Bold Predictions for the 2015 NASCAR Season
Well, NASCAR fans, we've almost made it.
On February 22, the best stock-car drivers in the land will convene in Florida for the opening race of the 2015 season, the Daytona 500.
We'll finally get to see how Kevin Harvick responds to the pressure of being the defending champion, how Jeff Gordon's final season will play out and how long Brad Keselowski can go without getting into another fight.
Of course, NASCAR is the most unpredictable of sports, but that won't keep us from trying to play fortune teller. Here are some bold predictions for the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.
Danica Patrick Will Win a Race
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That's right, we're starting off with a bang. I think that in 2015, Danica Patrick will win a race.
It's her third year riding full-time in the Sprint Cup series, and I expect Patrick to make significant strides. While she won't be a steady week-in, week-out contender in the vein of the Kevin Harvicks or the Jimmie Johnsons, I do think that she will have a couple of top-five finishes and make a trip to Victory Lane.
It's a big year overall for Patrick. She's in a contract year both for her sponsor (GoDaddy) and her team (Stewart-Haas), and she has a new crew chief by her side (Daniel Knost). The pressure is on—middle-of-the-pack is no longer satisfactory. She needs to do something to make herself stand out on the track, not just off, and justify the lofty investment.
Patrick, the competitor that she is, will do just that with a win in 2015.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Will Repeat as Daytona 500 Champion
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. started out his great 2014 campaign by winning the Daytona 500, and I think he's going to do the same thing again in 2015.
Sure, defending any victory in NASCAR is difficult, and sure, Junior is starting off the year with a new crew chief, Greg Ives, but that doesn't matter.
As reported by Bob Pockrass of ESPN, Earnhardt is feeling optimistic about the new year:
"I feel confident about what we did last year and that we can come in and be competitive, and we should be competitive with the equipment we've got, so that shouldn't be any issue. I'll just get out there and make all the good decisions that I can in the draft and put myself up toward the front and try to work hard to stay there and really be mentally disciplined to fend off the challenges and all that stuff that we did in the race last year.
"
Junior loves restrictor-plate tracks just like his father did, and he'll cruise to Victory Lane once again.
Ryan Newman Will Miss the Chase
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Last season, Ryan Newman had one of the best years of his career, finishing as the runner-up to Kevin Harvick in the Chase. The only problem was he didn't win a single race all year.
That's right—in the new points system that is supposed to reward winning above all else, Newman rode his consistency (almost) to the top.
I don't think that Newman will be able to do the same again in 2015, primarily because we're going to see more race winners this year, so all 16 Chase participants will have to have a victory under their belt.
Newman will contend for championships again, but I expect this year to be a step back for the Richard Childress Racing driver.
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Sam Hornish Jr. Will Make the Chase
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While I expect familiar face Ryan Newman to miss out on the Chase, I also expect a face that many haven't seen in quite a while, Sam Hornish Jr., to make it into NASCAR's postseason.
Hornish is back in NASCAR's premier division for the first time in five years, and something tells me he's not going to let this opportunity go to waste. After all, his first time around Penske pushed him into sprint cars too soon after his IndyCar days, but Richard Petty Motorsports thinks the timing is right this time around, as reported by Randy King of The Roanoke Times.
Second chances are rare for NASCAR drivers, and nobody understands that more that the 35-year-old Hornish, who knows that it's now or never. So expect a more mature and professional Hornish to find his way into Victory Lane this season—and therefore into the illustrious Chase.
Kyle Larson Will Win 3 (or More) Races
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OK, picking Kyle Larson to win a NASCAR race this year isn't exactly a bold prediction—in fact, it would be bolder to pick him not to win a race. However, I'm going to up the ante on this one and predict that Larson will win at least three races this season.
I do realize that Larson is only beginning his second year in the Sprint Cup series and that he's never won a single race at this level, but my prediction still isn't that ludicrous. After all, in his rookie year, Larson had seven top-five and three runner-up finishes. He was also arguably the most impressive driver in the Chase races, despite the fact that he didn't even make the Chase.
So expect to see Larson get his first victory in the first couple of months of the season, and don't expect him to stop there. Larson is going to make the leap from rookie driver to elite driver in a single year.
Jeff Gordon Will Be out After the First Round of the Chase
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If you thought Derek Jeter's goodbye was long, well, just wait until you see Jeff Gordon's.
The beloved Gordon is retiring after this season, and each week will provide a chance for him to say goodbye to a different set of fans at a different race at a different track. Every week will be emotional because Gordon has so many career memories everywhere he goes.
Gordon was a legitimate contender for the championship last year—he barely missed out on making it to the final round of the Chase at Homestead—and the narrative this entire season will be whether or not No. 24 can go out on top.
Well, I'm saying that he won't. The farewell tour will be an exhausting one, and while Gordon will get a win or two this year and make the Chase, he won't have much left when he gets there. He'll be among the first four drivers eliminated.
A Team Penske Driver Will Win the Title
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Look, there are a lot of guys who are good picks to win the Chase this year.
Kevin Harvick could certainly repeat. The powerful Hendrick trio of Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is all capable. (Sorry, Kasey Kahne, I'm sure you'll be dangerous too.) Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, the Busch brothers or Carl Edwards could win it all as well.
But I think that this year the title is going to come down to Brad Keselowski or Joey Logano.
Keselowski will have a target on his back after all of the drama he caused last year, but he absolutely thrives in that environment. The 31-year-old won six times last season, and he certainly has the talent to win the Chase, as he proved when he did it in 2012.
Logano was arguably one pit stop away from winning it all last year—he made it to the final race at Homestead and was in the mix late, until his car fell off the jack on pit road and his dreams were dashed.
The two Penske teammates get along great on and off the track, and they do a good job of feeding off of one another's successes. For that reason, I expect to see one of them walk away as the ultimate champion in 2015.
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