NASCAR Sprint Cup: 10 Out-There Predictions for the 2012 Season

The 2012 season is about to begin, and with it comes predictions from many magazines, newspapers and television shows. Most of these organizations play it safe with their predictions. I am not one to play it safe.

I have picked out 10 bold predictions for the 2012 season that fans would be shocked if they were to happen. Crazy things have happened over the years in NASCAR and this season will be no different.

Here are my 10 out-there predictions for the 2012 season.

Danica Patrick Wins Daytona 500

Danica Patrick winning the Daytona 500 would be one of the biggest stories in NASCAR history.

It could happen.

Patrick performed well in the January testing at Daytona Speedway. She spent most of her day drafting with the champion Tony Stewart. Picking Stewart to win the Daytona 500 would not be a bold prediction, but Patrick winning is. If Patrick runs the Daytona 500 with Stewart on her bumper, she will have a chance at winning. Stewart will keep her out of trouble, and the two could be in position for the win at the end of the race.

If Michael Waltrip can win the Daytona 500, why can’t Patrick?

Kyle Busch Stays out of Trouble for Entire Season

Could Kyle Busch actually stay out of trouble for an entire season?

Does this mean he will not be eating any more of Richard Childress' knuckle sandwiches?

Last season was such a disaster for Busch, that I think he may have learned his lesson. I believe Busch wants to win a championship as much as any driver in the sport. I think he is starting to realize that he cannot do it if he keeps acting the way he has in the past.

Busch will be aggressive on the track, because that is who he is. He will not let his temper get in the way of winning races.

A cool, calm Busch shows up in 2012, and the officials in the NASCAR hauler have no one to talk to after the races.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Wins Multiple Races

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has not won a race since the Richmond race in 2006.

My out-there prediction for 2012 is that Earnhardt will not only win his first race since 2006, he will win multiple races.

Earnhardt was close to victory on a couple of occasions last season. Earnhardt finished No. 2 at Martinsville, No. 2 at Kansas and No. 3 at Chicago. Earnhardt could easily turn these Top Five finishes into wins if he could just get a little luck to go his way.

Kurt Busch Fired from Phoenix Racing

Kurt Busch insists that he is happy to be at Phoenix Racing, and he is ready to compete with his new team. I think Busch will be happy as long as he is competitive. As soon as the team starts to have problems, Busch’s temper will explode and Phoenix Racing will send him looking for another job.

What will happen to Busch if he fails with Phoenix Racing? Will any other team take a chance on him?

He has too much talent to be completely out of racing. At least his brother owns a Nationwide Series car he can drive.

Brad Keselowski Misses the Chase

Last year Brad Keselowski surprised fans as he finished No. 5 in the point standings.

Many people are predicting that Keselowski will contend for a championship in 2012.

My out-there prediction for the 2012 season is that Keselowski will not only fail to compete for the championship, he will also miss the Chase altogether.

If Keselowski misses the Chase in 2012, it will prove that his 2011 season was a fluke.

No Traffic Problems at Kentucky Raceway

The worst part of the 2011 season for NASCAR was the debacle at Kentucky Speedway.

NASCAR has had a history of having traffic problems at their races, but nothing like what happened at Kentucky Speedway.

The traffic was so bad that thousands of fans never made it to the race, while others parked their cars miles away from the track and walked to the race. Fans were given free tickets to future races, but that did not make fans happy.

With the problems that NASCAR had in 2011, it is hard to believe that their problems will be solved in 2012.

My out-there prediction is that the problems have been solved, and fans will have easy access to the Kentucky Speedway. New lanes are being added to Interstate 71 and Kentucky Route 35. Will this be enough to solve their problems? My prediction is that it will be.

2012 Chase Better Than 2011

How do you top the 2011 Chase? The championship came down to the final race and the final lap. The two drivers ended the season in a tie for the points. How could it get any better than that?

Add another team to the mix.

Instead of having two teams battle it out for the last lap of the season for the championship, what if there was another team involved? That would be more exciting.

The way NASCAR has the point distribution set up; more teams are in contention at the end of the season. The days of the championship being decided before the last race are over.

My out-there prediction is that just when fans thought it could not get any better, it does. Three teams fight for the championship in 2012.

Michael Waltrip Racing Gets Two Cars in the Chase

What makes this prediction so bold is that there are only 12 spots in the Chase.

Michael Waltrip Racing has three good drivers with Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr. and Mark Martin. For two of these drivers to make the Chase, two drivers from the more dominate organizations (Roush Fenway Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and Penske Racing) would need to be left out.

My out-there prediction for 2012 is that Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr. will make the Chase.

Michael Waltrip Racing is talking about expanding in 2013. By putting two cars in the Chase, Michael Waltrip Racing will be set up for the 2013 season.

NASCAR Takes Away Victories for Cars Who Fail Post-Race Inspection

Cheating has always been a part of NASCAR. As much as NASCAR tries to police the sport, they will always have a hard time catching every offender.

One thing I never understood about NASCAR is why they allow teams that fail the post-race inspection to keep their victory.

My out-there prediction for 2012 is that NASCAR has had enough of teams bending the rules to win races. For the first time ever, NASCAR takes away the points from a team who fails the post-race inspection.

NASCAR Announces They Will Award Points for Qualifying

Qualifying has always been an important part of NASCAR. Why not award the teams that do it the best?

Some teams in NASCAR just put enough effort into qualifying to get their car into the race. Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton have historically been bad at qualifying. These two drivers are good at coming from the middle of the pack to contend in a race.

Ryan Newman is historically strong at qualifying. Newman may be the driver who would benefit the most from this rule change.

NASCAR would not award many points for qualifying. I think if NASCAR awarded one point for winning the pole, it would be a major rule change for the sport. Just look at what the one point would have done for Carl Edwards in last season’s Chase (Edwards had three poles in 2011; Stewart had one pole in 2011).

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