NASCAR Nationwide Series: Who's Where in 2012?

Racin’ with Russ - After spending the past six weeks explaining the many changes in store for the Sprint Cup series, I thought I’d hit some of the highlights in the same vein related to the Nationwide series.

Some of the latest changes are pointing to a very competitive series. I’ll also throw in my predictions as to how various combos will fare.

Starting with the Wallace brothers, Mike and Kenny respectively driving the No. 01 and 09 return to full-time action in so-so rides. Kenny comes off a decent season finishing in the top 10, but Mike continues in an also-ran position. Both drivers are close to the end of their careers and I don’t see very good results for this year.

Virginia driver Elliott Sadler in the No. 2. He showed many signs of speed last year, even finishing as runner-up, but the win column was left conspicuously empty. Sadler is back in the Earnhardt/Childress ride and I predict much of the same results with at least one win, but no title.

New to the series this year is last year’s truck champion, Austin Dillon. He’ll be driving the iconic black No. 3 Chevy for Earnhardt/Childress Racing with Bass Pro Shops and AdvoCare as backers. I predict numerous top 10 runs with at least one win, but no title during his first shot in Nationwide competition.

Reigning champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. returns to the Roush-Fenway No. 6 Ford with Blackwell Angus Beef as partial check writer. With extensive team resources and another year’s worth of maturity, I wouldn’t rule out a second title.

NASCAR’s newest sweetheart Danica Patrick will start her first full-time season with GoDaddy.com backing her effort in the Jr. Motorsports No. 7 Chevy. A guaranteed start is in place for the first five races, what with great engines and an experienced crew. However, I don’t see super-duper results. We can expect a few top 10’s and mid-pack results from the ex-open wheeler along with lots of unnecessary notoriety.

Brian Scott returns to the Gibbs No. 11 Toyota with Dollar General decals on the car. This young driver has all the ingredients to record top 10’s in most any race with a sprinkle of wins here and there. A top 10 in points is attainable, but no title.

Last year’s rookie-of-the-year Timmy Hill will fill the seat of the Rick Ware Racing No. 15 Ford. The 18-year-old will look for more consistency and top 10 runs, something this underfunded team may find difficult.

Brad Keselowski and Parker Kligerman will split driving duties in the Penske Discount Tire No. 22 Dodge for this season. This could be a very competitive combo with the two young lions hungry for success.

Justin Allgaier will return to the No. 31 Turner Chevy with Brandt as the full-time backer. A great combination of talent and with just a spec of good luck, this team could go far with numerous top 10’s and wins.

Another impressive pair of drivers splitting driving duties is Kasey Kahne and Brad Sweet piloting the Turner No. 38 Chevy with Great Clips as sponsor. This will be a full-time effort with Mike Shiplett as crew chief.

Bad boy brothers Kyle and Kurt Busch could be the scourge of the series with Monster Energy Drinks supporting their No. 54 Toyotas. When the other drivers see this ominous all-black car in their mirrors, they can only be very concerned on how they’ll be passed or punted. I expect to see this team in victory lane no less than five times and at the front of the pack for most of the season. Owner’s title shot? Oh yeah!

The very talented Cole Whitt moves over to the Jr. Motorsports No. 88 Chevy with TaxSlayer as the major backer. This ex-truck driver has proven he is more than ready to mix it up with the likes of the best in Nationwide. Experienced team with aggressive young talent equals good results such as several top 10’s and perhaps a win before season's end.

I have not included all of the teams competing, just most of the full-time ones or the most competitive. There are several other names you’ll see at the front in part-time rolls such as Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Michael McDowell just to name a few. All in all, a very exciting season is right around the corner.

From Rumorville

- Long time crew member and current Chief Operating Officer Robbie Loomis has been given his walking papers from Team Petty after more than 20 years of service. It appears money is tight and his seven figure salary was more than the team could handle.

- Living racing legends A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney are both recovering from knee surgery. Gurney is said to be moving around in a walker while A.J. is zipping around in a wheelchair, powered no less.

Coming Up Next Week

RWR will take a look at the Rolex 24 results from Daytona, along with more racing news from around the globe.