The Biggest Concern for Each NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Team in 2015
Anyone check the calendar lately?
We're under 40 days away from the green flag at the Daytona 500!
Time sure does fly. It seems like just hours ago that Kevin Harvick was lifting his first Sprint Cup championship trophy at Homestead in November.
The offseason has been full of changes for many high-profile drivers and teams.
Drivers have jumped ship, crew chiefs have circled around so many times you'd think they were on a merry-go-round and teams are still trying to figure out NASCAR's new rules package for the upcoming season.
Here, we take a look at the biggest concerns facing each major team with just a bit over a month until the first engines are fired for the races that count at Daytona International Speedway.
Let's get right to it.
Joe Gibbs Racing: Will Crew Chief Realignment Work?
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Joe Gibbs Racing sent all three of its drivers to the Chase last season, but only two wins once they got there and the addition of Carl Edwards with the new No. 19 team necessitated a few changes.
Wholesale changes.
Meaning almost nothing will be the same as it was last year.
JGR announced in December that it would be shaking up crew chief assignments, leaving only Matt Kenseth with the same pit boss he had last season.
Edwards will be working with Darian Grubb, who led Denny Hamlin’s team last season and won a Sprint Cup championship with Tony Stewart in 2011 in his first season on the team.
Hamlin, per Jeff Gluck of USA Today, was fine with the change, which left him with the sometimes-fiery Dave Rogers at the top of his pit box.
One person who didn’t seem terribly thrilled was Kyle Busch.
Busch and Rogers struggled to find consistency last season, and the two had a notable sniping match over the radio during August’s night race at Bristol, which led to some speculation about a possible change. Rowdy dismissed reports of any dissension with Rogers, notably splitting with JGR on the crew chief change once it was announced.
He presented a list of crew chiefs he’d like to work with, but ownership instead elected to promote Adam Stevens, who has been Busch’s crew chief on the Xfinity Series.
Busch, while acknowledging the high level of success the pair has enjoyed on NASCAR’s second-tier circuit, didn’t ooze confidence, per Gluck.
"You only hope it works for the best. The relationship Adam and I have developed over the last couple years has been good, it's been fun, but it's obviously been at a completely different level than what this is," he said.
Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
Hendrick Motorsports: Can Greg Ives Take Junior to the Next Level?
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It’s out with the old and in with the new for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the 88 team.
Steve Letarte, crew chief since 2011, announced in January that he would be stepping down at the conclusion of the season to take a job at NBC Sports, helping Junior to his best season in a decade on the way out the door.
Hendrick Motorsports hired Greg Ives to be Letarte’s successor in July.
Junior quickly praised the move because of his new chief’s understanding of Hendrick’s shop and rapport with other team members, particularly Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus.
“It was important to find someone who would fit at Hendrick Motorsports and inside our shop, and he will for sure do that,” Junior said, per MotorSportsTalk's Chris Estrada. “We got the best guy for the job, and I look forward to working with him next year.”
Ives will face a pressure-packed environment running the team for NASCAR’s most popular driver, but his experience with Hendrick and championship pedigree should help ensure a smooth transition.
He served as race engineer for Johnson during his historic streak of five straight Sprint Cup championships, and he guided Chase Elliott to the Nationwide Series championship last season, helping the then-18-year-old become NASCAR’s youngest-ever champion.
Elliott races for JR Motorsports—Junior’s one of the owners along with his sister Kelley and Rick Hendrick—so it was only logical to promote his crew chief after a dominant title run.
Hendrick is just hoping that success will translate to the top tier.
Hendrick Motorsports (Part-Time): What Can We Expect from Chase Elliott?
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Elliott drove away with the Nationwide Series championship last season, clinching the title before the final race of the season by a wide margin and becoming the youngest champion in the history of NASCAR’s three touring series.
He showed the poise of a driver well beyond his years, leading Bob Pockrass of the Sporting News to conclude that he could be ready for the big lights of the Sprint Cup Series.
“Chase Elliott hasn’t turned 19 yet, and the Nationwide Series champion already could be ready for a Sprint Cup ride,” Pockrass wrote in November.
But there’s a problem.
Hendrick Motorsports simply doesn’t have any room at the inn for the teenage prodigy.
