Predicting Who Will Be the Most Improved NASCAR Drivers in 2015
Every year is an adventure for NASCAR drivers. Last season was clearly the best Kevin Harvick has put together, but it was one to forget for some of the biggest names in the sport.
On Sunday, the 2015 season finally gets underway for every driver looking to knock Harvick off his throne. Myriad drivers who simply weren't able to measure up to Harvick and others last year will be back to make some noise.
Quite a few of the most notable names either missed the Chase or weren't able to make it far in NASCAR's postseason. Luckily, the season begins anew in Daytona, and 26 races separate us from the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Leading up to the Great American Race, let's take a look at the drivers who will be the most improved during the 2015 season.
Tony Stewart
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There is no doubt that Tony Stewart has left a legacy in NASCAR with his results on the track. However, the last two seasons have been more trying for him than nearly any other driver who has gotten behind the wheel of a stock car.
The owner of Stewart-Haas Racing missed the final 15 races of the 2013 season after breaking his leg in a sprint car accident. After struggling to compete last season, he missed time again to cope with the death of Kevin Ward Jr., who was struck and killed by Stewart's car in a sprint car race.
Now, with two difficult seasons behind him, Stewart can look forward to this season with SHR. The 43-year-old driver is hoping this will be the year he turns things around.
“I’ve never questioned who I am and what I do,” Stewart said, via Viv Bernstein of The New York Times. “We’ve had two rough years back to back, which I don’t think I’d wish that on anybody. But deep down inside, I know who I am as a person and I know who I am as a driver, and that’s what I want to get back to. That’s what makes the start of 2015 so exciting for me, is flipping the page and getting ready to get focused again on what we love doing.”
Already a three-time champion in the sport, Stewart doesn't need another championship to prove his worth. But with the competitive fire back in his belly, fans can expect to see a resurgent Stewart in 2015.
Kevin Harvick proved that the SHR team can still get the job done with the equipment it has. This time around, Stewart has a shot to give the crew three drivers in the Chase after missing out the last two years.
The biggest hurdle for Stewart will be winning a race—something he didn't accomplish last season after winning at least one in every other year in NASCAR. With four wins in Daytona and three in Atlanta, that victory might come early for Stewart.
When the smoke settles in 2015, Stewart's resurgence will have him in the Chase along with at least two of his teammates.
Martin Truex Jr.
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Throughout his Sprint Cup career, Martin Truex Jr. has been somewhat of a journeyman driver. The now-34-year-old racer bounced from Dale Earnhardt Inc. to Michael Waltrip Racing before moving over to Furniture Row Racing prior to the 2014 season.
Truex enjoyed success with MWR, but NAPA Auto Parts pulled his sponsorship in the wake of a ploy the prior season to get him into the Chase. That 2013 season was also the last time Truex drove to Victory Lane, but things appear be turning around after his first full campaign with Furniture Row.
During the 10 races in the Chase last season, Truex finished in the top 20 eight times with two top-10 finishes and a top five. This all came after he found out his girlfriend, Sherry Pollex, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer earlier in the season.
Following a second-place finish during the Sprint Unlimited, Truex spoke about his difficult first season with Furniture Row.
"Second sucks, but that is the most fun I have had in a race car in a long, long time," Truex said, per Jay Pennell of Fox Sports. "After the year we had last year and then everything that I have been through with Sherry and all, it feels good to come here and run like that. It felt really good."
His run over the weekend was special, but Truex continued it with a good qualifying spot of 12th. That only means he has prime position for the Duels at Daytona, which is another chance for him to get comfortable with the track and the car again.
Truex hasn't enjoyed much success at Daytona during his career, but he can drive with the best of them on road courses and tracks like Dover International Speedway and Pocono Raceway. Now that he's back to having fun, there should be plenty of success to come for the No. 78 team.
Jamie McMurray
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Similar to Truex, Jamie McMurray has found several different homes during his long career. During his second stint with Chip Ganassi Racing, McMurray has not always enjoyed consistent success.
Last season was different.
McMurray didn't have a great final result, finishing 18th and missing the Chase, but the final 13 races were phenomenal. The 38-year-old driver recorded seven top-10 finishes during that span, five of which were fifth place or better.
His win in the All-Star Race last season earned him a new nickname from Ganassi, the "Big-Game Hunter." Grabbing another Daytona 500 or Brickyard 400 with CGR would solidify that name and a spot in the postseason.
