his first season, but I don’t believe he will become the lead driver at Gibbs over Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. Regardless, it’s really bizarre to see the former champion in anything other than the #17.
I bet you didn’t know that Junior posted the best average finish of his career in 2012. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the switch to the new cars will benefit him more than any other driver.
Bowyer enjoyed remarkable success in his first season at MWR, so expect a slight return to Earth in 2013.
Edwards had a disastrous 2012, but history is on his side (sort of). Edwards was a popular pick to win the championship in 2006, but went winless and ended up 12th in points. He rebounded to win three races in 2007. In 2009, Edwards was again a title favorite after collecting a series high nine victories. Edwards again went winless, but rebounded to win twice and finish fourth in the points in 2010. In other words, the last two times Carl was coming off a shitty year, he rebounded. Inheriting the bulk of Matt Kenseth’s former crew will only help his cause.
Johnson’s days of winning championships are done. You heard it here first.
Gordon never got a hold of the Car of Tomorrow, so following Dale Jr., he’s the second driver who should benefit the most from the car switch. If only he could get Ray Evernham back on his pit box.
Hamlin would’ve had a puncher’s chance at last season’s championship if not for a disastrous day at Martinsville, which historically, is his best track. He stands to benefit the most from the addition of Matt Kenseth to Joe Gibbs Racing.
Bad Brad is just what NASCAR needs. A young, brash young champion who is relatively relatable to the common man. Penske’s switch to Ford was made easier thanks to it coinciding with the switch to the Gen-6 cars.
Entering his late-20s, Kyle Busch is just entering his prime (which is hard to believe, because he’s been driving in Sprint Cup for eight years). It’s a matter of time before he puts it all together for a championship-winning season.
Kahne’s first season with Hendrick couldn’t have started any worse, but he still rallied to a fourth place finish in points. With a year under his belt, look for Kahne to lead the Hendrick charge and capture his first career Sprint Cup title.
No comments:
Post a Comment