Junior isn’t going anywhere, and neither is Johnson. Jeff Gordon hasn’t indicated when he’ll call it a career, and Kasey Kahne just re-upped on a deal that will keep him in the No. 5 car through the end of the 2018 season.
Even before Elliott became a champion, team owner Rick Hendrick expressed a desire to get him into a few Sprint Cup races in the coming year. How many and when?
We don’t yet have an answer to that question, nor how Hendrick plans to resolve the eventual logjam with its drivers. The organization could conceivably allow Elliott to drive for another team, but that doesn't seem very likely.
Elliott will be full time in the Xfinity Series during the coming year, but his Sprint Cup appearances will be the most interesting dates on his schedule.
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Stewart-Haas Racing: Will Outlaw/Danica Swap Work?
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Kurt Busch didn’t have the season he or his new bosses at Stewart-Haas Racing were looking for when he joined the team for the 2014 season.
A well-traveled driver who lifted the Sprint Cup trophy in 2004, Outlaw qualified for the Chase with an early-season win at Martinsville, but he ended the year with 10 finishes of 30th or worse.
If Busch underperformed—he did—then Danica Patrick somewhat overperformed.
Save your groans.
Patrick quietly cobbled together her best season as a Sprint Cup driver, with three top-10 finishes and 14 top-20s, along with the two best finishes of her career: seventh at Kansas and sixth at Atlanta. Definitely something to build on as she approaches her third season.
But then SHR tinkered with the formula, and Danica was the big loser.
SHR announced late in the year that Busch and Patrick would be swapping crew chiefs for the final three races of the Chase. Daniel Knost, a rookie hired when the team moved from three to four cars, would move from the 41 to the 10, and Tony Gibson would be headed the other way.
You wanna argue about the timing or rationale behind the decision—SHR said it was to get a head start on next year, but in reality it was meant to get Outlaw going—have at it.
The results speak for themselves.
Danica closed out the year with finishes of 36th, 22nd and 18th, while Busch secured a pair of top-10s and one just outside in 11th place. And now Patrick's officially stuck with Knost for the season ahead.
Advantage Kurt.
Where does that leave both drivers, each facing some serious pressure, this coming season? We just have to wait and see.
Team Penske: Has Brad Keselowski Made Too Many Enemies?
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If you listen to other drivers tell it, Brad Keselowski’s aggression isn’t the problem.
It's his attitude.
Sure, drivers might not appreciate his sometimes-risky passing moves or late-race decisions that send someone into the wall or pop a tire, but you can’t fault the guy for doing all he can to get the win.
Denny Hamlin explained the real problem in November, per Nate Ryan of USA Today, after Keselowski scuffled with Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon at Texas:
"You're just looking for someone to say, "Man, I'm sorry I ruined your day. I screwed up. I apologize." When that doesn't get said, then it immediately lights a fire in your stomach that he doesn't have any remorse. He's just like, "Oh well, it's your problem."
If Brad would have talked to Jeff, and said, "Man, I was going for a hole, it was my only chance, I'm really sorry it cut your tire." Instead, it was, "Oh well, sorry buddy. You left a hole." If he did that to me, I would have had the same reaction as Jeff. No question.
"
Gordon finished 29th at Texas, seriously dinging his championship hopes, and ended up in a scuffle with Keselowski on pit road. Harvick was also involved, and that one paired nicely with the fisticuffs exchanged between the No. 2 team and Matt Kenseth at Charlotte earlier in the season.
Keselowski has consistently maintained that he’s in the market for victories and championships, not friends, but is there something to Hamlin's point?
Isn't it harder to win a championship with so much bad blood with so many drivers?
Team Penske sure hopes not.
Chip Ganassi Racing: Is Kyle Larson Due for a Sophomore Slump?
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NASCAR observers of all stripes and persuasions are practically printing out Kyle Larson hype and handing it out with your morning breakfast cereal.
Hype isn’t always unwarranted, especially when it’s earned on the race track, but you need to be guarded about believing your own headlines and allowing hype to replace actual accomplishments.
Larson emerged as the Sprint Cup Series’ top rookie in 2014, capturing Rookie of the Year honors for a season that saw the No. 42 Target Chevrolet take home eight top-five finishes and 17 top-10s, along with second-place finishes at California, New Hampshire and Kansas.