His season might look encouraging from the start, but expect things to pick up for McMurray midway through the season. If he can pick up a win at Texas, Charlotte or New Hampshire, he should be a lock for the Chase.
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Kyle Larson
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McMurray isn't the only Ganassi driver looking to improve this season. His teammate just so happens to be one of the brightest young stars in the entire sport.
Kyle Larson may not have come away with a victory in 2014, but that doesn't mean he didn't make an impact. His rookie campaign in the No. 42 machine was one to remember with eight top-five results, though he came up just short of making the Chase.
After narrowly missing the postseason, he took it out on the rest of the field. Larson had an average finish of 3.8 over the first five Chase races and collected another top-10 at Texas before the season closed. That late run earned respect from drivers around NASCAR, including a six-time Sprint Cup champion.
“I think everyone knows Larson has what it takes to be a champion,” Jimmie Johnson said, per Ralph N. Paulk of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “He wouldn't have that ride if Chip didn't believe in him. We're going to be talking about that kid for a long time.”
Johnson's assessment might be spot on, but Larson will have to prove it this year.
He showed improvement at tracks like New Hampshire, Kansas and Charlotte, along with finishing in the top 10 at Texas twice. Given that growth over just one full-time season, expect great things from the 22-year-old in his second.
Kasey Kahne
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On the heels of an entire year where the pressure was squarely on his shoulders, Kasey Kahne can finally relax and simply focus on contending for a title.
Commonly forgotten in the mix of Hendrick drivers, Kahne still made it to the Chase last year thanks to a late-season victory. As a reward, one of the top teams in the sport gave Kahne a three-year extension.
Most of the pressure for Kahne came from the known fact that Chase Elliott would be looking for a ride in 2016. Shortly after Kahne re-signed with Hendrick, it was instead revealed that Elliott would take over for Jeff Gordon, who is set to retire after 2015.
Some of the talk about Elliott taking over was also based on Kahne's drop in production, as Nate Ryan of MotorSportsTalk points out:
"Some of the conjecture about Kahne’s place was driven by performance. In his 2012 debut with Hendrick, he finished fourth in points, but he slipped to 12th in 2013 and 15th last season when he didn’t win until Aug. 31 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (snapping a 13-month winless drought with his 17th career victory).
During the 2014 Chase for the Sprint Cup, he notched only one top 10 – a 10th at Charlotte. Hendrick moved crew chief Kenny Francis to a management role and brought in Keith Rodden (who was Kahne’s engineer for several seasons before spending 2014 as a crew chief for Jamie McMurray).
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Thanks to some reshuffling in the Sprint Cup schedule, Atlanta now serves as the second track the circuit will visit. If he can mirror his success from last fall, Kahne can clinch a spot in the Chase early and take his fourth victory in Hotlanta.
Now that the burden of potentially being replaced is off, expect similar results to his first year with Hendrick. With the equipment he has and Keith Rodden back in the mix, two wins and more than 15 top-10 finishes shouldn't seem out of the question.
Carl Edwards
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Carl Edwards may have put together a ninth-place finish last season in the Chase, but it was one of the quietest runs ever. His two wins and seven top fives were special, but he's still set for an improved season in 2015.
Why, you ask? Because he's set to continue a trend of drivers with new teams over the last two seasons.
Edwards' switch from Roush Fenway Racing over to Joe Gibbs Racing gives him a fresh start. When Matt Kenseth made the move in 2013, he finished second in points with JGR. Kevin Harvick won a championship in his first year with Stewart-Haas last year.
Entering his first season with the Gibbs team, he's considered the top driver in the circuit by Brad Keselowski, who narrowly missed out on a title last year.
“I personally think just from watching, and I am not afraid to say it, that Carl Edwards is the best driver in Sprint Cup," Keselowski said during the Daytona media day. "That is my personal opinion. It doesn’t make it law or fact but I think to go with that you could probably place an argument for Kevin as the second best."
"... I have seen what Carl has done in cars that didn’t have the speed," Keselowski continued. "He has a very diverse skill set. He has been able to win at tracks like Sonoma and has won at every type of track and I feel like he does the best job of any driver I have seen out there at taking a car that is not fast and finding speed out of it."
No pressure, Carl.
Heading over to JGR, Edwards should have consistent speed along with better equipment. Already holding a third-place result in the Sprint Unlimited and a strong qualifying time, Edwards is off to a hot start. Look for him to maintain this pace all the way into the Chase, leading to a potential title run.
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