Holiday Wish Lists for the Top Stars in NASCAR
It’s the most wonderful time of the year—unless you’re a NASCAR fan. By now, I’m sure that most of you diehards are in serious need of a racing fix.
So we thought we’d bring a little Christmas cheer to your lives by presenting our wish list for some of the biggest names in NASCAR.
Of course, much of this is tongue in cheek and meant to be humorous for the most part, but don’t be surprised if we throw a few serious wishes in, as well.
So without further adieu, on Donner, on Blitzen, on Rudolph and the rest of the bunch.
Or as old DW (NASCAR Hall of Famer and Fox Sports analyst Darrell Waltrip would say), “Let’s go racin’, boys and girl!”
Kyle Busch
1 of 10
What do you give the guy who has it all? In 2015, Kyle Busch made a miraculous recovery from a broken right leg and fractured left foot. He was back racing three months later.
But that wasn’t all. Busch and his wife, Samantha, then welcomed their first child into the world, and Kyle went on to win four races in the regular season and qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
And then the biggest miracle of all: After several failed attempts at winning the Chase, he survived all four rounds and capped off the season with his first—and likely not the last—Sprint Cup championship.
So, as I said earlier, what do you give the guy who has it all?
Simple: More of the same in 2016, particularly a second consecutive championship.
Tony Stewart
2 of 10
Man, I’m going to miss Tony Stewart after he retires following the upcoming 2016 season.
Of all the drivers I’ve worked with and covered over the years, Stewart and Jeff Gordon are tied at the top of my list of favorites—even though reporters aren’t supposed to have favorites.
So, after three Sprint Cup championships, nearly 50 career wins and a guaranteed spot in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, what kind of good wishes can I bestow upon Stewart?
It would be cliché-ish (as opposed to childish) to say go out and win a fourth career Sprint Cup championship and retire on top. It also would be extremely difficult for Stewart to do that given the last three seasons he’s had—missing the Chase all three years, as well.
Honestly, I’d like to bestow at least a little bit of the old Stewart magic upon the driver of the No. 14 and let him finish his final season in Sprint Cup racing with maybe a top-10 finish. That’s not asking too much, yet is very attainable.
Jimmie Johnson
3 of 10
After two seasons under the new Chase format, Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus have it all figured out and will be back with a vengeance in 2016.
That’s not just a prediction, that’s also my wish for the driver of the No. 48 and his sidekick.
It appeared JJ would have a chance at a record-tying seventh Sprint Cup championship in 2016. He won four races in the regular season and was primed to go all the way.
Unfortunately, he had a terrible first round—marked by disaster at a track he had previously won 10 races at in his career (Dover International Speedway)—and Johnson wound up being uncharacteristically eliminated after the opening round.
I think you’ll see a much more confident Johnson going forward in 2016, all the way to when he accepts the Sprint Cup championship trophy and ties NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for most championships in a career (seven).
Then it’ll be time for Johnson to get working on his wish for 2017: to break Petty and Earnhardt’s record.
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Danica Patrick
4 of 10
I’m not really sure how many people noticed, but Danica Patrick had her best season in three seasons as a full-time driver on the Sprint Cup circuit in 2015.
Sure, she finished 24th, but that was an improvement over the 27th and 28th place showings, respectively, she had in her first two seasons.
Remember this: Baby steps turn into big person leaps soon enough. And if Patrick continues at this pace, she may very well break into the top 20 in the final standings in either 2016 or, for sure, 2017.
My wish for her: continued improvement. And from what we saw in 2015, she’s certainly on that path.
Kevin Harvick
5 of 10
Kevin Harvick won the Sprint Cup championship in 2014 and finished second in 2015.
He’s been arguably the most consistent driver the last two seasons and has unquestionably become the best driver in those same two seasons in the Stewart-Haas Racing stable.
My wish for Harvick is simple: Keep doing what you’ve been doing. Because whatever you’ve been doing, a lot of other drivers could sure take some lessons from you, because you’ve got it going on.
I’d love to wish Harvick a second championship in 2016, but as I’ve already said, I’ve already given those wishes to Johnson.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
6 of 10
OK, this one is going to be hard to do.
As much as I’m convinced Johnson will win the championship in 2016, the sentimental side of me would like nothing better than to bestow championship wishes for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2016 will be a big year for Junior. Not only is he celebrating his ninth season with Hendrick Motorsports, he’ll also be getting married after the season to fiancée Amy Reimann.
And who knows what happens after that. We may very well have yet another member of the Earnhardt racing legacy be born. I mean, I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see Junior as a father.
Jack Roush
7 of 10
We’re going to deviate from drivers for a moment and give a serious amount of best wishes to Jack Roush, with the biggest wish being a return to competitiveness.
These last few years have had to be very rough on the so-called Cat in the Hat (known for his trademark bolo hat). Just in 2015 alone, a season that RFR began with great optimism, Jack saw things go from bad to worse and even worse.
The highest finishing driver on his team was Greg Biffle, who wound up 20th and failed to make the Chase. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished below his girlfriend, Danica Patrick, and Trevor Bayne’s first full-time season in Sprint Cup racing was something I’m sure he’d like to forget.
So for Roush, we not only wish him great holiday tidings but also a massive turnaround of success for his team. If at least two of his drivers can make the Chase and maybe even get to the second or third round, it would hopefully help everyone forget the last couple of years a bit more easily.
Mike Helton
8 of 10
NASCAR’s former president and now vice chairman has done a great job of shepherding the organization, even when it has had to sail through some very troubled waters.
But let’s face it, Mike Helton is starting to get older—he’ll be 63 in 2016—and one has to wonder just how much longer he’ll remain in his position before opting for retirement bliss.
He’ll have watched Gordon and Stewart sail into the sunset. Perhaps Helton may be thinking of doing the same in the next few years.
He’s done a great job of grooming his likely successor, Steve O’Donnell, and it’s a very realistic possibility that O’D will be ready to take the reins from Helton in the next couple years.
So for Helton this holiday season, the wish I’d like to bestow on him is continued success for however long he decides to continue in his role.
Richard Childress
9 of 10
We’re going back to the owner side of the track yet again with Richard Childress.
Why, you may ask? OK, before I answer that, let me ask you a question—and one in which the answer may very well surprise you.
What major NASCAR team has not won a Sprint Cup championship going on 22 years now?
Yep, Richard Childress Racing, which last won the title when Dale Earnhardt earned his record-tying seventh crown in 1994.
So for this holiday season, the wish I would like to bestow upon RC is a return to success and that first championship in nearly a quarter century.
No matter if it’s Ryan Newman, Paul Menard, or Childress’s grandsons, Austin or Ty, surely there’s a potential champion there somewhere.
Joey Logano
10 of 10
This wish is easy: I wish that Joey Logano would kiss and make up with Matt Kenseth, so everyone can stop hating on each other.
Face it, Logano, you may be a great driver, but you’re not a very intimidating physical presence. Short of having bodyguards around you 24/7, wouldn’t it be easier to simply let bygones be bygones—and maybe mumble a quiet “Sorry”—and move on from there?
Teammate Brad Keselowski has seen firsthand what it’s like to be a driver that’s vilified by fellow drivers. Logano, you could learn a lot from him.
If Logano and Kenseth had ever thrown down on each other, it would have been no contest. Kenseth in a five-second TKO (and I’m being generous there, because I originally predicted it would be a two-second knockout).
So Logano, try to turn the other cheek and show you’re the better man. You’re only 25 years old. You’ve got a long career ahead of you. It’s better to go along to get along, rather than compete against a boatload of enemies for the next 20 years.
Follow me on Twitter @JerryBonkowski
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