Impressive stuff.
Larson clearly has the goods to become a force on the track, competing for a spot in Victory Lane every week, but you have to wonder about the dreaded sophomore slump.
It’s one thing to have a great season. Putting it all together on a consistent basis from year to year is a whole different equation. The second time is always more difficult than the first, and Chip Ganassi Racing must be hoping Larson doesn’t find that out the hard way.
Roush Fenway Racing: How Will Trevor Bayne Handle His Full-Time Ride?
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Trevor Bayne has one Sprint Cup Series win in his career.
Just one.
The Daytona 500.
Bayne was the surprise winner of NASCAR’s season-opening showcase event in 2011, becoming the youngest driver in history to take the checkered flag at the 500-mile race.
Talk about making a statement in just your second Sprint Cup start.
The 23-year-old hasn’t replicated that performance on NASCAR’s big league circuit, racing a part-time schedule over the past four seasons with limited success.
With Edwards’ departure from Roush Fenway Racing at the end of the season, a slot opened up for Bayne to get a full-time ride aboard the No. 6 Ford Fusion.
He had a solid season running in Nationwide last year, but his Sprint Cup results racing for Wood Brothers left a lot to be desired.
Bayne’s debut in the RFR’s No. 6 car didn’t go as planned at Charlotte in October when he failed to crack the top 36 in qualifying and didn't qualify for the race. Hopefully that isn’t a sign of things to come for the driver and his new team.
Richard Childress Racing: Will Ryan Newman Reach Victory Lane?
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Ryan Newman didn’t win a single Sprint Cup race in 2014.
Ryan Newman came in second in the Chase in 2014.
Wait, what?
Those two sentences don’t seem to make a whole lot of sense when viewed together, but with NASCAR’s new Chase format awarding consistency and resetting points after each round, Newman was right there until the checkered flag at Homestead.
Just shows the benefits of remaining competitive and out of trouble under the new rules.
There’s little doubt that Richard Childress Racing wouldn’t have held the lack of a victory against Newman had he hoisted the Sprint Cup trophy, but you’d have to think RCR would like to see its main man get to Victory Lane this season.
Or maybe not, so long as he’s right there in the mix again at Homestead with a chance to become a champion.
But it's not like you can't do both, so get there, Ryan!
JTG Daugherty Racing: Can 'Dinger Get Back to the Chase?
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One day in August was full of firsts for A.J. Allmendinger.
‘Dinger won his first Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen on Aug. 10, securing entry into his first Chase and the first victory for the single-car JTG Daugherty Racing team.
Not bad for one day at the office.
Allmendinger is one of those drivers who you’ll find impossible to root against. He’s well-liked among owners, teams and fellow drivers, and many of them greeted him in Victory Lane to celebrate his emotional win at The Glen.
The emotion, per Tom Jensen of FoxSports.com, was captured perfectly by the driver in Victory Lane: "My gosh, I can't believe we won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race! I just wanted it for them—this team—they deserve it, they've worked so hard."
Modest.
Allmendinger toiled for seven long years to get that win, and it secured him a berth in the Chase. With only one car on the team, JTG Daugherty will be hoping it's a performance he replicates in 2015.
Richard Petty Motorsports: Can Sam Hornish Jr. Justify His Second Chance?
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Aric Almirola made the Chase last season as a member of Richard Petty Motorsports, so we’re going to focus here on the new guy in the garage.
Sam Hornish Jr. is an extremely accomplished IndyCar driver—three Verizon IndyCar championships and the 2006 Indianapolis 500 champion—who struggled to transition to NASCAR’s bigger cars.
Struggle might be too nice a word.
It was close to a disaster, and not all—or even most—of that was Hornish’s fault. There was a lot of blame to pass around.
"I'm not going to talk bad about anybody or anything like that," Hornish said, per Jared Turner of FoxSports.com. "But there were a lot of different things that made that not work."
Indeed.
Now a part of Richard Petty’s team, on a fresh multiyear deal, Hornish better hope his second verse works out better than the first.
It’s not often you come across third chances in NASCAR, a sport with so many quality drivers and so few top-tier spots.
Make this one count, Sam.
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