The Holiday Wish List for NASCAR's Top Stars
For most of us, the holidays are about spending time with friends and family and hopefully getting some presents that make our day-to-day lives more enjoyable.
Some of that is true for NASCAR drivers too, but the most popular and talented race-car drivers on the planet are also focused on how to make their 2015 Sprint Cup season even better than their 2014 season.
These drivers have the money and the fame, and they can likely afford to purchase any toy or electronic device their heart desires. But as we're merely two months away from kicking off the new season at Daytona, most of these superstars are asking Santa Claus for something a bit more.
Here's what NASCAR's most recognizable faces should ask for this holiday season.
Jeff Gordon: A New Back
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It looks like Jeff Gordon might have a few great NASCAR years left in him—if his back holds up, that is.
At 43, Gordon turned back the clock a bit in 2014, winning four races and sitting atop the points standings for a good portion of the season. In fact, it looked like he had a great chance to win his long-awaited fifth championship until he hit some bumps during the Chase.
But earlier in the season, a bad back flare-up threatened to sideline him. Back spasms nearly caused him to miss the Coca-Cola 600, and he admitted that he would have to retire if the pain persisted.
As reported by Chris Estrada of NBC's MotorSportsTalk, Gordon knows that this is something he's going to have to manage for the rest of his career:
"I don’t know what exactly transpired there, but it’s not the same. And I have to be much more careful. I’m just having to treat it more with ice and [electric stimulation] and be more careful and do more stretching.
Is it going to flare-up again? It could. But I’m just trying to be more cautious with the things that I do that I feel like contribute to that. But, yeah, it’s not great, that’s for sure.
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If Santa could deliver Gordon a new back—or work some magic and make his old model perfectly healthy—that would certainly help the Hendrick Motorsports superstar feel more confident and comfortable in the twilight of his career.
Brad Keselowski: A Security Guard
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He didn't win the championship this year, but nobody created more headlines—good or bad—than Brad Keselowski.
On the track, Keselowski had six wins and 17 top-five finishes. But his aggressive driving angered drivers such as Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth so much that he was a central part of two huge post-race brawls during the Chase.
But in November, after his fight with Gordon, the 30-year-old told Nate Ryan of USA Today that he had no plans of changing his ways to appease his competitors:
"I've gone through these battles before and come out stronger, and I'll go through them again. But what I'm not going to do is back down. I'm not going to get in the spot where I was in 2013, where I tried to be exactly what they all wanted me to be, because what they want me to be is a loser, and I'm not here to lose. I'm here to win. That means I'm going to have to drive my car, harder, stronger, faster than everybody out there. That's what I feel like I did today.
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Keselowski's no-apologies aggression makes him the entertaining bad boy of the circuit, but if he's going to keep up his instigating ways, investing in a security guard might be a wise move.
Kyle Larson: A Sprint Cup Victory
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This was the year where we saw what great potential Kyle Larson has. Next year should be the year we see him get rewarded for it.
Larson did earn the Rookie of the Year award, and that was a no-brainer—he finished 17th in points, just outside of the Chase, and he only got better as the season went on. In fact, the 22-year-old had six top-10 finishes and two runner-up finishes in the Chase alone!
Basically, the rookie did everything right this last season except actually win a Sprint Cup race.
With his talent, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver shouldn't need Santa's help to get into Victory Lane in 2015. But asking Kris Kringle couldn't hurt, either.
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Kevin Harvick: Deja Vu
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This past season really couldn't have gone much better for Kevin Harvick, who walked away with five wins and his very first Sprint Cup championship. So, why not just live it again in 2015?
Harvick's offseason move to Stewart-Haas Racing was just the jolt his career needed, and the support he got from the owners and his teammates turned his car into one of the most powerful and consistent cars on the circuit. Once he was paired with Tony Stewart's veteran pit crew during the Chase, he was practically unstoppable, especially in high-pressure situations.
While Harvick would probably like to improve on a few things, particularly his late-race decision-making earlier in the season, he'd be thrilled just to do it all again in 2015.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: More Races at Pocono
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If only every race was held at Pocono Raceway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. would certainly have a Sprint Cup championship by now.
After all, Junior swept both races at Pocono this year, winning the Pocono 400 in June and the GoBowling.com 400 in August. That means that Pocono Raceway accounted for half of his wins this season!
Tom Jensen of Fox Sports recounts why No. 88's Pocono domination this year was an unexpected twist:
"It wasn't that in the past Earnhardt was bad at Pocono, mind you, it's just he hadn't been a factor there most times. Heading into the June race at the Tricky Triangle, Earnhardt had posted seven top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in 28 Pocono starts. His best finishes at Pocono, a pair of second-place runs in 2001 and '07, came way back when he drove for Dale Earnhardt Inc., the company his late father founded.
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Whatever Junior's problems were at the track in the past, Pocono was a magical setting for him in 2014. If he's going to win his first Chase title in 2015, he could do with a few more Poconos along the way, particularly at the end of the season.
Jimmie Johnson: Couples Counseling with Chad Knaus
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It was not a season for Jimmie Johnson to remember. Although Johnson had four wins in 2014, he finished 11th in the standings and seemed to garner more headlines for his on-radio feuds with crew chief Chad Knaus than he did for his on-track maneuvers.
Knaus and Johnson have been paired up for 13 seasons, and they have won championships in six of those seasons, so there's certainly some chemistry there. But there was audible frustration between the two in 2014.
Johnson has said that it's up to Knaus how much longer their partnership lasts, as reported by Jordan Bianchi of SB Nation:
"When Chad decides he's had enough of being the guy on the box, it will be his decision to step down. As far as I'm concerned, we've made it 13 years in this thing. I want to see it go as long as it can. We're honest with each other and know each other well enough to work through the bad times. It might not be pretty, and I'm sure you guys have heard things on the radio that got your attention. We're like family, and we fight like family.
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If Johnson wants to extend the relationship, he should definitely put some couples counseling on his holiday wish list! After all, even long-term relationships can use some help.
Danica Patrick: A Top-Five Finish
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The 2014 season was a modest step forward for the popular and at times controversial Danica Patrick. In her second full year as a Sprint Cup driver, the 32-year-old made some palpable gains, with three top-10 finishes.
However, she still finished 28th in the standings, and she definitely needs to do better in 2015. A win would be great, and it shouldn't be out of the question, but a top-five finish is an absolute must.
As Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports pointed out, Patrick was the "highest-finishing driver in the standings that didn't have a top-five finish."
The Stewart-Haas driver needs to be better in qualifying and really work on her restarts in order to fulfill this Christmas wish.
Joey Logano: Butter and Jam
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This was the year in which Joey Logano really did live up to his nickname, "Sliced Bread" (as in, "the best thing since sliced bread," a moniker given to him by Randy LaJoie when discussing Logano's vast potential).
In 2014, the Penske driver won five races and finished fourth in the standings, making it all the way to the final race in Homestead before an ill-timed pit road mistake late in the race doomed his championship hopes.
Next season, the 24-year-old needs to dress up that sliced bread and prove that he's not only a great, consistent driver, but that he's a superstar who's ready to dominate NASCAR. For that, Logano could use some butter and jam to help prepare him for his very first Chase title.
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